SOUTHWOLD, SUFFOLK 2006
SOME PIKEHAND ARCHIVE DATA UNKNOWN TO THEM AT THE TIME
Pikes had each been given a name that the others did not know and had to come with some written support for whom they were supposed to be. Pictures with mouseover popups below! Also the teams were pre-defined as team one:- Pete, Alan, Nick.C, Bryan and Kevin (who never turned up) and team two:- Ray, Tim, Rich, Graham, Jeff and Matt (who never turned up either).
Bob and Nick had pre-planned:- To award/deduct individual points but only accrue positive/negative to respective teams. Hence both individual and team points were clear on a plus or minus scale in increments of 10. The range was from 10 to 80 either up or down.
Bob and Nick.T were organisers. Also attending were Alan, Andy, Bryan, Gra, Jeff, Nick.C, Pete, Rich, Ray and Tim.
Our digs had been hired for one week as that was the best deal and suited our attempts to have an extended period after Pikehand 2006 for wives and partners to arrive and spend the remainder of the hire period enjoying the accomodation away from home. Pikes had hoped the idea would catch on and more and more of our other halves would attend and enjoy some time with Pikes who could stay on. It had begun in Sedbergh and petered out by Kings Lynne. Work commitments, school age children, elderly parents and other agendas were the cause. The house was spendid. Historically it had been built for Ramsey MacDonald, the first British Labour prime minister, for his sister. It's remoteness, for the time, suggests that she was quite a burden to him. She likely entertained a lot due to the number of bed rooms. Pikes began to arrive before Bob and Nick had returned with the weekend food and drink. The owner was there when they returned so Bob introduced himself and she showed him how the place worked. Pikes chose their quarters and settled in.
No one had to drive so alcohol consumption was assumed to be high. It was before bread and cheese time so beer was started straight away. Unfortunately Bob had omitted to order, "bright," so it needed to settle for some while. The brewery shop was still open so Nick (what a great guy?) hot footed and returned with enough for the first night. Pikes were not dissappointed. Pete and Tim, arriving later, said they had stopped at a brewery on the way and had a small quantity of beer they'd acquired. Very welcome but the first points of the weekend lost. Reason later. Soon we were off to a pub for our first meal of the weekend. Not too far in the mini bus. Great pub, food, company and fun. Well isn't it always? Back at the digs Pikes were set in their teams and acquainted with tasks and a puzzle blank. At the end of the weekend teams were to present solutions to the organisers. Tipically Bob had a number of paper slips with clues that he handed out at various times during the weekend which he did there and then with the first clue. The object of the puzzle was to discover who was the first king of East Anglia. This was in line with the weekend theme, "Royal and not so Royal." A pre-weekend task for each pike had been set with each given a Royal type name. At sometime during the weekend they were to wear a representative costume and deliver an explanatory speech. Teams were given a CD of medieval music to which they were to choreograph a dance and compose a song for our entertainment. NOW it was time for bread, cheese, beer and bed.
Next morning each received another puzzle clue and then we were off to Bungay. Upon arrival each team were given a town map and a series of picture clues. Ha! A treasure trail! True. The final clue was the pub where lunch had been orgainised. Teams set off armed with another puzzle clue whilst the organisers debarked to the final clue. Well they are always right and need time to to relax from the arduous task of herding pikes. Eventually the teams arrived at the Fleece Inn sure that each had scored more points than their opponents. After a good lunch time meal washed down with beer and before departing the hostelry the teams were presented with another puzzle and picture clue trail.
The final meaningful clue was the meeting location with the organisers who believed the second trail would not last as long as the first. As always they were right. Oh, the elation of Power? Our next destinaion was revealed when we arrived at the Otter Trust Centre at Earsham. You guessed, another puzzle clue. Agony on Pike faces whenever Bob reached for his pocket was now prevalent. Visiting at this time was rather fortuitous as later in the year it permanently closed to the public. Reason being that breeding and reintroduction of Otters into the wild in Britain had been fully successful so it was no longer needed. Capturing a batch of free wild animals for public display was an option beyond the Trust's formation remit. The current captive animals were beyond further breeding anyway. Pikes were ignorant of this at the time. There was plenty of other wild life to view particularly water fowl. Whilst taking photos the previous year Bob was unaware that a Swan swam from its nest, mounted the bank and through the fencing gave him a mighty peck in the stomach. Ray, Kev and Vera fell about laughing. That aside we spread out taking pictures of many picturesque scenes around the reserve. Later we had tea and cake in the centre cafe before returning to our digs in time to clean up and mini bus to another nearby pub for food and drink. Then back to bread, cheese, beer and bed. Madrigal music could be heard as teams began preparation.
Next morning it was mini bus to the secret location. It turned out to be the place that Pete and Tim had stopped at on their journey. Who cares about points? Pikes do! Saint Peter's Brewery was a relaxing and interesting place similar to others we sometimes visit. The setting was pictureque. The main structure,
St Peter's Hall, dates from 1280. It stands beside the remains of a well maintained moat. The brewery extension was built in 1996. Our tour was enjoyed by Pikes. Even more pleasure was enjoyed when we entered the London pub to sample the beers. These were given in small glasses as we were going to try quite a few. Interestingly a large proportion of their produce is bottled in distinctively oval shaped translucent green bottles based upon a three or four centuries old design. Several Pikes decided to avail themselves with a few bottle of their favourite tipple. These were duly paid for, marked and placed in the bus. We then had a bite to eat before heading back to our digs. Link to Brewery website
There was some spare time that Pikes could use as they liked provided they were back at the scheduled time. The organisers had decided that they would prepare the banquet for the evening. Some Pikes remained whilst others wanted to go down to town but first there was another monotonous puzzle clue. There was a little madrigal rehearsal for some. Southwold was close but a mini bus trip was provided. At Southwold Pikes went off in their little groups and later the organisers took some time off from cooking leaving the meal simmering and went to town as well. Soon however the pressure of exploration began to take it's toll. There is only so much brewery shopping, light house photo shoots, attractive houses, pier and shore line strolling that the mind can take.
Some magical Pike attracting magnet saw us all migrate to the same pub at about the same time. It was pleasant sitting in the sun outside quenching our thirsts. After a while it was in the mini bus back to Quay House. There was still assigment preparation to undertake and the cooking to complete as well as personal hygene. So the banquet began. Several Pikes gave their "Royal and not so" presentations during the meal but there were too many so it was decided that the remainder would be presented in the lounge. The wine and beer flowed and it was a merry meal. Kev, who could not attend, had sent a note that Ray was to read at the table along with fifty quid so we could have drink on him. he finished his note by saying keep the change. However there wasn't any. The evening moved on with the remaining Pikes giving their personal presentations to the rest of us.
Upon completion of those events we then had team presentations of their medieval routines. One had prepared a dance to music provided by maestro Nick.T conducting the cd player followed by the song they had composed. The other also demonstrated their dance to music from Nick.T. With a little lateral thinking their song was in fact a silent mime with the madrigal playing in the background. There had been plenty of alcoholic beverages through out the evening so we only had to top up with bread and cheese before bed.
With breakfast over we set to thoroughly cleaning the kitchen and cooker. This was essential as later in the day, for those staying on, our other halves were expected. Not that we leave a venue in a bad condition normally. We want to maintain a good reputation for all male groups. The Pikes also went round to all the toilets and removed all skid marks. That done it was time for the final event of the weekend. Teams were to present their solutions to the puzzle. A flip board was set up and teams made their attempts. There was some success but the puzzle was not fully solved. Perhaps it was the inadequacy of the clues or their degree of difficulty. Never the less Pikes wanted to see the result. After all they were anxious to discover who the first King of East Anglia was. A flip chart was put up on the board and the cover page turned over to reveal the solution to the entire puzzle. Pikes were unimpressed. After all it was a long time ago. They wondered what all the fuss about. That however was not the only page. The final page was revealed. That was a surprise! Pikes found that he who is always there but never present at Pike weekends was at the opposite end of the king solution. We then had our annual conference and the following year's organisers selected from the hat. We were making our goodbyes as some of the other halves began to arrive.