JAGUARS – MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
19.10.204.- The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club in Spain tried something different this time, a Magical Mystery Tour. Members were only told that we would be travelling in convoy to an undisclosed location, where on arrival would check in to a hotel for one night and that something special would be arranged for the evening meal. Places were limited as the selected hotel only had 12 rooms. As you can probably guess the event was fully booked in just a few days. The event took place over the weekend of 18th & 19th October.
Participants were asked to congregate at the Repsol petrol station in Sax at 11:30 Hrs on the Saturday. As is normal, the weather was fabulous, I was particularly grateful for this as the final destination was at a considerably higher altitude. Each car was given a sealed Emergency Pack, just in case anyone got lost. Lead by me, the convoy left at 11:30 sharp, up the A31 towards Madrid. Exiting the motorway at junction 136 towards Alpera and eventually Alcalá del Júcar our final destination. This route to Alcalá del Júcar is stunning visually but also a great road to drive. We arrived at Alcalá del Júcar at 13:00 Hrs and parked the cars behind the little hotel, aptly named Hostal Alcalá del Júcar. After checking in, participants were free to explore this beautiful location. Of particular note, is the weir and weir pond, the river, the lush vegetation and especially the Cuevas del Diablo, the caves of the devil. Lots to explore in this unusual place.
That night, I had arranged a superb meal, something a little special, 5 starters, a choice of three main courses, a selection of desserts, wine, water, coffee and liqueurs. I am not going into detail as it would take to long – let’s just say it was a fabulous meal. We started at around 19:00 Hrs with drinks and people were still enjoying the evening some 8 hours later! Also a lovely surprise, we were treated to two short arias from Ms Lydia Hernandez, a professional opera singer and companion of our good friend Chris Fox, you can catch a sample of Lydia’s performance on http://youtu.be/qHXpqQ1LAuE
As I said, only 12 rooms at the hotel, unfortunately one participant dropped out at the last minute due to illness so we only had ten cars but it did include some beauties, Chris Fox’s XK120, David Sleap’s absolutely stunning XKR Silverstone, David Shea’s XJS drop head. These do not detract from the other fabulous examples of Jaguar engineering, two lovely S types, two XJ8’s, a couple of X types and of course “the Guvnors” XK8 drop head. All just beautiful “motors” and a delight to see. I must admit they did look good all lined up in a row.
Sunday morning, after breakfast, check out, then most people went there own way and explored more of this stunning part of hidden Spain. Our next meeting on 16th November meeting will also be something special, it will be held at Restaurant La Torreta, near Sax where a presentation will be given from Pellicer and Heredia, a renowned team of lawyers, about all things automobile, importation, re-registration, heritage registration etc etc. This unique event should not be missed as well as having the opportunity to sample the fabulous food that La Torreta provides e.g. the best steaks on the Costa Blanca. Book this one early; spaces will be limited.
The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club is the largest of the worlds Jaguar Clubs, apart from joining in the fun at the meetings, members also benefit from a glossy 140 page A4 monthly magazine, Jaguar spares department and a technical advice service second to none. If you live in Spain and own a Jaguar you should be a member of The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club. The JEC in Spain is organised by Eric Arnold and Ian McMenemy. Eric can be contacted by email at jaguarspain@outlook.com or by phone on 609931647 or alternatively check out www.jec-spain.es or the JEC main web site www.jec.org.uk. Our Events director, Ian McMenemy can be contacted at McMenemy@JEC-events.com. Not forgetting David Shea who looks after our Facebook identity and John Parkin who manages our dedicated web site www.jec-spain.es
Text and photographs by: Eric Arnold
