"Peak District Perambulation"

Traction Owners Club 32^nd Annual Rally

Peak District National Park, Derbyshire

27^th to 29^th June 2008

Latest News
 

Rally Update (02-April-08):

Rally Booking forms are now rolling in - thanks to all of you who have submitted your booking forms. Remember that the deadline for booking is the 31st May. I know this is still quite a long way off but the earlier that you book the easier it is for the poor long suffering organiser.

Accommodation is still available at the rally base, the Quality Hotel. Ashbourne. Tel 01335 346666. Anyone intending to attend the rally and use this accommodation should reserve a.s.a.p. Quoting "Traction Owners Club Rally" - ask for Denise!

NOTE: You cannot book rooms for the weekend via the Hotel web-site, but must ring directly.

 

The Rally

The annual rally for 2008 will take place in the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire.

Britain's first national park, established in 1951, is visited by people from all over the world. They come to find peace, tranquility and adventure, experiencing some of England’s finest climbing, caving, walking and cycling. In addition the scenery on offer varies radically from the softer limestone area known as the White peak to the much bleaker and more dramatic grit stone area known as the Dark peak.  The area is dotted with many delightful villages and a few small towns which still reflect the original occupations of farming, mining and quarrying and cotton manufacturing in the mills. Nowadays the National Park is home to 38,000 people and the local economy has, of course, expanded to include tourism.

However the Peak District is not just scenery. It also houses 2,899 listed buildings of which the foremost has to be Chatworth. Situated in garden and parkland stretching to 1000 acres, construction of the original house began in 1552 and remains, to this day, the ancestral home of the Duke of Devonshire.

During the weekend we hope to be able to give you a small taste of the splendor which is the Peak District.

We are basing the Rally at the Quality Hotel and Leisure Centre, Ashbourne. Ashbourne is a small, delightful town situated on the edge of the National Park. The Hotel has pleasant rooms, all with private facilities, excellent parking, leisure facilities including swimming pool, gym etc, it has a large bar and restaurant. There are approximately 30 rooms which I have reserved for the weekend at the reduced rate of £37.50 per person per night Bed and Breakfast. There are other B & B establishments in Ashbourne. For anyone who wishes to camp there are two campsites in Ashbourne, the nearest one being within walking distance of the base hotel (see below for all details).

Please please note that accommodation in the area in quite limited so I would urge anyone intending to attend the rally to book early.  

Friday 27^th June

Welcome to all at the Quality Hotel. The restaurant and bar will be available for the evening meal.

Saturday 28^th June

We will tour the area taking in as many of the varied sights as reasonable. We hope to visit Bakewell for a lunchtime stop giving all you gourmets ample opportunity to sample it’s famous pudding. Continuing from there we will complete the tour at Chatsworth Park.

We return to Ashbourne in plenty of time to rest and refresh ourselves ready for our evening meal and entertainment at the Quality Hotel. 

Sunday 29^th June.

A leisurely start will take us to nearby Tissington village for a short stop. This delightful gated village is wholly owned by the Fitzherbert family who still live in the Elizabethan Hall which forms the focal point of the village. We will then proceed for another short stop at Cromford Mill. This mill, built by Sir Richard Arkwright in 1771 and now a world heritage site is the worlds first successful water powered cotton spinning mill. We shall depart from Cromford together so as to arrive in convoy at Crich Tramway Village and take part in their 1950’s day. This will be our base for the remainder of the day. Nestling high up in the heart of Derbyshire overlooking the famous Derwent Valley, Crich Tramway Village is a lovingly restored period village that is also home to the National Tramway Museum and its world renowned archives. As special guests of the Village we will be able to park inside the complex in the streets. The Village is a super place for a day out for both young and old, has shops and restaurant facilities and The Red Lion. Once a working public house in Stoke-on-Trent, The Red Lion was rescued from demolition and restored piece by piece at Crich Tramway Village. Concourse judging and prize-giving will round off the afternoon.

We hope to see many of your for our weekend. Please check your diaries to gets the dates written in.

Costs and other details.

As the rally details have not yet been finalized we can only provide a guide to costs at present. However the approximate cost for the weekend will be £45 plus accommodation.

We hope that we will be able to finalize all details by the next issue of Floating Power.

Accommodation.

1. Quality Hotel and Leisure Centre, Ashbourne. Tel. 01335 346666. £37.50 pp. Please mention traction owners rally weekend when booking.

2. Bramhalls of Ashbourne. Tel 01335 346158. Approx £35 pp.

3. The Green Man. Ashbourne. Tel. 01335 345783. Approx £30 pp.    
4. Peak Gateway Campsite. Ashbourne. Tel.01335 344643. Approx £20/night. Very near to Hotel.

5. Callow Top Holiday Park. Ashbourne. Tel. 01335 344020.

Your contacts: Richard and Carol Carlin

    Email: rjcarlin@tiscali.co.uk

      Tel. 01332 557644