Just before Christmas the Morris Minor Owners Club’s young members division organised a trip to Beamish, a fantastic open air museum in the North of England, where we were allowed to park on the streets of the newly constructed 1950s town. This was also the first time I met other members of this group and was able to put names to faces of those who have helped with advice on various bits and pieces over the last couple of years in the Whatsapp group.
We drove up on Friday and did the journey in only a few hours, with just two quick pit stops for fuel and drinks, arriving just as it got dark.
Several of us had booked in at the Washington Premier Inn (the draw of which was the Toby Carvery located next door), and the following morning we regrouped in the staff car park of Beamish museum, from which we drove in convoy onto the street.
Once the museum opened we split into different smaller groups, and the group I was in spent a couple of hours in The Sun public house, in the main town, whilst it poured with rain outside. After a while it cleared up a little bit, and we went for an explore, taking a ride on a replica LGOC B-Type WWI era double decker bus. We were given a demonstration of the huge winding engine from Beamish Colliery.
As we left the museum, we were allowed to drive a lap of the main road which encircles the site, passing trams and old buses which were travelling in the opposite direction, before arriving back at the town where we spent about half an hour taking photos in the incredibly atmospheric main street, which was lit by Christmas lights.
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