Sheringham Vintage Transport Festival

The North Norfolk Railway's annual Vintage Transport Festival and Bus Weekend is one of the events that I always attend here in North Norfolk. There's something for every taste, and this year we did the vintage bus trip with my two Grandsons on the Saturday. On Sunday, the busses, and there were 17 of them this year, are joined by cars at Holt station, including Morris Minors at Weybourne, and motorcycles at Sheringham. The buses are free and take you from Sheringham to Holt town centre via Holt station. Here's a few of them:

1957 Dennis Lancet UF Bus

 There were single-deckers - we went to Holt on this one.

1966 Daimler CVG6LX/30 Bus

Double deckers like this one, and a couple of RouteMasters, with some coaches as well:

1948 AEC Regal Coach

Sunday dawned sunny and bright as it often seems to for this weekend. Norfolk is a dry county and the grass here on Sheringham station was plenty hard enough to support a few old two-wheelers:

This Dominator is a regular. It's owned by Mike from Brooke and is lovely.

I particularly like this Gold Flash:

Some of the older bikes in the display:

A common sight around here - 1951 Ariel Square Four:

Ariels always attract the ladies:

Another Ariel:

Unusual sight - a Honda CB450. I'm guessing 1970?

As usual, several Velocette's attended the event. Five this year:

Some scooters:

The ubiquitous Bantam:

And when I returned to collect the last of my bikes, all that was left was my lonely W/NG alongside this very original F-B Plover 78.

 I think I know where this one lives, so I'll have to see if I can make contact with the owner.

Sheringham Vintage Transport Festival

The North Norfolk Railway's annual Vintage Transport Festival and Bus Weekend has become one of the "must attend" events for owners of classic cars, trucks and motorcycles around Norfolk. There is so much to see and do with everything from marine engines and bicycles to Rolls Royces and tractors on show, and Vintage buses give free rides around the local area and to and from all NNR stations.

The majority of vehicles are at Holt station on Sunday, however, exhibits are spread across the Railway. Each year, Sheringham NNR station hosts the classic motorcycle exhibit; this year, 26 machines were on display. Here's a few of them:

Potty Festival & Vintage Transport

So another sunny weekend in Sheringham brought the annual Potty Festival and the NNR Vintage Transport Festival. Check the pictures - Amelia is there as is Beattie, my Bantam:

First, a few old push bikes:

NNR Volunteer Andrew Dawson brings his collection of Seagull outboard motors along each year, which he is happy to demonstrate in a dustbin full of water.

Nice to see some smaller machines:

A Francis-Barnett:

My Bantam, and in the background one of several local Velos:

A couple of Vincents this year:

And lastly, a view of the 9F, just arrived from Holt, taken from the new footbridge opened this month and paid for by donations.

Now, on the same weekedn as the Vintage Transport Festival is the Potty Festival. For the uninitiated, the Potty Festival is Sheringham's annual Morris Dancing competition.

The Sheringham 'Lobster Potties' were first formed in 1986 as a 'one off' to raise funds for Sheringham Health Centre. Such was their success that they were asked to perform at several events and have gone from strength to strength. 

Using the Lobster Public House as their headquarters, and being considered by some as 'potty', the name Lobster Potties was obvious! They dance the traditional Norfolk morris style and the group has performed in many parts of Europe as well as the U.K. 

In 1994 they started the annual 'Potty' festival with just a few visiting groups, and this has grown over the years, and sides come from all over the U.K. and Europe to take part. This years festival features some twenty teams of varying styles will be in the town delighting hundreds of visitors and residents alike. 

A history of the festival is shown on the Potty's website here.

Her's a few random pictures from the weekend:

Old Bikes & Morris Dancing

This weekend saw the annual Potty Morris Festival here in Sheringham, with 36 teams from all over the country visiting to dance in different traditional styles & costumes. Saturday & Sunday saw the town filled with folk in various regalia with bells ringing on every street & the sounds of the melodeon, fiddle & drum playing to accompany the dancers

The Bourne Borderers, from Lincolnshire

This was the 22nd Sheringham Morris Dance Festival since the event was set up by Clive Rayment & Reg Grimes. For the first time the event was unfortunately without the Sheringham Lobster Potties themselves, but 36 other teams danced Cotswold, Border, North West & Molly traditions over ten dance spots all over the town.

Leicester Morris Men

Holt Ridge Morris at the Crab & Lobster Festival, May 2015

Potty Festival is not complete without Real Ale, and the pubs were filled with revellers & more musical entertainment in the evenings.

Sunday saw us among the motorcycle exhibits at the Vintage Transport Festival. The bikes park up on Sheringham station platform. The loco, a BR Standard 4 number 76084 was outshopped in 1957 so she is contemporary with many of these bikes. Here's a lovely Norton Dominator 88 with my Bantam in the background, a C15 and another Dominator.

Same scene, a bit later in the day. The sun has gone but we have a Rapide and a Commando Roadster.

Very handsome Dominator, hiding my Square Four from view

A Silver Bantam, and the Suzuki AC50 & BSA SS80 Sports Star seen at the recent Classic Car & Bike Show.

A group of scooters:

A Matchless G9 with a very interesting looking Gold Star:

There were a lot of Velocettes this year:

A nice BSA A10:

The silver Bantam again, with Amelia in the background just to prove she was there: