October 2018 Sunday Run out to North Norfolk The last BMGOC run of the season was a trip up to sunny North Norfolk for coffee, followed by lunch at the Village Inn at West Runton. A heads up from Reg regarding the possibility of congestion in Wroxham meant a change of plan with an alternative meeting venue on the A140 near Norwich Airport chosen. Unfortunately, Jeff, Richard and Penny didn t see the email informing them of the change and wondered where everyone had got to as they sat patiently in the Roys of Wroxham car park! Luckily Jeff had his sat-nav in his car and they were soon on their way to our first stop at the Wiveton Hall Cafe near Blakeney. The cafe has featured in the BBC TV series Normal For Norfolk, which follows the owner, eccentric gentleman farmer Desmond MacCarthy, as he struggles to keep his 17th century manor home afloat. Unfortunately, Desmond wasn t present when we visited, but we enjoyed the coffee and cake in the brightly painted cafe. It was then a short drive along the coast to Blakeney, for a walk down to the quay. The nice weather had brought out the visitors and it was good to see the village bustling.
We then headed back to the cars for the pleasant drive along the coast from Blakeney to West Runton, passing through Cley next the Sea, Salthouse, Weybourne and Sheringham. The beer garden in the Village Inn was busy when we first got there but, we found a row of picnic benches together without resorting to the usual BMGOC strategy of moving furniture around. The food soon arrived and we had a very enjoyable meal al fresco. Many thanks go to David for organising an enjoyable run out. September Club Night Run - The Plough Inn, Blundeston - review by David Johnson With a number of members being on holiday in early September it was still great to have 12 cars arrive at Morrison's car park. We knew we were in good hands on seeing a sign being held high above Mark s GT saying FOLLOW US - thanks to Charlotte's guidance. Off we set along what can only be described as MG roads (grass up the middle in places) everyone was brought to almost a standstill while a family of partridges ambled down the middle of a road before taking off into a nearby field. Everyone enjoyed yet another 20 mile scenic route planned by Mark, Bev and Charlotte, at the end of which we all enjoyed substantial meals at The Plough Inn, Blundeston. At least rain held off until we said our farewells after an excellent meal. Thanks to everyone who turned up for this final summer run out. Carol Oliver s MGF is for Sale
New Year s Day Run 2019 I know it s a little way off but the 2019 New Year s Day Run will be to the Old Ram Coaching Inn at Tivetshall St Mary. A 2 course meal with tea or coffee will be 20 per head. Please give menu choices, with a 5 per head deposit, to David before 12th December. The meeting point etc. will be confirmed nearer the date. Mains: Steak and Ale Pie with herb mash, buttered vegetables and gravy Pork and Apple Suet Pudding with sage crust served with Duchess potatoes, with buttered vegetables and cider gravy Luxurious Fish Pie served with buttered vegetables or a side salad Wild Mushroom and Chestnut filo parcel with wholegrain mustard cream, braised red cabbage and new potatoes Desserts: Homemade Chocolate Brownie with vanilla ice-cream Winter Berry cheesecake Spotted Dick with custard Ice-cream or Sorbet selection FORTHCOMING EVENTS October 3rd... November 7th... November 9th-11th... December 5th... January 1st... February 6th... Club Night - Bridge Inn, Acle Club Night - Bridge Inn, Acle - Quiz night organised by Carol NEC Classic Car Show Broadland MGOC Christmas Meal New Year s Day Run - The Old Ram, Tivetshall St Mary Club Night - Bridge Inn - Unwanted Christmas Present Raffle October Club Night, Bridge Inn, Acle The October club night sees us return to the Bridge Inn at Acle for the autumn and winter months. You may wish to note that Phil and Vanessa are running their 2 meals for 12 deal again this year should you wish to eat before the meeting (orders must be placed before 7.00pm).
Classic and Sports Cars by the Lake, Hall Farm, Fornham St Martin There was another good turnout of members for the Classic and Sports Cars by the Lake event. The organisers had made some changes to the entrance arrangements so things moved freely and there was only a little queuing to get in. There were over 700 entries which took some time to look around and the organisers say 5000 visitors came to the event. Cars ranged from pre war saloons to the latest supercars Many thanks go to David for organising the BMGOC entry.
Guernsey & Jersey Car Tour - September 2018 3 couples from the club recently had a week s holiday on the islands of Guernsey and Jersey organised by Scenic and Continental Car Tours. The holiday got off to a rather stressful start, though, when the journey from our overnight accommodation to the ferry terminal at Poole took much longer than expected due to the volume of traffic. We arrived at the terminal 15 minutes after the check in was supposed to close, but no-one from the ferry company seemed too bothered and soon we were aboard the Condor Liberation fast ferry heading to our first destination of Guernsey. As we would be disembarking separately, we agreed to meet up on the road to the hotel. However, the small size of the island meant that the map scales were very deceiving and when we all met up again we found that we were only a couple of minutes away from our hotel. We booked in, freshened up and soon it was time for dinner. All the other Scenic and Continental guests were on tables in the same part of the restaurant and we got to know some of them over the next few days. The hotel was nice, the staff friendly and the food was excellent. We had 3 days on Guernsey. The maximum speed limit is 35mph but you would have a hard job to exceed that. The roads are extremely narrow once off the main drag (not a problem in a MG Midget but a bit tricky in a Mercedes) and they have a rather unusual merge in turn system at many junctions. Luckily, the locals are very friendly and also patient as no-one ever tooted us when we blocked roads as we poured over the route maps we were given trying to figure out where we were. Indeed, if we ever pulled over someone would appear out of nowhere and ask if we needed directions. Highlights of our stay on Guernsey included the German Occupation Museum, the lovely bays and beaches, the Little Chapel and the many, many forts and towers built on the coastline. The capital St Peter Port was charming, but we were a little disappointed that the Victor Hugo House was closed for restoration after walking up a steep hill to get to it. After our 3 days on the island it was time to sail to Jersey for the second part of our holiday. The crossing took about an hour and the sea was very calm. The hotel was only a 10 minute drive from the ferry terminal at St Helier, but the roads were much busier and there were a few one way systems. The hotel was very nice, but much bigger. It also had entertainment in the evenings with an ABBA tribute band (who knew Geoff was a big ABBA fan?), a Burlesque act and some country rock which seemed popular with the locals. Again, we tried to follow the suggested tour routes for the island given in the pack we received from Scenic and Continental, but we got lost a few times. We did find the picturesque fishing village of Gorey with its impressive castle, Rozel and Bouley Bays, the Noirmont Command Bunker and Corbiére Lighthouse. We also visited the remarkable Jersey War Tunnels Museum, which paid tribute to the locals who faced much hardship during the German occupation and the many prisoners of war who died building the underground shelters. Geoff and Viv also had a day at the Durrell Wildlife Park, whilst Jenny and Vic and Jill and I had a day looking around the capital St Helier. The last day saw us drive the short distance back to the ferry. The day coincided with the Guernsey and Jersey air show and we were treated to a fly past by the Red Arrows as we sat in the sun on the rear viewing deck of the ferry. Many thanks go to Viv, Jenny and Vic for a great holiday and a special thank you to Geoff for organising it.