At the sound of three Goldwings arriving on the drive Julie put the kettle on and began to make up the bacon sarni’s. Barry had arrived at The Clubhouse Mkll. He brought with him from the Leeds direction, Gordon on his dirty golden 1500 and Tony on the candy 1800 from just across there in Wakefield, the weather looked OK here though Barry had come through rain. Carol, the Scottish lass of the brightly coloured jackets from GMTV weather promised sunshine and showers. We should be in for a great day.
Today’s target was going to be a former bomber airfield in Lincolnshire, in East Kirby to be exact at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre. In the 1940’s it was a satellite bomber airfield, one of dozens doted around these Lincolnshire flatlands during the war in fact. Fred and Harold Panton had built this place up as a museum and memorial to fallen RAF Bomber Command especially their brother Chris who was shot down and killed on a bomber raid over Nuremburg in 1944. The centre piece and pride and joy is a working Lancaster, she is NX611 “JUST JANE” she taxi’s around the field on special days and for a fee you can ride in her. It’s a fascinating place worthy of an afternoons visit. I had obtained permission to have some Appy Wanderers pose the bikes with “JUST JANE” this afternoon. To make it a good ride I gave Barry a route that would be interesting and in keeping with today’s theme.
We four wings left Walnut Cottage en-route to Bawtry which lies south ten miles down the road and the main meeting point of the day. We rode by former RAF Finningly, now a civilian airport before reaching Bawtry. Bawtry is a quant little market town famous for its links with The Pilgrim Fathers, there used to be a port here many years ago until the area was reclaimed by a famous Dutchman who was rather expert with his hole plugging thumbs!
Gordon and Rocky at Bawtry
We had our first mild soaking here as we sat around waiting for any stragglers, none arrived so just after ten thirty today’s Appy Wanderers left Bawtry, we were Barry Walton (T1), Mick Emmett on his golden 1500, Brian and Janet on the their dark red 1500, John and Lynne on the purple 1800 trike. Gordon on the flashing golden 1500, Wakefield’s Tony on the candy red 1800, Mark and Chrissy on the Purple Pussy 1800, Russ on the neat 1800 and last but not least by a long chalk Ian and Adrienne ( known as C.C to his friends) on their old blue 1500 and STILL with his Alpine rear disk, no hills today so he should be able to keep up!
The first waypoint for our squadron today was Gainsborough, turning right after the lights to follow the River Trent briefly before heading east, squirming down tiny country lanes through the villages of Marton, Stow and Cammeringhar, we came to a double junction, which to be honest only looked like one, Barry called out to be aware but Gordon was oblivious and shot out in front of the old lady in her car, it gave her such a start she actually stalled her car, I stopped to let her pass when she collected herself and finished her chuntering, I nodded to her in agreement. I suppose not many groups of Goldwings come through these parts, I’m glad to say no damage and no injuries were caused, and hopefully our ”Condor man” was fully awake now.
We came to our first RAF interest of the day and that was the beautiful village of Scampton, home of 617 squadron for part of the war, these guys became famous for their dambusting raids, yes folks they were “The Dambusters”. We passed slowly through the village, Barry pointed out the public house of the same name on the left as we passed the cemetery on the right. Along the ridge top now we rode and skirted the end of the western end of the runway of RAF Scampton, it’s now the home of the famous RED ARROWS. Away to our right was a vast view of the west, we could see Retford and Worksop in the middle distance and just see the hills of The Peak District on the horizon, Sheffield would have sat before them but wasn’t visible to the naked eye.
Lincoln was our next waypoint, Lincoln is a cathedral city, but in size it is not a very big city, it’s more like a large town, with the usual sets of traffic lights pedestrian lights and white vans! It was an easy run through even though our Barry took a slight detour, the pedestrian precinct looked very inviting I have to agree, but not the way forward for ten Honda Goldwings! He showed a sprightly u-turn and came back to us as we sat grinning at the lights! Back on course we followed the signs for the A15 and Sleaford and enjoyed a quick pleasant cruise through Lincoln in the sunshine.
RAF WADDINGTON preview area.
A few miles down the road we came to our first tea stop, it was the official viewing car park for folk interested in military aircraft. I guess the RAF are happy to give us this piece of land in return for keeping plane spotters in the one place and not having to constantly move them on from all points around the airfield! Today we could see three or four AWACS parked up. These are huge Boeing 707 aircraft converted for military use, they have a giant dinner plate stuck on their backs which is a huge radar of about six foot in thickness. These aircraft are in use quite a lot in the middle east at the moment. The tea hut is overwhelmed by all fourteen Appy Wanderers, as is the solitary toilet!
Multi layered Lynne.
The last time I was here it was run by himself and his wife, the poor guy was on his own today his wife had the day off. 
Barry and Lynne
We looked at the aircraft and at the resting delta winged Avro Vulcan that sat on permanent display just a few yards away beyond the chain link fence. She was once part of our nuclear V bomber force from the 1960’s along with the Handy Page Valiant and Victor jet bombers. We stood and chatted whilst looking up at the darkening clouds, rain was approaching so we zipped up and moved on just as the rain arrived by the bucket full, we sidestepped it in a minute and were hardly touched!
We turned on a parallel course down a tiny road to Metheringham, then in a south east direction across the Fens through a village called Martin, then on through a sizable Woodhall Spa. This was also a former RAF facility, the nearby small museum had an English Electric Lightning jet fighter sitting on the grass, we kind of looked at it but we were just being ambushed by another dark wet front that drenched the living daylights out of all who dared to stay out in the open….aha, that would be us then!
It wasn’t bad at the first few minutes of its arrival but on entering the village of Coningsby it got suddenly worse and Barry quickly pulled over under some overhanging trees for some shelter.
Taking cover in Coningsby
We all followed suit and squeezed in tight, within seconds the road was awash in several inches of water. 
Rocky smiling through adversity
hailstones joined in the attack and bounced around the place as we looked on from our scant shelter. Gordon scaled the fence and dived into a wood coppice, leaving his 1500 parked and peppered on the pavement, only cars and trucks moved in this deluge, not a single person was in sight.
John and Lynne under the trees
It lasted about twenty minutes, those who could pulled waterproofs on, I pulled on my trusty rubber lined army long coat but forgot my rubber gloves. Presently the monsoon from the South China Seas eased and we decided to make a run for it! I’d said our destination was less than six miles away,
Hailstones in Coningsby
Poor Gordon wouldn’t come out from the woods so I gave him directions for the last fifteen minute ride and bade him farewell. I hopped onto my boat…. I mean bike and rode off after the group who had by now exited the village. RAF Coningsby and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight lay just a few hundred yards away to our right but we gave it a miss today in favour of the warm dry NAFFI and hot tea at the Heritage Centre at nearby East Kirkby instead!
We took over a corner in the NAFFI and peeled off our kit, naturally it had stopped raining just as we arrived! We rode our bikes directly into the museum and parked in a long line in front of the hanger where the four engine Lancaster bomber sat, its nose just visible through a half opened door, but we needed a bit of TLC first so we piled inside and sat at the tables drinking hot tea and waited for our meals, most of us were just damp under our bike kit, this didn’t stop Lynne from taking her knickers off, (in the loo of course) she now sat opposite me in just a pair of waterproof leggings and skimpy white top, I was shoving chips up my nose and pouring tea in my ear-hole in total distraction bless you! Gordon had arrived by now too, he had come out of hiding, scuttling along the running river that was the A155, he showed us his wet belly, Barry shouted snap and showed his! Our bodies began to dry, we were here, all was OK and blue skies and sunshine arrived, we drifted outside to lay our wet clothes and gloves in the sunshine.
Drying the wet gear
I spoke with Louise the PR lady and family member of the museum, she was sorry but because of the unsettled weather their fragile pride and joy would not be parked outside this afternoon, instead the hanger doors would be fully opened and we could take our bikes inside to park just in front of her in a V formation. We shifted a few bikes around then switched them a bit more….then a bit more, at last the right position, it’s not every day we get such an opportunity, so it had to be just right, right Lynne?
Avro Lancaster NX611 “JUST JANE” posed with ten Honda Goldwings
for a team photo. I’d like to thank Brian and Janet and Russ for letting me use some of their photographs in this write up, cheers guys! I would like to thank Mick Emmett especially for the above work of art
Two beauties pose.
After the photos were done and we had a short look around, our jackets and gloves had dried nicely, it was about that time already, time to head home.
Admiring the lancaster JUST JANE
We said thank you to the folk at East Kirkby and in warm sunshine Barry led us out of the centre, we waved goodbye to Lynne and John as they headed off in a different direction whilst the rest of us rode towards Lincoln via Horncastle, hitting the Lincoln ring road, skirting round onto the A15 northbound, there is a quirky squiggle as the A15 actually goes around the eastern end of the runway at RAF Scampton! We had ridden past the other end earlier in the day remember? We then rode about twenty miles in heavy traffic, making great progress as most of the vehicles pulled over a tad to let us pass. We found the M180 at Scawby heading along it westwards at a faster pace. It was really warm as we cruised on in twenty plus degrees. I was the first to leave the group, I waved as I slowed on the slip road and headed toward Hatfield and ran close by the nearby civilian airstrip, it lay on a taxi way that was all that was left of a former wartime four engine bomber conversion airfield RAF Sandtoft. The day ended in calm warm sunshine the wild hailstones at Coningsby were long forgotten! Chalk up another great day you Appy Wanderers.
Tilateron……
The Scribe