Land Rover Monthly – October 2019

106 LANDROVER MONTHLY

The annual wild camping laningweekend is always

popular.Nick Kirkpatrick tells thestory

CUMBRIA CLASSIC LAND ROVERS

encoun ter with a tree andsomeone rest-

ing their LandRover on a drystone wall.

The camping was loc ated at one of the

member’s fields high above Alston. The

area around Alston is wild andremote

with few inhabitants, but la tely inhabited

by midges – the ones that have been

expelled fromScot land for being too ag-

gressive – so midge repellent was nec es-

sary. Wild camping was either on the flat

field, orfor the more adventurous, in the

woods, whereyou could set up a tarp

or hammock. Otherfacilities available

on site were a composting toilet and an

eco sho wer from run-off rainwater. More

importantly therewas a communitytent,

charcoal barbeque (attendees were re-

quired to bring food), but beerwas sup-

plied by go od friendsof Cumbria Classic

Land Rovers, the Tractor Shed Brewery

from Workington who suppliedtwo types

this year: Prof’s Lack of Talent, which is

always popular, and – newfor 2019 –

Woo Woo’s, which was a bit stronger.

This year’s Weird Daleran from Thurs-

day to Sunday with different members

attending on different days, ho weve r

W

EIRD Dale is the sum-
mer do for Cumbria
Classic LandRovers. If
I remembercorrectly
this is theseventh year
we have held it. Itwas
set up as a friendly, informal, wildcamp-
ing weekend, with the chanceto drive a
great selection of lanes with friends dur-
ing the day and sit around thecampfir e
drinking beer and do what most enthusi-
asts all around theworld do –talk Land
Rovers and the meaningof life – during
the evening. It’s that simpleformula that
has kept it going all these years, not for-
getting the great bunchof people we have
accumulated over the years and become
friends with.

There are afew basic rulesat Weird

Dale: never le ave anyone behind,repair

any lane damage that’s caused and, the

favourite one, ifat any timeyou ha ve a

‘lack-o f-ta lent moment’ it is compulsory

to stay with your vehicle untileveryone

else has had opportunity to take as

many pictures as they deem necessary.

Last ruleof Weird Dale is what happens

at Weird Dalestays at Weird Dale.The

only way to find out isto becomepart

of it.

This year therewas gr eat weather,

great lane s, great people and as usual

several lack-o f-ta lent moments and a

few br eakdowns. These included the

annual visitto a muddy hole, thetempo-

rary lo ss of an expansion tank cap, an

Weird Dale