Table of Contents
DAY 1: THURSDAY 08 JUNE 2023
Next camping adventure !
Before I went to Scotland, I’d booked a few days away to go to a race meeting at the Oulton Park Race Circuit, together with a bit of a ramble round the Delamere Forest. As you know, I like to go away BEFORE the school holidays – mainly because I can !
I think I went to Oulton when I had the hill climb Mini for a sprint meeting, many millennia ago – can’t remember that far back…..
So a few days booked at the Camping & Caravan Club site in the Delamere Forest plus tickets for the TCR UK Touring Car Championship round, run by the BRSCC (British Racing & Sports Car Club). This championship is not so commercial as the British Touring Car Championship, so shouldn’t be so busy. It has different support races as well. I gather that the atmosphere is very relaxed, so hopefully good paddock access……
Being mid-week, the campsite was quite quiet initially, but really very hot and dusty – it was one of those HOT weeks. I guess it will fill up for the weekend….
Nice level plot for a change, but no electric hook up. Like most CCC sites, a predominance of motor homes and caravans. So, not content with one tent up, I put up the spare up as well – drying out from the Scotland trip.
Walking tomorrow (Friday)
DAY 2: FRIDAY 09 JUNE 2023
After a somewhat cold overnight, the day dawned dry and sunny – indeed I was woken up by the sun streaming in ….Breakfast and coffee x 2 and it was off into the Forest.
The campsite is positioned such that they have an access gate directly on to one of the main trails, the Blakemore Trail, which I used initially, then diverted on to the Hunger Hill Trail. After a cuppa and a scone at the Station House café at Delamere Station, it was the Old Pale Trail, which, reputedly, allows you to see seven different counties from the top the hill at the Old Pale Stones.
The walking was generally very much like what I’m used to from walking in my local Forest of Dean, but the facilities at the Visitor Centre, for example, are a lot better/bigger than in the FOD – must be the influence of Manchester and Chester, I guess, with a lot more visitors to cater for.
Altogether walked 14 k. A beautiful walking day, but I’m glad I started reasonably early, because it got to 24 Deg C in the afternoon !
Back at the campsite, I sat in the sun a bit and looked at what else I could do whilst in the area. Looks like Chester Zoo is the winner…..
DAY 3:SATURDAY 10 JUNE 2023
Race day ! Sunny/blue sky again, although the weather forecast was predicting a few thunderstorms – should make the racing interesting……
Not having been to Oulton Park for some time, I did not appreciate that at the more “relaxed” BRSCC type meetings, you can actually park quite close up to the circuit – almost up to the circuit perimeter fence. I had asked the young lady at the initial entrance booth where I should park. I didn’t realise until later that her reply of “anywhere” literally meant that ! Point for the future….
Into the paddock for a gawp ! The pits are quite open as well, so I had a crafty look in some of the garages – surprising what access you can get with a camera slung round your neck, until shoo’d away (very politely) by a lady marshal !
The TRC cars are basically modified saloon cars ( body-wise anyway) , but with a sensible amount of engine and suspension modifications allowed. The whole TRC concept was to try and produce a world-wide affordable saloon car racing category and keeping the costs within sensible budgets by having a very tight restricted specification and race rules. Seems to work.
There were other championships going on, including all sorts of variations on the Ford Fiesta theme (based on driver experience, horsepower, model type, etc) together with Honda Civic’s as well.
My usual modus operandi at this sort of thing is to do the pits/paddock first during the practice/qualifying sessions then walk around the outside of the track to see what vantage points are available, then select one for the racing itself.
I stayed at Lodge Corner for a while, which proved entertaining, as guys tried to find their braking points after the previous long straight – fun and lots of locked wheels/blue rubber tyre smoke everywhere…..
When they have Oulton on the TV, you get a false impression that the circuit is much flatter than it really is. I didn’t realise it was so undulating. Indeed, the Cascades/Hislops bends complex is in a bit of a natural bowl, trapping the heat somewhat ! The day got hotter and hotter – 31 Deg C at one point……. Later on in the afternoon, I retreated to the air conditioning in the car before driving round the other side of the circuit in search of a bit of shade – hard life this spectating !
Eventually (after the majority of the races), I ran out of endurance and returned to the campsite. After 2 ice lollies, an orange, a salt tablet, cup of tea and glasses of water I felt reasonably re-hydrated. I’d taken nearly 3 litres of liquid with me to the track, but that didn’t last long – the heat was fierce !
The humidity seemed to be on the rise in the evening and the rather delayed thunderstorms finally arrived at around 7PM. When it came the rain was torrential – almost Biblical – complete with thunder, lightning, the works. The sky was metallic grey, wall to wall. My big tent withstood all this lot with essentially no issues, apart from a small leak around a securing loop on the front door – easily fixable. One bonus – my new tent LED lights worked a treat.
DAY 4: SUNDAY 11 JUNE 2023
Woke up to the sun – again ! Nice sunrise….
Just as well it was sunny, as there were quite a few tent people having to dry stuff out after last night’s drenching. Lots of wet sleeping bags, groundsheets and towels hung up on every vantage point. I know my tent was a bit expensive, but it’s times like this when the extra money spent comes into its own……..
It turns out that today was the last day of the school holiday break in this part of the world, so there were some very unhappy family campers around – don’t worry, its only water ! It’ll dry out.
Off to Chester Zoo. I think I got a bit too much sun yesterday, so decided to “do” the zoo in the AM and not much in the PM. That was the plan……
It was packed ! What a fantastic zoo, loads of parking, well laid out, very green everywhere, plenty of places of us oldies to stop and sit, plenty and varied eateries to suit all tastes, etc – I sound like an advert for the place…. I didn’t realise it was so big and so varied. The place was obviously very busy and full of families and again hot and humid !
Some of the animals in the larger enclosures were a bit reluctant to come out into the heat (can’t blame them) but the hosing down of the elephants proved a great crowd-pleaser !
I’m sure I missed some stuff somewhere. I certainly spent more time there that I imagined I would, which, I think, is a good sign – I probably should come back during term time, not holiday time……
Back at camp, it was time to go into the usual routine of packing stuff up as much as possible for a quick getaway in the morning for the trek back home. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain overnight……
Most of the tent persons had disappeared already – back to school tomorrow, I guess.
Naturally, it rained overnight, so wet tent again ! Got it dry before I left though.
Then the fun started. Rumbling at the back of the car. Turns out the NSR tyre is flat. This is the wheel that got damaged on my Scotland trip, so I suspected a bit of rim damage, thus causing a slow puncture.
Suffice to say, I was not happy! Unloading the back of the car in a layby was not really on, so I decided to nurse it home with frequent stops to top up the pressure. Not the best ……
Got home OK, much to my relief – hot and humid again. Glad it was only a 140 mile journey.
Turns out it was a nail through the INSIDE of the tyre wall, which it why I didn’t spot it immediately. Another nearly new tyre into the bin !
Anyway, overall, a good few days away. That’s really my camping season done for the year as there’s lots of medical stuff coming up for me in the next few months – such fun.