AUTUMN AMBLE

Mary and I once again entered the Tourer in the North Hampshire section’s Autumn Amble and duly set off for Tilford around 8.50 am on Sunday 30 September. We caught up with a couple of 7s near Godalming and arrived in convoy having been joined by Harry and Helen Bentley in their yellow box saloon. It was during the last Amble Harry had trouble when the Box’s fly wheel worked loose forcing him to limp round trying to avoid sudden deceleration, which had the effect of aggravating the problem, whilst acceleration proved beneficial. Hopefully a little luck and the presence of his grandchildren would help ensure a more enjoyable day this time.

Dave Waller and Brian Gubbins were already in the tea room when we arrived which was handy as Brian, having read my emailed September newsletter, was able to draw my attention to an error I had made.

Jason Wright was looking forward to his first Amble and was being ably supported by his mother and aunt. All looked set for a pleasant day at the seaside. Except the weather.

As usual this well organised run went smoothly apart from a road closed sign by the Three Horseshoes, which caused some consternation but Brian Read soon arrived and assured everyone that the road was usable as far as the route was concerned. We arrived at the appropriately named Seven Stars for a lunch break around 12.30 and thence to Bognor where we were welcomed in and presented with our commemorative mug by Kent Centre's Bob Cross doing a great stand-in job.

The fact that it rained all day did not diminish the enjoyment that all the entrants derived from this well-established event.