September update
This month’s social meeting falls on Thursday 1st September, it is at The Rockingham Arms Wentworth, S62 7TL the meeting starts at 8:15, many people arrive around 6:30 and sample the excellent value for money pub grub.
The monthly run this month is to The Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough on Saturday 3rd, it will be the last long run of the year.
The Tees Transporter Bridge, often referred to as the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge or affectionately referred to as is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees, England. It connects Middlesbrough, on the south bank, to Port Clarence, on the north bank. It is a transporter bridge, carrying a travelling ‘car’, or ‘gondola’, suspended from the bridge, across the river in 90 seconds. The gondola can carry 200 people, 9 cars, or 6 cars and one minibus. It carries the A178 Middlesbrough to Hartlepool road. Locally the bridge is often referred to simply as ‘the Transporter’.
It has featured in films and TV programmes including Boys from the Blackstuff, Billy Elliot, The Fast Show, Spender and Steel River Blues. In the millennium celebrations of 2000, fireworks were fired from its length. The storyline of the third series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, saw the bridge dismantled to be sold to and re-erected in the USA. The local council received calls from people worried that the bridge was really being pulled down, with the BBC adding a disclaimer on the end of the final episode of the series stating that ‘The Transporter Bridge remains in Middlesbrough’.
Meeting at The Stock Yard Hellaby, at 9:30 for a cuppa and buttie, leaving at 10:00. The route is on side roads to the A1, then after a short drive on the motorway, back onto a fast B road to the outskirts of York
Our mid morning coffee stop is at a Farm Shop just north of York, from there we head across country to the A19, a fast but scenic road. We then briefly pass through an industrial region of Middlesbrough to The Transporter Bridge, on the north bank of the Tees. The gondola which will take us south across the river to the visitors centre holds 9 cars, I think this will be a great photo opportunity.
The Bridge Master or one of his colleagues will give the club a short talk about the bridge in the visitors centre (nominal charge). Toilets and light refreshments available.
From the bridge we head south, by passing Guisborough, passing through Castleton and over the moors to The Feversham Arms at Church Houses, this is one of my favourite pubs, the food is excellent, and the portion sizes have to be seen to be believed. 31 pieces of scampi (more scampi than chips !!) was the record set in 2013 !
The final leg of the route takes across The Yorkshire Wolds, (further brief comfort stop on route) the run finishes on the M18 near Howden.
If the weather is good, and members want to extend the run, the Rosedale Chimney could be included, if the weather is not good the run will be shortened, The run is just over 200 miles in total, which may sound a long way, but it is not much longer than to the east coast and back.
I need to give the bridge a rough idea of numbers and will be passing a sheet around at the social meeting, please email me if you are coming on the run but are unable to attend the meeting.
To be served promptly, we will need to pre order the food, please have a look at the pubs menu , during the course of the week, Lesley will be taking your orders whilst at mid morning coffee stop.
As usual members will be able to join the run on route or leave it before the official finish.
A route card will be published on Friday, please print it out and bring it with you, postal codes will be on it, so a SatNav will be useful if you become detached from the group.
And finally a useless fact !
In 1974, the comedy actor Terry Scott, travelling between his hotel in Middlesbrough and a performance at the Billingham Forum, mistook the bridge for a regular toll crossing and drove his car off the end of the roadway, landing in the safety netting beneath