EBENEZER CHAPEL, MILFORD, DERBYSHIRE 2018
Joe and George were organisers. Also attending were Alan, Blake (a new PIKEHAND), Bob, Bryan, Daniel (a new PIKEHAND), Graham, Jeff and Neil. They had arranged our digs at 
a large stone chapel having multiple floors and many more rooms. Pikes were spoilt for choice and it was easy to find a room that suited the needs of Pikes. So we'd all settle sleeping arrangements. Our organisers informed us that we were going to a restaurant and we could take our own drinks. Blake and Joe were the car drivers for our excursion. We arrived at an Indian Restaurant and welcomed in to our reserved table. Some of us were naive about the food other than there were different levels of spicy hotness. Pikes however made their choices and enjoyed their meals along with our own drinks. Later we were ferried back to our digs where we had lots of conversation and of course a choice of three beers before departing to bed. There was a deadline for departure the following morning to the events our organisers had arranged so volunteers for breakfast duties were decided and times set.
In the morning with the same drivers we were on our way to Derby. We knew that something required our full attention as we were to be alcholhol free. We walked as a group from the multi-storey car park ending somewhere in the busy centre of Derby. Very pleasant, warm and sunny. Pikes were posed with the question "Can you see what we are doing in about twenty minutes?" Well, apart from the shopping centre there were many shops but none that took our eye. There was among the shops a single doorway across the road from the statue we were standing by. You usually see these doors among shops leading to solicitor's offices or similar. Our door howevever sported this logo over and and was exactly where we were going. 
On our alotted time we were allowed in. We were given options of trying the feat as a whole group of ten or of two groups of five each. We opted for the two groups. So our guides sorted us out into teams and took each to a separate location. Our guides took us through the safety procedures required and we signed disclaimers. Then each team was locked in their respective room. Our objective was to escape from the room within an alotted time of one hour seaching for clues that would eventually lead to our escape.
There were plenty of boxes, cabinets, desks, and other objects secured by combination locks. One or more clues would, upon discovery, give us a combination or part of a combination or a box containing a key, etc. Searching for clues required Pikes to work more as a team and talk to the rest if you'd found something that looked promising. The whole experience was very mentally challenging often leading nowhere due to "Red Herrings." However each team eventually managed to escape within the time limit. A very good Piking experience. Then a photo shoot.
We made a hurried walk back to our cars before they got a ticket. This was not helped by going up and down in the lift until we reached our cars. Piled in, we made our way to the next activity. A trip on the Derby Canal. There were quite few bags in the cars which we carried to our waiting craft. Once under way our organisers opened the bags revealing lunch of rolls, cooked meats, cheese, salads and of course beer. A really pleasant trip in the sun and scenes along the canal banks. There were a few photo opertunities. Relaxing for Pikes following our earlier brain teasers. Eventually we returned to our transport and whisked of to our next activity.
We arrived at a Markeaton Park Craft Village that was the base for craft activities and sales.
Pikes activities were to select from some pre-fired pottery shapes and sizes which we were to decorate with glaze colours. It was surprising how artistically talented some Pike are. Their pottery scenes were really good. Of course not all Pikes could attain such grandure but never the less much effort was undertaken for their meagre results.
Perhaps the pots will be fired and displayed at the family party. Then it was in the cars and back to Ebenezer Chapel. Our organisers had changed their original plan due to the restaurant they'd chosen having ceased to exist recently. So we decided to eat in, each Pike having a Chinese Take Out meal. Once suitably sustained we walked next door to the King William pub where most stayed until closing. In the morning another prompt start was on the cards so the new breakfast team were up for it.
Sunday morning and we're once more beckoned to our transport and driven to another location. Qaud biking was the activity. We were kitted out and shown how to don our helmets. Disclaimers were signed by each Pike. Then a video was shown to us where instructions on how to use the machines was presented. Techniques on how to ride the thing were also shown to us. Then we were lead to the waiting machines. They were some beasts of 400cc. Their top speed was upward of sixty mile per hour. So no heroics for any Pike. These were potentially dangerous vehicles and the terrain would be challenging by the time our riding had finished. Our instructor gave some further advice particularly on use of the throttle come dead man's handle. He would lead and we were to be marshalled by other experienced riders. Cautions on rider spacing was important as we were to follow in line after our instructor. So each Pike put on his helmet and started his quadbike in turn as instructed and invited to drive his machine forward a few yards and stop. Eventually all Pikes were in line abreast sitting on their quadbike with their engine running. Each Pike was allotted a start number to be waved off by a marshall. Our instructor lead off going like a chased hare. Pikes were waved off by the marshal at timed intervals each going like a bat out of hell to keep the man in front in sight. Our leader was half a mile away before the last rider was released. So it was flat out over fields with shallow drainage ditches and small mounds or hidden holes bouncing high off the saddle just to catch up.
We raced and eventually reached a marshalling point where we were directed to turn off our quad line abreast with the lead Pikes. Further instructions were given on how to turn corners and traverse across gradients. Each Pike had to demonstrate that he could move his body and lean over to the inside curve of corners or to the up side of a of a hill.
Some Pikes were promoted up or down in their number position in the prosession. Then it was off like grey hounds when released by the marshal trying to make up ground to catch the distant spec of the pike in front of you that threatened to disappear in the distance. Leaning left and right as we cornered fast was something extra we had to achieve. The terrain was so bumpy that if you remained sitting in the saddle there was a real risk you'd be thrown off. So we quickly learned to ride the quads like racing jockeys standing on the foot rests with knees bent gripping the saddle betweenour knees and ride out the bumps just to avoid being thrown off by the machine. After the hair raising course we once again convened line abreast at another marshalling point to turn off our quads.
Again some Pikes had their order of release changed. But now we were being schooled in riding in more challenging country. Climbing mounds, descending steep slopes weaving through trees splashing across streams, traversing bridges and negotiating narrow spaces. This would involve extreme changes in speed, braking, timing of both with some very sharp cornering. We thought things would be more careful and sedate on this run but nothing of the sort. Our leader was off again like a shot from a gun which was replicated by each Pike upon his release by the marshall. This time the landscape changed so rapidly that trailing Pikes, already flat out just to maintain visual contact, soon lost sight of their lead in the convoy. It was pot luck to determine which route you should follow from the several at these junctions. So we became a fragmented convoy. Fortunately our marshal gather our lost souls and lead us, at no less a pace, through the ever varying environment ending up line abreast at the very point where we had begun the day. We switched off our machines. Our excursion had concluded. Then a photo shoot.
We removed our cover garments and helmets and returned them where instructed and made our way outside. The organisers collected bags and hampers from the cars and directed us to a covered picnic area where a self catering lunch was prepared each Pike making his own from food and non-alcholic drinks on display. Once we were fed, watered and cleared away the guy who had been marshall at the quads appeared. He opened a door into an eclosure next to the picnic area and lead us inside. Staring at us from the other side of a small expanse of mowed grass were three archery targets. Immediately in front of us within the cover of the building was a railing about twenty five metres from the targets. Upon it were mounted some cross bows. They were very restricted in side to side movement and could not be removed from their mounts. Neither could they be directed high enough to permit darts to fly out of the robust enclosure surrounding the range. Ten bows were available enough for each Pike to have his own. Instruction on the dangers of these weapons was given and a demonstration of how to arm, load, release the safety catch and release the dart. No member of the group was permitted to go beyond the bow mounting rail without direction from our instructor who opened the rail allowing us to go forward. The bow mounts could be adjusted to a suitable height for the user. Bows had adjustable sights. At each bow stand was a small container holding three darts. They were about 200mm long with a coloured flights for identification linking it to a particular bow at the back end. One of the three flight feathers was a colour common to all the darts. It indicated where it would lie in the bow before firing.
Together Pikes set the height of their bow. Then one by one we demonstrated to our instructor that we could arm and load our weapon. Then each released their safety catch and the instructor allowed us to aim and release the dart at a target. We then, at our own pace, went through the procedure again and released the remaining two darts.
After the last Pike had released his final dart our shooting end was over. He opened the railing and we went to the target. He demonstrated how to remove a dart and how to score if your dart had split a target score line. Pikes removed their darts and returned to the shooting area the instructor closing the railing behind the last man. Pikes required three ends of shots between which they made sight adjustments before they were comfortable. So, competition time. Our instructor challenged us to get a score of 21 with our three darts the best of two ends. Much more demanding than it sounds. He then threw down the final challenge. The highest score of the sum of two ends. A possible score of 63. So we had our two ends each total six darts. There was a prize so no pressure then. Unusually Bob had the leading score of 57 for some while but finally Neil pipped him with 58. His marvelous prize was a Milky Bar. Then another photo shoot.
Some additional shopping was required by our organisers so one car with all passengers went to the supermarket whilst the other returned to our digs. Returners had been armed with the location of "The Holly Bush Inn" a short walk from the digs so had a head start on the later returners. It is a very popular pub having a healthy range of great ales which the Pikes had to reluctantly sample just to oil their denied day. Some of the later returners joined them and were equally reluctant to sample the grand ales.
Our wonderful organisers had decided not to join us leaving Pikes with suspicion that something was up. They had given us a deadline for all Pikes to be back at the digs. Approaching the deadline the Pikes still remained very "reluctant" to leave the ale sampling. However the ivigorated men trudged back to the digs.
Well, something was up. A barbeque was sizzling in the small garden to the sounds of music from a live band playing varied instruments to suit the musical variety including some original songs. Our organisers were cooking on embers. The evening weather was as good as it had been for the whole weekend. The band were staying with us in the digs and enjoying the food, drink and company. There was plenty of beer and stronger to wash down the range of meat and vegetables available but eventually we let the barbeque die then departed to bed.
After breakfast the band said their goodbyes, the Pikes cleared and washed dishes, crockery, cups etc. and packed up to leave. We congregated in the garden, held our conference, selected next years organisers, received announcements and tidied up the garden. Then it was goodbyes all round and stowing bags in cars ready for our journeys home.