Words and Photographs by Sharon & Ray Taylor

The clue is in the name, yes, it was held in Devon, based around the Woolacombe Bay Holiday Park. This Holiday Park has a mixture of Holiday Chalets, Static caravans and Tents and is set in an area of great beauty with wooded valleys and fabulous walks.

This was my third X1/9 National, and Sharon’s - well over 10th - she has also organised at least one. 

They follow a distinct pattern; Friday, Meet and Greet in the Bar; Saturday, an organised run around the area with carefully planned “pit stops”, then in the evening a Dinner. On Sunday it is “Show and Shine” time, after which we all go to the Bar to hand out the various Awards. Sharon won “Best Car” this year – she had done a fantastic job with some new polish for the body and a different type for the “black work parts”.

After that it is “tyre kicking time” and gradually people drift away back home. 

Those staying Sunday night organise a meet somewhere, this year it was a BBQ at a member’s ‘van.

So, we now Meet and Greet, have our Cider Run and the Show and Shine; the photographs are all below:

The Line up at the start of the Cider Run, fourteen X1/9s turn up from as far away as Norfolk and Glasgow and, surprisingly the roads were relatively quiet.

Ewen decided to take the Ford crossing rather go over the Doone bridge in the Lorna Doone valley, a really beautiful area and the sun came out for us; this was our main “Pit Stop” – a Pub and Cafe.

“The water’s not that deep!”, so now everyone must use the Ford crossing.

Show ‘n’ Shine Day.

See you all next year – Scotland is the “Hot Favourite”.