Author Topic: Some Holiday Pics  (Read 7140 times)

Online philf

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Some Holiday Pics
« on: June 29, 2013, 08:05:26 AM »
My wife and I have just spent a week and a bit in Lincolnshire in our touring caravan.

The caravan site was a CL (which stands for Certificated Location and they are only allowed to take five caravans) and it was on the site of Metheringham Airfield where 106 Squadron flew out of (but not always flew back into!) in WW2. There is a visitor centre explaining the history of the airfield and of the lives and deaths of some of the personnel.

One of the key exhibits is a 1/4 scale Lancaster which completed a crossing of the English Channel with two pilots following in a helicopter. It has two 100cc and two 150cc engines.



Another exhibit is a Jet Provost. This was acquired as just a shell (no instruments, no wiring, no engine) for £200 and slowly a group of dedicated volunteers have rebuilt it to a state where it can do taxying runs! In the period we were there they finished painting it into its original colours.





We picked up a leaflet on "The Bubblecar Museum" and pedalled out to it one day. The museum covers not only bubblecars but microcars in general and they had a good collection of scooters.

There were some very rare examples - I didn't realise there had been so many different types made. I bought a guide but foolishly gave it away to another caravanner on our site before I made a record of which photo was which make and model. Here are a few:















Also, not too far from where we were stopping was East Kirkby Airfield which is the home of The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre. Here is an amazing collection of WW2 artefacts. The most impressive exhibit is "Just Jane" - a Lancaster Bomber which is being restored to flying condition. The museum was started by two brothers in memory of a third brother who was killed in WW2. One of the brothers died a couple of weeks ago and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight did a flyover on the day of his funeral.



There was a Canberra cockpit which you could clamber into and sit at the controls. It was very cramped and how they didn't accidentally knock any of the multitude of toggle switches by their left elbow I don't know. It was a struggle to get out once I'd got in!



Alongside the River Witham was a super cycle track and, every now and then, there would be a bench to sit and enjoy a bit of sculpture. I couldn't resist taking a photo of these sheep:







It's amazing what can be done with a few hundredweight of old socket screws, nuts, bolts, spanners, chuck keys, chains, bearings, rebar etc and a good eye.

I also couldn't resist a photo of this tractor:



I hope you've not been too bored with some of my holiday snaps!

 :beer:

Phil.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2017, 02:08:58 PM by philf »
Phil Fern
Location: Marple, Cheshire

Offline hermetic

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Re: Some Holiday Pics
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2013, 09:58:32 AM »
Cracking selection of pics Phil, Really enjoyed them!!
Phil W.
 Driffield.
Man who says it cannot be done should not disturb man doing it! https://www.youtube.com/user/philhermetic/videos?

Offline garym

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Re: Some Holiday Pics
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2013, 12:11:41 PM »
Entertaining pics Phil.  :)

Bit flatter than Marple, eh?

Gary
Workshop activity resumes now ankle improving :-)

Online philf

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Re: Some Holiday Pics
« Reply #3 on: June 29, 2013, 12:35:06 PM »
Entertaining pics Phil.  :)

Bit flatter than Marple, eh?

Gary

One good thing about living in Marple (there are many good things) is that if sea levels rise it will be a long time before the salt water gets into my workshop!

I read an information board by the cycle way along the Witham which told when they started to drain The Fens which was originally bogs and marsh land in the 1600s and 1700s. They dug the drains which drained into bigger drains and eventually in to the rivers. Unfortunately draining the land caused the ground to shrink - in some places up to 20 feet! They then had to pump the water up to the drains and rivers with wind pumps and then steam powered pumps. There is still one working condition steam pump but unfortunately it only opens one day per month so I didn't get to see it.

 :beer:

Phil.
Phil Fern
Location: Marple, Cheshire