Dragon Rally

Last updated

The Dragon Rally
Dragon Rally logo.JPG
Genre Motorcycle rally
DatesFebruary
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s) North Wales
Country Wales
Founded1962
FounderConwy Motorcycle Club
Attendance2,000–3,000
AreaEurope
Organized byConwy Motorcycle Club [1]
Website www.conwymotorcycleclub.org.uk

The Dragon Rally is a motorcycle camping rally held annually during winter in North Wales since 1962, [2] making it one of the UK's longest running bike events. In the 1960s the attendance at the Dragon sometimes topped 3,000 riders; [3] more recently the figure ranged from 1,500 to 2,000 depending on the weather and location. The rally is famed for its toughness and spartan facilities. [4] Riders often have to endure miserable riding conditions to attend the rally and, once on site, they are expected to camp without regard to the weather conditions. It is an event held in veneration by large numbers of motorcyclists as a test of stamina and endurance because (in the first two decades at least) it was common to have to endure snow and ice to ride there. The Dragon is often grouped with the German Elefantentreffen (Elephant Rally) and the Norwegian Krystall Rally.

Contents

The first gathering was commemorated by a cloth patch, which soon changed to an enamel pin badge with a different design for each year. Each rally attendee is presented with badge and usually a slate coaster (although there was no coaster in 2008). The rally is usually held on the second weekend of February.

History

Dragon Rally 1962 cloth badge.JPG

In the early 1960s the British motorcycle press carried reports of the Elefantentreffen (Elephant Rally), held each winter in Germany, a rally famed for the hardships involved in attending. [5] This prompted several British bike journalists to ask if a British winter rally could be a success.

The 23 November 1961 issue of The Motor Cycle carried an article by George Wilson in which he asked, "Can such a dream be realised in this country - a rally for super enthusiasts only, and so organised that by its very nature, only super enthusiasts would want to join in?... But above all it must be held in the dead of winter when only men who are men would be interested and the softies would stay away"

The article brought a flood of replies and soon another journalist, John Ebrell, was sent to North Wales to seek a camping site, with a view to publishing an article that would draw out potential organisers. By a lucky coincidence, as he was scouting around North Wales, a letter arrived at the magazine from Lawrence Irving of the Conwy Club, offering to organise the rally. The Conwy and District Motorcycle Club has run the rally ever since.

The first rally in 1962 was held at Bryn Bras Castle and over 2,000 riders attended. [6] In 1963 and 1964, the rally was held at Gwrych Castle. In his February 1963 three-page article, John Ebrell wrote "By about midnight on Saturday, Conway Club [ sic ] officials packed up recording details of arrivals. But riders continued to check in and the total must have topped 2,500. [7]

Dragon Rally Glyn Padarn.JPG

Columnist Nitor commented that the organisational aspect was achieved by 35 club-members bolstered by 10 further volunteers, and that the spirit shown and atmosphere generated was akin to Douglas in the Isle of Man during TT race week. [8]

In 1965, the event moved to a 360-acre site at an ex-RAF camp at Glyn Padarn, close to the Llyn Padarn lake, near Llanberis. [9] Since 1969, the rally has been held at a variety of sites, perhaps the most popular being a riverside field at Capel Curig.

Nightfall at the 2005 Dragon Rally Dragon2004e.jpg
Nightfall at the 2005 Dragon Rally
The 2005 hill farm rally site by day Dragon2004d.jpg
The 2005 hill farm rally site by day

Recent locations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowdonia</span> Mountainous region and national park in north Wales

Snowdonia, or Eryri, is a mountainous region and national park in northwestern Wales. It contains all fifteen mountains in Wales over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon, which is 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) tall. These peaks are all part of the Snowdon, Glyderau, and Carneddau ranges in the north of the region. The shorter Moelwynion and Moel Hebog ranges lie immediately to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caernarfon</span> Town in Gwynedd, Wales

Caernarfon is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852. It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the island of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is 8.6 miles (13.8 km) to the north-east, while Snowdonia (Eryri) fringes Caernarfon to the east and south-east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwynedd</span> County and preserved county in Wales

Gwynedd is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The city of Bangor is the largest settlement, and the administrative centre is Caernarfon. The preserved county of Gwynedd, which is used for ceremonial purposes, includes the Isle of Anglesey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caernarfonshire</span> Historic county of Wales

Caernarfonshire, sometimes spelled Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire, is one of the thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betws-y-Coed</span> Village and community in Conwy, Wales

Betws-y-coed is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located in the historic county of Caernarfonshire, right on the boundary with Denbighshire, in the Gwydir Forest. It is now a very popular visitor destination in the Snowdonia National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanberis</span> Village in North Wales

Llanberis is a village, community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake Llyn Padarn and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activities in Snowdonia, including walking, mountaineering, climbing, mountain biking and pony trekking, as well as water sports such as scuba diving. The community includes Nant Peris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capel Curig</span> Village in Conwy County Borough, Wales

Capel Curig is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Historically in Caernarfonshire, it lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226, reducing slightly to 206 at the 2011 census. It lies at the junction of the A5 road from Bangor and Bethesda to Betws-y-Coed with the A4086 road from Caernarfon, Llanberis, Pen-y-Pass and Pen-y-Gwryd. It is surrounded by hills and mountains, including Moel Siabod and Pen Llithrig y Wrach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pen-y-Gwryd</span>

Pen-y-Gwryd is a pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers close to the foot of Snowdon in Gwynedd, Wales. The area is located at the junction of the A4086 from Capel Curig to Llanberis and Caernarfon and the A498 from Beddgelert and Nant Gwynant about a mile from the head of the Llanberis Pass. It is close to the boundary with Conwy county borough in northern Snowdonia. The famous mountaineering hostelry, Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, is located in the pass. It is also a mountain rescue post with links to the other rescue posts at Ogwen Cottage and Plas y Brenin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padarn Railway</span> Former railway in Gwynedd, Wales

The Padarn Railway was a narrow-gauge railway in North Wales, built to the unusual gauge of 4 ft. It carried slate seven miles (11 km) from Dinorwic Quarry to Port Dinorwic. The line opened on 3 March 1843, replacing the Dinorwic Railway. It initially used horses, but was converted to steam haulage on 23 November 1848. The railway was formally titled the Dinorwic Quarries Railway or Dinorwic Quarry Railway, but informally "Padarn Railway" was widely used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanberis Pass</span> Mountain road in Wales

The Llanberis Pass in Snowdonia carries the main road (A4086) from the south-east to Llanberis, over Pen-y-Pass, between the mountain ranges of the Glyderau and the Snowdon massif. At the bottom of the pass is the small village of Nant Peris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betws-y-Coed railway station</span> Railway station in Conwy, Wales

Betws-y-coed railway station is on the Conwy Valley Line, which runs between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It is situated 15+12 miles (24.9 km) south of Llandudno Junction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llyn Cowlyd</span> Natural lake, reservoir in Snowdonia National Park, Wales

Llyn Cowlyd is the deepest lake in northern Wales. It lies in the Snowdonia National Park at the upper end of Cwm Cowlyd on the south-eastern edge of the Carneddau range of mountains, at a height of 1,164 feet (355 m) above sea level. The lake is long and narrow, measuring nearly 2 miles (3 km) long and about a third of a mile wide, and covers an area of 269 acres (1.1 km2). It has a mean depth of 109 feet (33 m) and at its deepest has given soundings of 229 feet (70 m), this being some 45 ft (14 m) greater than its natural depth, the water surface having been raised twice by the building of dams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nant Gwynant</span>

Nant Gwynant is a valley in northern Wales. The A498 road descends 600 feet (180 m) into the valley in about two miles (3 km) from Pen-y-Gwryd; it follows the Nant Cynnyd, the Afon Glaslyn and alongside Llyn Gwynant, then beside the Nant Gwynant river to Llyn Dinas and passing below Dinas Emrys to Beddgelert. The road continues through the Aberglaslyn Pass to Porthmadog.

A motorcycle rally is a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts. Rallies can be large or small, and one-time or recurring. Some rallies are ride-in events, whereas some like the Iron Butt Rally involve days of riding and an actual gathering only at the end of the ride.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyffryn Mymbyr</span> Valley in Snowdonia, north-west Wales

Dyffryn Mymbyr is a valley in Snowdonia, in north-west Wales, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) in length, and leading up from Capel Curig to the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deiniolen</span> Human settlement in Wales

Deiniolen is a village in Gwynedd, Wales, at the foot of Elidir Fawr, in Llanddeiniolen Community. Deiniolen has views over Caernarfon and on a clear day, Holyhead Mountain and occasionally the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland, can be seen. The population of the electoral ward was 1,909 as of 2011, including nearby Dinorwig, with 81.2% of the population speaking Welsh. The community, Llanddeiniolen, has a population of 5,072 as of the 2011 census, the third-largest in Gwynedd.

The Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway, built under the Caernarvon and Llanberis Railway Act 1864, was an eight-mile branch line from the Carnarvonshire Railway running from Caernarfon to Llanberis, via Pont Rhythallt, Cwm-y-Glo, and Padarn Halt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padarn Bus</span>

Padarn Bus was a bus company based in Llanberis, Gwynedd. It operated 21 routes in North Wales plus three summer services in Snowdonia National Park. Many of its vehicles and routes were acquired when it merged with larger company KMP. The operator, who were being investigated by North Wales Police over allegations of fraud at the company, closed down on 30 May 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Bangor</span> Anglican diocese of the Church in Wales

The Diocese of Bangor is a diocese of the Church in Wales in North West Wales. The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and the western part of Montgomeryshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowdonia Slate Trail</span>

Snowdonia Slate Trail is a long distance footpath, running 83 miles (134 km) as a circular route around Northern Snowdonia through the UK`s latest World Heritage Site, starting from Bangor. It passes through the main areas and heritage sites associated with the slate industry, and also through some of its major landscapes.

References

  1. UK company information Conwy Motorcycle Club Ltd. Retrieved 29 June 2014 Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Dragon Rally". www.lpmcc.net. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  3. "Dragon Plus" article in Motor Cycle, 13 February 1964, p195
  4. "So you're going to the Dragon?" article in Motor Cycle, 22 February 1962, pp230-231
  5. Garrett, Jenna. "Elefantentreffen Is the Most Bizarre Motorcycle Rally You've Never Heard Of". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  6. "Magnificent! The only word for Conway club's great rally" article in The Motor Cycle, 1 March 1962, pp261-263
  7. Motor Cycle 21 February 1963 pp.226-228 Dragnet. Focus on Conway [ sic ] Club's great enthusiasts-only rally by John Ebrell. Accessed and added 29 June 2014
  8. Motor Cycle 21 February 1963 p.225 On the Four Winds by Nitor. Accessed and added 29 June 2014
  9. Motor Cycle, 10 September 1964, p.505 Dragons Lair 1965. "...Glyn Padarn at the foot of the famous Llanberis pass. There's plenty of room to stretch your legs and plant your tent—360 acres, in fact". Accessed and added 2015-02-23

Further reading