Bishops Castle V - Review - (NOW WITH Piccies!!!!!!!!)

BC5 – Normal service is resumed!

Just over a year on from the legend that was BC4 and once again the Thundercat clan gathered in deepest, darkest Shropshire. Coming from all points North, South, East and West...Hampshire, Scotland, Derbyshire, Cheshire and even that there London. For my part I was a little nervous as Mrs Radar and I gently made our way to Bishop Castle through a lush Shropshire backdrop. My thoughts wondered back to BC4, an ‘eventful’ run where no less than 5 bikes tasted tarmac in one way or another and one rider getting a free ride
in a big red helicopter...I was hoping for a rather less eventful weekend this time...
The weather was glorious and we seemed to be the first to arrive as we rolled into the car park of The Boars Head. I enjoyed a long, cool beer and sat outside the pub. It was fun to hear the bikes rolling in across the town and heading towards their various digs and campsites, reminiscent of getting to a big football match early and watching the stadium fill and the atmosphere and sense of anticipation build.

The Boars Head (aka ‘The Pink Palace’) was the venue for the first night and it wasn’t long before all the usual suspects were crammed into the bar. The place was soon buzzing and the anticipation of a great days riding tomorrow was almost palpable. As usual it was great to catch up with some of the regulars, Chris (Greencat), Nick, Ellie, Steve(cat) , Big Nige, Dave (aka ‘Dirtboxdave’...don’t ask) and some of the new guys on the first BC such as Owen and Alex.

The meal was superb and everybody looked really jealous as I tucked into a particularly light salad...I think I went over the top on the cucumber chunks though! The evening whirled by and soon we headed back to digs to get some shut eye ahead of the big day.
Bright, warming sunshine greeted us as gathered outside the pub. As in now tradition Bishop Castle cam e to a standstill and in the end no less than 28 bikes, 9 of them Thundercats, lined up ready for the off. The locals were certainly impressed one little young lad, still clinching his Dad’s hand as we rolled past just went ‘WOOOWWWW...!!!’ Later a little girl in a village further along was counting the bikes as we went by!
Nick was leading on his BWT (Big White Triumph) and I was especially pleased to see Mark W on his TT600. The last time I saw him as a BC4 being ferried away on a Eurocopter EC135!

The first 40 miles stint saw the group getting the feel for the day, the roads were good and traffic reasonably light, if not quite as sparse as we had enjoyed on the recent recce. Keeping that many bikes together is a challenge, especially with newly qualified riders and people on their first big group run in the pack. We have to allow for all paces and abilities and we had decided to go for two junction markers and two ‘tail end Charlies’ rather than one as in previous years. This proved to a good decision as the group kept together well. Nevertheless we arrived a Lake Vyrnwy a little spaced out but it gave Dave W and me the time to take in the spectacular view over the dam as the group gradually went by. I even managed a ‘high 5’ with YZF John as he went by on his 636. I was a bit enthusiastic and nearly fetched him off this bike...opps!
It might be a man made structure, but the dam is certainly beautiful and provided a brilliant canvas for the first rest halt. The Old Barn Cafe we had recced a couple weeks before was ready with plenty of tables outside labelled ‘Reserved for bikers’ and warm welcome as we made our orders and the blokes had to endure a queue for the bog just for change.
The atmosphere was chilled and relaxed as the weather continued to be kind to us. This is a great little cafe and a small shop selling arts, crafts and plants is also on site. Well worth a visit if you get the chance.

The bikes were parked in tight huddle just down from the cafe with Nicks BWT in the centre.  On returning to his gleaming machine Nick discovered that it had acquired a rather unwelcome, albeit colour-coded, accessory...a HUGE dollop of bird poop smack in the middle of his seat – that pigeon must of been a bit of an ace – a proper dam buster!
The roads on the next section were initially quite tight and in places somewhat gravel strewn, but the group picked it’s way through without incident. The roads then opened out nicely and the pace began to lift. I was tucked in behind Nick and Ellie at the front of the line by now having been generously waved through by MrFrance. Mrs Radar was doing her usual excellent job on the pillion and I was properly enjoying myself as the Thundercat bounced its way across Wales rather like Tigger in Winnie the Pooh when he gets a bit excited! Must say that Ellie is certainly enjoying her shiny new Z1000 and her pace gets quicker year on year.
Lunch was taken at the Lakeside cafe at Blaenau Ffestiniog, again overlooking a dam, this time the one that feeds the pumping station for power generation. Another super setting, although one of the waitress staff was a bit stressed with my order and it resulted in ‘Baguette-Gate’ – turning a ham and tuna baguette order into a bit of a crisis. Stevecat and I had to do a bit of swapping about and Rich wound up with a free butty...all good in the end! So another cracking and welcoming venue: Great spot to take in the Lake and surrounding hillside.

The cafe had a large car park so it was time for the traditional Thundercat only shot...9 bikes this year, plus we allowed the Thunderace to sneak in on the end of the line...he is family after all. Must mention how impressed I was with Cheshirecat and Thunderstu’s bikes...both have fitted Chinese fairing kits and I was pleasantly surprised at their quality and how they gave a lift to the bike. Alleycats white conversion has worked brilliantly too as did Owen Dyers very tidy red example, MrsRadar declaring this to be her favourite!

I backed up Stevecat as Tail End Charlie for the next leg and we almost immediately pulled into the petrol station at Betws-y-Coed to allow the gasping Ducati pair to refuel. Well we have raided this station before and caused havoc, but this was on a whole new level as no less than 28 bikes rolled in all but simultaneously. There were already 5 or six bikes there from another run, a bike being recovered into a trailer and some cars. This is not a big petrol station and the place went into a bit of a meltdown! It was hilarious...

Stevecat deserves a pat on the back for his patient work at the back of the field and it was good to join him for a while, roll off and take in the view. Owen was our most regular customer; he has not long passed his test and is taking a sensible approach to building up his pace on his tidy VFR750. It was good to watch his confidence grow. Littlecat had made her way more up the pack on her R6 when he had his ‘road to Damascus’ moment...something inside his head suddenly clicked...he overtook a silver VW Golf and then buggered off ! I got boxed in behind traffic on a tight winding section and it was sometime before he came back into view. He continued on like this all the way to the next rest halt. Top man!  

But this section will also remain in my memory for the image of poor old Dave W chasing his escaping crash helmet as it rolled away down a gentle slope towards the path of a charging 4x4. He had been patiently marking a junction, resting with his lid off...He saw me and Steve arriving , went for his helmet, and it promptly fell off the seat off his bike (ouch£££), then rolled and rolled with Dave in hot pursuit like Gabby Agbonlahor* latching onto a through ball! Brilliant last minute ‘ball’ control saw his helmet (and blushes...) saved!  This made at least one bit of my speech later so much easier!

Overall I thought the riding from everybody was top notch this year, it was good to see how relatively new riders like MrNutt and Littlecat have improved over the last year. The new lads like Prime, Alleycat, Thunderstu and Owen all did well. The real inspiration for me was Terry lees and his team of ‘Silver Dream Racers’, great to see that retirement isn’t all Austin Maestros and crown green bowling. BobH on his impressive FZ8 was enjoying himself too. Team Ducati managed to nurse their steeds around the course on their teacup of fuel each. We had toyed with the idea of Terry having a spare can of juice in his panniers for them or even running a hose from Steve’s Thundercat to the Dukes while on the go for a touch of RAF style in flight re-fuelling!  Steve incidentally managed to do the whole weekend on 16 litres, including his ride up from that there London

We took our final halt at the charming Meirion Mill where the equally charming staff greeted us warmly and even dashed outside to see all our bikes parked up! The final leg of the riding saw Stevecat let off the lead and Big Nige on his impressively clean 97 CBR600F (a bit like having Rangers fan at Celtic match...) taking up tail end Charlie duties. The whole days riding has been perfect, the scenery just stunning from the dams and lakes, through mountain vistas, hillside swathed in bluebells to steam railways and charming little towns and villages. I  was riding in just behind Rich and Claire on their XC800 by now and enjoyed myself immensely as we made a decent pace across some cracking roads. I noticed Owen on is VFR was tucked in behind too and his pace was coming on a treat. The day was going well and the marking system without a hitch and then Littlecat marked the final turn back into Bishops Castle...but poor old LC was still fumbling with her lid as 5 or 6 bikes swept past heading off for a little impromptu tour of Shropshire. On day like this though, who cares!!  So we all got back to BC in one piece after a quite superb day on the road.

Now for the final evening social in the traditional venue of The Three Tuns, some great food (the light salad is to die for...), and some proper beer brewed on site. It was a record turnout this year and the meal was superb as ever. I was most impressed by Mr.France who even donned a jacket for the occasion. Very stylish for a chap who was camping! Mark W’s wife joined us too, as Did Nick’s Mom and one of his sons. We found time to remember Catlass; fondly raising a glass to a lady I was not lucky enough to know in person, but one who is missed by many. Terry (Oldcat), ‘The Great-Leader’ couldn’t make it his year either too, but we wished him well too and hope to see him on BC6.

A few awards were handed out too

Indicator left on award: Me, Radar – caught on film too, I think I have won this twice now!

The distance Award – All those who did the extra tour of Shropshire at the end!

The Marker of the Day Award – Littlecat (see the distance award lads; they owe you a pint!)

But the highest forum accolade, the much coveted:

NUMPTY OF THE DAY AWARD

Well there could only be one winner – Dave W and the ‘helmet football’ incident aced it and he was duly awarded the traditional T shirt!

But that was not the end of the day’s proceedings...the lads at The Boars Head had been good enough to record (I won’t say tape...that will show my age...) the senior TT form the IoM so a group of us headed back there and watched the big race through an increasingly drunken haze, while eating pickled eggs from inside bags of crisps!
The final part of the day was played out at 2am in the pub car park and involved a golfer, two dwarfs, a bouncy castle and a clown...but I am saying nothing! At least there isn’t any CCTV footage...oh hang on...

So that it for BC5 and a big thank you to Nick and Ellie for a superbly organised event.

BC5...NORMAL SERVICE RESUMED>>>ROLL ON BC6!!!

The Pictures:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
People start rolling in, Nick with his BWT
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Geencat and Cheshirecat
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Weasley, Nick and MrNutt enjoy a pint in the sun
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Team 'Gravel Rash'
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
A Scottish man smiling with a pint in hand...shock, horror!
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
You have got to make the most of the sun while you can! 

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Din,dins won't be long children...
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
If I put in 98 will it keep with the Panigale??
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
In the words of Max Bygraves..'You need hands...'

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
The annual Group shot!
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
The stunning Lake V
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Marking

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
The pack parked up...note that Nick's BWT is smack in the middle...

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Warm welcome from the Old Barn Cafe

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Just chillin...
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Can I hear a Lancaster?
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
BWT gains an extra! What a shot!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Just rolling on through 

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
One little, two little, three little Thundercats...the yearly group shot 

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Hey - that's a Thunderace on the end... 

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
The final rest halt of the day 

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Back at BC...well most us... 

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Fun at games in The Three Tunns 
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
How very Bishops Castle... 
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Just quietly rounding off the evening back at The Boars Head
 
The bikes and riders , I have missed a few names...sorry

	Bike			Rider	Forum Tag
1	Yamaha	YZF600 R	Thundercat	Me/Mandy	Radar
2	Yamaha	YZF600 R	Thundercat	Dave Nutt	Mr Nutt
3	Yamaha	YZF600 R	Thundercat	Paul	Weasley
4	Yamaha	YZF600 R	Thundercat	Steve	Stevecat
5	Yamaha	YZF600 R	Thundercat	Alex	Alleycat
6	Yamaha	YZF600 R	Thundercat	Owen	OwenDyer
7	Yamaha	YZF600 R	Thundercat	Stu	Thunderstu600
8	Yamaha	YZF600 R	Thundercat	Kevin	Cheshirecat
9	Yamaha	YZF600 R	Thundercat		Prime
10	Yamaha	YZF1000R	Thunderace	Paul	MrFrance
11	Yamaha	FJR1300		Terry	Terry Lees
12	Yamaha	FJR1300
13	Yamaha	FZ8	Fazer	Bob	BobH
14	Yamaha	R6		Cath	Littlecat
15	Triumph	1050	Speed Triple	Nick	Robertcairns
16	Triumph	XC800		Rich/Claire
17	Triumph	XC800
18	Triumph	TT600		Dave	TT Dave
19	Triumph	TT600		Mark
20	Kawasaki	Z1000		Ellie	Ellie
21	Kawasaki	ZX6R	636	John	YZF John
22	Suzuki	RF900
23	Ducati	1199	Panigale	Dave	Dirtbikedave
24	Ducati	848		Chris	Greencat
25	Honda	CBR1000RR	Fireblade	Steve	Snowcat
26	Honda	VFR750		Owen
27	Honda	VFR750
28	Honda	CBR600		Nige	Big Nige

 

*Insert star striker according to your football allegiance (if any)

Good write up Tony!

cracking write up there tony, I look forward to the pictures :whoop:

clowngate will go down in BC history...

Fantastic as usual Tony, may I also add a huge thank you for you doing the traditional evening speech with such enthusiasm & assisting with the recce which was fun 

BC is never officially closed until your write up Tony... cracking and reminiscent as ever, I have been waiting for this  

Looking forward to the piccies 

Great write up! Really reminds me of the Welshpool meetups.
And glad it was incident free this year!

Maybe I'll make it over for one of the BCs in the coming years.

Well done Tony, I love your reviews.


What a cracking weekend, thanks to all that attended and made it the memorable event it was.

i alway look  forward  to  tony,s  write up,s  of  the  ride  out,s  makes  you  feel like  you  was  there & with  the  grace of  god i hope  to  be next  year
again  fab  job  tony  many  thanks
pete

Tony great write up as ever and as Monsieur France said the ride is not complete until its in print. Also glad that you've named
A few places as some of it became a blur when you travel road after road through village after village. (And especially after attempting to keep pace with DBD for the fuel stop after lunch).

Today is one of reminiscing while I go about the task of cleaning the welsh insects off my bike, looking back on a truly magnificent weekend of bikes, booze & fun whilst looking forward to our next get together.

i see , a thunderace was allowed in the thundercat shot, 'as it is family', well i am upset as when on the Fazer at BC my poor old bike was not allowed , oh how my sensitive nature is rocked,, but my calmness will rule .

pmsl,, great write up, just so sad i couldnt have been there , always next year eh !!!

Great write-up Tony.



I wish I could have used 16l from home and the ride-out, alas it that for the 210 miles I clocked on the day - Still not too shabby though

fabulous review as ever tony, made me smile , remembering a fabulous weekend in great company.
I graciously accept the crap marker award...tbh it hadn't occurred to me that I might be remotely far enough up the pack to be behind nick, so at first thought ' wheres the markers' and thought I was just following some random biker back into BC
it wasn't until he stopped just inside the turn that it twigged, and I ran back down to the road to attempt to flag you all down lol

Great write up as usual, thanks for that Tony. 
Glad you got a chance to stretch the 'blades legs Steve. ;-)

great write up of a brilliant weekend. the poor clown begs to differ though I bet.

It was a brilliant weekend, can't wait for BC6

Great right up tony... brings back the memories of the day and always a place to refer too when you need a cheering up...thank you to everyone who organised it and made it the day that it was... one for history... shame I missed the later evening antics as I guess the clown incident was a 'had to be there' to fully appreciate it....

vikki 'the other half' says thank you for a lovely evening and she was made to feel welcome by everyone.

I myself am still overwhelmed to get a round of applause from returning from the toilets...(bad timing of what). but thank you....

here's looking forward to BC6 as I have this booked on the calendar already... give me the date and i'll be there.....

take care all of you and keep it safe till next year.

TT_mark wrote: . . . take care all of you and keep it safe till next year.

Or if you can't wait until next year . . . There's The Big Mac, Taste of Lincolnshire (ToL), and Surf 'n' Turf still to go this year yet

Great pics Tony!

Radar wrote:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Team 'Gravel Rash'

Christ ... we are hardly poster boys for todays youth ... there's me and Paul part of the squid squad and Dave ... well ... hes lucky if a helmet ends up on his head

I felt 'over dressed' going shopping with you!! Boy Bands tut tut