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A Classic Day Out.......
The 2019 Winslow Classic Run proved as popular as ever with over 60 cars starting from a new venue, the village green at Fringford on the Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire border. The village hall had excellent facilities for entrants to sign on, receive their routebooks and enjoy hot bacon rolls and coffee whilst meeting other classic car owners. The line up of cars on the green proved interesting to the local residents with the ages spanning 75 years - from Mark and Olivia Bull's 1930 Austin Seven Ulster to a 2005 MGTF entered by Graham and Diane Clements. Between these ages was a wonderful representation of classic cars, photographs of which can be seen on this site.
The 2019 Winslow Classic Run proved as popular as ever with over 60 cars starting from a new venue, the village green at Fringford on the Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire border. The village hall had excellent facilities for entrants to sign on, receive their routebooks and enjoy hot bacon rolls and coffee whilst meeting other classic car owners. The line up of cars on the green proved interesting to the local residents with the ages spanning 75 years - from Mark and Olivia Bull's 1930 Austin Seven Ulster to a 2005 MGTF entered by Graham and Diane Clements. Between these ages was a wonderful representation of classic cars, photographs of which can be seen on this site.
Breakfast complete it was time to fix the rally plate to the car and await the marshal's instructions to join the start queue. With entrants departure spaced a minute apart this moved swiftly, but allowed the vehicle in front to disappear from sight as it followed the first of 86 tulip diagrams which gave the route to follow. Although one entrant had never entered an event with this type of navigation before they commented that it was easy to follow as the friendly marshals had provided a short lesson before the start. The route had been carefully planned to encompass a mixture of roads, from rural lanes, including an (optional) ford to a few faster stretches of dual carriageway where those who wished to could give their engines a 'bit of exercise'.
A successful introduction to the 2019 event was a visit to an artisan cheese dairy near Upper Slaughter. The Weaver family has been farming in the Cotswolds for three generations, farming organically on land bordered by the river Dickler and Fosse Way. Their closed herd of 250 cows produce the milk from which the dairy produces eight different types of cheese - all delicious, especially the Cotswold blue brie. Entrants were able to take a break from driving and navigating and learn how the different cheeses are made and try samples. Simon Weaver found it difficult to keep up with sample requests which were rapidly followed by purchases of the favourites.
The finish was at Waterpury Gardens, between Oxford and Thame. Cars were marshaled to a shady avenue leading to Waterpury House where other visitors to the garden centre came to admire the collection. Competitors relaxed with picnics on the grass, enjoyed refreshments in the restaurant and visited the exhibition and large garden shop. Tales of difficult turnings, successful navigation of the ford at Lower Slaughter were exchanged, old friends were re-acquainted and new ones made.
Overall a great day was had by all doing what we like best with our classic cars: driving them on roads that are fun on interesting through some beautiful villages and scenery.
Overall a great day was had by all doing what we like best with our classic cars: driving them on roads that are fun on interesting through some beautiful villages and scenery.