Woolacombe 2004
Arrived at the Golden Coast at about half three on Friday afternoon (by car, yes we're big girls blouses) just before Champs and Terry who'd made the journey by scooter - well done! Heard that Steve had broken down after only 15 miles so had to put his bike in the back of the van, which meant that Gary had to get a move on to get to the rally before dark as his lights don't work! Barry also made the long trip down by scooter but without any waterproofs, which wasn't a problem on the ride down but would become a problem on Sunday morning....
We were very pleased with our accommodation, having swapped the caravans for houses which were a stone's throw away from the main room and all the action. Very handy indeed, and it made a nice change to have normal-sized beds! We headed to the bar, soon to be joined by Stacey, Lin, Jo and Duaine. It was relatively quiet so we just had a couple and went back to the houses to wait for the rest to arrive.
That night's band were The Beat, and I wasn't overly excited about seeing them as I'd seen them at the Isle Of Wight last year and hadn't been bowled over. However, whether it was the amount of cider I'd drunk or whether it was the dedication that Ranking Roger made to the Midhurst Detours, but they seemed to be really good! Caught up with a few people afterwards, including Louise who was still on crutches after the Exmouth incident and Emma Cox with her lovely new man so I got photos of them both! Rich and Sacha finally arrived, having left relatively late, and eventually tracked me down to get their keys. Had a quick chat with Johnny and Sharon - Johnny has grown his hair a bit and gained a side parting, much to our amusement! It seemed to be a theme for the weekend, skinheads growing their hair, maybe that's what they do in the winter?? The room cleared a bit after the band had finished which was good as it left more room for dancing. Stacey and I spotted the guitarist from The Beat at the back of the hall and pestered him for a photo, we were very impressed with his Clash t-shirt which matched our club patch!
Saturday morning arrived and I nipped to the shop to get some bacon to try and eat my way past the hangover. It didn't work so I tried more sleep which seemed to do the trick. By the time I'd surfaced there were various mechanical goings-on next door, with Steve trying to fix his autolube (which had packed up at Emsworth, hence the heat-seize) whilst being given advice from all directions, not all of it helpful. We nipped up to the stalls for a wander, but couldn't find much to spend my money on! So I retreated back to Gary's lounge for some orange juice and Friends on tv, great for the hangover. People then seemed to disperse for food and beer, so Lee and I drove round the bay to Croyde which is a lovely village with some great pubs and we settled on Billy Bud's for lunch. It turned out to be a good choice and we both came away full and happy (unusual for Lee to be happy about food, so it was a huge bonus!). Back at the site the others were down the pub so we joined them, and Stacey and I couldn't resist the pudding cabinet so we filled our faces with calories galore and felt much better for it!
Saturday night came, and after a quick bath we headed to the do where they were doing the sound check for the Damned. It was a bit boring so we nipped up to the Northern Room, which was next to the supermarket for a change. There was a young boy on the dancefloor, doing all the moves, including spinning and clapping and he was really good! I had a quick chat with him and his Mum (who was bursting with pride, and justifiably) and he turned out to be all of 9 years old! And can apparantly do a mean skank too.... Bless!
Back to the main room and it was time for the Damned. The crowd weren't as manic as I'd expected, and Dave Vanian looked amazingly dapper, in an Errol Flynn sort of way. Captain Sensible was his usual self, and mentioned how pleased they were to be playing to moped-riders, which earned him a hail of abuse and beer thrown all over the band, absolutely hilarious! For their encore, Captain S stripped down to a leopard skin thong, something that most ageing punks couldn't get away with, but he's got quite a shapely bottom for his age!!! The band were great, Dave's voice was really good and the crowd were really into it. I managed to get Captain Sensible's setlist, but it was covered in beer and ripped in two after another eagle-eyed punter had tried to nick it off me! I sneaked backstage afterwards for a chat with them (minus Captain and Dave who were resting in the tour bus!) and they were really pleased with the reception they'd got - it was miles better than at a Harley rally they'd played to recently. So then it was time for more dancing, and we stayed til the last record, not wanting the weekend to end. When the stage had been cleared of the band's equipment I noticed another setlist in the corner, which must have belonged to the keyboard player (a dead spit of Nigel from Eastenders), so I got Rick Kaye to get it for me, which he duly did. It was in mint condition, what a bonus!
It had been a fantastic weekend, a great finale to the rally season. Can concentrate on football now. Rushed back to catch Pompey vs Everton at Fratton Park but I wish I hadn't bothered - it was a dire game and we lost to a sloppy goal. Oh well, it's only a game.....
Friday evening.....
Saturday morning - scooters to mend.....
Saturday afternoon - pub.....
Saturday evening.....
Sunday morning - ride home.....
