This was the twelfth consecutive time we'd done this run. We've won 5 bronze awards, 4 silver, one gold and failed to finish once. What we will get this time is anybody's guess, but we don't care. The run, the cars and the company is what it's all about.
We set off from home in light drizzle which turned to proper rain as we headed up the A167. I switched on the wipers and nothing happened!!!. Thankfully, Pam was able to operate them manually every now & then to keep the view reasonably clear. She was pleased when the rain stopped as her fingers were getting tired.
Arriving early at Beamish gave us plenty of time to sign on and do the usual run up the hill to the toilets before getting away before our allotted time.
We set off from home in light drizzle which turned to proper rain as we headed up the A167. I switched on the wipers and nothing happened!!!. Thankfully, Pam was able to operate them manually every now & then to keep the view reasonably clear. She was pleased when the rain stopped as her fingers were getting tired.
Arriving early at Beamish gave us plenty of time to sign on and do the usual run up the hill to the toilets before getting away before our allotted time.
The morning run was uneventful. As quite often happens we were amongst some slower cars & bikes which took some getting past on narrow twisty roads but we made reasonable progress. There was low cloud over the hilltops which reduced visibility and made things rather damp.
We arrived at Bainbridge without trouble and picked up our quiz sheet and departure number. The departure number was a new system to try to alleviate the mad scramble on departure and it worked. Very little queuing and no motorcycles pushing up to the front. Brilliant!!
After a liesurely lunch and a wander around looking at the cars and chatting to some interesting people, it was time to set off again. This is where the fun started. The exit point was at the high end of the green and had a steepish curb down to the road. We got the front wheels over the hump and came to a dead halt with the bottom of the TA firmly against the grass. Much pushing and shoving later with Pam out of the car we finally made it onto the road without damage. There was a guy there with a video camera who I think was making the official video of the run. I'll have to buy a copy to see if we're on it.
We arrived at Bainbridge without trouble and picked up our quiz sheet and departure number. The departure number was a new system to try to alleviate the mad scramble on departure and it worked. Very little queuing and no motorcycles pushing up to the front. Brilliant!!
After a liesurely lunch and a wander around looking at the cars and chatting to some interesting people, it was time to set off again. This is where the fun started. The exit point was at the high end of the green and had a steepish curb down to the road. We got the front wheels over the hump and came to a dead halt with the bottom of the TA firmly against the grass. Much pushing and shoving later with Pam out of the car we finally made it onto the road without damage. There was a guy there with a video camera who I think was making the official video of the run. I'll have to buy a copy to see if we're on it.
The afternoon section was pretty good with quite a few people about to cheer us on. This made the poor weather more bearable. Even the long stretch between Tan Hill and Romaldkirk had some spectators on it. At the Romaldkirk checkpoint we were surprised to meet some friends who were there for other reasons and hadn't realised the run was on till they saw the cars. Unexpected things like that brighten up the day.
We made it back to the Beamish Museum just after half past four and signed off. I didn't win any raffle prizes, drat! After drinking the last of the flasks it was time to head for home after a very enjoyable day.
We made it back to the Beamish Museum just after half past four and signed off. I didn't win any raffle prizes, drat! After drinking the last of the flasks it was time to head for home after a very enjoyable day.
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