Mountains and Valley Run

Trevor Jarvis of the Herefordshire MGOC was kind enough to invite me along to act as the official starter for this year’s Mountains and Valley Run and then to take part in the Run itself.

Selwyn Wright’s MGC

Typical of the roads encountered on the Mountains and Valley Run

Ray and Shirley Powell with their BGT, in a typical mountain road setting

A huge collection of sparkling MGs were gathered in the car park of the Hereford Leisure Centre as entrants busily fixed on their rally boards and prepared for the off. Here was a chance for me to meet up with old friends from the MG world and make some new acquaintances. I was impressed to discover that many of the entrants had covered considerable distances to take part. Soon it was time to get the Run underway and it fell to me to wave the Union flag about and send the entrants off on their route.

A beautiful day for a road run is a major asset and this particular Sunday was just perfect and everyone was in a jovial mood as they drove out of the centre. Planning a road run is always a complex task for the organiser who has to choose a route that’s appropriately interesting as well as suitably safe but being located in such a beautiful area with wonderful scenery and numerous single-track mountain roads provided an ideal setting. The route was great fun and even quite challenging in places with a few very steep ascents that would tax a modern vehicle never mind a classic. But the early cars all coped just as admirably as the moderns and everyone taking part enjoyed the selected roads, particularly as the steep climbs were invariably rewarded by spectacular views across the valley and local countryside. Coming as I do from the flatlands of the Cambridgeshire Fens I was particularly impressed with the rugged scenery of the Black Mountains.

The planned lunch stop was held in the elegant surroundings of Llangoed Hall. This historic Hall was bought by Sir Bernard Ashley and fully restored in the 1970s and is now a very upmarket hotel and conference centre. The atmosphere in the Hall was very like a country house party and the excellent lunch was served in a smart dining room packed with fellow MG owners.

Before the start as the MGs gathered in strength at the Hereford Leisure Centre

Dave Ormerod sets off in his MGB

Llangoed Hall, an elegant setting for so many MGs

Selwyn Wright with his MGC from Oslo was presented with the furthest travelled entrant award

Flagging off David and Elizabeth Carter from Cheltenham in their MGF

The climb is rewarded with spectacular views of the Golden Valley

The oldest MG on the Run, Neil Sharpe’s 1936 MG TA

Neil Sharpe accepts his award for having the Oldest MG on the Run

After a stroll around the grounds we were back on the road and following the tulip diagrams once again. The afternoon route took us over a single width old suspension bridge which carried a warning sign that it could only support two vehicles at a time. After traversing safely we completed the Run and all too soon arrived at Baskerville Hall which featured in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles. Conan Doyle was a friend of the family and often came to stay at the Hall where he heard about the local legend of the daemon hound and he incorporated the tale into a Sherlock Holmes adventure. However at the particular request of his friends he relocated the Hall and the story in Devon “to ward off tourists”.

Outside the Hall it was time to hand out the awards. These were presented to Neil Sharpe for the oldest MG on the Run with his 1936 MG TA; Selwyn Wright who came all the way from Oslo to take part in the Run with his immaculate MGC took the furthest travelled entrant award and Helene Grabowski accepted the award for the most local area club entrants on behalf of Bristol Area MGOC.

A chance to drive an MG across beautiful and interesting countryside is always a pleasure but the Mountains and Valley Run was uniquely enjoyable. I was very impressed with the route, the venues and also excellent work of the marshals and members of the Hereford MG Owners’ Club who saw to it that the arrivals and departures at all the main venues went smoothly. It was also a pleasure to be joined on the Run by Maureen and Peter James from Napier, South Africa who had contacted Trevor so that they could take part during a visit to the UK and he kindly lent them his trusty BGT for the day.

My particular thanks to Trevor, Paddy and also to Herefordshire’s Area Secretary Brian Pamment for their kind hospitality and for inviting me to take part in such a special day.

All proceeds from this year’s Run to be donated to the Canal Street Day Centre. Next year’s Run will be on June 3rd, 2007.

Richard Ladds