Feb 24
Raid Tan Hill
Raid Tan Hill 2010 - Canyons of snow!
(Courtesy Brian Senior)
Sunday 24th February dawned damp and drizzly but the Lawnswood Arms once again opened up at 8.30am to host the start of the event and provide tea, coffee and bacon butties. By 10am the rain had stopped, the car park was full and it was time for the convoys to leave on the 60 mile journey through the Yorkshire Dales National Park to Great Britain’s highest inn.
Driving over Fleet Moss was amazing; the snowploughs had cut through huge drifts, which in some places were higher than the car roof! This made the journey to Hawes fairly slow, mainly because so many people stopped to take photographs going through the snowdrifts!
The twenty-minute break in the car park saw George Blenkinsop doing a quick change of his faulty alternator whilst the rest of us warmed up with beakers of hot mulled wine. Then it was off and over the Buttertubs, up Keld Bank and finally over the moor road to the Tan Hill Inn.
This year the barn seemed cosier than ever with the gas heaters going full blast and candles on all the tables. Everybody was soon tucking in to giant Yorkshire Puddings and watching 2CV videos and photos of all the cars en route that Steve Pepper had taken and managed to quickly get onto his PC and projector. At 3pm it was time to hand out certificates and stickers, draw the raffle and then send everybody home before it started to snow again.
Liz and Jim Rogers won the bottle of champagne and special certificate for the oldest car with their 1953 AZ and Stuart Gray from Devon won the same for the farthest travelled at 330 miles.
Considering the postponement and the recent bad weather it was remarkable that over 80 cars made the journey including one home made special with a Triumph engine but with the excuse that it had 2CV wheels and wing mirrors. There was also a different form of air-cooled flat twin in the shape of “ Les Hiboux” member Andrew Kirby’s Russian Ural motorcycle combination.
For those of us who stayed over on Sunday it was an evening of good food, good ale and some great entertainment from the assembled company, especially the Box Hill Mob. Needless to say it snowed during the night and in the morning the road and the cars were covered in snow and ice and it made for a very wintry run down to Reeth and clear roads.
Thanks to all the members of Les Hiboux who helped and to Sarah, the new manageress, at the Tan Hill Inn, for being so helpful and making us so welcome and finally to Tony Shields of 2CV City whose continuing financial support enables us to maintain the tradition of Raid Tan Hill being a completely free event.
All in all an epic weekend, lots of heroic tales, great photos, good company and we can do it all again in twelve months time!
Brian Senior
(Courtesy Brian Senior)
Sunday 24th February dawned damp and drizzly but the Lawnswood Arms once again opened up at 8.30am to host the start of the event and provide tea, coffee and bacon butties. By 10am the rain had stopped, the car park was full and it was time for the convoys to leave on the 60 mile journey through the Yorkshire Dales National Park to Great Britain’s highest inn.
Driving over Fleet Moss was amazing; the snowploughs had cut through huge drifts, which in some places were higher than the car roof! This made the journey to Hawes fairly slow, mainly because so many people stopped to take photographs going through the snowdrifts!
The twenty-minute break in the car park saw George Blenkinsop doing a quick change of his faulty alternator whilst the rest of us warmed up with beakers of hot mulled wine. Then it was off and over the Buttertubs, up Keld Bank and finally over the moor road to the Tan Hill Inn.
This year the barn seemed cosier than ever with the gas heaters going full blast and candles on all the tables. Everybody was soon tucking in to giant Yorkshire Puddings and watching 2CV videos and photos of all the cars en route that Steve Pepper had taken and managed to quickly get onto his PC and projector. At 3pm it was time to hand out certificates and stickers, draw the raffle and then send everybody home before it started to snow again.
Liz and Jim Rogers won the bottle of champagne and special certificate for the oldest car with their 1953 AZ and Stuart Gray from Devon won the same for the farthest travelled at 330 miles.
Considering the postponement and the recent bad weather it was remarkable that over 80 cars made the journey including one home made special with a Triumph engine but with the excuse that it had 2CV wheels and wing mirrors. There was also a different form of air-cooled flat twin in the shape of “ Les Hiboux” member Andrew Kirby’s Russian Ural motorcycle combination.
For those of us who stayed over on Sunday it was an evening of good food, good ale and some great entertainment from the assembled company, especially the Box Hill Mob. Needless to say it snowed during the night and in the morning the road and the cars were covered in snow and ice and it made for a very wintry run down to Reeth and clear roads.
Thanks to all the members of Les Hiboux who helped and to Sarah, the new manageress, at the Tan Hill Inn, for being so helpful and making us so welcome and finally to Tony Shields of 2CV City whose continuing financial support enables us to maintain the tradition of Raid Tan Hill being a completely free event.
All in all an epic weekend, lots of heroic tales, great photos, good company and we can do it all again in twelve months time!
Brian Senior
