Tandem 2024 - UK National Rally

Saturday 10th August to Saturday 17th August 2024

Alnwick Rugby Football Club
Greensfield
Willowburn Avenue
Alnwick
NE66 1BE
Phil Harmer2024-03-10 19:53:01tcn2024

The preparation for the National is going well, except that for various issues we are late opening the booking system. Please bear with us – we rely on volunteers who arrange the rallies in their spare time.

Vanessa Bulloch2024-03-18 14:00:43tcn2024

I'm delighted to say that the bookings for this years national rally in Alnwick are now OPEN

Vanessa Bulloch2024-03-20 08:11:48tcn2024

Please note the Electric hook ups are all now sold. I am creating a waiting list in  case any become available.

Furthermore There will be a charging station for E bike BAtteries, devices Ect that will be set up

Ann-Charlotte Holman2024-03-20 19:48:38tcn2024

Will the club house be open each evening, Vanessa? Hopefully Alnwick RUFC want to sell us refreshments.

Vanessa Bulloch2024-03-20 22:49:15tcn2024

Hi Ann, im not saying to much about our evening plans at this stage as yet, but as there are various thngs in progress, but just to say i hope you wont be disappointed


The Ouse, Holy Island by wfmillar

Alnwick Castle by Phil Thomas

Castle Point and Dunstanburgh Castle by Ian Capper

Beadnell Harbour by Richard West

Grand Cascade, Alnwick Garden by Russell Wills

November Sunrise - Holy Island by Pauline E.

Beach at Bamburgh by Rob Noble

Greensfield - Alnwick RFC by NERUGS89

IMPORTANT

Bookings are now open for this rally..

 

The Rally

The National Rally will be based at the Rugby Football club in Alnwick, Northumberland.  Alnwick is a historic market town in the heart of Northumberland, roughly midway between Newcastle upon Tyne and Berwick-upon-Tweed.  The touring park is a dedicated campsite and is accustomed to hosting rallies. It is a 10 minute walk into the town centre and 20 minutes walk to the castle.

Around Alnwick

Alnwick is a historic town in Northumberland 3 miles away from the coast.

There are 2 things that Alnwick is famous for: Alnwick Castle and Alnwick Gardens. Both are well worth a visit on the day off. 2 Harry Potter films were filmed on location at Alnwick Castle: HP and the Philosopher's Stone plus HP and the Chamber of Secrets. If attending  Alnwwick Gardens with children it's well worth taking a spare set of clothes as children have a habit of getting wet there!

Another hidden gem in Alnwick is Barter Books.

Why are Barter Books famous?

One of the largest second hand bookshops in Britain and the home of the famous Keep Calm and Carry On poster. Barter Books has become one of the largest tourist attractions in the North East of England. The building was a former Victorian station.

Northumberland has beautiful countryside and a stunning coastline.  You can enjoy sweeping golden beaches, rolling dunes, high rock cliffs and isolated islands, including Lindisfarne / Holy Island.

There are many National Trust and English Heritage properties including Lindisfarne Castle + Priory and Hadrian's Wall.

Rally Site

As a club we will have almost sole access to the site except for 10 pitches that have already been booked by annual visitors.

There are 100 pitches available to us, of which about 8 that can be supplied with electric hook ups. All are on grass.  The rugby club has requested that we place motorhomes and caravans on the rugby pitch, whilst tents will be off the pitch. if you wish to stay on after the rally please book direct with the campsite.

There is also a lower field which is difficult to access by car, so we willl dedicate this  to cycle campers.

Families Are Especially Welcome

To encourage more families to attend, we will have a dedicated area for families.  Our Family Cycling Officer has offered to complete some guided rides for families too. Solo bicycles are welcome at the rally, especially for families.  The Tandem Games evening is a firm favourite for the children at the rallies.

Off Site

There is no accommodation to hire at the rugby club, but you are welcome to arrange your own off-site accomodation within the area and attend the rides.

The Hogs Head Inn is the nearest hotel to the rugby club and if you wish to stay please book directly with them.

Rides

Rides will be offered on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  On one of the days there will be a Velocio competition.

The rides will be in the usual format of short (roughly 30 miles), medium (roughly 45 miles) and long (anything up to 70 miles).

The rides are generally not led and groups/individuals typically leave between 08:30 and 10:00. All the routes will start and finish on the same road/lane/cycle track, so you will have plenty of tandems to ride along with.  There will be some led rides for families.

Entertainment

There will be a welcome drink, a quiz, tandem games and anything else we can come up with but all with a Harry Potter Twist and a last night cedhli.

Wednesday will be a rest day to explore Alnwick or the local area.

There is plenty to do in the local area, including Alnwick Castle, Barter Books, the coast (Alnmouth is only 3 miles from the campsite) or if you want to head out further, you can find the safe crossing times for Lindisfarne here.

We are intending to organise a special evening visit just for people on the rally to the Bailiffgate Museum; an award winning people’s museum where fascinating stories of the past are told about Alnwick and District. It is located in a former church, close to Alnwick Castle and Garden and provides a beautiful setting in which to celebrate 10,000 years of unique heritage. Current entry costs are £4.50 per adult and 90p for children aged 5-16.

If you are interested, please indicate on the booking form how many people are likely to attend from your party.

Booking

You need to be members of the Tandem Club or certain overseas organisations to book. See the Terms and Conditions below.

Please use the button below to book for this event. Preferred payment for UK residents is by on-line credit/debit card payment but the form will present you with other options. If you have a website login account, then please login before using this form as most fields will be filled in for you automatically.

Need further information?

 

Map

Event Information

Attendees Event information

Terms and Conditions.
Booking confirmation:
Your booking is not confirmed until payment has been received in full and cleared which should be before the closing date for bookings. Dishonoured cheques will result in the cancellation of your booking.
Members Only:
This event is open to UK or overseas Tandem Club Members or, in the case of overseas people, members of the following organisations: "Tandem Club of America", "Tandem Club de France", "Tandem Club NL (Netherlands)", "Tandem ClubVlaanderen (Belgium)" and "Tandem-fahren.de (Germany)". You can join the Tandem Club using the forms on the TC website. Joining the TC (About 15 UKP per year).

Disclaimer:
If you participate in any ride or event organised by the Tandem Club you do so entirely at your own risk. The Club, its officers and ride organisers accept no responsibility for loss, damage to property, accident, injury or death, that may occur, however caused, whether by negligence, deliberate act or otherwise.

Cancellations and refunds.
The rally fee will not be refunded after the closing date. Refund of other components will depend on what the Club can recover from the campsite and/or other suppliers. Members may wish to consider taking out Holiday Insurance to cover losses the Club cannot refund.

Photographs taken at the event may be published on the Tandem Club Website, The Tandem Club Facebook pages and The Tandem Club Journal