Pilgrims Rally

49th Pilgrims Rally, August 2026

On Friday, 31 July 2026, at 5:20 am, Walter Trappe (R1200GS) and I, Hans Mondorf (BMW K100RS), met outside my home in Troisdorf-Müllekoven and rode to the Shell gas station in Troisdorf-Sieglar, where Arno Kistenich (BMW K100RS) was waiting for us. From there, we headed straight onto the motorway towards Cologne. We took the usual route via Aachen, Liège, and Namur to the St Ghislain motorway service area near Mons, Belgium.

As in previous years, we met up there with our motorcycling friends from Trier, Heiko Werner (KTM 1190 Adventure) and Kurt Remmel (BMW R1200RT). Together, under overcast skies and in a pleasant 18°C, we rode to Calais to catch the ferry. There was hardly any traffic along the entire route from home to the port, so we arrived an hour and a half before our 12:20 pm departure. We joined the queue of vehicles in front of the P&O ticket booth.

When we started our engines again, the starter on Kurt Remmel’s motorcycle failed to work. It quickly became apparent that the battery had died. Fortunately, Kurt had a portable jump-starter in his luggage. We had to use it repeatedly while waiting in line—first at French customs and finally at British customs. By the time we had all cleared security and moved into the boarding lane, we saw the last few cars disappearing into the ferry's hold. After a brief radio consultation between a port worker and the ferry crew, we were allowed to board as the very last vehicles. The ferry’s gates were already closing just as we switched off our engines. We were lucky, as we had booked fixed ferry times rather than flexible ones.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky in England, and temperatures were rising. We encountered several traffic jams on the M25, and the same happened on the M4. We wove our way between the right and middle lanes, a maneuver that wasn’t always possible for everyone, given the width of the motorcycles with their luggage. This caused the group to split up: Walter Trappe rode with Kurt Remmel, and Heiko Werner rode with me. Arno, however, found the traffic and heat too much to handle; he exited the motorway and took country roads to Langley Burrell.

We arrived in Langley Burrell one by one except for Arno, who took an hour longer via the back roads. Then came the usual routine: pitching tents, freshening up a bit, and finally heading out to enjoy ourselves with the Mayflowers and friends.

On Saturday morning, after a leisurely breakfast with the Scouts, we planned to take a short ride via Cheddar Gorge, Glastonbury, and the Westbury White Horse. However, finding a new battery for Kurt’s BMW took priority. On Friday afternoon, Mayflower members had already made inquiries by phone at the control tent to see if the battery was available in Chippenham. Saturday morning, Kurt and Heiko were given an address for their GPS just six minutes away. Unfortunately, it wasn't the right battery size. That dealer, in turn, gave them another address in Chippenham. Although the shop was closed, the owner was supposed to be there, but he wasn't. Kurt and Heiko returned to the control tent empty-handed. Steve Benniman arranged for a suitable replacement battery in Cheltenham via his smartphone. This is where John Flitney comes in: without hesitation, he drove Kurt and Heiko to Cotswold BMW in Cheltenham in his car.

Walter, Arno, and I didn't want to go on our planned ride alone, so we just chilled out for the morning until the local pub opened, where we cooled off with Guinness and lager. In the afternoon, the three returned to the rally site. And, lo and behold, after installing the new battery, a single push of the button was all it took for the BMW to run like clockwork again. At this point, a huge thank you goes out to everyone who helped solve the problem, and especially to John Flitney.

Group photo on the camping field from left to right: Walter Trappe, Hans Mondorf, Arno Kistenich, Heiko Werner, Kurt Remmel, Axel Bodeit — Roll your mouse wheel to zoom in

Our fellow motorcyclist Axel Bodeit (BMW K100LT with a sidecar) also arrived at the rally on Saturday afternoon He had traveled that morning from Douglas (Isle of Man) via Liverpool. We even managed to buy some homemade cake and jam from the Women's Institute stall.

A lovely evening followed, first outdoors, and later with a live band in the hall. That evening, Kurt received the "Long Distance Overseas" award, as well as the "Tale of Woe" award for his battery mishap. John Flitney received a special prize for his helpin sourcing the battery.

On Sunday morning, after a delicious breakfast provided by the Scouts, came the unpleasant part of any motorcycle rally: striking camp and packing up. Axel headed back to Liverpool and then on to Peel (Isle of Man) to fulfill his duties as a marshal on the Mountain Course. The rest of the group rode straight to Dover via the motorway. Upon arriving there around 3:00 pm We rode directly to the marina. We went to Restaurant Cullins Yard to book a table for the evening, only to be told that the kitchen was only open until 4:30 pm that Sunday. Acting quickly, we grabbed an available table and ordered a meal. We got lucky once again not only was the food delicious, but there was live music too.

From there, it was a short drive to the Travelodge Hotel for our final night. We spent the evening having a few pints at a pub and the hotel bar. After a last hearty breakfast on Monday morning, we made the short drive to the ferry. Once again, the check-in process at the P&O counter and the British customs inspection took a long time.

On the journey home through France, Belgium, and Germany, we had to stop every 100 km or so due to the high temperatures. Driving on the motorway felt like driving in the blast of a hairdryer.

Despite all the challenges, it was another successful weekend that we will look back on fondly.

- Hans Mondorf