Volkswagen Ruin a Great Day at Southsea

Yes once more a trip ruined by VW and their blessed Caddy van which has now suffered 3 faulty fuel injectors and this time probably managed to strand us at the furthest distance. Their VW assist cover provides AA relay but starting at just after 5 pm, with their chap in a van it was gone 8pm before we got going and after 1am when we arrived back in Lower Peover. I couldn't get Weebly site to work on Saturday night hence no blog then either so I expect we had vanished from your radar. On Saturday I filmed at Brighton in the morning and Portsmouth in the afternoon meeting very pleasant fellow enthusiasts at both locations although many locals had headed off to get shots of the open toppers at Epsom Derby.

The Southdown day was truely memorable and with well over 60 Southdown vehicles and all manner of other visiting preserved buses and indeed those in operation and some commemorative vehicles amongsat them notably Wilts & Dorset it was a really great turn out. The organising team had no experience in running the Southsea rally of old although well versed in taking vehicles and stalls to the event. Typically this sort of thing involves councils and their rules and regulations , anyway the team thrashed away and turned out a suitably notable occasion to make this anniversary. I was at Amberley for the 75th, a few of the golden oldies have dropped off the roster but of course there are now the likes of Britol VRs and Leyland Nationals etc taking us though to the early Stagecoach livery so a wide span of the company's history is covered. Lots of people there, perhaps a tad too many stands as ever which will be the case at Alton but this is a source of revenue vital for the events. We had a good wide expanse of stock available and it was great catching up with our central southern friends on the coast who we might not have seen since the demise of Southsea rally and indeed when we stopped going to the Stokes Bay rally.  I think there were a few tensions early on but with the obvious success all round I think most people had relaxed a little by the afternoon. Stagecoach had their special livery buses there in a display near the seafront side of the field. The sun shone for 90% of the day which was fresh but very bright as my sunburn attests, a real red nose day today.

Very busy after such a late night back from the event and an early start as I had to catch up and try to get ready for our departure to France tomorrow. We are staying overnight at Ashford near the tunnel ready for an early train Wednesday morning and then straight to Lomoges my first stop, hopefully Weebly will co operate a little and allow me to post the blog each evening as we should have access most of the stop overs including our 6 nights on the outskirts of Montpellier. I'm trying to download the film from the weekend, not much chance of getting DVDs done although I might get a couple run off. There are DVDs on London and the South Coast plus the rally at Southsea, I got lots of coverage and tried to do some none bus shots of the atmosphere and crowds and team at work, a job very well done, after this Julian Bowden and team will be looking at the Herne Bay rally and more councils matters to get through over in Kent, can we book the same weather, mind you some of the buses would be very welcome as well!!!