Rosemary and I had our first campervan trip of the year to Cambridge. I had been to Cambridge in the van on my own to attend an Alumni event. Rosemary being left in hospital to have a replacement hip. I had later been to the Download festival with Selina. But this was our first Rosemary and I trip of the year.
We were attending a garden party at Gonville and Caius. I had chosen an off-grid camping pitch to test the new leisure battery. It was on grass and in an incredibly quiet area of the campsite. There were an interesting mix of people in our field. One couple from Holland were driving a Series 1 Landrover, and were taking it up North to a show. There were also a number of walking / cycling campers.
The weather was very good for the few days we were away. We managed to dodge the only rain.
Most days we caught the bus into Cambridge city centre. Friday we ate and drank at the famous Eagle pub and later sat in the sunshine outside Kings College drinking a glass of wine from the Cambridge Wine Merchants.
The garden party was on Saturday when the food was up to its usual high standard. We also visited the library where there was a special collection of old medical books on display. When you look at the surgical equipment in use in the 17th century, it doesn’t seem to have changed much in modern days. (This was brought home to us when we visited Egypt a few years ago. On one wall there were carvings of surgical equipment from the pharaoh times. They were very recognisable as surgical devices.)
It was a shame to see the Corpus Christie clock out of action. It had been removed. Some vandal had taken a hammer to the glass window which protects the clock from the elements. This glass was very resistant to attack and had not been broken through. I gather the clock is now back, so the congestion at the junction of Benet Street and Trumpington Street will be back.
We had booked a Steam Dreams trip on the London Euston to Carlisle via The Settle and Carlisle Railway, with the Royal Scot. Today was the day. Alarm clock set for an early rise. We were catching the trip from Milton Keynes at 6.55am but allowing plenty of time to park and navigate the HS2/EWR inspired roadworks and the Bucks CC potholes and failed roads.
We were greeted by Steam Dreams as we walked through the doors of Milton Keynes station and directed to our platform. (How did he know we were with his company?!) Despite our early start we were not the first to arrive. The train arrived on time, hauled by a 1972 86101 Sir William Stanier FRS. The class 86 locomotives started production in 1965. In 1970 three class 86 locomotives were modified and converted to run 5000 bhp with a top speed of 110mph. These were a test bed for the class 87 locomotives. The conversions were renumbered 86101 – 86103. 86101 was bought in 2019 by Locomotive Services Limited which operates the Saphos, Steam Dreams, Midland Pullman, Statesman, and Intercity rail excursions.
We were seated at a table of four in Carriage B, one of five Pullman class carriages. Our amiable traveling companions also boarded at Milton Keynes. They were from Kent and preferred to board here rather than Euston. The man was a train enthusiast and had a large model train set up at home and they were organising another Steam Dreams trip for sixteen people later in the year.
Very soon we were offered and consumed a glass of Champagne, with optional peach syrup, to start our breakfast. We were offered porridge, with whisky soaked raisins. as an extra item to the menu below:
Glass of Champagne
***
Tricolour melon and fresh blueberry salad in a minted syrup. served with Tiresford Farm natural yoghurt and seeded granola
***
Grilled back bacon, Cumberland sausage, Stornoway black pudding, griddled flat mushroom and vine tomato with Freshfield Farm scrambled eggs
or
Loch Duart smoked salmon, toasted English muffin, Freshfield Farm scrambled eggs and a chive hollandaise
***
Morning bakery basket
served with a selection of preserves and Netherend Farm salted butter
Freshly brewed tea and coffee
***
Late morning offering
Freshly brewed tea and coffee, and a selection of Danish pastries
At Crewe we were due to change locomotives to the Royal Scot (46100). Unfortunately, due to some track/signalling/fire issues, this was not going to happen. The announcement went on to suggest that the change almost did not happen, but they had managed to get the Royal Scot out of its locomotive shed and up the line to Warrington Bank Quay Station to wait for us there. We stopped at Crewe for a few more travellers to embark. Here at Crewe there was many railway anoraks with their cameras. While we waited here, we saw another excursion train, pulled by a diesel locomotive “Steel on Steel”. We saw it again at Warrington Bank Quay. I think it too had an issue with its star locomotive.
We set off again, stopping at Warrington Bank Quay Station where our 86101 headed off to Carlisle, where it would power us back. As soon as she left, the Royal Scot manoeuvred to the head of our train, and we headed off to Carlisle. It was difficult to find a good place to see the manoeuvring of the engines. There are quite a few Youtube videos showing this happening, but I have yet to spot myself in the crowd of photographers.
We headed on North, stopping on occasions to allow fast electric trains to pass. At Lockstock we left the mainline and joined the Settle Carlisle line, passing through Blackburn, Settle, Ribble, the Ribblehead Viaduct, and stopping at Appleby to load up with water a second time, and then finishing in Carlisle. (First water stop was near Chatburn.) If we had not been able to use the Royal Scott, it probably would have been unlikely we could have gone across the Viaduct, because the line there is not electrified. There were quite a few walkers by the Viaduct. I bet they were delighted to see a steam train go over it.
At the water stop, in between the rain showers, I managed to get a few more pictures of our train. (I later learned that R had noticed me on the next platform and decided I was a train nutter, but wondered why I was focussing on her.) Tea and cake materialised.
In Carlisle we had two hours to explore the city. We ventured up to the cathedral. A quite different cathedral to most, quite small. Someone was practising on the organ, which lent a good atmosphere. Superb organ pipes.
Walked back in the showers, vising the secondhand shops in what looked like a rundown city centre, to make our way back to our carriage. We set off being towed by the 86101, down the main line to Milton Keynes. This was a much faster trip, reaching speeds of 155 kph (96 mph), quite good for an aged locomotive and rolling stock. On the way back we were treated to a glass of Champagne before our dinner, which also included a bottle of wine.
Assiette of native fish.
Beetroot cured salmon and halibut fishcake dill, caper and citrus mayonnaise with a pickled cucumber salad
There was of course coffee and chocolates to finish, and we were each given a special presentation pack of chocolates to take home.
The staff on the trip were superb. Despite the long day, they were jolly and helpful. It appears most of them were from Crewe where the company is based. They travelled to Milton Keynes and stayed the night in a hotel there, getting up early to be coached to Euston Station to get the train ready for a 6am departure. On the return they would be coached back from Euston getting home at 3 am. A pretty long day for them. It was tiring enough sitting there eating and drinking.
The food and drink serving is all coordinated with where you get on and off, so no one misses out on the full day’s meals.
Other thoughts about the trip. Surprised by the number of freight trains on the rails. Of course, we passed by Rugby where there is a terminal and interchange with the road network. Even saw a large train where the wagons were exclusively Tesco. I didn’t know Tesco used the iron road for transportation. I suppose there will be more room on the lines when HS2 is fully operational. Fully meaning the lines all the way up to Manchester.
Short Video of the trip. Please subscribe and Like.
We visited the National Trust’s Chastleton House to see it decorated for Christmas. We try and visit a National Trust house at this time of year to see the Christmas decorations. We bypass houses such as Waddesdon Manor, as a protest, because they charge NT members who visit at Christmas time.
Chastleton House is a large house clothed in dilapidated splendour. The previous owners fell on hard times, with the resultant leaking roofs, no heating and poor decoration. The NT has preserved this look throughout the house. The house was decorated for a 1960s Christmas. You can see vinyl records, the old tube monochrome TV, the old 60s GPO phones and valve radios. The homemade crackers were brilliantly made by the volunteers from crêpe paper and toilet rolls. Do you remember making paper chains by sticking together coloured pieces of paper? The volunteers must have spent a while making all those on display! Great use was made of games and various glasses and cocktail paraphernalia. Champagne coups were a feature and some wonderful 60s food. There were also exhibits from before the 1960s. At Christmas in 1938, the children’s parcels were parachuted in by an uncle who was an RAF pilot. The parcels were scattered across the front lawn, stuck in trees and attached to the house. R spied a thriller written by one of the last private owners. Yes, she ordered a copy, but sadly could not find one with the same attractive jacket.
There was limited access to the gardens, but nice for a quick wander.
After our visit we looked for somewhere to eat (yes, shockingly there is no NT tea-room!), and ended up in the roadside Cotswold Cafe next to a garage. Excellent; it was very clean and served very good basic grub. I had a baked potato with baked beans, cheese and salad while R had a tuna mayonnaise filled roll with salad. The cafe was decorated with old motoring memorabilia, see the model campervan photo.
After our lunch we headed to the nearby limestone Rollright Stones, where you park in a layby in Oxfordshire. There is a nominal fee of a quid each to visit, which we put in the honesty box. There are three monuments – The Kings Men, a late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age stone circle, with nearby an Early or Middle Neolithic dolmen, named the Whispering Knights, while across the road (and in another county, Warwickshire) lies the King Stone, thought to be a single monolith Bronze Age grave marker.
Well worth a visit, though everything would have looked better on a bright sunny spring or frosty winter day, rather than the heavy overcast sky we were greeted with.
We have visited Chastleton House on other occasions. The previous visits were in 2007 and 2005. Did we remember doing so? Mmmm.
We visited Frogmore House and Gardens in Windsor, part of the Royal estate, with the Berkshire branch of the Cambridge Society. Frogmore House is only open in August when the Royals are holidaying in Scotland. This year may be the last year it is open for quite a while. The house could be occupied by the staff of some of the royals. Photography is banned inside the property, so no photos. Outside it is permissible to take photographs, and here are mine. You will see the long dry season has turned the lush green grass to a dry brown colour.
We met the Cambridge group in a nearby car park and boarded a coach to be taken the short distance. Visitors must all arrive together in a coach. Once there we were divided into three groups of ten and taken on our tours around the house and gardens. Depending on the guide, you were in for a treat of art history, or royal gossip.
After the tour, we were picked up the coach and were dropped off back in Windsor, where some of us headed on to a nearby Italian restaurant, Enzo.
The tolilets and showers were holding up at the campsite. The new generator, and waste water pumps were working well. Today we headed in early because R wanted to do a craft course and weave some willow into a shape. When she arrived she was disappointed in that most of the work had been done already. There did not seem to be much opportunity to tailor the course to your own needs. We moved on to the arena, stopping by the wild flower gardens.
Sunday Performances
We sat again in a similar place to before, but a little further back. There appeared to be rules depending on where you were located. In the tent/marquee area you could only stand or sit on the ground. Outside the tent you could or were expected to sit on chairs. These had be aligned in rows. If you created a round circle group, you were reprimanded and had to align your chairs in a row. Further back, behind a line, you could group your chairs in circles. There was one such group near us. We heard about the rules only when this group was told to line up their chairs. They refused and reminded the usher that they were behind said line at which she apologised and moved on.
I am not sure if this group actually saw or heard music, they spent their time chatting and drinking.
Orchestra Baobab – Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram – Sam Lee – O’Hooley And Tidow -Lilith Ai – The Mary Wallopers – The Honest Poet – Mishra – Kids Show: Jason Maverick
The Club Tent
The Mary Wallopers – Trials Of Cato – Nick Hart – Flo Perlin
The Den
Fuzzy Lights – The Drystones – The Ocelots – Siv Jakobsen – Angeline Morrison – Judy Blank – Tape Runs Out – Daisy Chute – June Road
Another fine day for the festival. Today we were meeting up with Andrea and Richard again, but this time at the festival. So, we plonked ourselves outside the arena where we could place our chairs and listen to the bands in peace. Drinking, eating and several jugs of Pimms.
Saturday Performances
You can see a number of bands from the previous day performing on various stages tonight. We spent the day on the main stage, making excursions to the food stalls, the bar and the loos.
Programme
Main Stage 1
Chico Trujillo – Passenger – Afro Celt Sound System – Spell Songs – This Is The Kit – The Young’uns – VRï – The Magpie Arc
Main Stage 2
Dustbowl Revival – Elephant Sessions – Flook – Admiral Fallow – Elles Bailey – The Spooky Men’s Chorale – Julie Fowlis – Festival Session with Brian McNeill – Urban Folk Theory’s Silent Live Ceilidh Band
The Club Tent
Gasper Nali – Lady Nade – Maddie Morris – Feis Rois – Gwenifer Raymond – Eve Goodman
The Den
Bandits On The Run – Becoming Branches – Limerance – Katie Spencer – Memorial – Moore & Moss – Burd Ellen – Jodie Nicholson – The People Versus – Zoe Bestel
The toilet failure had progressed, the showers were flooded, I managed to get a shower, but as Rosemary entered the shower, the electric pumps made one last spluttering sound and fell into silence. There was a small additional toilet block in operation, but it soon failed. Lots of complaining is going on.
I watched the small caravan next to us with a degree of envy – they had a toilet & a shower, and, better still, a bacon & eggs cooked breakfast.
Today, we caught the festival bus to Cherry Hinton Park, and then waited for a bus to take us into Cambridge city. We met up with Richard and Andrea for a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum for the Hockney’s Eye: The Art and Technology of Depiction. We were overly impressed with the images and the understanding of their perspectives. We had tea and lunch before Rosemary, and I headed back to Cherry Hinton and the Folk Festival.
After the main act we headed back to the campsite. New equipment, generators, had been installed and the showers and toilets were back in action.
Friday Performances
It was another warm, sunny, dry day. We spent much of the afternoon sheltering from the sun under a tree, with brief sorties to the stage to take some pictures. We saw all the bands from Findlay to Seasick Steve on the main stage. No pictures of Findlay. I did make some sorties to buy Rosemary refreshing Pimms.
Programme
Main Stage 1
Seasick Steve – Suzanne Vega – Dustbowl Revival – Spiers and Boden – Findlay – Show Of Hands – Tapestri – The Copper Family
Main Stage 2
Show Of Hands – The Magpie Arc – The Breath – Ballet Folk: The Tears of Jenny Greenteeth – Simon Care Trio ceilidh – The Young’uns – VRï – Stumpy Oak – Maynard Flip Flop
The Club Tent
Trousdale – Ferris & Sylvester – Brian McNeil – Jinda Biant – Conchur White – Songlines Interview with Spiers and Boden
The Den
Bess Atwell – Nati Dreddd – Bird In The Belly – Pearl Fish – Rachel Croft – Cynefin – Guise John Dhali – Ceitidh Mac – Loris and The Lion
Findlay
Spiers and Boden
Dustbowl Revival
As the evening progressed, the music became better, Dustbowl Revival were definitely worth watching.
Suzanne Vega
I said the music was getting better, seems the Cambridge Folk Festival put the headliner on as the one before the finale. So here was Susan Vega, the headliner. It was very crowded, and I couldn’t get to the front. But I didn’t like her. I really don’t like this type of music. After Suzanne, there was Seasick Steve, much better. I saw him a couple of times before. Why no videos of him. Not at all sure. Maybe I was enjoying myself too much.
Rosemary and I attended the Cambridge Folk Festival at Cherry Hinton Hall. This runs from Thursday through Sunday. We arrived at Coldham Common in Morrison the campervan and set up camp, parking near the boundary hedge. I had parked along this border three years before. Coldham Common is where the vans and the majority of the camping takes place. Some camping is available at Cherry Hinton. There is a free bus which takes you from Coldham Common to Cherry Hinton and back. It is a regular and fast service. Even when the evening ends and everyone is leaving, there is only a short wait for the bus.
At Coldham Common there are toilets and showers, some catering and a bar.
Once we had parked and finished unpacking, we headed to Cherry Hinton to see some performances. Thursday is not a major day, and the Main Stage 1 is not running with the technicians still completing its construction. The bars are open, food is available, and the small club stage is open. We sat in the sun, drunk a beer and watched the Morris Dancers.
After watching the bands, we headed back to the campsite. Here at the campsite, not all was well. There was a problem with the toilets. They were blocked. As a man I could take a wee, the women had loos full of poo.
Thursday Performances
On Thursday there were no big performers playing, some players were also playing on other days as well. Thursday is a low-key day, and not everyone will come to see the evening’s performances. I did want to see Beans on Toast, but other than that we dipped in an out of performances.
Programme
Main Stage 2
Spiers and Boden – Davina & The Vagabonds – Samantha Crain – Janice Burns & Jon Doran
The Club Tent
Steve Adams – Tapestri – Beans On Toast – Joshua Burnell – The English Fiddle Ensemble
The Den
Flint Moore – Hannah Lou Clark – Old Man Boom – The Mardlers – Mahogany Tales
Morris Dancers
The Morris Dancers performed outside the main bar. They actually performed throughout the whole weekend, occupying various locations on the festival site. I have not been able to identify who they were.
Janice Burns & Jon Doran
We watched Janice Burns & Jon Doran at the club tent, an Anglo Scottish duo who play traditional music. The music was nice folk music.
Beans On Toast
A must see was the musician going by the name Beans on Toast. It is rumoured he has played Glastonbury more times than Coldplay or any other band. I first saw him this year at Glastonbury where he was playing the Truth Stage. He was accompanied by a couple of guitarists.
We took the van to St Neots for five days of camping. The weather promised to be fine and did not disappoint. We managed to get a pitch on the river’s edge, with a tree for shade. There was a public footpath between us and the river and the fisher persons. It was just grand sitting there in the sun watching the world go by while sipping on our Negronis, Ricards.
Interesting to find other campers had not come far often for only a couple of nights. When we connected the electricity, we did think the point quite high off the ground. Turns out the campsite can flood. We met a Dutch chap who said it was his favourite campsite in England.
We managed to struggle into town on most days, stopping in the market square to consume coffees. We found an excellent pub; if I lived in St Neots this pub, the Pig n Falcon would have been my regular evening haunt, good selection of beers, and live music. What more could one want? We sat there on a quiet afternoon drinking our beers. There is the backside of a pig diving into the outside wall, and the head of the pig emerging in the bar. Very quaint.
On Sunday to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary we had lunch at The River Mill, on the Eaton Socon side of the river. The pub is in a converted mill which was/is owned by Jordans who make the eponymous breakfast cereal. Interestingly the mill was converted to a pub and flats when we lived in Eaton Socon in the early 1980s.
On another day we took a river trip from All Aboard Boating. We hired a small motorboat and headed downstream towards Huntington. Some good water lillies both yellow and white ones. Despite the recent lack of rain, there was still plenty of water flowing down the river to allow the locks to operate. We managed to operate a couple of locks before turning around at Great Paxton and heading back.
On other little walks we did, we visited our old home on the Great North Road. Nobody was in, so we could not look around. The hedge I planted was still there. I think now that it was a mistake planting a Leylandii hedge, especially as it was not maintained properly.
We have friends near to Rushmere Country Park. When they entertain us, we visit the park with them, for a walk. We went in May and November. I take my camera along, (cameras because the last three images are with the new camera) and snagged some portraits of the birds on the ponds. In May there were the baby birds, hitching rides on their mothers’ backs, the sun was shining, and the reflections and colours were gorgeous. In November, the birds were coming in close hoping to be fed.
