VMCC South Durham

In early December I had the great luck to join an international health event organized by mainly Scottish motorcyclists, the so called "train weekend", taking place down the westcoast of Cumbria.

It is an old tradition there to enter a slow train in Wigton as soon as the Saturday morning is dawning and travel South via Maryport, Workington, Whitehaven, ........ only to name the first larger stations before the rest of the trip slowly drowns partly in unconsciousness. You jump out at nearly every stop, find a pub which serves real ale, have a pint there, back to the station, into the next train, ..... and this procedure is repeated many times, until in the early afternoon the pub of return is reached and the trip goes on reverse up North back to the beginning.

Nobody should think this is an event for heavy drinkers only, no way, as first of all I was invited as well and second the drinking was interrupted several times by nurse M. serving sandwiches, pork and liver pies, etc.

This careful way of acting against the dangerous dehydration of motorcyclists in wintertimes avoids deseases like pneumoconiosis, weakness of remembrance, foot and mouth, ....... which could be proved from time to time, when the accompanying nurse asked difficult questions, mainly about subjects out of science and research, which f.e. led to the realization, that the number of dots in a game of dominoes is 147.

For a correct answer like this one got a set of pirate disguise, and, in the end nearly every entrant had an eye patch, some had two, which proves how real ale supports ones brain.

The medical success couldn't be reached completely, as one ale stop was burnt down just before the event started, although the reaction of the organisation team was very professional and at once a replacement tap was found.

As soon as the crowd had returned to the starting point late at night, the health process was supported by everybody with a deep long sleep, until in the early morning the traditional Cumbrian wake-up-call "I can't get into the bloody bathroom" threw us all back into reality and we very much enjoyed the delicious English breakfast, a lovely composition out of the agricultural products of the organizers.

Thank you all again having given a foreigner such a deep view into a nearly forgotten old tradition.

Foreigner

Happy new year Mr Foreigner, glad to have you as a member of our wonderful forum.

I've heard tell of this strange annual event involving trains and beer, apparently known as the choo-choo, sup-sup weekend according to HRH Brian. Managed to avoid it myself up to now, as I've heard tales from past events of people actually becoming intoxicated, missing trains, having to pay for expensive taxi rides and the like. Also quite doubtful of the health benefits of this sort of event

Are you sure they were Scottish motorcyclists though - or just behaving like they were?

I don't know where Jonny Foreigner saw these Scottish people, perhaps he had consumed too much real ale, and his hearing had become blurred:tongue:

Anyway, welcome to the forum Jonny:)

Jonny foriner is always confused about real people and the Scottish type.Let me clarify.Scottish types are tight,eat strange things,speak in a funny accent,drink lager,rob local people of valuable motorcycles to make huge profits in forin lands ,in fact they could be mistaken for BAVARIANS! So Mr Jonny foriner.Watch it.As the actress said to the Bishop:tongue:

TBird at 07:46AM on Jan 20, 2010

Jonny foriner is always confused about real people and the Scottish type.Let me clarify.Scottish types are tight,eat strange things,speak in a funny accent,drink lager,rob local people of valuable motorcycles to make huge profits in forin lands ,in fact they could be mistaken for BAVARIANS! So Mr Jonny foriner.Watch it.As the actress said to the Bishop:tongue:

At least Jonny Foriner can spell:tongue:

T Burd - 2 menny punktuashun & smelling mustooks in yor poast. Pleeze c mee afta skule

Eh  Mr Trumpeteer i can spell,  a foriner is always a foriner.Don,t you forget you bleedin heart liberal forin sympathiser

Abracadabra is a good spell