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Post by shedman on Aug 20, 2016 18:06:40 GMT
Well not long to go, only a few days left until GDSF 2016.
We will be departing on Tuesday afternoon. Travelling by coach again this year.
Will be based in Southampton this time, arriving there on Wednesday and travelling to and from the steam fair each day.
Will be visiting Shrewsbury steam rally on the bank holiday Monday.
Looking forward to meeting fellow Mebos around the site at GDSF.
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Post by westons1 on Aug 23, 2016 10:58:21 GMT
Well that itinerary sounds great! I've not been to the Salop Steam Rally since the days when it was held in Church Stretton! A long time ago!
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Post by Admin, AKA MebomechanicNo1 on Sept 6, 2016 19:02:57 GMT
I arrived the Saturday before the show because we had to get the various trailers organised; only to discover that Miles had been there since the previous week and had already collected Morag and got the trailers out ready for the show. I collected Maggie on Wednesday, and we left on the day after Bank Holiday Monday, having put the trailer away and taken Morag back to her barn. Unfortunately the only memos I saw were Lazy Ferret (through the windscreen of the RR as we arrived) and LUI who was working in the Heavy Haulage arena and Miles who was of course working on the trailer and Morag with me. better luck next year. People who have contact with other memos please remind them to use this site or it will all disappear.... PS Also met Croc who is now with Deisel Heavy Haul;age
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Post by lazyferret on Sept 6, 2016 19:38:39 GMT
We did see you Eric, On the Saturday I think, as you took Morag out of the Play Pen and reversed her up to the rope in the display area, but you seemed to be busy talking to several people. To be honest, we had just sat down for a coffee under cover and it was threatening to start raining.
We were camped next to George and his lovely girlfriend Kathryn, so saw them a lot.
We also saw Pasty and Squirrel, but that was all.
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Post by Admin, AKA MebomechanicNo1 on Sept 7, 2016 18:58:38 GMT
I am sure I saw you the previous Saturday in or around Red 2 and if it wasn't you and your lovely wife and ferrets have a host of doppelgängers...
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Post by lazyferret on Sept 8, 2016 0:17:06 GMT
I am sure I saw you the previous Saturday in or around Red 2 and if it wasn't you and your lovely wife and ferrets have a host of doppelgängers... Not us Gov, worryingly, we must have a host of Doppelgängers, as we did not get there until the Monday PM, as Public camping did not open till late this year. We were on Public camping Red 5, which was up behind the auto jumble area.
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Post by Admin, AKA MebomechanicNo1 on Sept 8, 2016 17:45:36 GMT
I am sure I saw you the previous Saturday in or around Red 2 and if it wasn't you and your lovely wife and ferrets have a host of doppelgängers... Not us Gov, worryingly, we must have a host of Doppelgängers, as we did not get there until the Monday PM, as Public camping did not open till late this year. We were on Public camping Red 5, which was up behind the auto jumble area. It must have been when I had just collected Mrs R on Wednesday night becos I was driving in and the only times I did that were the previous Saturday and the night I collected herself
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Post by shedman on Sept 8, 2016 20:35:59 GMT
Hi, Shedman here, reporting for duty!
Eric, I got your email regarding this forum.
Have been busy since returning from GDSF.
Father and I had a great time at Dorset this year. The good dry weather made for easy walking around the site. We saw Eric and his Scammell in the playpen and we met Pasty Muncher, over at Saunder's stage. We did not meet or see any other Mebos at all. Father was looking out for Lui. A few times during the day, we popped into the RAT, to see if there were any Mebos in there, but we found no Mebos.
In the RAT, we had a pint of "Big steam ale". During the afternoons, the RAT was surprisingly quiet, with few people inside, although there were bands playing on stage. I expect it was busy in the evening.
We got to see the display of steam ploughing, a very informative and impressive display. We spent a lot of time around the road making display too, we looked out for Herbert Austin, but did not see him. The road making is a great display, very well presented.
Spent quite a lot of time beside the play pen watching all the heavy haulage action. The play pen seemed to have less vehicles in it this year than normal.
Someone told us that engines on low loaders had been refused entry, because they failed police weigh bridge restrictions, therefore fewer engines on site. I know nothing more about this.
A first for me this year, was seeing the railway locomotive heavy haulage display, moving through the site on the Thursday morning. I followed it all the way to the play pen. I have missed it every other year, I was in the right place at the right time this year.
All in all, we had a great three days at the GDSF.
The only downside was that we missed out on the late stay evening, which is the highlight of the trip. The coach driver said that Southampton was too far away, to make a late return to the fair, for the evening.
I hope everyone had as good a time as we had.
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Post by Admin, AKA MebomechanicNo1 on Sept 9, 2016 13:13:34 GMT
Good to know that my experiment with the email worked and glad to see you back on board. if as I assume you have booked a trip to GDSF and if the late return is an advertised feature of it, you should complain to the organisers and demand a refund and an assurance it wont happen again.
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Post by shedman on Sept 9, 2016 19:02:28 GMT
Hello Eric,
In addition to loosing the late evening, the coach driver cancelled the annual advertised visit to the southern counties GDSF auction, this is a highlight for many people on the trip.
The coach driver said there was no time to visit the auction this year.
The Southampton hotel was chosen by the driver, because he had friends and relatives already staying at the hotel.
At the start of the trip, the coach was an hour late for pick up.
The travel company that we use is a owner/driver company.
Quite a number of us complained while on the trip and it was suggested that we go elsewhere.
Father and I are not the only ones who will be seeking an alternative means of travel to GDSF next year.
Hope you and Miles had a great time with the Scammell at GDSF.
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Post by Admin, AKA MebomechanicNo1 on Sept 12, 2016 18:37:39 GMT
Hello Eric, The travel company that we use is a owner/driver company. Quite a number of us complained while on the trip and it was suggested that we go elsewhere. Father and I are not the only ones who will be seeking an alternative means of travel to GDSF next year. Hope you and Miles had a great time with the Scammell at GDSF. AAHH! the driver is actually the guy who owns the company and runs the trip? That explains a lot! Did you and your father not at one time travel under your own steam (no pun intended)? I seem to recall you stayed in a hotel in Bornemouth, or is that with this guy who is now suiting himself with a 'captive audience'? Cheers
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Post by Admin, AKA MebomechanicNo1 on Sept 12, 2016 18:47:45 GMT
PS I found a crowd called Edentours (unfortunately based in Wales, where the sheep come from) who offer a four day trip to GDSF. their web site is and if I have done this right there is a link to it HEREthey say DORSET STEAM FAIR Highlights: Bournemouth DORSET STEAM FAIR YOUR HOTEL: 3* Suncliff Hotel On the East Cliff. Hotel has restaurant, bar, lounge and pool. All rooms have private facilities. YOUR ITINERARY: Day 1. Travel on to your hotel in Bournemouth. Day 2/3. Visiting the Great Dorset Steam Fair. Entrance fees included. One evening late departure from the show. Day 4. Depart for home after breakfast.. But the dates are from September 2015!
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Post by shedman on Sept 13, 2016 18:28:10 GMT
Eric, thanks for the link to Edentours.
Their GDSF trip looks good.
We will contact them regarding the GDSF 2017.
Yes, we travelled to GDSF on our own, from 2004 to 2011 and stayed on site in a rented caravan.
Travelling and staying on our own gave us the best of the GDSF but the travelling was becoming very expensive, so that is why we returned to the coach trip.
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Post by Admin, AKA MebomechanicNo1 on Sept 16, 2016 18:04:06 GMT
I found a site Herethat claims you can get from Belfast to Poole for between £52 and £121 in 4 hours 9 minutes. I routinely pick Maggie up from Poole where she goes from London when she comes down, but getting you back to Poole after the show would be more problematic because I have to get the Scammell and trailer put away then get the caravan packed up and off site. (But you should be able to get a taxi). But it could still work out quite expensive by the time the rented caravan was added on top.
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Post by shedman on Sept 19, 2016 20:23:43 GMT
Thanks again Eric, for that link, for travel from Belfast to Poole.
I have not seen that site before.
We have contacted a couple of local Irish tour companies, who in the past, have advertised tours to the GDSF.
We got replies from them, saying that they only ran their GDSF tours for a year, just to try them out.
They said that they may consider GDSF again in the future, if they can get sufficient numbers, but nothing at present.
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