Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms The Last Straw

My wife decided she wanted a picnic today and said " over at Appleby ( A66 )". On arriving it was 20c but a cool breeze was blowing , so we toured round Long Martin , Murton etc and could not find a nice place for one .
Lets head for Brough via Appleby back roads . I came up behind a huge tractor with a large circle of hay on its single rear fork . It was all over the single road as we went up a hill he slammed on his brakes and put it into reverse shooting at us . I blared the horn and shot back down the hill . He stopped another tractor that had been coming towards him decided to let him through ( funny he was going up a hill , I thought that was normal ) . I looked at his wing mirrors on his doors and they where both turned to the sky ( must like star gazeing ) , yet he had one on his wind screen . At the top of the hill in the corner of the field was an opening into it he slammed on his brakes again but this time I was well back he then without looking or thinking started to shoot in reverse into the field . Our eyes almost popped out driving it was a school boy who looked about 12-13 years old . He blared the horn at us from the field . I bit my tonque there are times in my life when I wish I was a policeman on duty and this was one of them .
On a better note we found a small village with a shallow river flowing past its well mowed green , parked the car got the blanket and food out and had the place to ourselves . Fresh chicken s/wiches and a glass of milk taste better sitting on grass letting your cares float by . Yet while watching a farmer going over the old bridge with rolls of hay stacked up on his trailer I spotted nothing tied down and the one on the top wobbling like hell what a danger .

I am not sure of the law now but back in 64 a 14 year old could drive a tractor on public roads.
The intent was that young farm workers could access fields around the farm where the crossing public roads was a necessity.
Of course we used to push the boundaries in those days, I can clearly remember driving a massey ferguson from Castleside to Hexam on a Sunday, three up with one driving and two standing on the drawbar hanging onto the mudguards. Oh and the tractors did not have roll cages in those days.
Free wheeling down the A68, wind in my hair (I did have some in those days) was probably where my passion for speed all started!

You guys are making me homesick. I remember the A68 inspiring me too as a young lad. My Dad drove us regularly to Hexham from Darlington and latterly Crook, to visit Grandparents. Must come back up and drive it in the Mog!
My understanding and observations would confirm Ray's about young folks driving tractors, especially 'hidden away' in rural spots like Jack The Lad was in.

That was in the past its 2012 what happens if he hits a car and kills a child . An arse is an arse let him try in a field but not roads . The farming industry has the highest accident rate its looking like they have themselfs to blame for a gross amount . I use the A68 a lot it never changes one or two nice pubs on it .

Quite agree with that and his 'outburst' illustrates your point; immature and aggressive, a dangerous combination! The A68 sounds better and better. I've heard that Hexham is quite posh. Perhaps I didn't notice in the 60s?

Though not legal a blind eye was turned to youngsters driving to the rail at harvest time in outback Australia. I managed to tip over a Mercedes truck with a bin holding over 10 tons of bulk wheat. Wasn't completely my fault; the truck was overloaded and there was a rear suspension failure on one side. Fortunately it happened while I was still on the property. The rail silos where about 30 miles away.

My Father had borrowed a Farmers Landrover to clear up some mess in a field we had been camping in.

When finished he asked me to return it down the Farm track....(app 500mtrs) and park it in the open pillard Barn shelter.

yep no problem, off i go, just lining the thing up to enter the Barn and to my total shock a cat came from the back seats, obviouly had been there all the time we were in possession of the Landy, jumped at me trying to exit through the Drivers window, i totally S**t myself and some how ended up with one of the centre beams of the Barn knocked out about 30cm, with the roof sagging badly...... Your still naive at 15 arn't you...you just don't know it.

Some sort of Haib was draftered in from another Farm, least to say i wasn't boy wounder that day il tell you..

Dont know about posh it does not look that up market to me but they have a curry train from Newcastle to Carlise on a Saturday night unsure if it stops at Hexam . I was over at a nogging in the late 1980s and following John MacDonald's super charged +4 via the back roads home but it kept stopping all the other mog owners went and left us . I stayed with him till he got home in short burst's . Never knew he could swear like that . I was crazy and should have gone home with the other's .

Yes but we've all done it. Human frailty? Exuberance? Who wouldn't have a crack at John MacDonald?
Curry Train sounds good!

http://valleyrestaurants.co.uk/

Might be a better idea to take the Morg, as the curry Train has Lager full Travellers on the way back.