Last Straw Rally

20th May 1988 - MAG Wiltshire

The Last Straw in this case was the government's proposal to make leg-shields compulsory for all bikes. In hindsight we know they dropped the idea because it was decided that they caused worse injuries than they prevented, but enough people got hot under the collar about it at the time to make a national protest.

The organisation making most noise about it was, naturally, MAG, and the Wiltshire branch decided to hold a protest ride about it and, to get as many people as possible involved, hold a rally to allow everybody to group together. (In Somerset, but don't let that detail trouble you.)

Friday night went along pretty much as any other Friday night at a rally, with the most rebellious activity being a lone naked, (apart from his boots and baseball cap), rider through the marquee.

In the morning most of us drove to some industrial estate outside Swindon. When we got going there was a nice long convoy until we reached the town, when it just got messy. I seem to recall we ended up at Swindon's football stadium car park where a local photographer was snapping us, presumably for the local free sheet.

We were then left to our own devices to get back to the site. I seem to recall the legendary 'Magic Roundabout' got included in our route at some point.

Back at the site, we reverted to just having a rally. There was a trainee fire-eater in our midst, which was interesting. No prizes for guessing that Charlie Cobbe won the eating/drinking contests, although he complained that washing up liquid was one of the ingredients.

Just as any other rally, the evening proceeded with much drinking and music which may have included some bands.

- Phil (the Spill) Drackley