Cartie Races

I did make it to the Catterline Cartie Challenge 2008. It was great fun. The weather was amazingly cooperative: I shed my raincoat and one sweater. The locals explained to me that it was definitely summer. They were down wearing to one polar fleece which is the sure sign of summer! And, although it kept looking like it was going to pour rain any moment, the clouds kept going out to sea and sun kept coming through. People were asking for sunscreen. Not even the GP had it in her pack! My face got a little pink so now I'm tanned enough to not get sunburned as soon as I step off the plane at home.

 Here you can see the Cove that has a cliff road that is the site of the races. Great fun.

 

 

 

 Click to biggify and actually see the course. Oh, and please note the changing sky in every picture!

There is a rock off to the south where seals gather to sun themselves. It is creatively named "Seal Rock."

Someone couldn't resist correcting the road sign. It made the t-shirts, too. 

   

Here you can see up towards the beginning of the course. There are a couple curves before one gets this far. We stode at the curve that held the tent for the announcer, the dj, and the timer. There were a lot of tires and straw bales to protect participants and spectators.  

    There were plenty of creative carties and prizes for the best. St. Mary's Church got the first place for creativity, I think. These pictures are from returning the carties to the starting line to take the second and third runs down.

 That also explains the very young ages of some of the apparent drivers. The actual downhill drivers had to be 16 yrs or older. And some spectators were chomping at the bit to get their carties in next year.

 

The Knitting Club won a prize for their covered wagon even though they tumbled at the big curve. They even had a horse in front! The theme of the weekend was The Wild West, so there was another stage coach as well.

 

 

Some of the carties were just plain serious business and no fluffy frills.

        Every cartie team chose a theme song which the DJ played as they raced down the course. That was seriously good fun and added to the festival atmosphere.

 Anything more you want to see can be found at the official website. Maybe they even have the Cartie Challenge Song. Every year the local poet  immortalizes another one of the contestants by adding a verse about some spectacular feat worthy of memory. This is how folk songs are born, legends created, communities fortified, embarrassments celebrated. So, my question now is, does the Creston Booster Club have a song? Or even an official poet laureate? Do their garden tractor pulls rate legendary status?