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	Hidden Valley Rally October 2009 The Wrinkly Warriors invaded North Devon with real purpose for the Hidden Valley Rally. They surfed, cycled, walked, travelled around by bus, hit the shops, whatever was on offer, they did it. What a magnificent group of members they were. Barnstaple, Ilfracombe, Braunton, Croyde, Woolacombe, all felt the impact. Val and Alan Berry cycled further in two days than I would expect to cycle in a year. Jane Wyatt braved the surf at Woolacombe and came back with a rundown on every beach Lifeguard. Simon Connell and his mate Dino WALKED to Woolacombe, they deserved a medal. The weather perked up on Friday and Saturday, which helped no end. The minibus transfer to the Ebrington Arms for the Friday evening meal very nearly went like clockwork. Caryl negotiated with the site, laid on the meal, organised the minibus, booked everyone in, collected the money, paid the bills and banked the cheques. I did the hi-tech stuff, I put out the direction signs. I was appointed sheepdog to make sure everyone got on the minibus on Friday evening. After we had been at the pub for quite a while, Val and Alan appeared. I'd left them behind and they had to catch the bus in the rain. They said that in up-market Cheltenham, where they live, if you order a taxi it picks you up at your door. The hoi-polloi had automatically wandered down to reception but I hadn't counted them. The Sunday morning coffee meet had to be moved indoors but we managed to fit in the raffle, with prizes generously donated by those who also bought all the tickets. Everyone was devastated when we didn't manage to find time for the Quiz. Never mind we can save it for next time. Caryl and I thank you all for coming and hope that you felt your long journey was worth while. Doug Dan Yr Ogof September 2009 Sun, September, Wales and RTMR aren't words that would normally fit well into a sentence but the sun certainly shone on the members who made it to the Dan-yr-Ogof show caves rally. Having been 'volunteered' to produce this piece I have retired out of the sunshine on the last full rally day to tap away on my laptop and I can say that the only bit of the sky that isn't blue at the moment is the bit currently occupied by a Red Kite slowly circling over us. It was a four day rally, although some were confused and thought it only three days, and some couldn't stay for Sunday night or start as early as the Thursday perhaps for reasons connected with the dreaded W-O-R-K. Certainly for the Saturday we had 21 members units, mostly Renaults plus one guest Renault. It could be argued that the high spot was the wall to wall sunshine, which was all the more welcome after the wet August, however there was plenty to do and see in the area so I'm sure that each of us will take their own particular memories home. The site itself is very picturesque and is landscaped with all pitches on hardstandings; ten of us were in a two-level open area with the rest nearby in individual tree shaded bays. The 'facilities' were nearby and of a very good standard, even if the wash up room doubled as a sauna. It offered easy (and more difficult) walking opportunities, directly from the site. Some walked the hills, the majority made it to the pub! The latter was just ten minutes walk away and was able to lay on a meal in a separate dining area for rally members on Saturday night. Also nearby and within easy, if slightly soggy, walking distance is Craig-y-Nos castle, now a hotel, which is a very dog friendly place. If you have a mid week break there, as well as not charging for your dog, they give you a complimentary tin of dog food each day. The only rooms that your dogs are excluded from is the restaurant and dining room. The bar was well stocked with visiting dogs the day we went there. Slightly further afield (16 miles) is the Penderyn distillery, producing and selling excellent Welsh whisky of which I sampled freely. Still further afield you can catch the hourly bus service to Swansea which passes the site entrance. For most though the main attraction was on the site. Do I mean the RTMR auction? No, excellent as that was, I refer instead to the show caves. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and would recommend a visit, even if you don't camp here. In the caves expect to be splashed and dripped on and allow for the drops in temperature. Our particular favourite was the Cathedral cave which someone has wired up with discrete speakers and the sounds of Pachelbel's Canon in D Major helped set the scene. You can even get married in the cave. If that doesn't suit, then there were nine other attractions on the one entrance ticket. All in all it was brilliant and your committee, I believe, have already booked for September 2011 - we shall be there. No Rally runs itself and we all owe a debt to Nora and her helpers who organised everything so well from pitching us up to getting orders for the Saturday night meal (and did I mention the auction?) and also to whoever laid on the sunshine because as the majority Frank B Beddgelert Rally June 2009. It was quite well attended with 11 units and one visitor. The CCC site was previously run by the forestry commission, so obviously lots of trees equals midges which were a bit troublesome in the evening but the site manager let us use the forest rangers hut in the evening so we could socialise. On site there were plenty of birds and squirrels to spot and the ranger conducted bat walks. It was good to meet some new members and I hope they enjoyed the meet enough to attend future rallies. Adjacent to the site runs the Ffestiniog Welsh Highland Railway and we got some pictures of the train as it passed with its occupants while they were photographing us as we were photographing them! There is a station close by so campers can have a "door to door" excursion. Frank and I have visited North Wales, Mid Wales and Anglesey but had never managed to see Portmeirion. So when Nora organised the Beddgelert Rally we decided this was the opportunity. We had watched The Prisoner and like most people could not make head nor tail of it. Now, after having visited the place, I think Portmeirion was the star of the show. It's beautifully situated on the wooded hillside next to the sea, lots to see & explore. A completely unique place with eccentric statues & murals, some hidden away in corners and nooks & crannies. Brightly painted houses, tropical plants and trees. Behind the village there are extensive woods, gardens and lakes with what must amount to many miles of walks. We had a walk from the lower hotel, past the cottage where Patrick McGoohan lived when he was filming "The Prisoner" to the lighthouse on the headland, then back through the woods. We didn't have the time or the energy to do any of the other walks - another day hopefully! There are also plenty of varied places to eat, you will need refreshments, we were there for hours! There is also a Portmeirion Pottery shop. All this and more can be seen on-line as a virtual tour. On Saturday, a lovely sunny day, we walked to the village with Donny. We had our lunch out and visited some shops. As we set off to walk back we were quite tired, so when we passed a bus stop and realised a bus must be due as people were waiting we decided to ride back too. We did NOT want a repeat of our Stratford fiasco!! At the AGM at Stratford, Donny surprised us by stepping down from the committee. At Beddgelert we decided it was the ideal opportunity to present him with a leaving gift of a WHS gift card on the Saturday evening get together in the rangers hut. He was so surprised that he could not speak for a while - can you believe that? An unfortunate Blip for Paul Fenton was that a large Winnebago came on site and the only pitch big enough to accommodate it was being occupied by Paul. He kindly agreed to move to another pitch and in doing so pranged his van on an immovable object, so denting his pride and joy!! I'm sure that he will have made it better by now. All in all a good weekend Thanks Nora. Dorothy   Stratford upon Avon Racecourse AGM and Rally 2009 Stratford Racecourse was an excellent venue and we had a very good turnout - 51 people in all I think. We had the use of an enormous room which we had for the whole time we were there, which meant we could get together each evening for a chat. The site is within walking distance of the town by various routes - but don't believe anyone who says it's a 20-minute walk!! There are about three different routes you can take and one is a good 40-minutes. Still, a very nice walk, whichever way you go, and loads to do in town when you get there - if you've still got the energy! Plenty of restaurants and pubs, lovely gardens to amble through and, of course all the Shakespeare houses and the theatre which. unfortunately was covered with scaffolding. The site was fantastic for dogs, too, because they could run free in the middle of the racecourse, which was huge. The facilities were very good - huge pitches, hot showers etc. The showers were on a 50p token (bought from reception) and you get 7 minutes - if you were quick, you could probably share with a friend and have 3½ minutes each!! ;-) There was a very good boot sale in the field by the entrance gates on Saturday morning and I think everyone wandered over there at some point. After the AGM on Saturday night everyone went and got their contributions to the buffet supper - and what a feast!! There were mountains of food - crisps, home made cakes, sausage rolls, quiche - you name it, it was there. Everyone was very generous. We also had a lot of donations for the raffle, which went on for ages! After the buffet, we had a quiz which I had compiled (well, nicked off the internet really!), which caused quite a bit of hilarity (sorry if some people didn't like the questions - I've got more, you might like those better!!). Both the winning teams very generously donated their winnings to the club funds. The weather was pretty good, although a bit gusty at times, but it did make a change to have a reasonable weekend for the AGM. The sun was very warm on Sunday morning and I don't think we really wanted to go home. Having organised this rally - my first AGM from start to finish! - it was gratifying to hear people say how much they'd enjoyed it. Nora   New Year 08/09 Oswestry This time we had a change of venue and booked the Camping & Caravanning site at Cranberry Moss, Oswestry. This was notarally but we booked in as the "Duggan Party" thank you Nora. Alan and Gail are the Franchisees, they are very welcoming and had kindly sited us all in the same area. Not only that but we were very close to the marquee and not too far from the amenities. We arrived on Tuesday 30th., sorted ourselves out and in the evening went over to the marquee where we could chat about our news and travels. Horse racing and bingo was on offer for anyone who wanted to participate but there was certainly no pressure to do so. Any monies raised, including the raffle which would be drawn at the social, would be used towards trees and shrubs for the site. New Years eve daytime we all did our own thing either going for a walk or making use of the local buses and in the evening it was off again to the marquee for a social evening. Everyone took along nibbles etc. to share and as usual there was more than enough. New Years day was spent quietly by most of us, some venturing out for a walk, others just keeping warm in their vans. Alan kindly opened up the marquee for us in the evening so we were able to enjoy each others company. The temperatures remained at sub zero , the hoar frost covered the hedgerows and trees all of the time we were there, everywhere looked very picturesque even though the clouds never lifted. The site is excellent and well worth a visit anytime of the year. It is easily accessible from the A5 at the northern end of the Nesscliffe bypasss, from the roundabout take the B4396, the site is approx 250yards on the left. Sat nav users beware!!!!! The bus stop is only a few minutes walk from the site, there are half hourly bus services to Oswestry and to Shrewsbury. (free of course if you have an English bus pass) Shrewsbury, a medieval market town is the county town and the river Severn forms a loop around the town. There is plenty to see and to do. Oswestry is smaller but nevertheless an interesting market town. Nesscliffe country park with its walking and cycle routes is nearby. We would like to say thanks to Nora, John & Wendy, Frank & Doreen, Peter & Joy, Dave & Josie for braving the weather conditions and also for being such good company. Bob & Kath RTMR AUTUMN RALLY HELD AT NEWTON MILL CAMPING & CARAVAN PARK ON OCTOBER 9 - 12, 2008 Report by Val & Alan Berry October rallies always seem to bring out the best in the British weather and 2008 was no exception. When Alan and I arrived at Newton Mill on Friday 10th October at 3.00 pm quite a few of the occupants of the 18 units booked in for that night who had already arrived were basking in the sunshine! We joined in with members old and new who were getting down to the serious business of "catching up" on news and views and this carried on well into the evening over in the now extended bar and restaurant. Alan and I had plenty to talk about with Jane Jones who attended her first rally with partner Matthew Scrase in her Eriba 580 motor home. Frank and Dorothy Todd had travelled all the way from Preston despite the credit crunch! Andy and Cathy Thatcher were lucky enough to only have travelled from nearby Chippenham. However, I must mention Maureen and James Hoddell who arrived on Saturday at 6.00 pm having only had their motor home delivered back from the garage at 4.00 pm that afternoon. Luckily their new engine got them to Bath all the way from Cheltenham (well 40 miles). Nothing stops Renault Trafic owners getting to rallies! It was decided to ask the site owner Keith if a last minute group meal could be arranged for Saturday evening at 8.00 pm. He agreed only if everyone ordered in advance so Kate Roberts and I rushed around knocking on van doors with menus on Friday evening. Saturday, as forecast, was a gloriously warm and sunny day. After cycling into Bath along the canal tow path Alan and I had a picnic lunch, along with hundreds of other people, in the Parade Gardens in the centre of Bath as it was just too nice to be inside anywhere. A shower and spruce up was needed in the super toilet block in order to look nice for the evening do , well in my case a bath (well we were in Bath remember!). Now that's what I call a campsite, one with a bathroom, mind you it didn't come cheap at £1.30 for a token, but worth every penny after a day on one's feet and in the bicycle saddle. We all met in the Conservatory restaurant at 8.00 pm, Maureen and James Hoddell were squeezed in too as they had only just arrived. I think "'Large Cod in batter, chips and peas" at £6.50 was the most popular choice by far (almost half the orders). My Tom Kha Kai - authentic Thai chicken curry at £8.50 was very nice, as was Alan's Prime Scotch Rump Steak (£11.95). The service and food was very good and we were very grateful to them for fitting us in at short notice. A few lucky people were staying on till Monday but most of us were departing on Sunday morning following the coffee morning. We did manage a raffle despite the fact we had no raffle tickets and had to scrounge some from behind the camp site bar! Again we were made very welcome by Keith the owner and his team at this excellent site. It ticks all the boxes for a rally. It has a choice of transport into the beautiful nearby city of Bath - walk, cycle or bus. You can cycle to Bradford on Avon or Bristol along the canal cycle path, Wells and its Cathedral are nearby as is the Cheddar Gorge. It has a bar and restaurant on site and they are keen to do a group meal. At £13.75 a night it is a big reduction on the normal price of £19.75. We need to know of more sites like this. It is unfortunately though a little far for the people up North to come for a weekend, perhaps they could make a week of it next time? Val Berry       Top