After tootling down from Scarborough to Woolacombe and back (a 700-mile round trip) on his standard Vespa PX 125 Col has recovered and written this report from what has to be the largest non Bank Holiday rally of the year.
Be sure to check out the four galleries of images in this feature.
This year’s return to Woolacombe felt like the final missing piece of the scooter rallies jigsaw was put in place. All of the regular venues on the National Rally calendar have now been re visited since the dreaded pandemic, things are probably as normal again as they will ever be.
For more than two decades the Golden Coast holiday camp has hosted the South West Scooter Clubs flagship scooter rally, although this was the first visiting scooter rally for the park’s new owners Verdant leisure.
The Woolacombe rally is never on over a Bank holiday weekend. But, with three solid days and nights of entertainment, it always feels as busy as any of the bigger Bank Holidays runs.
By Friday afternoon, the camp was already looking quite full, with scooter club-coloured banners and flags in the windows of a lot of the chalets and caravans. The bar in the main room was as busy as you would expect at pretty much any scooter event – all in readiness for the evening’s headlining entertainment “A Band Called Malice” (Jam tribute) playing the main stage.
Northern Soul was being played across the site in another large room with wooden floor and newly laid out bar area. The indoor bars and music carried on until 2am before people were ushered outside to the beach bar area that kept serving drinks until 3am.
The Beach bar and surfing wave pool area were just empty open spaces when the rally first visited the Golden Coast in the early 2000s. Rally regulars have seen the camp evolve a lot over the years and the outdoor bar is definitely a popular addition.
Saturday is obviously the main day of the rally and by mid-morning a vast array of dealer’s stalls were in full swing selling new and used spares, official rally merchandise, and the UK’s finest independent scooter magazine. It was rumoured that one trader sold two Lambrettas to the same person – one an 80s style cut down, the other a classically restored series 3. The pair went for somewhere in the region of £20.000. Not your average scooter rally purchase, and yet more proof of scooter values sky rocketing.
The custom show is always a massive crowd pleaser, and for me the South West Scooter Clubs get the running of it just right. It’s out in the open air and right in the very middle of the holiday camp. The show is only run for a couple of hours across Saturday lunchtime, which gives the entrants time to enjoy the afternoon properly without having to worry about staying sober enough to deal with their scooters at the end of what must sometimes feel like a long day. Many of the show entrants have entered multiple custom shows this season, proving ridden not hidden is always best. I thought, Rizla +33, Midnight Oil and Breaking Rocks, were the three real stand out scooters – all Grand Prix model Lambrettas too.
One change to this year’s rally was the lack of the bright yellow open top double decker buses that usually carry us to the seafront pubs at Woolacombe and Ilfracombe, and then back to the campsite. Whilst this is all very convenient for us on a scooter rally weekend at the Golden Coast camp, the new owners have deemed it an unnecessary big expense for the rest of the year. So sadly the buses had to go, and in place were a small fleet of local taxis and mini busses, which coped with hundreds of thirsty scooterists far better than many of us expected.
The scooter ride out took a scenic route through the villages to Woolacombe’s prime seafront pub, The Red Barn. And those that stayed on site for the afternoon were entertained in the outside Beach Bar by ska and two tone band The Killertones
Ooh wallah, wallah!
The South West Scooter Clubs pride themselves on coming up with top class, and often quite diverse live bands. But, I cant think of a band that has played live at as many scooter rallies as the legendary King Kurt. Lead singer Smeggy puts on a show like no other, and has done for decades. This gig was no exception. Followed on by very popular scooter riding rally DJs playing the decks until 2am once again, before being shuffled back outside under the stars until 3am in the beach bar.
Sunday morning’s mass exodus home, doesn’t really seem to happen at this rally because a massive amount of people stay on for the ever popular Sunday party day, which involves another trip back to the seafront pubs of Woolacombe and Ilfracombe or being entertained back on site in the Mill Pub. This year “The 5.15” played a set of mod revival and northern soul tracks to a very appreciative audience in the afternoon.
Ah, ah, ah ha…
It won’t ever be said that scooterists take themselves too seriously, and the infamous Sunday night party at Woolacombe rally is the perfect proof – a different theme of not your typical scooter rally music each year.
“Stayin Alive” are a tribute act to the 70s disco/pop legends The Bee Gees, they played their set to possibly the busiest Sunday night audience yet at this rally. Scooterists in disco fancy dress, who would have thought it?
An hilarious ending to another hugely popular scooter rally.
2022 is the 25th anniversary of the South West Scooter Clubs promoting and running rallies. Weymouth rally and Woolacombe’s return were just two superb events in a busy calendar in this scooter rich region of the UK.
A very successful year indeed, well done to every member of the SWSCs
Ride safe SLUKers
Words: Col
Photos: Booga and Col
Woolacombe 2023 booking link
If you’re wanting to go to Woolacombe in 2023 the booking link opened today. For the first time, this year all bookings MUST BE MADE USING THIS LINK! Once the accommodation has gone, it’s gone and this rally always sells out.
