Scotland in 4 Seasons Magazine

Lambrettas, steel toe-capped boots and Ben Nevis

by Linda Mellor

Lawrie Robertson was a young mechanic working in a busy garage in Kirkcaldy, Fife. The County Motors (Kirkcaldy) Ltd, on Junction Road, was popular for car and motorbike sales, repairs, and fuel. Dysart born and bred Lawrie had left school at 15 to follow his passion to work with engines. In 1954, he commenced work in the County Motors stores before he started his Motor Mechanics Apprenticeship one year later. In 1957, each weekend, 18-year-old Lawrie drove the garage’s A40 pick-up truck from Fife, over the Firth of Forth on the local ferry, to the motor dealer, Alexanders of Edinburgh, to collect more stock. The County Motors were a Lambretta Agent and three Lambrettas could be loaded on to the back of the A40 pickup. On Saturday mornings, Lawrie, often accompanied by his future wife, Janette (they married in 1960), took the A40 pick-up to the slipway at North Queensferry to board the ferry for the thirty-minute journey across the Forth. The ferry was always busy service, *four ferries used to make over 40,000 crossings each year and carried 1.5million people, 600,00 cars and 200,000 goods vehicles. When the Forth Road Bridge was opened in 1964, the ferries stopped running. Boats had transported people across the Firth of Forth for nearly 900 years. Lambretta scooters were legendary, the brand was the fashion icon of its day, and were ridden by the likes of James Dean and Rock Hudson. The name Lambretta originated from the river Lambro flowing through the district Lambrate, homeland of the scooter. It is also a derivative of Lambrus, which means light (in weight), quick, and nimble. Created in Ferdinando Innocenti’s struggling steel tubing factory in the Lambarte district of Milan in northern Italy, Lambretta rose to fame as the vehicle of choice for the masses after World War II. The motor-scooter was the designer must-have of its time: fun, reliable, affordable, and available in six pastel colours. Keen to promote Lambretta scooters, Alexanders of Edinburgh organised a publicity ride to the top of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. Two riders were selected for the publicity stunt. On Saturday 15th June 1957, two riders, Geoff Parker and Lewis ‘Ludo’ Moore set off. They rode two new Mark 2 Model D 150cc, two-stroke Lambrettas from Alexanders to Fort William.

The 140-mile ride was basically a shake-down run before the big event the following day.

“I do recall the clear blue skies, sunshine, and the heat when we set off up the hill that morning.”

On Sunday 16th June, Parker and Moore on their Lambretta scooters set off up a rough track to the top of Ben Nevis. They were accompanied by a support team of 15 helpers. Lawrie Robertson was one of the 15 helpers invited to the event. It was a mixed group which included a sales director of Lambretta, an advertising agent, and representatives from Avons and Castrol. Lawrie told us, “My Uncle (County Motors Owner, Captain John Wales) and I, had driven up from Fife in his Hillman Husky on the Saturday and spent the night in a Fort William Hotel. On Sunday morning, we were up early. After a great breakfast and armed with a packed lunch of sandwiches prepared by the hotel, we drove to the meeting point. We parked up at the foot of the mountain where we met up with the rest of the group. After we had posed for photos with the riders on their Lambretta scooters, we all set off up the 4,413 ft mountain about 9 o’clock. My memory may be a little vague these days, but I do recall the clear blue skies, sunshine, and the heat when we started our climb up the hill that morning.” The first 2,000 ft. were climbed via a narrow goat track full of rough boulders, Lawrie said, “it was a tough climb for the scooters and the helpers. The rocks and boulders made it difficult for the scooter tyres to find any grip and the intense heat challenged the helpers. There were narrow wooden bridges and sections of the track had been washed away by rain. By the time we climbed to the loch (Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe) about halfway up, some of the larger members of the group struggled with the hike. They were hampered by their lack of condition and the extreme temperatures. A number of the group were unable to go on any further and gave up at the loch.”

“..and my steel toe cap work boots. They were fine sturdy boots for the rough tracks, but my feet were raw with blisters.”

It had been a three-hour climb to this point in blistering heat, the cloudless sky and full sun meant the temperature had reached more than 80 degrees. Lewis Moore’s scooter clutch burnt out and he had to give up his attempt to ride to the top. Lawrie said, “seven of us carried on, we followed Geoff Parker’s scooter towards the summit. The heat was so intense. We did not have any of the fancy outdoors clothing and walking footwear you see people wearing these days. I was wearing a light shirt, trousers, and my steel toe cap work boots. They were fine sturdy boots for the rough tracks, but my feet were raw with blisters.”

Opposite page: group photo before the climb. Lawrie is in the back row, and his Uncle is far left. Left: the heat and the rough track full of boulders made it a tough climb for the Lambretta and the helpers. Below right: A Castrol promotion after the Ben Nevis climb. All supplied by Nige Grant, LCS.

Lawrie continued, “we helped get Geoff Parker and his scooter over the ravines and he managed to get to the top of the mountain a little before us. It felt great when we reached the snow-covered mountain top and the cooler air. After we had some refreshments and a short rest, we posed for more pictures and got ready for the descent.” It took them five hours to ascend and two and a half to get back down to their base. During the last 1,000 ft. rocks and boulders had buckled the silencer of Geoff Parker’s Lambretta. After a quick inspection, the silencer was removed. Once back at the base, Parker’s Lambretta was checked over and found to be in surprisingly good condition with some light damage to the framework. On 16th June 1957, the temperature was recorded at 85 °C. “We sweltered in the heat from the sun all day. I was not a mountaineer, but I have to say, it was a good climb in steel toe-cap work boots. Since then, I have been back up Ben Nevis on two more occasions.” Sitting in their Dysart home with his wife, Janette, 82-year-old Lawrie laughed, “but it was nothing like climbing the mountain as broad shouldered 18-year-old in his prime!” Lambretta won the 1957 Ben Nevis Trophy for the first scooter to climb Ben Nevis. Each helper was presented with an engraved lighter as a memento of the event. Nige Grant of the Lambretta Club of Scotland (LCS) told Scotland in 4 Seasons, “the two scooters that attempted the climb are still on the go and belong to members of the LCS. The one ridden by Ludo Moore (which didn't make it) is on the road and is ridden quite regularly all over the UK, the one that did make it, ridden by Geoff Parker, is in bits currently being restored and the last time I seen it (two years ago) it was looking immaculate, but it is proving a challenge sourcing original parts to finish it off.”

We would like to extend our thanks to Nige Grant from The Lambretta Club of Scotland for his help and use of photographs.