MZ Scottish Rally 2006 

The South of Scotland Section hosts at least one major event each year. The venue for this years Scottish Rally was once again the Kilchoan House Hotel in Ardnamurchan, Argyle on the May Day holiday weekend. The event was another great success attracting club members from all over the country as well as the Netherlands. Click on the 'Jolly Roger' above for some pictures from this years event.

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Another May Day Holiday weekend and another Scottish Rally. This one, once again, to be held on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula in the Northwest of Scotland. I’d been looking forward to this one for weeks now and, having packed the bike the night before, I set off reasonably early and took a leisurely detour westwards to meet up with Peter and Terry at Tarbert on Loch Lomond, before heading north on the A82. This is the main road north and is extremely familiar from trips undertaken over the years. In fact, the sweeping road from Crainlarich, over Rannoch Moor and on to Kinlochleven is probably my favourite stretch of road anywhere, and when the sun shines and everything is right with the world, it definitely recharges your soul (however, when it’s wet and cold that’s another matter entirely). We had a pleasant trip northwards in the sunshine before stopping off for petrol and something to eat at Kinlochleven. The sunshine had also brought out the bikes, some obviously heading for their own events others, and many, mostly old British bikes, heading for the Scottish Six Day Trials at Kinlochleven. After lunch we headed for the Corran Ferry and the last part of the journey, which is the most taxing part being over narrow, twisting single-track roads. But, before too long we were pulling up outside the Kilchoan Hotel, saying hello to those who had made it before us and getting the tents pitched.

As in previous years the idea was for a relaxed weekend amongst friends old and new. This year we splashed out a bit and a t-shirt was included in the price of admission - the design is the Jolly Roger one at the head of this page. Needless to say this went down well with those attending. Friday was spent settling in and meeting friends old and new before traipsing off to the bar for a convivial evening.

On the Saturday morning Gareth kindly let Terry and I have a go on his 1000S. Despite the nature of the roads thereabouts; single-track, twisty and liberally sprinkled with loose gravel, we both lived to tell the tale and Gareth’s bike remains in one piece. I always find it a nervous experience taking someone else’s pride and joy for a ride, however, everything went well and I will admit to being very impressed with the bike’s performance and handling on my limited exposure. It was a bit tall in the saddle for me, but the power delivery is excellent and smoother than I was expecting. A lot easier to live with at lower revs than the Skorpion, certainly. If MZ manage to get themselves out of their current bit of bother I could be tempted with one of these beasts. I like the look of the SF ‘Super Fighter’, but an ST ‘Super Traveller’ with its full luggage package might be a better option for me.

Trips out to the local lighthouse at Ardnamurchan Point had been arranged for mid morning. This is the most westerly point on the British mainland and in years past we have seen both submarines and whales from the Point. No such luck this year and, as the day had started rather overcast, we sought solace and sustenance in the café at the Point where our unexpected numbers quite overwhelmed the poor woman on duty. The order of the day was cake and coffee before heading back to the hotel to see who else might have turned up.

I think that Donald said that we had 48 book in over the weekend. A goodly sized gathering without getting too impersonal or unmanageable. As well as the usual suspects, we were joined by a larger than normal contingent of Dutchmen this year. Sjef made his customary appearance, accompanied this year by his cousin Ralf who was immediately dubbed “The Flying Dutchman” for his riding style. In addition, Dinant Decker, his wife Anke, and their friend Johan had made the trip from the north of Holland to the north of Scotland (see Dinant’s website at http://motor.hobby.nl/schotland/ for photos of their whole trip).

In the evening awards were doled out to our continental contingent for their efforts in making the long journey - Dinant, Johan and Ralf all getting an award apiece. Sjef, not to be left out, was presented with his MZ Rally Award Scheme ‘Endeavour’ award. Anyone who managed a RAS Silver Award while living overseas certainly deserved something for their efforts. In addition, Dave Redknapp from Kent took away a Long-Distance award.

To round out the Saturday evening there was the raffle. No Scottish Rally would be complete without the by now ‘infamous’ raffle. Shirley did her bit, badgering all and sundry until tickets were bought and the draw was held immediately after the rally awards were presented, while we still had folks’ attention and before they became too ‘tired and emotional’. With Lidl/Aldi having provided many of the prizes on offer they were of a better quality than in many a club raffle I’ve been at. I think that everyone eventually won something, even if it was a prize for ‘Not Having Won A Prize Yet’. And that was the Saturday.

Being a holiday weekend not everyone headed home on the Sunday morning, many opting to stay over for one extra night. Unfortunately, the dry weather was all too good to last and Sunday evening saw the rain start. It continued to rain sporadically for most of the rest of the evening and much of the following day. This wasn’t too much of a hassle in the bar on the Sunday night but proved a bit of a downer for those travelling homewards on the Monday. Oh, well. It wouldn’t be Scotland without a bit of rain now, would it?

Next year will see the Scottish Rally move venues. Not that there was anything wrong with Kilchoan, but we thought that it’s about time for a bit of a change. There’s only so much that you can do locally and the lighthouse has limited appeal after all. Regardless of where it will be held it will, in all likelihood, once again be on our traditional May Day weekend, so make sure and place a provisional note in your diaries now for next year. I hope that everyone who came enjoyed the weekend and that we’ll be seeing you back north of the border again some time.