So ladies and gents I guess this is the thread we've all been waiting for!!
You've voted for the date and whilst I know there will be some people that have to miss out, we've gone with the majority and I am certainly hoping for a well attended event which we all enjoy.
Gav and I have already discussed a plan and I spent yesterday checking out a few pubs, roads and villages around Richmond, which is where the meet will take place.
The very brief overview
I never quite know how to lay these threads out, so before I go into detail I thought I might as well give you an overview of the plan.
Basically, Gav, Ali, Jen, me and anyone else who cares to join us will be heading up to Richmond on Friday the 22nd June. We'll be staying in the chosen hotel and having informal drinks/dinner depending on what everyone present wants to do.
We then propose that anyone joining us on the Saturday meets at a convenient location near Richmond (TBC as the town centre is smallish so wouldn't be suitable) around about 10:00 for an 11:00 start.
After a little bit of a drive, we will be heading to a pub for lunch, followed by yet more driving. We'll visit a number of the towns and villages and there will be plenty of chances for pictures, ice creams and all the usual Northern Meet fun.
After a few hours to chill at the hotel, we will reconvene for an evening meal in Richmond. Quite likely, we'll be heading for a curry that evening and we've spotted a place which is well reviewed. After that, it's likely to be drinks in Richmond and beyond back at the hotel!
Sunday, as always is all about having a relaxed breakfast and allowing people to head off in their own time. Gav and I will likely host another short drive, probably heading in a useful direction for most of the remaining people (likely to be south) and will likely encourage a spot of lunch or a drink or two before we all finally depart.
Accomodation
The likely hotel of choice will be the 'Scotch Corner' Holiday Inn AKA the Holiday Inn Darlington as seen
here
It's a cheap and cheerful hotel clocking in at around £50-60 per night, before any bulk discount. The main reason we have chosen this hotel is because (quite simply) it is the closest hotel which is large enough to accomodate us whilst still being close to Richmond.
Depending upon numbers, I'd be more than happy to look into what rates we can get with local boutique B&B's etc within the town itself, but they basically have 2-5 rooms each so we will need to act quickly and decisively if that's the preference.
The Drive
The main saturday drive is going to be a really interesting one this time I think. I spent all day yesterday experiencing some of the roads around Richmond and I was pleasently surprised by how wide, well surfaced and exciting these roads are. The scenery is truly amazing and some of the towns and villages are extremely picturesque.
We'll be visiting Reeth, Hawes, Muker, Thwaite and plenty of others - including a drive over the legendary Buttertubs Pass - a road which Clarkson describes as 'Englands only truly spectacular road.'
I'll post a more detailed itinerary later, but for now there are some pictures below from yesterday which should whet your appetite.
FOOD!!
As I said earlier, the plans for saturday night are not 100% concrete, so I won't post anything about that just yet.
Saturday lunchtime however has been decided and we will be heading to the Black Bull in Reeth. Their website can be seen
here.
I tried the pub yesterday and I can say that it is all of these things - big, old, grubby, warm, welcoming and properly Yorkshire!! The food is fantastic and they basically serve anything and everything in a giant yorkshire pudding, which is great. There was plenty of parking nearby and it was handled on an 'honesty box' type arrangement where you chuck a quid into a lockbox, so its basically 50p or whatever you can spare.
I'll be taking orders near to the time, although we might not have the actual menu until a little closer to the time. The website above has a sample of the current one (which is up to date.)
Summary and Pictures
So that's it really. It's going to be a great weekend with lots of great driving, food and slightly dodgy (but cheap) accomodation which simply means you should drink enough to 'ensure' you sleep well haha!!!
As I said was up there yesterday with Jen and some friends, so here are a few pics of our day out including some of the Buttertubs Pass, the Black Bull and the villages of Reeth, Thwaite and Muker.
Copyright Lady_G for the photos!!
Can't wait to see you all there.
Thanks for reading.
Matt