The secret of a happy ending is knowing when to call it a day
The Coquet Safari has become well known nationally as one of the most exciting and enjoyable events on the military vehicle calendar. This popularity has become something of a double-edged sword - but more of that later.
The weather always dictates the scale and scope of the event and the weeks leading up to March 24-25 were far from benign dictatorship. Arctic temperatures and heavy snowfall lashed the county as the Beast from the East took out its spite on the Coquet and Rede valleys.
There was a distinct possibility that the event would not go ahead but better weather made a brief appearance in the preceding week and it was decided to continue regardless. It was clear that off-road opportunities would be few and far between and the previous year’s forays over the Cheviots to the Scotland-England Border were off the itinerary.
The weather and ground conditions fell between two stools as the rapid snow melt had turned the fields and moors into treacherous muddy bogs which would hardly stand foot traffic never mind churning Jeeps, and the damage to farmers’ land would have been completely unacceptable.
None of this seemed to weigh heavily on …
