Pilgrimage – 19 June 2010

Saturday was the only chance to take Janine out for her first excursion in Clara.

The weather was coolish, but that suits Clara perfectly. We decided to drive to Abingdon, the town were the MG factory was situated, and re-run the test drive, which Clara would have originally been taken on.

When we reached the town centre, we had to stop and watch the very English scene taking place. This was the annual election day for the Mayor of Ock Street. To start the proceedings, the town's Morris dancers were in full swing. We've seen Morris dancers before, and it's always entertaining to watch. But Abingdon also invited the Britannia Coco-nut Dancers, a legacy from pirate days in Cornwall, hence the blackened faces, and costumes.

The test drive was a triangular route out of Abingdon, with a bumpy edge to one side originally, used to test suspension rattles, and a smooth straight for wheel balance. Clara would have last done this 60 years ago!

A stop at Ewelme to show Janine the Almshouses and a delicious late lunch at The Fox & Hounds just before Turville, rounded off a pleasant drive.