Iron will

Malcolm and Lorraine Seedhouse share why long distance riding challenges appeal to them and how they tied ABCs of Touring into their regular Iron Hog challenge.

Taking part in the Iron Hog challenge is one of our favourite challenges and we like to do it at least once a year. Why, I hear you ask? Because, as the name suggests, we like a challenge! In 2023 we completed our 11^th Iron Hog and did this in memory of our dear friend Colin Coghill, who had joined us on eight previous occasions. He passed away earlier this year and is sorely missed.  

We usually take on this challenge in a small group, with each person having a role to play – be it getting a receipt to validate that we have been at the Harley-Davidson^® dealership at the time we’ve claimed, or getting a dealer stamp on the clapper board. Malcolm takes two lots of photos, using two different cameras on a tripod, just in case one doesn’t turn out and Lorraine likes to make sure all timesheets are completed correctly and odometer readings recorded. This year we did it on our own, which gave us time for reflection. We also timed it so that we finished on D-Day, making it even more poignant. 

Why do it every year? Because we can, and because the number of dealerships that exist seems to change, thus changing our routes, making it more interesting and sometimes more challenging. For example, we did the extreme Iron Hog in 2023, which for us included all the dealerships and also visiting Land’s End and John o’ Groats; roads were closed and so we had to take detours, adding time onto our journey, but the challenge still had to be completed in the given time. 

The Iron Hog can be as simple or as complicated as the individual or group make it.    

As you can see, we’ve chosen to have a copy of the front cover of The Enthusiast^® in the photo, so that we can then submit this in the ABCs of Touring contest, which is an annual H.O.G.^® challenge. This then gave us a good base to start collecting more points by visiting different places, both at home and abroad.  

Once again, photos were taken along the way, which had to include us, our bikes, the place sign and a copy of The Enthusiast. We then submitted all of these via the website and our score was calculated. We came third and were awarded €250 to spend at an H-D^® dealership of our choosing. We’ve previously held first place, so come and give it a go – what’ve you got to lose? We all like to get out and ride and, although sometimes it’s good to just ride where our trusty steeds take us, other times it’s great to have a purpose!

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