International Alvis Day
This was our first major Alvis owner club event and what a way to start with the International in York. Our first part of the weekend started off with dinner at the National Railway Museum, meeting members we knew and being introduced to many new faces. It was a lovely evening with some brilliant Orient Express get ups. Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot certainly gave us a laugh and entertained – you know who you are.
On Sunday we had an earlyish start to get over to the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington. A great venue to show off the range of pre war and post war Alvis’, with the back drop of airplanes from similar era’s as the cars. And the weather held, although cloudy, we seemed to miss most of the rain.
We had also decided to join in the Yorkshire Moors tour, organized by Frank and Joan Kay, for a couple of days. This saw us leaving the Mercure Hotel around 10:30 Monday morning heading for the Hotel at Ravenscar. Once off the Thirsk road and onto the country lanes we headed for a pit stop midway up Horses Tail road. We then continued our slow, steady ascent and on, to arrive at Rievaulx Abbey and a well-earned lunch. Refreshed, we settled into a delightful drive along the toll road through the stunning Dalby Forest. From there we motored onto the Hotel on the peninsula at Ravenscar, with stunning views over the bays up to Whitby. What a glorious drive.
The evening saw us having plenty of wine and food with other Alvis members who were taking part, discussing the trials and tribulations of the drive and what an excellent IAD it had been. Tuesday arrived and after a hearty breakfast we had to make our way to Goathland and the NYMR Steam Train to Whitby. So a lovely drive over the moors ensued, following Franks directions down some interesting country lanes, in and out of valleys (including a Ford – think we went wrong there!) and eventually coming into Goathland and great views of the Railway and station. Frank had organized parking and the variety of cars turned quite a few heads as we lined up and parked outside the station.
Then it was off to Whitby and what has to be said was an extremely packed train – standing room only and lots of talk of ‘this is what it used to be like’!, ‘it still is’! and ‘it never changes’. We arrived in Whitby with lots of people looking forward to some famous Whitby fish and chips.
Returning on the train later in the day was a little less cramped and we managed to get a seat, to enjoy the NYM scenery once again and the drive back to the hotel. Tea on the lawn and a go at the Croquet – such fun! And then followed by another evening of wine and lovely food.
For us that was it. We had to leave on the Wednesday and make our way back to the South and leave God’s Own Country in peace.
