We travelled through Burnham on Sea, Brean, Western Super Mare, Kewstoke, Clevedon, to Portishead where we got a bit lost. Eventually we found our way and headed for the Severn Bridge. We had to use motorways to get to the bridge which was a bit hairy but we managed and got a lot of horn honking and waves on the way over. We stopped at the first service area after the bridge and had lunch & some good chat with people who had seen us on the way across. From there we headed off to Newport to see the Transporter Bridge. It wasn't operating so we couldn't take a ride across the river but we had a good chat to the couple in the visitors centre. We by-passed Cardiff but the traffic was still bad. I can't imagine what it was like in the city centre. From there we headed to Barry Island where we holidayed many years ago. Traffic was still heavy.
Eventually we made our way out and to our B&B after the satnav took us to a pub first. The exhaust was getting noisy again and I spent a couple of hours trying to fix it. The belled end of the front pipe had pulled through its locating plate and I had to deform it to get it back through the plate then try to reform it. I got it as near as I could and bolted back together. It was still noisy but not as bad. We ordered a Chinese takeaway which was soon delivered and demolished. 134 miles.
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Had a lazy start to the day and travelled along the coast past Bocastle, finding some lovely roads on the way. With little chance of finding fuel on these roads we headed up the A39 but the first sight of fuel was in Bideford. We filled up and picked up lunch. A couple of dead ends in Croyde Bay and Ilfracombe put us a bit behind time so after eating lunch in Instow on the estuary of the river Tor, we took the major roads through Lynton, Minehead and on to Bridgewater for our overnight stop. 152 MIles. Now that I've got a decent internet connection I can post these two pictures emailled to me by Peter Davies. He caught us on Park Avenue, Devonport, Plymouth. Thanks Peter.
It was an easy run from the B&B to Lands End and we arrived just after ten and the car park guy said it would be a sin to charge such a great car and gave us a free ticket. Yeah! We had photos taken by the signpost. As it was a bit chilly as well as misty & damp we didn't stay long. Soon after we set off the wipers went on strike so it was manual operation until the sun came out. We passed through St Just and there was a carnival on and the road through was closed. We followed the diversion signs but the last one was pointing the wrong way. It took all of us, including a double decker bus, down a dead end road. It took 45 minutes to sort it out. The rest of the run up the coast was uneventful. Newquay was busy but moving and we arrived at The Avalon in Tintagel earlier than expected. It was a bonus in that it was carnival night in Tintagel and we spent a pleasant evening watching the parade. 146 mostly trouble free miles.
But first we have to get old Numbum sorted, so it's a few miles up the road to St Agnes to see Tim Kelly, an MG specialist. He soon had the car up on the ramps and the RAC man's temporary repair became a permanent one. They also fixed the exhaust after the battering it had taken over the last few days. The job finished and the bill settled we left at just after 1pm to head for The Lizard, stopping for lunch in a layby on the way. We headed back to Killagorden by way of the cost roads back up The Lizard peninsula, stopping in Tesco, Truro for a bite to eat. Talk about living the high life.
Not a bad day at all. Numbum fixed and 84 miles of the coastal route done. We had a very enjoyable breakfast with George. I have to say enjoyable cos Pam cooked it. A quick check of the car revealed a loose exhaust (speed bumps are savage down here and Numbum is very low) and some adjustment needed to the clutch. Once this was sorted out we hit the road and headed through Paignton to the Kingswear to Dartmouth ferry and the exhaust scraped. An easy drive to Plymouth where we hit heavy traffic and eventually found the Plymouth to Torpoint ferry. Once again the exhaust scraped on the ramps both on & off. Followed the coast as much as possible down to the Bodinnik to Fawey ferry. We got on all right but got severely stuck on the way off. With no help from the ferry staff there was nothing else to do but boot it. Eventually it came free but the exhaust mounting rubber was split so as soon as I could stop, emergency repairs were carried out and we were back on the road again. Eventually we drove through Mevagissey where the roads are very narrow indeed. Much stopping & reversing going on. In Tregony, having negotiated many speed bumps in many villages, there was a loud crack and Numbum ground to a halt.The left hand rear wheel was not in the proper location in the wheel well and I could see some suspension parts out of position. RAC to the rescue.It turned out that the two inner locating holes in the axle plate had split open and allowed the bolts to pull through and allow the axle to move.
The RAC man shot off to his friends place, D L Marine at St Just in Roseland who had some parts to make a temporary repair. The people of Tregony were superb with offers of hot drinks, use of toilet & washing facilities, and generally keeping us from getting bored while waiting. As we set off again the RAC man gave us the contact details of somebody local who could do a more permanent repair. It was now getting dark an I turned the lights on and was surprised at how dim they were. I haven't driven the TA in the dark for ages but didn't remember the lights being particularly dim then. We limped along though Truro and down a narrow unlit road to the Killagorden Cottage B&B. It was very spooky and we were expecting owls hooting or a dog howling to cap it off. Eventually we got there and settled in and Pam told me why I thought the lights were so dim.I was still wearing my sunglasses. DOH!! 129 miles today. With old Numbum now in fine fettle we headed out of Bournemouth to catch the Sandbanks ferry to pick up the road to Swanage. Using the ferry saves a lot of miles. We had an easy drive up to Portland Bill where we had lunch, followed by a drive about the area. Some beautiful views. The roads in the afternoon were narrow with tall hedges. Not much fun at all. Exeter at tea time was challenging but we found our way and had a good run down to Torquay where we had a bit to eat from a street vendor before heading to meet George Baxter, an internet friend who was putting us up for the night. George is one of the many very helpful people we have met. Thanks George!
With rain still coming down when we woke this morning and a lack of stable ground and a jack not fit for what was still to be done we decided to stay in Bournemouth and sort things out properly to continue our trip tomorrow. The first amazing people were the reception staff at The Carrington House Hotel for their ability to find us another room in a full hotel for a night which we hadn't booked. Thank you so much. The next job was to try to find somebody to fix up old Numbum. We rang many garages but all were busy. Eventually I got a mobile mechanic to take on the job. Lee Hilton of Get Mobile Mechanics turned up and sorted the job out properly. When it came to payment time he refused any payment as he felt honoured to help us out as his brother Marcus died from Muscular Dystrophy .Lee, thank you so much. You are a star. Grateful thanks also go to the service team from the Carrington with their help with parts and reattaching the exhaust which was hanging down a bit. With Numbum taken care of and the rain stopped, Pam & I took a slow saunter into town to try to get my specs repaired properly. That was a successful mission again at no cost. We popped into a small cafe for a light lunch and were later to be seen sat on a wall munching on apple turnovers. I know how to show a woman a good time! Later on I was chatting in the smoking shelter and two lovely ladies gave me a donation for Harrison's Fund. Thanks ladies.
We left Chichester just after 9am and travelled to Havant and on to South Hayling. South Hayling was worth the visit for the views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. There is only one road in and out of South Hayling and it was slow going with heavy traffic getting out. From there it was into Portsmouth which is a pleasant but trying to find a road out that wasn't a Motorway was challenging but we made it and found our way through Gosport to Lee on the Solent where we stopped for lunch and watched some boat racing. The first real rain of our trip started here. We had been through the odd light splash but this looked likely to be prolonged. We bypassed Southampton and drove down though Hythe & Fawley into Lepe where we decided it would be prudent to put our wet coats on. This proved to be a good idea.
Passing through Beaulieu Pam heard a clatter from the back of the car and by the time I managed to find a safe place to stop I had quite a walk back to find a piece of leaf spring lying in the road. There was no space to do anything about it where we were so I limped on down the road hoping to fix it when we stopped to visit relatives in New Milton. It soon became obvious that this wasn't a wise decision as the rear axle was moving around quite a bit. I eventually found a safe(ish) spot to pull over and see what could be done. The only jack I was carrying was a small scissor jack for wheel changing if needed. It wasn't really suitable for supporting the car for spring repairs but I managed to get the missing leaf back into position and held in place with two large cable ties. I decided that with traffic hurtling past within a foot or so of my backside and soaking me in the process that it was time to move so we gently headed off to New Milton, hoping to do something more permanent there but it was not to be. While we were there I suffered another problem when one arm of my spectacles dropped off. The screw had come out and no amount of searching could find it. Pam got out here sewing kit and did a super temporary repair. After a pleasant couple of hours, we wish it could have been more, we limped off to our hotel in Bournemouth. We arrived tired and soaking wet but we soon felt better after freshening up and getting ourselves wrapped round a hot meal. 137 miles covered today. Today was a pretty good day, a bit cooler, but that was pleasant. It was still shirt sleeve driving weather. We left the hotel about 9.20 and had an easy trip through Dover & on to Folkstone. We expected problems in both places but the only problem we had was a road closed and a diversion which only had one diversion sign. It was quite fun to see everybody trying to turn round in a narrow street. . We stopped briefly at The Battle of Britain Memorial for some photos. From there we headed for Dungeness which is a wild desolate place but strangely beautiful and we stopped there for lunch. It was good going after that apart from heavy traffic as we passed through Hastings, Eastbourne, Newhaven, Brighton & Worthing.
The only trouble today was on the way to the Hotel, the front throttle jammed open and the revs rose dramatically. Conscious of the age of the clamp bolts I nipped them up a bit but obviously not enough as it happened again. This time I seem to have won on this job as it didn't happen again. 147 miles. The first bridge was the Queen Elizabeth bridge at Dartford. This is a beautiful bridge and the picture doesn't really do it justice. From there we headed through Gravesend, Thamesport and Gillingham before crossing to the Isle of Sheppy on the old bridge. The plan was to circumnavigate the island but Traffic was at a complete standstill on the way in so we turned round and left by the new bridge. Sittingbourne was a complete nightmare and we wasted a lot of time. The A2 runs into the town and out of it but it isn't joined up in the middle. Unfortunately there are no signs in town showing the A2. The first sign is about half a mile out of the town centre. Great if you know the area but not much good for visitors.
From there it was fairly straightforward throuhg Whitstable, Herne Bay, Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate and on to Deal for the night. 141 miles today |
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Take an old couple and an even older car, add in over 4000 miles of driving and this is the result. This is the story of Numbum's drive round the UK coastline, driven by Owen and ably navigated by Pam. We hope you enjoy the journey. We will. Archives |