Wozwolf RC Rally 26th to 30th August

Wozwolf was another one of those rallies I’d had high on my list for a visit for some time. I had regularly bumped into members of the rally club at various events, and was thinking about taking the plunge when; a, I got the right days off for once, and b, the whole damn lot of my local’s reprobates “ The Denholme Frog Boilers” told me they were going. What choice had I got?
The Wozwolf Rally Club is one of those clubs that seem to be homeless, that is their members come from all over. If they have a spot they call home then it’s the site of their rally, the Newark Showground.
Now I will get this apology in before I get started, due to the problems we have had with the YB website this is the second time I have written this report, I keep no notes, and a lot of beer has run under the bridge since then, so if my days get mixed up into one, then you know why!
My trip down from God’s own county was a pleasant one. Nice bright dry weather down the A1 makes a nice change. The site was easy to find around a few roundabouts and down a little lane next to an aircraft museum. The site is quite large, but I had my directions from the boilers “ Go to the far side of the field, to the left of the toilets”. Found em first go. They had snuck themselves into a nice spot in a corner of the field and built a fence of plastic tape to keep out the riff raff. Still I went in.
These lot rally in style, or rather they try. They had erected two very nice gazebos and fastened them the fence, nice and cosy with a little table for the cards and beer. (More of this later) I put up my lonely tent amongst the group and went to explore the site. Well laid out I thought, plenty of stalls, with food vans a plenty. You could get all the main food types, curries, chips, burgers, pizzas and pies. Heavens!
As well as a large concert type hall a stage with two very long bars, there was another marquee with a smaller bar and stage. The site was one great campsite, flat and well drained. Toilets were well placed, and there was a shower block with hot water.
It has long been a puzzle in Denholme, at least to us off-cumdens, as to why Denholmer’s are called Frog boilers. The name seems to come from the mouths of those lesser souls from down the hill in Oxenhope and Leeming. Whether it dates back to the Napoleonic wars, or from a shortage of Haddock in the local chippy, I don’t know, but the gastronomic delights cooked up on one small stove and a barbeque was nothing but a joy. Garlic mussels was the cry and we all dashed forward to sample this profusion of both smell and taste, and dip tha bread in. A table had been laid with all manner of tasty morsels, salads meats and breads.
Hang on a mo! Is this a bike rally? After our splendid repast we all made our way to the bar to sample the ales, listen to the music, and chew the fat with acquaintances old and new. After my fill I retired for the night!
During the night it got a little bit windy, I heard the others return and settle down to a few beers and a hand or two of cards in their gazebo home. I can even remember hearing a crash and an odd word of astonishment and one could say perhaps profanity. I turned over and drifted back to sleep.
The morning was bright and warming. I arose from my tent to wander off in search of some crispy bacon and eggs and almost fell over the remains of one green and white stripy gazebo piled in a heap. O dear never mind.
The others slept on, so I took the bike took a trip down to Skeggy to see the sea. Upon my return, the others had regained their composure from the night before and had re-erected their dining table across two bins, the gazebo now performing the role of a tablecloth.
To be honest I found the weekend’s entertainment a bit of a contradiction they were ether very good or terrible. However, I think music is very much to ones taste, and each to his own, as others may have thought different.
Other forms of entertainment were extremely popular, despite the technical problems of not having a mic, or a suitable stage outfit, the Chinese artist was very good and I think pulled it off without anyone noticing. The crowd really got behind her and gave her lots of encouragement. So much so in fact, that I couldn’t get to the front to take any photo’s. Still I managed a few from the far back of the hall, with those with me getting such a good view from my camera screen, that they objected when I finished.
Bike rallies always have a show and this was no exception, though like many  others I get as much please just wandering around gawping at this old bike and that around the campsite. Lined up for the show though, was both a Boss Hogg, and a Triumph Rocket, and it was good to compare these bigger bikes.
I really enjoyed this rally and will be looking forward to returning back next year. My thanks as usual go to the unsung heroes, the organisers, especially the ones you never see in the background somewhere.
A special personal thank you goes to all the Frog Boilers, who were brill.
Willy