Originally Posted by
VALE BOY
The biggest trip I've done to date was back in late March/ early April starting with a gig near Edinburgh on the Friday night the week before Easter then a road trip continuing on the Saturday via Shildon(Hi Nick) where I had to call out the RAC to help me fix the fuel line that the Patrolman fixed and the split Turbo balance pipe which I managed to fix with a piece of plastic pipe cut from a Finilec puncture repair can, then onto 2 days in Middlesborough at Baldinios to pick up HW98 which he'd previously picked up on the way to the Boinger Bash the previous November and a day out ferreting and shooting with Chris and his mate Spence.. thanks Bud. Onto Leeds on the Monday( to pick up roof bars for my Saab) then later that night to Sheffield( overnight stay with friends)
On the Tuesday I set off to Nottingham.......
It's now Easter Sunday morning and at 9.30 I drive the couple of miles to Vic Thomsons to pic up an old Milbro Diana that I'd bought more than a year before. He's very kindly offered to drive me over to Bisley Antique Gun and Air Gun Fair which was absolutely amazing. Met up with KevRonnie again and met John and Josie to collect a Diana G4 pistol.. Thanks again Vic...another true gentleman of which I've been fortunate to meet on the Forum.
Later that night I drove down to Bexhill on Sea to collect a Milbro Diana G36 (and some pellets that had been previously dropped off at Steve's from Max in Hastings. Because of the impending Hurricane warning I high-tailed back up to Crawley and kipped in the motor once again as I had arranged to meet Neil at 10am for an Eclipse Gas ram I bought from him a few months previously, at the house he rents out to friends there. Neil is a a pilot and he was scheduled to fly out of Gatwick on Monday lunchtime. (That saved an 80 mile detour down to Chichester to meet him there, as I had to be in Guildford for 3pm to collect an old 77 from Pablo on the Forum in Tesco's car park, on the Monday afternoon.
Fortunately I'd parked up near Neil's house in Crawley and weathered out the storm in the car... And here things started to go wrong. When I switched off the engine about 11 PM I hadn't switched of the headlights separately. About midnight I plugged in my phone into the lighter socket to charge it and to enable the socket to work I had to to turn the ignition key only partly on to activate it without it activating the ignition. On the Saab the ignition switch is down beside the gear lever. I dropped off to sleep with the radio slightly on... Meanwhile it's blowing a gale outside.
Unknown to me as I was sleeping I must have lurched onto the key and flicked the ignition on this bringing on the headlights. Needless to say I woke up about 3am in the middle of the night... The storm is now full force and the radio isn't working. Barstewards! The battery was totally flat and obviously I couldn't switch on the engine for a heat as it was friggin' Baltic. The next six hours were about the longest six hours of my life ... Jeez, that was a toil!
Fortunately my phone was charged and I phoned Neil to let him know of my dilemma and he drove up from Chichester a bit earlier and he gave the car a start using my jump leads connected to his top of the range tricked up Subaru Impreza .. By the looks of things, Neil is not only a pilot in the air but on the highway as well. So after getting started and propping a brick on the accelerator pedal to provide a 2000 rpm 'Tickover' to charge the battery, I was invited into the house for breakfast and I chilled out in the company of Neil's friends for a few hours in the comfort of a great sofa with copious amounts of tea and conversation with my hosts, Jim and Margaret. It's amazing how generous and friendly total strangers can be. I guess I've been very lucky that way at various stages of my life.
So.. Onwards and upwards.. Got across to Guildford to hook up with Pablo about 4 and although I was a bit late I'd phoned him to let him know and that was cool to collect the 77 then. Good man, Pablo.
So if you're still with me at this point, it's now tea-time Easter Monday and I've been on the road since Friday, 10 days previously.
So now I had to drive over to Ebbw Vale in the Welsh valleys to meet up with Shaun on the Forum to collect some Audio kit I'd bought 2 months before .. Got there about 10 o'clock after a brilliant drive on top of a ridge road (I think it may be the A31) to Basingstoke then on up to the M4 to near Swindon then via Gloucester, Ross on Wye, Abergavenny then arriving almost on time at Ebbw Vale.
At this point I should mention that I was aiming ( deliberate pun) to get along to the Boinger Bash in Nuneaton later in the week about Thursday. But now it's Easter Monday going on for about 11pm and I still have to arrange a place to stay as there's now no room in the car for a kip due this huge box of audio kit that's now occupying the front passenger seat, secured with the seat belt and a couple of bungees to keep it in place!
So now it's an advert break for one of the best hotels anywhere!
On a previous road trip in October 2013 which included a trip up the A423 after a gig in Swansea on the way up to Chester I had the good fortune to stop over on spec, completely unarranged, at the Highland Moors Hotel on the southern outskirts of Llandrindod Wells, a fantastic little town with some of the best Indian, Chinese Takeaways and Chippy anywhere. The Highland Moors Hotel is the last remaining Spa Hotels in Wales and it has a wonderful old fashioned decor and ambience like a trip back to the 50s. It's run by the owners Sue and Jeff who are very friendly and welcoming. So they invited me into the kitchen to eat my takeaway curry and provided me with a couple of cans of Stella as a 'reward' for me fixing their old piano in the Lounge earlier that day. At this point the telly in kitchen went wonky at Jeff told me that it was rooks perching on the aerial on top of the chimneys and affecting the signal. So the remedy for this was for Jeff to grab the old air rifle perched next to the fridge and go out to the car park and dry fire in the direction of the rooks! Guess what kind of rifle it was?....Aye, yer right. Relum Telly!
A Telly for fixing the telly!...you couldnae make it up! It turned out that Jeff was seriously into motorbikes as well and the following day showed me his Yamaha R1 1000cc Yamaha . We also had a plink at the far end if the deserted car park knocking lumps out of a milk carton at 40 yards with the Alecto pistol and Hatsan 55 and Longbow that I had with me at the time. Talk about falling in with a bunch of kindred spirits! Anyway, to mind you, this bit was back in 2013..
Fast forward to where I am right now. Ebbw Vale, Welsh Valleys, 11pm and I need a place to stay in comfort after two previous nights roughing it in the motor!
I'm struggling to get a phone signal and eventually I get through on the phone to Sue at the Highland Moors Hotel, the best part of 50 miles north. As luck had it they'd only returned from an Easter Weekend trip to the South Coast about 10 minutes before .. They were literally just in the door! So I wouldn't have got them if I'd phoned previously.
At this point I should mention it was my intention to visit there as part of my journey to stay over a day or so on my way up to the Boinger Bash, but the only thing that had been 'arranged' was to collect a Ratcatcher with what turns out to be a brilliant wee Zero Optic scope that I'd bought on the Forum from Mark who lives in Builth Wells about 7 miles from the Hotel. So Mark's wife had dropped it off at the Hotel a few weeks previously so it was waiting for me whenever I got to Llandrindod!
Sue couldn't have been more helpful as I asked if it was ok to stay over for a couple nights and I drove like a rally driver over a 'C' class mountain pass road bypassing Abergavenny in my attempt to get there before midnight! Jeez, that road was tight and twisty..like going down the Cresta Run at full pelt!
It was great to get there at midnight and I stayed an extra day till Thursday afternoon as it's such a great relaxing friendly place to stay. It was like being in a Nirvana Oasis after being a Nomad for a few days ( as I typed the word 'Nirvana' a few seconds ago, the subject of Kurt Cobain comes up in the dialogue of Father Ted which is on the telly at the moment! No real.. Anither bit of serendipity!!)
So if any of you guys out there fancy a trip to a very scenic part of Mid-Wales with a glorious little town Llandrindod Wells and a fantastic hotel to stay over in with one of the best cooked breakfasts, fruits and cereals anywhere for a very reasonable tariff then check-out the Highland Moors Hotel... or rather Check-in then check- out a few days later.
No doubt you've probably dosed off by now so to keep you on track it's now Thursday afternoon almost a fortnight 'on the road' and I've got a final pick-up in the far side of Worcester and I encounter a real nasty grid-lock of a tea-time 'rush-hour' traffic jam mainly due to all the traffic converging on a single bridge in the middle of Worcester... ('Rush-Hour' ..can there be a more inappropriate contradictory term of speech out there??!)
I've got to be there before 6pm as Martyn has got to get away to start work, so it's back to rally driver mode ( I was really good at the Dodgems at the Funfair when I was a kid.. I did everything to avoid a shunt while everybody else seemed intent on ramming each other! After all it's called 'Dodgems' and I always interpreted comments quite literally as a kid)
Got there by the skin of my teeth and picked up a beauty of a TX in a custom stock. Thanks Martyn.
Quick trip into the adjacent Council recycling depot to see if I can pick up a folding kids buggy ( that's a folding buggy by the way folks ..not a buggy for folding kids��) so I an use it like a golf trolley to transfer a few rifles from my tent to the shooting range as Tony L and Mick will testify( I'll try and get the photie to you soon, Tony. Voila! I find one with two minutes to spare before they close. Another nice bit of jammy luck!
So then it's a quick trip into the new Lidls in Worcester to get provisions for the Boinger Bash .. What a place one of the best anywhere .. Check it out if you're in the area!
Now off once more on a diagonal journey up to Nuneaton avoiding motorways as much as possible to get to the Bash about 10 o'clock .... For the uninitiated, I unreservedly make a strong recommendation to get yourselves along to the Boinger Bash ( and it doesn't have to be a springer). It is the most brilliant event, you can camp with a tent, Camper Van, Caravan or stay nearby at B and B with a barbecue , toilets and insurance provided ( that's shooting insurance btw folks and not for using the toilets! as they're kept pristine as Mick also provides a French style Pissoir for all the guys needing a Jimmy Riddle and this goes to show how thoughtful in his attention to detail. Shooting takes place up to 75 yards where the 'Quigley Bucket' is placed with a plethora of spinners, knockdown, bell target and novelty targets set up between the bucket and the Polytunnel covered shooting benches. Campfire wood is also provided for the most convivial campfire soirées you'll ever encounter. And you get the chance to shoot other folks gun as they're generally more than willing to give you a shot.
Give it a go.. The next one is on the first weekend of April and then successively on the first weekends of June, September and November and you'll share the craic and have a great experience in the company of a tremendous bunch of folks and Airgun enthusiasts! Should be on everybody's Bucket
List!! ( pun intended, again)
So after a glorious long weekend at the Bash I finally set off north at 8.30am and I've got to be in St Andrews early afternoon ( about 350 miles away) for a rehearsal with a musical friend of mine for our gig the following Wednesday evening in Dunfermline at the Folk Club there. On the way up the A1 the weather's getting a bit squally and I'm struggling to stay awake as I'm beginning to dose off at wheel.. Not Good .. So make several stops on the way up at service stations for tea out of my flask and wee walk about in the rain to freshen up. This of course adds a bit of time a when I get to the Forth Bridge north of Edinburgh it's about 3pm and there's still about 40 odd miles to go, mainly on A and B class roads. I've had a few 'swervey' moments on the way up from Doncaster to where I am now due to the sleep deprivation and on reflection I should have stopped for a kip. But a trick I learned is to wrap a supermarket poly bag round the door mirror and the noisy flapping racket along with some fresh air directed in with your outstretched hand to your face does the job.. I should emphasise that taking a proper break and getting a kip is the better and safer way to do things!
I mention this stage of my journey in detail as a curious thing happened a shirt while later as I was nearing St. Andrews.. I took a short cut through a wee village called Springfield which has a series of the most ridiculous series of elevated speed bumps imaginable, about a dozen of them in two lumps each side of the road with a wee gap in the middle! ..
So I'm weaving in at out them like a slalom as the car is low slung with all the music gear, camping kit not too mention an arsenal of Airguns ! I'm now taking a back road over to Mike's place on the outskirts of St Andrews and as I'm approaching the roundabout into the housing estate where Mike stays a few hundred yards away. As I start to go round the roundabout to take the third exit, a police car is moving onto the roundabout from the direction I'm heading in. As I proceed into the estate I check my mirrors ... Yes of course, the cops are on my tail and follow me right up to the Cul de sac where Mike and Julie live. There's no where to go! Not that I had any need to as everything's perfectly legal including the Airguns . So I'm out the car as they're approaching me and they say they've received word that a black car with a roofbox had been seen previously being driven erratically. Now they didn't say ( or knew) how far back down the road this had been occurring, so, thinking on my feet ( and I'm still feeling knackered with a Capital F after a few days at the Bash ) I say that's right officers.. You're perfectly correct.. Those speed bumps about 7 miles away in Springfield are terrible so I was weaving in and out of them to avoid damaging my exhaust... Well.. Talk about the perfect answer! These speed bumps must be notorious in the area as right away they agreed with me and they knew exactly what I'd been doing ( at that part of the journey). Fortunately they said that's fine and they went on their way without checking the contents of the car as finding a dozen or so air rifles may have caused a degree if consternation.. You never know !
So Mike was out to greet me, wondering what's going on with the cops and we go into the house for a wonderful meal and I'm still so cream-crackered after the food and the journey we have to leave the rehearsal till the following morning and afternoon as I have to bale out and sleep like the proverbial log.
So the following night we have a great gig at Dunfermline Folk Club with Mike driving fortunately and another day to relax in good company before making the final 70 miles journey home!
So including that latter return trip from St.Andys to Dunfermline and the one earlier with Vic Thompson from Crawley to Guildford and back the total mileage was approximately 1900 miles! If I'd gone in a straight line I'd have been in Sarajevo or somewhere by then!
Anyway I'd like to say a very grateful thanks to a lot of wonderful folk( many from this Airgun Forum) that I met on the way, for their hospitality and friendship. God! It's starting to sound like an Oscar Winners speech ! But thanks again, Folks.. If only the big wide world out there was aware of the decent, friendly folk that make up the majority of the Airgun fraternity!
The logistics and serendipity that occurred over the three weeks I was away was amazing!
If you're feeling exhausted reading all this, and you've lost the will to live, then I don't blame you! ... Try driving it some time !!��
It's been knackering just trying to remember all this and typing it out on my Iphone! Thank god for predictive text which works some of the time!
By the way...
Did you hear that the inventor of predictive text died this week?
His Funfair is next Monkey!!!
You really deserve better than that after reading all this folks .. I'll come up with a better one and add it on further down the line!
A' the Best Folks and enjoy safe shooting!
Graeme
Reply With Quote
Registered User
This little trip of yours would make a fascinating instalment in a series of Airgun programmes, hosted by James May as you recently mentioned.
Posting Permissions
