TOC DUTCH TRIP

Well what good fun it all was!

John Ward driving (with Guy Gregory as riding mechanic cum navigator cum radio telephone operator) the Wooding Special, with Carole Whatton and self leading the way (not because Guy couldn’t navigate but because there was not an iota of room to stow a map let alone wield one in the Wooding), we set off from Guy’s house in Hatfield towards Harwich.

Our first port of call, so to speak, was to Arthur Archer’s whose establishment John wanted to visit. To our delight we saw Henry and Diana Harvey with their “65”, Clive and Sylvia in their racing “90” and with the Wooding, AYE 70 and a yellow wheeled “65” - Mr Archer seemed very pleased with the impressive line up of Talbots and many a camera click was heard. After a lot of telling and talking of Talbot tales to Mr Archer and his daughter Catherine, Colin Staines, and Ginger it was time to proceed.

As we approached our first hotel stop at Capel St Mary, disaster struck - the Wooding had ground to a halt! Dreadful thoughts of it being towed home shot through our minds. We waited in AYE 70 until we received a crackling message from Guy’s phone to say that they had re-started the car and were nursing it along.

After “checking in” at the hotel Capel St Mary a few miles from Harwich port itself, the Talboteers in the pouring rain went to the nearest PH for dinner. Game Pie was on the menu which seemed to be everybody’s favourite as it soon sold out. Meanwhile John and Guy arrived after leaving their gear at the hotel and after a cold beer related the story of their breakdown/s.  Of course the table talk then centred around Talbots, their maladies, attributes and their need for coils and condensers.

Quentin Chases and Suzie were the first to offer their spare coil which they thought necessary to bring on their Dutch trip, this was fitted to the Wooding and all retired to their beds to sleep reassured that the car was in good electrical health.

Up early next morning, Saturday for the shortish drive to the Port and passport control. The little huts the officials sit in were so dark inside, they appeared to be closed so driving straight past the barrier, I was seen by the port officials who waved at me frantically to stop and go back. So I did. Times were that an Englishman was never required to show a passport. Safely on board the Stena Britannica, cars stowed on car deck 3, we enjoyed a storm force South Westerly gale that blew the ferry to the Hook, - must have saved a lot on bunkers, and shouldn’t we have a refund on the fare?

Other than the gale, everything followed smoothly for the disembarkation at the Hook of Hague. The cars all started, phew what relief! We drove out of the port on the road toward the Benelux Tunnel. A procession of cars, Carole navigating- we missed the turning to the tunnel, there followed a drive round the back streets of Rotterdam to which the Wooding objected, its thirst for condensers becoming insatiable! Ten minutes later sparking again on all six, a discussion followed, where were we? Where do we go from here? Back home someone said.  We guessed correctly the direction. The storm did not abate, the wind blew cold and strong over the flat, wet, landscape sending the wind turbines propellers round as fast as I had ever seen them. We wished we were in the comfort of Don and Mary’s “75” saloon but unflustered AYE 70 strove on as the wind along the Stormvloedkering in de Oosterschelde was untiring in it efforts to blow our hats off into the Neeltje Jans Roompot (or sea).

At last we reached Veere, a neat little town with the most delightful hotel, Waepen van Veere serving a Nuevo cuisine dinner at its best, with so many courses as well. Most enjoyable. After this dinner a short walk along the front found us in a clubroom for yachtsmen and/or Dutchmen only so we could not be served. A longer walk back led to another bar where Clive bought beers for the few of us that were there. Very enjoyable. 12 o’clock loomed, hadn’t heard any chiming bells that is until we returned to the hotel and bed!

An early start at some unearthly hour next morning, led us down to breakfast, our eyes were treated to the wonderful sight of a long table laid for 18 persons and covered with boiled eggs, toasts, hams, and other meats of various colours and shades, breads and jams, fruit flavoured teas in bags and all the other breakfasty foods the reader can imagine. The Hotel can certainly be recommended if any reader has to stay overnight in Veere.

Meanwhile luggage was re-loaded into the cars and once again off we started for the Saturday drive to our next destination. The gale had died away but there was not enough blue in the sky to cut out a pair of sailor’s trousers although eventually the sun did appear and by the afternoon as we approached the Dutch rendezvous point nearer Maastricht it became very warm indeed. The Dutch greeted us like old friends and joined us for lunch in the café/restaurant/bar in Peer after which they led the way to the Talboteers’ hotels at Slenaken just outside Maastricht. Not, however, without another “moment” as Frank & Rosemary’s Sunbeam, in sympathy with the Wooding, chose to stop. English, Dutch and Flemish mechanical and electrical experts crammed around the car peering under the bonnet, but again it was our own John Ward to the rescue, cleaning the distributor cap which didn’t look as though it had ever been removed since it was new in 1927! Problem cured, well done Sunbeam, and John.  

Luc Slijpen was our leader and we followed his Talbot 105 AYL 7 with John bringing up the rear along a very hilly picturesque route indeed. Going down the steepest hill, an alarmingly loud squeal from the Wooding’s tyres sounded, and I waited for the crash which thankfully never came - just testing he said!! Eventually reaching our hotel we were able to relax for half on hour or so before our Dutch hosts, who had invited us all to dinner at a wine importers premises and had lain on coaches to fetch and carry us, arrived. The buffet that followed, led us into a very pleasant, and convivial evening and after being coached (not coaxed) back to the hotel and a final lager nightcap saw Saturday rounded off.

Luc had invited all the Talboting tourists to travel to his home on Sunday morning and once again he and his friends escorted us to Maastricht where he had arranged parking for us all in an hotel underground garage, after which, following more coffee at a pavement café, we were given a conducted tour of the old town by Leo Houx.  Being an excellent guide he showed us interesting architecture, symbols on very old houses and their meanings, the smallest pub, some quiet streets and secret squares, a Catholic Church whose beautiful stained glass windows were painted by Luc’s father Frans Slijpen - until we were almost lost! But we found Luc’s house which used to be in previous times a monastery, consequently there are extensive underground cellars. Quite what the monks used these cellars for I didn’t ask, but concentrated on Luc’s garage which held apart from his Talbot, an Invicta, a certain type of Bugatti as well as a rare cyclecar, altogether an interesting morning. After thanking Luc and our other hosts we returned to where the cars were garaged. I was last leaving but AYE 70 couldn’t climb out of the steep ramp due to first gear slipping, I rolled the car back as far as I could and accelerated as hard as possible and with very high revs j-u-s-t about managed to creep out into the road. Poor old girl! By this time all the other cars had disappeared but thankfully Leo and his wife were still around and kind enough to point the way out of Maastricht towards our next hotel Hoogeerd near Niftrik (close to Nijmegen).

The cars were by now getting the hang of the Dutch roads and signs, so some of us made our own way North. Frank and Rosemary’s confidence in the Sunbeam was returning so ventured off by themselves, a further adjustment on AYE 70’ s carburettor allowed it to run better, Sue and Quentin’s 105 seemed to go like a dream, with no trouble at all. Don and Mary’s 75 saloon made surprisingly quick progress while the 65 saloon of Henry and Diana glided silently everywhere it went. BLO 110 driven by Tony, so ably assisted by Di, raced along without any complaint, and Sylvia and Clive in the racing 90 were preparing for a contrasting tour, leaving the flat plains of Holland to race up and down the Alps! Our Chairman David and Sylvia briskly, but with the sedateness of royalty, were often heard to be ahead whenever the squealing brakes were applied on the 14/45. The Wooding was being very good under John & Guy’s watchful eyes.  All proceeded, some alone, some in convoy.

Reaching the hotel after quite a long drive in late afternoon, checking-in formalities over including finding the bar, and enjoying a cool lager, we prepared ourselves once again for dinner. Dinner over, it was time for some officials of the Club to make some appropriate speeches, Don acted out whilst reciting some “Alphonse” jokes much to everybody’s great amusement, and then Tony stood up rather like Christopher Robin to announce that he had devised a quiz of nine questions relating variously to the drivers and and/or their machines. Whilst we had a good try at the answers our brains were rather like Poo Bear’s (tired), and so most quizees were clueless, but it did revive some of us enough to retire to the bar until one by one and two by two we retired to our rooms.

Monday, our last day dawned for us all to do our own thing. The object was to arrive at the Hook for dinner before boarding the Harwich ferry for the night time crossing. Carole and AYE decided to get most of the driving done earlier rather than later so firstly made our way to Gouda to sample their famous cheese. In Gouda old town everywhere there were bicycles parked or being ridden mainly by ladies sitting very upright and pedalling seemingly effortlessly, some had small children in seats mounted on crossbars with little windscreens to protect the child. The bicycles have the right of way over all forms of motorised vehicles, and there were so many it was surprising the absence of collisions. Another remarkable sight in the old town strung over streets were round gouda cheeses of all shapes and sizes colours ranging from white to yellow to red and orange a very attractive sight to the backdrop to the ancient buildings and squares. We enjoyed lunch in The Café Central which opened in 1916 and is still “going strong” After a massive thunderstorm passed over, we got back to the Talbot to drive onto Delft.

The object of this visit was to purchase some of their famous pottery, and tickets allowed us to go through the museum, factory and shop where we bought a small urn a present to my 90 year old Mother-in Law. It was in the shape of a small transfer decorated vase and considering the price of the hand painted pieces, it was quite cheap.  She was very pleased.

It wasn’t too far to reach the Hook town centre square, eventually all the cars arrived and parked, and by 7pm a restaurant was found serving Nuevo cuisine but not much sympathy, after which a short drive into the port area and on to the ferry.

After finding and stowing our gear in our cabins, it was back to the bar for a good old chinwag about the tour, a few more jokes and drinks until, with the waves gently lapping against the hull, we went our separate ways to our bunks for a good nights sleep. In the morning after a hurried breakfast we said our farewells all hoping to see each other again at Prescott.

All in all a very good time was had by all.

by Tom and Carole.