ABC Temperance Weekend

22nd March 1986 - ABC

Although we were still running the Joint Rally in November, the ABC decided we weren't doing enough at the beginning of the year.

As the club had met at that pub, The Crooked Billet, in Colney Heath, for several years, and the Landlord ran the bar at the rally, it was relatively easy to get him to allow us to camp in the field behind it, and it was for free, which was even better. We also invited a few local clubs we knew, as well as the Exeter branch of our club, and, basically, anybody else we felt like inviting.

The name was arrived at as we were, after all, going to destroy a lot of alcohol, and more than a few braincells, probably, over the course of the weekend.

A few of our members were not too shabby as musicians, so this kept most of us entertained.

Friday night was rather packed in the pub, which was quite small anyway, and I think the outside seating area was used as well. It was certainly used on Saturday morning for the customary Triumph rebuild.

Following the bike rebuild, most of the Exeter branch started turning up, one of which discovered his tent was a bit too close to the exhaust for the trip up, but the rain, if there was any, (I can't remember this far away), wasn't enough to worry him.

That night the pub was even more full and the more arithmetically able members were helping out behind the bar.

Everyone seemed to have a good time and the pub did a good deal on the strangely coloured milkshakes on Sunday morning,

Full breakfasts in such large numbers as we presented were somewhat beyond the tiny kitchen in the middle of the building. The riders from further away left before lunchtime opening hours, while the locals waited for the customary chucking-out time before heading home. Everything seemed to go quite well, so it was agreed to do another one, eventually.

- Phil (the Spill) Drackley