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FIR TREE FALCONRY CENTRE
August Bank Holiday - 27th to 30th August
Marshals : Shaz & Mark Jenkins and Trish & Kev Harrison
 
The Commercial Site on the 'Lower' Level This is who we came to see
As usual for me it was raining on the Wednesday evening when Mark took the van to the site for me! It looked like a slapstick comedy routine getting the awning & flag pole up in the wet & dark. The times we fell over the awning & missed the pegs with the hammer! As Mark left to go home, I wondered what they’d look like in the morning light; I was quite surprised to find that we had not done a bad job! They were both quite straight’ish if you closed one eye!
In fact the hardest thing to erect was the Welcome ‘come Rubik cube’ Banner! This is when it paid off to be a damsel in distress. Suddenly, whilst struggling like mad to get two poles apart, a knight in a shining Barbour jacket appeared & said “Would you like me to get it out for you?” Well, I’m not one to refuse an offer like that! but even Keith the site owner had trouble.
Eventually, with the help from another kind man, the banner was in situ!! Again if you closed one eye it was straight!
The rally field had the most wonderful ‘ooh arh’ view over the valley to the hills beyond, so armed with pegs I set out my pitches so everyone would have a nice view. Anyone watching me trying to stretch my little legs to a 3 foot stride 30 times between planting pegs, must have thought I’d lost the plot!
My ralliers started to roll in from 10am Thursday; it was nice to have so many for a ‘welcome cuppa & slice of cake at 3pm.
The Falconry Centre is ideally placed for walking to visit the National Herb Centre or Warmington, where the Plough Pub served the biggest homemade meals even Dave Fulker had ever seen! The Centre itself has a tea shop, ice cream shop & bar.
Friday night was our cheese & wine night with a picture quiz thrown in, I had ordered & got a wonderful sunset.
When it got dark, the true spirit of caravanning was shown as everyone got their torches & lanterns out, so they could stay on.
Saturday night we were in the Falconry’s lodge. Keith put on a music quiz for us (which Kev, Trish, Mark & I won, which WAS pure luck Richard!!) We then had a fantastic time dancing & singing along to a DVD of Top of the Pops 1960-2004. Keith said the N&R were ‘simply the best’ friendly Centre he had ever encountered on a rally & he had never had a Centre get up & dance like we did!!
On Sunday a good many of the ralliers & myself went on a Hawk Walk. First we looked around the falconry centre, then we were given a very informative talk on Hawking by Keith, after which we went rambling through the nature reserve & each one had the opportunity to walk holding a falcon on our arm, & watch it fly free, then land on our arm. Even the children held Mr Grumpy the Owl on our return to the centre.
On Sunday night we returned to the lodge for an eagerly awaited game of bingo, the competition was immense, the room fell silent (I never knew that the N&R could be so quiet!) waiting for the 1st number of the night to be called. Trish excelled herself as the bingo caller; whist Mark & Kev did a grand job at selling the tickets for the big money payouts!
Everyone enjoyed ‘the last person standing’ so much that we had to do it twice! Congratulations to Jen Coleman who had a very successful evening, I’ll be asking her to fill out my lottery tickets for me how lucky she was! She must have been £40 up!
Keith, joined us, & was quite emotional when I presented him with an N&R pennant. He was true to his word & by Monday morning had pinned it proudly up in the Falconry Centre, high above the others he has. I must admit it was by far the best looking one!
Monday dawned bright & sunny, a typical Bank Holiday! When it’s time to go home the weather improves, although it hadn’t stopped ralliers from doing what they had wanted to do.
It had been a very enjoyable rally to run, with much help from Kev & Trish, & nice to see 29 vans including 2 visitors from North London attend, with the added bonus of a warden who is only too pleased to have us there and did all he could to make us feel welcome; it will be well worth visiting again in the near future.
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RALLY REPORTS 
