Caravanning Weekend to Nene Valley Railway Classic Car Show, 22nd-26th July 2016

Model railway layout
Model railway layout

Four weeks after our first caravan trip and following several minor (and not quite so minor) tweaks to the herald (new suspension fitted, tyre pressure adjusted, stabiliser bar added), advice taken from experienced caravanners, and research around nose weights, we were ready for a slightly longer journey up the A14 to New Lodge Farm at Bulwick, for a long weekend taking in the Nene Valley Railway Show on the Sunday. Travelling at a steady 50 meant that our planned stop-off at the Cambridge Services took 2 hours rather than the anticipated 1 and a bit, but Paul was happy that the Herald seemed to be coping well with the task and even suggested that he was enjoying the towing experience. After a slight detour to visit family, we arrived at New Lodge to another enthusiastic welcome “can I just say, I am in love with your car/caravan combo”. This was our second visit to New Lodge, our first being two years ago when we had the camper and the herald, and it was good to see that the facilities were all as clean and fresh as they were two years ago, when the site was in its first season. We attracted a few glances as we parked up, and soon had people stopping to ask about our duo. The weather was beautiful and so Saturday was spent sitting by the ‘van doing very little. Christina got on with sewing new curtains for Bluebell, while Paul and the herald recovered from the journey. A ‘gentle evening stroll’ around the neighbouring fields became more of a route march as we got lost and feared we would not be back in time for the fish and chips we were planning to get from the site cafe, but we made it in time and spent a couple of hours in the bar chatting with other campers. An early start on Sunday morning meant that we arrived at the Nene Valley just as the gates were opening at 9.00, so we got a space in the show field. We decided to take the first steam train out to look around ‘Railworld’ in Peterborough, then be back to sit by the car for the afternoon. Unfortunately though, vandals had emptied the water tank at the Peterborough end of the line meaning that the engine had to be refilled by hose pipe which caused delays and a total abandoning of the timetable, so after walking round Ferry Meadows then returning to the station for the planned 14.40 train, we found we had missed a train by about 5 minutes, and the next one wasn’t due until after 5pm, which would mean that the whole car show would be over by the time we got back. After a chat with the man in the ticket office, he very kindly arranged for us to have a taxi back, at their expense, so we did get back in time to see most of the cars before they started to head off. Not quite the afternoon we had planned, but an experience nonetheless!
Monday was another restful day, with a quick trip into Stamford to pick up some provisions for our evening BBQ, and a stroll around the shops. An early start on Tuesday morning, good clear roads and a confident drive meant we were back home by midday and already looking forward to planning our next trip.

Parked up at the Nene Valley Railway Classic Car Show
Parked up at the Nene Valley Railway Classic Car Show

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