Just a thought here ........................... when we lived down South (Horley) Brighton which was only 25 miles away was thought quite a distance
and this sort of mid set seems quite normal to those who have everythign on their dorrstep. However after moving up here it is normal to travel distances that once we thought too far for example to Morrisons or Tescos for shopping is now a 25+ mile round trip.
So this makes driving 100 odd miles for a meet or event almost normal now.
Just a thought.
There are some beautiful places around your neck of the woods that have car parks large enough to hold a gathering
.