Day Tripper. One-way ticket, yeah..
This is the tale of Paul and Steve, who decided to have a day out at the seaside and attend the Whitby Scooter Rally. It was agreed that Paul would ride pillion on one of Steve's classic Lambrettas.
Morning came and the two old Mods packed their parkas on the back of Steve's GP175, just in case of rain. Paul didn't give a second thought to their chosen mode of transport until later...
So, with a bit of a wobbly start to their 19-mile journey from Saltburn to Whitby, they set off. As soon as they started to climb the numerous hills on their route, it soon became apparent that the scooter was making hard work of it and about 15 minutes into the journey Paul was in extreme discomfort, being sandwiched between Steve and a ‘Jimmy'style backrest. Then things got a bit more interesting; on a steep hill climb, the back brake was sticking on, so it was time for a pit stop to free it. Steve turned to Paul and said: “Right-o, jump off.” Paul, who by this time was in so much pain, could not move. So without further ado, Steve put the scooter on the stand with Paul still sitting on it – which was no mean feat! After a few minutes of composing themselves, they were off again – only to go through the whole procedure once more at the next hill. Oh dear!
They finally arrived at the last hill into Whitby and in the distance they could see Whitby Abbey. Steve wittily said: “Look, l can see the sea.” They then descended an 18% gradient with hairpin bends. Paul momentarily forgot the pain he'd been in, due to the fact he was scared shitless!
Finally they arrived at the pavilion for an enjoyable day. Later, Paul declared: “I'm not going back on the scooter; l'm going to catch the bus back,” and, clutching his bus pass in his hand, he jumped on board (l did say these were two old Mods!).
Paul half expected to pass Steve on the roadside tinkering with the scooter, but Steve said later that it had gone like a rocket with just him on itl As an afterthought, Steve mused: “You know, if we had gone on one of my other scooters you would have been far more comfortable...”
Paul made a mental note to go by car next year…
Paul Jenner and Steve Shields The Odd Mod Squad