Drum Rally

Organized by Drake MCC At a site near Launceston.

I had not been to a rally in the West Country for a couple of years, and when I heard about the Drum Rally I decided to try it out. I got to know about it from my Scottish mate, Alan Bone. He was an air traffic controller, originally at Prestwick, but now working at Bournmouth Airport. So he was a good contact for info on what was happening "Dahn Saaaf". He had been a keen rallyist in the seventies and early eighties but was starting to get about again now his son was a bit older.

I went down to his house at Verwood on the Thursday before the rally and then across the south coast to Cornwall. It's not a route I have done very often, living up north in Bradford, so it was good to have a tour guide for a change!

The rally was held at a country pub on the edge of Bodmin moor. The pub had a good selection of real ales, and besides doing some excellent evening meals, was also open for breakfasts.

Friday was a "trad night" but on Saturday a disco was set up in the far end of the pub. It was always packed out in there but it didn't affect the serious drinkers in the main bar area!

Rally control provided free tea and coffee and a supply of biscuits all weekend. I was surprised to see some of the people in there had recent badges for the Tamar Rally. I was under the impression that it had finished a few years before, but it turned out that, in an effort to reduce the number of people attending, it had gone "invite only". Needless to say I came home with an invite!

The Drake Club provided extra toilet facilities, and there was a shower/washroom/toilet on the end of the pub building, accessed with a key kept in the control tent.

If the weather was good you were well placed to visit any of the many attractions of Cornwall, and being just before or at the start of the season, the traffic was not so bad.

I managed to get down to the Rally for several years after that and always enjoyed it despite some quite wet weekends!

After the Tenth Drum Rally (held in 1998) it changed name to the Two Moons Rally. Same site, same set up, different badge!

- Ted Trett