MGF Scotland
It all started with an innocent enough question on the MGF Bulletin Board. By Spring 1997 there were a sufficient number of MGF drivers to have an interesting series of meets. However, these meets were generally occurring in the south of England, so that Birmingham was up north and Newcastle the frozen wastes. This prompted a response from Richard from ‘The Arctic (well Edinburgh)’ to ask if there were any events up in the ‘real’ North, although, “Of course, you’d need your snow chains to deal with the 6’ snow drifts...”! He added that he would organise a Scottish MGF event but was unsure of the turnout. To this he got a positive response, including the advice from Martin Woods* to just organise something and see what happens.
It actually took a while. Later on in June, Cathy, another Scottish MGF driver started asking the same question, prompting Richard to reply that he was thinking about organising something. I think at that point he realised that if he organised something at least a few people might turn up, so he provisionally set a date, to which the positive replies included myself as it would the day I would be coming home from the Highlands after a holiday up there. The die was cast...
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*Martin later became a marginal figure in the MGF community and attracted criticism for periodically trying to sell a lot of his accumulated MGF regalia. However, a lot of people need reminding that Martin’s enthusiasm, indeed it would be fair to say obsession, was a factor in translating the lively internet MGF bulletin board scene into mainstream acceptance within the MG community. In fact, reviewing the MGF Bulletin Board archives to write these pages it is interesting to note a number of other early MGF people now long gone from the MG community, such as Casey Charlton and Caroline Woodley, who in their brief stay did much fine work in establishing the MGF in the mainstream within the MG car clubs. This is not to detract from those who were involved from the start, such as Roger Parker, or arrived and stayed, Rob Bell. It is just easy to forget as time goes on and some depart in controversy.
MGF Scotland was the chosen, very unofficial, name for a varying group of MGF enthusiasts who, in the late 1990’s, arranged a series of meets and tours. As the initial idea and most organisation was through the internet, with only minimal later involvement of the MG Car Club, reporting of each event was also through the internet. Initial reports would be through the MG Bulletin Board, the final report written by whoever and eventually hosted on the website of John Houston, one of the regular MGF Scotland drivers and organisers.
The Events...
July 1997
August 1997
May 1998
September 1998
January 1999
May 1999
August 1999
January 2000
May 2000
A word about the words!
The reports are largely as published on John’s now moribund website. Drawn from reports, ideas and impressions posted upon the MGF Bulletin Board following the event, the final report on John’s website would be an amalgam of these reports with inevitably varying styles. In bringing these reports to this website I made the decision, perhaps arrogantly, to make changes to address this accident of piecemeal authorship. This is not to discredit the fine work done originally and quickly, it is just that the more time passed from the excitement of the event the more stale the reports started to look. Thus, while I credit the actual original authors for each report, be aware that the text you read here was subject to more recent editing, and in some cases fairly heavy editing at that. It is also important to say that what you will read here is not what I would necessarily write (or, bearing in mind my authorship figure in many of the original reports, what I would write now). The photos presented here were all taken by myself.
MGF Scotland today
After Highlander 2000, MGF Scotland effectively ceased. However, in 2002 another MGF Scotland, known more formally as Central Scotland MGF, emerged. Less anarchic and more organised, it is possible to find out about it on the Central Scotland MGF website. Unfortunately, in one those absurd twists of fate, as this site became live, David Clelland as the excellent organiser of Central Scotland MGF, decided to call it a day through declining interest. Thus, the group is currently no longer active. However, David advises that some of the former CSMGF people have formed a new group, called MGFreedom.
Richard asks...
The definitive MGF Scotland image, taken on Highlander 2000 when driving the essential Highlander route from Sheildaig to Applecross. While waiting for Paul and Jo to pass the Heelan’ Coo, just held my compact above the windscreen top rail and took the photo on guess.
