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1946 MGTC to Malta
  • Peter Sprot
  • Peter Sprot

1946 MGTC to Malta

A 35-day adventure by Peter Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 11, 2017
    Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot
    1
    11

    Three countries in one day

    May 11, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    The sun shone as we left home at 07.30 it was still shining when we returned to get a rug for Mandy at 07.40. The traffic was heavy and noisy and the weather stayed bright and quite cold all the way to Dover where we met a couple of other MG's making their way to the Ardennes.
    We are now in northern Belgium at a town called Roeselare which is about 65 miles from Dunkirk. The Hotel ter Zuidhoek is nice and we arrived about ten minutes before the heavens opened. We were so lucky as we had the roof down and sunshine for the whole journey.
    The car never missed a beat and did 171 miles on 35 liters and about 200 miles total today.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Ready to go

    May 11, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Our journey begins on the 11th May unless the weather forecasts is bad in which case we would begin a day early.
    We will post our position with notes and pictures every couple of days unless we end up somewhere without WiFi.
    It's all about the journey not so much the destination so we are not booking ahead unless we have good reason too.

    The car is prepared with new half shafts, hubs, bearings, seals and brakes. I've also changed the steering box for a much more efficient one which means the car does not have the tendency to wander and the turning circle is much smaller so it will be easier on the alpine passes.
    In the coming days we will test our programming of the sat nav by going on a trip to the sea side via several way points.
    Today is the 5th and I start packing the car with all the spares and tools I intend to take to give me time to order anything I may have forgotten. I realised that our flight bags are too solid and bulky to fit in the small space we have for luggage and spare parts so I've ordered 2 rucksacks which will squash into the available space easier. These will carry the clothes for what might be there three weeks to get to Malta where we can wash everything properly. We will be able to wash bits in hotels and dry them in the engine compartment.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    ... in Dinant

    May 13, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Another great day traveling with good weather and only five minutes rain. The day started with us visiting a factory I was involved with many years ago. It was great to see it being in such good condition and so well managed by my good friend Philippe.
    After our tour of Miller Graphics we headed south on a route carefully plotted by Mandy and ruthlessly edited by the sat nav which was determined to take us on motorways and not on the chosen way.
    As a surprise Mandy took me to see a barge lift at Mons which can lift barges weighing 1350 tonnes through 73 metres in about 6 minutes with not a drop of water leaking as it lifted 8000 tonnes in total. It has two independent lifts. A real feat of engineering.
    We are staying with 23 other MG's at this very nice hotel in Dinant. The food is very good. The rooms are nice and the MG owners and partners are very friendly.
    After a good night's sleep we went into town and visited the church and the Citadel which sits above the town and played a significant part in the first world war. In our way out we met a bunch of Malay tourists who asked us to stop the car so they could take photos.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Han sur Lesse Caves

    May 15, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    After extremely large breakfast - Peter managed a full English followed by full continental and I wasn't much better! We drove to Han only 25 mins away from Dinant. You get to the caves via a small train. Entering the dark cool entrance dressed lightly due to blazing sunshine outside we realised too late we should have probably brought coats! The guide (very hunky whose main job is breeding horses for eventing.... sorry got distracted for a moment) The tour guide was very good and as our group was small and all understood English meant we didn't have to listen to 3 languages which seems necessary in Belgium. Fab caves extremely large with lots to see. We walked 2 kilometres of the 17 km network. Peter waited until we were in the largest cave half way into the hillside before asking about earthquakes in the region... some shuffling of feet but nobody headed for the exit. Evidently last rock to fall was in 1984.
    We raided a supermarket for a cheap lunch and headed back to hotel....Gala dinner tonight for all the MG owners then tomorrow we head off on the route to Malta probably a different hotel every night so should make some distance on the map 😎    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    CAR TECHNICAL INFO

    May 15, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I had noticed the fuel consumption was rather high and at first I thought it was me calculating it wrong but it wasn't. I found a fuel leak which was only present when the engine was running or just after I filled the tank as that was the only time the level was high enough for gravity to let petrol dribble from the banjo connection to the front carb. It was easily fixed by tightening the bolt which must have vibrated loose.
    Although pleased to find the fault I was feeling miserable at having lost about 30% from the last two tank fulls so after I came back to my room I checked the two lottery tickets I had bought before leaving home and both had won. One gave me an entry to the next draw and the other won £77 which more than covers the lost petrol!
    I met a very helpful chap called Paul Ireland who convinced me we should spend a little time checking the carburation as it was rich and the ignition timing. I was reluctant as the car was running well. We weakened the mixture two flats on both carbs and slightly advanced the timing using his bulb on a wire to tell us when the points are opening. It has improved things and should also contribute to better fuel consumption and cooler running. He was right as today's run showed to temperature was running about 6 degrees cooler today.
    Paul has a PhD in experimental nuclear physics which might explain the strange glow coming from under the bonnet of his TC.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot
    12

    Germany - Lemberg - Gasthaust Newpert

    May 16, 2017 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    We decided that after four days with the MG club we should do a few miles. So after crossing into France then briefly into Luxembourg then back into France we are now well and truly in Germany.
    The weather has been hot today with a forecast of more tomorrow. I was driving in a tee shirt with plenty sun tan cream.
    The car was great. Even on the long climbs in third and fourth gears at 3000rpm the temperature never went above 82.

    Tonight we are tired and we still have not found the best way to navigate. Today we tried my mobile as it is easy to plot a route in google maps on the lap top then send it to my phone. Mandy spent ages plotting a nice scenic route and this morning we set off from the hotel and had not gone a mile when my phone decided it could not cope and lost the route. So after a while we stopped and got Mandys lap top out in a town tourist office and put the route in again. This time it lost it when my phone rang. So we are going back to the sat nav but this time we are putting in enough way points so it will not deviate from our route as it did last time.

    The guest house we found is nice and has been in the family for six generations the food was filling and well cooked. The car is hidden round the back in a secluded car park next to a very old house with rotting woodwork.

    I checked the fuel mixture in the car which was perfect. The oil level could do with a cup full, and about half a pint of water in the radiator which I will do in the morning.
    Doing laundry as we travel can be tricky so I took advantage of a warm engine to dry mine. I hope I remember to remove it tomorrow!    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot
    1

    Hansel & Gretel with Herman Hesse

    May 18, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Great day no motorways! From Lemberg (France) to Bad Urach (Germany). National park in France and Black Forest in Germany. We stopped at Cawl in the forest for lunch and posing beside a figure on a bridge for a photo I discover it is Hermann Hesse (took a while for the penny to drop) the author! "Some of us think holding on makes us stronger but sometimes it is letting go," etc etc.
    We didn't have black forest gateaux but had the icecream equivalent dripping in amaretto p had the non alcoholic one as driving. Now in Bad Urach beautiful town staying in the Ratstube... Ate huge dinner with masses of beer....so Hermann we are definitely "letting go!!!" I am liking Germany very much. x    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Technical update

    May 18, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We did quite a distance today 205 miles including two passes. Starting in Germany then passing through Austria and ending the day in Italy.
    I bought a couple of litres of 20/50 oil as I've used about a litre and a spray to clean the windscreen and also remove the strains where the petrol had dribbled down the outside of the tank. I now fill it to about four inches from the top.
    Fuel consumption today has worked out at 29.5 mpg which is quite good for a MGTC considering the terrain.

    We found a nice hotel in a place called Mals and they offered me the use of the underground car park. I parked the car and noticed one of the rear tyres has a slow puncture so tomorrow morning I will change it for the spare and take the wheel to a local tyre place to fix the puncture . I could do it myself as I have everything I need but I will leave that option for a time when I have no other.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Hirschen hotel- Mals -Italy

    May 18, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We are in Italy but you would not guess it from the people as only 3% speak Italian. German is the language here.
    Tonight we tried a different way of finding a hotel. We just turn up in the town and look. The first we found was too expensive so Mandy went for a walk while I fiddled with the car and she found this place.
    The village is charming, surrounded by mountains. I don't know how high we are but it got a lot warmer as we came down the passes. I insisted on a pizza to celebrate arriving in Italy. We ate in a pizzeria across the road from the hotel.
    It was cool up on the mountain in the car so we put I jumpers and later jackets but so far we have only once had the hood of the car up once for ten minutes. We have been very lucky. That might change tomorrow as rain is forecast.
    Mandy tool several pictures as we traveled. I will post a few.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Mille Miglia

    May 19, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    It looks like we will be following hot on the heals of the famous car event. This year there are 902 cars entered from 127 different makes, all between 1927 and 1957. We will follow the leg heading south. They go to Rome we by pass it. http://www.1000miglia.it/2017-Edition/
    This might explain why I had two huge modern Ferraris slow down from around 150 mph in Germany on an empty road before the Alps they sat in the fast lane next to me for a few seconds one in front and one behind then they waved and took off accelerating as fast as they could, the sound was incredible. I think they were on the way to watch the Mille Miglia.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    A day off from travelling

    May 19, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    The weather forecast for today said thunder and lightning so that together with me needing to fix the puncture was enough to decide to stay in this lovely town. As it turned out I could have walked to the tyre repair place it was so close. The tube was not repairable so it was a good job I brought a spare tube. We have four good wheels on the car and a good spare wheel.
    The rain did not arrive until after 4pm so we could have continued but I'm glad we didn't as it gave me time to check over the car undisturbed in the underground car park while Mandy did a painting of the mountain view from the window then we went for a walk to find the five towers of the town and also find a place to eat tonight. The photo of the monastery was taken from across the valley.
    We have been having a large breakfast and today's was the nicest so far then not much for lunch which means we are hungry by 7pm.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot
    1

    Montagnana Padova northern Italy

    May 21, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We had a nice day which started cool but warned as we came down from the mountains we had another puncture. Then we came around lake Garda stopping for lunch at a lovely lake side restaurant. Then continued south.
    Mandy found this beautiful walled town and a b&b just outside the wall however when we got there it was closed so we ended up in a really posh hotel called Aldo Moro inside the wall. When I came in wearing jeans and carrying back packs the maitre d was very sniffy when he returned from seeing the car he couldn't do enough for us.
    We were luck to arrive on the very night the town celebrated the festival of ham as this area is know for many producers of that lovely thin sliced prosciutto so we bought tickets and joined in the fun. Tasting different hams and local wine.
    I will add more tonight as it is time to be on the road.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Technical update

    May 22, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Stopped for lunch in a motorway service area. Very busy place. After the second puncture which once again was nothing to do with anything being picked up from the road. I strongly suggest to anyone restoring a car. Do not buy cheap inner tubes. The TC came with good quality new tyres and very thin cheap tubes. The two good tubes I brought are now in the rear wheels and they weigh at least double the weight of the two which have punctured. I managed to get the thin tube repaired for an emergency. When we get to Malta I will order four heavy duty tubes and replace both fronts and the spare
    We have swapped from A roads to toll roads as the surface of the dual carriageway on non toll roads can be terrible with too many pot holes. The TC suspension can't really cope and we are sick of being bounced out of our seats.

    The repair didn't work. The spare tyre was flat when we reached tonight's hotel.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Amalfi Coast? No! Nocera Inferiore Yes!

    May 22, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Never heard of Nocera Inferiore? Neither had we - it was a point on the map I selected to avoid driving through Naples...as it turned out driving through Nocera was Naples with bells on or should I say horns full on and eyes shut (mine obviously Peters were WIDE open). But out of impending disaster (and probable divorce) the fickle hand of fate plucked us and deposited us in an Oasis deep within the edgy streets of Nocera Inferiore. AND, this we can't quite believe, it just happened to be Nocera's Church Feast Day. You have to see the pictures- firstly of the fab Villa Albani where we are staying and secondly of the Feast celebrations, a stunning - mile long avenue of lights, happy people, fun fair and live music. Thank you little car and big beardy man for getting us here.Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Change of plan.

    May 23, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    We had intended to spend around four or five days in Sicily before going to Malta. However, because we don't have a usable spare wheel we are going to head to Malta where we can sort it out at our leisure the do the tour of Sicily on our way back to England.
    Another change of plan is that the roads here in the south are really good so we have stopped using the toll roads.
    Tomorrow night could see us either in Taomina Sicily or on the late ferry to Malta.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot
    1

    The Grand Tonnara Amantea southern Italy

    May 23, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    An out of season resort hotel for £35 a night including breakfast.

    We had a lovely drive down from the Naples area and will continue down the coast tomorrow morning to Reggio Calabria where we get the ferry to Sicily.

    The people from last night's hotel insisted on giving us a bottle of wine and a fellow guest at the hotel wanted to swap his 51 year old Fiat 500 for the MG.

    Tonight we are having an early night as tomorrow could be a long day. It usually takes us an hour to get packed, the car checked over and the route planned for the day. So we've been setting off at around 10.30 to 11.00
    The pictures are from the journey down and around this beach side hotel.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Taormina for lunch

    May 24, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Caught the ferry to Sicily and headed to beautiful Taormina for lunch...polizia everywhere, carrabineri everywhere Italian military with big machine guns everywhere TV crews news crews. I said to Peter can we stop at a bar without a soldier there... But there wasn't one! And we were turned back from Taomina via the hill road. At this point I have to tell you we have not been watching any news for 2 weeks...so we thought something awful had happened maybe the Mafia (well it is Sicily). So decided to get out fast. Now languishing at the Villa Ambra in Noto south Sicily we discover (Thanks Google) it's the preparation for the G7 and is Trump coming? I didn't get to see Taomina another black mark against Trump lol! I did get one photo of soldiers was a bit nervous taking pics as they all had machine guns. I guess nothing has kicked off yet hope it all goes well..we hope to be in Malta tomorrow night x x Mandy

    As we waited for the ferry the police came over and asked in a friendly way about the car, then they took photos of themselves posing and wished us a happy holiday. Two minutes later we board the ferry and the crew came over and took photos and then used our camera to photograph us.

    We are booked on the afternoon ferry to Malta tomorrow.

    Villa Ambra -Noto southern Sicily
    The hotel recommended a really good restaurant booked us a table and gave us a map so we set off walking. The map was awful, we had to ask three people before we found it by which time were lost and although Mandy thought she could remember the way I had an idea.
    Technology to the rescue.
    The car is in the hotel car park and it has a tracker so I phoned​ it and it sent an SMS giving its location on Google maps which I set as a destination to walk and followed is directions. Mandy walked in front and correctly guessed the route (she is the navigator after all) and the phone confirmed her every step.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Nearly there

    May 25, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    As we don't need to be at the terminal until after lunch we are off to visit the cathedral and surroundings.
    As usual the hotel people here are lovely.

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Pozzallo ferry

    May 25, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We had time to look around Noto which is lovely. Then drove the last few miles to Pozzallo. The road was really bad for the last ten miles. I was worried when we saw a car stopped changing a wheel.
    As I write we are on the ferry waiting to go. The car is at the front and there are not many passengers. We will arrive in Malta at rush hour so it might take a while to get to the house. I'm posting some pictures from this morning including one from the exhibition of the work of the artist Chagall.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    We have arrived

    May 25, 2017 in Malta ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    It has taken two very enjoyable weeks. The only problem with the car was two punctures.
    Now we will relax for a few days. Wash all the clothes and order the new tubes for the car.
    It feels good to have arrived.
    I checked the mileage. We have traveled a little over 2200 miles or 3500 kilometres. I've used about 2.5 litres of oil and 1.5 litres of water and lots of petrol which varied from €1.46 to 1.75 per litre.
    Mostly our speed was about 55 miles per hour except in the many hilly areas. Faster than this and the thin cross ply tyres made the steering uncomfortable and it was harder to see the pot holes and undulating surface coming.

    Our idea to not book accommodation in advance changed as we traveled because if we left it until about 5pm it was often too late and smaller places would not accept our booking so we started booking place at about 2pm when we knew where we could get to by the end of our day.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot
    1

    Relaxing

    May 26, 2017 in Malta ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The car has been parked at the front door of the house all day and it was photographed every ten minutes by passing tourists. I gave it a good clean and vacuumed the dust off the tonneau.
    We parked in the town square and watched at least six pairs of tourists photograph it as we ate our lunch.
    On Sunday we have been invited to a car club meeting at Mosta where we will meet the owner of one of the two Maltese MGTC's then we continue to golden bay for the classic bikes and cars.

    I ordered the new inner tubes this morning Friday and they will arrive on Monday which is very good service.
    I will get them fitted by the tyre fitter who has a Vincent black shadow and get the wheels balanced.

    There is a snap election here also next week and I am eligible to vote so I will give it a go. Politics here is taken very seriously with very high percentage who vote.
    I will continue to post occasionally while we are here.
    Here are some photos from today.
    One is of a big amphibious car and the next picture is the boat it came off. They are both at the yacht marina at the back of the house.
    I'm doing this blog while Mandy cooks swordfish steak we bought from a fisherman this morning.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot

    Old Motors Club of Malta

    May 28, 2017 in Malta ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    What a nice welcome we had from the members when we turned up in the MG at the very nice club house. Today is Sunday and they were having a car boot spare parts sale and I found a dip horn switch exactly the same as the one in my TC. We sat and enjoyed a drink in the clubs comfortable bar/cafeteria.
    Several of the members went out of their way to to come over and chat and as I expected the standard of the Maltese classic cars I saw is outstanding. Tony Vassallo give me a beautiful calendar and copies of the newsletter which were all of the highest print quality.
    One member called Joe Anastasi guided us on the quickest way to Golden Bay then his English wife joined us for a meal. As we followed him to the bay I said to Mandy that we could not be in better company if we have a puncture as Joes family have a tyre business and he said they might even have a tube the size I need. Joe is also a Vincent owner. He looks a lot like my late uncle Laurie and he has the same surname as my mum's maiden name so we might be related which wouldn't surprise me.
    What a fantastic club they should be very proud.

    Later in the day I read the car club news letters I had been given and noticed that in the May edition there​ was a picture of a Rover P5B and I remembered that Brian Salmon sold his to a man in London who was moving to Malta. I checked the name of the owner with Tony and phoned Brian to ask the buyers name. It is Brian's rover. Small world!    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot
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    1

    Technical update

    May 29, 2017 in Malta ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    I ordered the tubes and rim tapes on Friday morning from Longstone tyres in England. They arrived at 10.30 this morning via DHL. Great service! I took the tubes to a Vincent owner who has a tyre shop not far from here and he replaced three tubes and balanced five wheels and wanted only €25 so I have him €30 and said the extra 5 is a deposit on his Black Shadow.
    I now have 2 new spare tubes and 5 good tubes on the car.
    I also opened the ignition points gap which had closed to six thou and went around the whole car checking the tightness of nuts and bolts. The car is ready for the trip home.    Read more

  • Peter Sprot1946 MGTC to MaltaPeter Sprot
    1

    Politics

    May 29, 2017 in Malta ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    We heard that the prime minister was coming to Birgu square tonight to gain support for the election on Saturday so we went along. He is certainly good at stirring up the crowds and clearly enjoyed having selfies taken with lots of people as he approached the stage. As for the politics, I didn't understand a word it was all in Maltese!Read more

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