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Little Crakehall

What a great Rally we’ve had at Little Crakehall
Fun, games, cakes, we had an absolute ball
This Marshal team they can’t do enough
To find a better Rally, you’d find it tough
On Friday night they had a cake stall
What a beautiful display I could have eaten them all
I tell you Betty’s Tea Shop wouldn’t get a look in
So tremendous was the display of home baking
It’s from the Little Crakehall Rally
That the teenagers, go to Lightwater Valley
While others go to Masham to take a peep
At local produce and dancing sheep
I wouldn’t condone violence but you need to fight
To ensure you get to the Social on Saturday night
On laden tables set out you did find
Crackers, pickled onions and cheese of every kind
Throughout the night you heard occasional pleas
From John asking that we “eat up all the cheese”!
But I’m sorry John there was cheese left on the plate
Which means I’m afraid it’s going in your bait
We had quizmaster Dave who caused us to fear
When he asked us to spell words like “rhododendron” and “diarrhoea”
Then on to bingo to carry on with the fun
Especially when Doug shouted “I’ve won”
We all laughed, we thought it was funny
It was a false call but he had the last laugh coz he went on to win the money
Throughout the night the Sangria did flow
So I do think a big thank you we owe
To our Rally Marshals – so who do we have
Well there’s Janet and David who lost his ID so we call him Dav
Then there’s a couple that are one in a mill
Yes you’ve guessed, it’s Les and Syl
And then the unofficial helpers helping now and then
Big tall Dave and little tiny Gwen
And then the Marshals themselves who are so keen
So let’s have a round of applause for John and Jean

David Karen and Chloe Young

Catterick Races Rally
16 – 18th September 2011

Another year at Catterick Races where perfectly respectable visiting ralliers get picked on mercilessly. There must be some other reason for attending then ? ----------- nup, can’t think of one !!!!! or was it that my rally letter came with Appendix A, a second letter in Chinese ( well done Jayne ) with instruction that I had to translate it. As I never travel with my laptop at weekends, I failed miserably, hence having to pay the penance of a rally write-up.

I think that this is the 6th year this rally has run and the 6th year we have attended, starting with just over 30 outfits in 2006 to just under 100 this year – the 11 non attendees robbing our Marshalls of the 100 outfits they would dearly love to welcome to the newly refurbished Catterick Racecourse facilities.

This venue is very handy for a couple of pubs for food and drink – this year we chose the Bridge Hotel where we enjoyed meal deals, 2 very large mixed grills and a bottle of decent red wine for £22. We all thought it to be very good value for money and it certainly filled the hungry traveller.
Then there’s the two very well stocked caravan dealers, again within walking distance, perfect for those choosing a new caravan or needing yet another set of pans or barbecue. It’s certainly all there to entice us into opening our wallets.
Haven’t spent enough yet ? – then visit the renowned Sunday market just across the racecourse with literally something for everyone.

However, the biggest pocket emptying exercise comes on Saturday afternoon when we all pretend to know far more about horse racing than we could ever imagine. Every year we study form in the papers and swap tips when all along the biggest tip should be ‘’avoid the bookies’’
Sat up to the rails with a couple of drinks, lot of friends and a good bit of banter is really good fun though and not to be missed .

Saturday evening we sat with a couple of friends whilst other families attended a packed social with the usual fun and games you expect from this group of Marshalls.

Bearing in mind the amount of rain we had on Friday evening and threats of more heavy showers throughout the weekend, we were very lucky overall and again enjoyed a great couple of days with North Yorkshire Centre. As always, thanks for your hospitality and keep up the good work, those that attended really appreciate the effort you make.

Thanks to Jayne, Nigel, Lucy, Phyllis & Alan for looking after us together with your small army of helpers, especially the chaps who got soaked on Friday evening showing us all to our pitches.
May you at last have 100 attending outfits in 2012 – the weekend sure is good enough !!!

Andy & Lorraine

Pickering August 2011

As we had never attended this rally before we were unsure if to go, as we had heard bad reports due to flooding in previous years, so we decided to see for ourselves.
We arrived to find it was a ‘self pitch’ site, as John was taking his well earned afternoon nap. So it was legs down and we caught up with friends on the evening.
On Saturday morning we went on the organised walk around the lovely Reeth countryside, which ended at one of the local village pubs to have a nice meal enjoyed by all. Thanks to those involved in the organisation to make this such an enjoyable morning.
On the Saturday evening we went to the ‘midges’ quiz which was great fun, with Dave Young keeping us entertained as usual!
Sunday morning we received a knock at the door from our related organised neighbours, asking to borrow a bottle of gas..they had ran out! I always thought Richard Martin was the organised type. LOL
Fremington Mill was a beautiful venue with picturesque views. The rally field was a different one to previous years so less or no risk of flooding, so wouldn’t be put off going again, as the same field has been booked for next year. Thanks to Roz, John, Dan, Dave, Karen, & Chloe for organising an enjoyable weekend.

The smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd. I was thinking about the great comedy duos the other night, Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnie’s, Young and Loughran, names that will live forever in the annals of comedy, what a laugh Dave and John gave us during two splendid live performances of “The Two Wallies” they even did most of the second performance in the dark, carrying on like seasoned professionals. They cleverly installed a cellar in the marquee; it must have taken them days to dig it out!!! And had a fantastic assortment of Ball Hitch Locks (I think that’s what they called them) and other useful caravan accessories, well done to all involved.

Ellerton Lake was a really good Rally hosted by the very hardworking Rally Marshal team of John, Dave, Andy, Ros, Karen, Ged, Our Dan, Chloe, Lucy and Little Joe ,with plenty of activities to do, I even tried my hand at Underwater Quoits (my excuse is that I was only washing them)

The highlights for me were the walk to the Pub on the Thursday, the Round the Lake quiz and the most competitive pop quiz ever, Keith diplomatically deciding that a draw was the fairest result and joining the exclusive “Tie Club”. We even managed to catch the two sunny days of the British summer on the Thursday and Friday so we can not complain too much about the weather

Splendid stuff, book early to avoid disappointment next year.

Ian, Joy, Bethany and Katie Worthington
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We arrived on the rally on the Tuesday, the first-day about 2pm. We got a warm welcome from the rally officers Karen.Dave,Chloe,Ros,John and Dan. Got the legs down, put kettle on and caught up with old friends.
Bradley our youngest child was first into the in his dinghy, thanks to John for the use of the wetsuit, and the centre for the use of the life jackets.
On Tuesday night went to the marquee for a game of of bingo, which we enjoyed, even more so when we won the full house. Every night there was entertainment including the the 2 Wallies., aka John and Dave, very funny show.

Only missed one night as we went for a walk around the lake, which was lovely. On Thursday there was a family walk to a pub in Scorton , food and drinks all very nice.There was something to do at all times, volleyball,fishing, boating, and walks in the country side. Ros,John and Dan,Karen,Dave and Chloe were always on-hand, nothing was to much trouble.

Would like to say thanks to Andy Futcher for your help fixing our caravan. We all had a great time at Ellerton and would recommend it to anyone who has not been before.

Thanks again to Karen,Dave,Chloe,Ros,John and Dan and anyone else involved with the Rally

We arrived late on Thursday night to be greeted by Alan and Phyllis and once we had the legs down we were provided with a welcome cup of tea and some biscuits.

At 10.00a.m. on Friday morning, the clubhouse was open for all the ralliers to watch the Royal Wedding on the big screen. The bar was open at 10.30a.m. for anyone wanting to toast the royal couple; Ian enjoyed a pint of the local brew; there was no sign of Kiss me Kate or Will’s Crown Jewels on draught!!
The committee of the Cricket Club put on a meal for us on Friday evening which included pork chine, which is a Lincolnshire dish along with salad and potatoes and then a selection of desserts. The meal was absolutely delicious.
On Saturday we went into Spalding to watch the Flower parade and for anyone who has never seen this, it is definitely worth going to; it must take hours to pin all the flowers onto the floats. We also visited some of the local churches which were also decorated with beautiful floral displays.

Sunday night wine and cheese was provided by our rally officers and Judy organized a game of Chinese Bingo, while our host, Alan was our compere for Play Your Cards Right.
On Monday Ian and I went to Sandringham, where the Queen was actually staying after the Royal Wedding, not in the house but elsewhere on the estate. I do like to be in good company!!
Monday evening the locals challenged the caravanners to a game of indoor carpet bowls; Alan had bought a trophy for the winning team. After a nail biting ninety minutes, the caravanners lost out to the locals, who said that the trophy would have pride of place in the cricket club and hoped that we would play them again next year.

On Tuesday, Ian and I had to head for home much to Ian’s dismay because we would miss afternoon tea and a sausage and mash supper on the night.
Our thanks go to Alan and Phyllis, Les and Judy and Neill and Margaret for a superb rally. We loved every minute of it and to anyone who has never been to this rally, you should give it a try; it certainly is worth the three hour journey down there.

A total of four vans arrived at this beautiful location and interest was centred on the Jim Clark Rally which started a short distance from the site. Cars of every description were taking part in the rally from the supercharged cars to the old Escorts, Minis and Hillman Imps. A Special Stage was held a short distance from our field but they had to travel past us to the stage and afterwards when the stage was over. They had to drive normally and we would sit on a roadside seat and wave to them as they passed. Their response was a tooting of horns, a wave and a flashing of headlights as they passed.

The weather was good, mostly fine and sunny. On the Tuesday we were asked to move the caravans to the other side of the field as they were going to use the river to make a film. After a lengthy discussion it was decided to move the caravans. That afternoon the film started to arrive with three very large vans parked on the roadside with police involved with controlling the traffic. Other vans and people carriers arrived with the film personnel and shooting took hours for a thirty second scene in the film.

Having almost learned our lesson at Ripon we again tried to put up our awning only to be thwarted by gusty conditions attempting to remove our fingers in scissor like awning poles, I am convinced Elsie and Gordon have a wind machine installed at the end of the field “Quick Gordon, switch the Acme wind machine on, someone is trying to put up an awning and I need a laugh” however after threatening to burn it, chop it up or throw it away we eventually put the awning up on the non door side of the caravan away from the wind.
Dave Young and “Our Dan” made a brave effort trying to dig to Australia, only stopping when they hit the electric cable supplying the wind machine at the top of Elsie’s field, never mind lads there is always next year.

Ian get the television ready the Royal Wedding is on!!!, I would if I had thought on to put it in doh, never mind we will listen on the Radio and paint pictures in our minds, yes dear, no dear, it wont happen again dear…………. Dave Y to the rescue again with a mini television.

We all enjoyed the Bacon Butties on the Saturday morning, expertly prepared by our rally marshal team, then off for a look at the newly restored station roof in Pickering

Guess who had a 60th birthday whilst he was away, still got a fine head of hair as well!!! (Even puts Matty Daikin’s award winning locks to shame)

“Davy, what sort of shampoo do you use to keep your hair looking so thick and full of vitality, mine is so dull, limp and lifeless!!!”

Bingo and a quiz in the barn was helped along with a liberal application of punch and some Royal wedding cake which tasted so nice I am going to ask Andy for the recipe.

Really enjoyable weekend, plenty to do and we were well looked after by Andy, Ged, John, Ros, Dan, Lucy and little Joe.

Thursday, no work, what shall we do. First stop Lockton rally. Arrived mid-morning to a very warm welcome from rally marshalls Brenda, Roy and Dan Stirling, Jeff, Jayne, and Gemma Bringloe. Time for a relaxing cup of tea and sandwich - hurrah holidays start here! That is once the marquee from the caravan club had been erected. Lockton for those of you who don’t know is a fantastic walking area. Dalby Forest is at the bottom end of the rally field, Pickering a short drive away. Sunshine and friendly ralliers set the seal for a very good weekend. Bacon butties on Saturday morning, profit going to celebration/teenagers fund. Quizzes and bingo in the marquee for those who wished or just sit and watch the sun set. Monday came round all too quickly but huge thanks to the aforementioned rally officers who did a “Stirling” job. Thank you all so much.

We moved on to a secret CL and spent a lovely few days getting away from it all (details of this hidden gem are not to be revealed). Next stop was to Snainton, another warm welcome. The sun shone for the rest of the time. Bingo and quizzes in our hosts, Elsie and Gordon’s, barn, bacon butties for late breakfasts. This is an ideal venue for Dalby Forest, Pickering and Scarborough. The last was where we went on Bank Holiday Monday, look round the shops, chips on the beach (this is the ex-treasurer’s idea of a meal out!!) It was then time to head home and then that dreaded word “WORK”. Our thanks to our lovely rally officers Ged, Andy, Lucy and Joe Futcher, Jon, Ros and Daniel Loughran.

The weekend started off fine
The absence of Linda, there was a shortage of drinking white wine
Friday afternoon we arrived on site
Weather fine, the sky blue and the sun shining bright

Greeted by rally marshals, one two, three and four
Tea or coffee we were asked, even before we opened the caravan door
Stepped out on to the old, compact, green school field
Beautiful day, no wind from which to shield

Legs down, admire the view
This is caravanning through and through
Meeting friends old and new
Espying the village pub, not 200 metres, not to far to struggle too

Manfield village hall 25 meters to our right
Where the dance was to be held on Saturday night
Saturday dawned, again beautiful and bright
After a very peaceful sleep Friday night

Off to Bowes museum near Barnard Castle
Only a few miles away, so travelling was no hassle
A good history lesson, we were taught
Glancing here and glancing there, at an easy pace, we did not get fraught

Returning to the Manfield site
Sun still shining, sky still bright
To ready ourselves for the dance and community buffet that night
7 pm soon arrived, all dressed up and shoe laces tight

Andy and Arkwright (Alan) as our DJ’s
Our dance tutors, Ian and Joy at the ready, what more can I say
The music played and we all danced the night away
11 pm came round too soon, time to stop our dance and sway

The hall was cleared, time for bed
Return to our caravans for a well earned rest, ah enough said
Sunday morning sun shining bright
Time to reflect on an excellent night

Flag at eleven and discuss the previous night
Amazingly we were all cheerful and bright
An excellent night had by one and all
An excellent venue is Manfield Hall

Look forwards to next year’s event
So come on members, next year, do not be absent
Thanks to Andy, Mavis, Neil and Margaret, Alan and Phyllis,

A night out with a difference “Race Night”. We’d never been to one before so were unsure what to expect. We were warmly welcomed at the Dormans Club by the race stewards Linda, Ian, Sally and Ron and given a race card. We had all chosen our own horses names, Andy had “Tesco” (we know where he does his shopping!!) The bets were laid for the first race and then the fun started with a run down of each horses history, good and bad, this horse is a good jumper, pity this race is on the flat! Half way break for delicious pie and peas before some more racing. Throughout the evening there were spot music prizes. It was an entertaining evening with lots of laughter and our thanks go to Linda Innes for raising the idea and organising the event, helped by Ian, Sally and Ron. Proceeds going towards the Celebration fund.