Is it “natural” to be jealous of a piece of riverside mooring being occupied by another boat? That was the sneaky thought that permeated Boatwif’s brain a week or so ago …

‍ There, in the prime mooring spot at Bedford’s River Festival, were two white cruisers neatly tied up in the place where Cleddau should have been.

*Two cruisers moored where Cleddau might have been…*

‍ ‍ Way back at the turn of the year the Captain had reserved Cleddau’s mooring for the duration of the River Festival. But in June plans to cruise from Crick to Bedford via canals and rivers were aborted about a third of the way through the trip. “Need new legs,” is the Captain’s shorthand explanation…

‍ ‍ So, Bedford River Festival: it’s an extravaganza, billed as the UK’s second largest free festival. In terms of numbers up to 300,000 people attend to explore a huge range of exhibits, displays, stage acts, demonstrations, parades and retail stalls.

‍ ‍ On the river over the course of two days there were races between dragon boat crews and home made rafts.

*Dragonboat crews warming up for a ‘race proper’*

*Fire service raft - strong on visual effects, not so on racing speed…*

Little boats buzzed up and down, aiming to recruit volunteers for the local Scuba Club and the Sailing Club and a water acrobat performed exhilarating stunts close to the crowds and to the bridges.

‍ There were boat parades of decorated cruisers and of narrowboats, named this year as the Martyn Pearson Grand Parades, in memory of the much loved and respected River Festival’s harbour master.

*Sign on the very popular John Bunyan trip boat*

*Several boats displayed the Fund Britain’s Waterways campaign sign*

Elsewhere choirs sang, rock bands rocked, an orchestral wind section played to an all-age audience, canoeists played competitive water polo and stall holders tempted the crowds with tasty fare.

‍ ‍ And then there were the cars. St Paul’s Square, Riverside Square and the High Street were packed with vehicles of all sizes, shapes, marques and vintages.

‍ A grand parade of the cars at 5pm drew much applause and admiration (especially from young boys…)

Cars again in a different location. Cal Guy Jnr, currently in the UK, made a first visit to the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in Warwickshire last year. https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/ A return visit was requested. Glorious cars of all ages can be purred over and photographed - but not touched…

*(SD registration initials - Boatwif? or San Diego?!)*

‍One car that created nostalgia and admiration:

Cars with a media past:

*Reliant Robin (used in Only Fools and Horses)*

*1972 Ford Anglia (this model used in Harry Potter films)*

‍ ‍ Museum buffs often appreciate a clear timeline: alongside vehicles of the period are reminders of motoring regulations…

After the Museum (for historic exhibits, a racing track computer game, the café and a shop) visitors are directed over to a separate building, to the Collections Centre. Here hundreds more vehicles can be seen. There are those from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, then many more from other manufacturers’ collections on the upper floor – from where cars currently in the workshop for inspection or repair can be viewed. Here is the winning car from the 1988 Le Mans 24 hour race, a Jaguar…. TWR Jaguar XJR-9 LM (No. 2)

‍ ‍ Then there were the flight simulators. Cal Son organised it from California. “Would you be happy to drive to Peterborough?” he’d said. (Happier still to have reached it by boat – but that was a different story*… )

So, on the road again, north up the A1 and east into Peterborough to find an ordinary looking business unit which houses Aerospace Experience Flight Simulators. There was time for a cup of coffee, a chat from instructor Andrew (who relayed his potted history from army private to Black Watch major, to commercial pilot’s licence to Scottish Air Ambulance pilot in the Shetlands) and a pre-flight classroom lesson. Then Cal Guy Jnr climbed up into the cockpit and simulated flying a F-4 Phantom jet.

*Simulator cockpit accessed via the steps*

The Captain sat below the cockpit beside the instructor, re-living, it would seem, his own hands-on, low-level flying experiences.

Next up was a very different type of aircraft, the simulator for a Boeing 737. Procedures, switches and buttons, dials and instruments – this was an altogether different type of flying…

*Cal Guy Jnr in the left hand seat; instructor in the right hand seat*

A few days later aircraft for real were viewed, at the Shuttleworth Collection.

*Boeing Stearman PT-17. US Navy pilot trainer*

*(Should a 16 year old be behind the wheel of a bus…?!)*

As attractive and fascinating as vintage vehicles and aircraft can be, it was seeing a 1930s Hawker Hind being pushed out of the Engineering Hanger and onto the airfield for post-engine servicing checks that proved a gripping watch…

*1920 Huck aircraft starter based on Model T Ford*

*Propellor turning fast; ground crew holding the tail down*

‍ ‍ What else caught Cal Guy Jnr’s attention during his Bedfordshire stay? The sound of a Merlin engine in a Spitfire above Houghton House one day and the sound too of vehicle testing on the Millbrook Proving Ground (car test track).

‍ ‍ A liaison with the Cheshire Three was achieved at The Depot at Weedon Bec – fancy cars and motorbikes out for a Sunday meet, a museum which explains the Depot’s role throughout military history, a vast bookshop, antiques and vintage curiosities, a canal (weedy and disused now) and a cake marked by two flags representing two home locations far apart but both beginning with C…

‍ ‍ Next “transportation thrill” for Cal Guy Jnr? An 11½ hour flight back to San Diego – the new school year starts very soon…

‍ ‍Many road miles; 0 cruise miles; 0 locks

*Extract from https://www.boatwif.co.uk/boat-update/blustery-on-the-river-nene – The Captain has long term issues with his legs and back; was it really a good plan to continue another 40 odd miles down the river to Peterborough, to join the Middle Levels and do the short tidal crossing onto the Great Ouse…?

Transportations of delight…

Musing on maps