Editor’s Edict

THE editor’S edict...

As age and infirmity creep up on me, (well, it seems to have fallen on me from a vast height, but I’ve just denied the inevitable) I have found the prospect of camping to be a painful thought.

I’ve always put off doing anything other than riding my bike to an event, setting up a tent, and enjoying myself.

But the struggle of putting my erection up in a field and then taking it down again on a Sunday is real. It’s not the actual camping, or the riding, that I struggle with. It’s that damn tent. My legs and back are just not up to all the bending over and the crawling around hammering in tent pegs. Long gone are the days of sleeping next to the bike with just a tarpaulin for cover. (Thinking about it, that’s probably one of the reasons I’m so knackered now). myself, and I’ve been looking around for possible alternatives.

The problem is, I love riding my bike.

With the adaptions that have been made to my baby, (courtesy of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability of course) I am still able to ride, but for how long no-one can say. So, I am reticent to stop riding to events as that is part of the whole weekend for me.

There are some options, such as renting a tent that’s put up for me at a rally (such as Carry Nowt Camping) whose services I have used and solves

I could fashion some sort of trailer tent type thing that I could tow behind the bike (a coffin perhaps?) But when you are 6’ 2” tall and probably the same dimension around the waist, it’s really not going to work.

Ideally what I need is someone to drive a motorhome to the event and set it up, so I can just ride the bike and enjoy myself. Then they can take it all down and drive it home whilst I ride my bike. But unless I suddenly become very rich (or married – and that’s far too desperate!) that just isn’t going to happen.

Another option is to try to find accommodation near to the event, so I get to sleep in a proper bed (probably with breakfast). However, when you attend a lot of events over the year, this can seriously bump up the cost of a weekend away. The obvious thing is to get a van or motorhome. You drive to the event, park up, and everything is more or less set up. But that means no riding the bike.

So, I’ve decided I shall have to make a compromise.

I’ve bought a van (don’t judge me!)

Anyone who has gone this route will attest to the problems of being allowed into a rally with one. I’ve never really understood this policy (except in the instance of lack of space – but even then, a standard van takes up a similar space to a bike and tent). This doesn’t really affect me, as I am disabled and just play the ‘blue badge’ card. But for those who do not qualify for this and just struggle through age and lack of health it must be really difficult. In my eyes ‘a biker’ doesn’t suddenly stop being a biker because they can’t camp. But that is an argument for another day.

My plan is to ride the bike to an event when it’s possible to hire a tent out that is set up for me, and to use the van when that isn’t possible.

There have been a few things I didn’t consider though. The main one being that as soon as you buy a van you instantly turn into some sort of monster. You start thinking of all the things you NEED to put into it. Purely for comfort or luxury. Things such as a fridge (for beer) a proper bed, seating, tables, extra lighting, a leisure battery and then solar panels to charge it all up. The list just goes on and on.

Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t go down the usual route. So, rather than buy a standard van, I’ve bought a Dodge Day Van, with a 5.2 litre V8 engine. And I bought it just before the petrol prices sky rocketed!

Therefore, my well laid plans have changed already. I can’t afford to drive the van to any events, so I shall be camping in my well-equipped van outside my house, whilst looking at my bike.

Anyone want to set a tent up for me? Vic