Much Marcle steam rally.

Sunday - July 20th - 2003


    The last Much Marcle steam rally I wrote about  was back in 2000.  The 2001 rally fell victim to the foot and mouth outbreak, and the 2002 rally was 'killed' by the camping field being moved well away from the event itself, which meant the informal, cosy atmosphere of the 'night time entertainment' was well and truly lost.  By the looks of things, the camping arrangements this were the same, so it's a good job I didn't camp.
Would you need a cast iron arse too ?    Five of us set off at around half past ten on the Sunday morning, the weather looked fine, and we  had chosen a scenic route down to Much Marcle.  In true Moonshiner tradition, we stopped at British Camp for the usual cuppa or ice cream before rolling the last few miles to the steam rally.  I managed to get savaged by a vicious thorn bush, and promptly bled all over the Guzzi's petrol tank.  I can honestly say that Nato green, and red do not go well together.
    One thing that caught my eye was a collection of old cast iron seats, painted up and displayed for all to see.  Now silly as it may seem, these seats are far more comfortable than they look - I had one on my old B.S.A. outfit for years, and I could happily sit on that for hours on end.  Come to think of it, I still have that seat, and I dare say it will be put to good use in the future.
    The steam rally itself was up to its usual good standards, with plenty of different types of vehicle on display, along with the beer tent, food stalls, market stalls and the other miscellaneous attractions which make these events such an interesting day out.  Whilst watching the antics of Punch and Judy it struck me that Mr. Punch bore more than a passing resemblance to a certain member of our club.  Say no more !
    On the subject of the club, I noticed the 'House of Horror', and it seemed that the wording on the roof could be applied to Thursday nights at our local meeting place.
The house of horrors - or is it Thursday night at the Moonshiners M.C.C. ?
"Scary"
"Eerie"
"Terror"
"Creepy"
"Horror"
Do the organizers of the event know something about us  - -  or have I been standing in the sun for too long again?  Most of the afternoon was spent eating, watching, and purchasing strange objects  - which ain't really too bad a way to pass the time.
    We took a slightly different route on the way back, which was just as pleasant.  All bikes ran as they should, and all people involved enjoyed themselves, as they should.  I only wish the camping would return to the 'original' field, that would make a good event into a great event.  Ah well, you can't have everything I suppose.

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