15th May 2013. Wednesday. Karinda Drost arrived
at 9.00pm, as planned. Her partner Bernard Stikfort was away riding
with friends and would meet up with us tomorrow. Karinda had her
newly painted pink Varadero Mk 1. She had brought us some Dutch
cheeses which we tried and we sat talking, catching up on our news
and then to bed, eagerly anticipating our adventure that was to
come.
16th May 2013. Thursday. Up and off on the two
Varaderos, Karinda and Jess, with Theresa taking the Jimny, bound for
Wales. Immediate disaster! I led Karinda down Ponders Road - on the
wrong side of the road. I thought it odd when I got to the bottom, as
I wasn't sure which side of the island I should take. It was not
until I got to the bridge on Ford Street, on the wrong side, at the
red light, that I realised what I was doing, with car drivers honking
their horns. Crazy! Soon back to my senses and feeling both an utter
fool and realising the danger of riding down Ponders Road like that.
God protects! I had been driving in France and now riding with
Karinda, I had had a mind block. Hey ho and off we go. Karinda had
asked not to go on a motorway so we didn't, not once. It took us some
9 hours to get there though. A120, A507, A428?, Bedford, Coventry,
A5, Stafford, Lichfield, Telford, Shrewsbury, Aberystwyth, Cardigan.
The GPS found the guest house easily (Fernhill Lodge, Llechryd) and
we were soon settled-in. Trey Hall and his fiancee Ellen Daley
[they were married in the US on 31st December 2013], Bernard
Stikfort (Karinda's husband), Klavs and Marika Grass from Latvia and
Theresa were already there, anxious for our arrival. A delightful
guest house with a superb landlady who could not do enough for us.
Settled down in the lounge with a beer and set to talking with our
friends whom we only meet up with at VIMs. I hadn't seen Trey since
2009 in NI? He holds a special place for me. A truly lovely man with,
what turned out to be, a lovely fiancee. Bernard had been off
enjoying himself, riding in Ireland and thereabouts, with a friend,
for two weeks, without his wife, so he was pleased to see Karinda
again. We had a lovely meal. Our hostess was a good cook. She took
the photo of us all.
Theresa's diary version of the day. - I was up
at 7.00 showered and downstairs to get breakfast ready. Karinda was
already up talking to the dogs. We had breakfast and then packed the
car and bikes. I put Karinda's panniers in my car along with all our
baggage. Jess and Karinda set off first at about 9.15am and I
followed at 9.20am. They were taking a route that would avoid
motorways but I decided to go the quickest route. A12, M25, M4 taking
me to our accommodation at Fernhill Lodge arriving at 3.45. Trey Hall
and his fiancee, Ellen, and Bernard had already arrived about an hour
earlier having travelled from Dublin. We had coffee and home made
muffins and the hostess, Sylvia, made us very welcome. There was a
tri-colour cocker spaniel called Toby who was also very friendly. I
went to lie down in our room for an hour and Jess phoned about 5.00
to say that he and Karinda were about an hour away. I told Bernard
that they were on their way and gave him instructions that he was to
have a shower, to put on the special leather thong, slip into bed and
get the baby oil warmed up. He realised that it was a joke from Jess
but it made everyone laugh. Trey and Ellen very happy together. We
ordered our food for the evening meal and I went back to lie down and
Jess and Karinda arrived about 6.30pm. We had a lovely evening meal
together and chatted to Sylvia. Her husband was away renovating
another house to sell and they were planning to retire in a couple of
years, staying at Fern Lodge. Off to bed for a lovely night's
sleep.
17th May 2013. Friday. Up and to a splendid
breakfast. We got our gear sorted out and spent some time at the
front of the house taking photographs and talking to Sylvia and her
father, an elderly man of Polish family. We all went our separate
ways with us going into Cardigan to find a bank machine and to look
around. That took all of 5 minutes so we decided to go to the coast.
Found a nice bench and sat by Cardigan Bay watching the world go by.
Watched a Jack Russell bitch retrieving a ball from the water and a
man trying to get his boat engine working. Then back to Fernhill
Lodge to collect the Jimny and then on to our destination, Bluestone
at Narberth. Met up with Gareth and Stewart and a few others and told
we could not go to our quarters until 4.30pm. Found some more of the
guys in the bar - where else? When we were able to go to our cabin we
were amazed by the high standard, cooker, fridge, dish washer, heated
floor in the bathroom, etc. 36 Augustus, our home for the next few
days. Unpacked, showered and got ready for the evening. Our first
evening was spent at Camp Smokey, an area in a deep gulley,
accessible only down a steep hill. We walked down fine but some of
the lads were unsteady due to having led a good life :) and we
managed to get them a Land Rover taxi service. The attendees
gradually arrived and old acquaintances re-established. Bottled beer
only plus the usual soft drinks and wine. Not cheap! The food was
good, a barbecue style. Benches and trestles. A couple of speeches
about the forward programme and then we found ourselves heading for
our cabin. So good to see three of our Varaveyron friends were there,
Mikeadero, Swing and Sebastien.
Theresa's version of our day. - I woke early,
about 7.00am and it was clear and sunny outside. We slept in until
the alarm went at 8.00am. Our breakfast was to be ready from 9.00, so
we watched Raymond on television. Down for breakfast. Bernard was at
the computer. Breakfast was very satisfying and tasty with plenty of
coffee. Jess had the full Welsh and I had scrambled egg on two slices
of toast. There were home made muffins but no room for them so I took
two for later. We took photographs outside with the bikes and Sylvia
took a picture of us all standing around the well in her kitchen.
Jess and I went off on the bike for a drive around and stopped off in
Cardigan Bay and sat watching a Jack bitch retrieving her ball from
the sea. She was obviously enjoying herself because while she was
swimming her tail was wagging. Back to Fernhill Lodge for me to
collect the Jimny and then on to our site for VIM. Jess and I arrived
at the same time and the storm clouds were gathering. We booked in at
reception and parked in the car park. Unfortunately, we were not
allowed into our rooms until 4.30 so we went to the bar in the
village and met up with our buddies from Fernhill Lodge. The storm
developed and the rain came with thunder and lightning. Welcome to
Wales. I only had my flip flops on so my feet got soaked by the time
we had walked back to the reception tent. I took Bernard in my car to
drop off Karinda' s bags and then got completely lost trying to find
our chalet. Finally, everything inside and I unpacked our things
while Jess Sat at the computer catching up with Facebook while I had
a shower. The chalet is very nice with lots of hot water in the
shower so me much happier now that I don't have cold wet feet. We
went to meet up with everyone at camp Smokey for a barbecue. A lovely
big fire. I was surprised to see Liddy and Mense and also Bogdan. We
had burgers and sausages and a couple of drinks and chatted to
everyone. There were Honda representatives from Japan, Germany and
Italy. We said our goodnights at 9.00pm and went back to our chalet
to get some sleep. Tomorrow we are signed up for a tour that includes
a boat trip.
At our guesthouse near Cardigan the
newly re-united Bernard and Karinda.
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The bikes of the guests. Three
Varaderos, two BMUUs.
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Cardigan Bay
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Camp Smokey
barbeque.
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Stuart, Gareth and Bernard tell us
about the programme.
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Fun later.
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VIM 15 had
started!
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18th May 2013. Saturday. 375 miles on the
clock. Breakfast at The Yard and all of us were allocated a separate
area. Much talk of the location and some grumbles about our not being
able to leave the bikes next to our cabins and that we were all
dispersed across the site. Get used to it! Quit whining! The
breakfast was 'a volonte' and very good. At 10am we met up at the
bikes for our ride out, led by Simon and backed up by Cliff in a very
hapahazard way. We had expected the tiroir system. We got mayhem. A
couple got lost as they didn't know where we had gone. So we all had
a chat at a petrol stop and Mikeadero explained the tiroir system and
we all agreed to use it. Simon knew it as the drop-off system. We did
the coast ride, stopping at St Davids for a look around the cathedral
and to have a coffee. Then some of us who had booked a boat trip,
went down the road on foot in two separate groups for our maritime
experience. Two of us had not turned up so we opted to do the first
trip. When we were getting ready, the two turned up and were being
difficult about waiting for the next boat, so we opted back and had
to wait. We got to talking to a couple of locals about life in St
Davids. They are suffering as is everybody else, from a lack of
visitors and money, etc. We got the better deal as the first boat had
some timid types who didn't want to go fast. Our boat was all men and
Theresa, 12 of us in all, and the instruction was for fun. Two 250hp
engines on the back of our inflatable and we were off. We were lucky
that the weather was near perfect for speed. We were taken all around
Ramsey Island, looking at and hearing about the birds, wildlife,
tides (8 metre height), caves, geology, etc. It was a super trip and
exhilarating too! We had expected to get wet but not so. But the
riding generally was slow and there was no time for lunch, much to
the dismay of the French contingent. We enjoyed some lovely
countryside. 467 miles on the clock when we got back.. To the cabin
for a rest before going out again. We had an invite via Skype (the
first time I had ever used it as I was playing with our new
mini-laptop computer and saw Trey Hall's name pop up) to take drinks
chez Trey. To Trey Hall and his fiancee Ellen Daley's cabin for a
glass of wine and taking our boxes of sheep with us. A drink and to
blowing up some sheep. The four of us and seven sheep were then
loaded onto a buggy that Trey had hired, and we headed for the
restaurant for dinner. The sheep were distributed around the tables
and were all immediately adopted. I later did a reccy to check that
they were OK and that, if they weren't coming home with me, they
would have good homes to go to. None came back with us. The meal was
buffet style and excellent and I ate too much. Some of the
photographs of our day's activites were on display on a
screen.
Theresa's comment on the day. - A comfortable
night's sleep and awake at 8.00am to the sound of birds singing.
Clear skies so hopefully a sunny day in store. We went to breakfast
at The Yard and most of our group were already there. A good
selection of hot and cold food to choose from. We sat with Klaus and
Marika and talked about which ride to go on. We decided to do the
coastal trip. We were not allowed to keep vehicles by our cabins so
we had a ten minute walk to get to the bikes.
Our cabin.
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On the road.
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A wayside chapel.
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Wot, no sheep?
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St David's
Cathedral.
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Let the fun begin. A trip planned to
Stomar Island.
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Karinda.
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Jess Jephcott.
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Bogdan and
Mikeadero.
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Seals.
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Birdshit.
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Trey Hall with
Myfanwy.
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Jess with Myfanwy and
sister.
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Myfanwy's other sisters. Ready to
party.
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19th May 2013. Sunday. Up and to breakfast and
then to the car park in readiness for the day's riding. First of all
we did a photo shoot of us all. I counted 25 Varaderos and 2
Crosstourers. The latter two were set up in front of all the other
bikes and all the people then lined up for the photograph. Then we
sorted ourselves out for the day ahead. We decided on a group ride
led by Simon, about 15 bikes, with us at the rear controlling the
drop-off system. The direction was east headed for the Brecon
Beacons. Somewhere along the line, the chain broke and three of us
found ourselves separated from the main group. Much to do I think
with a reluctance of the Greek pair to overtake vehicles. Bogdan had
the route on his GPS and got us back on track with a super ride
across the hills. We eventually caught up with the rest of the group
at a biker cafe and learned that the Latvians had left the group
without telling anybody - perhaps another reason why the chain had
broken. A good ride back and 195 miles clocked up. Back by 5pm. Then
to relax a little before going to the bar with a sheep, a chat with
some of the group and then dinner above the bar, the poshest meal
yet. Sheep sat next to me at the table. We sat with Barrie Tinson,
Karinda, etc. Roast beef and Yorkshire pud with a nice dessert, a
bottle of wine each and down to another room for the presentations
for the next VIM in Norway, prizes, etc. We gave out some VIM15 mugs,
a sheep to Gareth and a solar flower to Pam. Then to some drinking,
with Trey bringing out a bottle of Tennessee Moonshine. Great
hilarity with Sebastien Poisson, our French friend. We kidded him
that hair was growing on his bald pate after trying the hooch. A
superb end to VIM15.
Theresa's account of our day. - The alarm went
at 7.00am but we both fell asleep again and I didn't wake again until
8.00am. We got up and went straight to breakfast. Everyone else was
already there so not many places left to sit. We decided to go on the
tour across the Brecon Beacons. We all met up in the car park at
10.00am for a photo shoot and then set off with Simon in the lead and
Jess at the back as back marker. We stopped for petrol and I counted
fifteen bikes including us. We started off well enough using the
marking system but someone dropped out and we missed a turn which
left me and Jess, Bogdan and the couple from Greece on our own.
Bogdan had noticed that we off the route that he was following on his
Garmin so we stopped at a petrol station and decided to go back to
the junction where we should have turned and catch up with the
others. The scenery was beautiful and I took loads of photographs.
The Greek rider was very slow which irritated Jess but didn't bother
me too much because I was able to get good pictures. We finally
caught up with the rest of the group at a cafe very popular with
bikers and managed to get a coffee before moving on re-grouped. Back
for a shower and then to the bar meeting up for drinks with Barbara
and Wolfgang and Karinda. Karinda had a pink wig that she asked me to
help her with. We went to dinner and discussed the possibility of
Karinda, me and Barbara doing a star turn in Norway. Barbara not
keen, me neither, so will need to squirm out of it somehow. After a
very disappointing roast beef dinner we all went downstairs for a
presentation from the Norwegian team for next year. Jess and I had
bought a bottle of wine each and Trey Hall had brought some of his
moonshine so by the time the evening was over I was well and truly
oiled. Liddy and Mense's daughter had also brought schnapps so a very
boozy evening. There was a UK Varadero mug for all the pillion riders
and various gifts changed hands. The inflatable sheep that we had
distributed last night had been well received. Barbara has called
hers Shirley and will take her to future VIM meetings along with
Ducky. Back to our room to sleep.
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A lovely looking Welsh pub. Sadly, no
time to visit.
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This was a civic procession that we
saw as we stopped at a cafe.
VE Day was May 8th so we do not know
what this marked.
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The West End Cafe. Perfect for
bikers.
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Home and to the closing evening's
activities, Karinda and Gareth!
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Myfanwy with the father of VIM, Mr
Barrie Tinson.
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The VIM 16 presentation for Norway in
2014. Sadly we cannot do this as it falls in June when we
have our own event to organise.
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Mikeadero from Belgium and Swing from
Switzerland.
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Sebastian from France. One of life's
characters.
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The Blacksmith, Lidie and
Theresa.
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Trey Hall and Karinda Drost with
Mikeadero behind.
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Trey and Sebastian tried a session
with some powerful Tennessee Moonshine.
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A super end to a great
VIM!
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20th May 2013. Monday. To breakfast, lots of
goodbyes, packing up and heading off, Theresa in the Jimny and me on
the bike. Weather dull but dry. 662 miles on the clock. Left at
9.30am and me home first at 3.30pm. Theresa 30 minutes latter. All
was well. Dogs happy to see us. Created a Facebook page for the
Varadero and Crosstourer group. The header used was the picture taken
on Sunday morning. As to our sheep, we had ten sheep. Gareth 1. Big
Dave (Myfanwy) 2. Mense 3. Moos 4. Poland 5. Nugget (Shirley) 6.
Marika (Aberystwyth) 7. Theresa (Bronwyn) 8. Daley 9. One unknown!
Let us hope that they all have good homes wherever they are now
living and that we might see them at a future VIM, with their own
stories to tell.
...and Theresa's version of our day. - I woke
up at 7.00am with a very bad head. I got up and took some paracetamol
and went back to bed. We both got up and went to breakfast and said
our goodbyes. Back to collect the car and pack our things. I left the
Bluestone park at 9.45 and Jess was five minutes after me. He stopped
me a few miles down the road because I had the tank bag and his door
key was in it. I stopped a couple of times and arrived home about
4.00pm. Harry was home and had cooked a chicken pasta bake but,
unfortunately, had forgotten about it and it was burnt so we had to
throw it away. I put our washing on and cooked sausage and mash for
dinner. We watched a recording of Britain's got Talent and went to
bed. The dogs very happy that we are home.
Thanks Gareth and Pam for a wonderful and
very different VIM. We haven't had seals before!
And to everybody else who made this VIM so
enjoyable.
