In all, 30 participants and friends enjoyed a warm and sunny day on Sunday 14^th June for the fourth edition of the Tour des Wiltshire, a non competitive treasure hunt, social event and personal challenge in terms of planning, observation and navigational skill.

This years’ theme was village post offices and the week before the event, participants were sent the OS map references of 29 current and previous village post offices spread throughout the county of Wiltshire. Participants were encouraged to decide how many and which village post offices they propose to visit on the following basis;

 

Bronze award – 12 locations visited and questions correctly answered

Silver award – 15 locations visited and questions correctly answered

Gold award – 20 locations visited and questions correctly answered

Platinum award – All 29 locations visited and questions correctly answered

 

The evening before the event, participants were sent a schedule of straightforward questions, the answers to which were [generally] clear upon arrival at each location – even if one or two required a bit of delving in the undergrowth!

 

Participants finished their tour in the late afternoon, with a barbeque in Hilperton. Whilst there were no formal awards this year, unofficial awards must go to the following teams;

 

The 2 Flippos, Dave Weston and Birthday Boy [Vic Price] who visited four counties[!] and 21 locations, despite riding mostly on unsealed roads; with a special award to hay fever sufferer Paul Flippance, who apparently succeeded in crashing mid sneeze [not nice – hope he carried a hanky to clean up the mess]

 

Congratulations also to Sarah Crittle and Lesley Johnston, who teamed up and visited 26 of the 29 locations on their road bikes.

 

However, the unofficial star of the event was George Osborn who entered on a Honda C50. George left home north of Gloucester at 4.30am and finished at 5.30pm having visited all 29 locations and having covered over 350 miles.