Knight Fever 20th August 2009 For my ride this year I wanted to find somewhere where there was something interesting for everyone to do at the end of it, apart from eating and drinking. I decided to opt for Hever Castle which dates back to the 13th Century and is best known as the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Normally the biggest worry when organising a ride is the weather and how many people will turn up on the day. With this ride I would also have to organize some way of getting everyone’s admission from them before we reached the entrance so that our arrival would be smooth. Thankfully the staff at Hever Castle were really helpful and supplied me with 100 specially printed vouchers to sell the week before the ride. On the morning of the ride I woke to glorious sunshine and set off with my wife Ann to the Warr's Mottingham store. We arrived at the dealership just before 9am and were surprised to find that Gary and Lee had opened the store and that they already had several people inside. Safety briefing over and a load of vouchers sold, 69 of us, including 7 new members set off towards the Queenshead in Chislehurst where the Meridian Chapter meet every 3rd Thursday on the month. With the Road Crew marking the way we headed out onto the A20, past Brands Hatch, which thankfully had no racing that day, down Wrotham Hill and past the Oakdene Café which is where you will also find several members of the Meridian Chapter early on a Sunday morn. Along the Seven Mile Lane we went, which reminds me of a roller coaster with its ups, downs and twisting bends. From there we took the A226 towards Tunbridge Wells. The town of Tunbridge Wells began with a Chalybeate spring. Chalybeate means it contains iron. Rainwater fell on ground containing iron deposits soaked through them then rose in a spring. The iron deposits in the spring stained the ground around the spring a rusty colour. In 1606 a nobleman called Lord North came across the spring with it's rust coloured edges and wondered if it had health giving properties. (At the time he was suffering from tuberculosis). He drank some of the spring water and was, he said, healed of his illness. When he returned to London he told all his rich friends about the spring and soon many people flocked to drink from it. From Tunbridge Wells we headed out through Crowborough on the A26 to Maresfield where we stopped at the services for a comfort break and a chance to sell yet more vouchers. Before we left the services I rang Sarah at Hever to advise her of our imminent arrival as agreed. She then arranged to have the top entrance closed to other vehicles, so that we could use it and so avoid any delay in entering the grounds. Once everyone was suitably refueled we headed off into the Ashdown Forest, originally a deer hunting forest in Norman times. Ashdown Forest is now the largest free public access for walking, riding and enjoying spectacular views over the Sussex countryside and is known the world over as the “home” of Winnie-the-Pooh. From here it was just a short hop to Hever Castle. As we headed towards the entrance we broke into 2 lines, those with vouchers for entrance to the castle grounds went to the right and those who wanted to frequent the Henry VIII hostelry went to the left as pre-arranged. Once everyone was through the entrance we were shown to our reserved parking area down by the moat where we had a group photo before heading off for something to eat. At 2 o’clock we watched as Anne Boleyn took Henry VIII’s hand and then lead the knights (Sir Jasper De Barry, Sir Steven of Porlock, Sir David of Kent and Sir Eugene of Knebworth (who looked remarkably like our very own Grizzly) from the castle forecourt to the battlefield, for an afternoon of jousting. After the jousting, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn very kindly agreed to have their picture taken on a Harley-Davidson. Henry and his H-D The rest of the afternoon people had the opportunity to enjoy a number of different things, like walk through Italian Gardens with its collection of classical sculptures, some dating back 2000 years. Find their way around the maze or water maze and those who felt a little more energetic, hired a rowing boat while others decided to have a drink and take in the view of the spectacular surroundings. We left just before 6pm with the last of the guys, having had a brilliant day. I have to thank a lot of people without whom it would not have been so enjoyable. Thanks to Lee & Gary for opening the store early, Ann for selling the vouchers, the ever dependable Road Crew for assisting with pre-arranged drop offs and marshalling, Kevin Whiffin who was my last man and all of the staff at Hever Castle, who I thought went out of their way to accommodate us and make us feel welcome. Finally but by no means least everyone that came along on the ride. Thank you and I hope to see you all on my next ride in 2010! Nick Franklin, Meridian Road Captain The contents of this website do not necessarily express the views of Warr's, H-D Motor Co, nor any associates and are for entertainment use only. All information used is received and used in good faith and the former parties are not responsible for any errors that may be present. Harley-Davidson and HOG are registered trademarks of Harley-Davidson Motor Company.