Friday 21st May 2004 - Stranraer to Newcastle to Grasmere

Well, here we go again, this is my third spring tour, the only difference between this one and previous tours is that I was half of the support crew along with Sergeant Lyons. The truck was all prepared and loaded with a lot more kit than it set of on LTL 2003 with. We had loaded the other two cars from Northern Ireland going to the tour into the back of the truck.

We had our first run in with the law as the truck loaded with two cars trundled off the ferry..........the reason for concern was that we had six people in the truck but only three seats. JJ in his ususal style managed to sweet talk the WPC and we were permitted to make our way to the nearest carpark to offload the cars provided the additional passengers made the journey on foot. Of course JJ managed to find the carpark in Stranraer which was furthest away from the ferry terminal. Anyway once the cars were unloaded JJ decided to get under way and let the guys in the se7ens catch us up.........well that was the idea anyway. JJ got the old support truck wound up and kept her lit all the way to Newcastle and we never saw the boys again.

We arrived at the race course just as everyone was packing up and getting ready to set off on the first leg of the tour to Grasmere. We could have turned round and followed but we had a couple of generators to load and there was the small matter of lunch to be dealt with. It was great to see so many se7ens out again but it was even better to see a plate of sandwiches and a pot of tea. Tim, Pete, Dusty and Stephen finally turned up, we had lunch and then set off for Grasmere.

JJ was once again in fighter pilot mode determined to get us to the hotel before dinner was all eaten. However we were barely half an hour into the journey when we recieved a call from Hoopy requesting coolant caps for a K series.........the cheese was to strike again. A quick call to directory enquiries and the Rover customer help line and we were on route to the local Rover dealer. We cleared them out of their supply of coolant caps and just as we were ready to leave the NI crew arrived.......lost again!

The rest of the journey was fairly uneventful except for the downhill section towards Penrith......Tim and Pete were following the support truck and keeping in regular radio contact as to the state of our brakes, apparently flames were witnessed at one stage. However JJ was on a mission chasing a 40 foot artic who was not holding back. The run uphill to Kirkstone was considerably slower but we certainly got a chance to admire the scenery. We gave the Kirkstone Pass a miss, deciding the trucks handling and stopping power may not be up to the task.

The first stop of the tour was the Thistle Hotel in Grasmere. We arived to a carpark full of se7ens, along with the odd imposter including a VX220. It certainly seemed as if this tour had the widest variety of equipment, with V8 Dax Rush x2, Sylva strikers, rotary power, plenty of bike power and even a Series 1 Lotus 7. Nice as it was to look at all the machinery on show our number one priority was to get inside, get cleaned up, get our bellies filled and meet up with all the old friends from previous tours.

Saturday 22ndMay 2004 - Grasmere to Peebles

We woke to glorious weather on Saturday morning........this is pretty unusual for Spring tours......we were all prepared for the usual drenching. We were entertained at breakfast by Tim giving us the run down of the days activities across the radio, unaware that the whole breakfast room was listening to him. Moving outside to pack up the drama began.......Steve Wiseman could be found in his usual position underneath his new Lotus Europa.......a last minute replacement for the striker which we are confident will one day make it to a tour. The hairdressers were concerned about a clicking noise in the VX220 which JJ diagnosed as a dicky alternator........not an easy job to replace though. THen JJ lost his truck keys..................well at least he hadn`t locked them in the tool drawer this time.

We eventually got under way and decided to map a route which would take a few shortcuts. Before long we had Hoopy on the phone again with overheating problems......not unusual for a K series. We got the Hoopylight loaded into the truck and got underway again. By now we were well behind the pack but had a cunning plan to leapfrog everyone while they were stopped at Kielder for lunch. If the plan worked we could have lunch at the next town along the route, watch the pack drive through and then follow everyone up to Peebles in time for tea............doh!!!!!

Just as we were finishing lunch we got a call to say that Chris had a bald tyre and urgently needed a replacement. While sourcing a new tyre we got another call to say that Simon`s 21 had broken suspension..........and the car was stranded at Kielder. With one car already in the truck we were now going to be fully loaded so any more breakdowns would be bad news. Then as these things always happen in threes a phone call from Mike James to say his engine had decided it had had enough.

So our plans had been scuppered and we now had a 30 mile drive on country lanes up to Kielder to rescue the stricken 21. We arranged for Mike James to be towed back to the hotel and sent Chris to get his new tyre. After hustling the truck along the lanes and dodging a few sheep along the way we arrived at Kielder to find the 21 with a broken rear shock mount. This would not be repairables at the side of the road so the only option was to load the car into the truck and get it to a workshop. This was easier said than done. The broken suspension, coupled with the weight of the 21 meant this would always be a problem. The trucks lift gave some bother although after investigation it turned out to be the weight of the car rather than any problem with the lift, the latest repair hhad been a good job. With as much removed from the 21 as possible to reduce weight we eventually got the car loaded into the truck. Simon went with Vinnie in his se7en and we were now intent on getting back to the hotel as soon as possible.

An eventful day ending in a well earned pint.

Sunday 23rd May 2004 - Peebles to Peebles via the Jim Clarke museum at Duns

Today we needed to get the two stricken cars in the back of the truck repaired and on the road. Luckily Richard had organised for a local garage owner to give us access to tools and lifts. We arrived at the garage and a team of people set to work on Simon`s 21 and Hoopy`s 7. After a few hours work the 21 was repaired and cleaned and the 7 had had its thermostat removed and seemed to be running fine. Although it was now mid afternoon we decided to head on towards Duns and then return to the hotel in time for the drinks reception laid on by the tour sponsor. The support crew set off chased by a group of se7ens, was passed by a group of se7ens and then rejoined them at Duns. I decided to let jj take a passenger ride back to the hotel and I followed in the truck. It was great to have the truck empty again as progress was a little bit quicker........it certainly made overtaking the old dear who was out for a Sunday drive a bit easier. As usual the support truck arrived last, greeted by lots of se7eners who had already had their showers and were enjoying nice cool pints. With twenty minutes before the drinks reception I dumped the truck, got cleaned up and reported to the bar. Richard and Mike had organised a little prize giving for which I was awarded a set of special F1 earplugs for putting up with jj all weekend.

Unfortunately Hoopy`s overheating problem returned shortly after leaving the workshop and he had to limp back to the hotel. Concensus was yet another K series head gasket failure.

The Sunday night of a tour is often one of fear for many as this is when we decide what happens next year. Organising tours is by no means easy but you do get a huge amount of satisfaction from it. Once again this year the standard has been increased making it that little bit harder for next years organiser. So when jb7 stepped forward to organise Haggis 3 there was an audible sigh of relief from everyone else. Jb7 has had a two year break and was obviously missing the stress of tour organising.

Sunday night is also a bit sad as for many it is when you say your goodbyes as people head their different ways on Monday morning. A last chance to catch up, chat about the weekends events and drink some beer or in my case a little too much wine.

Monday 24th May 2004 - Peebles to Scotch Corner to Stranraer

Monday morning and the end of another great tour. As everyone packs up we all say our final goodbyes to people who we probably won`t see until next year.

For the support crew it was going to be a busy morning. We had to get the Hoopylight and Mike James` car loaded into the truck. Mike`s car was to be delivered to a garage in Newcastle while Hoopy`s car would return to Belfast with us where jj would give the engine a complete overhaul.

We needed to keep moving if we were to catch the ferry back to Ireland. Luckily traffic was with us and our navigation of Newcastle was relatively straightforward. We deposited Mike`s car and then legged it for the ferry.

Once again a great tour which could only have been better if I`d had my new car with Jo alongside. A big thanks to Richard Nicolson and Mike Ketley for organising everything including the weather!