The Loft, Belgium, July 21st - 23rd 2006.

 

Having bought a mesh jacket from Chris Ball the day before owing to the sweltering summer we have been enjoying, I was apprehensive when waking at 5 am on the Friday lest the Extreme Rain Riders curse had been restored; thankfully it had not and it was only a slightly cool ride down to Thickthorn to hook up with Tony and Lynette for 6 a.m. We picked up Carl and Gary at Attleborough and Mel at Barton Mills. Making good time, although the M25 was starting to get busy as we were now in rush hour and some strategic lane changing was needed before stopping for fuel at Thurrock. Its called assertive riding, OK?

You now has to tie down your own bike on the ferries for insurance reasons but this was done quite quickly and we adjourned to the restaurant/lounge for a spot of breakfast and/or coffee. John was waiting for us at Dunkerque as he had taken an earlier ferry and off we sped for our lunch stop at Cassel.

Baking hot as we sat on the terrase  overlooking the Eurostar line way down in the valley, we had varying lunches depending on what each had consumed at breakfast time – they do excellent pizza there. Off again and down the steep cobbled streets that access Cassel to head towards the Loft to check in. I was going to stop at a memorial in Diksmuide, but as it must have been 35 ° at least – the mesh jacket was nice and airy but it was still hot.

After the free welcome drink we all repaired to the showers; not together, because we aren’t that sort of club. It is amazing how much you can see from the balcony – thanks Carl! After refreshing ourselves we headed off to Ypres (or Ieper) to catch the last post at the Menin Gate and to have a bimble around. A light supper at a streetside café and then try to find the way out; well, second try worked OK. Why do road signs just disappear?

A few beers etc at the Loft before turning in reasonably early. Saturday morning saw a drizzly start, but still warm. As predicted, the rain cleared by 10 am and when the sun came through it started to get very hot again.

We were scheduled to visit Tyne Cot cemetery and Sanctuary Wood. Prior to that we visited the memorial at Diksmuide “No More War”, it optimistically proclaimed in 1918.

If only someone had listened.

For those that hadn’t been to Tyne Cot this was, I think its fair to say, a sobering experience. When you look at the ages on the gravestones, then look at the stones marking the remains of completely unidentifiable remains (the names of whom we may have glanced the previous evening at the Menin Gate) some buried 3 to a grave, you can’t help but feel both angry and sad; well, I can’t anyway! Those born in and after the baby boomer generation are fortunate indeed.

After a few detours and asking at bars in broken French/English/Flemish we arrived at Sanctuary Wood, where the original trenches of Hill 62 are preserved, together with a museum boasting some stereogram “what the Butler saw” machines. No maids in compromising positions on these mind, just some incredible (in its literal sense) pictures of destruction and despair from “The Great War” – the war to end all wars; pity nobody listened.

Tony provided a commentary from his machine. Mainly consisting of “Oh, that’s horrible”, “Oh, that’s horrible” “Oh, that’s horrible” etc etc.

Saddle up and off to Bruges for the afternoon – up the motorway because its too hot to bimble. I remembered my way in to the centre, but it isn’t easy, especially when you are trying not to lose your gaggle of ducklings, none of whom have a map. The cooling fans were blowing on some of the bikes long after we’d switched off.

We found a café with good awnings to sit under and in typical hard biker fashion, ordered 6 Salade Nicoise and one Salade Verte and listened to a very interesting lecture on environmental matters which left us so much more enlightened and edified :-)

John and I had asked for a large Hoegaarden, which of course, was a litre at 12 euros a time! Luckily the beer at the Loft is much more reasonably priced. Down to the river for a boat trip whilst looking at some of the lovely little puppies that were about, passing Tim’s Belgian shop – kept that quiet didn’t you Tim?

The boat trips are always good value and Bruges is such a lovely town – I would imagine on a winter’s afternoon with the snow flurrying down that it could quite magical too. So hot now, we just wanted to get to the bikes, back to the Loft, have yet another shower and settle in to the evening there. You can now cook your own food which you buy on site. There was a barbecue going each evening so we simply bought our meat or whatever, cooked it, ate and drank and talked the usual inane drivel that has come to signify an ER trip. Mussilinsm wasn’t it?

The obligatory pool contest, which ended in a draw. Plus other shenanigans 

Sunday morning and time to pay the bill; at least four other people must have put their drinks on my room as I never had that much. The plan was to ride across to a small fortified town called Bergues, south of Dunkerque. The roads actually started to get twisty and some quite bumpy. The TDM provides a close resemblance to a pogo stick on such roads, but it does make it fun. Stopping in Bergues for coffee or water, the four of us who were taking the early ferry rode down part way with the others before turning off on the St. Omer road to head north to Dunkerque.

The four of us rode as far as the A12, where John peeled off and then Carl, Gary and myself turned off the M11 to ride some twisties through Saffron Walden and back onto the A11 at Newmarket. One by one we peeled off until it was just me from Attleborough to Taverham, arriving home at about 7.30pm, pleased to have another shower, unpack and spread out in my own bed.

So, the first ER club run concluded; several us have done “solo” efforts, but this was the first time a group from ER went together.

So, for next year, someone else can have some thoughts as to where we could go?

Full album (with witty captions) can be found here

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