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1986 “

Running up that Hill

” Tour of England

Dates	:	July 12 to July 26 1986
Car	:	1980 Triumph TR7
Distance	:	2847 km (1685 miles)

Having skipped vacation the year of my graduation, I was really looking forward to my 1986 summer vacation. Right after my graduation in the summer of 1985, I had bought this bright yellow Triumph TR7 and I was looking forward to try this out on a long vacation trip. With the Triumphs not being particularly well known for their reliability, I thought it would be a good idea to take my vacation in England. At least that way there would be little reason to worry about spare parts...

From Gouda (NL) it is a 2 hour drive to Oostende (B) where I catch the ferry to Dover (UK). It takes seven hours to cross the Channel, which has heavy traffic from boats of all sorts. Before we get to the white cliffs of Dover, we encounter a regatta of Dragon yachts, a Hydrofoil, and a Hovercraft, not to mention several oil-tankers and other merchant ships.

My first few miles on the wrong side of the road take me to a camping near Kingsnorth, where I stay for the night. Then it is on to Wadhurst - Eastburn - Seaford - Beachy Head - Bishop Stone - Sheffield Park... On those narrow, hedgerow bordered, country roads, it doesn't matter much what side of the road you drive, until you meet some oncoming traffic. Those hedgerows must be maintained, so I was briefly helt up by a tractor with brush mower, making perfectly vertical again, that what had dared to grow out.

There is something bright and it is travelling fast.

Not only are parts for the TR7 plentiful in England, there is also no shortage of mechanics that are familiar with the TR7.
So, when after just 3 days of hard driving, the car was already in need of new brake pads, a quick stop at a local garage, was all that was needed.

On it went again to Pietersfield - Salisbury - Marlborough - Stratford - Warwick.
Along the way, I stumbled upon a Cessna 172 in a spot of trouble. It had made an emergency landing in a field and in the process had blown a tyre. We all helped to get the plane out of the field and onto the road, where the plane was fueled and the tyre repaired. Then we watched it take off from the two lane country road. I made it the Stratford upon Avon in time for lunch at the Windmill Inn and a visit to Shakespear’s old house.

Of course I had to make a stop at Warwick Castle and spent some time exploring this wonderful medieval fortification. It is situated on a bluff in a bend of the river Avon, which gives it a wonderful view over the countryside. For a place that was built 800 years ago and has seen its fair share of battles it was in dang good shape. Must cost a pretty penny to heat though.

Further it went to Alcester and Wellesbourn.

At Wellesbourn I ran into a sports car meeting that I just had to join. Pitched my tent right behind the car and then started making new friends. The TR7s had their own spot, so they wouldn't “infect” the “real” sports cars, meaning those from the sixties.
Cars galore! Triumphs and MGs from the fifties and sixties, lot's of Jaguar E-types, as well as a sampling of cars from Lotus, Maserati, Porsche, TVR, and Aston Martin.

Via Cambridge and Loughton, I ended up in London. That is not a great place for driving around, but easily explored on foot and by underground, as so much history is concentrated in the relatively small space of the City.

Of course, I visited all the historical places. Hyde park with Kensington Palace, the Bank of England, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, and London Bridge.

Good foods all over London too. I found a little hole-in-the-wall Pakistani restaurant, that I just had to try. Their lamb vindaloo, quite possibly, is the spiciest food I have ever eaten. It should probably be included in all major arms treaties, as it could easily kill half the population of a medium sized European country. I survived and went on via Maidstone - Frinsted - Cantebury - Deal to Dover and my ferry back to the mainland

Not a spot of rain had fallen for three weeks, but it might have been narrow escape.
Special thanks to Kate Bush for embellishing this trip with just the right music.