Roy & Chris Workman

Part of the fun with this Rally is sorting out the mis-spelling of place names by Dave, who organises it. The Rally takes you to places that you would normally ride past, and to locations you did not know existed. On one occasion we had to photograph St Martin's Church at Cwmyoy.

The church was built on a fault in the earth's surface. It has been subsiding slowly ever since. Standing by the church door, and looking towards the altar, we noted that the whole building was twisted - it was certainly very interesting. We had a little fun getting to the church (on time!). Chris, the wife and navigator, sitting in the sidecar, told me that we could take the next road on the left. The road was a little narrow, and the sign read "Unsuitable for motor vehicles". This was a challenge not to be missed! I ended up with tree branches brushing against my crash helmet and shoulders as the path got narrower. Going up a steep slope, the outfit lost ground. Some kind farmer had left mud over the road, and the back wheel just spun. I leaped off the bike, and proceeded to push the outfit, feathering the clutch at the same time.

I arrived at the top of the hill, puffing and panting, jumped back on the bike, and on we went. The next obstacle was a lorry-load of sheep, but the driver was very good to us, reversing into a farm gateway, to enable us to go on our way. The church is well worth a visit if you are in the area, as is nearby Llanthony Priory.

On another occasion we had to find a Youth Hostel at Roewan, in Gwynedd. We believe that Dave had stayed there in his youth. Proceeding up a country lane I spotted two builders working on a country cottage. I enquired if we were going the right way. "Yes" said one of the chaps, "but do not come out of bottom gear". The road twisted and turned through a tunnel of trees. It was quite steep and the road surface was covered in moss. Unfortunately someone was off-loading a trailer just before the Youth Hostel, and I had to wait a while before I could get the required photos. Normally there is a RBR dinner in February, held in a hotel in Lichfield, which enables the rallyists to meet and exchange stories. A couple that we had got to know through the Rally had ridden to the same Youth Hostel on a newish, big BMW. They lost it on the treacherous road surface. They were unable to pick up the fully loaded bike, so they had to offload it as best they could. They still could not get traction up the hill, so they struggled to get the bike back down to the bottom, carried the luggage down to the bike, and reloaded it there. They were then able to successfully renegotiate the bends, and obtained their photographs. For those of you who have not yet tried the RBR, have a go for a year. It gives you somewhere to ride, other than the local "caff", and you will be surprised at what you learn about the country you live in.