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My body was just recovering from the annual Isle of Wight merriment so it must be about time to head down to the next island venue of the 2019 rally season – Mersea Island. Mersea is situated on the coast side of Colchester (quite handy seeing as it is surrounded by the sea) and one bonus over the IOW is you don’t need a ferry to get there, just so long as you miss the high tides covering the road on the causeway.

 

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what the Mersea Island rally is all about as those lovely people from Colchester DVLC have been hosting it for decades now and the format has only really evolved from those early days of \’Fun and Frolics\’, grass tracking and piss ups to the current fun and games, bands, Darkside and piss ups… somethings will never change when thirsty scooterists are in town!

 

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I look forward to the annual pilgrimage as you can guarantee that the DVLC will put on a superb rally, offering excellent entertainment all centred around the great facilities on site. This year there had been a few changes on the site as the owners continue to develop and improve the facilities, the main change being the scooter only camping was now all flipped to the other side of the site.

 

I raced down to the rally straight after work on the Friday, with a target of arriving for 7 pm, just in time for the annual release of the new Darkside t-shirt!

 

Any hole\’s a goal

 

As we had lost our regular camping spot I’d had instructions from one of our advanced party telling me to turn right as I rode on to the site, then they’d set up camp near the goalposts, the message said it would all make sense when I arrived – the first bit did as I found the goalposts, but couldn’t see their scooters or tents. Probably because there were four sets of goalposts?! D’oh!

 

I found the buggers after the third set of posts. Scooter on its stand, tent and riding kit thrown in a heap on the floor, flip flops on, JD poured and I flipped and flopped my way down to the Darkside cabins. Thankfully I made it just in time to bag a t-shirt and so the partying could begin.

 

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DVLC have a knack of putting on quality bands with a great variety of music, this year was no exception, although sadly I would miss the Saturday bands and the gorgeous Fay Hallam (boyhood crush!) as I had to get my sorry ass up to Middlesbrough to race in the Teeside 6 Hour Scooter Endurance Race with Team SLUK you\’ll have read all about last week.

 

I missed the first bands, Future of Legends and The Filthy Spectacula as I was catching up with people I’d got merry with the weekend before, but a scooterist always has a tale to tell. Although I’m told they were both well received. I did catch the Long Tall Texans who went down a storm in the main marquee.

 

As the weather was being kind again continuing from the scorching IOW most people were congregating as always in the courtyards, with the food stalls doing a roaring trade and the bars constantly pouring!

 

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Tuneless

 

Another highlight for many at Mersea is the Darkside marquee and the silent disco after midnight. It is always rammed inside and outside with Scooterists singing and dancing along to different tunes, blissfully unaware that without headphones on we can hear them murdering the great tunes!

 

I had all best intentions of getting a reasonably early night (yeah right?!) as I wanted an early start in the morning, but the addition of a third channel on the headphones meant the awesome Darkside DJs were all trying to outdo each other and the room was lit up with a mix of blue, red and green headphones and the place was buzzing!

 

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The morning came around all too soon and the sun had definitely got his hat on, although there was no hip hip hooray from me as I was knackered!

 

After the pre-race preparation of a silent disco until the early hours, a pre-race breakfast was needed to prepare for the rest of my weekend. A walk around the campsite led us to the dining hall, a reasonably priced, huge breakfast was just what the doctor ordered and I started to feel a bit more human.

 

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The Custom Show was starting to assemble so I managed to grab a few sneaky photos, but I’m sure Booga will put mine to shame with his.

 

I was now two hours later than my original pie in the sky aspiration of leaving to ride home, so a quick meander through the dealer market and it really was time to pack up and head north. Just enough time to say my goodbyes and thank you to the Mersea team for another cracker, however for the rest of the lucky buggers I left behind they still had another day and night to enjoy, one of them being Booga who will continue the story after these photos…

 

Shaun\’s Rallery

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Saturday dawns… A lot earlier than I do. A cracking Friday night keeps me in my tent until about 8.30 (late for me when I\’m camping) and I head off to the canteen for breakfast. A full English to soak up the night before\’s overindulgence is always a good way to start the day.

 
Too old for all this?
 
As I go off for my breakfast the topic of conversation with everyone I see seems to be the same, no not BREXIT, but that we\’re all too old for this. This is something I hear a lot through the day, and I have to ask, are we? I\’m just turning 56 (cash in Birthday cards gratefully accepted) but will happily ride a rusty, unreliable scooter from one end of the country to the other, just to meet up with other like-minded fools and get a little drunk. In my head I\’m 20, but the photos I see and the aches I feel tell me I\’m not. However, for me at least, it\’ll be government legislation against 2-strokes that stops me riding, not a few aches and pains.
Wow, it\’s amazing how philosophical I can be when eating bacon and eggs.
 
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After breakfast, I wander around the parts fair, bump into various mates I haven\’t seen since last night and generally amble around. Provisions time, so a quick ride into West Mersea to grab some bits and an ice cream, it\’s always gotta be done. Though if you wanted bags of ice that\’s sold out everywhere. So much so that some enterprising friends bought frozen peas to keep their beer cool, it worked too.
 
 
Back at the campsite and the custom show is open, held in a large marquee, it always attracts some top scooters. Everything from top custom bikes to rustorations, my favourite of which was an unassuming original paint Model C Lambretta.
 
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A 21st century Beer and banana race
 
Then it\’s off to watch the \’Fun And Games\’, something that has been central to Mersea for many years, and has had to change with the times. Colchester DVLC have done a fantastic job of keeping the games fresh and they are always a great spectator sport, especially \’Beer And Banana\’, the highlight of the games, though it\’s not something you should watch if you have a weak stomach!
 
With the sun beating down I decide to have a 10-minute siesta (I\’m nearly 56 remember!) in a tent after watching the games, that was about 4 pm… at 7 pm I woke up. I completely missed King Hammond\’s set (gutted), when I finally dragged myself out of my tent I headed pretty well straight to the canteen for dinner to console myself. Roast dinner on a scooter rally? How very civilised, though I think I may have put too much sweetcorn on, but I won\’t bore you with the details…
 
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A few drinks later and it\’s time for the first of the bands, Doojip go on stage, it takes a couple of songs, but I warm to them, and they deliver a blistering set of classic covers as well as original mod revival influenced material, definitely a band to watch.
 
Beer break and the second band, The Kubricks comes on, a ska band originating from West London, they immediately get the place bouncing to their original take on ska, certainly a bit of a pleasant and refreshing escape from all the ska tribute bands out there.
 
Fay Hallam
 
More beer before The Fay Hallam Group, so by now my reviewing skills (if that\’s what they are) are a little impaired, but I do get to see Fay Hallam on the Hammond organ fronting a great band playing some wonderful soul tunes, and drunk or not I can tell you I loved \’em!
 
I have to say Colchester DVLC really pulled out all the stops with the weekend\’s bands, with such an eclectic mix, there was something for everyone and they have set the bar very high for next year, and I for one can\’t wait to see what they come up with.
 
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Finally, it\’s off to bed, or more accurately sleeping bag, to sleep off a great Saturday. Sunday morning sees me up early for breakfast, before heading home, and realising I put far too much sweetcorn on last night\’s dinner…
 
Lastly, I have to say thank you to Niamh and her cohorts (little Roman joke there) for once again putting on a great rally, all your hard work really is appreciated.   
 
Words and photos: Booga
Friday words and photos: Shaun Hodgkin 
 

Rallery by Booga

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We sell lots of useful things but no beer or bananas

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My body was just recovering from the annual Isle of Wight merriment so it must be about time to head down to the next island venue of the 2019 rally season – Mersea Island. Mersea is situated on the coast side of Colchester (quite handy seeing as it is surrounded by the sea) and one bonus over the IOW is you don’t need a ferry to get there, just so long as you miss the high tides covering the road on the causeway.

 

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what the Mersea Island rally is all about as those lovely people from Colchester DVLC have been hosting it for decades now and the format has only really evolved from those early days of ‘Fun and Frolics’, grass tracking and piss ups to the current fun and games, bands, Darkside and piss ups… somethings will never change when thirsty scooterists are in town!

 

800-3

 

I look forward to the annual pilgrimage as you can guarantee that the DVLC will put on a superb rally, offering excellent entertainment all centred around the great facilities on site. This year there had been a few changes on the site as the owners continue to develop and improve the facilities, the main change being the scooter only camping was now all flipped to the other side of the site.

 

I raced down to the rally straight after work on the Friday, with a target of arriving for 7 pm, just in time for the annual release of the new Darkside t-shirt!

 

Any hole’s a goal

 

As we had lost our regular camping spot I’d had instructions from one of our advanced party telling me to turn right as I rode on to the site, then they’d set up camp near the goalposts, the message said it would all make sense when I arrived – the first bit did as I found the goalposts, but couldn’t see their scooters or tents. Probably because there were four sets of goalposts?! D’oh!

 

I found the buggers after the third set of posts. Scooter on its stand, tent and riding kit thrown in a heap on the floor, flip flops on, JD poured and I flipped and flopped my way down to the Darkside cabins. Thankfully I made it just in time to bag a t-shirt and so the partying could begin.

 

800-2

 

DVLC have a knack of putting on quality bands with a great variety of music, this year was no exception, although sadly I would miss the Saturday bands and the gorgeous Fay Hallam (boyhood crush!) as I had to get my sorry ass up to Middlesbrough to race in the Teeside 6 Hour Scooter Endurance Race with Team SLUK you’ll have read all about last week.

 

I missed the first bands, Future of Legends and The Filthy Spectacula as I was catching up with people I’d got merry with the weekend before, but a scooterist always has a tale to tell. Although I’m told they were both well received. I did catch the Long Tall Texans who went down a storm in the main marquee.

 

As the weather was being kind again continuing from the scorching IOW most people were congregating as always in the courtyards, with the food stalls doing a roaring trade and the bars constantly pouring!

 

800-4

 

Tuneless

 

Another highlight for many at Mersea is the Darkside marquee and the silent disco after midnight. It is always rammed inside and outside with Scooterists singing and dancing along to different tunes, blissfully unaware that without headphones on we can hear them murdering the great tunes!

 

I had all best intentions of getting a reasonably early night (yeah right?!) as I wanted an early start in the morning, but the addition of a third channel on the headphones meant the awesome Darkside DJs were all trying to outdo each other and the room was lit up with a mix of blue, red and green headphones and the place was buzzing!

 

800-10

 

The morning came around all too soon and the sun had definitely got his hat on, although there was no hip hip hooray from me as I was knackered!

 

After the pre-race preparation of a silent disco until the early hours, a pre-race breakfast was needed to prepare for the rest of my weekend. A walk around the campsite led us to the dining hall, a reasonably priced, huge breakfast was just what the doctor ordered and I started to feel a bit more human.

 

800-38

 

The Custom Show was starting to assemble so I managed to grab a few sneaky photos, but I’m sure Booga will put mine to shame with his.

 

I was now two hours later than my original pie in the sky aspiration of leaving to ride home, so a quick meander through the dealer market and it really was time to pack up and head north. Just enough time to say my goodbyes and thank you to the Mersea team for another cracker, however for the rest of the lucky buggers I left behind they still had another day and night to enjoy, one of them being Booga who will continue the story after these photos…

 

Shaun’s Rallery

800-95

 

Saturday dawns… A lot earlier than I do. A cracking Friday night keeps me in my tent until about 8.30 (late for me when I’m camping) and I head off to the canteen for breakfast. A full English to soak up the night before’s overindulgence is always a good way to start the day.

  Too old for all this?   As I go off for my breakfast the topic of conversation with everyone I see seems to be the same, no not BREXIT, but that we’re all too old for this. This is something I hear a lot through the day, and I have to ask, are we? I’m just turning 56 (cash in Birthday cards gratefully accepted) but will happily ride a rusty, unreliable scooter from one end of the country to the other, just to meet up with other like-minded fools and get a little drunk. In my head I’m 20, but the photos I see and the aches I feel tell me I’m not. However, for me at least, it’ll be government legislation against 2-strokes that stops me riding, not a few aches and pains. Wow, it’s amazing how philosophical I can be when eating bacon and eggs.   800-5   After breakfast, I wander around the parts fair, bump into various mates I haven’t seen since last night and generally amble around. Provisions time, so a quick ride into West Mersea to grab some bits and an ice cream, it’s always gotta be done. Though if you wanted bags of ice that’s sold out everywhere. So much so that some enterprising friends bought frozen peas to keep their beer cool, it worked too.     Back at the campsite and the custom show is open, held in a large marquee, it always attracts some top scooters. Everything from top custom bikes to rustorations, my favourite of which was an unassuming original paint Model C Lambretta.   800-86   A 21st century Beer and banana race   Then it’s off to watch the ‘Fun And Games’, something that has been central to Mersea for many years, and has had to change with the times. Colchester DVLC have done a fantastic job of keeping the games fresh and they are always a great spectator sport, especially ‘Beer And Banana’, the highlight of the games, though it’s not something you should watch if you have a weak stomach!   With the sun beating down I decide to have a 10-minute siesta (I’m nearly 56 remember!) in a tent after watching the games, that was about 4 pm… at 7 pm I woke up. I completely missed King Hammond’s set (gutted), when I finally dragged myself out of my tent I headed pretty well straight to the canteen for dinner to console myself. Roast dinner on a scooter rally? How very civilised, though I think I may have put too much sweetcorn on, but I won’t bore you with the details…   800-19   A few drinks later and it’s time for the first of the bands, Doojip go on stage, it takes a couple of songs, but I warm to them, and they deliver a blistering set of classic covers as well as original mod revival influenced material, definitely a band to watch.   Beer break and the second band, The Kubricks comes on, a ska band originating from West London, they immediately get the place bouncing to their original take on ska, certainly a bit of a pleasant and refreshing escape from all the ska tribute bands out there.   Fay Hallam   More beer before The Fay Hallam Group, so by now my reviewing skills (if that’s what they are) are a little impaired, but I do get to see Fay Hallam on the Hammond organ fronting a great band playing some wonderful soul tunes, and drunk or not I can tell you I loved ’em!   I have to say Colchester DVLC really pulled out all the stops with the weekend’s bands, with such an eclectic mix, there was something for everyone and they have set the bar very high for next year, and I for one can’t wait to see what they come up with.   800-22 800-13   Finally, it’s off to bed, or more accurately sleeping bag, to sleep off a great Saturday. Sunday morning sees me up early for breakfast, before heading home, and realising I put far too much sweetcorn on last night’s dinner…   Lastly, I have to say thank you to Niamh and her cohorts (little Roman joke there) for once again putting on a great rally, all your hard work really is appreciated.      Words and photos: Booga Friday words and photos: Shaun Hodgkin   

Rallery by Booga

We sell lots of useful things but no beer or bananas