Welcome to the website of the

INDALO MAN

The town of Mojacar has a close association with a carving known as Indalo Man. This ancient symbol, also known as the ¨Mojacar Puppet¨ , was drawn on the outside walls of village houses as a charm for good luck. It is said to ward off bad luck, storms and evils. Although related to naive cave paintings found in Velez Blanco, and dating back 4,500 years, the talisman is still to be seen on homes today.

A natural choice for our club's insignia!

The Mojacar MTC was founded in October-1988 by the late Ken Craven with the aim of promoting and enjoying motorcycle touring using those "roads less traveled".

In case you're wondering - the club takes its name from the town in southern Spain. A regular destination for the club's founder and his traveling companions for many years.

The club's membership averages around 100, a good percentage of which are active event participants.

Our 'Indalo Man' logo comes from Mojacar, and is a representation of a man holding a rainbow !

If you visit Mojacar, you will see it displayed outside many homes as a talisman for good weather. Also regarded as a symbol of welcome.

For a look at Ken Craven and his wife Mollie on their Tours back in the 1940`s go to the Links Page and follow instructions.

[ You will not be disappointed ].

An introduction to the
MOJACAR MOTORCYCLE TOURING CLUB
C S Pegram

A Club for Touring Motorcyclists founded by the late Ken Craven. It all started not too long after the Second World War when Ken Craven, maker of the famous Craven Panniers and his wife Mollie began to organize their ‘Partitours’ which were Continental adventure tours for groups of motorcyclists. Ken’s strong preference was for uncrowded roads and good scenery, meaning that main roads and large towns were avoided like the plague. The Partitours were very successful and continued for many years.

This seat in Ken Cravens memory can be found outside the library opp the White House B&B Lyme Regis

In 1978 Ken, by now retired from his pannier manufacturing business, founded the Partitour Rally to Mojacar, an annual adventure trip to a small town on the coast of Almeria in Spain.

The route continued the Partitour tradition, seeking out minor roads and mountainous terrain to provide the most exiting and enjoyable riding experience possible. In the early years almost everyone camped, but with growing affluence and the wide availability of cheap Hostel accommodation in parts of Spain unknown to Costa-del-Concrete tourists, the emphasis has steadily changed. Nowadays the majority stay in Hotels and only a dedicated few camp nearby when sites are available.

In 1988 Ken had been saying for several years that he was conscious of a fair load of anno domini and that his health was not as robust as it had been. He thought that it would be a good idea to form the large group of regular participants into a club so that some of the organizational burden should be shifted to an elected committee.

The MOJACAR MOTORCYCLE TOURING CLUB

was duly founded in October 1988 and although its nature has remained very much the same, it has since traveled to a variety of destinations. The Iberian Peninsular is probably the most popular venue but the club has attempted to visit countries other than Spain and Portugal on alternate years. The Rally is usually held in June and starts with a ferry crossing on a Friday night. The choice of ferry is left to individual members and a rough route is planned from the coast to the first nights stop. The small groups from each ferry, rendezvous en route or at the first night stop. As a rough guide, a rally to Spain will take two days through France on mainly D roads, which is hard riding but a wonderful start if the weather is kind. Once over the Pyrenees the daily mileages drop considerably from a little over 300 to generally around 200. This allows for leisurely pottering, exploration, refreshment breaks and even siestas if reasonably brief. Most plan to arrive at the night stops at about 6 or 7pm to allow for freshening up before the evening meal. On recent rallies "Rest Days" have been introduced in the middle of the trip so that people can carry out running repairs, explore or just laze. We try to choose an interesting final destination, allowing at least three days there for relaxation before setting off home. En route we ride in small groups of usually three or four for companionship and mutual assistance in the event of mishaps. For the return trip participants are left to select their own route depending on their preferences. Some choose to head back to the Channel Ports without delay whereas others prefer a leisurely trip taking the opportunity for excursions on the way. Whatever your preferences, it should always be possible to find like-minded companions to team up with.

From the inception of the Mojacar Rally, two weekend reunions have always been held in Lyme Regis on the first weekends of May and October. This tradition continues, May providing an opportunity to sort out final arrangements for the Rally and October, which includes the AGM, marking the end of the Club year, both are major social gatherings for the Club. In recent years the Spring reunion has included a run on the Sunday through the beautiful Devon and Dorset countryside and on occasions further field. Club activities have also increased to include monthly camping/hotel weekends plus a week in September, all organized by individual members to take advantage of their knowledge of their own areas of the country

Comments & suggestions to: colin.pegram@ntlworld.com

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