South Cerney Steam Rally (1st - 3rd August, 2025)
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 2025 introduction and overall index.
Compared to the recent '100 engine rallies' at Weeting and Welland, South Cerney, with rather fewer exhibits, presents subtly different challenges to the gricer. Of course, there are the ever present issues of 'no shows', 'late entries' and plain errors that make parts of the rally programme 'fiction' but, almost uniquely, the rally has no 'grand parade'. Instead there is a constant small stream of engines entering, circling and leaving a large Playpen. It might seem that, in theory, waiting there will present all the engines to the visitor over a period of time but, in practice some never make it. Maybe half the engines are parked in the open close to the playpen, the rest are scattered through the adjacent 'exhibitor camping' and this requires the assiduous enthusiast to inspect it carefully. Even that is not a final solution as a high proportion of these rest up at an angle or position which is sub-optimal for photography. Throw in the odd cloud appearing at the wrong moment, then it's not surprising that I again covered about 5 miles while walking around and had an early night afterwards..
Then there are the ever present senior moments, the times when the notebook record somehow registers a glitch, not to mention plain stupidity when renaming images after returning home. At times like these, it's so helpful to have fellow visitors to consult with and yet again, I'd like to thank Rod Smith for 'doing a job' for me. We are agreed that there were 66 engines present on Saturday and equally apart from the Mann gathering (see below) there were few 'rare birds' present, indeed 25 of those listed here had been at Welland the previous weekend.
Once August comes, the rally season is well past its peak, there's the local rally at Fairford in a couple of weeks which will be a pleasant day out but it's essentially just a cut down version of this one, leaving only Shrewsbury and possibly Old Warden which will get us travelling. Looking out of the window here in the Forest of Dean, there is some welcome drizzle but our much loved garden is a disaster save for Yuehong's cosseted patio plants. With our Penang sojourn on the horizon, I need to bring forward some autumnal pruning lest we get overwhelmed next growing season.
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The sight of two Mann wagons (and a Mann tractor) was a
rare delight.
They posed together in the middle of the Playpen for a private
picture.
It's a shame that they placed them with the sun right behind...
