IN BRUGES - FLANDERS CHOPPER BASH PT.1 CHARLIE ROCKETS

6am Wednesday morning 31^st May 2017, the temperature is cold but not as cold as last time we ventured to the Flanders Chopper Bash, but we're rapped up warm all the same, the bikes are loaded and ready to roll.  We push the bikes to the end of the street before starting as to not annoy some of the disapproving neighbours, after a few min's warming up with set off from Brighton, taking a leisurely route along the south coast to Dover to meet up with the boys from Oxford and jump on the ferry to Calais.

We hook up with West, JP, Boon, Dave et al at the services just before Dover, fuel up and are given the traditional FCB sticker from West before heading to check into the ferry.  Whilst waiting we are given the usual questioning from a group of regular bikers, “those bikes don’t look too comfy”, “How much mileage you get outta tank” etc. etc.!  We use the time on the ferry to warm up, relax, catch up and grab some brunch before the second leg of the journey to Bruges.  We were located at the back of the lower deck, unlike the rest of the guys who were on top, it was clear upon exiting that we had lost them straight away, so headed out onto the main road to the hope of catching them up.  After an hour cursing down the French highway it was clear we were not catching them, or that they were somewhere behind us, sensing I was getting low on fuel I remembered a services we stopped at last time just over the Belgium border, so decided to stop to refuel and try and locate everyone else.  Luckily the others had the same plan and were already waiting for us, along with Mike Nobel and his group who were heading to the Bikers Lodge and then to Bruges the following night.

Back on the road it wasn’t too far to our final destination, and was pretty much a straight line apart from one turn off that Lucy almost missed, but managed to pull off the most impressive terminator maneuver, slamming on the brakes and drifting across two lanes to just make the turn!  We finally arrived at Charlie Rockets where a few choppers were already parked outside, which turned out to be some of the guys from Manchester and Leeds way.  Parked up and booked into our dorm it was time for a well deserved drink chilling out in front of the hostel and taking in already impressive selection of bikes.  After a bite to eat and a quick walk round the main square with its beautiful medieval architecture we arrived back at the hostel to find a few more fellow Brits had arrived, followed by more drinking into the early hours it was a memorable first day to our long weekend away.

After a surprisingly goods nights sleep (considering sharing a dorm with five other guys), it was a relatively early start to Thursday.  After some breakfast, we had a brief walk round Bruges taking in more of the sites and the fine selection of lace shops that Bruges has to offer!  Back at the hostel more bikes and people from the UK had arrived (don’t ask me exactly who turned up when as I’d be naming names all day!) and the line up outside Charlie Rockets was itself becoming a chopper show all of its own!  A few more drinks later we decided to head back into town for food, followed by a boat trip round the canals to see Bruges from a different perspective. 

Whilst the others took in more of the town I headed back to the hostel to catch up with the final arrivals, catching up with my good friend Tom who had traveled all the way from Cumbria for the weekends chopper activities.  The atmosphere at Charlie Rockets was fantastic, it was my first visit and can see the attraction, they were choppers lined up all the way from the front door down to the bottom of the street, it was a full on UK invasion and the locals didn’t quite know what to make!  As the evening progressed more drinks flowed and my memory started to fade, but highlights of the evening included Bear being dragged down the cobbled street hanging of the back of a car and full on dancing in the street, I seem to recall a band playing inside for a brief period as well!!