At the latest South Dorset VMCC club night, held at the Three Compasses, members were treated to a fascinating and entertaining talk by Vince about his motorcycle travels through California and beyond.
Vince took us on a journey along the iconic Highway 1, sharing his experiences and photographs of some of America’s most spectacular locations. His presentation brought to life places that many of us recognise from television programmes and films, but may never have had the opportunity to visit ourselves.
Among the highlights of his travels were San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, before heading further afield to Las Vegas and the spectacular Grand Canyon.
What made the talk particularly enjoyable was the way Vince linked many of the places he visited to famous American films and familiar television scenes. These interesting connections added another dimension to the journey, bringing back memories of films and locations that many of us have enjoyed over the years.
Throughout the evening, Vince shared plenty of interesting stories and observations, giving us a real flavour of the places he had visited and the experience of travelling through this remarkable part of America by motorcycle.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and a great insight into an adventure that many of us could only dream of undertaking.
A big thank you to Vince for taking the time to put together such an informative, entertaining and interesting presentation. It was a great evening and much appreciated by everyone attending.
Another great day out on the bikes, this time with Simon Barker leading the way!
We all met up at the Three Compasses at 10:00 am, ready for a 10:30 am departure. Once everyone had signed on and we were all ready to go, Simon gathered his troops (23 bikes) and off we went for another enjoyable ride through the beautiful Dorset countryside.
Our first stop was the Lambing Shed at Middlemarsh, where there was a warm welcome, a welcome cuppa and, for many, a bacon sandwich! Just the job to set us up for the miles ahead.
With refreshments enjoyed and everyone ready to roll, Simon took us on a lovely route through the Dorset lanes. Some of the quieter roads even had grass growing down the middle, making for some lovely, typically Dorset scenery and a very pleasant ride.
Our lunchtime destination was the Stableyard Restaurant in Broadwindsor. Simon had originally booked for 12 people, but our popularity had clearly grown, and we arrived with a fantastic turnout of 23+ members! Simon had wisely given the restaurant a heads-up about the increased numbers, and they promised to do their best. What a result when we arrived to find that they had managed to put tables together so that we could all sit as one large group. A huge thank you to the restaurant for accommodating us all so well.
After a good lunch, plenty of chat and the usual club camaraderie, it was time to climb back onto our bikes and head for home, with everyone making their own way back.
A big thank you to Simon Barker for planning and leading such an enjoyable ride, and to everyone who came along and helped make it such a great day. It was wonderful to see such a good turnout and to enjoy the roads, scenery and, of course, the company.
Here’s to many more happy miles together. See you on the next ride!
The bike was ready to go, leathers on, gloves on and helmet secured. Time to head north to the Emporium for the South Dorset VMCC Section breakfast meet!
The weather is definitely starting to cool down now, but thankfully, the ride stayed mostly dry.
With 16 riders in attendance, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast, good coffee and plenty of good old-fashioned motorcycling chat.
With breakfast finished and everyone caught up, it was time to fire up the bikes and head home.
Another great morning of bikes, breakfast and good company! 🏍️☕🍳
It was a beautiful sunny day when the VMCC South Dorset Section gathered at the pub — the Three Compasses — for another day out on our bikes. This run was led by Nigel & Helen. With all the riders signed on, dues paid and ready to go, there was plenty of anticipation for what promised to be an enjoyable ride through some of the finest countryside Dorset and East Devon have to offer.
Once everyone was ready, we climbed aboard our motorcycles and set off, playing a spirited game of “follow my leader” as we worked our way through the Dorset countryside. The route took us along a mixture of familiar roads and some that were new to many of us, with plenty of beautiful scenery along the way.
Of course, no group ride would be complete without getting slightly lost, and we managed that just once! Eventually, however, everyone made it safely to Seaton, where we regrouped and headed into the ‘Quayside Café for a well-earned coffee. Some members took the opportunity to have something to eat as well, and we enjoyed a leisurely break of around an hour before getting back on the road.
Our next leg took us through the lovely East Devon countryside, heading towards Dunkeswell Aerodrome. The route provided a great variety of riding, with winding country lanes mixed with B-roads and the occasional stretch of A-road. It was exactly the sort of varied riding that makes a group motorcycle outing so enjoyable.
Eventually we arrived at Dunkeswell Airfield, parked up and settled down for lunch. There was, however, an unexpected bonus waiting for us beside the café. Parked nearby was a beautiful Tiger Moth, which naturally attracted plenty of attention from the group.
After a while, a couple of chaps climbed aboard the aircraft, started the engine and taxied away. It was a fantastic sight and sound, and certainly added something special to the day. At this point Bob and I found that everybody had departed.
With good weather, excellent roads, beautiful countryside, good company and an unexpected aviation display thrown in for good measure, it was another thoroughly enjoyable outing for the VMCC South Dorset Section. A great day out on two wheels — and one that will hopefully be repeated before too long. Thanks go to Nigel & Helen, and Peter & Kevin whoes photos you can see below.
“This is an article writen by Mike Davis for the club magazine that unfortunately didn’t make it to print”.
During Weymouth Week the SDVMCC seeks to celebrate all that is good about Dorset
Sunday 10th May
The week began with a parade of 40 or so bikes at the Jubilee Clock Tower, Weymouth seafront.
There is great satisfaction in watching those promenading, smile as they catch a glimpse of a machine that brings back a memory. For me it is a time of inspiration as in a 1934 Velocette MOV 250cc machine – not inspiring? Well, when it comes with its 92-yr old rider, that is inspirational!
The first ride of the week took us to Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens for refreshments along the B3157 coast road. A great and well loved biking road which offers wonderful views along the coast for passengers but riders need to keep their eyes on the road. Then on to Lyme Regis entering the town from the west descending a steep incline. A test of brakes and gears. We parked near the Mermaid Theatre. Some took the opportunity to visit Mary Anning’s statue, a pioneer of palaeontology in the 19th century.
The return journey was back along the B3157 provided spectacular views of Chesil Beach, the Fleet Lagoon, and Portland. All have been inspiration for works of fiction such as On Chesil Beach by Ian McKewan, and Moonfleet by J. M. Falkner.
69 miles
Monday 11th May
35 bikes headed north east to the aptly named View Cafe at Milton Abbas. Magnificent views across the Dorset hills while consuming hot beverages. A further ride of about 40 mins brought us to our lunch stop, Compton Abbas Airfield, a grass, hilltop, airstrip with views across to Shaftesbury.
Many Dorset place names include the word Abbas – it refers to land previously owned by the Abbess, the head of the abbey nunnery.
A 40 minute ride took us to Glanville Wootton Village Hall where the local residents supplied us with an abundance of tea and cakes. I do believe most motor cycles were at least 10mph slower leaving the village hall! A slow return to Chickerell.
92 miles
Tuesday 12th May
We set off on a circular route to The Caddy Shack Cafe, Weymouth, via Langton Herring, Abbotsbury, and Winterbourne Saint Martin.
We then took abot an hour to ride to Forde Abbey up and over the Dorset Ridgeway, and through glorious Dorset countryside.
Forde Abbey is a former Cistercian Abbey dating from the 12th century.
A half hour ride brought us to Mapperton House. The highlight was Rod Hann being interviewed
for Mapperton Live, the house’s promotional station on You Tube, to the delight of an audience…. us.
83 miles
Wednesday 13th May
The weather was beginning to turn, but this did not prevent riders setting off for The Pig Shed Cafe, Dewflock Farm, near Dorchester. The Cafe is the weekly Wednesday meeting place of the SDVMCC from 10am for a chat over coffee and nibbles.
We dragged ourselves away from The Pig Shed to ride 40 or so minutes for lunch at The Cake House Cafe, Creech. This was not our daily tea and cake stop, but our lunch stop. The cake refers to the animal feed that was previously stored in the shed – sheep cake.
From Creech we rode west through Bovington to Athelhampton House where tea and cake was served in abundance in the Long Gallery. The Doomsday Book records a residence owned by the Bishop of Salisbury here. The current hall was built on the site in the 15th century.
Again, I am sure the bikes were slower after this stop.
78 miles
Thursday 14th May
The rain did not prevent us from riding out to Warden Hill via Hardy’s Monument – not Thomas Hardy the author, but Sir Thomas Hardy, who served with Vice Admiral Lord Nelson in the Napoleonic Wars. Yes, he of the “kiss me Hardy” fame.
Our lunch stop was Henstridge Airfield via Cerne Abbas, where it was just possible to discern the Cerne Abbot Giant – No Mow May did not assist him in displaying all of his appendages!
The final stop of the day was Toller Percorum where volunteers in the village hall plied us with tea and cakes. A slow return to Weymouth!
91 miles
Friday 15th May
The final run of the week was relatively short with a 40-minute ride to The Crafty Barn Cafe, Milton Abbas. This was followed by a run to Leigh for a sumptuous lunch provided by Rod and Carol Hann.
70 miles
I have come to the conclusion that VMCC members are powered by tea and cake judging by the consumption of said items!
Thank you everybody who assisted in organising the week of runs. We covered 483 Miles in total
Pictures of the week’s events can be viewed at https://southdorsetvmcc.uk/wp/posts/
Led by Kevin Burness, we departed from The Three Compasses at the usual time of 10:30am.
We headed off towards Cerne Abbas, enjoying a mixture of decent B roads and a few hidden country lanes along the way. After crossing Sutton Bingham Reservoir, we arrived at the beautiful village of East Coker, where we stopped at The Helyar Arms for tea, coffee and cake.
From there, we continued on to Haselbury Plucknett, taking advantage of some decent A roads before navigating through many picturesque villages and a few more country lanes en route to Burton Bradstock, where there was a petrol station for anyone needing fuel.
We then took the stunning coast road to our lunch stop at The Eggcup, Vurlands Farm, where there was a great lunch menu enjoyed by all.
Our journey continued through Abbotsbury before returning to Charminster, via mostly good roads and the excellent scenery that had been promised throughout the day.
Thankfully, the sunshine made an appearance and contributed to a very good turnout.
Thanks to Kevin for leading another enjoyable run, and to everyone who came along.
