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The weekend of 16th was Mog99. For the benefit of our ciber pals who I
know like to hear of Morgan related exploits a fair number of UK Morgans
will have been out and about as follows (but clearly with some
variations)...
Thursday 15th July
I set off from home at about 8:30. Later than I wanted but there were so
many last minute items. HUY was in a real state as I had not managed to
find the time to clean him, (what's that about anthropomorphism?) but I had
at least managed to get to the oil, water and the front end greasing. The
aim was to get to Carlisle where I had booked an overnight stay. The
weather was OK not wet, but not sunny either, so I was travelling with side
screens on to reduce the buffetting at speed.
I got to Oxford and to Birmingham after the worst of the morning traffic
and so I was able to stop at the Motorway services for a coffee and to fill
up with Fuel. The good progress continued and I felt that a stop after 2
further hours for lunch would be a good plan. As I approached Lancaster I
saw the first Morgans of the day. 2 2 seaters, clearly travelling in
convoy at about 10mph below my speed. I fell in behind for about five
minutes and then the right foot got heavy again.
By then it was time to stop so I looked for the Lancaster Service station.
Then the rain started. Rather than stop and get wet I figured that,
although the sky was black for as far as I could see, I would drive the 18
miles to the next services and stop there. Fortune shone (though not the
sun) and I stopped in the dry. This is where I saw the only other Morgan
of the day. A red Plus 8 that did a quick turn through the car park and
then went on.
To my surprise, as I had exected more traffic, I was already within 50
miles of Carlisle and it was only just after 1pm. So I took a detour
through the Lake District, up Hardnott and Wrynose passes and had a great
time. The road maintainers had decided the passes needed resurfacing with
loose gravel which made 1in3 hairpins interesting to say the least. HUY
got to the top of Hardnott with the temperature gauge at 100 (C) and the
fan off (it came on just after). An almost new Ford Escort just behind me
had had its fan running most of the way up, but then, being front wheel
drive, they also had a lot more trouble with the gravel.
I got to Carlisle at about 6 after a rapid run through the Lake district
main roads and a brief stop to deal with a faulty plug lead. 360 miles in
the day.
Friday 16th July
Today the Forestburn "Funday" was scheduled. HUY was parked in the street
and it had been raining. There was no letup while I loaded the suitcase in
the back seat, so I just put my coat on and pointed his nose north. The
Journey to Forestburn was alternately wet and dry and the Motorway section
up the now uprated A74(M) was grim where it could have been really nice. I
turned off up the A73 and had a dry run the rest of the way. The A73 is a
road with reasonable straight bits and nice sweeping bends allowing 70 or
so to Lanark where it closes in and becomes more urban. I got to
Forestburn at about 10am and registered number 8.
Forestburn was really good. Well organised and with lots of people out to
have fun. It is a speed hillclimb course. It is quite a tight course with
a couple of hairpins and a sharpish off camber bend. There was no real
opportunity to walk the course as people were already on it, so I took HUY
to the start for an exploratory run. At this stage it was wet, but it
dried out later. Each person had four runs, entrants were mostly standard
road use vehicles, but varied from a Flat rad plus 4 which drifted very
spectacularly to near new Plus Eights. My four runs went like this
Run 1 wet track car loaded 74 seconds
Run 2 Ditto 69 seconds
Run 3 dry track no suitcase 62 seconds
Run 4 Ditto 64 seconds
On the first 2 runs I did not get out of second gear. On the last run I
was trying too hard and messed up the first hairpin. Not bad for a first
time. (Can't use that excuse again)
Plus Eights seemed to be doing around 60 to 62 seconds. Roger Bluff
managed 67 on one of his runs in his 4/4. We told him it was down to his
extensive experience, the light weight of the 4/4 and the Yokohama rubber
he uses. A few people had a "hairy moment" on the last hairpin just under
where people were watching, but there was no contact with the scenery. One
person found the gravel trap at the other hairpin, but no damage done. One
run was made in a much modified 4/4 that got the time down to 56 seconds.
After the "fun" I went to Edinburgh to pick up Ann as she had had to work
and travel up later. By the time we got to our accommodation and got
ourselves sorted out we were late getting to the Barbeque.
Saturday 17th July
The day dawned wet, and stayed varyingly wet from gentle mist to outright
downpour. Ann had the best comment: "It's funny how a trip round a
Distillery makes a treasure hunt in an open car in the pouring rain seem
like fun". You may note that included in the distillery trip is an
opportunity to sample their product. I can attest that the 10 year Malt
from Glengoyne is very good. Ann found that if you ask the guide about the
relative colour of the 17 year malt then he gives you a sample of that as
well; this time just poured from the bottle by hand rather than through an
optic. No wonder she was having a good time. (Needless to say we took
some home as well, including a bottle of the 17 year "for the millennium".
We have no information on Treasure hunt results at this time.
We had not booked the evening meal for Saturday so we found a pub. We then
went to the Ceilidh afterwards where the Thames Valley crew, all 6 of them,
had reserved us some seats. This was a very good event. Everyone had a
good time. There was a 90 year cake and some free samples of the special
Mog99 whiskey, an address from the Mayor and another from "the oldest
Morgan Dealer in the World" (and I don't think he meant the age of the
company, even thouigh they claim that as well).
Sunday 18th July
Dry (in the morning at least). We went round to the camp site to collect
Roger as he had agreed to be the passenger for the Gymkhana. It was a very
well organised Gymkhana. As usual (for me) we dropped too much on the
"judgement" parts to pick up on the fast parts and came about 7th in class
(don't know the overall position). Perhaps someone will post the full set
on a web site somewhere??
I looked at the new 4 seater. It is everything I expected from the
photographs. The rear hood is a compromise with rather a sharp cutoff, but
otherwise it looks very good. You would have to look twice to see the
difference; at the back end it is just a bit steeper than the old 4 seater
and the spare mounts differently, it is also a little higher I fancy. I am
really impressed by the long door and the extent of back seat space. Looks
like you can get real people in it!
There was not as many trade stands as usual, but there was a few. Harpers
were absent and MORGAN were absent. I bought a flasher sounder from Libra
Motive as I have now spent 6 years driving round with my indicator on and
its time I knew about it. They had a demonstration item on their stand,
but had left their supplies at home. So I am waiting for the postman
(sorry mail man). We also bought a bottle of Mog99 Spirit. Now should we
drink it..... or keep it for 2009. The sales patter claimed that a
similar bottle from the 1989 meeting (unopened of course) now sells for
about
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=A3300. I don't think that is a hard decision, 10 years is too long
to go thursty.
In the afternoon they organised a highland games
4 by 100metres Relay race (on foot, no Morgans permitted)
Throwing the Wellie
Caber tossing
Rolling the wheel (relay, they used a 4/4 wire wheel with standard tyr=
e so
it wouldn't stand up on its own)
Tug of War
Thames Valley, with help from HopMog for the tug of war, came nowhere.
Afterwards Ann and I set off to see if there really were Hills (or rath=
er
views, after all we had found the hills themselves on Saturday) in
Scotland. We turned back after half an hour having found only rain.
Ann and I had an independent Italian meal and then joined Roger and som=
e of
the others from Thames Valley and HopMog in the Westerton Arms for a be=
er.
Monday 19th July
Ann and I found some of the Scenery on the way back to the airport as w=
e
took a short loop via Gleneagles. I left her at mid day and drove to m=
y
intermediate stop at Keswick in time for a walk (in the rain) before I
found a pub to eat in. The rest of the story is all rain and roads unt=
il
3pm on Tuesday when I got home and finally put HUY through a jetwash.
1200 miles in 6 days, and a thoroughly good time.
Dave Vodden
HUY is a 1992 Plus 4 4 seater in a delicate shade of black with black
weather gear and black leather seats etc, although for much of the wee=
kend
it was more of a mud grey. He has a1994cc Rover 4 pot twin cam engine w=
ith
Lucas multipoint Fuel injection and a factory standard (and almost
original) exhaust. He has brake reaction bars fitted to the front and a=
telescopic damper conversion on the back. He has now covered almost 44=
000
miles.
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