Ride To The Wall 2025

[Millietant]

I realise this isn't what I did today with my FJ, but it's what I did at the weekend.

Unfortunately, due to being in Japan this time last year, I wasn't able to make it RTTW 2024, but I was definitely going to make it to Ride To The Wall 2025.

For those who don't know, RTTW is a biker event held each year at the National Memorial Arboretum - A Memorial Ride-In and Service dedicated to those servicemen and women who have fallen in conflict, or served the country, since the end of WW2 (there are other Memorial Services dedicated to those lost in WW1 & WW2).

The formal Service starts at 13.00 hrs and ends at 14.30 hrs, but most arrive early and leave late. This year 8,000 bikes were registered at the event, with lots of others arriving in cars, or on buses, as the weather had been atrocious over the weekend (Storm Amy), leading to estimates of over 12,000 people attending. There were organised ride-ins, with groups of between 100 and 1,000 riders, from around 15 locations all across the UK and plenty of riders attending from overseas too.

This is the most reverent, emotional and respectful event I've ever attended, showing the true level of biker support for those who give service to protect us.

I can only do a small amount myself, to show my thanks and support all who have served and one way I believe is to pay tribute by publicising the event and it's success through the social groups I am in.

I didn't do a lot in terms of taking photographs, as the mood didn't seem quite right, but did take a few and also a shot a few seconds of video footage of the tribute videos shown on the memorial wall screens, which I've attached and linked below - the Wall has the names of each one of the 16,000 or so who have given all, in service for us, since WW2.

These are links to the video's (with sound) in my Google Drive

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TRTb9i3n-Vc5L2efuotE8JjJEWem8FVt/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tU4BM_I9vrcwEGUxi9nladBjn6l9SMpo/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B9ZAjxaqxo4hG35BEUkGm5n-MleiN9Sd/view?usp=sharing


And the following are a few photo's from the event - amazingly, I didn't another FJ at amongst the sea of bikes in attendance ! The final 3 pics are myself, Mike and then Simon with his son Hayden as pillion, photographed as we entered the Arboretum.