Derbyshire Region head to the Ribble Valley 1-3 October 2024

An intrepid group of 26 individuals (12 Jaguars plus "Backup Vehicle") set off for the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire for a 2 night stay just outside of Blackburn organised by Roger and Joan Wood.

Our venue was the Mytton Fold Hotel, which is situated within it's own golf course. However, despite having rooms overlooking the course we didn't actually see anyone playing golf in the 2 days we were there!

Tuesday began with a gathering in the bar for pre-dinner drinks. Inspection of the car park revealed 12 familiar looking Jaguars plus an also familiar looking Bentley! Glyn and Rita were the guilty party here, as the atrocious weather just before they left home resulted in flooding in Sheffield and the E Type being marooned in the garage! The things some people will do to keep the mileage off their cars!! We have promised to get them a sticker for the windscreen saying "Service Vehicle" if they repeat the offence!

After a very nice meal (3 courses!) and a few drinks from the bar we retired in preparation for Wednesday's scenic run. We were allocated into one of two groups (no choice here!) and the route instructions had been issued beforehand. The 2 routes converged at Dunsop Bridge, and thereafter the routes were identical.

Everyone was away by 9.30 on Wednesday morning. Rachel & Hartley were last out of the car park and we hardly saw another Jaguar (or Bentley!) until we met for Coffee in Morecambe, apart from when we came across Lionel emerging from some bushes on a quiet road (there were a lot of those!). We suspect call of nature!

The scenery was stunning and on the unfenced road some sheep were treated with due respect. The road through the Trough of Bowland had hardly any other traffic on it. The weather was fine but cool, so most didn't wander far from the cars even when there was the opportunity to pull over and enjoy the views.

Coffee was taken in Morecambe at the the Midland hotel on the promenade. The hotel has a large car park with great views over Morcambe Bay. After coffee, several of us went in search of the Eric Morecambe statue which was less than 10 minutes walk from the hotel. The pictures were numerous and very humorous.

Lunch was a short drive northwards to the Carnforth Station Heritage Centre, as featured in the Brief Encounter film. Apparently the Heritage Centre attracts 50,000 visitors a year. We tried valiantly to get all 13 cars on the platform (see photo's) at least 3 decided that the main station car park was a less challenging logistical task.

Following Lunch, the cars headed off to Ribblehead Viaduct, a good opportunity for a photo stop. Ian (navigating) was getting excited about the opportunity to get a photo of the Jaguar under one of the viaduct arches with a train passing overhead! Apparently Di wasn't very keen on the degree of urgency thet Ian expressed to get said photo!! For the record, tIan didn't get the photo!

Rachel & Hartley diverted into Kirby Lonsdale and spent an hour wandering around enjoying the town and associated architecture (and shops!). Accordingly, this left us slightly short on time so we cut out the Ribblehead Viaduct to get back on schedule.

The southbound route passed close to the Country Courtyard Dairy near Austwick, and several took the opportunity to call in to this impressive cheese maker. The range of cheeses on offer was impressive and several of us made purchases.

Back at the hotel, and for the second night Roger and Joan had organised a quiz based on the areas we had visited that day. Not surprisingly many had concentrated more on the driving and stunning views than on the cultural significance of the areas we had visited. This is another way of saying that the scores fell somewhat short of the maximum possible.

The quiz eventually resulted in a tie break which again proved inconclusive and Maurice was eventually pronounced the winner by the time honoured method of the toss of a coin!

The event concluded on the Thursday morning and still under sunny skies the crews either remained in the area or headed back home. Lionel and Brenda headed over to Blackpool to take in the illuminations. Rachel and Hartley visited Whalley Abbey which dates back to 1296 (see photo below). Now largely a ruin but also hosting retreats.

Thanks again are due to Roger and Joan for the incredible amount of work involved in organising the event which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

Photo's courtesy of Nigel Mitchell, Fiona Holton, Rita Bell, Geoff Fox and Hartley Jenkinson