2007 is the centenary of the Scottish Reliability Trial in which Claude Johnson, driving a new 40/50hp, named The Silver Ghost, was awarded the Gold Medal in its class. This tour celebrates the centenary of the Silver Ghost and its many achievements throughout 1907.
Classic Travelling, on behalf of the 20-Ghost Club, is organising a Centenary Scottish Tour, for Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts only. After visiting the Rolls Royce factory at Goodwood, Sussex, The Lord Mayor of London will flag the tour off from outside the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall. The tour will then follow Johnson’s route up to Scotland, via Derbyshire and the Lake District. The Scottish Reliability Tour re-enactment starts just north of Glasgow from a very picturesque hotel on the side of Loch Lomond. From there the tour follows the original route until Aviemore, when there are two options, including touring the west coast of Scotland and visiting John O’Groats. The tour finishes with a fabulous gala dinner in Edinburgh.
Accommodation
All the hotels are of an excellent standard - 4 or 5 star ratings, and are the best available in the areas to be visited. All the hotels have suitable parking facilities.
Itinerary
May be subject to change without notice
The itinerary, route and hotels have all been chosen by the 20-Ghost Club.
Friday 25th May
Meet at the Goodwood Estate, Sussex and stay for two nights in a Georgian Manor House Hotel near Arundel, Sussex.
Saturday 26th May
Visit the new Rolls-Royce factory at Goodwood. There will be a gala dinner for all participants this evening.
Sunday 27th May
Leave Goodwood early and drive to central London to be flagged away from the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall by the Lord Mayor. Drive through the Midlands and to the Peak District. Stay in the lovely spa town of Buxton in Derbyshire for the next three nights.
Monday 28th May
Drive some fabulous roads around the Peak District. Take the chance to visit local attractions such as Chatsworth House and Bakewell.
Tuesday 29th May
Drive some of the routes used in the Edwardian era to test cars, and then visit the famous Cat & Fiddle pub for lunch. There is also the chance to visit the factory and museum in Derby.
Wednesday 30th May
Leave Buxton and head north to the beautiful Lake District. Stay for the next two nights in a fabulous hotel on the shore of Lake Windermere. Dinner is at the hotel.
Thursday 31st May
Spend the day driving some wonderful roads aroud the Lake District, including some more extremely narrow test hills. we hope to include a boat trip on Lake Windermere for an evening drinks reception, before returning for dinner at the hotel.
Friday 1st June
Leave the Lakes and drive north through Cumbria and into Scotland. Stay for two nights on the shores of Loch Lomond in a fabulous Gothic castle.
Saturday 2nd June
Experience some great driving around Loch Lomond and Loch Fyne, or take the chance to visit Glasgow, one of Scotland’s most surprising cities, just half an hour away. Or have a rest day if you prefer, and enjoy the scenery.
Sunday 3rd June
Today sees the start of the Scottish Reliability re-enactment, covering the actual sections of the trial in the same number of days they took, which was five days. We hope to tackle the same hill climbs as were on the original route, including, if we can get permission, Rest & Be Thankful, which is now a private road. To recreate some of the challenges met by the cars in 1907, we shall also aim to go on some steep, unsurfaced roads of the type used in 1907. Stay overnight at Loch Rannoch.
Monday 4th June
Leave Perthshire and head north for Aberdeen. Stay just outside the city in two wonderful 19th century mansion hotels.
Tuesday 5th June
Leave Aberdeen and drive to Aviemore, where the main tour will be based until Saturday.
Wednesday 6th & Thursday 7th June
Thee are now three options for the next two nights:
Option A: Head off to the west and north coast of Scotland for two nights. There are some spectacularly beautiful and demanding coast roads that will challenge both the car and driver. Stay near Lochinver for the first night, and then round to John O’Groats and south to Wick. Spend the second night in a stunning castle (luxury tour extension) or a gorgeous nearby house (standard tour extension). Dinner will be in the castle for everyone.
Option B: The same as Option A, but in reverse.
Option C: Take a rest in Aviemore, with the possibilities of enjoying fishing, golf or exploring the surrounding countryside.
Friday 8th June
The whole group rejoins again to stay at Aviemore.
Saturday 9th June
Travel south from Aviemore to Perthshire again, to stay for two nights at the same hotel as 3rd June at Loch Rannoch.
Sunday 10th June
A rest day for some local driving, to see sights such as Balmoral Castle.
Monday 11th June
Leave Perthshire behind and drive to Scotland’s capital, the wonderful city of Edinburgh. Stay for two nights in an excellent hotel close to the city centre.
Tuesday 12th June
Spend the day enjoying the dleights of Edinburgh, with its fine museums, superb galleres and wonderful shopping. There will be a grand awards dinner tonight, held in the magnificent Upper Library at The Signet Library, built for George IV in 1822, located in the heart of the Old Town.
Wednesday 13th June
There is an optional extension tour to bring you down to a hotel in Warwickshire, where you can rest and service your car prior to the RREC’s Annual Rally from 15th to 17th June at Kelmarsh Hall. One nigh will be spent at a lovely hotel in Yorkshire, and the next three nights at a hotel in Warwickshire.
Details
Dates:
Start: 25th/26th May 2007
End: 13th June 2007
Duration: 20 days
Price:
£2,345 per person - based on two people sharing a twin or double room
£3,100 per person - based on sole occupancy of a room
West Coast Extension Tour:
Luxury: £350 per person
Standard: £120 per person
Extension Tour to Kelmarsh Hall:
£300 per person - based on two people sharing a twin or double room
£360 per person for sole occupancy
Includes 4 nights accommodation in 4 star hotels and dinner each evening.
What’s included:
- Tour participation
- Nineteen nights accommodation sharing a twin or double room
- Dinner each evening
- Final gala dinner at The Signet Library in Edinburgh
- Breakfast every morning
- Tour book - includes a brief history of the countries to be visited, emergency details, maps and directions, accommodation information, and a very detailed, tailored account of sights and visits for each day. The book effectively eliminates the need for any other guide books
What’s not included:
- Entry into attractions and activities
- Personal travel and medical insurance
- We strongly suggest and recommend you have appropriate breakdown cover
- All drinks are extra to accommodate individual preferences
Requirements
- This tour is only open to members of the 20-Ghost Club or owners of pre-1945 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts.
- Dinner on most evenings will be a casual or smart-casual affair. However, there are two black-tie dinners on the tour, so please ensure you are suitably attired (or in a dark suit as an alternative).
- You are also required to carry a warning triangle, first-aid kit, two fluorescent jackets, set of replacement bulbs and a national identification sticker.
- However, the most important requirement is that you take pleasure in motoring through fabulous scenery, relish individual, character hotels and enjoy the company of like-minded travellers.
Import/Export Regulations
Entrants from outside the European Union need to be aware that there are special regulations covering the importation and subsequent re-export of historic vehicles over 75 years old with a value of more than £30,400. Since this applies to all Silver Ghosts, it is important that the correct paperwork is completed on entry, so the necessary permissions can be given for re-export.
Guidance for issuing an Export Licence for Cultural Goods is now provided by the Export Licencing Unit, Museums, Libraries & Archives Council. www.culture.ov.uk/cultural_property/export_licencing.htm or telephone: 020 7273 8265/66/69/73
Booking
Apart from our scheduled, escorted group tours, none of our itineraries are set in stone - after all, this is your holiday - so we can fine-tune any aspect of these tours to meet your wishes. Any of our escorted tours may also be taken as a private, independent tour, at a time to suit you.
We work closely with a number of classic and spots car hire companies across the UK, Europe, and beyond, so we can arrange your car hire for you , too. Please contact us for futher details and the cars we have available.
