I'm currently working up in Durham and spend a lot of time in the Pity Me area of the city. When I was riding the Youth scene back in the glorious 80's I did quite a few meetings at a farm (?) in Pity Me and one thing that is still clear in my mind is the awful stench that came from a nearby Chicken farm/factory.

The thing is I cant remember where the trials were held. I've spent hours driving round the place after work over the past few weeks trying to find any familiar landmarks but seeing as though we are going back 20 years I guess a lot of the area has changed.

Do any of you know the whereabouts of the place I mean? Sorry it's a bit vague but I dont have any more info.

Cheers

Gaz

There hasnt been a trials place round middlesbrough for a while i think, closest is a place called Charltons which is up near guisbrough

Pity Me is no where near Middlesbrough.

Can't help on tials much, but.....

The original Motocross track at Pity Me ran from about 1987, and is where the Arnison shopping centre is now. There were a couple of schoolboy nationals ran on there (in the days when Jamie Dobb was a schoolboy). The track then moved a little further down, at the side of the A167 in about 1990. Was a compact track, with a 'mini hawkstone' sandy hill (once went up on the first lap in second place, took the lead at the top, then crashed down the otherside, ended up in Dryburn hospital with a broken collarbone - damn !). The track closed in about 1995/6 ish......

happy days !!!!

as for trials, sorry but cant help.....certainly nothing there these days

cheers

John.

I've dug out my scrapbook but there is no reference to the venue of the trials held there, just the results bit. The write-up was cut off........

From what I remember the actual trials were held in woodland so it might not have been a farm. I can't even remember which club hosted them.

I did loads of Seaton Deleval, Bedlington etc events but don't have a clue who ran the Pity Me events.

Gaz

Wasn't it Consett club?

Remember the one you're talking about Gaz, but I'm as senile as you

I'll see if my old man remembers - if he does, I'll stop drinking Strongbow it must be wiping my brain. In fact sod it, it's too late

Driving me banana's this now.........

I have some old pics taken at the venue but I dont have a scanner to put them on pc. Good old Polaroids they are. Bit reluctant to post them anyway 'cos most of them are of me dropping a TY175 on the floor (par for the course for me........but I loved it... )

Thanks for looking into it Gaz. Should have thought about popping round to see your old fella really shouldn't I.

I may have found the venue!!!

I was driving back from Durham to Gateshead this very morning and decided to have a detour after reading this post.

Coming from Durham and heading for Chester-le-Street, take the small left at the Pity Me Roundabout opposite the Arnison Centre road and that leads to the Chicken Farm that is still in operation it would appear, opposite this is a Land Fill Site. I believe that the venue must have been in that wooded valley.

Let me know if thats it.

Good Luck

Ants

Thanks ants

When you say the small left at the Pity Me roundabout do you mean the road that leads back to Sacriston (Potterhouse Waste Dump place??) or the Finchale/Prison roundabout?

I was at the Durham Police HQ the other day and wanted to ask one of the bike cops if they knew where it was but didn't get a chance. They all clock off at 3.30pm you know...... ......

I'm back up there on Friday so will have a root about on the afternoon.

Cheers

Gaz

Edited April 26, 200620 yr by elite

I may have found the venue!!!

I was driving back from Durham to Gateshead this very morning and decided to have a detour after reading this post.

Coming from Durham and heading for Chester-le-Street, take the small left at the Pity Me Roundabout opposite the Arnison Centre road and that leads to the Chicken Farm that is still in operation it would appear, opposite this is a Land Fill Site. I believe that the venue must have been in that wooded valley.

Let me know if thats it.

Good Luck

Ants

Sorry this took so long (7 months!!) but yes, you were spot on ants. The old woodland is on Potterhouse Lane just beside the Household Recycling place. Even from the road you can see where some of the old sections used to be. Admittedly a lot of the tracks are probably recent from "field" bikes.

I spoke to the lady who lives in the bungalow at the chicken farm and she confirmed it all for me. Sure as hell brought back a good few memories!

I rode schoolboy trials in the 80's but can t remember the place you mean, I thought you where talking about Langley Park at first which Durham County used to have

I definitely remember riding at Langley Park in the 80's. Can't picture it at the moment. Was it a sort of big open waste land with the sections on the opposite side to a sort of housing estate. Real vague memories of it.

Who are ya baldy? Do I know ya?

I used to be Gaz (Gareth) Hinton.

Of course I'm not him any more, I'm much younger and far better looking.

Other Venues I remember from the 70's 80's, how many are still going:

Woodhouse Farm - Great Ayton

Eston Hills (Lazenby) - had to keep an eye on the bikes when marking out

Chop Gate (Cooks Farm was it?)

Carlton Bank

Swainby

Sun Inn (and the venue over the road) - I broke my finger and my dad broke his ankle on the cricket pitch there (well I think it may have been riding over a wall, but over the years it moved 400yds to the cricket pitch for pi55 taking sake)

Underbanks

Iron Banks

Holgate? Colgate? Rings a bell anyway Was that the one with 30 gates on the way to it?

Croft

Penn Hill - Loved it there - want my ashes spread there Steve/Mark Reynolds - still about?

Charltons

Birk Brow

Obviously Low North Park

Memory stops there

Edited November 8, 200718 yr by bikespace

I rode schoolboy trials in the 80's but can t remember the place you mean, I thought you where talking about Langley Park at first which Durham County used to have

Baldi, this is where the trials used to be held at the chicken farm. The grey road in the middle of the circle runs with the chicken farm on one side and the woods on the other. The farm is smack in the middle of the bend in the road. I cant be sure but I seem to remember having to park in the farm and then cross the road and through a gate to access the sections. The woods are a fair size, pretty much filling the triangle you can see stretching back to Hartside. I was riding B Class back in 82/83 so it was definitely used at that time.

Can't ever remember riding at Langley Park but that place is just off to the left of the map. At most it is only about five miles from this venue.

Surely some of the local lads must remember this place! The only Durham names I can remember from then are Mike Lannigan (his dad towed his bike everywhere on the back of a Beetle!) and Chris Hannant. Should remember loads more but too many pints of Double Maxim since then!

Gaz, Woodhouse Farm was a mecca but sadly lost now. They did run a few MX meetings there until a few years ago. I went to watch some MX there a while back and forgot just how steep that hill was up to the top!

Edited November 9, 200718 yr by elite

I can remember riding at Langley park back in the 8o,s. Think its where Diggerland is now.

Hi Gaz,

I also used to ride trials at Woodhouse Farm (Great Ayton) back in the 70's up against Rob Edwards and Jack Galloway. Used to be a derelict house that always had a section running through it, and I remember the hill as I took up a Honda 50 step thru in my earlier years. Was pretty steep. Carlton Bank used to be a good spot till the landowner started chasing riders for money - doesn't go down well with trials riders. Was a bit of a story there with some sinister goings on....don't think I'm allowed to print it. Chop Gate was my first trial, in those years we used to ride our Bultacos to the trials with a gallon can of petrol on our backs as the petrol stations were closed on Sunday's. Still riding now but in sunny (sometimes) NZ - lot's of fun here.

Ta ta, PeterB.