The Bobby Shafto Hills of the North Run

The weather on Sunday the 29th April was overcast but good enough to go topless in the car from The Beamish Hall Hotel on the 16th Bobby Shafto Run.

After a coffee and delicious homemade biscuits we left the hotel driving through Tanfield and the aptly named Sleepy Valley via Dipton and Lanchester and over to Wolsingham and turning left in Frosterley we started the true ‘hills of the North’ from Hill End over to Egglestone. There was an optional stop at Egglestone Hall for a coffee/comfort break for those that required it. The route passed the Grassholme and Selsett reservoirs South to the A66 then headed East to the Barnard Castle turnoff. The morning run ended at the Buttercross in Barnard Castle with an option to go onto Bowes Museum for lunch.

Over 40 cars parked on the gravelled area of the Parterre garden in front of the museum and although the Maserati club had booked the upper level we had a better display down in the garden. We had a couple of unusual cars on the run, this one from Robert Cook was a Chevrolet wearing it’s winter wheels.

The afternoon had a shorter run back via Tow Law, Cornsay Colliery, Lanchester and Stanley to the Beamish Hall Hotel. Prizes were presented by Julie Collins after we had tea and more homemade biscuits. It was an excellent run over new interesting and picturesque roads that we have never used before, a big thank you to Derek May for the route and the prizes and an equally big thank you to our partners giving out routes and rally boards and the marshals, judges and Julie Collins for presenting the prizes and making it such a superb day.

BOBBY SHAFTO PRIZEWINNERS 2018

MODERN MG SPORTS CARS, 1995 onwards