UK & Ireland exclusive: Ladies of Harley (January 2019)

ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE LADIES OF HARLEY

Sparkle and Twinkle Tour weekend – September 13-15, 2019

Registration for 2019 Sparkle and Twinkle Tour is now open! Interest in this unique Ladies of Harley event continues to grow and for 2019 LOH will be riding and exploring England and Scotland during the same weekend, so ladies can enjoy the options of riding alongside coastal sea waters, running rivers and tranquil lochs.

The weekend (13th-15th September for 2019) is always guaranteed to put an ear-to-ear grin on your face while providing a great opportunity to enhance your riding skills as you enjoy breathtaking scenery across hills and glens, the beauty of National Parks, sweeping mountain bends, meandering around wide lakes and wide open moors, quaint rural villages and market towns steeped in folklore and tradition.

Sparkle Tour Scotland
Highlands and Islands West of Scotland – Hosted by Lorraine McGuire and Jean Ann McKinnell, this year's Scottish tour will include visits to two flagship Harley-Davidson dealerships; starting from Glasgow’s West Coast H-D and finishing at Edinburgh H-D.

Tour highlights will see ladies enjoying Loch Lomond, the Rest and Be Thankful Road, historic Inverary, Oban’s Gateway to the Islands, the unforgettable Glen Coe, Scotland’s highest mountain Ben Nevis, Glenfinnan’s railway viaduct (made famous by Harry Potter), Mallaig, Skye the Cullins and 13^th Century Eilean Donan Castle, which probably appears on more shortbread tins and calendars than any other!

Approx ride distance 400 miles.

Sparkle Tour North East
Lake District and Hadrian’s Wall – Hosted by Trish Gillespie and Dawn Beattie, this year’s North East tour will incorporate a stunning circular route starting and finishing at the Gateshead Harley-Davidson dealership.

Tour highlights will see ladies enjoying 10 of the Lake District’s many lakes, taking pleasure in riding through areas of outstanding natural beauty with streams, forests and mountains, capturing some of the 73-mile long Hadrian’s Wall, one of Britain’s most awe-inspiring historic landmarks.

Approx ride distance 400 miles.

Sparkle Tour Midlands
Central, Peak and Heartland – Hosted by Ann Cozens and Vicki Green, this tour will incorporate visits to four Harley-Davidson dealerships: Birmingham H-D, Harleyworld in Chesterfield, Manchester H-D and Robin Hood H-D in Nottingham.

Tour highlights will see ladies riding a figure of eight route during the weekend incorporating sights or visits to Chatsworth House, Mam Tor, Hope Valley (home of traditional ice cream!), Heights of Abraham, Monsal Head, Ladybower Reservoir, Shipley Country Park, Arkwight’s Cromford Mills (the first water-powered cotton spinning mill built in 1771), Bakewell and the National Memorial Arboretum.

Approx ride distance 400 miles.

Sparkle Tour East
East of England – Hosted by Betty St Quintin and Barbara Hutchins, this year’s East tour will incorporate visits to the Norwich, Newmarket and Sycamore Harley-Davidson dealerships.

Tour highlights will see ladies exploring A and B roads and enjoying ‘sugar boost’ stops that embellish any ride through the glorious countryside of East Anglia and East Midlands. Following the success of last year’s finish, this tour will return to the seaside town of Sheringham to enjoy its famous 1940s themed event with nostalgic period scenes, costumes, traders, music and dancing.

Approx ride distance 300 miles.

Sparkle Tour South West
Moors, Myths and Legends – Hosted by Jules Butler-Waddon and Debz Haynes, on this year’s tour visits to two Harley-Davidson dealerships; Riders of Bridgwater and Plymouth H-D will ‘bookend’ the tour providing ladies with an opportunity to make those essential purchases.

Tour highlights as ladies enjoy riding through Somerset, Devon and Cornwall will include three stunning moors (Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor), breathtaking beaches, sheltered coves and some legendary and iconic locations, including St Mawes, St Ives, Perranporth, mythical Tintagel and breathtaking Land’s End for the ultimate photo shoot.

Approx ride distance 300 miles.

Twinkle Tour South West
Six Counties to Sea – Hosted by Penelope Weeks and Kathryn Renshaw, leaving Plymouth H-D this tour will incorporate visits to Riders Bridgwater, Riders Bristol and Southampton H-D.

Tour highlights include exploring Dartmoor National Park, Exmoor, Blackmore Vale, Cranbourne Chase, New Forest and a ride over Clifton Suspension Bridge, which spans the picturesque Avon Gorge.

Approx ride distance 260 miles.

Twinkle Tour South
History, Gin and a Castle – Hosted by Liz Getgood , leaving Guildford H-D this tour will incorporate visits to Reading and Oxford Harley-Davidson dealerships.

Tour highlights will include touring scenic countryside between dealership visits, including a visit to the historic City of Winchester, the Bombay Sapphire distillery and to take a step back in time with a visit to 12th century Arundel Castle.

Approx ride distance 240 miles.

Twinkle Tour Central
H-Q and Beyond – Hosted by National Associate LOH Officer Lorraine Seedhouse, this tour will commence at the Harley-Davidson European Headquarters in Oxford and include a visit to Cheltenham H-D.

Tour highlights will include picturesque Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds, historic Stratford-upon-Avon to explore the birthplace of William Shakespeare, riding through the outstanding natural beauty of the Malvern Hills and Blenheim Palace, the birth place of Winston Churchill.

Approx ride distance 220 miles.

Ladies of Harley wishing to participate in one of the above tours MUST REGISTER TO TAKE PART providing their full name, valid H.O.G. membership number, model of Harley-Davidson and the tour they wish to participate in.

Demand is high so don't miss out! To prevent disappointment, register as soon as possible. Once your H.O.G. membership details have been checked and confirmed, all hotel information will be provided for you to book your accommodation.

Whichever tour you chose, each one promises to be an enjoyable and fun-filled weekend for ladies to simply ‘Ride and Have Fun’ while ‘Sharing their Spark!’

Sparkle Tour registrations for female riders; please email National LOH Officer Elaine Shepherd on ChapterRepLOH@harley-davidson.com

Twinkle Tour registrations for female pillion riders; please email National Associate LOH Officer Lorraine Seedhouse on ChapterRepAssociateLOH@harley-davidson.com

Share the Spark

Elaine Shepherd
National Chapter LOH Officer, UK and Ireland

Happy New Year! I don’t know about you but it didn’t take me long to peruse over a new calendar filling out dates for rallies and events throughout 2019. That’s another year’s allocation of annual leave spoken for straight away!

To some, my diary might look full of scribble and lines through half days, full days, weekends, long weekends and even longer. But to me it looks full of opportunities… opportunities to get out on the open road, opportunities to visit new places, opportunities to meet new people but most of all, just the simplicity of having the opportunity of having an opportunity.

Think about it, when you pull into a fuel station in your car you just use the pump, make a payment and leave again, but when you pull into a fuel station on your Harley-Davidson you get into conversations with other travelers - they admire your bike; they take an interest in the miles you’re travelling and where your journey is taking you. You get back on your bike and the SatNav lets you know your estimated time of arrival at your destination has dropped back by 20 minutes. I experienced that quite a bit last year.

It can sometimes feel complicated trying to decide what events to go to. It’s great to enjoy the familiarity of established rallies and knowing they’re a cool prospect to catch up with your H.O.G. cousins. Yet it is also exciting to embark on a new journey to somewhere not yet travelled, a new adventure just waiting to unfold with H.O.G. cousins you’ve not yet met.

Whether ladies are taking their CBT or embarking on a full riding license, one thing is sure, motorbike sales to women continue to be on the rise. This in turn brings new and exciting initiatives for the female rider that provide opportunities for women to share their passion, check out International Female Ride Day (IFRD) and Women Riders World Relay (WRWR).

So, ladies, whether it’s a H.O.G. Rally, a H.O.G. Officer Training event, H.O.G. Chapter event, Ride 365 or the ABCs of Touring, there is plenty on the H.O.G. menu to choose from. In addition, as a benefit of membership; female riders can choose from one of five Sparkle Tours and female pillion riders can choose from one of three Twinkle Tours. Just take a look at September’s Sparkle & Twinkle Tour programme elsewhere in this edition of Insider. Places are limited, so ladies, be sure to register and reserve a place on your chosen tour – you won’t be disappointed.

Share the Spark

Elaine Shepherd
National Chapter LOH Officer, UK & Ireland
ChapterRepLOH@harley-davidson.com

Happy New Year to you all! Here’s hoping that it will be full of adventures, laughter and fun and meeting up with members of our H.O.G. family both near and far.

What kind of challenges have you set yourself for 2019? Will you be playing it safe or stepping outside of the box! Will you be taking part in the ABC of Touring contest? This contest is organised by H.O.G. and anyone who has a valid H.O.G. membership is able to take part – for info check out hog.com. I find this is one of those contests that you can dip into whenever it suits you as it runs from January 1 to December 31 and encourages everyone to get out and about exploring new territories. Also - if you only like to ride in the better weather then what better time to get out there and smell the roses?

Inspired by other ladies will you be taking part in the IronHOG Challenge this year? Whether you are a rider or a pillion rider this is a great challenge and involves planning a route and visiting at least these four UK dealerships: Edinburgh H-D, Swansea H-D, Maidstone H-D, and Plymouth H-D, in a set time, with photos taken and a log book completed.

There are lots of opportunities out there for us all - maybe it will be taking part in your first rally at home or abroad? This is always exciting as there are so many to choose from! Check out the H.O.G. calendar to find out which rallies are going on.

And you don't always have to leave events to be organised by your Chapter’s Lady of Harley Officer. If you have any ideas that you may think will be of interest to others then don't be afraid to share them. I know that any officer who organises rides or events is always willing to hear about something new - be as involved as you want to be!

Will you be joining in one of the national Sparkle or Twinkle Tours in September? These tours are for all Ladies of Harley – those that ride, ride pillion or those of you who for whatever reason cannot get on a bike but want to be a part of it. Help is always welcome in the dealerships as they ready for the tours to visit. Decorate, take photos, help with refreshments. These are just some of the ways in which you are able to participate if you are unable to get involved in the riding parts of the tours.

2019 sees five Sparkle Tours and three Twinkle Tours. The Twinkle Tours are mainly in the south of the country but we’re already hoping to see even more next year in different areas to get more couples out on our roads enjoying this national weekend event. See info, elsewhere in this edition, and choose your tour. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Registration commences on Friday, January 25.

As you can see there are lots to keep us occupied, and looking forward to the next few months before the warmer weather arrives.

From the Rear Saddle,
“The Dudette”
Lorraine Seedhouse
National Associate LOH Officer, UK & Ireland
chapterrepassociateloh@harley-davidson.com

Red Rose Ladies of Harley 2018 review

What a fantastic year the Ladies of Harley of Red Rose Chapter have had. Each year we decide on a charity to support and usually we have one big fundraising event as well as the usual raffles, etc.

This year Kim Fyfe, our LOH Officer, came up with the brilliant idea of having lots of different events organised by different people. We brainstormed this at our January coffee morning and so a very exciting year was born. The activities were very diverse and spread throughout the year, which meant most ladies could find something that interested them at a date they could attend.

We decided to support Great Arley School in Thornton Cleveleys. This is a fantastic school for special needs children.

We started in January with a Bling Your T-Shirt. Kim provided the bling and people could bring a t-shirt or badge to decorate.

In February we had a cheese and wine party in Blackpool at Dawn’s house. March saw a Tropics Party at our Saturday coffee morning at Bowker Harley-Davidson where Jools donated any profits raised. April we headed north to Heversham near Kendal for a cheese and wine party with Karen. May’s coffee morning saw us enjoying some beautiful cakes made by Jackie and Anne and later in the month, at the VIP party in Kendal, Barbara raffled a Harley-Davidson quilt she had made. June was an adventurous month with Kirsty, Jen and Barbara doing a sponsored Zipwire through Grisedale Forest in the Lake District. We also had another Tropics Party.

July was the most energetic month as Jen completed three sponsored half marathons. During the beautiful weather in August we met up on Jean’s boat on Lake Windermere for afternoon tea. It was a very relaxing afternoon and thrilling as her son took several ladies for a high speed trip on his speedboat. Jean provided the food and a raffle as the nearby Lowwood Hotel donated a prize. Kim also hosted a Tropic party this month. In early October we went to Leyland for Louise’s Big Breakfast. October also saw the completion of Gill’s sponsored diet. Our final event in November was a Tropics raffle of some gorgeous beauty products by Jools.

The ladies who put on the events provided the food and drink, and people who attended donated money to the charity. With the events being varied, scattered throughout our area and on different dates it meant everyone had an opportunity to attend at least one event. It also meant we met up regularly and got to know each other better.

As well as having lots of fun we raised £2,725 for our charity. At the end of November several ladies attended Great Arley School for a morning assembly to hand over the cheque. We were made very welcome and presented with a hamper for our efforts. (Needless to say, we are raffling this hamper at our Christmas party to start next year’s charity fund raising).

We were shown around the school and it was wonderful to see the love and dedication of the staff who worked there. Our money is going towards a sensory room the school are hoping to purchase.

Barbara Wyatt
Red Rose Chapter

Hello from the new LOH Officer for Rutland Chapter

First of all, I would like to say I am incredibly honoured and excited to be asked to take over this role. My aim is to be the voice of the ladies in the Chapter and to support the Chapter - not just as riders/pillions but as friends and to have lots of fun.

I have for many years ridden pillion on the back of my husband including on many European trips but, as I reached the age of 50 I thought it was about time I learnt to ride for myself.

I passed my test in December 2017 and have never looked back.

I started out with an old 1200 Sportster Custom and managed to put more than 3,000 miles on her. I have just upgraded to a new 883 Iron, which I am slowly making changes to, to make her individual.

We have many plans for this coming riding season which include many weekend ride outs with the Chapter. Our Rutland Chapter Rally, where I will be organising a Ladies of Harley event, which will involve plenty of fun, games and Sparkle. We shall also be attending four other chapter rallies, including the Geordie Rally, the Cider Rally, Nene and Sherwood Rallies.

We are also leading a trip over to France for a week, along with some of our H.O.G. members. We have 15 bikes booked so far. Also, later in the year there is the Ladies of Harley Sparkle Tour that I am really looking forward to.

As a Chapter we do our best to support our local charities, which include The Air Ambulance and the annual Easter Egg and Toy Runs to Peterborough Children`s Hospital.

Learning to ride and joining the Chapter was the best thing I have ever done and if it wasn’t for the Chapter I wouldn’t be where I am today.

The support I have been shown during the past couple of years has been life-changing. All I want to do is give back what I have been lucky enough to have received from within our biker family.

We have some wonderful Ladies of Harley in our Chapter and it will be a pleasure to represent them all - not just as my new role as LOH Officer but also as a friend.

I am also looking forward to meeting fellow Ladies of Harley while we are on our travels.

Adele Gray
Rutland Chapter