âGoodwood Revivalâ she said, âdo you fancy that Ernieâ asked Mrs Beccâs one evening in very early September. It was the right time for her to ask as I had noticed the nights were drawing in and I was subconsciously trying to avoid acceptance that winter was on its way. I donât do cold and I certainly donât do cold, wet and dark all at the same time, âYea, sure when is itâ I quizzed, âitâs on for three dayâs starting Friday 16th Septemberâ Mrs Beccs replied in that excited voice that women use when they have found something they must have and couldnât possibly live without. Then the inevitable male question, âhow much is it going to costâ, âItâs very reasonable Ern and look it says I can use some Tesco vouchers so we can get 25% offâ So Hey Ho onto the Goodwood site, armed with Debit Card , two tickets for the entire three dayâs cost around £160, bargain, with discount of course, every little helps eh. The following ten evenings were spent trolling the internet searching for hotel rooms and dresses and shoes etc etc for Mrs Beccs. Her ladyship found an internet period dress shop and purchased sufficient items to last the entire weekend without having to repeat, mostly red dresses and shoes, and very nice she looked too, money well spent, she reassured me. Me, I acquired my outfit at our local charity shop, even managed to find a Hugo Boss blazer, the whole lot for £20 The Premier Inn at Eastleigh was the closest and most accessible hotel we could find, being about 35 miles from Goodwood and importantly only 500 yds from the M27/A27 which takes you straight to the venue and very quickly, around 30 mins. The service at the hotel left a lot to be desired, and when questioned about the slow service the staff excused the situation with âoh well weâve got a lot off on holidayâ 35 minutes from ordering full English to it arriving seems a tad too long for me. Now, the event itself, is mindblowingly nostalgic and everyone who attends has risen to the occasion and is sartorially attired to whichever early to mid 20th century period they choose. I was not totally convinced of the authenticity of the racing before the event but having been and seen with my own eyes I believe the period fashion aspect gives an added value dimension to the Goodwood programme and does not detract in any sense from the enthusiastic and meaningful efforts of those on the track. Itâs simple to understand why the Goodwood Revival is so successful, after all, girls like dressing up, guys like dressed up girls and aeroplanes and racing cars, what more can you ask. Ladies in fur coats, proper dresses, seamed stockings; pert hats with nets, each a work of art. Most if not all couples walked hand in hand or arm in arm and looked like they were happy to be together, somewhat unusual nowadays. Beautiful racing cars, Ferraris, GT40s, E types, Lotus 49s, Cobras, Aston Martin, also Spitfires galore, Wellington bombers, the Memphis Belle, the Supermarine, and loads of famous faces, some even driving famous racing cars. Not forgetting the scramble bike lads Lamkins, Rickman bros etc, Greeves,DOT,Metisse,CZ, Cotton. Me and Mrs Beccs came away from the weekend with our faith restored in human nature and feeling reassuredly English.
Superb Ernie! Your account sums things up nicely and I really hope you can make it to the Festival of Speed, as well as a repeat Revival next year! (or should that be Revival repeat?). Who cares, it's great fun and sounds as if you did it on a budget managing your whole outfit for a measly £20 !! Amazing! Is your real name Steptoe?
Bergy, I'm still buzzing, it was incredible, Mrs Beccs loved every minite of it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
