Astle Park Traction Engine Rally, (13th - 14th August, 2022)
This is one of a series of pages I have uploaded to illustrate facets of the steam rallies we have attended in the UK. Click here for the 2022 introduction and overall index.
We had been to the Astle Park Rally in 2015 and 2017 and Yuehong gave them 'A' for atmosphere. It is run by the same 'for profit' organisation that runs several others in the North of England, no doubt they have done well to survive the pandemic in apparent good health. We knew we were more or less guaranteed 100% sunshine but we had to be home for Sunday so we travelled up on Friday and stayed in a nearby Premier Inn, our preferred choice for accommodation and drove home in the early evening on Saturday. There was a very good attendance, many of whom were crowded around the main arena at midday for the first parade. With high temperatures, it was noticeable that visitors left earlier than usual, especially as the fireworks had been cancelled on the advice of the fire brigade. I think they were largely satisfied although there were repeated complaints about the high price at the 'food outlets', 5 pounds for a small dish of chips and 2 pounds for 500ml of water stuck out - it's been a common feature this year. If you were to ask the 'culprits' they would tell you that they were just passing on higher charges from the organisers who no doubt would say something similar. Certainly, I have heard stories of show 'basics' like toilets being in short supply as some providers went out of business during the pandemic.
As for the stars of the show, I had said to Yuehong that this would probably be the best show to judge the season as a whole, elsewhere the number of engines has been steady or more often fallen and here the number was about 20% down on our 2015/17 visits. If quantity was a little disappointing, quality was not, and I fear that not many customers noticed. The 'back office' was working well, arena events ran to time, toilets were being cleaned and stocked and rubbish both in the bins and on the ground removed regularly. It's clearly a good show even if, for me, there was little or no novelty. We enjoyed our day out soaking up the atmosphere but the reality is that when the next few years' economy drive comes, it's a long way from home and we shall give it a miss. This picture was taken before virtually all the punters turned up!
In general, I have tried to use pictures associated with the two parades - one at midday and the other in the late afternoon. These were the only times there was any movement, there are no prizes for guessing which are which!
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