Bevan Motorcycles R.A.T. Pack ~ Activity Schedule for 2012. (Version 1)
In addition to the monthly Club Nights, which are held at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw on the third Thursday evening of each month, the following activities are planned for 2012:
Thursday 19th January: Club Night at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw.
Thursday 16th February: Club Night at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw.
Thursday 15th March: Club Night at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw.
Friday 6th April to Monday 9th April (Good Friday to Easter Monday): EVENT NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED. Join us for a Pack Easter Weekend away in the Exe Valley, Devon, where we will stay at the Exeter Inn at Bampton, near Tiverton. The Exeter Inn is an historic 15th Century Inn and Restaurant set amongst green hills in the upper reaches of the delightful Exe Valley, in the beautiful Devon/Somerset border area, the gateway to Exmoor. The Exeter Inn specialises in short breaks, providing comfortable accommodation, superb food and real beer. Indeed, just last year the Great British Pub Awards voted The Exeter Inn as the 'Best Cask Beer Pub' in the West Country.
The Inn offers bed and breakfast with the unique ambience of an authentic English Country Inn, with a different warmer atmosphere than ordinary hotels. Here you will be able to relax, indulge & enjoy the food and accommodation in Exmoor. Close to Exmoor National Park, the Exeter Inn has much to offer visitors. Anything from beautiful walks in the Exmoor National Park to picturesque villages by the sea. It is situated roughly midway between Exmoor to the north and Dartmoor to the south-west, so there is ideal motorcycling countyr right on the doorstep.
Thursday 26th April: The April Club Night will take the form of the Travel Presentation by round-the-world motorcyclist and travel writer, Sam Manicom. Entry to the presentation at Bevan's showroom is by pre-payment only - THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED.
Sunday 2 2nd April: An early season short Pack ride to The Big Pit at Blaenavon. Big Pit is a real coal mine and one of Britain's leading mining museums. Big Pit provides an exciting and informative day out where you can descend 300 feet underground with a real miner and see what life was like for the thousands of men who worked at the coal face. Additionally, you can enjoy a multi-media tour of a modern coal mine with a virtual miner in the Mining Galleries, exhibitions in the pithead baths and Historic colliery buildings.
Big Pit became part of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales on 1 February 2001. After major redevelopment, it re-opened in 2004 and went straight on to win the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year. The redevelopment turned the original features, like the Pithead Baths, into fresh displays that bring life at the coalface vividly into focus. However, perhaps its most famous feature is still the trip 90 metres down the shaft to explore working conditions underground.
The museum is set in a unique industrial landscape, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000 in recognition of its international importance to the process of industrialisation through iron and coal production. In summary, Big Pit is a living, breathing reminder of the coal industry in Wales and the people and society it created.
After our visit (admission is free), we will stop for refreshments at the Garwnant Forest Centre off the side of the A470,near Llyn-On reservoir.
Thursday 17th May: Club Night at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw.
Sunday 20th May: Pack ride to Batsford Arboretum, situated approximately one and a half miles west of Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire. Batsford Arboretum is considered to be one of the jewels of the Cotswolds and one of the largest private collections of trees and shrubs in the country. The Arboretum is tucked away on a south facing escarpment of the famous Cotswold Hills.
From mid-May for about three weeks, visitors will be able to marvel at the Arboretum's famous old Davidia. Thousands of white handkerchief-like bracts, hang from the branches as if left out to dry in the breeze. Known to many as the Handkerchief Tree it is one of the biggest and oldest in the country.
The new Garden Terrace Cafe is open from 9am 5pm every day serving coffees, teas and homemade cakes all day and from 12-2pm hot lunches including a meat dish, fish dish and vegetarian option. You can enjoy your food inside or on the terrace where you can take in the views. All our food will be locally sourced and freshly prepared to enjoy along with spectacular views across the Cotswold landscape from indoor and outdoor seating.
Admission charges are 6.60 GBP for adults and 5.60 GBP for seniors.
Saturday 2nd June to Tuesday 5th June: This is a Bank Holiday this year, so there's no need to take annual holiday entitlement to join us for a Pack long weekend ride from Whitby, North Yorks to Cockermouth in the Lake District. This ride was included in Colette Coleman's book "Great Motorcycle Journeys of the World". We will ride to Whitby on the Saturday, where accommodation will be reserved for the night on a B&B basis. We will then take two days for a leisurely ride across the North Yorkshire Moors and the Lake District National Park, where accommodation will be reserved on a B&B basis at, or near, Hawes in Yorkshire and Cockermouth in the Lake District, for the Sunday and Monday nights respectively. We will return to Cardiff on the Tuesday. Each of the three night's accommodation will be reasonably priced at around 75 per night for a standard double or twin-bedded en-suite room (based on double occupancy). Please contact me a.s.a.p. if you would like to join us for this long weekend break.
Thursday 21st June: Club Night at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw.
Sunday 24th June: Pack ride to Llangranog, approx 9.5 miles north-east of Cardigan, for lunch at the Ship Inn. The Ship Inn is renowned for its creative menu, fresh fish dishes and views across the sea. It is one of the most attractive villages along the Ceredigion coast, it's small beach reminisent of Cornish fishing villages. To the east of the village lies the Georgian Walled Garden at Pigeonsford.
Thursday 19th July: Club Night at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw.
Saturday 28th July: Pack B-B-Q and overnight camping at Bill Plentys small holding near Brecon. Planned ride-out on Sunday in the local Brecon area. This has been a firm favourite with Pack members for the last six years and is always popular. Don't miss this one!
Sunday 5th August: Pack ride to Devil's Bridge for a return ride to Aberystwyth on the Vale of Rheidol Railway. Travelling on the Vale of Rheidol Railway is the finest way to see the stunning Rheidol Valley. Opened in 1902, the railway has been delighting passengers young and old for over a century.
From the comfort of your carriage watch the scenery passing by. See the countryside change as you travel through wide open fields, woodland and rugged mountain scenery, the line twisting and turning as it clings to the hillside. Listen to the sound of a powerful narrow gauge steam locomotive working hard to climb 700ft (200m) in the 11 miles from Aberystwyth to Devils Bridge. Birds of prey such as Red Kite and Buzzards are regularly seen soaring high above the valley floor and breathtaking views can be enjoyed by all.
The line is a masterpiece of engineering, opened in 1902 to carry lead ore, timber and passenger traffic. The narrow track gauge allows the railway to follow the contours of the terrain with many sharp curves and steep gradients which add to the railways charm.
The vintage steam engines and carriages were built for the line by the Great Western Railway in the 1920s and 30s. Now restored, they are still operating the trains today.
The 11 mile journey takes approximately one hour in each direction. Trains normally wait for one hour at Devils Bridge before returning to Aberystwyth.
We will ride to Devil's Bridge to catch the 12.30 p.m. train for the 12-mile journey to Aberystwyth and catch the return train at 2.00 p.m., which will get us back to Devil's Bridge at 3.00 p.m.
Return fare for adults is 14.50 GBP and for Seniors is 13.00 GBP.
Sunday 12th August: Pack ride to Llywernog Lead and Silver Mine at Ponterwyd, near Aberystwyth. Llywernog is an authentic 18th century silver mine, where a visit offers a fascinating insight into life nearly 200 years ago, when the mine employed over 60 people. Today, Llywernog is a unique and educational adventure, and continues to be developed as a major all-weather attraction. Friendly and knowledgeable guides, who are always on hand to answer your questions and identify your geological finds, make Llywernog an ideal venue for group visits. Remember though, it's cool in the mine even on the hottest day so your motorbike jackets and boots should be the perfect clothing!
There is plenty to see and do. You can:
Explore the Miners' Trail, a self-guide footpath around the old workings linking the natural and man made features of the 7 acre site.
Go deep underground on the 45 minute caplamp tour beyond the 'earthquake zone' and into the of a forgotten world.
Try your hand at working the mine minerals for silver and gems in the panning shed. Whatever you find is yours to keep!
See & touch the wealth of artifacts on display in the dramatic exhibitions, including working waterwheels. Bring your mail to be 'posted underground in Mid Wales' in the dripping depths of Balcombes Level!
Enjoy light refreshments in the cosy tearoom or, for sunny days, there is a great picnic site.
Browse the gift shop which sells good value souvenirs, minerals, jewelry and brass miner's lamps. Mining Maps are available in the shop.
Admission charges: For full underground tour and Miners' Trail: Seniors 6.75 GBP; adults 7.50 GBP.
Thursday 16th August: Club Night at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw
For 2012, I am organising a similar event, but this time at the National Motorcycle Museum, adjacent to the NEC. As this venue is more centrally located within the UK, it will allow RAT Packs from further north to attend the event as a day ride. I have spoken with the Museum management and confirmed Sunday 19th August 2012 as the date for this event. As the National Motorcycle Museum is only a very short distance from Meredin, the previous home of Triumph, I have established an RV Point in Meriden where we can all meet up and then ride the 4 miles along the A45 to the Museum as a big procession. The National Motorcycle museum has agreed to reserve 400 bike parking spaces for our use on the day, they have agreed a concessionary entry fee of 6.95 per person (which is 2 less than the standard admission rate) and there is a cafe on site for lunch.
I have advertised the event on the Triumph website, on their "Events" page. I am sure that we can again arrange a group photo shoot at the museum, with all the Pack flags on show!
As you will all know, The National Motorcycle Museum has developed into a focal point for the British motorcycle movement. The museum has become the largest motorcycle museum in the world and attracts around 250,000 visitors a year. One of the biggest attractions for many guests is the comprehensive cross-section of machines, spanning the 60 Glorious Year of motorcycle manufacturing in this country. Within the five exhibition halls will be found some 650 plus machines, fully restored to the manufacturers original specifications. On 16th September 2003 , the museum suffered a devastating fire, resulting in damage to 75% of the structure and some 400 machines. Due to the determination of ownership, staff and contractors, the museum doors re-opened on 1st December 2004 . Today the museum is home to more than 650 machines, with new acquisitions arriving daily.
At this stage of planning (April 2012), I have already received confirmation from 27 RAT Packs across England and Wales who definitely want to join us for this event and participation is expected by branches of the TOMCC and independent riders, so this looks as though it could be another huge gathering of RATs from across the UK. With 400 - 500 bikes turning up at last year's event in the New Forest, how many might we get at the National Motorcycle Museum? As Bevan's are the organising Pack for this event, an excellent turn-out (just like last year!) would be greatly appreciated.
Friday, Saturday & Sunday 31st August, 1st & 2nd September: Join us for a camping weekend at the Triumph Live event, which is being held at Mallory Park over Friday 31st August and Saturday 1st September. The first such event was held at Mallory Park in 2010, with The Stranglers and Mumford & Son appearing in the open-air concert after the days events. It was a good weekend, where a small number of us camped at Mallory Park for the Friday and Saturday night. This year, The Kaiser Chiefs will top the bill at the evening concert. Details and advance ticket sales, including camping, are available on the Triumph Motorcycles website. Please sort your own tickets for this event and let me know if you want to join us for a group ride to the event on Friday 31st August.
Sunday 9th September: Pack Iron-butt ride to the Ace Caf, London, to join the massed reunion ride to Brighton. This is a 440-mile round trip. An early morning (6.30 a.m.) start gets us to the Ace Cafe by 09.30, even allowing for a coffee stop at Reading Services. We have time for a cuppa at the Ace and time to appreciate the 'craic' of hundreds of bikers all meeting for this annual run. We leave the Ace at 10.00 a.m. for the massed ride to Brighton, where we arrive at around mid-day. This gives us around 3 hours to have lunch and to soak up the atmosphere at Brighton, where around 40,000 bikes turn up for the event. We will leave Brighton seafront at around 3.45 p.m. and head back across country through West Sussex to Petersfield, then through Hampshire, via Winchester and Andover and finally across the Salisbury Plain, through Devizes and Chippenham to join the M4 west to Cardiff at Junction 18.
This was a fabulous 60s day out in 2008 and even more popular in 2009 when 16 Pack members on 15 bikes turned up for the ride. I was unable to include this ride in 2011, so I have made a point of including it again this year. The ride is well worth the effort ~ just ask those who attended in previous years!
Saturday & Sunday 15th & 16th September: Pack weekend to the Long Mynd and Carding Mill Valley, Shropshire. Deserted roads, fabulous scenery and an overnight stop at a new venue this year. I am hoping to use Brookfields Guesthouse in Church Stretton, which has five double-rooms, one twin-room and one single room. The 2011 B&B tariffs were approximately 80 per double room and 40 for the single room. An evening meal will be arranged at the nearby Studio Restaurant. Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to join us for this weekend, so that I can reserve the accommodation.
Thursday 20th September: Club Night at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw.
Sunday 23rd September: Pack ride to New Quay Honey Farm at Cross Inn, near New Quay. The farm is open to visitors and has a shop, tea room and live bee exhibition, and travellers from all over the worlds have witnessed one of nature's most fascinating processes and sampled at first hand a wonderful range of natural hive products. Now the largest in Wales, New Quay Honey Farm attracts over 35,000 visitors a year. In 1999 a meadery was added to produce some delicious honey wines (meads). These have become increasingly popular with visitors and are now sold all over the country.
Sunday 7th October: Pack ride-out to the village of Pontsain, near Rhydowen, Ceredion, for lunch at Tafarn Bach, a charming country inn.
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Thursday 18th October: Club Night at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw.
Thursday 15th November: Club Night at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw.
Thursday 20th December: Christmas Club Night and Dinner at the Blue Anchor, East Aberthaw.
New ride-out routes and ideas for events are always welcome, so If you have any ideas, please see me in the shop, telephone me on 02920 227477, or e-mail rat@bevanmc.co.uk
Chris Finch
Bevan Motorcycles RAT Pack Leader
