bubbles
Registered user
It’s just over two weeks now since we returned from Spain and the Moto Piston Rally and I have just about sorted the photos into some sort of useable format with quite a bit of help, I might add from no. 1 son Dan and Mrs bubbles.
So here goes, it all started back at the beginning of the summer when our friend Graham came down to spend a few days with us in Cornwall on his Yamaha scooter from his home in Surrey. Sat around the fire in the evening with a glass of wine, talk turned to bike mags and Motor Cycle Sport and Leisure which we both read and the MSL Tours advertised inside. One of these was to the Moto Piston Rally in the Picos Mountains in Northern Spain and we had both spotted it and thought it looked good value. As it happened Graham is on first name terms with Pete and Gloria Avard, who run MSL Tours from his days of owning a motorcycle clothing shop in Guildford, so rang them there and then and booked us on the trip.
About a month before, the details of the tour were posted to us along with a list of about 60 others also on the tour. Departure day was to be Wednesday 8th October from Plymouth, so Graham and his wife Tosca travelled down to Cornwall the weekend before to stay a few days with us before the trip. We had both talked about taking our old BMs and entering the Rally, as to take part the bike has to be over 25 years old. But in the end decided in the interest of keeping the ladies happy to take modern bikes and follow the rally at our leisure. That’s my excuse anyway!
By way of introductions here’s some pictures of the four of us……
Thats me bubbles
Mrs bubbles (Judy)
Tosca
and Graham.
after much preparation......
at last we are ready to leave, a 1 hour trip for us across from North Cornwall to Plymouth for a civilized 10.30am meet at the ferry for Santander, fortunately Luke our youngest was home from uni. for a few days and took the pic.
Ok I dide'nt take the GS, but bear with me, I promise there will be some GS pictures.
At the ferry
getting board and taking pics of Graham and Tosca in my mirror....
heading onto Brittany Ferries MV Pont Aven.
down onto the lower car deck, there were over 200 bikes and the deckhands safely lashed them all down.
heading out, the gray clouds behind us ....
bye bye Plymouth.....
out through the breakwater.....
and out to sea.......
relaxing on board....
as the sun went down....
by 9pm we were out of the channel and heading down the Atlantic coast of France at just over 27mph, I'm sure the nautical types can tell us how many knots that is.
and so to bed....
end of part one, more to follow soon.
So here goes, it all started back at the beginning of the summer when our friend Graham came down to spend a few days with us in Cornwall on his Yamaha scooter from his home in Surrey. Sat around the fire in the evening with a glass of wine, talk turned to bike mags and Motor Cycle Sport and Leisure which we both read and the MSL Tours advertised inside. One of these was to the Moto Piston Rally in the Picos Mountains in Northern Spain and we had both spotted it and thought it looked good value. As it happened Graham is on first name terms with Pete and Gloria Avard, who run MSL Tours from his days of owning a motorcycle clothing shop in Guildford, so rang them there and then and booked us on the trip.
About a month before, the details of the tour were posted to us along with a list of about 60 others also on the tour. Departure day was to be Wednesday 8th October from Plymouth, so Graham and his wife Tosca travelled down to Cornwall the weekend before to stay a few days with us before the trip. We had both talked about taking our old BMs and entering the Rally, as to take part the bike has to be over 25 years old. But in the end decided in the interest of keeping the ladies happy to take modern bikes and follow the rally at our leisure. That’s my excuse anyway!
By way of introductions here’s some pictures of the four of us……
Thats me bubbles
Mrs bubbles (Judy)
Tosca
and Graham.
after much preparation......
at last we are ready to leave, a 1 hour trip for us across from North Cornwall to Plymouth for a civilized 10.30am meet at the ferry for Santander, fortunately Luke our youngest was home from uni. for a few days and took the pic.
Ok I dide'nt take the GS, but bear with me, I promise there will be some GS pictures.
At the ferry
getting board and taking pics of Graham and Tosca in my mirror....
heading onto Brittany Ferries MV Pont Aven.
down onto the lower car deck, there were over 200 bikes and the deckhands safely lashed them all down.
heading out, the gray clouds behind us ....
bye bye Plymouth.....
out through the breakwater.....
and out to sea.......
relaxing on board....
as the sun went down....
by 9pm we were out of the channel and heading down the Atlantic coast of France at just over 27mph, I'm sure the nautical types can tell us how many knots that is.
and so to bed....
end of part one, more to follow soon.
still we can hope that next year we may go. great pics look forward to the conclusion. 
that doesn't sound to good...
