Tributes paid to Harley couple at Aviemore rally
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17 / 17THE 15th Thunder in the Glens rally will take some topping next year, the chief organiser of the Harley-Davidson gathering has admitted.
About 4,200 bikers attended the four-day event – the highest number yet – with 3,500 bikes taking part and many of those joining the ride-out from Aviemore just after noon on Saturday which took around 25 minutes to clear the village.
George ‘Maddog’ McGuire said there were so many bikes the circular road round the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort could not accommodate them all as normal, so the line backed up onto the main road through the village.
He added: "It was an absolutely fantastic weekend that topped anything we have done before. Aviemore was absolutely packed, with all accommodation taken in the village and in Grantown and Kingussie.
"Once again the local people welcomed us with open arms. We had no problems at the event whatsoever, and we all had a great stop-over in Grantown.
"We are already planning for next year’s event, although it will be difficult to top!"
Raymond Borkowski had travelled all the way north with his wife, Marian, from their home in Honiton, in Devon, for the rally.
He said: "It has been absolutely brilliant. We cannot find anything to criticise. The ride-out was fantastic – in fact, it is one of the best I have ever been on in terms of the views and the organisation."
Mr Borkowski, who is a ride captain with the Harleys’ Plymouth chapter, said: "The amount of spectators who turned out for the ride-out in Aviemore was incredible, and the people of Grantown really laid out the welcome mat."
His wife said: "It has been a great weekend. I have never been up here before and it has been wonderful. The people are so friendly."
Fellow Harley enthusiasts Nick Godsmark and his wife, Fiona, had ridden from Ilkeston, in Derbyshire, to be in Aviemore.
"We have bumped into so many people from our Harley Sherwood chapter who we do not normally see," he said.
He added: "The weather was kind to us for the ride-out; it was the same as last year. It was nice for the main day and then rained on us on the Sunday."
Several hundred bikers turned out to remember Lancashire couple Peter Corris (54) and his wife, Jacqueline (53), who were killed when they were involved in a head-on collision with a car as they rode home on the Monday after last year’s rally.
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A silver birch was planted by the Aviemore Inn Hotel at the resort, and local minister the Rev Ron Whyte led a short service in their memory.
No members of the couple’s family were present, but they were aware that the ceremony was taking place on Saturday morning.
Mr McGuire said: "A good few hundred people attended, including friends of the couple from the Harley-Davidson fraternity.
"Peter and Jacqueline’s family were aware that we were staging this, and we will be writing to them to let them know that the silver birch is there should they wish to visit any time in the future."
He added on Monday evening: "My fingers are crossed that all those attending Thunder in the Glens this year have or will make it home safely and without any problems."
Roland Bayon (61), a local government roads engineer from De Lesseps, Bourg de Peage in Southern France, was fined £3,000 earlier this year for causing the deaths of the couple on August 29 last year, on the A9 at Balsporran, by Drumochter.
This year’s Thunder in the Glens welcomed 19 music acts, including Clanadonia, Celtic rockers Slanj, and Steve Steinman’s musical stage show, Vampires Rock.
The event, organised by the Dunedin Chapter, has taken place for the past 14 years, and over the last five years the number of bikers has increased from 700 to the approximately 4,200 who attended this year.
The Cairngorms Business Partnership (CBP) estimates that the Harley rally injects about £1 million into the local economy.
Simon Jackson, chief executive of the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort, where many of the bikers and entertainment was based, said the weekend was "an amazing success".
He commented: "The number of guests staying at the resort and local visitors over the three days exceeded all expectations despite the adverse weather on Sunday."
A police spokesman said that there were 11 incidents in which alcohol was taken from under-age drinkers in Aviemore at the weekend.
