Dragon Rally

The Dragon Rally this year looked like being a classic, with all the snow we had had the week before, and a severe weather warning for Wales on the Friday I was expecting an exiting journey. As it turned out the most difficult part of the trip was getting off the Ice roads on my housing estate!

The basic format was the same as always.

- Ted

All the main roads were clear, and Saturday was a bright and sunny day, not warm, but good for February. The mountains in Snowdonia looked spectacular with their white coats, but this year the Rally was at the race circuit on Anglesey and was completely snow free. It had been a few years since I last did a Dragon, but other than the lack of camp fires (not allowed now) the basic format was the same as always.

There was a checkpoint a few miles before the Rally site, and then you booked in on site and got your goody bag with a badge, sticker, coaster, a couple of chocolate bars and a miniature of whisky and your cup of soup and a bread roll. The rest of the rally is up to you, and in the afternoon most people were to be found wandering around the site renewing old friendships, checking out the bikes etc. You could also watch the brave chaps who had gone to the circuit for a track day; they were all out there getting their knees down, not really what you expect at a Dragon!

This year there was a proper bar on site, and cans were available in the marquee. There was a band on in the marquee Saturday evening.

It was good to see that there are still quite a few old British bikes at the rally, and a lot of sidecar outfits, although you could have been forgiven for thinking that it was a Cossack owners club rally as the vast majority of them were Russian!

The two Dutch off road outfits were very impressive and being complete with snow chains on the spare wheel were ready for anything.

Snow was forecast for Sunday, but did not appear until I was back in Bradford, allowing me to have another mainly sunny and dry ride home.

- Ted Trett