Event
Report
The
YDCCC Treasure Hunt
Report
by Dave Simpson
We all
gathered in the Golden Lion car park eagerly anticipating an interesting,
enjoyable, gentle tour around some country lanes, with just a few teasing
clues to find, just to make it interesting. Boy how wrong can you be?
 The
first club treasure hunt of the year was well attended with a mix of
traditional cars and a few more modern ones making up the numbers. This was
the first club event for new members Tom Pearson and his wife, Steve and Val
Wardle and Steve and Dot Baker, all with various MG’s making a total of
eight starters.
The day was
exactly as ordered with bags of sun and high temperatures, a perfect day in
fact. Organized by Alan Hardcastle (his first attempt at such an event)
there was a suggestion afterwards that he take over planning the Monte Carlo
Rally for next year.
We left at
intervals and headed out towards South Otterington turning in the village
and making across country to Ainderby and then Scruton and by way of every
back road available towards Bedale. Not to taxing so far, clues were coming
at regular intervals, some found and some missed, not to worry we’ll pick
up points later on (wishful thinking on my part). We progressed by way of
Langthorne and just about every country lane in that part of Yorkshire, only
to find ourselves heading into Swaledale via Reeth, then the fun really
started. Through Healaugh across the river and climbing up over the top into
Wenslydale.
 Up
there you are not far from the clouds with a really magnificent view of the
Dale, then eventually down into Askrigg and along to Castle Bolton where we
had to ask the opinion of the medieval guards as to which was the original
arch at the castle entrance. They didn’t know either so we just guessed.
It was here
that we found the perfect answer, (or so we thought) to controlling Mrs.
Bonnie Hardcastle, so we put her in the stocks, but it didn’t keep her
quiet for long, so we let her out again as Bry needed her to read the rest
of the clues for him on the way back.
The return was
by way of Leyburn and Bedale and eventually back to town to the secretaries
house to find the Barbie well and truly alight and some much needed
refreshment both in the solid and liquid state.
 Alan
was waiting to mark the papers and to take some stick about getting his
right and left mixed up in the region of Hornby castle but we all found it
in the end.
The day did
not pass without some minor mechanical drama, as is often the case with cars
of this type and is all part of the fun. Toms Midget took offence and
decided to just stop at one point, but soon fixed by a rough adjustment of
the CB points and an odd noise on Steve’s MG B was traced to a loose brake
caliper which was secured enough to complete the course, well done Steve.
This was a
really testing route of approx 80/90 miles (most cars did more miles) over
some very rough country with a lot of fiendish questions thrown in. The
eventual winners being Bry and Bonnie, much to Bonnie’s surprise and
delight as she had been close to winning in previous years and had at last
succeeded.
The
club would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported the
event Alan Hardcastle (Event Organiser) Dave (for his hospitality) and Kate
& Rachel (for the Barbie).
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