the afsc RUN TO THE HILLS III
BEER PIGS SC RALLY 08
 

I’ve often had my doubts about ‘social networking’ and the poor press it’s received recently haven’t improved my opinion. However, recent events have gone along way to changing my mind and the 3rd Run to The Hills rally is one of those events. My first contact with the Beer Pigs SC was via that well-known site Facebook, when I happened to bump into two of my contacts from the site at the Whitby National Rally. The same thing happened again at the Yorkshire Invasion in Pickering, when I was invited to attend their rally. I must admit I was into the idea from the start although I didn’t commit myself to attending until a few weeks before the event. Facebook struck again when I was contacted by a guy named Jamie Fawcett who sent me a message asking if he could ride with me to Run to The Hills as the rest of his club (The Nuneaton Pacemakers) were heading down to the Isle of Wight and he fancied doing something different. Of course I agreed, but what I didn’t realise at the time was that Jamie thought I was living in my home town of Leicester. The extra distance that Jamie would have to travel to meet with me in North Yorkshire didn’t deter him and we arranged to RV at the Scotch Corner services on Friday afternoon. Also meeting us would be Ian and Lisa Botham from the AFSC and my old mate Dai Ransom and his lad Daniel. Ian also told me that we would be meeting Jimmy Foale and Craig and Kathleen Ballantyne at the rally so this was turning into a bit of a Germany reunion.
                                                                                                                                                     
I arrived at Scotch Corner early just in case anyone else was there and I was surprised to bump into Dai and Jamie as I walked into the services for a coffee. Apparently Dai had spotted Jamie and introduced himself with the words “you’re going to Run to The Hills, aren’t you?” Ian and Lisa arrived a little while later and after introductions, banter and a cup of coffee we were on our way up the A1. The weather looked a bit threatening as we set off, but we decided against putting on the waterproofs straight away. Bad move! We hadn’t ridden very far when the heavens opened and we made for the nearest convenient place to get the waterproofs on. A light shower soon turned into a torrential downpour that slowed us down and turned the ride into a very unpleasant experience. Luckily the rain stopped before we arrived at the rally and we had the chance to put up the tents in the dry. The chosen venue was in the heart of the Northumberland countryside, well away from any possible complaints by the local populace. A large marquee hosted the evening events, with the all important bar in one corner and the nearly as important burger van just outside. The field for camping was just the job and we were soon getting ourselves sorted and ready for the night to begin. Friday night consisted of two bands, the first of which were a local outfit who did a superb set despite being reduced to a 3 piece with one of the members missing. The ensuing efforts from the DJs were superb and the assembled Scooterists (probably numbering over300) kept the marquee filled and the bar staff busy. We all had a great night, with Jamie fitting in really well amongst the rest of the familiar faces.
                                                                                                             
We decided to visit the nearest local town the next day for a meal and to buy ourselves some beer. The weather was great and we soon found a good café and the nearest Co-op supplied us with the required alcohol. We also called in to the local pub for a beer, which turned into a major conversation and a few hours passed before we returned to the camp site. The rest of the afternoon was spent with more drinking and chatting and I must give a mention to Jonno and Sparky from the Tynesiders SC. I had a great time chatting to the lads and I’m sure Jonno will be pleased to see I got the name of his club correct this time! The obligatory custom show saw some very nice scooters on display and the fun games saw the participants having a great time despite getting covered in various substances! The night came round quicker than I thought possible and we were soon enjoying another band and some more superb DJ-ing. I had a great night and I met a lot of new faces who I will look forward to seeing again when the opportunity arrives. The weather had got a bit cool as the evening arrived but the heat was up in the marquee and everyone had a great time chatting, laughing, drinking and of course dancing. Sometime in the early hours I reached alcohol saturation point and made my way to bed leaving a great many die hards still giving it large.

Sunday arrived with the usual hangover, but luckily some serious rehydration and a Paracetamol and I was soon ready for the ride home. Luckily the rain held off for the ride back and we all made it home safely despite Jamie suffering a blow-out.

My thanks to the Beer Pigs SC for putting on a great weekend and to all those I drank, chatted, laughed or joked with.

KTF,

Ravey Davey, AFSC



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