THE ROUND BRITAIN RALLY
Hopefully things will start returning to normal with shows and rallies taking place once more. However, if these events are slow to get going again, you might like to consider taking part in the Round Britain Rally (RBR).
The Round Britain Rally starts on April 1 each year and ends on November 1 and you can do as much or as little as you like – this is a very free and easy event.
This rally had originally been organised by Tim Stevens of the Norton Owners’ Club and was successful, but it died in the late 1970s during the fuel crisis, along with other similar events. The rally was subsequently resurrected in 1993 by Tim and Dave Hancock.
Chris and I read about it in a bike magazine later that year and we contacted Dave to sign up, but he said it would be better to wait until the following year, as the rally was already half-way through. We therefore first took part in 1994 and thoroughly enjoyed taking part in it for the next 18 years.
The event is a bit like a treasure hunt but on a national scale. There are normally one or two landmarks to be found in each county, which you need to find; then photograph your bike, together with a control card (which is changed each year) and the landmark. Each landmark is awarded a number of points. Don’t expect the locals to know everything
– on one occasion we had to find a tower – now that had to be easy because it sticks up doesn’t it?? Well, we couldn’t find it, so we asked a local near the village church: “I’ve lived here man and boy and I’ve never heard of it,” came his reply. In cases like this you take a photo of your bike, the rally card and the name-plate of something nearby, like the local church/post-office/village nameplate, etc., to prove you’d been there. The downside to not being able to do this is that you lose a few points off the full score.
We’ve visited some wonderful pieces of engineering doing the rally. One landmark was the flight of locks at Foxton (it must take a canal boat quite a while to get through these). Another water-based themed landmark was the Anderton Boat Lift; we got there and spotted a canal boat doing snacks and decided to have a cuppa and a bun – the boat owners had only just started their business that day and we were their first paying customers!
Chris and I never got as far north as Scotland, as we only rode on Sundays (I worked six days a week). Each year we spent one week’s holiday doing RBR and usually did all the Wales landmarks (a favourite of ours because it’s fairly quickly done and has great riding roads). Overall, we did well and learned a lot of history visiting various interesting locations. Some of the things you’re looking for are either massive (like the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct), or quite small (like a parish boundary stone buried in a hedge)!
The rally ends on November 1 and your photos and claim forms need to be submitted by then. However, this is not the end of the rally because early in the new year there is a presentation dinner (somewhere in the middle of the country) at which awards are given out for the number of points gained.
Other awards may be presented at the organisers’ discretion.
This is a great rally; you visit locations you didn’t even know existed, in your own time as and when you can. The event gives you a reason to get your bike on the road. Remember, you can do as many or as few landmarks as you wish. And on those days when you just want to go for a ride, it can give you somewhere interesting to head off to.
Another bonus is the nice places that you find to have a pint or cuppa and something to eat. However, BEWARE, this rally is really addictive!
If you want to have a go visit www. roundbritainrally.co.uk/ or write to: Round Britain Rally, c/o 2 Elias Close, Lichfield, Staffs WS14 9TX.