Peak Rally

16th on 4th March 1983 - Stockport & District MCC

                   

- Phil

As I recall, the entrance to the rally site was on a main road into Buxton, approaching the top of a hill. Following the track even further up the hill led to the field entrance. Actually, once you had gone a couple of hundred yards, the field was level with the track, so the entrance proper didn't get used much after your arrival.

It was a bit blowy up on the top and temperatures were much as you'd expect at that time of year. I don't remember a bonfire and have no photographic evidence of one, which is probably why people headed into town soon after they got there. Friday evening consisted mostly of sitting around one of more of the various pubs in town.

When people eventually crawled out of their tents on Saturday, there was not a lot to do. Once more, the local pubs beckoned. This time, people used their bikes to go further afield, so consumption was strictly limited. Everyone came back in the afternoon, though, as these were still the days before all-day boozing was allowed.

There was a bit of larking about in the field. I can't remember if there were silly games organised, but trikers were pulling wheelies about the place, the ground being a bit too lumpy/slippy for solos to try it.

The evening's entertainment (disco & beer) was in the basement bar of one of the hotels in Buxton. Most of us - the sensible ones - elected to walk down the hill into town, even though it was quite a slog to the town centre. We had an enjoyable evening there and it was all-too-quickly over.

When we staggered back up the hill for the last time, we passed the sign that said "Welcome to Buxton", and we all agreed, they were welcome to it. (ONLY JOKING - Buxton is certainly friendlier than many places I've been.)

There was a bit of a commotion on the site a bit later when most of us were in our beds, as we had a visit from the local constabulary. The hotel we had been using had a row of flags of all nations arranged outside and it appears that one or more of the flags went missing. I have no information about whether or not they were found or who took them. There is no guarantee that it was any of us.

- Phil (the Spill) Drackley