The forecast was pretty grim with rain most of Sunday morning but, and there always is a but – it was fine as the Members gathered at the Titsey Brewing Company near Tatsfield. John and Jenny were already sitting amongst the vats of fermenting beer with the sign-on sheets prepared. Signatures collected – the map, route and photographic clues were handed out, two sets for each crew.
Following a welcome Latte and Danish pastry the crews set out. There were not too many MGs in evidence thanks to the dire forecast but there were two almost identical MGC GTs and two almost identical MG4s along with a spattering of other MGs and a DKW. The Autumn leaves on the carefully selected route were stunning with yellows , reds and browns filtering the morning sunshine. Sadly, that sunshine was not to last and dark clouds were already gathering.
Four villages were on the route and the plan was to park up in each of them and set off on foot with your photographic clue sheet and spot the locations of the photos. You might think that was easy – think again, as the photos were of tiny things in a designated area. The residents of Four Elms, the first stop, must have wondered what was going on as groups of MGCC Members were wandering around, checking walls, aerials, pub signs, lifebelts, posters, gates – yes, the answers could be anywhere. Some time was spent here before moving on to the next village at Ide Hill.
Memorial plaques, rusty pump nut, back of a telephone box, school door – more clues to find before moving on to Shoreham village. Shoreham is a very picturesque village with plenty of places for clues to hide. But, it was here that the first signs of the threatened rain began to appear. So, a dilemma – rush back to the car and leave some clues or stay here and fill the sheet up. Some took either option but those who headed to Knockholt had to don the waterproofs and get the umbrellas up. By this time the answer sheets were getting somewhat soggy but there were still clues to find – another rusty nut, MOT Parking sign, alarm system and painted letters on a cone were just some of them. Retiring early as the rain was now quite heavy, most headed back to the finish point at Ye Old Ship in Tatsfield. There was a nice Sunday roast and a refreshing drink waiting – along with John, Jenny and Austin who began to mark the answer sheets, some of which were in a rather disheveled condition!
Suitably dried off and refreshed, the winners were announced, and there was a tie for second place. So, a deciding question was needed – what ship holds the Blue Riband for fastest crossing of the Atlantic and what time was it? The answers decided second and third place.
So to the winners:-
Steve Goodwin and Gary Goodwin were the winners. The tie-break meant Tim & Liz Morris just pipped Gary and Nina Kendal to the runners-up position. The wooden spoon (or packet of biscuits) went to Rod Stevenson and Colin Whitbread.
Thanks to John and Jenny Morgan for organising the whole event and providing the prizes, and Austin Banner for helping with the marking.
