September 18th to 20th 2009

This year we again based our event in Bowness-on-Windermere at the Burnside Hotel. Every year the hotel reserves space for us in the far car park and although this year it did involve blocking each other in a little, we managed to squeeze everyone (I think) in.

On Saturday morning the group split into two. About half of the group had a relaxing day at the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway, with a few people even leaving their cars at the hotel and taking a lake cruise to get there. The rest took a scenic route, with a treasure hunt for those suffering withdrawal symptoms from the NTPR. We travelled over Kirkstone Pass and along the shore of Ullswater to the visitor centre at Rheged, just outside Penrith. The weather could have been better, with low cloud for most of the day and a few light showers; although being the Lake District it could also have been a lot worse! After lunch the treasure hunt continued as we made our way back south along the old A6 over Shap summit. Before the building of the M6 motorway this was the main route between England and Scotland. It was a notorious drive, especially in winter, and I doubt anyone did it for fun. Now it is a great drive with hardly any traffic at all. Although no-one will have seen it there is even Rover interest here; the remains of a P2, lying on the bracken-covered steep hillside below the summit, which must have been there for over 40 years. We left the run early to leave the Discovery at home and return to the hotel driving the 16/50. At about 8 miles this was the furthest that the car had travelled under its own power in two years. As the song goes, it felt good to be back on the road again.

The excellent evening meal, with a picture of Ken Gundry's 16/50 on the menu, was followed by a social gathering in the hotel bar. We split into teams, theoretically of four, for the traditional quiz. This year it was organised by my daughter Fiona and tested members sufficiently that we did not have to use the tie-breaker questions I kept up my sleeve. Despite teams that looked to have a lot more than four members, and some attempts at using the internet via mobile phones, the quiz was won, without outside assistance, by a team of four led by John Peock. A good way to finish the day.

Sunday dawned fair. It was forecast to be dry and sunny so the top had to come down on the 16/50 for the drive to Holker Hall. Gates were meant to open at 11am and I set off in plenty of time to be ready for the initial rush. It was another faultless run in the 16/50, although I am still getting used to the crash gearbox with the gearlever on the 'wrong' side. Steering is very heavy at low speeds but once cruising at around 40 to 45 it drives very well. My good intentions of being the first to arrive were scuppered; there were at least ten cars there already. This did at least give me a ready supply of willing 'volunteers' to act as car-park attendants. With their sterling efforts we managed to park the cars mainly in classes, which we had not done at Holker Hall before, and this made judging a lot easier. There were around 80 cars, which is something of a record for recent years, it was great to see. We had examples of almost every Rover type between 1923 and the end of production, even three different types of P3s, so we were able to award the ‘tombstone’ trophy again this year. Full results for the weekend can be found on the Results 2009 page.

Following the prize giving we held the draw for the raffle. Thank you very much for everyone who gave prizes and bought tickets, the raffle does make a big difference and helps us to keep the entry fee down. Special mention must be made of Alex Vassie. This young man had been full of energy all weekend and, although he had no-one else of his own age to play with, really seemed to be enjoying himself. He had been speculating what he would win on the raffle; I think his dad Darren had his own ideas. When Alex's ticket came up he took his time considering the prizes and chose a bottle, but not the one his dad will have been eying up. As he returned to his mum and dad we thought it was very generous of him to choose a pack of car shampoo and cloths for his dad, although he was heard to comment that this washing-up liquid would make his bike look great! They came a long way, winning the furthest travelled award by just one mile, and we hope it won’t be too long before they make the great trek north again.

We missed a few friends this year who had to cancel due to ill health to themselves or family members, or who had car problems. We wish you all well and look forward to seeing you (and your cars!) again soon.

Once again I must give thanks to everyone who helped make the event a success: our hosts at Holker Hall, Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway and the Burnside Hotel; Stan Johnstone and Colin Blowers from the RP4DG; Paul & Sarah Gregory and Gill Drakeley who ran the raffle; and the car-park marshals. Throughout the year Gina, Calum and Fiona also assist with the organizing, especially when I am offshore. Without all your help the rally would not happen.

Next year’s event will again be the third week-end in September, 17th to 19th September 2010

Details will be on the web site in the New Near. We hope to see you in 2010.

Stewart Devlin & Colin Blowers