South West Peninsula Spring Rally; Spring 2026
Gallery
Wrong Tramway Station!
The last time I did the South West Peninsula Spring Rally (SWPSR) was before Covid in 2019 and, as it seemed like a good excuse to go for a ride, I entered the 17th SWPSR which took place on 11th April 2026.
I got up early around 0600 on Saturday morning, had my breakfast and left at 0645 to ride the 55 miles to the Long Sutton Village Hall start. I arrived there at around 0800 where I met up with my old mucker Steve. The Village Hall’s car park was packed with bikes. We waited a while for the queues to diminish before checking in. We set off on the rally around 0830.
The route I had planned was a clockwise route through Somerset, Dorset and Devon. It was a tad over 260 miles going through the required 3 manned controls and 15 unmanned controls that qualifies a rider for a gold award. I had used Google streetview to check out the quality of the roads and I was happy to add a few extra miles to my route if it avoided riding down poorly maintained roads. Back in March I did a ride around the South West and I was appalled with the poor condition of some of its roads. Some of the potholes were truly horrendous. (I had every intention of finishing before it got dark!) I even planned additional waypoints to ensure my Garmin didn’t take me down some of the more dodgy roads. I had also opted to take the fast road through the middle of Exmoor to get to Exford.from Lynton. It’s a favourite road of mine and it meant that I avoided the exposed A39 to Porlock.(I still use MS Autoroute from 2013 to plan my routes as the roads don’t change much and I haven’t found anything better.)
Getting to the first manned control at Dorchester, The Engine Room Cafe, was straightforward enough and happily it was open for rally business as I arrived 15 minutes before it was due to open. The ride along the Jurassic Coast to Okehampton was OK but it was a bit busy with traffic. I cocked-up with Seaton. I thought I would tell my Garmin to take me directly to the Seaton Tramway station which is what I typed into it. Unfortunately I didn’t check and it took me to the Seaton Tramway station at Colyton at the other end of the line. After the Otterton unmanned control it was a quick ride along the A30 to my second manned control, The Post Inn near Okehampton.
The next leg of my route from Okehampton to Ilfracombe took me through 4 unmanned controls. I had picked my route carefully using a couple of waypoints to force the Garmin into going the way I wanted and it turned out to be a very enjoyable ride. The only problem was that Royal Mail had removed the necessary information from the Gammaton Moor post box that enabled us to answer the question for the Gammaton Moor unmanned control. Confident that the organisers, Somerset Advanced Motorcyclists, would be understanding, I took a photo and pushed on. (My confidence wasn’t misplaced.)
My last manned control was the Depot Eatery near Ilfracombe. My last leg from there back to Long Sutton took me through 5 unmanned controls. I stopped for a break at the first one which was Woody Bay Station and had a cup of tea and doughnut. I watched the steam trains. After that it was a lovely ride through Exmoor on the B3223 to Exford followed by the B3224 to Treborough and on.
I finished at Long Sutton around 1830 which I was happy with. SAM is so well organised. I quickly checked in with SAM and collected my gold certificate after which they served me a much welcomed dinner. I waited around a bit for Steve to arrive but reluctantly decided to head for home around 1930 while there was still some light to be had. Now I had planned a nice relaxed ride down the A37 from Yeovil to Dorchester followed by the A35 and A31 to Wimborne but it was not to be. Silly season had begun and ‘the powers that be’ closed off the A37 at Yeovil. I was tired, it was raining hard and I was being redirected through Yeovil and 20 mph villages. I was not best pleased! I ended up riding on the type of roads I had planned to avoid in the dark. Eventually I came to just outside Crewkerne and took the A356 to Dorchester. A nice road but the diversion had cost me extra miles and time. I ended up getting home around 2115.
SAM should be applauded for running the SWPSR. It’s so well organised and since the demise of the Clive MCC Welsh National Rally, I think it’s the best motorcycle road rally you can do in the UK. In total, including the rides to and from Long Sutton, I did around 400 miles. We had 4 seasons in one day with strong winds, rain, sun and a couple of hail storms thrown in. The NT1100A is probably the most comfortable bike I’ve ridden and it’s thanks to it that I didn’t feel too beat up after the rally. Although at my age you’ve got to expect a few aches even when riding a NT1100A. An enjoyable rally and maybe I’ll do it again?
I got in touch with Steve the next day and I was happy to learn he also got a gold. Not too shabby for someone with a prosthetic leg riding a Yamaha Tricity.
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