Autumn Tour 2001 - The Black Country, 19-21st October

Out of all the Welsh Colleges tours, the Autumn one is not known for being the best. It's the first tour after the (normally) most excellent summer tour, the nights are drawing in, it's getting colder, people are getting some of those post-summer holiday blues, and it normally rains. It wasn't raining on the Friday night as we pulled up to the hall in Wolverley in the Black Country, so things were off to a good start. Quite a few people turned up and we were all pleasantly surprised to have a lock in until about 1.30. I was particularly surprised at the quality of the beer - Banks's is not normally a beer I make a bee-line for, but the Original was in fine form. A dartboard meant the obligatory game of Killer - I think that's the longest game of Killer that I've ever played, though. Congratulations to the person who won - I'm not too sure who it was, because I got knocked out ages before the end and was giving up the will to live by that point. Time for some tea and toast while we inflated the air-beds with foot pumps that sounded like asthmatic donkies.

Saturday morning was helped along with some top bacon and sausage sarnies and some coffee. Nice one, Percy and Gail. A couple of ibuprofin and we were on our way by 9 (ouch), the first tower being Amblecote. Bit of a nostalgic tower, this one, seeing as it's where a friend taught me to handle a bell in secret some six years ago. After some more ringing at Wollaston and Halesowen the growing crowd of WC ringers (past, present and future(?)) were directed to the pub, The Waterfall, in Old Hill for some much needed lunch. Shame I was driving - the beer looked pretty good. I was stuck on cheap'n'nasty cola (grumble grumble). Rowley Regis and Dudley followed lunch, Dudley being a near lock-out and quite a stressful experience for the drivers - a few cars had split from the main pack and headed towards the wrong church on the hill. D'oh! Intersting sculptures on the round abouts, though. I think we saw them from most if not all angles.

The meeting back at the hall was er... lengthy. Quite a few major decision were made - the most important one being a general consensus to restore Puff the Dragon (mascot) to his former glory by some major surgery. Still no news on his condition. I hope all is well and Linda's looking after you. Gail, this year's mascot keeper, was rather distraught in not being able to say goodbye before he was whisked away, but that was probably for the best. Keep the emotional stress on him down to a minimum I suppose.

Percy had been threatening us with sausage casserole or cauliflower cheese with rice for dinner, and, to be honest, the group was a tad sceptical. Let me be the first one to admit that I was wrong: it was a top meal, and a hearty compliment goes out to Percy, Gail, Penny and any others that chipped in. After a clean-up operation, there was still time for some more beer down the pub. There was an air of anticipation for most of the night as we sat there hoping that there would be another lock-in. 11.20 came and went as we nursed the remains of our drinks, waiting to see if any of the locals were going to get served. It was 11.35 before a local went up to grab a fresh pint, but there was a collective sigh of relief as he did. Game on.

I left around 1.30, but I'm told that Percy tried to play Wonderwall on a local's guitar, and the majority of the crowd left around 3am. These incidences are said to be unrelated. A couple of people got "lost" on the way back to the hall, and another tripped and fell rather spectacularly over sleeping ringers while trying to get to her sleeping bag. Names have obviously been left out to protect the guilty. Except Percy's.

Sunday morning: time for more bacon and sausage sarnies before ringing at Wolverley and then some time to clear up the hall before an amble over to a rather nice pub for lunch. All in all, it was a cracking tour. Thanks to Karen and Mr Local (apologies, but I can't remember your name) for organising it, to Percy and Gail for supplying us with bacon and sausage sarnies, and to all those who made the effort to turn up: you definitely made it one of the better Autumn tours that I can remember. It's also good to see that the Aber students are getting back on form - more freshers (and not-so-freshers, but new, none the less) to inject some youth into the society. Not that we're all old, mind you. I didn't leave uni that long ago. Let's hope that Bangor has similar successes recruiting people, and that Cardiff can get some students to resurrect the society from the ashes. Where would we be without the universities?

Rhyan Probert.