Pilgrims

30th Pilgrims Rally, August 2005 - Mayflower MCC

This year during the planning for this tour, it was said, "if you take your daughter with you, I can take my son too." And so it happened that the following participants met on Friday, 5 August for the England Tour: Walter Trappe (Yamaha XV535 Virago), Hans Mondorf with daughter Anna, 10 years old (BMW K100RS), Wolfgang Daun with son Felix, 17 years old, (Suzuki V-Storm1000). Karl Heuser with son Max, 12 years old (BMW K100RS), Heinz Rohde with son Markus 14 years old (BMW K100 basis).

After a trouble-free journey to Calais via our tried-and-tested route, we ate our lunch during the crossing in the food court, as we did in previous years. After seeing traffic on the M25 and especially in front of the Dartford Tunnel, it was not far to the new place where this year's Pilgrims Rally took place.

We were suprised the address was "New Hall Vineyards" Purleigh, Essex. Should there actually be vineyards in England? But during our research we found out that there are vineyards.

Arriving in Purleigh, we first registered at the reception and then set up our tents on the huge meadow. Then we convinced ourselves that wine is grown there. We were amazed at how big these wine fields actually are. And at a wine tasting in the evening, we were once again amazed at how good the cultivated wines tasted.

The scout team from Basildon, who we already knew, provided the food. We spent part of Friday evening outside. When it got colder we switched to the beautiful ambience of the big event barn.

After a delicious breakfast on Saturday morning we drove to Maldon. Some rally participants recommended it to us. Down at the River Chelmer we watched the barges as they come up waiting for the tide to sail towards the mouth of the North Sea. A pub for the men and for the kids an ice cream van nearby. You can spend some time that way. From here we drove to Burnham-on-Crouch onto a beach.


(page 1)
Mayflower MCC
Presents
30th Pilgrims Rally 2005
Oh no, not free beer again !
Welcome!

(page 2)
30th Pilgrims Rally 2005
Oh no, not free beer again !
Welcome to this, our 30th Pilgrims Rally. We hope you had a pleasant and trouble free ride on your way here and we hope that your stay with us will be enjoyable.
For your pleasure, we have DJ Caveman, playing 50's Rock 'n' Roll on Friday and Saturday evenings. Saturday lunchtime we have the Grays Town Band' (anything from classical to pop) for your entertainment and Saturday night the 50's rock 'n'roll band we had last year Luck Strike are playing some of their best RnR with a bit of rockabilly thrown in.
The Basildon Scout Service Team (BEAST - you'll have to ask them what it means !) will be supplying the food for this year, a welcome return to the catering we used to have at the Scout Camp Site in Basildon if you were lucky enough (and old enough) to go.
There are two wash basins in the Ladies, one in the gents and our own wash stand is available in the covered barn and are open 24/7. sorry but we couldnt manage showers this year.
Victoria Lidstone-Scott has produced a brainteaser for you all to try for which there will be a small, appropriate, prize for the most correct answers for the quiz.
If you fancy a ride out, the very pretty seaside town of Burnham on Crouch, with lots of pubs and restaurants, is approx. eleven miles away. Maldon with it's interesting town centre, riverside walk and Thames sailing barges, is only four and a half miles away. At Tilbury there is a Fort which is apparently very good and at South Woodham Ferrers is Tropical Wings a butterfly and bird garden and Marsh Farm Country Park. There are numerous pretty roads in the area if you fancy an amble through the countryside. If you fancy going a bit further Finchingfield with it's Lovejoy'scenery is approx. 35 miles. For the Gardeners amongst you a visit to Hyde Hall Gardens will be worth a look and it's only just down the road !
That's really all we have to say, on the opposite page in this programme you will find an approximation of the hours for food and drink and even what beers may be available!
Any problems please go to the Control, the Committee are all in contact via mobile phones this weekend so we should be able to respond fairly quickly to any situation.
Thanks
The Committee

(page 3)
Programme of Events

Bar Opening Times
At the time of going to print the barn bar is officially open all day from 11:00 to when it closes.
Beer in the barn
Mighty Oak - IPA Mighty Oak - Maldon Gold Mighty Oak - Oscar Wilde Mild Titanic - Farmer's Half Peggotty's - Porter Monksman's - Slaughter Old Rosy - Cider First Quality - Cider Herefordshire - Country Perry Stella Artois - Lager
If you insist on going to a pub despite the fact that the drink here is totally free all weekend there is one a short walk away, out of the gate, turn left, first right, follow the road to the church and keep going, it's about 300 yards past the church on the right.

Food from the BEAST
From early to late, meals, burgers, bacon butties and breakfasts.
Free coffee and tea all weekend in the barn.

Music
Friday 21:00 'til late DJ Caveman 50's Rock 'n' Roll
Saturday 13:00 - 14:30 21:30 to 23:30 (ish) Grays Town Band DJ Caveman & 'Lucky Strike 50's Rock 'n' Roll
(All times are approximate)

Raffle & Awards
Sunday 10:00 in the barn.

Enjoy

(page 4)
Mayflower Motor Cycle Club
30th Pilgrims' Rally 2005
Mayflower MCC Committee Members :
Chairman Graham Butler
Secretary Paula Fidge
Treasurer/Cellarman David (Rad‍ar) Day
General Purpose Members 
Heather MacGregor
John Flitney
Alan Giddens
Chris Shaw

A special thank-you to Piers and Shelley, the owners of New Hall Vineyard for allowing us to use their premises.
Goodbye, and thanks for coming,
Ride Home Safe !


Back in the barn at Purleigh, the cozy party began. Everyone did their best to empty the keg of lager. One of our rally participants then said, after a few pints of lager, he also had to empty a bottle of wine. Since he then had the right bed weight, he staggered towards the tent. On this dark path, without lights, he accidentally slipped into the ditch that was overgrown with thorn bushes on one side of the tent meadow. Some time later, when Karl Heuser and Walter Trappe went to their tent, they heard calls for help from the ditch. With combined forces, our motorcycle friend was pulled out of the ditch and the thorns.

The next morning, after he woke up, he pulled another thorn out of his thumb in my presence. Then, as we freshened up shirtless during the morning toilet, you could see the full extent of scratch marks on his torso. As it is well known, whoever has the damage does not have to worry about the mockery. Walter said that our motorcycle friend would have had to pay a lot of money for such a "treatment" in certain establishments.

After the raffle and awards ceremony on Sunday morning we said goodbye and drove to Bodiam Castle on the usual route. The young people showed interest in a visit, which I then did with them. The "older semester" took a long break in the garden of the nearby pub.

From here the usual route to Hawthorn Farm Campsite & Holiday Park. As in previous years, we ended the last evening in the nearby pub with dinner and a few pints.

Monday morning to the ferry and back to the mainland. In France we said goodbye to Heinz and Markus Rohde and Karl and Max Heuser. They went to Normandy for another week with tent and motorbike. The rest of the group then drove straight home. On the outward journey, Heinz Rohde had problems with his engine cooling in a traffic jam in front of the Dartford Tunnel. The fan motor on the radiator was stuck and would not spin anymore. As long as he could drive and had wind, everything was fine. In traffic jams, of course, things looked different. Here and there, the red warning lamp for the cooling water temperature came on. Otherwise we were spared from technical problems.

- Hans Mondorf