Yorkshire Dales 29th May– 1st June 2009
Not the Bank Holiday
Weekend Away Roger Schofield
(…or what is your Dale-y drive?)
By rights, this should be a very short article; words cannot adequately
convey just what a great trip this was. However, I have tried to capture
the essence of it – not just for the benefit of those who were unable to
join in, but also to remind those who did go, just what a great trip it
was and how much hard work went into making it the success that it was.
This was P&D’s 5th Annual long weekend away, (previous sorties have
included Scotland, the Isle of Man, Cumbria and Wales), and for this
trip, the hotel in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales had been booked for
2 years to make sure that we could get as many members as possible
accommodated in the same hotel. (In fact, we took all the rooms and
still had to take a couple of rooms in a nearby B&B!)
Whilst we hoped for good weather, we never expected the best weather of
the year thus far – but we certainly got it!
Thirteen MGs plus Graham & Julie’s Porsche were booked on the trip but
work commitments and a lighting fault meant that three cars had to join
the party further down the road. The age of the MGs spanned over 60
years (from Bill’s ’39 TA up to Mick & Chris Bamber’s 2001 F) with
engine sizes ranging from Mark and Karen’s small but perfectly formed
‘A’ series right up to Andy’s mighty 4.6. Whatever your poison, we had
it covered!
Day 1 (Friday 29th May; weather - sunny) – Muster was 9.00 at the Swallow Hotel on the A59 at Salmesbury with the first day comprising 4 x ‘Tulip’ style navigation exercises split by coffee/tea stops during the morning & afternoon and a most agreeable lunch at the Tennant Arms pub in Kilnsey (just north of Skipton).
Lunch at the Tennant Arms.
The fourth exercise concluded at the Kearton Country Hotel in Thwaite – our home for the next three nights and by this time, we had a full complement of cars.
Members relaxing in the hotel garden.
After a hot day on the road, a shower before dinner was the order of the day before we dined ‘regally’ from the Kearton’s excellent menu; (everyone vowing to ‘eat light’ at breakfast).
Day 2 (Saturday 30th May; weather – very sunny) – After cooked
breakfasts all round, sun tan lotion was liberally applied and the crews
were split into two teams – the Testosterones and the Tortoises – for a
convoy run to a late morning coffee stop at the Tan Hill Inn (the
highest pub in Britain and the location for those Everest double glazing
adverts). The Testosterones set off first and arrived in double quick
time, but the question remains – did they see as much of the scenery as
the Tortoises who arrived (not too long) afterwards? The landlady of the
Tan Hill Inn picked her favourite car and Bill’s TA took the honours.
Some of the Testosterons
The Testosterones and the Tortoises then set off in their respective teams for convoy runs into Richmond where the afternoon was free for sightseeing, shopping and generally resting up ahead of the following day’s marathon (or 5 marathons to be precise).
Day 3 (Sunday 31st May; weather – very sunny again) – The Sunday run was
a circular route of around 135 miles which the crews had to plot
themselves based on grid references (and using maps) provided by Bill.
(This had been Saturday’s ‘homework’!) The route headed north-west from
Thwaite, once again climbing the 1:4s and over Tan Hill again before
by-passing Appleby (and its horse fair) as we headed towards our morning
coffee stop at the Stag Inn in Dufton where we were joined by Jeff Reid
& his son, David in Jeff’s roaring 4.6.
After Bill’s TA picked up another 1st (this time from the landlady of
the Stag Inn), we headed further north-west and then east via Melmerby,
Garrigill and Nenthead, across stunning mountain roads before the lunch
stop at Allendale – where we were honoured guests at the Allendale Fair.
They had set aside reserved parking for us, and after driving as a
cavalcade through the village square, we put on a colourful, static
display of shiny cars whilst we enjoyed the fete – complete with an
excellent junior ‘karaoke’ (where do they get the confidence?) and a
bar-b-que which was doing excellent trade. Only a minor hiccup with an
overheating battery prevented Bill’s TA from leading us into Allendale,
but a bit of good fortune with a garage owner (who owned 2 MGs himself)
who came up with a new battery saw Bill arriving shortly after everyone
else and taking his rightful place in the ‘line-up’. With 70 miles still
to run, we pointed the cars south-east towards Barnard Castle (and the
only fuel stop on the route) before heading due south and then east on
the home run. What a day! Stunning scenery, great roads, fabulous
weather – and we all still managed to eat like locusts when we sat down
for dinner at 7:30.
Day 4 (Monday 1st June; weather – very, very sunny and set to get hotter). After one last cooked breakfast (diets starting on Tuesday) the cars were packed, yet more sun tan lotion was applied, we bade our farewells and headed for home. Many opted to drive over the spectacular Buttertubs Pass towards Hawes – so another ‘impromptu’ convoy formed up. Heading from east to west, Buttertubs Pass is a great driving road; if you haven’t driven it yet, what are you waiting for? The Ribblehead Viaduct, alas without steam locomotives, provided an impressive backdrop and a convenient rest stop for an ice cream and a last photo opportunity before we headed back into the real world.
The Ribblehead Viaduct
So what made this trip so great? In short – everything. Bill Ryding had
put in a huge amount of effort in arranging every detail of this trip -
and it showed. Thwaite is a lovely village in the heart of the Yorkshire
Dales and the hotel staff worked tirelessly to make sure we had a good
time. The food was excellent and if the bedrooms were not quite as
palatial as we might have come to expect
– they were certainly adequate. The weather just got better and better,
the roads were quiet and the scenery was stunning. Each day‘s activities
were different; day 1 – Tulips, day 2 – convoys & free time; day 3 –
route plotting and navigation; day 4 – a fast run for the border (and
home). The rest stops were well planned, everyone was keen to mix and
get to know one another better - the list just goes on. But the
foundation remains Bill Ryding; without his immense effort, hard work
and meticulous planning, it could have been a very different story – if,
indeed, there had been a story to tell.
Thank you, Bill.