Post by Clockwork Orange on Apr 24, 2008 1:58:33 GMT
Drive it Day is the brainchild of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, their motto is 'To Uphold The Freedom'
for further information, and inspiration for the ownership of a classic vehicle, and so you don't feel alone - visit www.fbhvc.co.uk
Fight the politically misinformed, feel supported, join in and 'do your bit' Drive it Day is now a registered trade mark, and for some of us, a worthy
excuse to take our pets out for a run in the country and show our face to 'joe public' support the FBHVC, support your wish to drive a classic.
Arrangements having been made and names in the hat, Sunday morning the 20th April turned out to be rather nice. Having stayed at Paul Macs the
night before, we headed to Esquire House to meet up with the 'Glasgow band'. We were due to meet up and head off about 09:45, and joining us
for the first part of the drive - to Ayr Heathfield was Alan Duncan in his Toyota Celica, and a pal in an MX5. Keith G in D77 was the third Capri, while
Gary had turned out, not only with his current 351 sportsroof, but accompanied by a chap driving his previous ‘67 289 Fastback.
Our route to Malletsheugh was due to take in the Clyde Tunnel, so an aural delight was anticipated, our route also included Paisley Road West,
Mosspark Boulevard and the M77.
We pulled in to Newton Mearns, and met up with Peter, Ross & Stephen (Lanarkshire contingent), and Gary D in his 28i, a total of 7 Capris.
Uneventful and relaxed run down the M77 & A77 to Heathfield retail park Ayr, where quite a spectacle of old classics, modern classics and vintage
vehicles had assembled, my vote for bravery (nutter !!) of the day, must go to the couple who turned out in their model T racer, stunning!
Soon time had come to head south, the various groups and individuals all leaving for Portpatrick, there were a couple of routes picked out by the TEC
and others, certainly the new traffic lights on the Whifletts roundabout did conspire to split us up, but it was quite surprising how easy it was for us to
keep together, and an impressive view from where I was sitting with Gary D, Keith & Stephen behind me and for a while an old 70s Volvo144 in front
of me. The TEC guys did bail out at Minishant for a side road route via Straiton, but as we decided to head straight for Girvan for the first leg, our
target was the harbour and possibly a chip shop (maybe). Gary was spotted refuelling at the Esso station, and after a brief wait at the rest halt
(nae chips) we decided to head on down into the sunshine..
It was at this point that Keiths alarm decided it didn’t want to leave with the rest of the convoy, but it was just a minor glitch, and soon the car fired
up fine, all we had to do now was catch up, and a fine drive from Girvan, through Lendalfoot, and Kennedys Pass, in pursuit of the squad was one of
my highlights of the journey, Keith in front with the 28i, the road opening up at all the right moments and slower traffic despatched with ease, soon
the CB crackled, and the CCS convoy appeared before us just after Ballantrae, and just as we approached Glen App.
Through the roadworks, and past Cairn Ryan into the outskirts of Stranraer, our route was easy to follow, south and west, to the very end of
the A77, our final descent from Lochans to the harbour surrounded by a collection of classic motorcycles, and on the very last drop into Portpatrick,
we passed the only police car we spotted all day.
There was two particular carparks available to us on the day and we chose the one above the harbour on the Dunskey Castle road, neatly close to
the Café where we were soon to congregate for toasties and drinks, also where Peter & Paul snaffled the last 2 bowls of the soup of the day…
Part 2 - Homeward Ho
After some chatting and viewing the assembled cars it was soon time to get on the road again, Liam had left earlier with the 67 Fastback, and we had
decided to do the suggested cross-country route home, and, as I had made the suggestion, Pete put me up front - not my usual position in our convoy
but, well, duty called.. The convoy was now Me, Gary, Paul, Stephen, Ross, Keith, Gary & Peter. The route was back to Lochans, then small road
over to the A75 just east of Dunragit, interesting B road with some long straights and occasionally a sharp bend, overall good visibility. The A75 itself
was good, passing Kirkcowan, to Newton Stewart (past the farm Paul & I had visited 2 weeks prior for HillBillys wheels !!) where the roundabout
and associated roads were now finished and surfaced.
Not far past there we turned north-east for New Galloway on the A712, through the Galloway Forest Park, on the road marked 'The Queens Way'
nice surface, bends, hills and a lochside section with no traffic !!
Through New Galloway and across the A713, we picked up the B7075 past Bogue. At this point we picked up the A702, and I really thought I had made
a mistake.. The road surface was terrible, and there appeared to be a lot of blindspots. The best views at this point was in my mirror, well at least
Gary appeared to be having fun !! Behind him Paul was keeping up very well in the Mk1, and I was feeling very worried about the surface, the bumps,
his arches and the very close proximity of his tyres to them .. (as it turned out later totally unfounded !). I got glimpses in my mirror of everyone
at various stages, and there was no flashing lights, no calls on the CB or phone, so I guessed everyone was OK.
We soon made Moniave, and crawled sedately through quite a busy wee township, there was loads of people about, kids and adults, and
the streets were quite narrow and the buildings appeared tall. What with me up front, Garys Mustang, then Paul and Peters 'Bertha' it must
have sounded awesome, and I do hope that we left a 'favourable' impression.. Even with Keith, Gary, Stephen and Ross in slightly quieter
cars, it must have been a wake-up call.. but we behaved (I think). on the eastern outskirts as the 30 limit stopped, there was a long straight, every
one was together after that too..
Next target now was Thornhill on the A76 Dumfries-Kilmarnock trunk, we had agreed that if required we could leave the little roads here and go
straight north if time was short, but no, a small distance of main road got us to Carronbridge, the A702 beckoned again, and this I think turned
out to be the best section. After Durisdeer we started a small climb, the road surface went smooth, there was a section so reminiscent of the
Rest-and-be-Thankful..
It was magic.. Into Lanarkshire, the views were great, the road was wider, the corners were sweeping and relatively easy, this was to be our 'blast',
the final leg to Elvanfoot, the constraints, well, lack of challenge of the M74, and the comfort of the services at Abington. It was here that Pete called
in to say that work beckoned and he was cutting for home, a flourish and a 'rip' of his C&C pipes, he left on the M74 as we turned off again on the A702.
Gary led us in to the service area were we all lined up in a quiet section of the carpark, next stop - the 'Gents' and the Prima-Cafe were we inhabited
a corner and slugged our coffee, a chat about the route, the fun and the drive ..
It had been a non-stop (barring junctions) 92 miles of A&B road fun, from Portpatrick to Abington, in the dry, with no wind, and no traffic to speak of.
That is what its all about.
It was at this stage we decided to curtail our enthusiasm, the projected run via Tinto Hill & Lanark would be saved for another day.
Gary refuelled the Mustang again, then northbound on M74. Ross & Stephen were going to leave the M74 at Motherwell for their respective
home towns, and followed by Keith, left us before Douglas Water and disappeared into the distance. Gary led us in to Glasgow and the roadworks and
the traffic, and the congestion.. Gary D & his red 28i went into the Charing Cross tunnel, Paisley bound as Paul and I followed the bright yellow 351
off the motorway up to Woodlands Rd, round the Uni, and we stopped at Cleveden Drive, to end a great day.
I just wish I could have taken some more photos on the run back, so much seen, and so little recorded.
To all the guys who turned out, my thanks for a really nice jaunt in the country. To the weather, MANY thanks for being just right. Bright Dry and Clear.
ADB - CCS member 007
for further information, and inspiration for the ownership of a classic vehicle, and so you don't feel alone - visit www.fbhvc.co.uk
Fight the politically misinformed, feel supported, join in and 'do your bit' Drive it Day is now a registered trade mark, and for some of us, a worthy
excuse to take our pets out for a run in the country and show our face to 'joe public' support the FBHVC, support your wish to drive a classic.
Arrangements having been made and names in the hat, Sunday morning the 20th April turned out to be rather nice. Having stayed at Paul Macs the
night before, we headed to Esquire House to meet up with the 'Glasgow band'. We were due to meet up and head off about 09:45, and joining us
for the first part of the drive - to Ayr Heathfield was Alan Duncan in his Toyota Celica, and a pal in an MX5. Keith G in D77 was the third Capri, while
Gary had turned out, not only with his current 351 sportsroof, but accompanied by a chap driving his previous ‘67 289 Fastback.
Our route to Malletsheugh was due to take in the Clyde Tunnel, so an aural delight was anticipated, our route also included Paisley Road West,
Mosspark Boulevard and the M77.
We pulled in to Newton Mearns, and met up with Peter, Ross & Stephen (Lanarkshire contingent), and Gary D in his 28i, a total of 7 Capris.
Uneventful and relaxed run down the M77 & A77 to Heathfield retail park Ayr, where quite a spectacle of old classics, modern classics and vintage
vehicles had assembled, my vote for bravery (nutter !!) of the day, must go to the couple who turned out in their model T racer, stunning!
Soon time had come to head south, the various groups and individuals all leaving for Portpatrick, there were a couple of routes picked out by the TEC
and others, certainly the new traffic lights on the Whifletts roundabout did conspire to split us up, but it was quite surprising how easy it was for us to
keep together, and an impressive view from where I was sitting with Gary D, Keith & Stephen behind me and for a while an old 70s Volvo144 in front
of me. The TEC guys did bail out at Minishant for a side road route via Straiton, but as we decided to head straight for Girvan for the first leg, our
target was the harbour and possibly a chip shop (maybe). Gary was spotted refuelling at the Esso station, and after a brief wait at the rest halt
(nae chips) we decided to head on down into the sunshine..
It was at this point that Keiths alarm decided it didn’t want to leave with the rest of the convoy, but it was just a minor glitch, and soon the car fired
up fine, all we had to do now was catch up, and a fine drive from Girvan, through Lendalfoot, and Kennedys Pass, in pursuit of the squad was one of
my highlights of the journey, Keith in front with the 28i, the road opening up at all the right moments and slower traffic despatched with ease, soon
the CB crackled, and the CCS convoy appeared before us just after Ballantrae, and just as we approached Glen App.
Through the roadworks, and past Cairn Ryan into the outskirts of Stranraer, our route was easy to follow, south and west, to the very end of
the A77, our final descent from Lochans to the harbour surrounded by a collection of classic motorcycles, and on the very last drop into Portpatrick,
we passed the only police car we spotted all day.
There was two particular carparks available to us on the day and we chose the one above the harbour on the Dunskey Castle road, neatly close to
the Café where we were soon to congregate for toasties and drinks, also where Peter & Paul snaffled the last 2 bowls of the soup of the day…
Part 2 - Homeward Ho
After some chatting and viewing the assembled cars it was soon time to get on the road again, Liam had left earlier with the 67 Fastback, and we had
decided to do the suggested cross-country route home, and, as I had made the suggestion, Pete put me up front - not my usual position in our convoy
but, well, duty called.. The convoy was now Me, Gary, Paul, Stephen, Ross, Keith, Gary & Peter. The route was back to Lochans, then small road
over to the A75 just east of Dunragit, interesting B road with some long straights and occasionally a sharp bend, overall good visibility. The A75 itself
was good, passing Kirkcowan, to Newton Stewart (past the farm Paul & I had visited 2 weeks prior for HillBillys wheels !!) where the roundabout
and associated roads were now finished and surfaced.
Not far past there we turned north-east for New Galloway on the A712, through the Galloway Forest Park, on the road marked 'The Queens Way'
nice surface, bends, hills and a lochside section with no traffic !!
Through New Galloway and across the A713, we picked up the B7075 past Bogue. At this point we picked up the A702, and I really thought I had made
a mistake.. The road surface was terrible, and there appeared to be a lot of blindspots. The best views at this point was in my mirror, well at least
Gary appeared to be having fun !! Behind him Paul was keeping up very well in the Mk1, and I was feeling very worried about the surface, the bumps,
his arches and the very close proximity of his tyres to them .. (as it turned out later totally unfounded !). I got glimpses in my mirror of everyone
at various stages, and there was no flashing lights, no calls on the CB or phone, so I guessed everyone was OK.
We soon made Moniave, and crawled sedately through quite a busy wee township, there was loads of people about, kids and adults, and
the streets were quite narrow and the buildings appeared tall. What with me up front, Garys Mustang, then Paul and Peters 'Bertha' it must
have sounded awesome, and I do hope that we left a 'favourable' impression.. Even with Keith, Gary, Stephen and Ross in slightly quieter
cars, it must have been a wake-up call.. but we behaved (I think). on the eastern outskirts as the 30 limit stopped, there was a long straight, every
one was together after that too..
Next target now was Thornhill on the A76 Dumfries-Kilmarnock trunk, we had agreed that if required we could leave the little roads here and go
straight north if time was short, but no, a small distance of main road got us to Carronbridge, the A702 beckoned again, and this I think turned
out to be the best section. After Durisdeer we started a small climb, the road surface went smooth, there was a section so reminiscent of the
Rest-and-be-Thankful..
It was magic.. Into Lanarkshire, the views were great, the road was wider, the corners were sweeping and relatively easy, this was to be our 'blast',
the final leg to Elvanfoot, the constraints, well, lack of challenge of the M74, and the comfort of the services at Abington. It was here that Pete called
in to say that work beckoned and he was cutting for home, a flourish and a 'rip' of his C&C pipes, he left on the M74 as we turned off again on the A702.
Gary led us in to the service area were we all lined up in a quiet section of the carpark, next stop - the 'Gents' and the Prima-Cafe were we inhabited
a corner and slugged our coffee, a chat about the route, the fun and the drive ..
It had been a non-stop (barring junctions) 92 miles of A&B road fun, from Portpatrick to Abington, in the dry, with no wind, and no traffic to speak of.
That is what its all about.
It was at this stage we decided to curtail our enthusiasm, the projected run via Tinto Hill & Lanark would be saved for another day.
Gary refuelled the Mustang again, then northbound on M74. Ross & Stephen were going to leave the M74 at Motherwell for their respective
home towns, and followed by Keith, left us before Douglas Water and disappeared into the distance. Gary led us in to Glasgow and the roadworks and
the traffic, and the congestion.. Gary D & his red 28i went into the Charing Cross tunnel, Paisley bound as Paul and I followed the bright yellow 351
off the motorway up to Woodlands Rd, round the Uni, and we stopped at Cleveden Drive, to end a great day.
I just wish I could have taken some more photos on the run back, so much seen, and so little recorded.
To all the guys who turned out, my thanks for a really nice jaunt in the country. To the weather, MANY thanks for being just right. Bright Dry and Clear.
ADB - CCS member 007
Just a wee V8 -- In the workshop ~~ to return soon!!