Well, a very busy month for all of us at Derwent Valley. Some of our
number made it to the Notts Area Robin Hood Rally, which is more than a
certain Northants fellow managed. Not that I can talk as last year I
wimped out due to torrential rain and this year due to lack of MOT.
Those that did go tell me it was a great weekend that everyone enjoyed.
I hope to make it next year but you never can tell.

Finally the great day dawned; after months of organising, multiple
meetings, phone calls, emails etc it was here. The Peak Run weekend
launched for me just after lunch on the Thursday but some of our team
must have been up at the crack of dawn. I arrived at the camp-site to
find a marquee already pitched and a few early arrivals already enjoying
the sun. Did I mention The Sun; it shone all weekend for us, as booked
with The Big Fella the Sunday before. Thursday evening was quiet, just
a few of us in the bar and afterwards in the marquee discussing why the
club don't go to Silverstone (some of you are I know).

I awoke around 7.30am and could hear Colin's dulcet tones outside.
Thinking 'Oh My God, people will all be arriving soon', I legged it from
my sleeping bag to the showers (Oh what showers, they were fantastic)
and made some breakfast. Then we all sort of lazed around all morning,
wondering when the first arrivals would come and getting suntans.
Finally people started to drift in and away we went. The camping field
filled with the noise of Triumph engines and people from all over the
country greeting long lost friends.

Friday night was games night, organised by our very own Colin and
everyone went off to bed very mellow. Saturday dawned another great day
and I, along with many of the happy campers, partook of the Cosy Teapots
breakfast fare, well worth four and a half quid of anybody's money.
Then it was time to brief everybody on the days activities, a Scatter
Rally and a Treasure Hunt. Off everybody went, as new arrivals still
poured in. We filled our allotted area even if it was a little cosy,

I shot off home to collect the GT6, other half and my outfit for the
Saturday night, arriving back just in time for the festivities to
begin. With various activities planned it turned into a great night. I
am sworn to secrecy and Pip and Frank never wore anything Red and Pete
was definitely NOT a German. Suffice to say there were a lot of laughs
along the way and the Derwent Valley team set about making sure everyone
enjoyed themselves. I believe that a small amount of alcohol may have
been imbibed at some stage of the evening; there seemed to be a strange
stagger to some of the people as they regained their tents.

Sunday again dawned bright as we made our way to Belper for the start of
The Peak Run. Now the road from Ashbourne to Belper is a lovely run,
with hardly anything on the road it seems that the modern BMW following
me, driven by the other half, struggled to keep up with the 42 year old
GT6, can't imagine why officer! Once at Belper we once again had the
Town Crier in attendance along with the Mayor, and they did us proud
with bacon cobs at the Pub, a lovely PCSO to help with traffic and away
they all went, led appropriately by Colin in the 40th anniversary Stag.

Met at Matlock Bath by the excellent Derwent Valley team, all parked in
the lovely surroundings of Derwent Gardens in the sun. I did mention
that it was sunny didn't I? Time for the handing out of prizes, even if
one or two slipped away to watch something or other on telly. (At least
England beat Germany on Saturday night). Then it was all over, that's
it for another year. If truth be known I think we are only half glad it
is gone; the build up took so long and we were so involved.

One thing I never managed in my little speech at the end was to say how
much of a team effort all this is. Everyone comments on Colin, Roger,
Richard and myself because they see us up there on the mic. Whilst we
all put in lots of work, and none more than Colin, there is a whole team
of people behind us who provide ideas, inspiration and do most of the
work on the weekend, from marshalling to fetching newspapers. I don't
have room to name them all here but I hope they all know that the rest
of us are very grateful to them because they make the weekend run so
smoothly.

Planning for next year started at our club meet on the 6th July, only a
few of us there because people have gone off on holidays and to Le
Mans. We met, coincidentally, in Belper Market Place (well most of us
did, with Roger and Julie turning up at Smalley first, good one from
Julie as she brought her pint with her) for a Treasure Hunt around the
town. New member Tony showed up with his gang in a very nice Spartan
with the winners of the Treasure Hunt being Ange, sans Colin, and the kids.

Finally, I managed to make it over to the Notts Area Club Night (would
you believe 10 minutes from where I live) and was made very welcome by
Claire and the crowd. Hopefully I can make this a little more often now
I have a car on the road and maybe even a little further afield. Hope
to see some of you at Stafford.

Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention The Bungalow. Fellow AO's beware if
you are organising a camp-site. A certain couple from South Yorkshire
will need several pitches and a team of Sherpa's to erect the biggest
tent you ever did see!!