Easter 2010 UK Tandem Rally

Ilam, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England

Thursday, 1st April 2010 - Monday, 5th April 2010

Please Note: Bookings for this event are closed - notice dated 27th January 2010



If you are planning to attend the rally but have not paid the Rally Fee of £5.00 per person and are wondering how to obtain route sheets, you will be able to get them at the rally on payment of the required fee.





The Event





This event will be based at Ilam Hall Youth Hostel in the Peak District. Ilam Hall is part of the National Trust South Peak Estate, adjacent to the picturesque village of Ilam. Ilam is off the A515 north of Ashbourne. Ashbourne is the nearest place for shops and services.





Rides



There will be some shorter (under 25 miles) routes to places of interest, as well as medium (about 30 miles) and longer (about 50 miles) rides. All the rides will inevitably be hilly, as that is the nature of the Peak District. There will not be any flat rides. The flattest we can do are rides on the High Peak, Tissington and Manifold Trails. These will be used wherever possible but to use them for all rides is impossible and would probably become monotonous.





Annual General Meeting



The Tandem Club AGM will take place on Saturday at 17:00 hours.





Ilam Hall



Ilam Hall, its chapel and grounds were used in filming Jane Eyre. The estate and tea rooms are open to visitors. Dovedale, one of the best known and most visited of Derbyshire's dales, is nearby.



This valley and surrounding area was used in Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice and The Other Boleyn Girl. Narrow roads access the area. It offers easy access to the lovely Staffordshire Moorlands area, and of course to the Peak District to the North. The Tissington Trail, connecting with the High Peak Trail is close to Ilam, offering traffic free access to a large part of the Peaks. The picturesque Manifold Valley can be enjoyed by riding the Manifold Trail. The area abounds with tea rooms and pubs, so refreshment stops will be plentiful.



The hostel has 139 beds. We have a booking for 40 beds. The remainder of the hostel has been booked by another group. Hostel meals are available. The Youth Hostel Manager has said that they will expect us to book meals as the member's kitchen is not very large. However the kitchen will of course be available for making drinks and snacks.

Additional note from rally organizer, Karen Sutton: - About the hostel "The Youth Hostel Association hostel at Ilam is a Youth Hostel to remember! A Victorian gothic manor house owned by the National Trust, it makes for a civilised break. Its grounds stretch to 84 acres of country park on the banks of the River Manifold, making outdoor games, woodland wanders and riverside walks an appealing possibility." Quoted from YHA website Accommodation Our accommodation is in single sex rooms and these rooms will be used exclusively by The Tandem Club. They are all 4-bed or 6-bed rooms. This means that families can have their own room. The rooms which are en suite will be allocated to those members who book first. Breakfasts Breakfast consists of the following items: Cereals, yoghurt, fruit, toast, pastries, tea & coffee, bacon and sausage (or Quorn sausage for vegetarians), egg, mushrooms, tomato, hash brown, and baked beans. Evening Meals The Evening meal is 3 courses, including some good vegetarian choices. The hostel uses local produce whenever possible and the food is good quality. It is also licensed and sells beers brewed locally. The following Sample Menus show the typical fare that will be served for evening meals: Day 1: Soup Chilli Con Carne, Cottage Pie, Vegetable Lasagne, Jacket Potato All served with chips or potatoes, and salad or vegetables Bread & Butter Pudding, Chocolate Sponge, Fruit Served with cream or custard Day 2: Soup Beef Lasagne, Cumberland Sausages, Quorn & Vegetable Shepherds Pie, Jacket Potato All served with chips or potatoes, and salad or vegetables Apple Pie, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Fruit Served with cream or custard This additional note added 27th November 2009

The cycle store is not large enough for tandems. Arrangements have been made with the National Trust for the use of a room at the hostel for cycle storage. There will be a charge for this facility, of £1 per cycle per night. Otherwise cycles may be locked up outside. As Ilam Park is open to the public this is not recommended by the hostel staff.



There is a charge of £2.00 per night per car in the car park. This charge is levied by the National Trust.



The hostel has the usual policy that alcoholic drinks can only be consumed if purchased from the hostel.



Attractions in the area immediately surrounding the hostel are Alton Towers and the Churnet Valley Steam railway. Obviously the Peak District offers many more visitor attractions, but the main reason to visit the Peaks is for the variety of the landscape and breathtaking scenery. Of course the other feature is in the name. There will be lots of hills. However the rides will also use the cycle trails in the area, in order to lessen the number of hills in reaching our destinations.





Alternative Accommodation



The Ilam Park National Trust Caravan site is quite small and we believe it does not allow cycling on site and children are not allowed. However, there are camp sites at Fenny Bentley, which is reasonably close and is situated by the Tissington Trail. Details of some campsites can be found by clicking on the following link: - Campsites near Ilam



There are various bed and breakfast and self catering establishments in the area. For example, check out the following locations: -



* Bed Breakfast and Self Catering:- Beechen Hill Farm



* Bed Breakfast and Self Catering:- Damgate Farm



* Bed Breakfast and Self Catering:- Throwley Hall Farm



* Cottage Rental:- Lower Damgate Farm



More B Bs are also shown at the following link: - Bed & Breakfast near Ilam





Further Details



This event is being organized by Karen Sutton who can be reached at the following email address: -

email:





Members Only



Note: This rally is open only to members of The Tandem Club (UK). Annual membership is £10.00 or €18 per year with membership for the first Joint Member or 'Family' member free. If you'd like to become a member of The Tandem Club, link to the Subscription Details page by clicking here.

This page is written using material supplied by Karen Sutton

and maintained by the - 2009 The Tandem Club