OK, the weather forecast was not convincing but positive enough to give it a try and take our Pagoda with us for a trip through the Lake District in the UK. The overnight boat trip across the North Sea was rather rough as there were stormy winds and we had an old fashioned ferry heavily rolling on the waves. Besides us there were lots of Cito
n Ducks (2CV)
swimming
to Great Britain, heading for the 2 annual world meeting in the north of the isle. The 2CV people appeared to have a total different appreciation of their cars than most of us do. The more
personalised
, the cooler the car. They gave hardly any attention to our Pagoda. The gap between car types was apparently too big. (See for example
http://www.citrobe.org/convertables.htm)
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After leaving the ship in Newcastle, many signs warned us to keep left while driving, in order to prevent continental people would think that everyone else was driving on the wrong side of the road. After a 120 mile ride we arrived at our bed and breakfast address in Thelkeld, a village in the middle of Lake District. Our aim was to drive through the beautiful scenery and to visit castles / houses with the famous English gardens.
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There were plenty scenic routes with passes and magnificent views possible. On steep roads up and down of 25% to 30% over sometimes a mile, the Pagoda could prove its quality. And it did. In the 2nd and sometimes in the 1st gear it showed its power. The smooth clutching and shifting made you feel confident that the car could easily make it. Only when the engine was cold in the morning it did its climbing work the first five minutes or so a bit nasty. And what a powered break system! So well balanced doing its work without using a lot of pressure on the pedal. We could experience this pleasure 5 in the 7 days with the top down. One day it was uncomfortable cold ( 12 degrees C) and we had one day only rain.
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Not everything was as pleasant as it could be. The British are known for their politeness. Not on the road! Fast driving everywhere, bumper pushing making you unsure, many big cars like Range Rovers and BMW X5 on narrow roads where you only pass each other on passing places. They just stop and wait until you are trying to find a passing place while driving backwards, loudly horning when you decide not to do so in order to prevent damage to your car. We experienced little respect for a classic car as ours and saw only five others, 1 jag and 4 MG-s, on our 750 mile trip. No Pagodas. On the other hand pedestrians showed their enthusiasm seeing the for them unusual classic car . The casher in one gas station said he was grateful that we stopped at his station to fill up such a great car. Others offered their daily cars for exchange. No way!
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Speaking about a gas station, we faced a big problem the moment the gas tank got thirsty. Only Regular Unleaded 95 and Diesel are on the signs. That is really problematic knowing you have a demanding task for you engine in mind for the next days. By asking around we found out that some gas stations also delivered Super 97 while not signed. We were also told that this type of gas will be faded out the coming years. How are our UK members going to deal with the situation that only Regular 95 will be for sale? Are they all getting in need to redo their engines to make them suitable for Regular 95?
Back in Newcastle al lot of Ducks were in line to embark again. They had been together with 3000 in really Ducky weather: plenty of rain resulting in plenty of pools to park in. Some got even pools inside their cars, others had lost some feathers like a bumper or a light. No problem, Ducks are easily to repair and for half of the price of the boat trip you can buy another one told a guy whose break and clutch systems had broken down. The parking guides separated the Ducks from the 2 other classic cars on the boat. The Ducks were packed on the upper deck. Our car and a MG6 of a couple that had done a golf holiday in the UK got a spacious spot with little chance of unwanted kisses of doors of other cars. Back in Holland we looked back on a nice and safe Pagoda trip. What we missed were the signs at the exit of the harbour that the British visitors warn for the odd habit that the people on the continent use to drive on right lane.
Gerard Wuisman
1970 280sl