Oily Hand's Life with MGs |
|
We took the short trip in the B GT to South Bank to support a friend who was competing in his MGB. The warm sun was shining and it was a great day. We were able to walk around the paddock and get up close & personal with the great cars. Some superb driving with few incidents made it a good day out. There were so many MGCC Tyne Tees members there it was almost like a club meeting.
0 Comments
This was the first of what we hope will be an annual event, set in the stunning scenery of the North Pennines. We took the B GT to help out with marshalling. The first section we marshalled was 5a and we headed straight to the hill and signed on. This was a fairly easy section and we drove the GT to the section end to observe there. Needless to say that as our road car made it easily, everybody else cleared the section. From there it was off to the lunch stop where we were treated to free coffee & food. We found out that if we had gone to the start instead of straight to the section, we would have got bacon butties there. Not everybody made it through the morning without damage. Some of the sections were considerably tougher than 5a. After a pleasant break, it was off to section 10. This was an autotest on some quite rough ground. From here it was back to the start, where a hot meal awaited us. We were still fairly stuffed from lunchtime so we settled for a cuppa. This was great from a marshal's point of view as a lot of the time you barely get thanks for the time we put in. To have free food all day was amazing. Other clubs please note!!
All in all it was a great day and it went well considering it was the first time. The weather gods smiled on us. We found out later that all had enjoyed the day. It was an interesting afternoon in pleasant surroundings, apart from the rain. We arrived in the middle of the lunch break and it was wet. It got wetter but by the time they started running again it stopped raining and the course dried out a bit. One concern was leaving. The way in was through a gate and it was pretty muddy on the way in but it was downhill and gravity helped. With more rain and an uphill run though the muddy gateway I had doubts about getting out without a tow. Thankfully we made it, slipping and sliding, but we made it!
With only one video camera working, I decided to save it for our visit to the Rest and be Thankful hillclimb road. This road was used for competitive hillclimbs until around 1970 when it was decided that it was unsafe for that purpose. Since then it has only been opened on occasions with the permission of the landowners and today was one of those days. Although the road has been resurfaced, it was still a great drive on a road that has been driven by many motoring legends. While we were waiting at the bottom of the hill I was approached by the driver of a GT who had followed us along some great twisty roads. I was surprised and pleased when he asked if my car was modified as he was having trouble keeping up with me. I haven't done any engine mods since I bought the car and nothing was said by the previous owners about any mods so I can only assume I've got a good one. The Daimler & Lanchester owners were also using the hill and it was a surprise to see this lovely Daimler which used to be owned by a friend of mine. After a leisurely drive to Callender we had afternoon tea, courtesy of the Caledonian Centre before saying our farewells and heading for home.
On the way back home we had an unplanned detour which took us through Falkirk. This was a bit of a pain but had the bonus of spotting a cheap fuel station so we took advantage of it and filled up. Hunger caught up with us on the way back and we looked for somewhere to eat. West Woodburn was the first place we came to and The Bay Horse was the first pub. In we went and ordered a 12" pizza to share. Wow! What a pizza. It was absolutely loaded with meat & cheese. We struggled to finish it, but it was so good, we weren't about to leave any. If you're passing West Woodburn and hungry, this is the place to eat. We arrived home happy, with the windscreen covered in Scottish bugs. Today's mileage was 295. The whole trip was 697 miles. Average fuel consumption was 31 mpg and the old girl used half a pint of oil. It was a wonderful weekend in good company with a good hotel. What more could you want? A huge thank you to all those in the Caledonian Centre who made it possible. We plan to be back and would love to do it with the TA if home life permits. Today was a relaxing day. With a return to the same hotel there was no need to pack up the car. After a hearty breakfast we set off to explore this lovely area. Sadly the weather wasn't in a good mood and it was damp & misty for most of the day. We stopped at a viewing point for the Kyles of Bute. Having travelled so far to get there I decided a picture was essential. The Caledonian guys had planned a route for us which included detours to places of interest and we visited them all. Some lovely roads and it's a shame that once again the video equipment wasn't cooperating so we didn't get much worth showing. A good day, despite the weather and we returned to the hotel for more good food, entertainment and liquid refreshment. Another 103 miles on the clock.
Well!! What can I say? A magical start to a super weekend. We got up early enough to have a wake up coffee before setting off to the Falkirk Wheel to sign on, collect our goody pack and have a bacon butty before taking a ride on the wheel. This is a marvelous piece of engineering in a lovely setting and the chance to see it and ride on it was worth the trip all on its own. Our boatmaster was one funny girl. She had us all in stitches. There was a good view of the cars from the top of the wheel. After the trip on the wheel and taking some photos, it was time to hit the road. Some great driving roads and some views which could have been improved with sunshine, but this is the UK after all so sunshine is optional. Arriving at the hotel we found that parking was a tad on the tight side, but brillaint guidance from the marshals got us all in. The hotel was great. Warm comfortable room and good food. The evening entertainment was a bonus and I imbibed just enough to venture onto the dance floor. Sorry, no photos of that!!
Only 91 miles today, but they were fun filled miles. To join the MG Car Club Caledonian Centre for their three day 'Doon The Watter' tour. A start time of 9am at the Falkirk Wheel would have meant a start at stupid o clock if we'd travelled on the Saturday, so we set off a day early and would be staying overnight in Falkirk. Avoiding motorways we headed the MGB GT up the A68 to a few miles past Jedburgh then cut across country to Peebles, Galashiels then on to Falkirk. At the border we did the touristy thing and took a few photos. We missed a junction in Galashiels and Pam said " Never mind, keep going and take the next left." The next left has a road closed sign!!!. Ah well, on to the next left. This road was open and what a fine little road it was. Not all mistakes turn out bad. Using the sat nav we ended up at a Premier Inn, not the Travelodge we were looking for but we soon found the right place. We were in the good company of a VA, a C and a TF. After some good grub in the nearby pub it was time to settle down for the night, ready for the fun to begin on Saturday.
208 trouble free miles. |
AuthorHi, I'm Owen and I've been having fun with MGs since 1970, starting with my 1937 MGTA. Since then I've had three Y types and a couple of Z Magnettes. I now have a 1971 MGB GT along with the TA and my wife and I are still having fun Archives
September 2020
Categories
All
|