Winslow Classic Run - Stowe House

We were supposed to be part of the 90 mile annual Winslow Classic Run on Sunday 23rd July, which is organised by Winslow Rotary Club, but like most other events this summer it was cancelled. As restrictions have eased a little, the club organised a pared down version for today. We did not sign up for this lightly, having kept ourselves very much to ourselves on the car front this year, but we were so glad we did.

We had strict instructions not to arrive at Stowe House, near Buckingham before 11 am, so we stopped off in Buckingham town centre and in true Darby and Joan style, drank hot chocolate from a thermos flask and read the newspaper! We knew we were heading in the right direction as like worker ants, a bevy of classic cars funneled into the approach road of this seriously impressive National Trust gardens and House. This beautiful 18th century house was earmarked for demolition, following years of execessive spending by its owners. Fortunately it was rescued in 1922, when it became Stowe School and to this day it remains a school for boys and girls.

In true Covid style, our temperatures were taken before we were allowed into the grounds and then we parked on the lawn in front of the House, which provided us with a superb back drop for photo opportunities. About 50 vehicles took part altogether. We were the only Hot Rod and the second oldest car there. The collection of cars was very eclectic, from a Jaguar SS, an Austin Healey  to MGBs and a 1970 Beetle, all of which have very proud owners.  We were allowed to go inside in small groups to see the beautiful domed ceiling in what (for Covid times only) will surely be the most impressive school dining hall in the country.

 


The doors were then opened to reveal a breathtaking view of the grounds. There is so much more to see here and once restrictions are lifted, we shall return to see it all.

Just before 12 o'clock we started off in convoy for a run which would finish only 5 or so miles away, but it would take us on a route of 30 miles to get there. We had maps but it wasn't long before people started to take wrong turnings and we were as guilty as anyone. It takes great presence of mind to let the flow of traffic in front of you go the wrong way, while you turn off, knowing everyone behind you will follow you. Then you get a crisis of confidence and think "What if it's me that's wrong?" In the early mileage we acted like sheep but once we had a handle on it we were brave enough to do "the right thing" and thankfully by then we knew what we were doing. But you know what, the getting "lost" was great. Because the route was within a 5 mile circle and lots of roads would still get you to the correct place, it was great to keep coming across different vehicles and ending up following and leading different groups of cars, so much more interesting than a procession! I was laughing my head off every time we came across yet another car or two. Amazingly, we all arrived at our destination within 10 minutes of each other. We parked in the recreation ground behind the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Little Horwood. A lot of the participants then went to the pub for lunch but we were not sure what the situation would be like, so we had brought our own picnic, as did several others and we enjoyed a relaxing hour or so in the sunshine.





Fortunately we headed home at the right time. We arrived home, got the car in the garage just in time before the heavens opened. A great day!

NSRA Super Nots Saturday 8th August 2020

The Super Nats were cancelled a couple of months ago when the committee realised they would not be able to comply with current government guidelines on gatherings during the COVID crisis. So instead, they came up with a novel idea: "For one year only- The Hot Rod Supernots 2020 at Lockdown, UK". Nearly 1000 event T shirts were sold for the event (as opposed to 400 for a normal event!) and the committee organised a number of on line events for this weekend. Today, it was a virtual cruise around Central Bedfordshire. We and the Sharmans decided to actually do the cruise rather than follow the online version because a) the start point is only ten miles away from us b) it was nice to do a Super Nats cruise that we haven't organised and c) it was a lovely day. 

There was a slight delay due to Shirley's 34 having a spot of bother with the gear box, but that was soon sorted and we were on our way from her house, down the A1 to Old Warden Park. We blagged our way in and took some photos of the cars with Shuttleworth College as the back drop. The only difference between this and any other year was about 1000 cars, 2000 people and the red double decker bus (which doubles as a fish and chip shop) were missing! After another photo stop at the park gates we were on our way for the 40ish mile journey around central Beds. It was the perfect weather for cruising and our route took us through Broom, Langford, Henlow, Stotfold, Clifton, Shefford, Clophill, Haynes, Cardington, Cople, and Northill.  The cruises we've organised in the past have been through all these villages at various times but not all on the same cruise. We might have had complaints about the number of speed humps otherwise. (They can't be avoided in this area but we do try to keep them to a minimum). 

 Like most of the cruises we have organised, it wouldn't be right if something didn't go wrong at the last minute and this one was no exception. "At the roundabout with A507, turn right towards Shefford" which we duly did, only to be confronted with freshly laid chippings and cars hurtling towards us at 60 mph. We didn't have Hannah and her crew there to organise a detour for us in the usual fashion, so after a slightly hairy three point turn and a short diversion, we were soon back on track. We had a cracking drive around the area and even stopped off briefly at the King's Arms in Cardington where a small classic car gathering was going on (and a few of the A602 members were there with their cars too.) We ended our journey just short of the final destination at Ickwell Green, home of a quintessentially English maypole, cricket pitch and pavilion and there was even a match in progress. All the players were wearing the traditional whites, but not so traditional was the inclusion of women players too! A very civilised way to end the journey, we had a delicious picnic and watched the cricket!
 

Santa Pod Raceway Saturday August 1st

 

 

 The Phaeton finally went out today to the first event on Santa Pod's calendar for this year; the Nostalgia Nats. Dave wasn't really interested in going, but had agreed to meet up with some fellow NSRA members to chat about an event they are involved in. He was able to park the car in the pits per the photo above. The social distancing was well observed but a combination of Dave's lack of interest in racing at the moment and the fact that it wasn't racing any way; just cars, albeit nice ones, going up the track side by side meant that he was home earlier than usual. He then took me to the Horse and Groom in it for a couple of drinks. With the weather still looking good, we went out cruising around Bedford and over to Shirley's on Sunday afternoon which was nice.