YCG - Events - Outing to the Hull Area

Outing to the Hull Area - 10th June 2005

Outing

At Kirk Ella church
(l-r) David Bryant, Charlotte Elkington, Arthur Reeves, Debbie Spinks, Karen Owen, Kevin Atkinson, Lizzy Usher, Caroline Cheesman, Darren Sage, Rebecca Lane, Michael Harrison, Maff Glover, Mike Esbester

The day didn't start well. Plans to hire a minibus were foiled at the last minute because they had changed the rules and Mike hadn't held a driving licence for quite long enough to satisfy them. We therefore set off in a convoy of three cars (two of which were hired), but fortunately more than enough time had been allowed to get to the first tower so we weren't late.

The first tower was Barmby Moor, just outside Pocklington. The church was reordered as a Millennium project, and this included the rehanging of the three bells and augmentation to six. The bells go well and are easy to hear in the ringing chamber. We then moved on to Market Weighton, a very nice-sounding ring of eight. Although the bells go well, they are quite tricky to strike accurately and we had some of the worst ringing of the day here. The whirrings and clankings emanating from the clock, along with its pendulum hanging behind the ropes of the 7th and tenor, caused some consternation amongst those unused to such things: York doesn't have any clocks in ringing chambers.

Onwards, and to Hessle. Two of the cars raced each other along the dual carriageway towards Hull, but as one of them had an acceleration time of 0-60 in about ten minutes it wasn't much of a contest. The Humber Bridge was clearly visible on the way, and proved an object of interest to those who hadn't seen it before. Why was it built? As an escape route? But which way would people be escaping? From Hull or from North Lincolnshire? It's a tough question. Anyway, we arrived at Hessle in plenty of time, and the more energetic went to play frisbee in the local park whilst the more sedentary had lunch in the pub next to the church - recommended by your scribe on the grounds that it had proved to be good on a previous ringing outing. Fortunately, it lived up to expectations this time.

Following lunch, we rang on the ring of eight at Hessle church. Augmented from six and rehung fairly recently, these are nice-sounding and easy-going bells. However, it was here that we had the only major mishap of the day. One ringer, who shall remain nameless, missed the sally on the treble and gave the stay a substantial wallop. After your scribe had rocked it on the slider and confirmed that it was indeed cracked, the same band set off again. However, shortly afterwards an ominous thump from upstairs suggested that the injured stay had parted company with the headstock. Your scribe once again grabbed the bell, and having ascertained that it was indeed now stayless rang it down. A trip up to the bells provided further confirmation that the stay was indeed broken.

The remaining seven bells were duly rung down and we headed on to Elloughton, which has one of the best light sixes in Yorkshire. We managed some respectable ringing here, and fortunately there were no mishaps involving stays. Another trip back along the dual carriageway towards Hull took us to the final tower of the day, Kirk Ella. They had forgotten that we were coming but after a phone call a lady appeared with the keys and let us in. The bells were the heaviest of the day, but we managed some reasonable ringing, mostly call changes on eight and method ringing on the back six. Photographs in the churchyard followed, with Debbie mounting a table-top tomb in a most unladylike fashion. Fortunately, this was captured on camera for all to see.

And so ended the ringing, and the convoy of cars headed back to York. After returning two of the cars to the hire company, those who could be bothered met up in the pub, as you do, and remained there until well gone closing time. All in all a fairly successful day, and thanks to Kevin for organising the outing, to Mike, Debbie and Darren for driving, and to the ringers at the towers we visited for letting us ring on their bells. Apologies to the Hessle ringers for the destruction of their stay - the culprit is moving to Exeter in a few months' time so your stays should be safe in future!!

David Bryant