Northants Navigation Rally 2021
Write up and photographs from Mick Leach:-
On September 5th at 0630hrs three of us
Burton section riders set off from Stapenhill Co-op on what is
turning out to be an annual pilgrimage to Earles Barton in
Northamptonshire to take part in the Northamptonshire
Navigational Rally.
We had a clear run and we're amongst the first to arrive at the
cricket club in pleasant sunshine. The car park steadily filled
up with cars, vans, trailers and like ourselves many who rode
from home on all sorts of motorcycles dating right back to the
vintage period.
The rally caters for all classes, the requirements to visit a
number of controls depends on the age of motorcycle. We
were entered in the late classic and modern class so we had to
visit 15 unmanned and 3 manned checkpoints where we had to
answer motorcycle and highway questions of which I knew very
little.
We left the route planning in the capable hands of Malcolm who,
as we have come to realise always does a thorough job.
The route of a around a hundred miles took us through picture
postcard villages with stone cottages many of which were
thatched. Apparently few counties display such a wide variety of
building stone, including limestone, sandstone and
ironstone.
We met Ian an old friend of Malcolm's on the village green in
Islip, he joined us on the ride around the countryside making us
a group of four Hondas.
All good things have to end and we arrived back at Earles Barton
a little tired where we signed off relaxed for a while chatted
and admired the motorcycles before setting off home.
Thanks to Malcolm, Dave and Ian for the company and good humour,
thanks to Malcolm for doing the planning and thanks to Trevor
Pinfold and the Northamptonshire section for organising a great
event.
Mick Leach
