The town of Rožmitál pod Třemšínem lies in a wide and shallow basin and is surrounded by the deep forests of the Brdy massif range of hills, southwest of Prague.
Ann Weir, from WIMA GB, recalled her arrival at the rally site: We found the camp about four miles out in the depths of a wood. Yahoo! We’ve made it! Guards lifted the barrier and in we went; this was to be the ‘norm’ for the week’s rally. We were checked in and we were checked out. Familiar faces greeted us and once our legs were mobile, we signed in. Clutching our goody bags, we set about to discover the camp and find our home for the week. The camp consisted of the main building, bungalows scattered throughout the gentle sloping field, or you could camp anywhere in-between. Sheonagh adds, the top man on the gate was armed, and huge with a big black beard and looked very scary, but always smiled at us. Security was a major concern.
The events of the week were reported by GB members Ann Weir and Doris Porter.
On Monday: Group ride to the town of Ro)mitál pod T(em*ínem for a welcome speech from the mayor of the town. Ann reported: the rally proper started on the Monday morning doing silly things around the camp site which formed some of the points towards the overall winner. It was a hot day, so most were down to sun top and shorts. At 3 p.m. we all formed in line to take part in a mass ride into town for the welcoming speeches by the mayor and all his dignitaries. The town can’t have known what had hit it, with 300 plus of us on bikes. It seemed like all 5,000 inhabitants had squashed into the town square too.
Tuesday: According to Doris Porter, Tuesday was the day of the ‘tour’ whereby you used your photocopied map to find the various controls where you stopped to do silly things … the route took us in a kind of circular route of 100 km. That evening was the Captains’ Annual General Meeting followed by the Captains’ dinner. The mayor turned up to join us, but we managed to persuade him not to come in. We also decided to leave the serious drinking until after the meeting, so we managed to get through the business fairly quickly.
Wednesday: Visit to the Holy Mountain during the day then a special organ concert in the church for rally participants. Ann recalled: The Holy Mountain at Svata Hora was quite something with its unique baroque work in silver and gold. Luxurious paintings decorated the cloisters, befitting any monastery or Italian church. At 4 p.m. we were treated to a rendition of the famous ‘Hej mist(e’ Christmas Mass by the Ro)mitál composer, J.J Ryba, in a church at Stary, just outside the town. After the performance, we were all invited up the stairs to view the organ and meet the maestro. Back at camp, we indulged in a bratwurst supper cooked on a griddle down by the big marquee at the bottom of the field. This was the venue for all the discos each night where one could boogie well into the next day if you had the energy.
Thursday: Trip to Prague, evening disco. Ann said: by 8 a.m. the buses had arrived. It’s always nice to return to Prague; there is so much to see and do, steeped in Bohemian history.
Friday: Free day and farewell dinner. Ann recalled: the farewell dinner took on the same format as the welcome supper with a rolling system of 300 of us coming and going, but at this one there was pudding! In the shape of a cream cake. The festivities continued down at the marquee after 9.30 p.m. where all the speeches were made, the flag handed over and us Brits were roped into a dance routine to encourage (!) everyone to come to England next year.
