Starting with one of the hottest Mays ever, we travelled down to Brands Hatch for TSSC Essex’s line up at Grand Britannia 100, spending two nights at their campsite. Then came a week of early starts to get a few miles under our belt before the heat of the day as we headed down to Cornwall.
The trip down included a day at Haynes Motor Museum during the hottest part of the day and a sleepover in a picnic area on the A303.
About 25 miles from our destination a suspected leaky gearbox seal meant our grand touring plans, including staying at the Austin A35 National, were promptly chucked out the window. We abandoned the scenic route and headed straight to Hendra Holiday Park.
Thankfully, without the caravan attached, the leak wasn’t too bad allowing us to do some drive outs in the Triumph during the week including the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Padstow and a trip to Healeys Cider
We attempted the drive home to Norfolk, but realised that playing “will we or won’t we run out of oil on the M4” wasn’t a game we wanted to play. So, after a tense 200 miles and consuming around 4 liters of ATF, we conceded defeat and called the AA. They took the car almost the whole way home, leaving us just enough distance (20 miles) to drive it back in a face-saving finale. Meanwhile, the caravan got its own VIP, separate flatbed ride home.
We did better than last year (broken flexplate), but still not quite good enough. Over 630 miles with the caravan on the back and around 150 miles without. Next year, we have a radical idea: actually making it to the National and back again under our own steam. No tow trucks, no broken bits and no excessive use of fluids.
A massive thank you to Jo, Mark, and the friendly lot at the Register for a great week. Hopefully see you next year!