Past Events

Adrian Ridpath reporting on the tour We set off from Lincolnshire to Headlam Hall, on a lovely sunny day traveling mainly up the A1 with the top down in our series one 3.8 litre Bronze E-type roadster. This was to be our first long trip in the car after the fitting of the new Jaguar five speed gearbox. The journey was about 150 miles to Headlam Hall with the last few miles through lovely country roads to the hotel. We made one pit stop enroute close to the hotel to top up the car with fuel for the next day’s touring and arrived at the impressive Headlam Hall around 3.45pm. On arrival, we were greeted by Tom Brimblecombe from Backwater Tours who directed us to park in the reserve parking in front of Headlam Hall. In total, there was sixteen cars on the tour, eight E-types, five XK cars, one Daimler V8, Aston Martin DB12 and an XKR. The models included, three XK150 models, a XK140 and one XK120 model. The E types covered a range of models including roadsters, fixed head and two plus two models. After unpacking our luggage into our lovely period bedroom, we decided to have a bottle of fizz to celebrate my birthday with our friends Bob and Julie on the terrace who we had met on the Backwater Suffolk Tour last year. Before the 7.00pm dinner, we joined Tom in the Stable Room of the hotel and the other thirty members of the tour for a welcome speech from Tom and a drink of fizz before enjoying a lovely three course dinner consisting of prawn cocktail, roast beef and cheese cake. After a rested night and good hearty breakfast we set off on yet another sunny day for the first day of the tour at around 9.15am. A country drive to the Aysgarth Falls Hotel for coffee and cake and then on to the Bowes Museum a journey of about 80 miles in total return. The route from our hotel went via country roads to Richmond, calling at the Aysgarth Falls Hotel and then on across Melbecks and Kexwith Moors and then on to Barnard Castle and The Bowes Museum. We arrived at the Bowes Museum at around 1.00pm and the cars were arranged in front of the house on the gravel drive. A most impressive display for visitors to the museum to see. The museum tour started at 2.00pm with the demonstration of the famous and magical 18th century mechanical and musical silver swan and then a guided tour of the museum around the various galleries seeing a variety of pictures from different artists, as well as fabric and clothes from different periods in history up to 1970’s. We returned back to the hotel at 3.00pm and enjoyed the Spa at the hotel before another lovely dinner before retiring for the night. Day two of the tour of the was to drive about 35 miles to spend a day at the Beamish living museum. This is an open-air museum and consisting of a coal pit village and mine, 1913 town, 1940’s and 1950’s farms and 1820 old hall and associated buildings including a Drovers Inn serving 1820 ale. There is also a railway station with a Puffing Billy replica train. The 1913 town has a selection of Trams and old buses that take you around the various sites. We arrived at the museum around 10.30am and the cars were arranged inside the museum near the period fun fair. Once the cars were parked up for display, on the lawn, we were free to wander around the various sites using the period transport, visiting the houses and shops and trying the chips cooked in lard, buying sweets at the old-fashioned sweet shop and trying an 1820 recipe ale. We returned back to the hotel around 3.00pm taking the scenic country route back to the hotel. In the evening, we enjoyed the use of the hotel spa and lovely evening meal with other members of the tour. Day three, blessed as another lovely warm sunny day was a tour of the Pennines with a coffee stop at the High Force Hotel. The route is about 110 miles in total across the Pennines with a coffee break at the High Force Hotel to see the impressive water falls there which is short but steep walk from the hotel but well worth the visit. After the coffee stop and a visit to the water-falls we proceeded on pretty country roads through the Pennines enjoying the hairpin corners, and stunning scenery whilst avoiding the walkers, cyclists and many sheep on route. We stopped at Hexham for lunch with our friends Bob and Julie and enjoyed an authentic Mexican meal at a local restaurant in Hexham. One slight issue was the aggressive speedbumps in the public car parks in Hexham. The only answer to this was to unload the ladies temporarily to allow us to get over them in the low E-types. This amused the other members over dinner later that day. After lunch, we left Hexham and returned through lovely country roads back to the hotel. The journey was delayed slightly due to a road diversion but the diversion allowed us all to pass a garage to refuel for the next day. Unfortunately, Bob in his E-type experienced overheating problems with his car on this journey. We suspected stickly thermostat. So, when we returned to the hotel several members helped remove the thermostat after visit to a local Halfords for some gasket material. This cured the overheating problem for his trip home the next day. After the excitement of the car repairs in the hotel car park, we all enjoyed a last night dinner. After the meal we all went to the bar and had a night cap drink in the bar with all recounting the adventures we had had over the last few days which included the exceptional sunny weather, glorious road trips, the Spa and hotel and lovely meals. All said they enjoyed the “hotel kippers” and fun they had.