The Cumbria Combine will be racing again from France this coming season with two new race-points to tackle at the end of the old bird programme.
Covid and Brexit restrictions have meant no channel racing from France since 2019, although the last three years have seen races from Guernsey.
Grevillers and Nort-sur-Erdre will get the county fanciers rushing to the nearest atlas to weigh up their locations in France.
Well Grevillers is a farming village situated 21 kilometres south of Arras and famous for having a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.
There are now 2,106 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in Grevillers British cemetery with 189 of them unidentified.
It is in the north east of France, some 58 miles from an old race-point, Beauvais and to fanciers in Cumbria (well Workington as an example) it represents a 420 mile fly.
Nort-sur-Erdre is on the river Erdre 18 miles north of Nantes, a famous old race-point for many years which was tackled by Cumbrian fanciers. It entails a 505 miles fly back to Workington.
The two channel races, as well as the second of two Guernsey races, will be flown on a Friday, although the two Guernsey races are still to be confirmed..
So too will be the first two young bird races when they will be basketed on the Friday as well before the pipe-opener from the south Cumbrian site.
The Cumbrian birds will be transported for the two French races with the Scottish National Flying Club
Cumbrian fanciers will be familiar with the other race-points selected for the 2024 programme.
The West Cumbria Amalgamation races start from Appleton (old birds) and Appleton 1 (young birds) with the Derwent Valley Federation and West Cumberland Federation liberating separately before then.
DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATION
OLD BIRDS
Garstang, April 13; Charnock Richard, April 20; Appleton, April 27; Cannock 1, May 4; Cannock 2, May 11; Stratford-on-Avon, May 18; Marlborough 1, May 25; Salisbury, June 1; Marlborough 2, June 8; Weymouth, June 15; Guernsey 1, June 22; Stratford-on-Avon 2, June 29; Guernsey 2, July 5; Grevillers, July 12; Nort-Sur-Erdre, July 26.
YOUNG BIRDS
Flookburgh 1, July 12; Flookburgh 2, July 19; Garstang, July 27; Charnock Richard, August 3; Appleton 1, August 10; Appleton 2, August 17; Cannock 1, August 24; Cannock 2, August 31; Cheltenham, September 7.
