Big 7 Scooter Rally 2025
The Big 7 was not one too miss and I am so glad I had the chance, along with four others from Jersey, to attend the rally this year. Our travel option with our scooters was the overnight boat to Portsmouth. Luckily we had booked cabins as it was a long time on the boat.
We arrived early on Friday morning and set off on the 60 mile journey to Haywards Heath. We decided to stay away from the dual carriageway and took the B roads. Not only was this safer, but we had the chance to view the stunning scenery along the way. I must also add that the first 30 miles of our trip took us about 3 hours to complete! As we managed to keep going the wrong way! The reason behind this was the trusty GPS. Luckily, one of my riding comrades ,Richard, managed to steer us in the right direction. What makes this even funnier, is that Richard wasn't even using a GPS! He prefers road signs, which put the rest of us to shame. I think next time it would be best to ditch the GPS and follow the direction of the wind.
Arriving in Haywards Heath with no breakdowns, we stayed at The Birch Hotel, which was no more than a 10 minute ride from the rally ground which was based in Ardingly. For a two night stay the hotel was perfect and was in a great location close to the town. We had arrived before midday and not even half of the rally goers had turned up yet. After collecting our wrist bands, surveying the site and looking at some of the scooters which had already checked in, we decided to have a quiet afternoon and evening to be ready for Saturday.
Picture of us arriving in Portsmouth
Big 7 campsite on the Friday
On Saturday morning we all decided to get up sharpish...well sort off. One of the Jersey crew was interested in taking a look at a Vespa GS in Crawley and we knew it may be a while before he returned. To our surprise not only was he quicker than we thought possible but he told us he had bought the GS! Well with a scooter like that who would say no to buying one. After this good news we then rode up to the showground to have a look at the parts fair and custom show.
When we arrived at the rally site the place was heaving with people and scooters. There were scooters and tents everywhere so different from when we had arrived yesterday. The custom show had just started, trade stalls were open and scooters were lined to get tested on the dyno. I was tempted to test my Vespa PX but I didn't want to put everyone else to shame. Only joking, I just didn't want to blow my scooter up which would leave me with no way of getting home. Either way there were some very fast scooters put up on the podium. There were also scooter repair stalls which were keeping busy and like any scooter rally there is always one on the bench.
At the custom show there were some amazing pieces of artistry and technique. I had not seen some of the scooters before and the detail on them was spectacular. There were so many winners in there and I definitely felt bad for the judges choosing the best scooter in each category. Here are some of the scooters entered.
Lambretta SX200
Motovespa 150S
Lambretta Eibar Winter Model
Custom Vespa GTS
On Saturday night an excellent evening of entertainment had been arranged. The first band of the evening were The Jam'd. Incredibly I had seen them the week before in Jersey. They definitely had everyone listening and knew how to work a crowd. From then on the night never disappointed with great bands such as Ska-Per and Heavy Sol. Playing the best tunes from back in the day. It definitely brought the older bunch back to their youth. Everyone was on the dance floor and it was one of the best gigs I have seen in a long time.
On the Sunday morning we left the hotel early for our ride back to Portsmouth. Unfortunately one of our team's Vespa PX kept on stopping and had to get towed to the hotel where we were staying for the night. Another scooter's indicators completely stopped working. But apart from that the ride back went smoothly and there were no further mishaps. They are scooters after all and things do happen. The next morning it was homeward bound on the boat back to Jersey.
The Big 7 Scooter Rally was an outstanding rally and I definitely will be attending again. It always makes a weekend more enjoyable when you are staying in a beautiful town at an event with like minded people. I love this scene!
Stay tuned for more write ups!