By Mary & Robert Thomson
We started the season off as usual at East Kilbride on 3rd May. Although a little cold and breezy we did see the sun a few times that day. The rally was really busy which I suppose is a good thing but our club were a little disappointed about where we had been located. Out of the road in a very wet and slippery picnic field across from the museum. We made the most of it though as we tend to do. We did all the usual things like the tractor ride to the farmhouse, several visits to the cafe and a wander round the museum. Hopefully if we go again our club stand will be better accommodated.
Dean Castle on 10th may was cancelled due to a waterlogged field.
The next rally of the year was a new one for us, Kelso on 17th May. The weather held up for us this week. It was a little windy and still a bit cool but the sun shone for most of the day. This was a good rally with excellent facilities due to the rally field being attached to a caravan site. It also had a great car boot sale and other stalls to have a look round. We all managed to pick up a few bargains. Bruce Allan won a prize for coming second with one of his lovely Rileys.
When we went to Thirlstane on 7th June it was cold and dull with a few rain showers and due to restrictions put on the erection of gazebos we left our's at home only to discover that most clubs put their's up anyway and were not approached about it by any of the marshals. This was a little disappointing as we could have been a bit cosier if we had been under our's. Thirlstane was hosting Champion of Champions and as a result there were many lovely cars on display including the excellent display of Ferraris at the front of the castle. There were also a good few stalls to browse around including a large craft tent which housed a very nice stall selling rather good cakes and gateaux.
Next we went to Tayside Classics at Errol on 14th June. This is one of the club's favourite rallies because in the next field to the rally is a VERY large car boot sale which can easily take up a few hours wandering around. The weather was very favourable with the sun shining most of the day. There is a lot to see and do at this rally with a few exhibitor participation events taking place in the main show ring such as tug-of-war and car time trials. Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worst at about 3p.m. The wind got up and the rain was not far away. There were a few rumbles of thunder so we decided to pack up and head home.
The 21st June saw us at Lathalmond Bus Museum near Dunfermline. We got set up in the usual spot. The sun shone most of the day. Lots to see at this rally with many jumble stalls and the bus garage open for anyone wishing to see some of the old buses at many different stages of restoration. And as with past rallies a vintage bus was running every half hour to ferry people to and from Dunfermline town centre. The weather turned out to be the same as last week so we packed up and headed off just before the rain set in.
The next rally we went to was Moffat on 28th June. Surprisingly, unlike previous years, we had beautiful weather all day. The rally organisers were really strict about the erection of gazebos and anyone wishing to put one up had to provide proof of public liability insurance to th Health and Safety officer who patrolled the rally field. This was due to a member of the public being injured last year when a car club gazebo blew over and hit her causing her to fall and bump her face on a pole that was sticking out of the ground. This resulted in her trying to claim compensation from the rally organisers who in turn told her to claim from the car club who owned the gazebo etc etc. However we did not need our gazebo because of the exceptional weather that day. There was the usual display of cars and stalls to walk around. There was also the town to walk around and the Woolen Mill with a cafe attached to it to have a snack in.
Two club members attended the pre '67 Ford rally on 5th July. The majority of us attended Wullie and Isa's 50th wedding anniversary dinner in Stirling.
On 19th July we went to Eglinton Country Park for the next rally on our calendar. Although the sun was shining there was a cold wind. We had booked 8 spaces, but as only 4 members turned up, we had plenty of room to put up both gazebos which were a welcome addition to the stand when the rain started in the afternoon. We made room in the gazebos for several members of other car clubs who would have been stuck in their cars for the rest of the afternoon. We spent a good couple of hours chatting. Although there were a good many cars this rally is predominantly agricultural with a massive display of tractors and other machinery. There were also some auto jumble stalls to look at. We like where this rally is situated because it is easy to get into and not too bad to get out of.
Glenisla, Perthshire on 2nd August. The club did not attend as no-one had booked for this rally.
Chatelherault Country Park on 16th August. This rally was cancelled because the main sponsor had pulled out and also because the date clashed with the Biggar rally.
Ladybank on 23rd August. What can we say?? We had a good turn out by the club but the rally was a complete washout from start to finish. The night before the rally vandals had been in the rally field and pulled out all the marker pegs so that no-one arriving had any idea of where they were meant to park. We eventually found our pitch but it had been taken over by two rather large lorries loaded with tractors. We tactfully asked them to shift ! But it went downhill from there raining, raining and raining some more. We eventually gave up and started for home at 2p.m.
Kirkcudbright on 30th August. The club did not attend as no-one had booked for this rally.
Oatridge College, Broxburn on 6th September. Cold and dull. Par for the course this year ! The organisers had split the cars into age groups rather than clubs which meant that a couple of our older cars were separated from the rest of us. There isn't much to see or do at this rally. Really it's just an excuse to catch up with everyone and chat to other clubs. We had a good turn out of seven cars which wasn't bad considering the weather, but the cold got the better of us and we headed home early.
Scone on 13th September. This rally was cancelled because the field was waterlogged and also because there had been a horse riding event which had chewed up the ground and made it impossible for the cars to drive on. We had been charged a fee by the organisers to attend this rally but because of the cancellation they said the money would be carried over to next year's event.
We had a long drive to Selkirk on 20th September for the last rally of the season. This is also one of the largest rallies with an amazing number of cars on display. It also has a very large auto jumble that keeps everyone occupied for a few hours and makes the day go quicker. Although the sun was shining the wind was very cold. I suppose we should have been grateful that it was dry ! This is a great rally to attend but it has one big problem - exiting from the rally field at the end of the day. It can take over an hour to get out and this can be a bit frustrating when you're driving an old car. Some say it's better holding back and having another cuppa to allow the queues to die down a bit.
This year was good for Robert, Jim and Wullie Thomson as they had been approached at Lathalmond rally by a film company who wanted to use their cars in the making of a film in Glasgow. All three cars were used during the filming earning a nice fee for those concerned. Look out for their cars in the movie 'Neds' which is directed by Peter Mullen and due for release during 2010.
Reports are dependant on volunteers and will be posted on the website throughout 2010 when available. Please volunteer if you would like to write an interesting and amusing rally report.
For more details please contact Mary Thomson - Events Co-ordinator - 01698 386103
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