Exmouth.   July 9th - 11th 2004.

Memories of fantastic 80's rallies in Exmouth were the reason I was so excited about seeing what it was like this time around - and I wasn't disappointed.   The ride down was lovely, through the picturesque Dorset and Devon countryside, stopping off at a village pub for a meal on the way down and not even a freak downpour in Honiton could dampen my enthusiasm!   By the time we reached the Deer Leap late afternoon on Friday, Rob was gagging for a fag and Lee was desperate for petrol and a wee.  I was just keen to get to the bar for a cider and enjoy the company of the scooterists that were already gathering there.   Nita, my 'twin sister', was already there and whilst having a quick chat I noticed the most bizarre sight - the pub's dog was standing on its roof, wagging its tail!   Terry and Angie soon joined us, having had a heat-seize just outside Petersfield they'd had to resort to coming down on four wheels.   After a quick drink and visit to the petrol station we checked into the hotel which was reached by a steep path behind the pub.  It was handy though, only a few minutes away from both the pub and the Pavilion, which was where the weekend's entertainment was centred.

The hotel was very posh, and a wedding was in full swing, it was weird to be checking in as scummy scooterists when we were surrounded by top hats and fancy dresses!   After a quick bath we met Rob in the bar, and after a quick drink we headed back to the Deer Leap, which was very busy by now.   After a few we headed to the Pavilion, where Emma Cox was on the decks.   As it wasn't too busy by then there was plenty of room on the dancefloor, which was great!   A helpful bouncer steered me away from a pile of vomit, which was handy as I was just about to shuffle in its general direction - yuk! The band were quite good, doing a set of 60's covers, but I was pleased when the dj's returned.   It was an early finish, as the place shut at 1am, but probably not a bad thing to leave us wanting more..... 

Next morning we headed down to the custom show, which was free to get into - what a bargain!   There were some nice scooters on display and lots of stalls, including two tattooists who were kept very busy.    We then took a nostalgic ride through the town to check out the old campsite and various other landmarks.   The campsite is still there, but it seemed weird seeing it without hundreds of tents and scooters parked on it.   I tried to find the venue for the 80's VFM do's run by Nick Jolly and Lowie, but couldn't. It used to have a huge totem pole outside it but I couldn't remember what it was called.   Later on, I saw Steve Foster, and ask him about it - and he
remembered it was the Cranford Tavern, and confirmed it had been built on in the intervening years.

And so we returned to the Deer Leap for the afternoon.   Rob had been propping up the bar since mid-morning, and we were joined by Terry, Angie and Pacemaker Hammy.    Hammy was recovering from an accident at work which had left him with 15 stitches in his hand and meant he'd had to come down on the train, not a cheap option from Nuneaton!   After a few beers and food we headed back to the hotel where there was another wedding in full swing.   I took some photos from Rob's room, which had a great view of the bay, and left him to sleep off the day's drinking session, hopefully to leave him fresh for the evening.

 

When we later met up in the bar, none of us were feeling particularly 'fresh' but we carried on regardless, and made the final trip down the steep path to the Deer Leap.  I had a quick chat with Johnny 'More Specials' who was worried that he was going to burst out of his shirt, the buttons looked rather tight!   We then bumped into Emma Cox, who for once was not working, so was dressed in 'civvies' and ready for a night of dancing rather than DJing.  The Pavilion was busier than the Friday night and the band were the Simulators who did a set of Ska and Two Tone covers. 

 

All in all it was a great weekend.   The only downside was its timing, coming a week after Camber and so close to Holland meant that a lot of people couldn't afford the extra weekend away, which was a shame.   It was a very well organised rally, and everyone was really friendly.