Clyde Valley, Red Rose and Geordie chapters all meet up for a superb Saturday evening get-together, on 16 April, to kick start the riding season at Gretna Hall Hotel. Looking to make a weekend of it, quite a few of the Geordie Chapter travelled up on the Friday afternoon to get settled in, and make sure that the beer was OK.
The weather on Saturday morning was glorious, just right for riding our bikes. After breakfast and a short walk to the Old Blacksmith’s Shop for a bit of sightseeing, we made our way south to meet up with Red Rose at the Lane End Inn near Brampton for a spot of lunch. Everything went like clockwork and we arrived to find quite a large bunch of Red Rose Chapter already ordering food and drinks. We all had our lunch and very soon it was time to get going again to meet the Clyde Valley Chapter.
We met up with them at the services on the M6 but by now, the weather had done the very British thing and changed completely. We were deluged with hailstones, so as soon as we got there we headed straight for the hotel back in Gretna.
Aided by a few beers, we had a great meal at the hotel then watched the Fat Alligator take us well into the evening. The drummer, Clyde Valley’s Activities Officer Dave Henderson, was amazing. It was marvellous to see the three chapters having fun and getting on so well.
It was a fantastic weekend and I would like to thank everyone who organised it, especially Paul Jackson for leading the ride up to the M6 services. A very special thank you goes to Red Rose and Clyde Valley chapters for allowing the Geordie Chapter to become a part of the CRAGG group!