Automotive fun (no, the Captain isn't back at work)

We had a little excursion to the wilds of Malvern. Why? Well, firstly, there was the Morgan sports car factory to visit. Of course, the captain had spent many years involved with car production but this place is very different. No robots, no real automation, no computerisation, no proper "just in time" parts supply etc etc. It is kind of a cottage industry that just happens to produce a few cars in a most inefficient way at the end of it. Mind you, what they produce is a lot of fun:

Some of the craft skills on display, the tools and the facilities are quite unusual for a car plant too:

Yes, they do have timber frames around the passenger tub.

What else has been happening? Well, one of the things you get with a Defender (alongside water leaks, a dreadful on road ride, clunky drivetrains, built in corrosion etc etc) is an off road experience session. We picked Eastnor as a good venue and for some strange reason, invited Anne along with us. You might remember her as the crew for a trip to Guernsey a couple of years ago who was instantly sick when supplied with red berry tea by the crew. Quite understandable really. However, since the off road ride is a lot like being out to sea, red berry tea was banned.....

The day was the best. We are still in awe of what a Defender can do in novice hands with standard tyres on and how it happily crawls up slippery hills with the engine at idle in low range 3rd gear. Torque to die for.  Backing down a slippery rough hill is amusing too. The best way is to put the truck into reverse whilst holding it on the brakes. Then, switch the engine off, release the clutch and gently release the brakes. The Defender just hangs there on a 45 degree slope, held by the engine and transmission alone. To go backwards, you just start it without touching the clutch and it walks backwards downhill quite happily.

We did get it a bit muddy of course, despite the many runs through deep water to try and wash it off:

The bent front bumper was not a battle scar that we caused by the way.

Should you want to join us on a trip and hear the soothing words of the instructor, have a look at this video:

The noises from the crew can, of course, be muted if you wish..... A great location and a great day.

After so much sedentary stuff, some walking was needed. The Malvern Hills provided the necessary challenge:

Weather was kind, hills were suitably steep, just not too much boating in this post really. We will get back to that stuff soon.