Following on from Junes ill-fated long trip, the big Triumph is back on the road thanks to a new flex plate – a job that took two of us a full day, made far easier by my good friend Andrew N’s mechanical know-how.
With the car sorted, we kicked off the second round of TSSC weekends, starting with one of my favourites: the Leicester and Rutland Sunshine Rally. Now in its 39th year, it’s a testament to the enduring popularity of these local area gatherings.
We set off on a drizzly Friday morning for Oakham. The journey was smooth, and we were greeted with the usual warm welcome – tea, cake, and, fittingly, sunshine.
That evening, we gathered in the bar for Neil’s “Name the Headlight” competition. It was a fun icebreaker, giving non-car buffs a chance to chat while the rest of us puzzled over the clues.
Saturday offered a tulip route drive, but after the previous day’s journey, we opted for a leisurely walk around Greetham and Cottesmore instead.
The evening brought a superbly cooked and well-priced BBQ, courtesy of Jason and Andrew, followed by another of Neil’s quizzes – this time general knowledge one which had everyone scratching their heads.
Sunday’s highlight was a scatter treasure hunt across four villages. Points were awarded for photographing other Triumphs en-route – great fun and well organised by Mike.
The day wrapped up with a show and shine, where our 2500 estate won a prize (possibly a sympathy vote after its previous troubles), and a raffle before we headed home via Swaffham for the traditional fish and chips.
While some TSSC members stayed on for the National Weekend at HQ in Lubenham, we returned home to catch up on a few jobs.
Aware that the big Triumphs gearbox has a tendency to boil over when towing in the hot weather (resulting in the oil burning off on the exhaust pipe, leaving a trail of smoke behind us, or a cockpit full of smoke if we are stationary) we set off at 7.30 on the Friday morning to get some of the trip under our belt while it was still relatively cool, stopping for some breaky at Cambridge services. We nearly made it to HQ without incident, but as we rolled into Lubenham, there was a faint trail of smoke which, thankfully wasn’t noticed by those at HQ as we drove past…
The campsite was the local school playing field just behind the HQ building. With around 40 units, nearly all with Triumphs, the field suited doubling up as a campsite well. With portable toilets and showers completing the set up.
Being on CoM automatically gets you on the volunteer list for the weekend and Paul spent the afternoon manning the campsite gate with Nigel H while Christina popped up to the HQ and put the fish n chip order in.
The HQ had been nicely set out with chairs, awning and plenty of booze, including barrels of beer. The late delivery of the fish n chips (which were very nice) meant that Paul had had a couple of pints on an empty stomach which made it easier for him to mingle if a little less understandable for those that had to listen to him.
The evening was very convivial with a good cross section of club members.
Saturday saw a tulip route to Coventry Transport Museum where there was around 50 Triumphs parked up on Millennium Place in front of the museum making an impressive display and creating lots of interest from young and old alike. Having spent a few hours looking after the cars we opted to miss out the museum we took up Claire’s (volunteer at the museum and part of the Classic Car Loan Scheme) offer of a guided tour around the cathedrals which were quite impressive. We also promised ourselves another visit to Coventry at some point to have a proper look around.
Saturday evening was a BBQ at HQ and Paul, once again, managed to dodge any work in favour of holding a pint and mingling.
Sunday was show day. After helping set up the gazebos we were on car parking duty for the morning as the village green gradually filed up with Triumphs with around 70 in the field by lunchtime. A quick break back at the campsite for lunch, then it was back to the green for the prize-giving: runner-up went to a lovely two-tone Herald, and the winner was a stunning metallic green GT6.
We stayed to help pack down, waiting for the temperature to drop before hitching up and showering. Suddenly it was 5:30pm—time to hit the road. With a dinner stop in the caravan at Cambridge services, the estate performed admirably, and we were home by 9:30pm, finally regaining some confidence in it.
Our overriding impression of the weekend was one of having a good time and the friendliness of the members attending. It was also great to make such good use of the HQ; it’s such an asset to the club with much more there than you would think judging by some of the surprised comments from first timers.
Well done to all those on CoM – Chris, Nigel, Tracey, Jane and Paul along with the plus ones – Di, Nigel and Christina plus help from Sandra and Justine and special thanks to Lisa and Dave who did a great job manning the bar and taking the money.