The West Midlands Region were holding their Mudbath Rally that weekend so I joined the ride in from Balsall Common. The bikes set off under bright skies and we had a well marshalled ride out to the rendezvous point. From there we rode en masse to the National Memorial Arboretum. There were about 180 bikes in the ride with others already having made their own way there.

At the Arboretum we gathered under darkened skies for a moving service in this most poignant of locations, and then proceeded to the main step for a group photo. There was time then to have a look round and take in all the site has to offer. Some took this time for private reflection and others as a chance to reacquaint with friends but all had gathered with one purpose.

The National Memorial Arboretum is well worth a visit and you can discover about its work at www.thenma.org.uk and if you would like to know more about the Rider Branch please click here.

The gallery of photos can be reached by clicking on the photo and any comments or critique is most welcome. If you enjoy your visit please subscribe to our mailing list and you will receive notifications of new galleries.

It was a great turnout with great weather and thoroughly recommended to those that have never been. Clicking on the picture will open the gallery in a new window. Your comments and feedback would be much appreciated.

It was busy day for me having earlier photographed the  Coventry Parade it was straight from Coombe Abbey to pass the run which was bound for the Transport Museum in Coventry.

The glorious weather heralded and excellent turnout and the sight and sound was a great experience.

The gallery of photos is a mix of shots of the run and the display of scooters and bikes at the Coventry Transport Museum.

The run coincided with the Ace Cafe exhibition which ran through the Summer at the museum.

The gallery can be reached by clicking on the photo, comments and critiques are always welcome.

The bikes ranged from an 1897 Leon Bolleè Voiturette to a 1981 “Indian” Royal Enfield  Bullet. It seems strange to see the bikes of my teen years now taking part and there were a few bikes such as the Suzuki GT750 and BMW R90S that held fond memories. An interesting mix of bikes certainly made for a pleasant way to spend a Sunday morning.

As usual the gallery can be opened by clicking on the image and any critiques and comments would be most welcome.

I hope you enjoy the selection.

Clicking on the photo will open the gallery, any comments or critiques will be most welcome.

We hope you enjoy and it may whet your appetite for their arrival this Spring.

Things are changing fast within Europe and complaining after the event is often too late, so Brum this year is to draw attention to the following:
The Euro Regulation on its way through the legislative process that desires compulsory ABS/ linked brakes, anti tampering on the powertrain from airbox to rear tyre size, compulsory headlight use, onboard diagnostics etc
Then there’s the threat of compulsory day-glo/reflective clothing as is proposed in our neighbours Ireland and France.
And the power for the authorities to make roadside checks of bikes for ‘road worthiness’, as part of the broader pan-euro road worthiness proposals advocated by the private companies TuV and DEKRA.
We should also show our support for the French who are facing a ban on filtering and a ban on bikes over 7 years old being used in urban areas.

The run had an ambitious route around the city centre after a ride en masse from the outskirts. The run seemed to end a bit disjointed although I lost count of the number of interested onlookers asking what the run was in aim of, either that or they just wanted to get close to the strange photographer in the kilt.

The album has previously been posted on Facebook although I thought I would get it posted up her now .

The gallery of photos can be opened by clicking on the photo, any comments or requests for information would be welcomed.

With continued impressive support from Zodiac it gave me the chance to see two Godfathers of the Drag Bike world together our own Brian Chapman and Ton Pels although sadly I wasnt in a position to get a photograph.

There were a lot of nice bikes on display and the added attraction of the Classic bikes with a smattering of cars meant there was plenty to see and drool over.

As usual clicking on the thumbnail will open the gallery. Your comments or criticisms would be gratefully received.

A smaller Runaway Mop is held about one week later and this was originally a chance for employers who had made bad choices to try again.

We hope you enjoy the gallery which can be opened by clicking on the photo. Any feed back would be much appreciated.

The visit has also whetted the appetite to see how the gardens change through the seasons so you can follow the changes here later in the spring and summer.

The gallery can be opened by clicking on the photograph. As ever any feedback would be appreciated.

The first few photos were taken close by at Winwick Warren.

A great mix of loco’s and an intense service provided something for most enthusiasts of classic diesels from the British Railways era and I hope this gallery captures some of the diversity of traction on offer and great countryside that the railway passes through.

Clicking on the photo will open the gallery.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and any feedback would be appreciated.