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Barnsley
to Beijing & Beyond:
Follow the adventures of Bob & Lynn Douglas and Mark & Sheila
Masters as they travel in their MG TC’s from Barnsley to Beijing.
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Reviews
Chilly Willy Run 1st
January 2012
Sixteen months after our last run ended with us broken down and the embarrassment of going home on the back of an AA transporter we met with other club members, at the Bank View Café in Langsett, for this year’s Chilly Willy Run. After a delicious breakfast we drove out of the car park and an AA van was right behind us! Mum said that she’d warned them to be on standby. We turned right up the hill and luckily it didn’t follow.
Blustery wind,
squally rain and mild temperatures were a marked difference in the
weather to the previous two years of ice and snow. Last year was so
cold our Magnette’s radiator, despite the anti-freeze in it, was
frozen solid, preventing us going anywhere.
After driving along
some very picturesque country lanes we gradually got closer and
closer to some very large wind turbines, so close in fact, that I
could spot differences in design between different groups of
turbines.
We gradually
climbed higher up the hills until we reached the viewpoint at Holme
Moss, 525m above sea level. There we saw the only other MG until the
end of the run. (Dad set off before most of the others as our car is
slower, expecting the others to catch up and overtake somewhere
along the way.) Mum and I stepped out of the car to take a couple of
photographs but quickly retreated, out of the wind, back into the
warmth of the car.
We passed Torside
Reservoir the first of two reservoirs that we would pass today. I
was impressed by the two railway viaducts branching out across the
valley when driving along the A624. Travelling along more Derbyshire
country lanes we passed ramblers dressed in waterproofs with their
heads down, battling against the wind and rain.
After passing Ladybower Reservoir we headed for Strines Moor.
We made it up the hill only after dropping down to first gear
on the tight bend. A little later Dad hit a dip in the road a bit
too fast and I bumped my head on the roof of the car. Mum commented
that Dad should perhaps slow down a little as Mk4 Magnettes are not
built for flying! She also told me not to complain about bumping my
head as the only MG with more headroom would be a softtop with the
hood down, not really practical for the weather we were having.
Dad was having so
much fun that he completely missed the entrance to The Mustard Pot
and had to turn round at the end of the road and go back.
We were first to arrive at the café to start the run and very
surprisingly were first to finish too, considering that our car
likes to toddle along at 50mph.
The Caledonian 3
Day Borders Tour
30th
April – 2nd May 2011
The marriage of William and
Kate certainly had an effect on plans by North Yorkshire MG Car Club
members booked on this year’s Caledonian 3 Day Tour for an early morning
departure. Our better halves insisting they be free to watch the
ceremony, and the trip back to
Once settled in our Travelodge
rooms, and inevitably catching up on the earlier events in
Early Saturday morning we were
up, and polishing the MG’s ready for the big day. The road from Berwick
to the start at Kelso was a pleasant precursor to the coming weekend.
Smooth and lacking potholes, the B6461 featured long straights, and some
banked curves, ideal for 60’s and 70’s sports cars, and
the RV8. During the 23 mile journey, only
one vehicle was seen going in the opposite direction, giving us our
first indication of the low traffic density in the Borders region.
Kelso - click on image to enlarge
Upon
entering the
Thoughts of future events were
put to one side, as all too soon old friends were left behind, and we
took our place in the queue for the start of the fifty mile morning run.
This was to be a circular route arriving back in Kelso in time for
lunch. With hoods down under a clear blue sky, and eager to get our
first real taste of the Borders, we were honoured to be waved off by
Alasdair Hutton, the Convenor of the Borders Council at one minute
intervals. This obviously worked very well because we caught few MG’s
up, thus avoiding the convoy situation.
The Borders area remains a well
kept secret as far as the public are concerned. The scenery, although
less grand than the
The afternoon jaunt proved
every bit as enjoyable, as we made
our way through the
Borders to the Macdonald Cadrona Hotel, which was to be our base for the
weekend. An inspired choice, standing alone in it’s extensive grounds,
and fully living up to it’s four star status, with every facility
including a fitness room, swimming pool, spa, and
naturally
being Scotland, a Golf Course. Our hosts could not have selected better.
The Saturday night festivities
began at seven, when we gathered for a
Sunday began with a full
Scottish breakfast, vital preparation for the coming days events, which
featured a selection of different venues. One in particular was quite
unexpected. The Samye Ling Tibetan Monastery was featured as a suggested
coffee stop, and I’m sure many found it astonishing to discover this
large Buddhist settlement buried deep amongst the hills. The highly
ornate
Many other fascinating
attractions along the route were to follow, with opportunities to visit
Botanic and Walled gardens, a microbrewery inside Traquair House, which
dates back to 1107, and many others before returning to our hotel and a
chance for those so minded to visit the fitness room or to enjoy a
relaxing swim in the pool before dinner.
Sunday evening activities
commenced with another first class three course meal, followed by the
customary quiz, which this year was a test of one’s memory of the
sequences in which we had visited the many landmarks along the route
during the past two days. It is worrying to discover how quickly one
loses track! A
raffle,and then the eagerly awaited
result of “The car I would most like to take home” competition. Won to
loud applause by Yorkshire’s own Geoffrey Wilson, with his 1937 MG VA,
and finally the “Furthest Travelled To The Event Award “, won by Charlie
and Pat Cartwright in a 1933 MG J2 , who certainly showed fortitude by
driving from Penzance in Cornwall, a journey that takes Charlie three
days, whilst wife Pat, wisely lets the train take the strain.
The final day dawned with the
bright sunshine and clear blue skies we had enjoyed throughout this
year’s event. The
Certainly the
Daffodil Run Easter Sunday 2011
24th April 2011
Although we were off to a
chilly start, the sun soon began to shine and hoods stayed down for the
whole of the run and by the time we reached our destination we were
reaching for the factor 30.
click on image to enlarge
We were not disappointed though
as we travelled a little further on the route we were delighted by
carpets of bluebells in the woods above
Once out of the vale of York we climbed high into the
beautiful hills surrounding Castle Howard, which gives them their name,
with spectacular views around every corner, travelling through the
little hidden gems of hamlets and villages the best being the little
hillside village of Oswaldkirk.
A pit stop was a must at the
top of the locally know ‘chimney stacks’ where the view from the parking
area stretched across miles of rugged countryside.
This year there were a number of choices
for a lunch stop, and our group found our way to Yorkshire Lavender, a
garden centre devoted entirely to that fragrant plant and a very nice
coffee shop with delicious cakes – and yes- the crockery and linen in
the coffee shop was a lovely shade of lavender.
click on image to enlarge
After lunch we continued
driving along tracks and undiscovered roads back to the finish point at
the Sidings Restaurant for afternoon tea.
For those who like to experience the
exhilaration of the high speed trains whizzing past on the adjoining
London – Edinburgh line it’s a good place to be, for the rest of us it
was a well earned cuppa and scone.
click on image to enlarge
With a record number of cars joining the run this
year – 70 in total- it was a difficult job for the Sidings staff to
judge the winner, however the honours this year went to Claire & Ian
Barber in their 1972 Midget receiving an Easter egg, a plaque and meal
for 2 at the Sidings Restaurant
There was an extra award this
year, for the enthusiasts that had travelled the furthest to join the
run, this prize a bottle of brandy & Easter egg went to Robert Ingham
Who had sent his application from
Our thanks once again need to go to Carol and David
for organising the run and for once again finding tracks and roads in
the Howardian Hills that we haven’t travelled on before.
So why not make a note of the
date of next year’s Daffodil run, Easter Sunday 8th April 2012 and come
to
Marjorie Rogan
