Dave day this Saturday 8th June

[Zimbo]

Anybody doing any part of it?
If you haven’t come across it, a fairly large ride led by Si King from London to Barrow in Furness, raising money for Dave’s chosen charities.
Thought I might do the Oxford to Birmingham bit,

Overview of ride:-
Depart Ace Cafe London 0800hrs travel to M40 Oxford services, depart 0930hrs, Travel to National Motorcycle Museum M42 depart 1115hrs, Travel to Knutsford services M6 depart 1300hrs, Travel to Moto Services Burton In Kendal depart 1500hrs,(This is the main form up area for anyone traveling from Scotland and all points North or East of main route. All bikes will then depart En Masse to Barrow in Furness and arrive in Town Centre at approximately 1600hrs.
The ride is to honour and remember Dave, Si King will be leading and we will be raising funds which will be evenly split between NSPCC Childline and The National Institute of Cancer Research.
Go Fund Me page https://gofund.me/90acdc2c
Official Dave Day Shop https://davedayshop.com
£3 from the sale of each item will also be donated to the charities

[Sunny]

Sounds very motorway-y Was it?

[Zimbo]

It was, but that wasn’t the point of it. Was an a incredible day, due to the power of social media, police estimate is that 45,000 bikes attended in the end, but the most astonishing thing (to me) was the number of non bikers that showed their support by lining virtually every overpass over the M40 and M6 motorways, from London to Barrow in Furness, with banners and flags, just to witness the convoy and wave. I only did a couple of hours of the ride, Oxford to just north of Birmingham, and had an achey arm just from waving back! It was featured on the BBC breakfast and national evening news. Bike convoy was over 20 miles long on the motorway. Really glad I went, it was a fantastic day, kind of wish I’d carried on to Barrow as apparently it was incredible up there!

[Zimbo]

[Zimbo]

Apparently over 200,000 non bikers turned out to line the route on over bridges and on the roadsides into Barrow, some of you may have perhaps been driving on the M40 or M6 yesterday and notice crowds of people on Bridges over the motorway. What was particularly nice was to see all these bikers and all these people turn out with nothing but a positive attitude, no bleating, no miserable gits, no one being an arse, just thousands and thousands of happy people enjoying themselves in a good cause and being nice to each other.

[Zimbo]

I believe around 2000 bikes left the Ace Cafe, I would estimate another 4,000 Plus joined at Oxford and at least the same amount again at the national motorcycle museum at Birmingham (there was barely an inch of tarmac left to park a bike on!) and then huge numbers from the North joined at knutsford services and into barrow in furnace to make up the astonishing numbers.

[Zimbo]

I find motorway riding on my own fairly tedious, motorway riding in a large group can be quite fun as you belt along making space for each other and navigating around all the cars together, yesterday I found that riding on a motorway in a large group with thousands upon thousands of people gathered to wave at you all the way is really quite good! Even an M40 highway patrol vehicle parked in his hidden ramp with the hi-viz'd official standing next to his car and clapping us all through, white vans with their driver's window open and an arm extended with a thumb up for what must have been half an hour at a time as we all passed, lots and lots of things made at a special day.

[Zimbo]

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/ph9eoTzWvnEThmrX/

[Zimbo]

Another thing that's really impressed me, obviously all accommodation around Barrow was booked up in no time at all, and with the population of the town literally doubling Saturday night there were thousands of bikers without accommodation. The people of Barrow all rose to the challenge, anybody with a spare room or patch of garden for a tent went on Facebook and offered it, generally with free breakfast and lifts into town as needed, bikers who had made the trip north expecting to be heading for home earlier or just too tired were still able to find a bed for the night even early evening on Saturday. None wanted payment, perhaps just a donation to the charity, I'm sure a lot of people made new friends. Just fantastic.

[Cousin Jack]

...........no one being an arse, just thousands and thousands of happy people enjoying themselves in a good cause and being nice to each other.

Nice idea, but it will never catch on.

[Dodgy69]

Saw this on the motorway. Scoot and sidecar on a trailer.