ThamesMOG Visit to Westonbirt Arboretum and Williams Morgan Dealership 6th September 2018
Eight traditional ThamesMOG Morgans assembled on a sunny morning at Westonbirt Arboretum for a dealer day with a difference. We had a good mix of cars with one Plus 8, one 3.7 Roadster, two 3 litre Roadsters, one Plus 4, two, two seater 4/4s and one 4 seater. Previous such events had included visiting several dealers on one day. This time ,we decided do get back to our “roots”(or frames!) with some “tree hugging” before visiting Williams Dealership near Chipping Sodbury in Gloucestershire. The weather was kind and we managed top down motoring most of the day- just as well since David and Sheila Williams had not brought a roof for their Plus 8!
The National Arboretum at Westonbirt offers two rather different woodland areas to explore; The Old Arboretum and The Silk Wood offer different attractions with the first being an ancient formal garden and the latter a more natural series of plantings and a new elevated walkway. Conducted walks are available (and recommended) – allow up to 1 ½ hours for the first, and 2 hrs for the Silk Wood. Our time was limited so we took a shorter guided tour of the old Arboretum which was fascinating and then “branched “off to try the Tree Top walkway at beginning of the Silk Wood which provides a very different perspective of the woodlands.
The visit gave but a taste of what is on offer and left us wanting more. Thoroughly recommend a visit. However, a quick lunch at the nearby Hare and Hounds (soft shelled crab burger!!) was calling and the arrival of eight immaculate Morgans (yes we had all made an effort!) provided a worthy distraction for the guests attending an elegant formal wedding reception. We tried hard not to steal the show but ….you know how it is!
On to Williams, about half an hour away, and a warm welcome from Henry and his team who had plenty to show us. We all oo’d and aah’d at the amazing gold and black special Aero 8 that was being prepared for its owner, which we were told, was the last Aero8 to be made. To commemorate this the inside of the bonnet had been signed by all those at the factory who had a hand in building it, although we could only recognised the signatures of Steve Morris and Jonathan Wells. Also on display was a lovely 50th Anniversary Plus eight for sale, which a few of us took a fancy to. There were lots of other cars and accessories of interest and Henry and his team gave freely of their time to show us around, answer our many questions as well as providing coffee, tea and nibbles!
A light shower eventually signalled time to move and we all departed separately after an excellent visit. Thank you Henry and team. Most of us found our way to our regular Noggin haunt - The Novello at Knowle Hill on the A4 - where we met up with others who had not been able to manage the whole day. We brought them up to date over one of Novello’s famous curries which rounded the day off nicely. Watch out for more Thames Valley Tours next year!
Tim Jones