To Frederick

 

We left the Liberty `Trust Hotel in Roanoke after saying goodbye to paddy who flies home tomorrow so as not to miss the coronation! He will fly out of Charlottesville about a 45 minute drive from Roanoke. Paddy is replaced in Ham’s car by Sophie and the remaining team once again hits the road heading north. The aim is to reach Frederick which will then give easy access to the battlefield site of Gettysburg the following day.

 

We all drove together today. Ham’s Lagonda once again struggled to start but with a degree of perseverance and fingers firmly crossed once again the car started. The miles cruised by in the beautiful sunshine and we found a fantastic café in which to have lunch not far short of our destination.

 

 

 As I have so often said we stand of the shoulders of the kindness of strangers. The café owner phoned his old employer who turned up to see us. Walt has a very sizeable Rolls Royce and Bentley restoration business about 2 miles up the road from where we were sitting and would love it if we were to visit. Only too happy off we went to see his operation. Walt was obviously hit hard by Covid and having employed about 30 he was down to himself and two part time employees. He had two enormous sheds packed solidly with all sorts of cars some in immaculate condition, some in pieces. He said that he had least another two shed full elsewhere so he clearly held an enormous number of old cars mostly in disrepair. Walt could not have been nicer and more welcoming and we spent an hour or so enjoying his collection and his hospitality.

 

Then it was on to Frederick, Ham still running poorly with starter problems as well. He got as far as the turnoff to the hotel from the main road where the car finally conked out. All fingers and everything else crossed, finally the car started again and he limped into the carpark. All hands on deck, but there isn’t much that can be done at this late stage. He needs to limp on to New York. We met an interesting Cord car in the hotel car park. As is so often the case here in the US it was immaculate.