Pennine 1000 Rally 2021 | Day 1 | Bespoke Rallies

Whenever you think of wilderness in Britain you tend to think of Scotland and the Highlands – or maybe Snowdonia and the peaks of Wales – so it came as a fantastic surprise to many of us this morning to find ourselves hurtling through such gloriously barren landscapes just a stone’s throw from the hotel. As we headed out from the start-line into the sunshine we were soon climbing up past remote tumbledown farmhouses and herds of wild-looking sheep and cattle as they grazed alongside mile after mile of iconic drystone wall. The route took us up hill and down Dale, along farm tracks that felt unchanged for centuries, passing by disused quarries, and careering/proceeding gently (delete as applicable) through the occasional ford.

 

By mid-morning we stopped off in the sleepy village of Middleton-in-Teesdale for a coffee and well-earned sit in the sun.

 

 

 

Sadly, father and son team of Trevor and Alexander Conway had to bail out of much of the early sections – the low-slung suspension on their modified late 60s Porsche 911 track car couldn’t cope with the camber on the trail roads – but were able to catch up some of the unforgettable scenery later on in the morning. We soon checked in at the famous Tan Hill Inn – “Britain’s Highest Inn” at 1713ft above sea level, before heading down towards the dramatic arches of the Ribble Valley Viaduct and Yorkshire’s famous three peaks, Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent beyond.

 

 

 

Most of us combined a fuelling stop at Settle with a chance to grab some lunch at the best Al Fresco dining location that the town centre had to offer.

 

 

As we headed northwards back towards home, the clouds scudded across the hilltops and the wind picked up – but we all made it home safe and sound (albeit a little wet around the edges). David and Alison Ring in their 1973 BMW 2500 headed the timing charts but it was pretty tight at the top – let’s see what tomorrow brings…