London to Edinburgh by Vintage Motor-Car

From Brooklands to the Welsh Marches, and on to the Scottish Borders with the finest driving roads of England in between – how special is this?

The Flying Scotsman is exclusively reserved for Vintage and Pre-War cars, with a Category for owners of Veterans, who take on the same long days and the same timing. A number of off-road venues, for timed to the second Time Trials, with visits to stately homes for lunch-stops, adds to the challenge of what is a highly competitive, but highly social, three days of rallying.

The Cars

Anything pre-war, with a pre-war chassis, and a pre-war engine design. Exceptions? We are open to persuasion that an HRG is essentially a pre-war car, and so too is an MG T-Type. If it’s got two leaf springs at the front, then you certainly stand a chance. We want 60 cars, and more importantly, 60 crews with the right attitude – one of the remarkable things about this event is that you are not surrounded by loads of whingers and moaners. And they come from all over the world to join in.

The Crews

The entry-list is invitation only. Crews should note that this is a “press-on-regardless” style of motoring made up of three long days of essentially daylight driving, down remote country roads, with frequent timed sections, tests on private land and checkpoints, all manned by experienced local motor-club marshals. The Flying Scotsman is the only long distance purely for Vintageants and is aimed primarily at those with some experience who enjoy an element of competition.

The principal awards will be the Category and Class cups plus a range of other awards for Best Performances, such as the Best Marque Team. Every crew member reaching Edinburgh within the time schedule will receive a Finishers Award. To enhance the atmosphere of the whole event all crew members are requested to dress in period attire.

The Route

Starting from Brooklands, the home of British motor racing since 1907, and avoiding the motorways the route heads through Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire and crosses over the River Thames into Oxfordshire at Henley, the venue for the famous Regatta.

The quiet, picturesque villages in the Cotswolds feature on the way to the lunch halt at a stunning venue. Across the Vale of Evesham and via the Spa town of Droitwich the route heads north through the Heart of England Counties of Worcestershire, Shropshire and Staffordshire. In the afternoon three famous WWII airfields have been selected as the sites for smooth tarmac driving tests. Just south of the famous railway town of Crewe a new Hotel, set in the rolling Cheshire countryside of the private Wychwood Park Estate, is the first overnight halt.

A quick run up the drive of Arley Hall, the home of Viscount Ashbrook, is the first test of the next day before hurrying as quickly as possible past Liverpool and Manchester to explore the minor roads and the scenic beauty of the Forest of Bowland. A passage check at Ribblehead provides an opportunity to admire the huge scale of the 24 arches that make up the quarter of a mile long viaduct. Wensleydale one of the most scenic of the Yorkshire Dales is then the stopover for lunch.

The deserted open roads and sweeping bends continue through Swaledale for another passage check at Tan Hill Inn, the highest in Britain. The route, ending at Carlisle, through the often bleak and remote North Pennines will satisfy anyone’s desire to experience the open road from behind the wheel of a wonderful vintage car.

The following morning a coffee break will be taken at Drumlanrig Castle, the home of the Duke of Buccleuch, followed by a quick test down the drive of this spectacular estate. In the counties of Dumfries and Galloway the Forests of Ae, Glengap, Laurieston and the 11 mile long Loch Ken lead to the lunch halt at Gatehouse of Fleet, overlooking Wigtown Bay on Solway Firth. There is still more wonderful scenery and a great drive to come along the 40 miles of single track roads through Glentool Forest and past Loch Doon.

The final competitive test of the day will take place at the Kames Motorsport Centre before heading for a well deserved welcome by a Scottish Piper at the Dalmahoy Country Club Hotel, on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

Entry List

The 3rd Flying Scotsman 2011 Results

Leg 1 – Brooklands to Crewe

The 3rd Flying Scotsman 2011 Results

Leg 2 – Crewe to Carlisle

The 3rd Flying Scotsman 2011 Results

Final Results at Edinburgh Finish