Part One by Jackie Lineham

Ian organised a trip to the Bikerloft in Belgium and about 14 of us set off on Friday to meet the rest of the party at Dover. The difference about this weekend was that it was mostly couples going and no tents which made a nice change. To keep the cost down we took my bike and I rode pillion, something I started to regret when Gary started to scrape my boot as he went around the roundabouts.
The weekend was one of the best we have had; there was so much to do and so much happened, I am sure there will be loads that I have missed out so my apologies if I have. The ride down to Dover was uneventful apart from two inches being shaved off my boots! We met up with the rest of the party, filled up with fuel and proceeded to the docks. However it turned out that we had gone to the wrong docks so we were lucky to catch our ferry as it was nearly underway and was also the last one that day. Counting our good fortune we all went upstairs for the journey which only took approximately 50 minutes. We disembarked OK and made our way to the hotel following the motorway up to Ostend.
We arrived at the hotel all together and ready for a drink. The hotel is designed for bikers, the front has a nice bar with plenty to read on the walls and the rear has a large area where bikes could be parked (outside) with the rooms on two levels around this area. Having bikes inside seemed to please everyone and I must admit it was reassuring. There were also dormitories there for people who did not mind sharing. Rooms were cleverly designed and used simple ideas very effectively. After sorting out the rooms it was down to something to eat and drink. It was a good night but as I needed my beauty sleep I think we were the first to retire.
In the morning we all started to gather together and talk about plans for the day. Some wanted to go to a town in Holland and some wanted to go to Brugge. Ian had some bad news for us however - unfortunately there had been a mix-up with the bookings and we were only booked for one night although there was a possibility of sharing some available rooms. Gary and I decided that we would like to go to Brugge and find accommodation there. It was agreed that we would go with Tom & Sue, Bob & Rose, Mags & Colin and Chris & Kay, so off we went. We found a hotel near the centre which was basic but OK for one night. We all then set off to discover the city! There was so much to do and see: we went on a boat trip, visited museums and ate lots of chocolate. In the evening we all met up in the centre for a meal, although unfortunately we lost Mags and Colin. We tried to contact Ian and Julie but could not get through so we decided to eat in the centre hoping that we would be able to see them if they came.
Gary spotted lobsters in a tank and with mouth watering he headed for the table. Sue, Rose and myself thought the lobsters looked sad and said "how can you eat one of them?" at which Gary went off the idea and the lobsters lived for at least another day. We had a horny waiter who had lovely eyes, so I was content. After the meal a few beers to finish the evening off. We all agreed it had been a good idea to come to Brugge. Sunday we took a horse and carriage ride around the old part of the city and although it was raining it was great and romantic - a welcome break without the kids, just what we needed. It was now time to set off on the return home. We rode back to Calais giving ourselves plenty of time and met up with Ian and Julie to exchange stories. We had all had a great time doing what we wanted to so thanks to Ian and Julie for organising a great weekend; even if it did not go entirely as planned we all still had a great time and it shows you that you do not always have to stick to a plan - you can improvise.
This weekend was different from the usual rallies that we go on. It was a nice change and I for one would definitely do it again, so come on all you men, grab your partners and get them on the back - this is the way to convert them to biking.

Part Two - The Other Side - by Ian & Julie

Two different reports about the same weekend, what a bonus I hear you say. After reading Jackie's brilliant write-up on the Motorcycle Loft Hotel weekend, I thought it only fair to submit a report on the other half of the party (the A team).
We had all agreed to meet at the Shell petrol station in Dover, just a stone's throw from the ferry. Well it would have been except that for some unknown reason we decided to ride up to the wrong port - well we did have a few minutes to spare. With all 12 bikes safely on board we headed to the bar for a swift half and laugh about how close we were to missing the last ferry of the day. Oh, how we laughed! Unfortunately the ferries stop running to Oostende at the end of September but the ride from Calais to the hotel was pretty good thanks to Dave (the Map Man) Warren we didn't even get lost.
The Hotel itself is an old fur factory in the middle of nowhere, but as you pull in to the car park you can see through the mainly glass fronted building into the bar, quite an impressive sight; with the lights and the bikes and the music it was far better than I had imagined. We were soon greeted by the owners Ivan & Karine and after a welcome beer and with the room keys distributed and our bikes safely parked in the magic circle we all settled down to a meal and more white beer.
As the evening drifted into morning the bar staff were hinting that they would like to get some sleep before breakfast. This was also when we found out that due to a booking problem some of our rooms had been double booked, fortunately some had already decided to visit Brugge on the Saturday whereas the Mottingham crew and ourselves had planned a return visit to Sluis, a small town just across the border into Holland, Eddy had taken us there 4 years ago, Keith may remember it after being chased out of a sex shop by a large Dutch lady demanding payment, for what we weren't sure, and Keith wouldn't say. It was a good ride into Holland, Dave & Steve took it in turns to lead the way stopping several times at the war graves. Its unbelievable, the headstones seem to go on for ever.
We arrived in Sluis just in time for lunch, Dave found one of the bars that we had been to before, I think it may had been that the mussels are served in a pot the size of a bucket. After lunch we had a walk around the town's sex shops, sweet shops, windmills and many, many bars. Back to the hotel, hands washed and hair combed, posh frocks on (that's the ladies that is, and how good did they all look). We met in the bar and Ivan organized a mini bus to take us all into Brugge for the evening. We had arranged to meet up with the others (the B team) but only found Colin & Mags. We started off in a bar cunningly named The Pub, a young lady sitting having a quiet drink with her book unfortunately mentioned it was her birthday, next thing the whole bar was singing happy birthday with Steve conducting, poor girl won't forget that one in a hurry.
By the time we had shaken hands with every customer on the way out we were in need of more nourishment, so with the lack of Kebab shops we set off in all directions to find a restaurant that could and would cater for the 12 of us. Luckily a superb eatery welcomed us in, the food was great and after a few more beers it was time to meet the cabs to take us all back. After that, many more beers and games of pool and table footie again until the early hours.
The morning came around far too quickly again, most were up with bikes packed before we had breakfast. A quick shower and we were all on the road again heading for the Menen gate near Ypresr, another small town with a huge gateway engraved with the names of soldiers who never returned after WW1. Only a few miles back to the ferry port and meet the others, we swapped weekend stories, everyone seemed to have had great time, it was a great opportunity and a pleasure to meet the partners who would rather not do the camping bit.
It has been suggested that we do it again next year, so thanks to everyone who came and made it a great weekend.
You can visit The Motorcycle Loft Hotel on their Web site www.grd.be