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2nd Flat Cap & Whippet Weekend 2008


Murder at the Lodge at East Ayton

Report by Richard Jenkins


MMM’s are the only way to travel in N Yorks (provided you carry a boot load of spares with a rescue vehicle following!! (provided by management)). Or, in my case with “mid air” refuelling from the oil tanker following behind.

The weekend started at East Ayton Lodge Scarborough on Friday evening 30 May after the hottest day for a while and we arrived to a perfect setting - the hotel would have pleased Agatha Christie. MGs on the lawn with the murder mystery about to unfold.

Most of the cars arrived in good order and looked fabulous. George and Jo Ward arrived in their blue drophead coupe Bean, but she (not Jo) had been a naughty girl and was showing some fuel evaporation temperament! So some TLC was applied on the lawn with the help of our competition secretary (Mike Linward).

Mike arrived in a beautifully unrestored original classic Vauxhall (his J2 temporarily being indisposed) and I in my N type “Miledi”. She has been restored in the style of a musketeer but is a femme fatale and stubbornly poured oil from the dynamo area consuming a sump load of oil every 50 miles! On arrival I took her apart, but could not properly fix her as I did not have the bit - a spare vertical drive drain lipseal.

During the pre dinner drinks on the lawn and conservatory there was a blood chilling scream – a body had been found in reception! Not all was lost (apart from a life) as Miss Maple was at the hotel and on hand to carry out an investigation. All the hotel guests were taken to see the body which appeared to have been murdered with an MG trophy by a heavy blow to the head – damaging the object d’art!

During the chaos and mayhem the dinner gong sound and we took our places for a delicious meal and a detailed investigation into the murder. Various suspects were seated with the guests and during the courses we had to quiz them within an inch of their lives to see if we could discover the murderer. These included Maurice Garages, Emma Gee, Jackie Handle et al. Between courses Miss Maple carried on her sleuthing and by the time coffee was served she had solved the murder. No - it was not the butler, but Jackie Handle who had actually carried out the murder with a tool from his concourse winning MG! In short a great way to involve everyone and start the weekend in style.

Saturday started with gorgeous sunshine which continued all day. The first cars were away around 9.15 am (and there must have been at least 35 of them). They included an M type (John and Angela Haine), 1 D (Ted and Janet Hack), 2 C types (Messrs Hudson and Bayne-Powell), 3 or 4 Fs (incl Messrs Shorten, Vernyns, Walker and Wilson,), perhaps 3 J2s (Messrs Chamberlain, Forster and Hawke) , one or 2 Ls (incl Peter and Marianne Sutcliffe), a good deal of lovely Ps (incl Messrs Andrews, Davies, Holl, Jackson, James, McLachlan, Reid, Richards, Stewart, Vanlint, Warr, and Wild, a stunning KN (Peter and Celia Hemmings), about 7 Ns (Messrs Abbott, Bayne-Powell, Hartley, Hay, Hogg, Jenkins and Thomson) and a couple of VA tourers (incl
Tony Margel, Alan Dakeyne and Ernie Peake) plus an “around Britain” Wolseley Hornet special (Charles and Stan Brotherton). Terry’s daughter sent them off in good order with her hunting horn tuned to the sound of an N engine with two timing 2 teeth out! She did it in style and they all looked stunning.

Out onto the N Yorks moors with our tails up and it was wonderful. Thru to Pickering, coffee at the Coach House in Rosedale, then up Rosedale Chimney Bank which was a well used trials hill in the 20s and 30s (then know as Freak “ hill!!) now metalled. Lunch was provided at Cliffemount Hotel over looking Runswick Bay. Thereafter home to East Ayton Lodge via Whitby seeing Captn Cook and Whitby Abbey. The route went via Blue Bank and Goathland Railway station (which doubles as Hogwarts for the Harry Potter films) and Aidensfield for ITVs Heartbeat. After endless 1 in 3 hills (with little in the way of brakes) we went thru Hole of Horcum (or Devil’s Punchbowl),
the ford at Littlebeck (another pre-war trials hill) but no water in the ford which was the only disappointment. Travelling thru Dalby the Great Yorkshire Forest was lovely, but not an ice cream in sight – just when you need one!

Lucky upon return to the Lodge teas and drinks were laid on and the atmosphere was buzzing. Dinner was enjoyed with relish and the day closed on a high. You can picture the MGs in the warm dry moonlight in crescent shape parked on the manicured lawn (not a drop of oil to be seen!).

Sunday brought the rain and a line of recovery low loaders ready to carry off the wounded cars, whilst the valiant continued onto Castle Howard via Oliver’s Mount race circuit and home or to the next event.

We had a great crowd from Belgium with Ps and Fs. Jacques Vanlint broke a diff and Stefaan Vernyns tried everywhere to get a spare. In the end Richard Hardy arrived before breakfast on Sunday with the magic bit from his F type. After much filing of a spacer washer they got to Hull and back home. The car ran fine which was a blessing as he gave them his rebuilt 8/39 diff (F type) so he was worried the P engine may not pull it, but it did. Sounds like they will be bringing a bag full of diffs back to Silverstone then!!!!!

Richard also provided the critical vital vertical drive drain housing for Miledi (for her oil leak), but by the time I received it she was also on a low loader ready to head south. A job I am now fixing.

A magical weekend made possible by Terry Hartley and Bob Walker and their wives and families, with the sponsorship of Barry Walker, Baynton Jones, Frost and Longstone Tyres.

Bring on the 3 Flat Cap & Whippet weekend if you have the strength!

Thanks to everyone for the fun.

© Richard Jenkins
04.06.08



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(click on image to enlarge, click again to close)



The weekend saw an excellent MMM turn out for the 2008 2nd Flat Cap and Whippet run travelling through some of North Yorkshire's most spectacular scenery. Approximately 40 cars attended.

Vintage MG Parts had not intended on being at the event this year but the loss of three teeth to Jacques Vanlint's P type differential on the Saturday resulted in a request for us to urgently provide a replacement. We were pleased to assist and were then able to join the run in the morning in one of our diff delivery J2s!

Unfortunately, we have no photographs as yet of the Friday and Saturday's activities but if MMM members on the weekend would like to email any photos then we would be delighted to post them on this temporary web page (please see details below).

The Sunday morning at East Ayton Lodge got off to a damp rainy start but spirits were high and the clouds soon lifted. Everyone (except Jacques and Stefaan who were left changing the differential), set off through to Scarborough followed by a sprint around Oliver's Mount racing circuit before travelling through fine countryside for a final meet up and lunch at Castle Howard.

Once again, the Flat Cap and Whippet organisers had planned a truly fantastic MMM weekend in North Yorkshire and it was impressive to see just how far many members had travelled from throughout the country and well beyond. This event is highly recommended.

Please see our Visitor's Gallery for photos of individual cars.



Click on an image below to view enlarged picture and brief details - click again (anywhere on screen) to close.


Sunday startPit stop - changing the diffOliver's MountWhich way to Castle Howard?Gathering at Castle HowardGathering at Castle HowardColin McLachan looking for his gearsBonnet lines


If you would like to send any photographs of the event, simply click the link below and attach a photograph
(preferably in jpeg format but not essential).
Please include a caption in your email text.


Click here to send your photograph via email


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