This page is meant as a short guide for anyone who hasn’t attended a SSAGO rally before. It can be nervewracking attending your first SSAGO rally, but this guide is to hopefully help you understand what happens at a rally a bit more!
As there are three rallies a year - autumn, spring and summer - the weather tends to be quite different; with the autumn and spring rallies tending to be very cold (especially in the evenings). Therefore, remember to bring plenty of warm clothes. There is a kit list which lists recommended equipment that you should bring with you. There could be 200-300 members at rally so be prepared for a lively, fun, weekend.
You need to book on to the rally in advance using the website (rally.ssago.org). Booking opening will be announced through an email to all clubs and on the SSAGO Facebook group and Discord. Some activities will book out quickly so if there is something you really want to do then it is advised you book on as soon as possible.
When booking on, you are required to give emergency contact information as well as your date of birth and any medical conditions. This is to ensure the rally team has all the necessary information in case of emergency. You will not be able to book onto rally if you leave any box unfilled on the booking page. You are also able to select your Saturday morning & afternoon activites when you book as well as notifying the rally team of any dietary requirements so you can be catered for at the event.
There are many ways of getting to a rally. The main ways that are catered for are by minibus, car and train, with the rally staff offering pick up from Durham train station. It may also be an idea to contact other local clubs to you as they might be using their own transport and may have spare spaces for you. Contact details can be found in the Club Directory on the SSAGO website or ask on the #viking-transport channel on the SSAGO Discord. For more details on how to get to Viking Rally, visit our Getting to the raid page!
Arrive on site and follow directions to sign in/registration. Here you will check in. Be sure to tell the rally staff if any of the emergency or medical information has changed since you booked onto the event. Check in opens at 17:00, but don’t worry about getting there straight away. Most clubs arrive throughout the evening & early hours.
Tea, or as its apparently known in non northern places, dinner, will be served on Friday evening. Depending on when you get to rally, this will either be being served in the marquee or in the main building. You can see what food we will be serving on our Menu page.
It will be necessary that you provide your own cutlery and crockery (as stated in the kit list) and wise to leave this near the top of your bag in case you eat before pitching your tent. Don't bring anything precious and/or breakable, as it could easily get lost or broken accidentally!
If it isn’t obvious, ask the staff at registration where you are to pitch your tent. It is best to get this up sooner rather than later in the evening!
Once your tent is pitched take a few minutes to set your bed up as it’s easier now then after you’ve been to the campfire.
We will be running a number of activites on Friday evening, which you can drop in and out of as you wish, including bingo, a quiz and watching a movie.
Later on in the evening, the main activity will be a campfire, so bring your drinks and follow the noise to the campfire circle! Around the campfire you can expect lots of singing, shouting and talking. It’s quite a relaxed atmosphere so you can come and go as you please.
You will be woken up at around 08:00 by some of the rally staff. This means that breakfast is ready so grab your cutlery and crockery and head off to breakfast. Once you’ve eaten there will be a washing up bowl placed nearby for you to wash your crockery.
After breakfast you need to follow the directions to the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony will pretty much welcome you to the rally and give out any announcements that the rally team or national exec have. You should also listen carefully for instructions about when and where coaches will be departing from.
The Saturday morning activity takes the form of a wide game in Newcastle, where you will be coached to, however we have a number of other activities planned for people who wish to do something less intense.
After the morning activities, most people will gather back together in a central location and eat lunch together. This will generally be a pack-up which you will collect before leaving site in the morning.
These are the activities that you will have chosen online whilst booking onto the rally. Depending on the activity you might need different equipment or clothing. I.e. an activity taking place indoors might require clean footwear, a hike will require decent boots or an activity taking place in a pub will require you to take off your neckers. Details of what you require should be given to you prior to rally, but if you are concerned be sure to contact the rally staff beforehand.
Once all the afternoon activities have finished, you will be coached back to site. Food will then be available shortly after you return.
The main Saturday evening activity is the Ceilidh. This is a chance for SSAGO members to show off their dancing skills and fancy dress costumes. Very similar to a barn dance, the Ceilidh takes place undercover in a large marquee type tent. There should be plenty of space to stand at the side to relax or to sit out a few of the dances to get your breath back! Don’t worry about making a fool of yourself when dancing, everyone will be. Those dressed up are asked to parade around and it is usual that the Ceilidh band will judge the best group and best individual costume. After the ceilidh, if we hit our stretch goal, we'll also be offering a silent disco.
If you fancy an alternative activity though, that's perhaps a bit less active and lively, we have plenty on offer. You will be able to jump on a shuttle into Durham for Lumiere, watch some films or join a night hike.
After the ceilidh finishes, similar to the night before, there will be a campfire burning away too!
Wake up is the same as Saturday!
After any official business is done, there will usually also be some small activities and/or silly games you can drop in and out off.
This is where the winners of any games and competitions are announced. Forfeits will happen to return club mascots. Any other announcements will be made, either by the rally staff or SSAGO executive.
Sunday lunch is generally the same as the Saturday, but often you will have to make your own sandwich. Lunch is normally available straight after the closing ceremony, so you can either sit around and eat, or grab it and go.
After this is it is time to pack up and leave site. For anyone who is travelling hom on public transport, minibuses will be running from around midday until everyone is off site and on their way home. You may need to take some time out of morning activities to pack your tent, etc., if you need to leave before or soon after the closing ceremony.
Reps is where policy changes are made and members updated on any changes or progress of SSAGO, although most of the formal voting happens online nowadays. Club commitees elect a rep to attend these meetings, but if your not a club rep, you don't need to worry about this. Just keep an eye on your own communication channels to see if your rep is asking for any opinions to take to the meeting!
As a rule you should take all the equipment listed on the kit list, but check the weather before you set off to the rally and always be prepared for the worst as you’re likely to be outside for most of the weekend. The kit list is not an exhaustive list but the bare minimum.
Most clubs have tents which their members can use for rally, check with your club committees! If not, Viking Rally is pleased to offer the ability to sleep in a tented village already up at Moor House for just £5 extra for the weekend.
Remember that this a camp taking place in November. It may be cold, wet and muddy, so pack appropriately!
Throughout the weekend, there will be a dedicated quiet room available for those that wish to be in a calmer environment. This space will likely have an assortment of activities available to do, as and when you please, such as puzzles and crafts. It is also our dedicated alcohol-free zone.
All clubs should bring a mascot along with them, that are allowed to be "stolen" during the rally. For more information, check out the seperate SSAGO Mascots factsheet.
During the rally itself, there will be lots of ways to find help. There is a dedicated rally hotline, where you can contact a member of the rally team, and also a dedicated first aid hotline, which will go straight to the on-call first aiders should you need it. At check in, rally staff will confirm with you where the first aid area is. Rally staff will be identifiable throughout the weekend by our staff neckers - these are similar to the participant ones in that they are purple, but with a reflective silver border (instead of a yellow border). Other SSAGO members will also be happy to help throughout the weekend - whilst it may seem daunting talking to someone outside your club, everyone is really friendly. Alternatively, you can reach out on the SSAGO Discord, which will be in use throughout the weekend.
If you still need some information as to what to expect on a rally, feel free to contact the rally organisers, the SSAGO executive or someone who has been to a rally before. We have a Q&A you can find here, or you can contact people on Discord.
This page is only a summary of what to expect, however more detailed information is available in the various pages you'll find in the menu to the left.
If you experience any issues in the booking process, please contact webmaster@ssago.org.