After meeting up at the ESSO garage at a reasonably civilised time of the morning, it was an easy run up the A12 to the antique centre at Battlesbridge, to the rear of which the show is held. Soon after we got there the skies got very grey and I started wondering if the assembled masses were going to get a collective soaking. Fortunately this did not happen, in fact it brightened up which made it more enjoyable wandering around the auto jumble around the edge of the field and then the display of bikes that filled the middle.
Having taken quite a few photos last year it was amusing to recognise some of the same bikes again, particularly a purple T150 which looked last year like its time had come, but has obviously struggled along another 12 months. A hand-painted motto across its front mudguard read "used and abused" and I wouldn't argue with that!
There were some lovely shiny Tritons and an Egli Vincent I remembered from last time plus some chops and trikes. The band marquee had been positioned in a more central position which made it easier to get to the bar in the lower corner of the field but the first band struggled to keep the attention of people who were still walking around looking at things. If they had been at least in the vicinity of the bar they would have had a static clump of drinkers nearby.
Hopefully the crowd gravitated to the front-of-stage area later on but we made a comparatively early departure back in the direction of home. On the way out we had a quick nose around the very small but very packed bike museum which some enterprising types have layed out in what must have been an old farm building. Some of the machinery on display had an agricultural air to it as well. Still what do you want for a quid?