Well.....what can I say.
Right from the word go yesterday was filled with a mix of emotions, and experiences. There's no doubt in my mind that yesterday was the 'Sgt Pepper' moment in the life story of the Beach Party. if you want to know what I mean by that, read the bit at the bottom of this post. Or buy the album, it's magnificent.
Incredible weather, an amazing mix of automotive treasures spanning virtually every genre and sub-genre of this wide-reaching hobby of ours, matched only by a massive cross-section of people af all ages and from all walks of life, all gathered together for a day out by the sea. If ever you had a feeling that you were in the right place, at the right time, then yesterday was IT.
In the past I've normally been there early and watched the cars roll in in small groups. Yesterday I rode shotgun in KFW's 'Tat Hauler' Ford F-250 pickup, stopping off at Area 52 then riding down in convoy to arrive at about 11.30am.
The sight that greeted me was nothing short of brain-melting. The beach was absolutely teeming with cars and people. This was, in all respects, taking it to another level. I don't mind admitting that I clambered out of Kev's truck in a complete daze and spent the first couple of minutes wandering round in circles taking it all in with a king-sized lump in my throat. The previous night's cider intake may have had a factor in that, mind.....
I want to say a few thank-yous, to the absolute LEGEND that is Kev 'KFW' Hill, not only for picking me up yesterday morning and putting up with my semi-coherent ramblings all the way down, but for going above and beyond the call of duty and A-framing Chris Frosin's ex-MM sandrail all the way back to Derby last night. What a remarkable human being. To Bruce 'Mystery Machine' Holder, for the utterly WILD ride back to Bristol from the beach in one of the most hardcore automobiles I've ever had the pleasure of being a passenger in. To Tim 'Brat-Man' Starling for the welcome meat sustenance.
And to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHO MADE THE TRIP TO THE BEACH.
So here then, are a few of the 165-odd pics I managed to take in between shaking hands/high-fiving/hugging so many people yesterday. As ever, there's a link at the bottom to the Flickr album where you'll find the rest.
Grunty's new ride, a '62 Mk3 Zodiac. Incredible to think that after some sterling work by Hardcore to save it from going to the crusher, Alan and Scoobypete had it stitched back together and MOT'd in just a month. Only the DVLA dragging its heels over the issue of its original registration number prevented it from making the trip under its own steam, but nontheless it was brought down on a trailer and driven by all and sundry up and down the sand all afternoon. Daddy Damaged had a brace of these back in the 1970's and I've long held an ambition to drive one. Finally that dream was realised, and it lived up to my expectations. Thanks for the drive, mate. Peering through the steering wheel in the pic is Lil' Miss Grunty, who immediately got to grips with the ar5e-about-face 'four-on-the-tree' column gearchange and was tearing about the beach in it with a confidence that belied her tender years. Feisty chick!!
Love the purposeful stance of this Beetle.
Late Mini on 10" rims with Minivan front panel. Ticks all my boxes.
This was simply gorgeous.
This wasn't, but was just as awesome in its own way. ;D
MIB's incredible E21. Quite possible my favourite car of the day.
The rodding fraternity were pretty well-represented, too. Check this out.
803cc, 29bhp, using 'em all. One day I'll own an A30/A35, I adore them.
This sounded/looked great as it burbled in, slammed rear end bobbing up and down on the sand as all lowered Escorts seem to do.
J-tin overload. Was nice to see a gaggle of modern Subarus joining in with the fun. And as for the Civic.....one of my favourite cars on the day.
Local club RRF were out in force. Like them or not, rat-lookers are here to stay. Beemer sounded glorious, too. Those Bavarian six-pots have a sound all of their own.
This Mk1 Astra wagon was adorable. It's going down another 2" as well!!
The classic Triumph fraternity were represented by this GORGEOUS Mk2 saloon on period (well, early 80's. I think they're off an Austin Ambassador, if I'm not mistaken...) alloys. Keeping it company was a stunning early Dolomite Sprint parked next door.
My ride back to Bristol. Once we'd regained our senses of direction after erm...(ahem) revolving on the beach on the way out. Accidentally, of course. Several times. Well, several dozen times. ;D Teeth full of grit, legs burning from the manifolds, that DEAFENING V8 bellow and the heady aroma of burned LPG.
Pic: Jon Burgess
WHAT a thrill. Thanks, Bruce.
Homeward bound. WHAT a day.
Flickr album: www.flickr.com/photos/damaged23/sets/72157629674719569/with/7018649467/ Pick/post your faves, plus any from your own albums.
As for the future of the Beach party, I know not. Certainly I have a feeling that it's peaked, I spent a fair amount of time chewing my metaphorical nails yesterday afternoon, with that many people there was the palpable sense that things could have gone wrong. The fact that they didn't is down to the vast majority of attendees who managed to (almost) behave themselves. A pity that some people are incapable of clearing up after themselves, though. I was disappointed to learn that there was, in places, an utterly deplorable amount of litter left behind. Not good.
I had a message last night from one of the last people to leave. As the beach-keeper locked the gates, his final words were "You won't be doing this again". Now I have no idea wether those were the words of a disgruntled parkie who was in a hurry to get back to his Sunday dinner, or if it was symptomatic of an altogether more disturbing train of thought from within the local authority. I've put the feelers out as to where to take it from here, but I'd love to hear some feedback from anyone who's been a regular at the Beach Party series. Send them via PM if you wish and I'll take your thoughts on board before deciding where to take it in the future.
My own thoughts? I'm gonna cop out and paraphrase one of my heroes, Neli Young.
'It's better to burn out than to fade away'
If that WAS the last one (which, I have to say, is pretty likely), I'm glad we went out on a high.
Brian ;D
Right from the word go yesterday was filled with a mix of emotions, and experiences. There's no doubt in my mind that yesterday was the 'Sgt Pepper' moment in the life story of the Beach Party. if you want to know what I mean by that, read the bit at the bottom of this post. Or buy the album, it's magnificent.
Incredible weather, an amazing mix of automotive treasures spanning virtually every genre and sub-genre of this wide-reaching hobby of ours, matched only by a massive cross-section of people af all ages and from all walks of life, all gathered together for a day out by the sea. If ever you had a feeling that you were in the right place, at the right time, then yesterday was IT.
In the past I've normally been there early and watched the cars roll in in small groups. Yesterday I rode shotgun in KFW's 'Tat Hauler' Ford F-250 pickup, stopping off at Area 52 then riding down in convoy to arrive at about 11.30am.
The sight that greeted me was nothing short of brain-melting. The beach was absolutely teeming with cars and people. This was, in all respects, taking it to another level. I don't mind admitting that I clambered out of Kev's truck in a complete daze and spent the first couple of minutes wandering round in circles taking it all in with a king-sized lump in my throat. The previous night's cider intake may have had a factor in that, mind.....
I want to say a few thank-yous, to the absolute LEGEND that is Kev 'KFW' Hill, not only for picking me up yesterday morning and putting up with my semi-coherent ramblings all the way down, but for going above and beyond the call of duty and A-framing Chris Frosin's ex-MM sandrail all the way back to Derby last night. What a remarkable human being. To Bruce 'Mystery Machine' Holder, for the utterly WILD ride back to Bristol from the beach in one of the most hardcore automobiles I've ever had the pleasure of being a passenger in. To Tim 'Brat-Man' Starling for the welcome meat sustenance.
And to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHO MADE THE TRIP TO THE BEACH.
So here then, are a few of the 165-odd pics I managed to take in between shaking hands/high-fiving/hugging so many people yesterday. As ever, there's a link at the bottom to the Flickr album where you'll find the rest.
Grunty's new ride, a '62 Mk3 Zodiac. Incredible to think that after some sterling work by Hardcore to save it from going to the crusher, Alan and Scoobypete had it stitched back together and MOT'd in just a month. Only the DVLA dragging its heels over the issue of its original registration number prevented it from making the trip under its own steam, but nontheless it was brought down on a trailer and driven by all and sundry up and down the sand all afternoon. Daddy Damaged had a brace of these back in the 1970's and I've long held an ambition to drive one. Finally that dream was realised, and it lived up to my expectations. Thanks for the drive, mate. Peering through the steering wheel in the pic is Lil' Miss Grunty, who immediately got to grips with the ar5e-about-face 'four-on-the-tree' column gearchange and was tearing about the beach in it with a confidence that belied her tender years. Feisty chick!!
Love the purposeful stance of this Beetle.
Late Mini on 10" rims with Minivan front panel. Ticks all my boxes.
This was simply gorgeous.
This wasn't, but was just as awesome in its own way. ;D
MIB's incredible E21. Quite possible my favourite car of the day.
The rodding fraternity were pretty well-represented, too. Check this out.
803cc, 29bhp, using 'em all. One day I'll own an A30/A35, I adore them.
This sounded/looked great as it burbled in, slammed rear end bobbing up and down on the sand as all lowered Escorts seem to do.
J-tin overload. Was nice to see a gaggle of modern Subarus joining in with the fun. And as for the Civic.....one of my favourite cars on the day.
Local club RRF were out in force. Like them or not, rat-lookers are here to stay. Beemer sounded glorious, too. Those Bavarian six-pots have a sound all of their own.
This Mk1 Astra wagon was adorable. It's going down another 2" as well!!
The classic Triumph fraternity were represented by this GORGEOUS Mk2 saloon on period (well, early 80's. I think they're off an Austin Ambassador, if I'm not mistaken...) alloys. Keeping it company was a stunning early Dolomite Sprint parked next door.
My ride back to Bristol. Once we'd regained our senses of direction after erm...(ahem) revolving on the beach on the way out. Accidentally, of course. Several times. Well, several dozen times. ;D Teeth full of grit, legs burning from the manifolds, that DEAFENING V8 bellow and the heady aroma of burned LPG.
Pic: Jon Burgess
WHAT a thrill. Thanks, Bruce.
Homeward bound. WHAT a day.
Flickr album: www.flickr.com/photos/damaged23/sets/72157629674719569/with/7018649467/ Pick/post your faves, plus any from your own albums.
As for the future of the Beach party, I know not. Certainly I have a feeling that it's peaked, I spent a fair amount of time chewing my metaphorical nails yesterday afternoon, with that many people there was the palpable sense that things could have gone wrong. The fact that they didn't is down to the vast majority of attendees who managed to (almost) behave themselves. A pity that some people are incapable of clearing up after themselves, though. I was disappointed to learn that there was, in places, an utterly deplorable amount of litter left behind. Not good.
I had a message last night from one of the last people to leave. As the beach-keeper locked the gates, his final words were "You won't be doing this again". Now I have no idea wether those were the words of a disgruntled parkie who was in a hurry to get back to his Sunday dinner, or if it was symptomatic of an altogether more disturbing train of thought from within the local authority. I've put the feelers out as to where to take it from here, but I'd love to hear some feedback from anyone who's been a regular at the Beach Party series. Send them via PM if you wish and I'll take your thoughts on board before deciding where to take it in the future.
My own thoughts? I'm gonna cop out and paraphrase one of my heroes, Neli Young.
'It's better to burn out than to fade away'
If that WAS the last one (which, I have to say, is pretty likely), I'm glad we went out on a high.
Brian ;D
Damn shame I couldn't come along as it was such a perfect day for it.
I'm really annoyed about it because I know there was a few good ones on there that I was really pleased with. If anyone knows of a fancy way to getting back photos that have been deleted from the recycle bin let me know, but I fear they're gone for ever. 
