HVR 2017

[jimj]

HVR reunion 2017

Spring is in the air, the days are getting longer, and nymphomania is stirring. ??we live in hope, or, actually the Hope Valley as most of the HVR do. Hence the Hope Valley Ralliers or Happy Valley Ralliers to be more inclusive. Not that we are inclusive, quite the opposite; exclusive. Formed from a joke remark on the Three Castles a few years ago we resurrected an annual reunion of like-minded classic car owning pals becoming the esteemed HVR.

Over the years there have been others with the temerity to suggest they might join us, all stoutly rebuffed as there are only two benefits to being members and one is to be unbearably precious. Currently, I`m much enjoying the controversy surrounding an application, nay, supplication from a most worthy supplicant with 10 times more rally miles under their (fan)belts than the average HVR member, plus they`re really nice people but??..! That fence is a really comfortable place to sit.

The other benefit is the annual reunion, which I think of as the Annual Reunion. We look forward to it just so much. It`s great and, to my mind, the beginning of ?The Season?.

This year David and Hilary took on the mantle (mental) of organisation, the very couple who did such a perfect job of researching and organising that fabulous trip to the Picos . Expectations were high???and met, more than. We started at Brough, of which there are several, one a few miles from here, but this one was in Cumbria staying at the Inn, which, luckily was not one of several, so easy to find. It was ideal, only small but big enough to accommodate all the 14 couples in the HVR, a 100% turnout. It could have accommodated one more couple but I daren`t risk anyone`s ire by mentioning it. Oops.

March the 8th, the sun was out, hoods were down, and the car park contained a lovely selection of 2 Lotus and some other cars too. Tanks were filled at nearby Kirkby Stephen ready for the next day and thanks were offered for the excellent afternoon tea as we all got together, especially with some pals we just don`t see often enough. Drinks in the bar at 7 and dinner at 8, Alan`s stand-up routine at 10, then more drinks in the bar and off to bed eager for the next day.

Warm sunshine greeted us at breakfast and expecting to keep the roof up until, at least, the coffee stop, the hood went down immediately, wifely disdain was endured, I`m enured, and cobwebs were blown away as off we went.

I reckon the route this year was the best ever. There was hardly any traffic and for the first 20 miles we didn`t even see another HVR car. We occasionally went through some small, North Yorkshire town but it was mainly open roads, lovely weather and big sky vistas. Just superb with a lovely coffee stop after 40 miles. The lunch stop was something else after another 40 miles.

A friend of one of our number, we met him last year, he`s everyone`s friend now! very generously invited us all to lunch at his lovely home and view his car collection. He could best be described as finding himself in ?comfortable circumstances?. In a raised position the view over the immaculate gardens, which we toured later, took in the Vale of York, pretty much all of it. We could even see York Minister 20 miles away on this perfect, clear and sunny March day. Drinks, canapes, then a tour of his rather impressive motor house, then lunch and a tour of the stunning gardens, we had to tear ourselves away as the afternoon wore on.
It was headlights on by the time we reached home, a bit chilly after sunset with the hood still down and wishing the Annual Reunion lasted longer and happened more frequently.

Marvellous,

Jim & Carole

[trw99]

You had an Amazon along Jim!

Thanks for the great report, always fun to read them.

Tim