Gwyn and I stayed at a hotel in Ashford, Kent, on Thursday night prior to the trip, to avoid a rush-hour dash to Dover to catch our ferry to Calais at 11.10am on Friday morning. We left our hotel at about 8.30am on Friday and stopped a few miles down the road to top off with Tesco Momentum. I pulled over in the fuel station car park to answer a text and was startled as someone knocked on my window. It was a Belgian guy who asked if he could take a picture of my car! No problem, and in chatting to him, found out he owned several Mazda rotary cars and was just on his way from Belgium to Goodwood for the “Festival of Speed”. He had planned to go to RotaryStock until the date changed, which then clashed with Goodwood. Strange coincidence for our paths to cross, going in opposite directions, as our route would take us via France, via Belgium and on to Holland.
We met up with two other Mazda Rotaries in Morrison’s in Dover to enable us to drive in convoy to check-in for our P&O ferry. The crossing was smooth and uneventful and the time just flew by. By around 2pm (local time) we were off on our ~240 mile journey to Lelystad. A few stops and plenty of traffic meant we arrived at our hotel, right on the coast in Lelystad about 8.30pm.
We were amongst the first cars to arrive at the event the next day and set up a gazebo for some cover from the drizzling rain which greeted us.
A very diverse variety of Mazda Rotaries arrived at the event throughout the morning. Everyone I met was incredibly friendly (and spoke excellent English!). I’ve uploaded some pics of the event below. The day consisted of static displays, “Slalom” and “Sprint” events on the track and a “Show and Shine” competition.
Congratulations to my friends Jim and Aston, as Jim took 1st place in both the Slalom and Sprint in his FC , with Aston also taking 2nd and 3rd in the two events in his RX-8. A nicely restored Red RX-4, owned by “Furb”, took the “Show and Shine” award.
The weather improved throughout the day with some sunshine in the late afternoon. It was great to see some rare rotaries, including a large number of Series 1 RX-7 1st Gens, and chatting to a lot of their owners was a delightful way to spend the day.
The time flew by and then it was back to the hotel to change for a meal at a superb restaurant on a marina jetty just a 5 minute walk away. Everyone in our group came along and we had fun with the menus as only Dutch and German version were available and the staff spoke very limited English. “Google Translate” was a hoot, yielding memorable dishes such as “Chicken with Satan Sauce” and “Chicken robbed of its bones”. The food was absolutely delicious, and with the floor-to-ceiling windows open we had a lovely view over the marina packed with yachts. It was a truly enjoyable evening, especially as there was still some light at 11pm.
The next day most of our group went to a local car show, in format very much like the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but as we were near to Amsterdam, Gwyn and I took the opportunity to revisit the city we’d last seen in the 1980’s. We took the train from Lelystad, the journey taking about an hour, arriving at Amsterdam Centraal about noon.
The weather was warm with a part cloudy sky; perfect for exploring the city on foot. We walked for miles around the streets, taking in a tour boat ride and enjoying the sights and atmosphere of this bustling, vibrant and friendly city. We stopped to enjoy a meal and some wine at a pavement bar before returning back by train to Lelystad, where we met up with all the remaining group for a glass of wine just as they were finishing their meal in a Steak Restaurant in town.
So, Monday morning and time to take the long trip home in convoy to Calais. Thankfully, the weather was fine and the traffic was light so we arrived at the port just in time to catch the ferry at 16.05, the crossing just prior to the one we had scheduled. The passage was a little rougher with a slight swell, but it’s only an hour and 40 minutes journey so we were soon on our way home.
All in all, a very pleasant weekend in great company, with good food and many sights to make a memorable weekend.
Link to a nice video of some of the cars produced by Aston at Essex Rotary - a few FB's there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuvicXk1XMo
I'll post up some of my pics later.....PhotoBucket is now stopping me sharing pics and asking for $399 for the privilege
