Well, the forecast did say it was going to rain! A few hardy canvas campers were halfway setting up their tents when the downpour came on Friday afternoon. However, with beers waiting at the bar of The Gate Hangs High there was no time to loose and we soldiered on with our erections!
The smart ones brought their caravans and campervans and were already cosied up sampling the selection of beers on offer. A lovely dinner ensued (fantastic fish and chips!) and after a few more beers we retired for what turned out to be a relatively good night’s sleep listening to the gentle pitter patter of raindrops – oh, and the party going on across the camping field!
On Saturday morning we assembled bright and early for the traditional Wetherspoons breakfast at The Exchange in Banbury. We were obviously expected as the staff had kindly reserved a whole section of the pub just for us. Filled to the point of exploding we made our way to Banbury Cross for the first performance of the weekend. Monty was in fine form acting as our Fool causing mischief and mayhem as usual.
After that it was off to The White Horse for some more dancing and an excellent section of ales. Our first beers of the day but not to be the last! We then carried on round the corner to Ye Olde Reindeer where we did another performance before taking a short lunch break. During the break Baz performed his Captain Pugwash jig for a beaming newly married couple and this was followed by a singing session in the beautiful oak panelled Globe Room which dates back to 1637.
The streets of Banbury were relatively quiet and so we headed off impromptu down to the market. Fortunately, there was a bit more of an audience and so we performed a few more dances before heading to The Coach and Horses for …. yes you’ve guessed it …more beer! (Is there a theme developing here?!)
Then it was back to TGHH for dinner (great burgers!) before heading off to The Hook Norton Brewery for Monty’s party. Of course, we did have to make a pit stop on the way at The Pear Tree. Here we met up with some of The Adderbury Morris Men and did a joint performance in order to demonstrate how two different dance sides can dance the same dances completely differently to each other!
Then it was time for the highlight of the weekend – a performance by Magpie Lane at the brewery. As usual they enthralled the audience with a captivating selection of folk songs and some amazing instrumentals. A truly talented band well worth looking out for if you like that kind of music – which of course we all do. Yateley managed to squeeze in a few dances in the interval including Cricket Hill (a Fieldtown dance made up by Monty) and Captain Lanos (a crazy stick dance on steroids!)
The landlady at The Pear Tree kindly offered her premises for a music session where we ended the evening with some music and singing and a final beer or two just to finish off what was a fantastic day.
Sunday morning was an early start as we had to take down the tents and pack away our kit. Back to the brewery for breakfast and a cup of tea or coffee (no not beer this time!). Then it was off to one of the ancestral homes of Morris dancing – Adderbury. We were treated to a fantastic walking tour by our local guide Keith who seemed to know absolutely everything there is to know about this beautiful village. It was great to hear all about the people who lived in some of the old houses and the history of Morris dancing in Adderbury. We stopped off for a brief performance outside Le Hall Place – the home of Janet Blunt who helped collate the Adderbury tradition dances back in the early 20th century.
Then it was off to The Bell Inn for more dancing, drinking and a lovely buffet lunch kindly provided by Michelle and Rhys, the landlady and landlord of this magnificent pub.
Feeling somewhat replete we then headed off to our final spot for the weekend – Broughton Castle with the intention of delighting the heaving crowds with yet more fine dancing. Unfortunately, there were very few people around – maybe the rain had put them off – and so we only did a couple of dances before calling it a day. We finished with a delicious strawberry and cream scone and a cup of tea before heading back home.
It had been a lovely weekend. Well planned and coordinated by Tim and Monty and all ran pretty much according to plan. And yes – although it did rain Friday we did manage to avoid most of the showers after all.
HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY MONTY!!!!
YATELEY MORRIS MEN 