The home of automatic scootering

Marton Mere

By the time we arrived things were in full flow, so after checking in at reception and paying for our £17 weekend ticket we made our way to our pre-booked chalet to park up. A check around our neighbours showed a good mix of machines including a couple of Fuocos/MP3, a Hexagon, and a whole ‘gaggle’ of GTS Vespas – obviously the force is strong! After slipping into something more comfortable we headed back towards the reception and into the main building.

If you have ever been to any Brit holiday camp you will know what to expect, but for those that don’t I’ll elaborate. After passing through the main doors you are met with a large foyer; this is jam-packed with a mixture of amusements to tempt the kids. Of course the adults are not forgotten and several bars and food stalls are connected to tempt them.

Acting like a ‘Pied Piper’ the lure of Indie and Soul tunes soon had us entrenched at the café (of course this had nothing to do with the well-stocked bar and menu)! Soon this was doing a roaring trade as it filled with people who’d travelled from all over the UK and Europe. Around 9pm we decided to change location for the larger function room. This was where the live entertainment, three bands (Sham 69, The Mods, and The Minx) performed over the weekend.

During the Saturday, the venue was transformed into a massive parts fair where you could buy anything scooter related from clothing, helmets, etc to parts and oil. Entertainment was provided throughout the day with more live music, scooter-related videos and of course live sport links – so you could either drown or celebrate your team’s performance.

Outside there was also a ridden custom show and it was nice to see a few autos ready to take the challenge. The now regular auto converted Lambrettas were joined by some excellent pieces of art and industry. I particularly liked a flame and skull emblazoned Fuoco from the Forces SC and a thinned-down Dragster with FXR Malossi front end definitely caught the eye and memory! For me the pick of the autos was a beautiful custom painted purple Gilera Runner 2T. The judges must have agreed as this picked up the trophy for best auto – well done to Jo from the Olympics SC on her creation.

With beautiful weather all weekend (apart from our weary bloodshot-eyed journey home) this was a great way to start the season. Next up is Scarborough for the Easter BH. Bring it on!

Less Stress GTS