Sewards of Petersfield - Rally Review

The 19th annual Marcle steam rally held at Much Marcle, near Ledbury in Herefordshire took place on the 16th and 17th of July this year in beautiful sunshine, in fact if anything, the weather was perhaps too good as, though busy, visitor figures were down on last years event suggesting that people preferred to stay at home and sunbathe.

Marcle is put on by the Herefordshire Traction Engine and Vintage Club and we think that they have found a winning formula in the way they present this event. The location is outstanding, a large flat field with plenty of room surrounded by beautiful countryside and numerous pubs! A nice touch is that the exhibitors are provided with a ploughmans lunch, this must be one of the few rallies that continue with this fine old custom.

All sections were well supported on both days with plenty to see. The programme boasted 36 steamers but in fact there were 30 on parade, these however were well presented and an interesting selection. The engines were encouraged to move about the site so long as care was taken and the public seemed to appreciate this. Several engines spent most of the weekend motoring about, notably the Foden steam tractor from Eastnor Castle which never seemed to stand still! Steam ploughing and sawing were demonstrated, as were other interesting machines including a cider press, all having an attentive crowd watching.

On Saturday evening, many of the steamers drove to the local pubs, returning to the rally field before dark or gathering at the 'Walwyn', a pub opposite the entrance to the rally field where a good time was had by all.

In our opinion, we can find nothing to criticise in Marcle rally, the organisation was efficient, the staff friendly and helpful and were eager to help. People were left alone to do as much or as little as they pleased which was no doubt appreciated by everyone.

We recommend Marcle rally to all, both exhibitor and visitor, there is something to interest everybody and in fact a good few organisers could learn from their success. We wish them well for their 20th anniversary rally next year.

What better site to hold a vintage vehicle show then on the south of England showground at Ardingly in West Sussex, it has everything that organisers and exhibitors could wish for, toilet blocks, showers, a road network and plenty of space, what could possibly go wrong? We visited Ardingly on Saturday 9th of July with great expectations as we had visited in the past and had fond memories of this event but it turned out to be not as we remembered it.

On entering the site we had to walk through the extensive market and autojumble before we even caught sight of the first exhibit but we would not be side tracked, we had come to see the engines. After a while gazing at 'Princess Mary' generating on the fairground we found the steam model section hidden amongst a field of caravans which was rather a shame as we felt sure that some people would have missed these wonderful models. Next, the full size steamers, 22 in all, fewer then we remembered in the past but a good selection of makes and types, our only comment being the condition a good many of them were presented in, less then 'concourse'.

Other sections were well represented, tractors, cars, commercials and stationary engines etc with vehicle parades throughout the day, the steamers first arena parade was at 11.30, rather ambitious we thought!

Ardingly has gone down in our estimation and is not as good as in the past. The engines are no longer allowed to drive about the site, even with the network of roads which is a great shame and everything seems cramped and untidy when there is so much space to use. It would appear that, as with a lot of events, making money is more important then anything else so the traders are taking over at the expense of the exhibitors. Let's get back to the old way of doing things, it was no less safe and everyone had a good time.

They were blessed with fine weather. This well established rally has been in its present location for a number of years. Kingsley steam and vintage rally, organised by the C.S.V.A.C. was held over the weekend of the 25th and 26th June this year and after a thundery start both days.

The C.S.V.A.C. is primarily a tractor and stationary engine club which is reflected in the high number of entries in these classes, but a good selection of other vehicles were on show. The steam section was well supported this year with 3 agriculturals, 2 rollers and a steam tractor in addition to a good number of models, unfortunately, as per most rallies these days, smoke was a bit of a nuisance due to the unavailability of good quality coal.

Generally speaking, Kingsley is a good 'club rally', not too big with a very relaxed atmosphere run by dedicated volunteers who want everyone to have a good time, and we think most people did. The engines were able to move about freely, much to the delight of the visitors, and there were plenty of other attractions to hold peoples attention.

Some improvements could be made in the signposting and advertising as, other then a few posters, nothing appeared in the local press which we think would have added to the visitor numbers. Next year, if the same site is used, perhaps the organisers could make better use of the ground available as some section were very cramped while others had a great deal of space, otherwise just keep up the good work. See you there next year.