Cassington bike night 2012.
For those that dont know this annual event has taken place in the Oxfordshire village of Cassington successfully for many years. Last year however the police and Oxfordshire council apparently conspired to get the event cancelled against the wishes of the village groups which benefit greatly from this event.
Despite the best efforts of the league against everything this year the event has been restarted with the locally based classic bike club handing over responsibility for organisation to the village parent teachers association.
Although there had been a number of expressions of interest earlier in the year only three bikes and four members left my house at 5pm in bright sunshine for Cassington. Despite the poor turn out we left in good spirits and took the slightly longer but more interesting route to Cassington through Buckingham and Bicester.
Once in Oxford despite my Garmin working perfectly I still managed to take the wrong turn resulting in a bit of back tracking up the A34 after I missed the turn off. Approaching Cassington the sat nav became superfluous as all that was required was to follow the scores of other bikes.
Driving into the village it was very clear that attendance was in no way diminished by the best efforts of the bureaucratic kill joys last year. Threading our way through the crowds we parked up on the local playing field. We paid a £1 each and a nice lady took charge of our helmets and jackets leaving us unencumbered for our walk around the sites.
The village was already packed with hundreds or possibly thousands of bikers and every variation on the motorcycle theme you might think of. The village green was largely reserved for British classic bikes which formed the core of the gathering whilst the streets and the school grounds and surrounding bike parks were full of shiny bikes, rat bikes, custom bikes, touring bikes etc etc.
Both pubs seemed to be doing a roaring trade but we opted for burgers and tea followed later by tea and buns from the WI.
Whilst there were trade stands, club stands, even a police stand, we mainly concentrated on the Green and the school grounds.
By 8.30 we decided it was time to leave to avoid going home in the pitch black. The return route was taken a lot quicker than the outward journey. For speed we used the dual carriageway out of Oxford then the M40 and the A43 past Silverstone towards Northampton.
It had been a great evening, the atmosphere was very friendly, bikers rode carefully among the crowds, people didn't block driveways with careless parking, and the locals that weren't walking around waved from their front gardens, where many appeared to be partying and soaking up the atmosphere.
We even spoke to some police and they said they loved it, just like everyone else. To sum up a great evening out.
See website Gallery Two for photographs.
Despite the best efforts of the league against everything this year the event has been restarted with the locally based classic bike club handing over responsibility for organisation to the village parent teachers association.
Although there had been a number of expressions of interest earlier in the year only three bikes and four members left my house at 5pm in bright sunshine for Cassington. Despite the poor turn out we left in good spirits and took the slightly longer but more interesting route to Cassington through Buckingham and Bicester.
Once in Oxford despite my Garmin working perfectly I still managed to take the wrong turn resulting in a bit of back tracking up the A34 after I missed the turn off. Approaching Cassington the sat nav became superfluous as all that was required was to follow the scores of other bikes.
Driving into the village it was very clear that attendance was in no way diminished by the best efforts of the bureaucratic kill joys last year. Threading our way through the crowds we parked up on the local playing field. We paid a £1 each and a nice lady took charge of our helmets and jackets leaving us unencumbered for our walk around the sites.
The village was already packed with hundreds or possibly thousands of bikers and every variation on the motorcycle theme you might think of. The village green was largely reserved for British classic bikes which formed the core of the gathering whilst the streets and the school grounds and surrounding bike parks were full of shiny bikes, rat bikes, custom bikes, touring bikes etc etc.
Both pubs seemed to be doing a roaring trade but we opted for burgers and tea followed later by tea and buns from the WI.
Whilst there were trade stands, club stands, even a police stand, we mainly concentrated on the Green and the school grounds.
By 8.30 we decided it was time to leave to avoid going home in the pitch black. The return route was taken a lot quicker than the outward journey. For speed we used the dual carriageway out of Oxford then the M40 and the A43 past Silverstone towards Northampton.
It had been a great evening, the atmosphere was very friendly, bikers rode carefully among the crowds, people didn't block driveways with careless parking, and the locals that weren't walking around waved from their front gardens, where many appeared to be partying and soaking up the atmosphere.
We even spoke to some police and they said they loved it, just like everyone else. To sum up a great evening out.
See website Gallery Two for photographs.
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