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Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Some pics of Robert Leigh's Ulsteroid at 750 Beaulieu

Location: On the way to the VSCC goodwood sprint

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

A Side to Side is my longest single journey/one day drive. 451 miles in 12 hours. Here is an abridged version of an article that appeared in the 750MC Bulletin after the event.

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Left to right: Ken & Eileen Cooke, Janet Edroff & Gill Davies, Robert & Fenella Leigh, Nick Salmon

Lowestoft to Lands End Side to Side Run. April 11th 2009

The run was to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the 750 Motor Club and 40th anniversary of the Austin Seven Clubs Association.

Saturday dawned misty and damp and at 6.45am Ness Point looked even more bleak and gloomy than the day before, being a nondescript bit of concrete promenade sandwiched between a gasometer and a huge wind turbine in the industrial area of the town. Biz Bissell from the Norfolk Centre of the 750MC had already set up the start and Ken & Eileen Cooke and I took the opportunity to drive our cars down to the circular marker that declares the location to be the easternmost point of the UK.

Photographs completed we drove back up the slope to the starting point and I was just sorting last minute bits and pieces when Biz said ‘Do you want to go?’ As I wanted to get as much daylight as possible I said ‘Yes’ without hesitation and on the stroke of 7am I set forth, the first car away.

I had reckoned on taking about 14 hours but it soon became clear that the roads were very quiet and once out of Lowestoft I was able to press on at a reasonable cruising speed. I’d intended as Plan A to take the A12 down through Ipswich to the M25 and then round to the M3 before joining the A303 but on the spur of the moment decided to follow a route I had mapped out some weeks before and written out as a set of directions for each major turning.

I’d decided not to stop for anything other than petrol and pee breaks and to sustain myself on the packed lunch the Harbour Light’s landlady had given me instead of the ‘full english’ that was part of the b&b deal. Thanks goodness she did as otherwise I would have expired from malnutrition and dehydration somewhere around Exeter...

The run itself was totally uneventful. Just a steady drive at comfortable speeds, not pushing the car, or the driver, too hard. I was glad of the earplugs I had thought to bring as they dulled the rattle and roar of the mechanicals and got rid of the repetitive swish of modern cars hurrying by. The only holdups were at Stonehenge where the traffic queued for several miles in each direction, and on the M5 where there had been a multiple collision and the traffic was crawling by the scene.

It was about 4pm when it occurred to me that I might be able to crack the journey in under 12 hours and with that thought in mind I put in a fast average for the hour, of 42 mph. As anyone who has driven to Cornwall knows, you get to Exeter and think you don’t have a lot further to go – whereas the reality is that there are miles and miles ahead of you. It also feels as if every hill around Exeter only goes one way - up.

The sun was lowering in the sky as I came over Bodmin Moor, magnificently rugged, bare, and desolate. Not a place you’d want to breakdown. To welcome me to Cornwall the ignition light came on, meaning something amiss with the dynamo, but I chose to ignore it on the basis that I shouldn’t be needing the headlights if all went according to plan. Turned out to be a dirty commutator (must remember to wash behind my commutator in future!) which was soon put right at journey’s end.

On past Redruth and the familiar Cornish signature began to appear – the ruined chimneys and stone buildings of long-abandoned tin mines. There are unbelievable numbers of them; monuments to a great industrial past. Just after 6.30pm I skirted Penzance and lunged into the last 10 miles, praying that I wouldn’t get stuck behind someone out for a leisurely evening drive.

The roads had narrowed and stone walls lay in wait if enthusiasm outweighed care on the twisty switchback of these last miles but all was well and at 6.55pm I pulled into the driveway to the Lands End complex. A queue of cars lay ahead of me waiting to pay their entrance charge but I zipped round them and buzzed down the coaches lane, studiously ignoring the staff at the pay booth.

Then, horror. Where was the finish??? I ran into the complex (ran is an exaggeration, after that length of time in the driving seat I hobbled) but couldn’t see anyone, so a quick phone call to Andrew Jarmin, the marshal from the Cornwall Austin Seven Club, elicited they were ‘round the corner’.

I quickly drove there and was greeted by Andrew and his wife and friends as the ‘first one home’ with a finish time of 7pm. Exactly 12 hours from start to finish. Having left in murk I arrived on a stunningly beautiful evening with not a breath of wind, a calm sea, blue skies and the sun dipping to the horizon. It was a perfect end to the day – made all the more perfect when I was presented with a bottle of brandy for being the first to arrive and invited to join the Cornish team for a very welcome dinner.

Yes, I got the odd bit of numb bum and aching leg but in general the Ruby is remarkably comfortable. The fact that it covered that distance without any major malfunction is also pretty remarkable and I reckon Sir Herbert would be mighty proud of his ‘Dependable Austin’ 73 years on from the day it was first put on the road.

Stats:
Hour Distance Covered

1 37
2 41
3 40
4 31
5 43
6 41
7 26
8 35
9 40
10 42
11 37
12 38

451 miles in 12 hours. Avg speed 37.58 mph.

Approx 10 gallons of fuel - £38.47. 45.1 miles per gallon. Approx 4 pints oil used.

Route:
Lowestoft, A146 to Norwich, A11 to Newmarket, A14 to Cambridge, A428 to St Neots, A421 to Bedford/Milton Keynes/Buckingham, A4421 to Bicester, A41/A34 to Oxford/Newbury/Whitchurch, A303 to Andover/Honiton, A30 to Exeter, M5 round Exeter, rejoin A30 to Lands End.

Location: North Herts

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Great stories, please keep sharing.

Peter can you tell us more about Fearless Fred please?

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

I very much enjoy this post. Incidentally I'd like more shots of the Leigh's car I find lovely if there are any somewhere?
Thanks!
Renaud

Location: Sunny Brittany again!

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Good to see a picture of Bob Leigh. I bought my fabric saloon (mentioned above) from him. The fount of Austin Seven knowledge in Cambridge and great tea drinker acted as agent in the deal.
I went all over the highlands in the car.
Here it is on Drumochter Pass just before its last journey South.

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The body was well on the way out. The wheel-arches had collapsed and the driver's door had to be tied shut. Entry & exit via passenger side. It had lost its starting handle, I blame Dundee cobbles! It also had a failed dynamo so it did this final tour after exams were done and the whole 400 miles to Cambridge running off the battery with no charging.
I ran out of petrol just short of home and coasted into a petrol station in Arrington. That was the first time in over 500 miles the starter failed to turn it over. 6 volts works pretty well really!

Location: Melrose, Scottish Borders

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Looking at a Route Planner on the net, it's approx., 512 miles, each way.
This was in Oct 1967, I drove by myself from Winchester up to Inverkeilor (twixt Arbroath and Montrose), leaving early Friday morning, arrived after midnight and I slept under a hedge in my Gran's garden.. Drove back on the Sunday, again leaving (very) early morning, to be back for work on Monday morning. DON'T ask me why I did this, I don't know why, like a lot of things I did in the 60's.

I drove up the east coast way, so must have involved the M1, certainly went through Jedburgh, etc., coming back I recall Motherwell around 5am as the tab on the outside of the dizzy earthed itself to the metal casing.
e.g I stopped.. it took a little time to resolve with a weak torch...
I think part of the M5 was involved, which stopped at the M50, thus down to Cheltenham and on down through Cirencester etc.,

I got back to Winchester about 11pm, and I remember stopping* at a pub at the top of a hill south of the now M4 near Chisledon, and a pint going straight down , not touching the sides of the throat, another pint ordered within seconds... * Actually the car only just got up the hill due to a burnt out valve.

My family in Scotland still talk about me turning up, un-anounced and that the area in Gran's garden were I slept was over he cess pit.....

THIS IS THE 6TH attempt with the code...

Location: The very edge of Europe - West.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Not very long, but approx., 200 miles each way, Winchester to Sheffield and back over a number of week (also weak) end....
Then common sense and something more local took over.......

Again in the mid 1960's, I knew, including the biblical sense, a nurse in Sheffield, so would pop up there.

I can certainly remember feeling the heat from the steel works through the car windows as I left Sheffield around 4 am to get back to Winchester for work Monday morning.

Both these entries were in my bog standard '34 RP, CG 7241.

Location: The very edge of Europe - West.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

I missed out the name of the agent in my deal for UR 7179 with Bob Leigh. It was Ray Walker who had his famous Austin Seven establishment in Perowne Street for very many years. He was the cause of a very high A7 population in Cambridge. A great character.

Location: Melrose, Scottish Borders

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Uhmn, ready R's OP, with details, I have written the trips up somewhere else, so will have to locate them.....
Yes, also the JoGLE, solo in under 24 hours, but that also included an hour's sleep at Exeter, so I can only claim 750 miles as a single journey, though I did stop approx., every 3 hours, 120 miles, for taking on and letting out liquids, etc.,

Location: The very edge of Europe - West.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Jim, it was Ray Walker who had my 'CG 7241' in his barn for many years, 1976 - 1999, I found my old car through a Probate notice on the web, 3 weeks after the auction, it took me 4 years to track it down through 4 further, short term, owners before I bought it back again - it's long tale of it's disappearance in the early 70's.

Location: The very edge of Europe - West.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Why did your Gran make you sleep under a hedge on top of a cesspit Sandy?

Location: Wessex

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Jim Holyoake
It was Ray Walker who had his famous Austin Seven establishment in Perowne Street for very many years. He was the cause of a very high A7 population in Cambridge. A great character.


You may be interested to see this post from Facebook by his son just two days ago...

"Gerald Raymond Walker

Yesterday at 10:45am

A bit of nostalgia from the early 1960s. The yard of Ray Walker's garage in Perowne Street, Cambridge. Some interesting Sevens in the left hand photo. 1922 Chummy at the front and, on the row behind, a 1931 boat tailed 2 seater and a Gordon England Stadium. The large car at the back is a 1939 1.5 litre SS Jaguar."


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Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

WOW! That brings back memories!
Ray liked to use XK Jaguars which were then very cheap and usually rusty. I went with him viewing various cars in the one in the 2nd picture.
Apart from the yard and the row of garages as in the picture he had a range of barns full of interesting stuff. I was tempted by a 4-seater Arrow in about 1985 but ended up with Nippy ARB 912 from Norfolk.
One day, when I was there with a friend, he went and got a big aluminium cast engine side plate and asked us to guess what it was. He then took us into another shed where he had a huge 37.2HP Hispano-Suiza.
Happy days!

Location: Melrose, Scottish Borders

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

I'm sure we could start an entire thread just about Ray. A real character and, as has already been said here, almost entirely responsible for the hot spot of Austin 7 ownership in Cambridge. I still have my first Austin 7, purchased in 1970 and 'brokered' by Ray...

Location: Cambridge

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...


Having just put my tea break to good use, I was interested to see the current status of some of the cars in Ray Walker's yard.

Of the six with legible number plates, The AB tourer OR 2996 and the '29 AE tourers UW 815 and UW 3791 are all on the A7CA register.

The '26 tourer YB 7720 is on the DVLA database, but not on the Register.

Of RP saloon JR 2213 and ARR Ruby BNG 51 I can find no trace. They may of course still be around, though defunct for long enough not to appear on DVLA records. I have a feeling that I may have seen the Ruby on Ebay a while ago. At least the registrations don't appear to have been pillaged for use on a modern.

Location: Herefordshire, with an E not a T

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

I misquoted my Nippy registration it was ARB 428. I sold it about 1997/8 in Weston-Super Mare and it isn't on any list I've seen.
I also got my Ruby BVE 18 from Ray. I dismantled it having rolled it into a field on a dark night and it having a load of other problems too. The chassis was a trailer for a long time.

Location: Melrose, Scottish Borders

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Jim Holyoake
I misquoted my Nippy registration it was ARB 428. I sold it about 1997/8 in Weston-Super Mare and it isn't on any list I've seen.
I also got my Ruby BVE 18 from Ray. I dismantled it having rolled it into a field on a dark night and it having a load of other problems too. The chassis was a trailer for a long time.



Jim - Sadly ARB 428 is now on a 2007 Jaguar XK. The vandals have obviously got to it.

Location: Herefordshire, with an E not a T

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

I will try to load a few pictures of the Ulsteroid. It goes to mainland Europe quite regularly, usually to participate in something, particularly the Fougeres Rally, Chanteloup-les-Vignes Hillclimb and the Vintage Revival at Montlhery. It has also been to Italy and Scandinavia, driven round the old Mille Miglia course in 2004, and done the Gardesloppet in Stockholm twice. It was trailered to Italy, but under its own steam for other events.
Now to try and load some pictures!
Sorry, it'll have to wait; it seems I need a photobucket album whatever that is. If someone gives me some instructions I can understand in words of one syllable it may be possible.

Robert Leigh

Location: Cottenham, Cambridge

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Robert,

If you email me your photos I will be very happy to upload them here for you.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

A trip to the village of Hope in the Hope Valley,Derbyshire from Colchester. Mileage of about 190 miles with no problems. Did the trip with my wife and son in the late 80's. My wife thinks we left at 5am and arrived there at about 11am. Stayed with my wife's parents and also attended the Chatsworth A7 rally with the Ruby.

Stephen

Location: Colchester

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

The longest and most "exciting" journey in my Austin 7 was from Aberdeen Scotland to Crowborough in Sussex.

It was in the winter of 1980. I was working for an American company and was assigned to Houston Texas so i left Aberdeen to go to my house in Sussex. the beginning of the rip was OK but as I approached Sheffield it began to snow heavily. The temperature had been dropping and so i stopped and put on more cloths and a pair of women's tights. ( a trick I learnt on the oil rigs in the North Sea)
After a while on the M1 I noticed no other cars and the A7 was beginning to have trouble with traction in the snow. I stopped and put ropes on the rear wheels (like chains) and carried on.
South of Sheffield I was stopped by a police Land Rover. They were amazed I was still going. They let me carry on. Apparently the M1 had been shut down but I guess I did not "get the memo". Driving in these conditions was slow going. I remember doing around 30 MPH on the M1

Anyhow I finally arrived in Sussex at about 2 in the morning for a total of 19 hours

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Good story Pat

Location: oz

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Talking with Bill Sheehan about long journeys in an Austin Seven reminded him of a trip in the mid 70's to South Australia for a national rally.
In his 1925 Chummy he did the 800 miles round trip in a weekend, then repeated this the following weekend for another Adelaide event. He found the Chummy bucket seats more comfortable than seats in his then 'modern'.
Isn't there a story about the fellow who designed the bucket seats for the Austin Healey basing them of the seats in his Chummy??

Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Funny - I've only just remembered another epic. 1974, my then g/f and I in the company of Sue and Gerald Walker, holidayed in the hamlet of Tomich near Drumnadrochit, just south of Inverness, both couples in 1933 Box Saloons. We had traveled up over a couple of days, stopping at the end of day 1 at a BnB in Jedburgh. We had a delightful holiday in a rather basic little cottage which we rented in a rather remote spot. The whole place was so far back in time, the local Post Office still had a poster up encouraging you to buy War Bonds with an image of MV San Demitrio on it (if you don't know, look it up)

Anyway, quite why now escapes me, but we did the return journey in one hit, leaving the Cottage at 8am and eventually getting back to Cambridge at around 3 the following morning - a journey of about 530 miles. I can remember that my feet seemed to have become slightly detached from my legs and felt as if they were pointing inwards by the time we got home..

Location: Cambridge

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

I had a similar experience to Pat in a snow storm in about 1979, having been down to Cornwall in the Ruby and returning to my home in Somerset. I managed to get as far as Honiton on the A30 but the road was closed by the drifts, and I ended up spending the night in a Roman Catholic seminary which had opened its doors to freezing waifs and strays.
The next morning the roads were still closed but I managed to make it back to the deserted M5 at Exeter and having wrapped the cables from my jump leads around the rear wheels, set off. I too was stopped by the police and given 'appropriate advice' and told I was the only car that had made it that far. I was allowed to continue the few miles to the Taunton junction where I turned off and continued, slipping and sliding all the way homewards through Langport and Somerton. I got to within a mile of home before being brought to a halt and walked the rest of the way, returning to collect the car when the thaw began.
My longest ever journey was a weekend trip up to Glasgow from Somerset to visit my cousin, the late Iain Banks, in about 1976. For some reason I went up the M1, which seemed a reasonable thing to do in those days... On the way back it took me 12 hours, stopping only for pees and petrol - the Ruby behaved faultlessly all the way but broke its crank a week later on my way to work.
I recall getting lost in Glasgow and stopping in the Gorbals to ask directions (nothing like living dangerously), ending up with a gang of half a dozen kids in and on the Ruby showing me the way!

Alastair, even further south these days but still east of Sandy, Roger, Brian & co

Location: Port Isaac, Cornwall

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Alastair
to visit my cousin, the late Iain Banks

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Alastair,

Whilst driving thro' Glasgow in the Chummy in 1973 I was approached at traffic lights by a "wee scallywag" who enquired"are you the original owner Mister?"
I hadn't realised that you were related to Iain Banks by the way,I have all his books on the shelves at here Dunford Towers ,my absolute favourites.

Hugh,whilst at Tomich I wonder if you met my elderly relatives,Alice and Willie MacDonald?
That's a lovely part of the world.

Location: Wessex

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Longest journey for me so far - 10 miles. And the carb jet only blocked up once :)

This weekends job, remove and flush fuel tank and fit a filter.

Next week I might get brave and go for 12!

Simon

Location: Auckland

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Talking of long journeys I have just been given a PDF of the report in an Australian newspaper from 1938 covering the story of an Australian and a Canadian, Cameron and Kidd, who travelled 17000 miles in six months from England to Australia driving an 1937 Austin Seven Tourer.
Not heard of this trip before- I don't think I can post a PDF here, but if anyone is interested I will send a copy.

Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Yes please.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

R,
Done!
Tony

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Me too Tony thanks, Russell

Location: oz

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Russell,
Done.
Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Thanks for passing that on Tony, I think the vehicle looks to be an Austin 10.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

R,

Right as usual- I should have looked at the picture- the wheels are a giveaway!
Sorry all

Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

'25 body Chummy on a '27 chassis (lighter body, better brakes, very good combo) - completed 360 miles in 11-12 hours in northern France in August 2014. I drove from near Calais to Pegasus Bridge and back again with a 1980 Citroen 2CV. The car ran like a watch all day, just about keeping up with the 2CV! It was very happy sitting at 50mph most of the time apart from on extended uphill sections when 2nd gear was necessary.

The final 4 hours of the trip were in continuous heavy rain at night. I hadn't packed the side screens so that wasn't an option, but I didn't get at all wet, there wasn't water gushing through the windscreen, I just remember feeling invincible in the dark and the rain, car running perfectly etc. I rigged the lights up to a large 80aH 12v battery because the scuttle mounted 6v mood lighting isn't really sufficient for night driving as I'm sure you all know. On the 12V battery it worked perfectly! I focussed the off side lamp so that my long range lighting was improved and if necessary I could move it to where I wanted, and the other I dispersed - worked really nicely, and I arrived back at my campsite at 0200 to find that a drunk idiot had fallen over my tent and ruined it, filling it with water! I still need a new one if you're reading this, you know who you are... Apart from a soggy sleeping bag, the only thing that went wrong was that I forgot to put my extra gallon of fuel in when it was needed and consequently came to a spluttering halt, but thats on me.

Great drive, great company, great moules and most of all great car. Well done little car.

 photo Screen Shot 2015-12-27 at 15.46.02_zpsl0avarjy.png

Location: Salisbury

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...



Sorry to read about the tent flattening!

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Slightly outside your specification but here it is :-

In 1967 I accompanied by my girlfriend at the time drove my RP Box Saloon down to Beaulieu Rally on Saturday (303 miles one way) Slept in our tent at the roadside - did the rally and drove back Sunday straight after the rally and was at work 9am Monday morning.
Bloody barmy !
We had 10 p left with an empty tank on our return - talk about cutting it fine.
The only issue was the need to use the headlamps sparingly to keep the battery charged, could be done then.
Would not be too sensible now.
It was a great adventure for us at the time, which is why I still am a big advocate of using the cars now.

Location: The Centre of the Universe

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

In 1966 I went to Beaulieu for the first time, there and back in the day, about 440 miles in my RN saloon. I had to pull into a layby near Lichfield for a cat nap, the eye lids were getting heavy. More recently in 2003 Falmouth to Stockport, 360 miles in 9 hours, but I cheated and used the M5 leaving it just before the M6.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Looking back, I cannot believe that we lived life like we did - Alice was our only form of transport for three years ....

Now I worry if I use the car for the 25 mile round trip to work.

The trials this week has made me less apprehensive and I have resolved to do more miles this coming year.

Back in those years in the 70's I was working in Wellington (Somerset) and Jan finishing her education in Loughborough, so I would drive up the Fosse Way on Friday night and leave at 4am Monday in order to get to work on time.

That went on for nearly a year, and I always made it.

Bonkers!

Simon

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Not precisely in keeping with the theme but, as mentioned elsewhere, the NZ VAR mag recently ran an account of a 1925 stunt by an agent with a Seven “Tiger” (?? like chummy) with two (contemporary sized) occupants. Auckland to Wellington return 1,000miles “non stop” in 47 hours, 20 minutes. Via Taranaki, not the most direct route but probably the one with the least empty country, least major climbs, least unmetalled road and fords, and with the bonus of a few miles of seal. Maximum altitude only about 800 ft but numerous repeat climbs involved. 50 mpg, 6 pints of oil (which proclaimed!). The trip was done in May when sunset about 6pm so presumably with a full moon! Then about the only regular through motor traffic for much of the route would be service cars; American tourer cars adapted to provide an occasional passenger and mail service.
Not to be outdone a SI agent conducted a circular tour of the northern half of that island in 1927. Route involved two saddles over 3000 ft, other serious climbs, and several unbridged rivers, either forded or crossed on a horse drawn wagon. 680 miles in 24 hours, 45 mpg.
Could have been grand experiences, depending on the weather! At least they had no traffic lights or hidden speed cameras to contend with. Or oncoming dazzle! Or tourists on the wrong side.
If only travel in old (or any) cars was so interesting today.

Bob Culver

Location: Auckland, NZ

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

As many of you will know I am a great exponent of long journeys by Austin 7! My journeys are not the longest but generally make up for that with the amount of climbing involved. I believe that when you are hill walking there is a formula that every 1000 feet of ascent equates to four miles of level walking, or whatever, so presumably there will be a similar rule for Austin 7 motoring.
One of my most memorable runs was in 2001 when I decided to drive the RL saloon from Thirsk in North Yorkshire to Chepstow. The first leg of the journey was from
Thirsk to Ludlow. Looking at the atlas this seemed a daunting prospect trying to avoid the major industrial cities. Motorways were out of the question. I photocopied the large scale Philips Navigator atlas onto about a dozen A3 sheets which were held together with a bulldog clip. The Navigator atlas is too big and heavy to use in the Austin, if it is open it falls off the seat onto the floor.
My A3 copies of the atlas were in black and white so I had no idea whether the roads were red, green, brown or yellow. With a red felt tip pen I marked the most direct route across each page and ended up with an almost dead straight red line linking Thirsk and Ludlow.
I set off and had a super journey, avoiding all the major towns and using many roads that were unclassified. I remember that somewhere in the Midlands I was actually driving along a canal tow path to the astonishment of walkers, especially when I had to cross the canal on a narrow bridge only about a foot wider than the Austin! I recall that a short section of the route was a muddy track. Even so, I got to Ludlow mid afternoon which proves that if you can plod along as the crow flies, you can make good progress. The problem with motorways is that they tend to take you the long way round.
Looking forward to some more good trips in the Austins in 2016!

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Malcolm - what a great effort, Congrats. And I particularly enjoyed your metaphors - plod along as the crow flies - I'm still trying to visualise it in a Seven! Cheers, Bill in Oz

Location: Euroa

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Hi, wrt to OR 2996 that you mention below, I have found a short film clip of this from 1966 in my dad's Single 8 home movie archive. Driving behind us near Buckingham Palace.
I can't find the car in the A7CA register - is there another way of tracing the current owner? Thought I'd share the footage with them.

Regards

Oliver Hale

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Last Thursday, 30th March 2017, I drove my 1930 RK from Tenby in south Wales to Stafford, a distance of 178 miles, in 5.5 hours ( plus two comfort stops!) with two up and a fair amount of luggage. I know many have achieved far more in one day but not bad I think for an 87 year old car and its OAP driver of 79 years!

The car ran very well despite a small issue with the nearside rear brake and averaged 32 mph and 40 mpg. The car is quite standard with Austin crank and rods, up draught FZ22 carb., and low compression head.

You will notice the speedo reading: downhill with the wind behind of course!

The Garmin GPS was pre-programmed at home before our trip to my wife’s exact and chosen route she had prepared using a map. This is then plotted on a PC and then downloaded to the Garmin. Takes a little time but it takes the strain out of navigating on the road and the voice command I like very much and can hear well in the RK despite the wonderful A7 noises and my poor hearing.

Here I hope ar three pics:

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 photo 0785.jpg

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Lovely!

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...


Have done the Lowestoft to Lands End a couple of times -- in one day -- around twelve to thirteen hours in my special. Remarkable tthat driving an Austin Seven over that sort of distance is not more tiring. Reckon I would fall asleep in a modern.
I suspect some of the Jogglers will have done greater distances.

Charles

Location: Norfolk

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

I've often wondered if any one has ever done Lowestoft to Ardnamurchan Point.

Location: Bristol

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

Now there's a thought. More interesting than jogle too, I'd imagine.
I've done it, or something like in a sailing boat but don't suppose that counts.

Re: Longest single journey in your Seven...

It would be hell of an anti-climax arriving at Ardnamurchan point after the journey from Lowestoft in an Austin 7, Amenities are somewhat limited, there might be a telegraph pole to pee against!

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