Here is the report of the 2026 Club meeting. Karen and Richard Hutchinson did an excellent job of organising yet another successful tour.  The chosen hotel, which we all but filled, was excellent. 

During the meeting we held the AGM and chose Paul Ranson as the winner of the David Davies Best Car Award.  We also drew the winners of this years’ 200 Club draw.  (I didn’t win, again!)   You can read about our travels here. 

Thanks to David Brenchley, Richard and Karen Hutchinson, Steve Auty, Jenny King and Sue Skelding for the pictures.

Martin Garrad

Planning a tour of such a big county as North Yorkshire was not easy! There is just so much to see. As both of us have ties to the market town of Thirsk and as he was our local vet, we decided to have James Herriott as our inspiration.

The hilliness of North Yorkshire took some of the 19 members of the Barchetta Owners Club by surprise! The steep hills came thick and fast on the first day – after a leisurely drive from The Boars Head, Ripley via Thirsk and a quick look at the James Herriot surgery which is now a museum. The first stop for refreshments was at a quaint pub in the little village of Felixkirk.

Through Felixkirk, the drama really kicked in with a 25%+ gradient up a windy hill called Sneck Yat  and into the North York Moors proper. We drove through the beautiful market town of Helmsley, heading out on the Scarborough Road. We then turned off and headed through the picture-perfect village of Hutton le Hole and from there towards Rosedale and the most challenging drive of the trip – Chimney Bank with a gradient of 33% in places.

Lunch was in Thornton le Dale which is home to the TV car auctioneers “Bangers and Cash.” After lunch we headed back, stopping at Byland Abbey for refreshments and a look around. We took the scenic route back via the spectacular Sutton Bank (25%) – there was a bit of drama with a stuck lorry and a caravan attempting the ascent despite it being prohibited (for good reason).

Day two was to Swaledale. Our first stop was the beautiful market town of Masham. We then drove through Middleham and Leyburn and past the vast firing ranges of Catterick Garrison. (without incident, thankfully). From there was a leisurely drive to the village of Reeth where we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we headed to remote Arkengarthdale, up a tiny road with a gate and past ruins of Yorkshire’s tin and lead mining past. We all drove through a water splash which many people will remember from the opening credits of the original All Creatures Great and Small series.

The final day was a scenic drive out to the (again) beautiful village of Grassington, through spectacular Nidderdale. Grassington is where the current series of All Creatures is filmed and as luck would have it, they were filming a scene when we visited! 

We rounded off the tour with lunch at the UNESCO World Heritage site, Fountains Abbey.

We hope everyone involved enjoyed the drives. The weather was mostly kind and the hotel was comfortable and welcoming. It was wonderful to have members from as far away as Northern Ireland and Switzerland!

Karen and Richard Hutchinson