MX5 - Around Britain

1. Gary and Chris went for a swim in the Firth of Forth....a pretty mean feat at 9 pm when the weather was cloudy and windy, and the ambient temperature must have been no more than 6 degrees! But that wasn't cold compared to the temperature of the water....and needless to say after a quick swim both Chris and Gary were both shivering, by which time Chris was being accused of being a 'Peanut smuggler'! and in desperate need for a brandy!!

2. John, who was handed a set of keys to his B&B room up the road by Chris Cook, eventually rolled to the door about 1.30 am, only to find that the front door was locked and bolted!! So what were his alternatives....to spend the night on the beach or to wake up Gary at his hotel! Now....let me see...so at 1.45 Gary woke to a knocking on his bedroom window. Not impressed! But when he eventually got to the window there was no-body there! Suddenly, the knock at the window was replaced by a knock at the door!! And who should Gary find but John!! But here's where it gets really strange! John not only proceeded to give Gary (and Andy Fox who was also sharing Gary's room) a quick strip tease, but then proceeded to do an impression of a slug in his sleeping bag! Very attractive I'm told...but then again, the whole episode has been captured on video for the whole world to see!! Bonus!

The hotel was friendly enough, but filled with more 'mature' visitors who actually stayed there on a semi-permanent basis, and I don't think that they'd ever encountered anything like us before! Still, we had a laugh and the meal that they cooked for us was very well received.

As soon as we set off, the Scots were at it again....there were absolutely no signs to guide us through North Berwick, but with the help of Mark's crystal ball we finally were on our way!!

We travelled through the pretty scenery of the Borders and Northumberland, and the only incident of note was an obnoxious taxi driver that took offence to the convoy overtaking him! There was an Irn-Bru can on the road as Bart passed....(fortunately missing it as he's still grill-less!), but the taxi driver hit it and spun it into the front of the car behind him! Would you believe it, but the car behind was Owen the Mariner Menace, who just bit the can between his bumper and spat it out with the assistance of his Donutz grill!

We also picked up two new additions - Colin and Hazel Cartledge in their white Mk 1, and Graham and Tracy in their v. shiny BRG Mk 2! But why were they hiding in a field when we first saw them!? Answers on a postcard please!

The sun came out from behind the clouds as we approached the most beautiful castle in Northumberland - Bamburgh Castle, and very pretty it was too. The Lemonheads were leading the convoy in style, followed by Rod and Jill, and then the rest of us.

Just North of the Tyne Tunnel, Gary plucked up the courage to direct the convoy again, and insisted on showing off the decibel level of his exhaust, before leading us all directly into a taxi rank! Thanks for that Gary. Try not to bother us again!......... in fact don't call us we'll call you!! (no we won't!!) And so, after this the directions could only get better. Ian took us on possibly the most complicated route to get us to the Barclays building at Doxford International Business Park for lunch (and no one got lost! - well done Ian)......provided courtesy of EUREST the caterers for Barclays...and a superb job they did too...there wasn't an MX5 driver or passenger that went hungry today I can tell you! No request was too big or too small and they treated us all like the Kings and Queens that we all are! Spot the Queen! Simon particularly enjoyed the SPUNKMEYSTER cookies!!

The journey after lunch could definitely not be described as picturesque, and Northumberland seemed to pass far too quickly as we soon found ourselves in the industrial centre of the north - Middlesborough and Teesside! Gone were the rolling hills and sweeping coastlines, replaced with chemical plants and power stations - great joy!

Just when we thought that Whitby was in sight, some council worker decided to put two sets of temporary traffic lights in the road! And not only did they block the road in both directions, but they didn't even release them at the green light simultaneously...and so we all sat at a red light, then green light, then red light, and so on and so on. Finally, they realised that the only way that the system would work was if the three council workers ran up and down the hill talking to each other on their mobile phones!! And just think...all this could have so easily been avoided with the use of two little men and a couple of STOP / GO signs!! Modern technology eh!

We all drove round town with headlights on and horns blaring! And once we'd arrived at the Whalebones, it was time for yet more photos to celebrate the completion of our mission! And there were hugs and cheers all round! There were photos of cars, photos of people, and more importantly, photos of PIES!!!! Yes, just as John lined up with his very dirty car to be photo'd underneath the whalebones, he produced on cue a couple of pies from his boot! What are the odds! (Odds on!!)

STOP PRESS - look at the photos... he came up trumps as we all knew he would. It's official Andy Fox is a superstar...... he not only managed to join the convoy for a couple of days , but after two weeks of grilling(!!), he turned up at the finish line with a beautiful cat crushing, can crunching, seagull stopping and bunny bouncing(!) DONUTZ grill. He even offered to fit it there and then.

And so it's all finished....we're sat in the very comfortable bar at the excellent Stakesby Manor Hotel, and what can we say. There'll be another entry possibly tomorrow or Sunday with a summary of the trip, and with all the thank you's and the like....but for now, its goodbye from the Around Britain Team. We're almost 4000 miles wearier, and several pennies lighter, but we've done it! So for now until the next time (What next time says Liz!)....keep it topless all the way!! (cos we did!)

Day 14 - Friday 23rd June

North Berwick to Whitby

195 Miles - Actual 207 fun miles...

Special Notes

The Route

Celebration Meal

Daily Log