Mystery Trip 3rd July 2018

This trip had been advertised as a mystery trip with just a couple of clues as to our destination. A ride on a vintage vehicle and a view of the backbone of England??? Where could we be going within an hour or so of Annan & Gretna?
Although a few people had an idea of where we might be going, no-one knew for sure. Everyone was on time at pick-up points and looking forward to our day out, so we set off on time. The weather was beautiful - mid-twenties temperature forecast, although there was some breeze which proved to make it more comfortable than it might otherwise have been. How nice to leave coats behind with no worries about what the weather was going to do! We had estimated that the journey on the bus would be approx. one hour and on such a glorious day the views were incredible and the journey passed quite quickly. Comments as we progressed along certain roads obviously discounted some ideas of where we might be going.

Finally arriving at our first destination we revealed all there was to see and do at South Tynedale Railway in Alston. After sitting on the bus for an hour the first stop for most was the cafe!
Time then to decide what to do next and most opted for a train ride along the scenic 5 mile route to Slaggyford.

The shop and old ticket office have been renovated for modern use. The train left exactly on time and gave us some beautiful views of the Pennine scenery as we travelled along the north of England's highest narrow gauge railway, passing through Kirkhaugh and Lintley Halt before reaching the end of the line at Slaggyford.

There is a footpath that follows the railway line and it is possible to get on and off the train at any of the halts and enjoy a walk in the stunning countryside. At the end of the line there is a buffet carriage if refreshments are needed.
Watching the engine uncouple and go to the other end of the carriages to re-couple for the return journey is fascinating in itself, and many took advantage of the chance to watch the procedure and take a few photos.

Re-taking our seats the return journey began. The day we were there a group of volunteers were very busy - but not too busy that they couldn't stop and wave as the train passed by! -  and we noticed a picnic site at one of the halts, that looked very clean and tidy.

There have been major repairs and renovations to the station buildings at Alston - a brand new cafe, toilets, a second platform, the Discovery Centre and a viewing gallery in the engineering shed have all been restored or built to high standards. The whole site is disabled friendly, with a ramp for wheelchair access to the train carriages themselves.

Opposite the railway site there is also the Hub Heritage & Transport Museum. For a small charge you can wander through their collection of old cars, motor bikes, bicycles and items from the last century (or more!) They have an assortment of old photos and items from the old mining industry too. Going into the shed it looks as if you could whizz round in 5-10 minutes but once you start looking there is so much more to look at in there than 5-10 minutes worth!!

Snacks or more substantial meals were on offer in the wonderful cafe - most of it home made too. With a short post-lunch walk along the River Tyne, watching the sand martins darting in and out of nest holes in the bank of the river and the fish darting about in the water itself, our time at Alston soon flew by.
The trains, track, stations and facilities are all very well looked after by volunteers who are obviously very proud of their railway. Talking to any of them it is easy to see why it is also known as the "friendly railway"

A wonderful start to our day out. Could part 2 be as good?
On the bus again, a few people had made a good guess about where we were going next but many had never been inside the building itself. A short ride took us to The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre at Once Brewed, on the Military Road close to Hadrian's Wall. The centre is brand new, only opening in 2017. It features exhibitions, a brand new Youth Hostel, cafe and shop. The cafe serves food and drink on the first floor level with glass windows all around to allow you to see the fabulous views. From the cafe you can then access the grass roof, with walkways, that enable you to stand on the roof and looks at the amazing 360° views over the surrounding countryside. Incredible!
Only a short stop here for refreshments, but hopefully it gave a "taster" to everyone so that next time they pass by they call in again!

A fabulous day out with friends.

Visit to Blaithwaite House 7th June 2018

Since having a talk about Blaithwaite House at one of our group meetings, a visit to Blaithwaite had definitely been on the cards. It turned out to the first of our summer trips out! The weather was glorious as we set off, calling at Dobbies Garden Centre for refreshments and a look at what they had to offer, but everyone was really waiting to move on!

Our approach to Blaithwaite was along country lanes with wild flowers on the verges and the sights and sounds of haymaking in the fields. There is not a lot of room down the lanes when you meet a tractor coming the other way -  especially when you have 4 cars (with members who came in their own transport) following the bus.
However arrive we did and what an entrance ...

Dennis & Glenys were waiting for us as we arrived in the car park and led us to the Barn where we would be officially welcomed.

What a stunning building to be welcomed in! Malcolm and Dennis told us a little about the history of Blaithwaite and how it has been developed over the years into its present incarnation.
We were then led on a grand tour around some of the grounds and buildings - with an invitation to investigate further for ourselves if we wanted.

Buildings have been restored sympathetically, but still with character and atmosphere.

The grounds of Blaithwaite range from formal gardens to big open spaces where you can wander at will.

The house has been redecorated and brought into the 21st Century beautifully and sympathetically. Malcolm's wife, Kate,  joined us part-way through the tour and, we were told, has been influential in its re-design. What a good job she has done!
Blaithwaite is now a venue for a range of celebrations. They cater for many weddings, large or small, indoor or outdoor, and offer a very personal service. They offer accommodation in the house, in the converted stables, in the Bunk House, on the campsite or in glamping tepees! All of the redecoration has been very tastefully completed.There are also a range of activities on offer to keep guests of all ages busy.

The hospitality we received was second to none - we were guided around the house and grounds but with no sense of impatience. Questions were answered and freedom to wander encouraged. There has obviously been an awful lot of thought and effort put into Blaithwaite House and its grounds to create the stunning country estate it now is. The magical atmosphere it exudes would make any visit memorable - and ours certainly was.

GIG Seasonal Entertainment Dec 2017

Having had an offer to come and entertain us at our christmas meeting we awaited Jean and Alistair with baited breath! Previous talks by Jean had proved to be very entertaining so we were expecting a good night.
Some came dressed up for the occasion, others didn't.

Jean began by "mixing" a Christmas cake ....

making sure to test the vital ingredient

on several occasions...

Words began to get confused, slurred and generally confused by the end of just a few minutes!!
(Luckily the amber liquid was only cold tea!!)
Christmas stories and a quiz filled the remainder of the time and Alistair accompanied all Jeans' deliveries with the relevant music!

After a break for a delicious supper (provided by members) prizes were awarded for the quiz.

The winners were the "festive" flashers ...

... but we are hoping everyone enjoyed the evening.

On a more serious note thankyou to everyone who brought - or made in many instances - owl-related items to donate to D&G Blood Bikes.
A stunning collection of items that will hopefully raise money to support their vital work in the region.

A wonderful evening.

AGM 6th Sept 2017

Our first meeting of the GIG year was our AGM and Trophy night. Memberships were renewed, enabling members to vote in the various categories - for which there were a good number of entries.
However business came first.
Our Chairperson gave her report of the years activities - the various speakers, trips and competitions offered to members. Hearing details of our activities showed just how busy we had been during the year!
Our Treasurer then presented the Financial Report for the group. Details of income and expenditure were given showing the group as financially sound.
The re-election of the Secretary and Committee Members followed, along with general club business before the AGM closed.
Voting then commenced for the various categories. All members vote to decide the winners and the standard of the entries this year looked as if that was going to be a difficult task. Votes were counted while everyone enjoyed the delicious supper members had brought to the evenings proceedings.
The Tom Straiton memorial Trophy is awarded for a floral display. Only two entries this year but both looked very colourful.

... and the winner was .... Glenys.

The Gretna GIG Craft Trophy drew in a record number of entries this year - all of a very high standard.

.. and the winner here was ... Susan.

with her cushion.

Our other three categories are all photography based. The Annantown Garage Trophy is awarded for a bird photograph. Again, some wonderful exhibits.

... and the winner was ... Dennis.

with his photo of swans.

The Memet Cup is awarded for a wildlife photograph. Yet again a good level of entries.

...and the winner was ... Val.

Our final category was the Hodgson Cup, awarded for a landscape photograph. Some stunning views in this category.

...and the winner was ... Val.

The count was very close in all categories - down to one vote in some cases! Thankyou to all those who entered and well done to all our winners.

Everyone went home after a very enjoyable evening - looking forward to another exciting GIG year.

Trip to Hawick 14th Aug 2017

A trip to Johnstons Mill at Hawick was our destination today. We met up with two of our members who live in Hawick in the car park and after posing for a group photo we were off.

After a warm welcome we enjoyed the excellent facilities of the coffee shop until our tour time arrived when we were split into three groups to go around the mill. Before setting off we were warned that as it was a working mill - and working on some exclusive items - we were not allowed to touch anything or take photos!! Intriguing!

(This also explains why there will be no photos from inside the mill!!)

The tour itself took us around the whole mill starting with the area where the wool is stored. There was every colour you could imagine on the shelves there. We then moved on to see the machines that do the knitting - some of them still knit the items in sections that are then joined together but modern technology means that some machines now knit the whole item with no joins! There are obviously many of these machines in the mill and the noise is quite loud! It is also very hot in the mill which explains why people were only wearing shorts and T-shirts!

We were able to talk to some of the workers as we passed by their stations and they were very willing to explain what they were doing. The attention to detail in the mill is quite amazing - articles are checked and rechecked frequently during their manufacture.This is also where we found that the mill was working that day on items for Chanel! One lady told us that she was stitching Chanel logos onto articles by hand. The logos have to be positioned exactly the same for every item and the stitches have to be uniform too. Each logo takes her half an hour to sew on! No wonder that Chanel items are so expensive.

A visit to the shop let us see the range of Cashmere articles produced by Johnstons and although they may seem expensive we now know the care and attention to detail that goes into every item - and perhaps the prices are more understandable. A very interesting, comprehensive tour of the mill enjoyed by all.

We returned to the coffee shop where a delicious lunch was awaiting us.We can highly recommend both the coffee shop and the tour of the mill!

Part two of the day then took us to Scottish Borders Art Glass, also in Hawick. Despite having previously arranged our visit with the owner he had forgotten to write our visit in the diary and when we arrived his son was rather surprised! Wish I had a photo of the look on his face!

However he soon set to and stoked up the ovens offering to make some glass items. Only a few minutes passed before he was ready to begin and he then took us through the various stages involved. A very talented man who made it all look very simple! He made two birds and a ring holder in just a few minutes, telling us that no two ever come out the same.

A look around the shop showed the huge variety of items that are made in the small unit they occupy.Some of their items are also stocked in shops around the area (eg Tourist information at Gretna!)

Several items of glass came home with us on the bus and other people expressed a desire to return another day. 

The unit is open to the public and is another highly recommended place to visit.