ALLHALLOWS, KENT 1998
Jeff and Bryan's Invitation extract from the Pikehands Archive
THURSDAY 2ndAPRIL TO SUNDAY 5th APRIL 1998
The venue for this year can be found on Landranger Ordnance Survey Map No. 178 in the 1:50,000 series at grid reference 835/785. Best of luck. Apologies to Ray for being so near yet so far and to Kevin for being so near and yet so near.
Your organisers for this year will be pleased to receive you in the clubhouse between 7.30 and 8.00pm where you will receive a welcome drink and introductions.
Following last years duo-decade weekend you may have realised as we have, that this is the twenty first meet. Therefore your "Homework" will be to make your own birthday card including a suitable verse to be presented to the assembled on the Saturday evening.
So, is there more to this than meets the eye? I here ponder. Well yes there is, but we can't tell you yet. However we can promise a weekend of relaxing and energetic contrasts.
As usual you will required to bring the "Kit Bag". We have not yet decided which gear is essential, so make sure you bring everything. The following list or gear needed is not in any particular order:- wet gear, dry gear, birthday gear, old gear (comfortable jeans or trousers), walking boots, training gear (trainers only), washing gear including pink towel, red flannel and bar of white soap, swimming gear including trunks and siutable towel (arm bands optional, essential for some), viewing gear with neck strap, drinking gear with handle, sleeping gear (bag or sheets/blankets or car), washing up gear, cooking gear and any gear you think you might need or you think we think you might need.
Jeff and Bryan
P.S. You can start clenching again!
Bryan and Jeff were organisers. Also attending were Alan, Bob, Gra, Nick.C and Pete. It was the usual Pikes arriving in dribs and drabs at the,Bradley's Caravan Holiday Park. We had two large caravans for such a small group. The organisers had got it just right though??
We made a trip to Chatham Dock Yard the following morning. It was an extensive area with a wealth of documented history. It was still under development for the general public so quite a few of the large boat sheds were closed awaiting lease. The rope shed was very long with a cobbled ropeway containing a rail track for the winding trolley to traverse between the rope anchor points at each end. Apparently the trolley was manned during the actual winding. A really unsafe working platform for the attendees on board. Either side of the ropeway there was a walkway providing demonstration capabilities to the general public in the future. There were diagrams showing the site when working.
As we walked around we had access to a few sheds where tableaus showed the building of boats. Others housed museum display boats of various designs and sizes. Some sheds had been partitioned and small businesses operated from them. Largely these were not open to us possibly because they were being developed. Walking around one shed we looked along the partition door signs and suddenly saw a micro-brewery. Never miss an oppertunity when Piking!! The wicket door, we found, was not locked so we trespassed in. Brewing is a 24/7 industry. We were soon confronted by one of two brewers, who after assessing us, allowed us to walk around. We think he believed we were official inspectors making a snap visit and their licence would be at risk. So he explained to us that they did not do tasters. Undaunted we progressed around looking at their displays which were very good with the usual Pike banter. The brewers must have soon cottoned on that we were not what they had feared. So armed with a pack of small plastic tasting cups they invited us to sample the brews that were ready. Excellent is the word. During tasting we queried which pubs they supplied in the town. From their list it was a foregone conclusion that we would attend a hostelry that evening.
Happily we continued on our way. After a while we came across some docks with floating craft in some of them. One, the "Ocelot" the last British operational submarine, had a notice proclaiming they were open for business. So our group decided to partake. The attendant was really informative. This sub was now a museum piece and had in fact recently been de-commissioned. The class was now defunct so this machine had been refurbished and moored at Chatham. It had seen many years service, some of it active.
We were all surprised at how cramped it was inside. A real bummer for Pete. Bunk space was narrow and shared as the crew were running the sub continuously so some slept whilst others were on shift. There were small manholes with massive doors between the bulkheads. Torpedo storeage took up a lot of the space. The type of fuse for them had changed for crew safety reasons as the original type were prone to decay with time. Even the captain had broom cupboard size quarters. Eventually we reached the control area and of course the periscope. How men worked in such an environment for months is difficult to imagine. Needless to say Gra had to have a go on the peri.
Later suitably groomed and attired we went to town. The pub we wanted was easy to locate as it was one frequented by the local version of bolt through neck Rockers. Our attire was somewhat unusual to that of the local clientele and received quite a lot of inquisitive looks. Don't think they were agressive though. Just, "Do these guys realise this is a real ale pub"? Turned out to be a good pub. We were soon accepted as we were as beer savvy as the locals and so OK people. Our meal was very tasty and filling. We eventually left and wended our way back to our caravans. As usual plenty of beer, bread and cheese before off to bed.
In the morning we were off for a nature trail accross the fenlands. The wind was up and warm clothing was the order of the day for all but the really hardy. Plenty of dykes, water management variety. Lots of flat land and drainage ditches with a pond or two here and there. Tidal sluices appeared occassionally. There were very few trees and bushes. Loads of sheep but fewer cattle. It was quite tiring in the wind so by lunch time back at the caravans we were pretty knackered. We had a meal in the clubhouse.
After lunch those of us who dared ventured over to the heated indoor pool. Budgy smuggler swimwear adorned and normal clothes in a box it was off to the locker room. You had to have a five pence piece to lock your gear away! Where were we to find such an amount dressed as we were. Some pikes had that change tucked with their Budgy but others had not. Whilst Bob was bemoaning his lack of coinage a woman swimmer gave him a shilling in sympathy. So he swam for free. Most swimmers were mothers with children. The Pikes had a float restricted zone allocated in which they were confined. Not sure if it was to protect us, the mothers or children. We were soon enjoying ourselves displaying our water expertise sure that each of us was better than other Pikes when Alan suggested we had a little competition. We were to see who could sit on the bottom longest. To do it you had to breath out and submerge. Now that submarine would have been very handy. Surprisingly we could manage a lot longer than we imagined. It was only avoidance of drowning that took us to the surface. Later it was off to the pub for our annual banquet. Much the same as the previous twenty, good beer, wine and food. Returning to our vans we assemble in one for beer, bread and cheese. It was also time to present our birthday cards.
Next morning after breakfast we spent time clearing and cleaning up and gathering all our belongings together and bundling them into our various transport. Then to the farewell pub for a bite of lunch before we said our final goodbyes and wended our way home.