Oily Hand's Life with MGs |
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I like video taken by others. Here's one of the 2014 Beamish Run. Many great cars. Numbum makes a brief appearance at 3.07
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For a while now we've carried our picnic chairs on the luggage rack of the TA wrapped in an old piece of plastic sheeting. It flaps about in the wind and generally looks a mess. I decided to see about getting a better cover made and had one custom made at a very reasonable price. Before After
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. 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. 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. It was quite warm, sitting in Howards Cafe in Stokesley, as we did our usual job of signing on the entrants for this annual run. This year it was a bit different with this start in Stokesley and another at Bamburgh Castle, both finishing on the Palace Green in Durham. We were expecting 33 at Stokesley but by the time we were relieved of our post there were only 30 signed on. Two had phoned to say they weren't coming. I don't know what happened to the other. In glorious sunshine we were the first car flagged away at 10 o clock, the same time as the first car from Banburgh. The run was a great 87 miles, taking us through some lovely villages & towns and a good mix of super driving roads. The glorious weather helped quite a bit too. Once again my inability to manage modern technology meant that there wasn't as much video as I would have liked. We took our time and enjoyed ourselves, choosing to stop en route for sandwiches, rather than use the planned lunch stop. The scenery was a bit better. We arrived on the Palace Green to join the other cars in this beautiful space. The historic architecture made a great backdrop. After a cuppa, a cream scone and some serious chinwagging, it was finally time to say goodbye and head for home.
An email invitation to this event prompted us to see what it was like. The start was at the clubhouse with signing on between 9 & 10am and as the clubhouse is only a 15 minute drive from home we didn't have to be up too early. We arrived just after nine and parked up with the other early arrivals in the lovely grounds of this fine clubhouse. As number 16 our start time was 10.16 so we had plenty of time for meeting old and new friends. The run was 55 miles over some great roads and the weather was scorching. It was the first time this year that I was driving in shirt sleeves. I wish they had been short sleeves as I was roasting most of the day. Somebody in the club must have some serious influence with the weather gods! Old Numbum handled the day with ease, apart from a slight misfire when we stated up after stopping for a cuppa. The heat soak from the hot engine caused a bit of vapour lock in the carbs but it didn't last long. We arrived back at the clubhouse just after two and the barbeque was up & running for those who wanted to partake of a burger or sausage. After a bit more chinwagging it was time to head for the short trip home. All in all, a great day and our thanks go to all who made it happen. Once again it was an early start for us to do the 50 mile drive in Numbum to Corbridge to do our signing on duties for this great annual run. The drive up was uneventful apart from a slight misfire at higher revs and restricted visibility due to heavy mist. We arrived in good time and were soon in the cafe having a warming cuppa as the entrants turned up to sign on. As usual it was good to meet old friends and some new ones too. Signing on is a bit hectic at times so chat time was limited but we made up for that later in the day. While we were doing our bit, it started to rain and that was it for the day. It never really stopped. Our start time was 10.30 and we were the first away. The wipers had never worked so much and in time the sweep was becoming narrower and narrower but the motor was making its full range of movement so it was obvious that the clamp nut was not as tight as it should be. We pressed on and fixed the problem at the lunch halt at Allendale. The afternoon section was just as good as the morning section and incuded a couple of fords. An alternate route was available for those who didn't want to run through water. No prizes for guessing which route we took! Arriving back at Corbridge around 3pm, there was time for a few photos and a cream tea. I had two in car cams running all day so hoped for some good video of the run. Sadly that was not to be. Despite everything appearing normal with the cams, there wasn't a single bleeping frame of video when I got home. I hate modern technology! Thankfully Nick Owen agreed to set up my hand held camera at one of the fords and this is the result. Thanks, Nick. Despite the cold & rain, we had a great day with good friends. Thanks to Nick for planning the route, Lyn for all the backroom work, and Charlotte with her team of marshals for making this all possible.
We arrived home 11 hours after we set out and covered 196 enjoyable miles. We decided to take Numbum to the Daffodil run organised by the Yorkshire Centre of the MG Car Club. The start was on the outskirts of York so it was a quick hour's dash down the A19. After collecting our instructions and plaque, we had time for a cuppa and some great conversation with old friends and new people. This was a 'set off when you like' event so we hit the road about 10 and soon found we were in trouble, along with quite a few others. Many cars on the wrong roads wasn't in the plan. Thankfully a good samaritan came along and led us to the correct route. It was all part of the day and it was a bonus that we travelled some roads that we weren't supposed to. After that, it was plain sailing all the way. The weather was dry but it was a bit bleak over the moors with a strong wind. That was nothing we weren't used to. Back at the finish, it was time for refreshments & more natter before heading off for home. Door to door was 183 fun filled miles and a big thank you goes to Chris Flanagan for finding some super roads to travel. |
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
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