Early Season's greetings to all
This year we had the first A.R.S.E. since 2019, The 2020 was cancelled as we went into covid for
the first time. This year we visited the Windmill at Wymondham and had a really good turnout. The
proprietors made us all very welcome and opened up their events cabin especially for us serving
loads of bacon / sausage baps and hot drinks. The day turned out relatively warm and dry with
sunny periods. I went out into the car park and counted over 50 bikes at one time, however people
were coming and going so the total number would be higher.
Like last year I have received many nice notes with this year's submissions, thanking us for persevering and running the rally during the last couple of year. Some even state the NHS ought to prescribe the RBR to help with mental heath.
Looking towards the 2024 rally, we will schedule the rally to officially start on Sunday March 24th
2024. The early start is to avoid clashing with the Easter. With regards to the A.R.S.E. meet up like
this year we can only hold it if we can be sure there is a minimal risk of Covid spread to our fellow
entrants. We are preparing a suitable location in the hope we are ok. A confirmation whether to have
the meet up or not will be made closer to the rally start and will be confirmed in the email with the
final instructions that will be sent out on March 10th.
Now for a final whinge, please don't hold your control card in front of your camera when taking the photo of the landmark. Too frequently most of the landmark and or bike is largely obscured or out of focus. I have to enlarge the image to confirm what I am looking at. Not so easy with hard copy images. Just hang the card on the bike or prop it up against your helmet. The same goes for the use of selfie sticks I get an image with a large person in perfect focus and somewhere in the back ground is the landmark mostly obscured and frequently out of focus.
Now for all the statistics fans!
„"Total entries for 2023 was 249 (255 in 2022)
„h 160 people submitted photos this year (179in 2022) and the joint highest returns to date
„h 20 achieved the premier slot of 100% All Rounder Award. (30 in 2022)
„h The average score this year was 977 points Silver
„h The most visited landmark this year with 119 visits was the A.R.S.E. (Leicestershire
Wymondham Windmill.
The close second with 115 visits was Derbyshire¡¦s War Memorial
and Pump at Bretby
„h The most popular Scottish landmark was Dumfries & Galloway 2 - View of the Devils Beef
Tub from the A701 nr Moffat with 66 visits, Followed by 63 visits to Borders Cessford Castle.
„h The most popular Welsh landmarks with 101 visits each were Powys 2 Bronllys Castle and
Wrexham¡¦s Penrhos Engine House, nr Brymbo
„h The least visited Welsh landmark with 66 visits was Vale of Glamorgan Dovecote at Llantwit
Major with 67 visits
„h The least visited English landmarks was Kent - Viking Ship, Hugin, at Pegwell Bay with 55
visits.
„h The joint least visited Scottish landmarks were Highland 4, VR post box buried in roadside
rock at Red Point with 37 visits
„h There was a total of 6,265 individual landmark visits this year with an estimated excess of
12,000 photos inspected
Entrants of note
100%
All Rounders:
The following 20 entrants achieved the maximum by correctly visiting all the landmarks:
Alan Cartwright, Steve & Caroline Hunt, Steve & Caroline Hunt, Kevin Bittlestone, Nick
Knowles, Ian Stones, Ian Woolley, Graham Robb, Walter Ross, Neil & Ro Gomersall,
Michael Smith, Carl Holdsworth,
Graham Kemp, John Cunningham, Dave & Michele Marsden, Mark Wardman, Frank &
Keren Bratley, John Duxbury, S. John Gibson, Neville Grunwald
Bloopers of the rally,
Before the rally got underway, I was informed that the Cae Dai 50s Museum in Denbigh had
closed down. So that was quickly changed on Revision 1 of the Landmark List, however various
participants did visit the museum and found that it was still open. So, both the Museum and the
Meliden Lead Mining Memorial have been accepted.
B2 There are two memorials to the Battle of Naseby. The one asked for was the Obelisk but many
participants submitted the column memorial So Both have been accepted.
B3 Similarly there are two lift bridges on the stretch of canal between Welshpool and Pool Quay so
both have been accepted
Problem landmarks
The Oxford Gate house in Stowe had a few people foxed. Strange that seeing its well documented.
I have received various lodge houses from the estate. There seemed to be some issue with a tenant
at the gate house itself not wanting it photographed and calling out security staff. Strange that
considering it was the building we were photographing not the tenant and the buildings image has
been well documented on the internet for many years.
A local at the Dovecote at Llantwit Major has got a bit vocal with a few visitors complaining the
road was private, strange that considering the landmark has official signposting for the lane outside
the cottages.