MGOC Iceni Run

Sunday saw Gill and I attend the Iceni MG Owners Club run. Meeting at Rougham Airfield Control Tower, home in WW11 to the USAF 94th and 332nd Bomb Groups. http://www.rougham.org/
We where entry 91 so a good few cars on the run around Suffolk. We enjoyed the Traditional pre-run Bacon Butties and Coffee available before the start, 4 CT members where with us and a couple of our Wales trip participants, one in a MG BGT and one in a Lotus 7.

Couple of Triumphs and a lot of MG's old and modern.

Lotus Excel at Rougham Control Tower.

With an excellent route book we waited for our start time of 10-45am then headed out into the country lanes.

Chasing the MG.

We enjoyed a good run, total of 85 miles on Suffolk roads, heading out round Bury St Edmunds in a loop, then through various villages towards Newmarket, past all the expensive looking race horse trainers stables, then out towards Clare and Cavendish and Long Melford.

Quick stop near Cavendish.

We completed the circular route back to Rougham in a fairly quick time, been some of the first back to the Airfield for a picnic in front of the Control Tower.

Picnic time.

Earsham Hall and Langley Shows

Earshall Hall Country Show

May Bank Holiday we attended our first show of the year. This was a new show at Earsham Hall, nr Bungay. Luckily we had lovely weather for the day which made a pleasant change. We had the    usual club cars on show at Earsham Hall with the owners all glad to chill out in the sun.

 Forget my camera, so here's some phone pics.

Usual Norfolk contingent.

Nice roller.

Couple of old coaches.

The rich boys had prime spot in front of Earsham  Hall.

Military vehicles.

Was a really good day with non stop sun and blue sky. Not a great deal to do other than look at the cars and wander round the small auto jumble and craft stalls, but a good start for a new show and hopefully will be bigger next year.

Langley School Craft and Country Show
The following weekend was a lot cooler with blustery winds, usual story when we go to Langley School Country and Crafts show. This is normally earlier in the year but was postponed until last weekend due to bad weather.

Triumphs with a couple of XK8 interlopers, they brought Triumphs too.

Various classics.

Older classics.

Langley School.

 Luckily we where able to get nourished with bacon butties on arrival. There was the usual crafty stuff to keep Gill and the girls amused. The guys had to make do with looking at cars, traction engines, miniature railway, and some boys toys of radio controlled boats and lorries, oh and real ale and BBQ food too. As with most shows nowadays due to Health & Safety overkill and Risk Assessment's we have to commit to stay from early to late, so the gazebo came in handy to shelter from the wind and the threatened rain although this held off.

Next up this weekend we have a run, the MGOC Iceni run around Suffolk which is always well organised with a choice of routes. Hope the weather improves.

MOT Time

MOT time for the TR7 again, prior to the MOT I got the parts I needed for the Brake master Cylinder, easy job to replace the seals and bleed the brakes. Checked all the usual things pre MOT, bit of a struggle with electrics, firstly the hazard lights which worked one day, not the next. Had a spare relay which cured the problem. Then the number plate lights and sidelights stopped working, which was a dodgy fuse and fuse terminal which needed cleaning up.
On the day it failed emissions so the garage had to back of the mixture and then passed it.
A few advisories, play in front wheel bearings, but no mention of the rear axle end play! diff oil leak and noise, and a couple of hoses that may need changing soon. I have an axle lined up via Mick Papworth but have to collect from Coventry. Also bizarrely the rear fogs cut out when high beam comes on, no clues on that one as I have not touched any wiring that may affect it and don't know how long it has been like that.
Glad its passed and out of the way.

Wales 2013 - Part 2

Sunday we awoke to a very windy day. we had plans to head to the coast but would see what the weather did.
We first headed off up the Horsehoe Pass at Llangollen,pausing at the top for a photo.

Top of Horseshoe Pass.

We then headed along good yellow roads to Lake Bala, it was very windy here.

Waves on Lake Bala.

We passed around the lake on a minor road before pulling over at the Bala Lake railway.
A few Triumphs in the car park here, I think it was Cheshire TR Register.

Selection of TR's

Good to see a couple of TR7's

Ex Llanberis Quarry loco on Bala Lake Railway.

We had a quick coffee in the station buffet, had a quick look at the trains and then headed across the mountains towards Dolgellau where it started to pour with rain. We pulled in at Dolgellau for lunch and a look around the few places open. After lunch we decided to skip the coast which would not be nice in the wind and rain. Instead we headed across towards Trawsfynydd, past the Nuclear power station and on to the slate mines at Blaenaau Ffestionig.

Wet Dolgellau.

Slate Mines.

Having had enough of the wind and rain (I have never been to Wales when it has not rained) we headed back to the hotel and spent some time in the Spa.

On the Monday we spent a few hours in Llangollen, weather much better, had a look at the canal moorings where we have been on Centurion, the moorings looked deserted for this time of the year.

Llangollen Railway Station.

Llangollen Moorings.

We left for Norfolk around midday having a decent run back home.
Enjoyed an excellent weekend with good company, although we feel we should maybe have stayed 5 nights like the rest of the group, 3 nights was just not long enough to do it justice.

Wales 2013

Gill and I took a car tour to Wales at the end of April spending 3 nights away. We where due to take the TR7 however the brakes have gone a bit spongy, as its an up-rated and sleeved master cylinder I am waiting for special piston seals from Past Parts who sleeved it, so it was the more modern MG TF we took.
Friday
We where based in the excellent White Pheasant Hotel in Llangollen. The organiser having done an excellent deal on room rates.
Setting of early on the Friday we arrived in the area around 2pm, we used the A5 from the end of the A14 which was a bit slow around Tamworth, Brownhills, and Cannock.
Off course been into canals we took a detour to Chirk to look at the stone aquaduct and a quick look at Telford's Pontcysyllte Aquaduct.

 

Chirk Aquaduct, railway viaduct alongside.

Pontcysyllte Aquaduct - the stream in the sky.

After booking in at the Hotel we spent the afternoon looking round Llangollen then joined our fellow guests for drinks and a evening meal, Welsh Lamb Shank, lovely.

Llangollen, River Dee and preserved Llangollen
railway station.

Spotted in Llangollen a large party of MG's on a tour.

Saturday
On the Saturday we took a long drive, first along the A5 to Corwen, then a good minor road to Llan Ffestiniog, then to Tan-y-Bwlch station on the Ffestiniog railway.

Road to Llan Ffestiniog.

Still snow around on Arenig Fach at 2259m.

Looking over to Blaenau Ffestiniog.

We had a coffee at Tan-y-Bwlch Station whilst waiting to catch a glimpse of the steam trains.

Ffestiniog up train at Tan-y bwlch, Replica Lynton and Barnstable
Railway "Lyd"

Double Fairlie "Merrddin Emrys" on down train at Tan-y-bwlch

We carried on to Porthmadog for lunch in the town and a quick look at the harbour and met some of our party of the train we had photographed. Other members had chosen Portmerion as a venue. we do not have a set itinary on these tours, each doing whatever suits them. We where going for the mileage award today.

Porthmadoc Harbour.

We noticed a train was about to leave Porthmadog for the Welsh Highland Railway to Caernarfon, reversing out of the station, then travelling forward along the street before heading off to Beddgelert.

Welsh Highland Train crossing Brittania Bridge in Porthmadog
drawn by Double Fairlie "Earl of Merioneth"

Double Fairlies have 2 boilers
and 2 driving bogies, one at each end.

After lunch we headed for Beddgelert and the lovely Aberglaslyn Pass.

Afon Glaslyn in the Aberglaslyn Pass.

End of Aberglaslyn pass.

Lovely view from Beddgelert Station

We stopped for ice cream in the village of Beddgelert, the Glaslyn ice cream parlour is supposedly the best in the UK having won awards, the chocolate cone was great. Had a quick stroll round the pretty village before the afternoon up train on the Welsh Highland Railway was due. See a theme developing here! We headed down to the end of Aberglaslyn Pass to photograph the train.

Beyer Garret NGG16 No 138 leaves the Aberglaslyn Pass
heading for Beddlegert.

No 138 crosses the Afon Glaslyn.

We then headed back through Beddgelert then along the A498 pausing to take pictures of Snowdon with just a little cloud cover on it.

Snowdon.

Llyn Gwynant.

Looking back to Llyn Gwynant.

We then took a quick detour up the pass of Llanberis as far as Nant Peris before heading towards Capel Curig, then the A5 to Betws-y-coed and Llangollen for drinks in the hotel. Had another excellent evening meal and chilled out in the lounge.

Llanberis Pass.

Messing about on the River

Saturday of the bank holiday weekend we went over to St Ives to pick up Toni, our daughter. We had booked a small boat for the day as a surprise to help celebrate her birthday, so armed with a picnic lunch, Strawberry's and cream and a bottle of Champagne to help her celebrate we set off up the Great Ouse from Huntingdon towards Brampton Mill.
Was quite windy on the Ouse, and been used to narrow-boat's we found the small cruiser quite unstable, and the steering rather delicate, I was all over the place, give me a narrow-boat anytime.

Godmanchester Lock, note the stupidly short mooring ropes, only just long
enough to hold the boat.

Leaving the lock.

We headed up to Brampton Mill Lock and then stopped for the birthday picnic.

Brampton Mill.

The wind got up and we had a couple of showers shortly after finishing our picnic so we had to put up the rather amateurish hood on the boat, with the hood up you could not get in or out of the boat.

Ungainly hood.

We headed downstream, with a detour into Godmanchester, there was a lot of dredging with mud piled on the banks here so nowhere to moor, the small quayside was cordoned off so could not get out for an ice cream.

Godmanchester.

We carried on downstream, past Huntingdon and down Houghton Mill Lock to Hemingford Abbots. Was getting a bit cold and windy now and the girls sat inside out of the wind.
We passed narrow-boat Mad Hatter near Houghton lock.

NB Mad Hatter on their way to Bedford.

On the backwater to Hemingford Abbots.

Kayacks near Hemingford Grey.

We carried on to the lock at Hemingford Grey before turning back towards Huntingdon.

Hemingford Grey.

Busy moorings at Hemingford Grey and threatening skies.

Was a reasonable day, weather could have been better, but Toni enjoyed the day.