Moto Guzzi Ulster Rally

Spring Bank Holiday 22 – 25 May 2009

Based at Portaferry, Ards Peninsula, Co Down, Northern Ireland

From one year to the next I don’t see many other Guzzis on the roads, so I decided to organize a rally here in Northern Ireland: to create a means for Northern Ireland MG owners to meet-up, as well as to host fellow Guzzi enthusiasts from other parts of the UK and Ireland.

The base for the long weekend was Portaferry, at the end of the picturesque Ards Peninsula. Portaferry is on one side of the Narrows, the inlet to Strangford Lough, the largest sea lough in the UK and Ireland. We lodged right beside the ferry pier, with gorgeous views to Strangford on the other side, across the furious tidal flow.

A group of stalwarts from the annual V.11 UK rally were the core attendees. Some folk from the South of Ireland participated and there was good local interest. Farthest traveled, were Jaap Veldhorst from the Netherlands and Rob Bassett from Orkney. Bikes at the rally ranged from Spada to Cali to Tenni; 750 S3 to 1200 Griso. The Waller clan made a particularly interesting arrival: a family of five, all on one bike! Steve’s California achieved that feat thanks to its capacious sidecar.

The main ride route had to be the North Antrim Coast Road. It regularly appears in lists of the top-ten motorcycling roads in the world. The downside of a Bank Holiday weekend is of course… traffic. It would have been nice to have had the dramatic road running up along the northern sea-line all to ourselves. Nevertheless the weather was good and we had fine, varied views of black basalt headlands and plateaus, white limestone shore, harbour villages, forested glens – until we got up towards the Giant’s Causeway at the northern end and the section of road that I particularly wanted to take people over. The narrow Torr Head road runs along the shore cliffs in a spectacular up and down, bend after tight bend, roller-coaster. There is a short turbulent sea gap to Rathlin Island, with Scotland beyond: the Mull of Kintyre is only a few miles over the water. With a fierce turn of weather conditions, not all the small group who went on that detour with me enjoyed the exposed track. So what’s wrong with lashing rain, buffeting gusts, thick low cloud and tractors advancing round the bend entirely filling the road width?

The return route went by Ballymoney so that we could visit the Joey Dunlop Memorial and have a wee drop of Guinness in Joey’s Bar.

On Sunday we took the delightful ferry crossing to Strangford. The Guzzi convey rumbled round the south coast road through Ardglass and the Lecale district (song-writing subjects of Van Morrison), to St John’s Point and on to Newcastle – a traditional bikers’ seaside meeting, eating and watering point at the foot of the Mourne Mountains. Riding though dry-stone walled lanes, up the hills to Spelga Dam, we enjoyed brilliant afternoon sunshine. After a run of rorty-torty mountain riding followed by a relaxed grub-stop in Castlewellan, it was back by the ferry to evening fun and dancing on tables (allegedly) in Fiddler’s Green pub.

The rally provided a hugely enjoyable weekend. My thanks to all who traveled here and to the local folk who joined in. I want to keep the local contact going, so that more regular rides/meetings can be arranged in Northern Ireland. Without any sort of network here and a distinct lack of Dealer presence, most of the local contingent spoke of their isolation – and enthusiasm for future annual rallies. I would be pleased to hear from anyone who would like to participate in further correspondence, meetings, rides or rallies.

Photos of the Ulster Rally can be seen on Flickr here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/belfastguzzi/sets/72157618912774978

Contact me at belfastguzzi@googlemail.com

David Boyd

short video clip from camera http://www.facebook.com/v/96334221492