TEAM ADVENTURE
The team takes a wintry blast through the Dales with you, our lovely readers!
This second instalment of our annual winter road trip might appear somewhat tame in comparison to last month’s arduous scaling of every mountain pass in the Lake District – but it was enjoyable for an entirely different reason: You! Wherever we go in our classics, from local outings to adventures abroad, we’re thankful to be greeted by readers and fellow enthusiasts who are up for joining us for a cuppa… and a few miles of scenic driving.
For this second leg of ‘Winter Warmers’, the aim was to cross the Yorkshire Dales on a wintry waft towards our overnight stop in Harrogate. Plenty of landmarks and a chance for lunch on the way – plus an evening quiz at the hotel to look forward to – but first, it was a case of meeting up with our fellow car nuts.
The outstanding Lakeland Motor Museum was the perfect place – it’s home of an extraordinary number of classics and arguably the largest collection motoring memorabilia in Britain… and plenty of delicious food. We made the most of that, as well as the unique Bluebird Exhibition – atribute to the Campbells – the record breaking father and son duo who toppled speed records on the lakes that nestle beneath these mountains.
Amid the legal battle currently taking place between another local museum and the restorer of Donald's Bluebird K7, the stunning exhibition here at Lakeland is the closest you’ll get to seeing the world-famous water speed vehicles in Cumbria for the time being.
Damp and draughty
A crowd had gathered in the car park. Our pals brought a wide range of classics, from a radiant red Sunbeam Tiger to a Hillman Imp and Morris Traveller and so many more. The sound of car folk chattering filled the morning air. I spoke with Dave, who was in his Daimler Sovereign, Mick with a Rover 75 and Eddy, who had brought his ’04 Jaguar XJ8. All were glad at the thought of being enveloped inside luxurious modern classics for the day.
Not so myself, in the 2CV. Despite its recent rebuild at the NEC, there are a few unfinished jobs… such as an unconnected heat exchanger. I’d stuffed a pair of my socks up the tube, which meant neither fumes nor any kind of heat could enter the cabin. I’d wrapped up extra warm to compensate. Charlie and her dad Steve were in the same predicament with Frisky, the similarly drafty MGA. There was mild envy directed towards Danny in his Alfa Romeo, Matt George in his Triumph 2000 and the two MGBs of Tomkins and our Classic Lodges host and friend, Richard Smith.
Having spent a cosy night in the Lakeside Hotel, we’d now been flung out into the wilds and were at the mercy of the Yorkshire Dales. Our convoy snaked out of the craggy Lake District, across the busy M6 and wound its way up the gentle r
