Andys Triumph TR7 and Narrowboat Centurion Blog

Sunday, 19 July 2009

LCVC Ditchingham Rally

Club Triumph Norfolk attended the Lowestoft Classic Vehicle Clubs Rally at Ditchingham today, not the best of turnouts with only 8 Club Triumphs attending, although weather and forecast was not good, it was very windy, a few showers, and the gazebo we put up had to come down due to the wind.

Club Stand.

Bond Micro Car

Villiers engine, chain drive to front wheel and pivot on Bond Microcar.

Jasons 2000 Saloon

Jims personal weather proofing! most ran to their cars when it rained!

Some of the other varied cars.

A few other Triumphs.

Grand Union Canal

Last week we spent time on our narrowboat on the Grand Union Canal. As both cars are now daily drivers and having the daughter and her boyfriend along we had to take the 2 TR7s to the Marina, so we just had to pose with the cars and the boat outside the Marina.

We cruised up the Grand Union Canal from Gayton, Northants, up to Marsworth in Hertfordshire, passing through the 2 mile long Blisworth Tunnel, it takes around half an hour to get through the tunnel through to Stoke Bruerne, when first entering you cannot see the far end due to the length and the haze from the boat exhasuts. We then cruised through Northants, passed through Milton Keynes and Leighton Buzzard, before climbing the series of locks into the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, an area we visited on the HCR this year.

Typical Northants Scenery .

Mooring at Cosgrove.

Locking up the Chilterns in the rain.

View from the canal of the Chalk Lion at Whipsnade.

Working boats carrying coal and diesel, we filled with diesel from these at a mere 65p per litre.

Approaching Marsworth.

Another pair of old working boats.

Approaching a large dutch barge.

End of the long tunnel.

The tunnel entrance, so long you cannot see the light at the far end.

Approaching a heacy thunderstorm at the end of the voyage.

Back on the Marina Berth.

Was an enjoyable week, shared most of the locks with other nice boats and crews, which takes the hard work out of locking, we went through 50 locks, and twice through the 2 mile tunnel. Total milage was around 80 miles. Most of the rain was thankfully at night, and we had some good sunny spells, and had a couple of canalside barbeques. When we hit the thunderstorm on the last day we moored in a hurry, and James, the daughters boyfriend got wetter than he intended, he slipped and went in head first into the canal.

Only down point was some b-----t nicked my stainless steel, Triumph badged tyre caps, this in a CCTV secure car park at the Marina.

Monday, 6 July 2009

TR Drivers National Weekend

This weekend we went to the TR Drivers Club National Weekend at Billing, Northampton, we would have liked to also attend the Club Triumph National weekend but as they are on the same weekend and we have two wedges it had to be the TRDC one.

We drove up on Friday afternoon, taking both the drop head coupe and the fixed head coupe, we got caught up in the typical Friday Cambridge A14/A11 jam, so took a detour, before rejoining the A14 for Northampton.

We where camping for 2 nights, not my favourite pastime! but with brilliant weather I enjoyed roughing it for once.

Gill cooking the Chilli on Friday Night.

Saturday we took part in a 45 mile road run round the Northants lanes, stopping at the Tollemache Arms, the pub where Club Triumph Northants meet. Around 20 odd cars took part in the run in hot sun, we had a wait for a lost 7 on route, but had a good quick run, which ended in a run down the A45, arranged so the V8's could blast by. Nice to see a large convoy of wedges.

Waiting for the lost wedge.

Line up wedges in of the Tollemache Arms.

Convoy of Wedges.

Saturday night we where entertained with a quiz, followed by a disco put on by Kevin Todd, aka Dizzy Fox, the Essex area rep. Also running where various TR7 rally videos on a large screen, best being the Coors Historic Rallysprint, along with some video of Tony Pond/Per Eklund and Roger Clarke in the 1980 RAC rally and the American rallier John Buffum. Coupled with some John Smiths and Old Speckled Hen this made for a good night.

Sunday even more wedges arrived, by my reckoning around 70 cars where seen, along with some TR6's invited along for their anniversary celebration. We also had a few Stag visitors. Theme of the event was special TR7's such as press cars, development cars, conversions, etc. Some very good cars where on show, favourite for me was the original TR7 V8 rally car of Per Eklund, beautifully restored to running condition by Belgium TR7 V8 rally fan Bert Smeets, and now back in the UK and a nice genuine TR7 Sprint.

I spent some time on gate duty, the highlight of which was a Herald 13/60 which turned up, believing the event to be a TSSC weekend! he should have been 25 miles away at Wickstead Park near Kettering! Funnily enough he didn't want to come in!

Victory Edition TR7 and Genuine TR7 Sprint.

2 nice examples of Grinnal V8 Conversions.

Per Eklunds Rally TR7 V8 TUD 682T.

A selection of Genuine UK TR8.'s

One to p--s of the Purists, TR6 with Chevy 350 V8 and sequential gearbox. I was in awe of the engineering required to fit the Chevy block.

Interior of Chevy TR6.

Ex launch day press cars.

A good event, thanks to all concerned.

Sunday, 21 June 2009

Norfolk Area Treasure Hunt

Today was the Norfolk Area Treasure Hunt, 18 assorted Triumphs set out from Caistor Hall Hotel for a trip around the borders of Norfolk and Suffolk, in the "Saints" area. Some tricky navigating in around 4 1/2 hours. Heres just a few photo's.

Thanks to all who entered, we raised £177 for East Anglia Air Ambulance.

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

La Carrera Caledonia

So La Carrera has been and gone, what a shame this was the last run, as we thouroughly enjoyed this event, wish we had done this a few years ago.

The route was very good, some excellent driving roads, fantastic scenery, good company, nice hotels (Apart from the Dreadnought) I had forgotten how nice Scotland is.

We drove up from Norfolk to the Old Stone Trough at Kelbrook for the Pennine and Pendle Barbeque and Gymkhana, visiting family in Wetherby on the way up, followed by a scenic run to Kelbrook via Pateley Bridge and a trip up Nidd Vale.

We where made welcome at the OST by Raider, with drinks in the bar, then the Barbeque. Our results in the Gymkhana where poor, however I did not break the egg!

Day 1: After the dash in the rain to the start at Southwaite services the route was through the Border Counties, then accross the Forth Bridge to Callander, once into Scotland the day brightened up for some nice driving through Kelso, Duns, Innerleithen, then down to Moffat and up Tweedale to Edinburgh, crossing the Forth Bridge, then west to the days finish at Callander.

The Dreadnought lived up to its reputation, what a dump! and was the accordianist really playing or was the Keyboard doing all the work!

Day 2: This was even better, a nice loop round the Trossachs, then some great Lochs and Glens roads, round Loch Earne, accross Sma Glen, then round LochTay, up Ben Lawyers, and around Loch Rannoch, then through the Grampians to Aviemore and the Coylumbridge Hilton.

Weather was fair, mainly sun and cloudy patches, then rain on the run in to Aviemore.

We spent a pleasent evening in the Hilton, a very nice meal, then to the bar for drinks.

We enjoyed the company of like minded Triumph owners all throughout the event and it was good to put faces to some forum names.

The TR7 ran well, only problem with the car was when Gill hit a rock, wrecking the front nearside tyre side wall.

The only downside to the trip was the journey home, 511 miles, great driving down the A9 and A68, but from Darlington down to Norfolk on the A1 and A14 was mind numbingly boring.

Total mileage door to door was 1352 miles.

Heres hoping someone can organise something similar next year (a little farther south!)

Here are a few photos of the event.