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Isle of Wight Scooter Rally
If you fancy something a little bit different to your usual seaside attractions why not plan your holiday to coincide with the annual Isle of Wight Scooter Rally? The thought of thousands of colourful vintage scooters and their even more colourful owners may not be everybody´s cup of tea, but it really is a site to behold, especially the mass ride out which takes place on the Sunday of the August Bank Holiday weekend. Around 5000 scooters take part in the organised ride out, so be sure to have your cameras ready for the awesome spectacle, the scooters leave Ryde at 1pm.
The friendly scooterists have been coming to the Isle of Wight every August bank holiday for over ten years and the rally seems to get bigger each year. Over the weekend the Ryde Ice Stadium hosts most of the main evening entertainment, where bands and DJs play until 4am. There’s also a massive custom show at the Ice Stadium on Saturday, where the countries hottest scooters compete for a prestigious trophy. Top custom scooters can cost in excess of £15,000 to build, so the show is well worth a visit (admission is around £3, kids are free and it runs from 10am till 4pm). Ryde is the focal point for the scooter rally and most of the pubs are full to bursting point over the weekend.
Many of the scooter riders camp at Smallbrook Stadium and with around two thousand scooterists under canvas it’s a hive of activity, day and night. There is also a scooterist dealers market which runs from Friday till Monday at Smallbrook, a small admission charge is payable to enter and you’ll find everything from scooters to t-shirts and memorabilia for sale so it’s worth a browse around. Whatever the weather, come rain or shine you won’t be able to go anywhere on the island during the Isle of Wight Scooter Rally weekend without seeing, smelling or hearing a scooter. Be sure to book your accommodation as quickly as possible because availability, especially in the area around Ryde is very scarce during the weekend. If you’d like more information on the Isle of Wight Scooter Rally, log on to: www.vfmscoot.co.uk
