Harrogate show

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Many Brighton dwellers will know that what happens on the north side of Clayton Hill is very different from ther south side. I've known 23 degrees (F ) of frost at Gatwick mbut nothing in Brighton.

Sometime as you crest the hill the grass verge suddenly goes white with frost.

We've had it pouring one side of Peterborough but dry on the other side.

Howard

[Nigel BennettParticipant @nigelbennett69913]

I was there from the Thursday morning, setting up the Leeds SMEE stand. And boy, was it cold in that hall with the roller-shutter door wide open as the snow was falling outside! Fortunately on Thursday it was melting as soon as it hit the ground.

I had heard some bad press about Simon Boak, the organiser, but I had no personal experience of that and I was quite prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. I think he managed to arrange the whole thing in an incredibly short time, and although perhaps some aspects of it could be improved, I take may hat off to the guy for putting his money up and giving us what turned out to be an excellent show.

The weather clearly paid a part in it; it must have given him a lot of worry that the punters would stay away in droves. I was pleasantly surprised how many actually turned up on the Friday, but the local roads weren't too bad. The Showground people had managed to clear the snow from the approach road and car park, too, so my fears that everyone would get stuck on the hill trying to get in were unfounded.

I agree with Chris that combining the model railways with model engineering was a good idea – it would attract more visitors for sure.

With it being very much of an unknown, I imagine some traders might have stayed away due to uncertainties about the success of the event. RDG, for example, were there, but it was noticeable that they only had about half of their "normal" stand – and I can quite understand why they did that. I sincerely hope that all the traders there thought it worth-while attending.

I can't say how the model railway guys got on, but I always find it amazing how rapidly a show like that simply disappears at closing time. It all seemed to be conducted with good humour and with amazing efficiency as folk scurried off with items of varying hugeness and bulkiness. An hour after it closed, there was very little left in Hall 2.

We got a form to fill in for our details for next year – so it looks as if it'll be repeated. I hope to be there if so.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I took the chance – having ensured if I became trapped I wouldl survive, hot drinks, sleeping-bag et al.

Drove from Dorset to the Dales on Thursday, meeting quite a bit of rain at times but no falling snow until near Preston, though the final six miles from Settle to my accommodation was a bit adventurous in the teeth of a blizzard.

After an hour helping our neighbour (a small hotel) clear his forecourt on Friday morning I drove to Harrogate, over Blubberhouses Moor, carefully but with no problems at all; and that in a Renault Kangoo not a LandRover.

.

The show itself?

I enjoyed it, spent the usual, umm, lots, (we've to support our traders!). Both the model railway and the engineering sides.

One trader there had come all the way from my neck of the woods, too. I spotted a Dorset Van Hire vehicle in the exhibitors' car-park, and sure enough, Stuart Models / Bridport Foundry had their stand in place.

By the end (I left about half an hour before closing) the snow was noticeably thinner on the neighbouring park, which had been busy with sledding families in the morning. My drive home on Sunday afternoon was uneventful, on clear roads.

Will I go next year? Yes. This year's was a little bit thin but I had expected that after a few years' hiatus, changes of venues and of course the weather, but with basically Harrogate and Midlands (and I think one on in Norfolk??) now the only national-level shows, I hope it will grow. Given the ease of reaching the venues, perhaps one or two of the "big" traders will come back, too.

There was some stuff on here some months ago about difficulty driving to the Harrogate venue. My return route was over the hills from Skipton, and I did not find it any more problematical than any other town of similar size. I also took the offer of a filling-station in the town, cheaper than any other I saw.

I would though appreciate better sign-posting: the show-ground entrance is not very obvious from the East side.

Oh, and S.O.T., are you still here? I always enjoyed your workshop at Alex Palace!

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Nigel, you wrote:

Will I go next year? Yes. This year's was a little bit thin but I had expected that after a few years' hiatus, changes of venues and of course the weather, but with basically Harrogate and Midlands (and I think one on in Norfolk??)

Where in Norfolk please ?

Emgee

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Probably thinking of Lowmex

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi JasonB Lowmex is in Suffolk, but Nigel maybe thinking of the ME day at Forncett Forncett Industrial Steam Museum

Regards Nick.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Well he did put a ? and it is right on the border and has a Norwich post code and is billed as …MEX

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Thank you – yes, my knowledge of the geography of Eastern England is a bit hazy, but Lowestoft was the place I was trying to remember, rather than the name of the exhibition!

A while ago there was talk of an exhibition in the SW, perhaps Exeter, but nothing seems to have come of that.

[Author]

Posts