Shrewsbury Steam Rally (28th - 29th 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.
Shrewsbury 2017 had been blessed with fine weather and extended sunny spells which not only attracted visitors in large numbers but allowed me to get a comprehensive record of stills and a YouTube clip (https://youtu.be/7vT7dXxgEY8) which must be the best 'free' publicity the rally has ever had as it has now totaled over 1 million views. In both 2018 and 2019, we visited for a single extremely long day but, as part of our 2022 strategy of throwing our relatively limited resources at the 2022 steam rally season, we allowed ourselves the luxury of an overnight. This gave us two days to enjoy the rally and do more than just accumulate a decent set of pictures. The problem, as with the two previous occasions was that we came here after three intensive days at the Great Dorset Steam Fair, in this case sandwiched by visits to Carters Steam Fair in Bath. Frankly, no longer in the first flush of youth, I arrived here already almost exhausted.
It was, as always, a great event and for the traction engine enthusiast there were more 'new' engines in attendance than there had been for a long time (no less than 9 for me) and despite what has happened elsewhere, the total number of engines present was at its pre-pandemic level. The weather was kind to the punters and dry throughout and they came in large numbers; less so for this dedicated photographer. We missed what sun there was on Sunday morning and thereafter it appeared only fleetingly and was conspicuously absent for the two grand parades.
As has happened frequently over the years, the car parking system was not up to the job and many visitors had a long wait to get in. Arriving early is one solution, another would be to split arrivals into more than one queue, thereby simultaneously populating more than one area after entering the car park as the 'rate limiting step' is actually the last 50 metres which can cause a tail back reaching to the entrance. This is a step which we noted approvingly at GDSF this year. Shrewsbury is perhaps the most conservative of the rallies we attend. It's the 8th we have been to and just about the only thing that has changed since 2013 is that the saw benches have moved 50 metres to a more suitable area. Another innovation this year was the appearance of bags of logs alongside the normal coal. 'Ash die back' may be the current woodland disaster but the kiln dried product after felling makes a splendid fuel; everyone I spoke with on the subject was both understanding and enthusiastic.
Finally, can I tip my hat to whoever is in charge of the humble toilets, those next to the beer tent are simply the most civilised of any rally I have visited, even those at a showground like Lincoln which have permanent facilities. Even more than queuing to get in, a bad experience here really turns some visitors off returning.
Enjoy the report, completed hurriedly as I now have to compile one for GDSF 2022 so it can appear before it represents 'history'.
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