Setting off at 5am from Abergele with Gino the ride to Somerset was really easy we had expected traffic problems leaving on the Friday but sailed through to arrive late morning. Checking into the Five Dials Inn into a lovely room en suite with all the facilities. We checked into the rally on a super little camp site just down the road. Meeting up with friends old and new. Kevin and Teresa had worked hard with their little band of helpers (Bob and Di )to arrange a marquee, a fridge full of beer and soft drinks a kettle and tea making facilities. This set the tone for the whole week end and set a precedent for the next year to try to follow. The evening was spent enjoying the sunshine and a few cans with the other Drifter folk. A stroll up to the pub and a pint of black velvet (the landlord had never heard of it before?) put me in excellent humour to do rude things to a stuffed animal. Finally retiring at 11 pm absolutely knackered after a super day.

After an excellent breakfast in the inn we moseyed down to the site and met up with more new arrivals. By 11 o’clock the bikes were gathered in an arc for the big photo shoot. Setting of in convoy was absolutely awesome heading to a little cider farm to sample some real scrumpy wowee! A look round the cider farm at the old farm machinery was fascinating and having made a couple of tentative purchases we returned en masse to the main rally site to prepare for the big ride out .

Thoughtfully provided for the big ride were some little guide books about where we would be going and what we would see. 34 bikes left the site for the ride 31 of them Drifters an absolutely awesome sight , everywhere we went heads turned, children waved and mouths dropped open. The general reaction was I think a positive one. The outriders on the run did a splendid job with only one small incident to mar the day when a vehicle refused to let us pass in safety. The tea stop in a delightful little garden café was a real treat with lovely sandwiches and home made cakes. A real olde worlde type place in a delightful wooded setting just the ticket to revive flagging spirits. The rest of the run was a real pleasure delightful coastal views and sleepy little seaside towns. For me the icing on the cake was to see the steam engine puffing out of the station just as we pulled up for our final little respite stop. The return to Horton was accomplished without too much incident and we settled round the marquee for a few beers and a barbeque.

The chefs for the evening did a wonderful job producing delicious grub at the drop of a drifter (Lesley), though one gentleman did manage to wear most of his strawberry gateaux (discretion forbids me from naming names).

After supper and as evening fell we moved to the bowling alley in the pub for the evenings grand bowling contest, through much hilarity and some creative scoring from some a winner was declared with due plaudits Teresa I believe but memory fades and if I have the lady’s name wrong I do apologise unreservedly, and blame it on the doombar bitter. The evening closed with much joviality and bonhomie perhaps alcohol may have had some slight influence here but not too much really.

Sunday morning dawned and we met up in the pubs dining room for breakfast at least those wus`s among us who did the B&B thingy, and jolly nice it was too. After breakfast we sauntered down to the site to see how the campers fared and all was well at the rally site. The local village hall laid on a cooked breakfast for two or three quid or so raising funds for a local cause and those who indulged affirmed it as really nice and good value it was too. Thanks to the local W.I. who organised it every Sunday morning. After a little time socializing it was time to depart for me Gino and Captain America. The ride home was just as much a pleasure travelling in excellent company and stopping a couple of times for a comfort stop. We all to soon arrived at the Warrington junction with the M56 and waved our goodbyes to Dave as he continued on to Northumberland. The final leg into North Wales was again uneventful both of us grinning widely as we recalled the week-end and all the memorable moments provided by staunch friends. As our little community grows I have come to the conclusion that only the nicest people ride a Drifter eccentric perhaps , quirky most definitely , but I can’t think of anyone I would rather spend a week-end with. As I finish this little journal it is with a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat (must have caught Paul’s laryngitis) , seriously thanks again to everybody for a brilliant week-end.