It was a 7 am start on a sunny Sunday when we set off for Wales. Unfortunately, just a few miles short of our destination the heavens opened, so it was a quick stop in a convenient lay-by to cover up. We are much better at this now, so it didn’t take the usual twenty minutes, and we were still almost dry when we got to the start of the run at The Forge, St Clears. The three other cars from Bristol were already there, Chris and Pauline, Steve and Helle and Janet and Tim having sensibly decided to spend the Saturday night in a nearby motel. The sight and smell of their breakfasts was pretty tempting but we contented ourselves with a cuppa !

One hundred cars were waved off and, the clearing skies having persuaded us to take the hood down, and we set off with high hopes for a dry run. There was a good mix of cars, with many A’s, B’s, C’s, GT’s, TD’s, F’s, Midgets and even a couple of Sprites.

The first part of the route wound through country lanes, climbing up to the edge of the Prescelli Mountains and the first suggested stop at two standing stones, one of which was in memory of a 20th century Welsh poet, Waldo Williams, a pacifist who was imprisoned for his stance as a conscientious objector against the Korean War in 1950. The second pillar was a bluestone, similar to those at Stonehenge. Garry and I stopped here for a cuppa and a chat but Chris was on a mission in his new MGC and so Pauline apparently was whirled past in a blur.

An iconic Welsh pub, Tafarn Sinc, made of corrugated iron was another place of interest in this first part of the run. This pub had catered for travellers stopping off at the nearby railway station (long dismantled) and the garden now features a reconstruction of an old station, complete with sound effects. We’re told Pauline missed this one too!

The route wound through the Prescelli’s to the coast at Fishguard, scene of the last French invasion of Britain in 1797, and the lunch stop at a free car park overlooking the harbour at Goodwick. The sun was sparkling on the water by now and the Stena Line ferry from Ireland glided gently into dock while we were tucking gratefully into our ham rolls and coffee. Two brave souls in wetsuits were taking a swim around the harbour but we weren’t tempted! We saw Janet and Tim and Steve and Helle but no sign yet again of Pauline and Chris!

Refreshed we set off on the second leg, keeping sight of the sea on our right and eventually motoring through country lanes into the pretty narrow harbour at Solva. We decided to press on (shades of Chris and Pauline now) to Newgale, a marvellous expanse of sand and sea, although no really big breakers for the surfers today. We took the narrow coastal road, eventually winding down into Broadhaven, again looking in vain for a sign of Chris’s white MGC in any of the parking places.

We had been provided with tickets for the toll booth at the bridge near Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven, which then took us into Pembroke itself, where The Millpond and the sight of the old castle, built originally around 1200 and now restored, nearly tempted us to stop. However, we decided to keep going and were rewarded with a convenient pull-in and gorgeous views of the sea, twinkling in the sun and we could just glimpse Caldey Island. We don’t think Pauline caught a sight though!

A Welsh tea of Bara Brith, Welsh Cake and a hot drink awaited us at St Florence Village Hall, the sun was still shining on the sparkling paintwork and chrome of the cars and it was agreed it had been a great run by the Pembroke Club.

Garry & Carolyn Bishop

Footnote from Pauline:
Fishguard? Goodwick? Broadhaven? Caldy? All a blur.......... We did stop for a speedy ice cream at Newgale though and got back for our Welsh Tea about two hours before the rest of the BAMGOC crew arrived! The countryside and coast were beautiful even if seen at speed. I want to go back next year and maybe do THIS year's run again!

Footnote from Chris:
OK, OK, so I pushed on a bit. You know when a car is just going really well and you don't want to stop.................

Rain, rain, rain! Could it get any wetter? Thank goodness for the modern ‘golf’ umbrella and the stunning BAMGOC black and white version. The car-park at the Arboretum saw colourful groups under these umbrellas until, at the appointed time eight MGB Roadsters and four other cars set off for Highgrove Gardens.

On arrival, we passed the solitary security policeman giving us each a cursory glance, before lining up in BAMGOC fashion in the parking area. We made our way over to the Visitor Centre (and the proper security check-in) situated in a modern building but, as you’d expect, in architectural keeping with the house. We sat comfortably in the Orchard Room, surrounded by a large display of HRH’s watercolours, and watched a most interesting DVD of HRH Prince Charles’ exposition of his time at Highgrove since the early 80s, and his ideology behind the development of his land.

And then it was out into the elements again with our guide, Mrs Charlotte Barker. Initially she was very concerned for our welfare but soon stopped asking if we were all right when she realised we were made of sterner stuff and that a little bit of water wasn’t going to dampen our spirits!

We set off through 4 acres of meadowland at the end of it’s flowering season and heard how it had been cleared over time under the direction of HRH and how the planting of it is still being developed. We then entered the woodland that kept opening out into gardens and glades, showing off to great advantage many gifts of statues and plants that HRH had been given. One major feature that occurred throughout the gardens was his use of ‘redundant ecclesiastical stone’ in small and larger displays. His other ideas are his use of ‘gentle and flat water features’ and strategic gaps and holes in hedges which allow great vistas across the land.

The walled gardens were fascinating and the arbour across the kitchen garden carrying runner beans was much admired, particularly by the shorter members of the group! The walled gardens close to the house provided much interest to the flower growers and we all enjoyed the stroll as the rain had stopped.

The tour finished with tea provided from beautiful Highgrove tableware in an elegant setting and a whistle-stop tour through the gift shop.

We set off in convoy to the ‘Rose and Crown’ at Brokenborough where we were served a delicious early-afternoon lunch and had the luxury of ‘dry’ comfort and the time to recount the highlights of our morning tour.

Thank you so much, Val and Ian, for arranging such a splendid day.

Pauline & Martin Palmer

Only two couples ventured on this trip…Tim and I, and Pauline and Chris. Having done a lot of miles the previous Sunday on the Cotswold capers, Tim and I took the easy option and made a long weekend of it. Having had a leisurely Saturday morning, hood down we set off for our booked abode (with gear fluid at the ready to avoid last week’s clutch games!!).The Premier Inn at Llantrisant was brand new with a new build Beefeater next door all excellent

Pauline and Chris opted to do more miles on the Sunday and drove up in the morning. We were the two couples who had driven furthest to get to the start (well over 70 miles!).Not sure how calculations are done in Wales, perhaps their mile is a different length to ours, but prizes for the furthest travelled didn’t come our way…still all a bit of fun for a worthy charity.

The run itself was very enjoyable. The first few miles were on a one junction stretch of the motorway, followed by lovely lanes…back on the motorway for one more junction, then hitting brilliant scenery and brighter skies!!

The lunch break was made more enjoyable as it was at a castle sited on top of a hill. Most got out their picnics (it was the “teddy bear’s picnic run!).First, Tim and I climbed to the top and explored the castle and enjoyed stunning views over the Black Hills and the start of the Beacons. I believe the motorway bits were as a result of the members of Bridgend club suggesting a shortening of the route to allow more time at lunch to explore the castle.. a brilliant decision and it made the couple of motorway stints worth doing!! The last part of the run was the most rewarding with views and wildlife. We saw several Red Kite, a success story in this area, and the noise of countless skylarks whenever we stopped almost drowned us out.

I do believe The Antiques Road show should have an MG roadster (with slightly smaller clock!) going across this road. Someone should suggest it, anyone with BBC connections? This was another new run for us this year, and well worth it. A very reasonable price too at £12 a car. Watch out for it next year. “Enjoying MG” is a good magazine to pick up info on runs all over GB.

We are ready for another new run in August, going further afield to do the Pendine Dash, in Pembrokeshire. So far it has been the best year since we have had the car (12 years), as we made a conscious decision to get out and about as much as possible. Even on non-organised trips we have headed off at weekends to find bluebells woods, a wonderful experience! We visited Stourhead Gardens in Wiltshire, and have done several of our own Sunday runs over the Mendips. We even went to Glastonbury and climbed the Tor!!!

Looking forward to hearing from everyone else about their trips out and MGing (or any other makes of car!!) … any good stories about your cars are always needed, with or without pix, for the magazine… keep the magazine going!

Happy Motoring

We decided to give the TD Special a treat and take it to the Cotswolds so set off at a relatively gentle pace up the M5. By the time we got just past Almondsbury, Chris was getting concerned about the temperature gauge so we turned off towards the A38 and stopped in a layby to give the car a breather. The radiator was boiling and we had no water with us but, luckily for us, a cricket team turned up at the adjacent sports field and provided water plus some in lemonade bottles in case we needed them later.

So we arrived in Stroud a little later than expected but in plenty of time to receive a warm welcome and have a chat with other participants. This was a very well attended event with well over 100 cars awaiting the start. The programme promised us Willie Carson as a starter but I didn’t see him – maybe he’s even smaller than I thought!

Just after the first couple of turnings we saw some cars coming back towards us and wondered what was going on. Then we saw several cars doing a u-turn at a junction but I insisted that this was where we turned left so we didn’t just follow everyone else. I was quite relieved when we caught up with some other MGs that had also trusted the directions! Things obviously sorted themselves out as there were many MGs at the viewing point a few miles along the road.

We got caught up in a bit of a procession for a while after this but I was amused (it doesn’t take much) as we were coming down into Painswick with its legendary yew trees. Several cars had to back up to let a BMW four-wheel drive up the hill and part of its registration number was YEW – presumably a local!

Then on through delightful pastoral lanes with some stunning homes and gardens on display. We stopped to let some cows and calves go by – very rural.

We were somewhere near Ampney Crucis when we stopped in a pub car park to let the TD cool down again. At the time we were the only MG there and found ourselves dwarfed by a small squadron of enormous late 20’s Chryslers. Yet another opportunity for car enthusiasts to have a chat!

The half way stop at the farm shop was a welcome break for another natter, some ice cream, the loo and the opportunity to hand out some Brunel Run flyers. Then back to navigating the network of lanes that wander through this part of the country.

At one point we saw a police car almost hidden in a gateway and I wondered who he was hoping to catch on this little lane. Then I noticed that he was licking his fingers so maybe he was taking an American cop break and had been eating doughnuts?

The navigation was a little easier on this second stage and it seemed that in no time at all we were arriving at the end point at Westonbirt Arboretum. Here a very warm welcome was once again in evidence plus a souvenir fridge magnet. We were just in time to get a slice of cake and a cup of coffee in the café and sat in the sunshine for half an hour before heading for home.

The weather all day was stunning, as was the landscape we travelled through so thanks must go to the team at Gloucestershire MGOC who organised such a great day out.

Pauline

Having looked up MG Clubs in Australia we discovered the Gold Coast MG Car Club which was meeting not too far from where we were staying. There aren't any Owners' Clubs in Oz but this Club turned out to be very similar to our own.

Their website informed us that they were meeting at 7.30am(!) for a mid-week run. Due to the proximity of the Queensland border and the one hour's difference due to daylight saving, this meant it was 8.30am for us which wasn't so bad. The meeting place was at Currumbin Creek which is a stunning river mouth with sandy beaches.

As members began to arrive (late of course) they started to cook their breakfasts on the static barbeques provided by the local council. We found that many places had this facility - no charge - just press the button for the gas, cook your stuff and clean up afterwards!

We had meant to just turn up for the initial meeting to say "Hello" from Bristol but the welcome we received was amazing. An English couple who visit Australia for 5 months every year provided us with coffee, tea and raisin toast and we were persuaded to join in the run - at least as far as the 'morning tea' stop. We were driving a borrowed Toyota but that was OK.

The roads we travelled on were actually quite familiar to us as we had already done some exploring but even so we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. First we stopped at a viewpoint above Tweed Heads where the retired teacher who had devised the run gave a talk on how much the town had changed since her childhood. Then, out across the cane fields to the 'morning tea' stop at Murwillimbah. Here we were plied with coffee, tea and cake and even offered a night's lodgings by one member!

Since we had decided not to continue on to the lunch stop (at a place we'd already visited) we said our farewells and your Chairman made a short speech thanking everyone for their hospitality (I didn't hear one mention of his time in the Pit Lane at Le Mans!).

Pauline