And We're OFF

Friday 8th May – Advance party leave the Isle of Skye for Thurso. Collecting donations of £20 from the Loch Caron restaurant and a bottle of glen Morangie from Glen Morangie

Sat 9th May – Showers sunny spells windy. Marshalls and competitors arrive at the Weigh inn hotel Thurso. Some cars have been driven all the way. Some have been transported part the way and driven the rest and some transported all the way. All the party were fascinated by a helicopter overhead which landed on the lawn of the hotel only for us to find when the door opened it was Richard and Kerry martin (showoffs!). There is only 1 competitor that did not make the start – John Schofield and his ford thunderbird due to illness. Signing on took place in a jovial atmosphere everyone raring to get started, everyone was supplied with an event polo shirt sponsored by Sandy & Susan Dalgarno.

Sunday 10th May - Bright, clear skies, breeze. Everybody was up early cleaning cars and sticking on event logos. All the cars left the hotel for the 20 mile to the start of John o’ Groats. Bernard & Barbara Simpson in their mark 1 rally Escort broke down on the way to the start with a broken half shaft (No11). All competitors collected a travel blanket sponsored by Keith & Lesley Loeber. The first car Carol Anne Eggenberger and Mary McLaughlin in their 62 Cadillac were piped off the starting line at 9.30am followed by the rest of the entrants at 1 minute intervals.

The first reported breakdown was Nicola & Eddy in the office Ford Corsair, the car was eventually put in the back of the Overton car transporter and taken to the lunchholt at the Thistle hotel in Inverness. Following lunch all the competitors had a fabulous drive over Tomintoul. All competitors were checked in at the Lecht ski centre and on arrival Richard & Kerry Martin car no 3 jaguar xk140 was found to have a puncture and the wheel was changed for the onward journey. Everyone arrived safely at the Hilton Graigendarroch Hotel although Richard Sykes and Simon Metcalfe & Richard Fitton & Alan Hart were late arrivals and were fined (for charity) by the stewards. Meanwhile Bernard Simpsons Escort had been taken to Overton Garage in Aberdeen where Bernard repaired the car by replacing the halfshaft and arrived back at the hotel at 10pm to applause from the rest of the competitors and was ready for the journey the following day.

Jogle, our event mascot, travelled with Keith & Lesley Loeber for the first day but was mistreated because they sat down and ate a roast lamb dinner in front of him and someone offered him mint sauce. Jogle was transferred to Ros & Brian Fitton to look after him for the next day and because he has also wanted to drive in their Bentley Mk V1. We hope he is ok as he gets travel sick. At dinner silly highland cow hats and puppets were produced and most people left the dining room wearing these hats.