June | 2025 | Tony Bryer

Everyone who knows me knows that I enjoy visiting car museums. Back when visiting UK in 2023 I had plans to visit the Great British Car Journey, a car museum in Ambergate, Derbyshire which had opened in 2021. Alas events intervened and I never got there.

But this year, as part of my UK visit, I got there and wasn’t disappointed. The museum has around 150 cars on display and unlike some car museums the emphasis is on the ordinary: Austin, Morris, Ford, Vauxhall etc, many of the cars that were commonplace during my childhood. My ‘I Spy Cars’ and ‘Observers Book of Automobiles’ were two of my childhood treasures: I wish I still had them.

The story is split into nine ‘chapters’:

1921-39: A little car that changed the world: the Austin Seven
1945-57: A Minor miracle: the Morris Minor
1957-67: Wizardry on wheels: the Mini
1967-70: BL is formed but begins a long decline
1913-70: A family affair: Rootes – Hillman, Humber, Singer and Sunbeam
1905-2021: The Americans: Ford and Vauxhall
1970-77: Difficult times: BL is nationalised
1977-90: The lady’s not for turning: Mrs T. reluctantly refinances BL; enter the Metro
1990-today: British-owned volume car producers are no more.

Visitors are lent an tablet – the commentary is excellent, with even more information delivered if you click on the display board QR codes.

There’s a good café too.

If this was it, the Great British Car Journey would just be another medium size motor museum – The British Motor Museum, Gaydon has 400 cars. But what makes this museum different (unique?) is that you can Drive Dad’s Car!

… Or in my case, since my dad never drove (eyesight issues), Drive Mum’s Car.

On the day we visited a good number of their sixty-car drive fleet was out ready for visitors to drive, everything from a 1920s Austin Seven, a 1938 Wolseley that’s appeared in Foyle’s War, a London Black Cab, a Rolls Royce Silver Spirit, a police Jaguar with blue flashing lights, and at the other end of the scale numerous humbler vehicles. The current cost (June 2025) of a drive depends on the car chosen: they’re grouped into Classic (£54), Premium (£75) and Luxury (£85) with discounts if you drive more than one. Buying one or more drives gets you free museum admission.

For myself, I chose to drive their Hillman Imp, since it was the first car my mother ever owned, bought new in 1963 for £532. She sold it in 1966, well before I learned to drive. Had I not chosen this car, I’d probably have chosen one that I’d owned in the past.

The museum buildings are at one end of a four-acre site, home to a wire rope factory from 1876 until it closed in 1996. Each drive lasts about twenty minutes, three circuits of the site, accompanied by a supervisor. You can take passengers for a small extra charge (£10) and a souvenir photo is a very modest £9.95. Not having driven a manual car for 25+ years, I felt somewhat like a learner; thankfully I only stalled once! But a great experience.

Thanks to my friend John for providing transport; if you want to visit the museum using public transport, it’s about a 20 minute walk from Ambergate station.

.. as a guest, not host, I hasten to add! The cruise was organised and hosted by Paul and Carole who run the ‘Paul and Carole love to travel’ YouTube channel which I’ve followed for several years. Check it out here. They are a very down-to-earth friendly couple from Gloucestershire, England.

I first met Paul and Carole when they visited Melbourne in January 2023 whilst on their Australian cruise and held a meetup for their supporters, handily for me here in Melbourne Docklands.

When in May 2023 Paul and Carole announced their first group cruise, on Sky Princess, from Southampton to Norway, Denmark and back, my interest was aroused. Copenhagen was the first non-UK place I ever visited by myself, back in 1985. I’d always meant to go back but never got round to it. And although Southampton is a long way from Melbourne, I could combine this cruise with seeing friends and family. So in August 2023 I signed up. To qualify as a group cruise Paul and Carole needed 30 people to sign up; in the end they got 170!

Twenty-one months later, May 16 2025, I’m in Southampton for the eve-of-cruise get-together. Then after a good night’s sleep it was off to the ship, check-in and once on board off to the Vista lounge for group registration and a chance to meet more fellow travellers. Each day we had exclusive use of this lounge from 1.30-3.30, with excellent service from the staffed bar, with a different activity each day, e.g. a ‘How well do you know Paul and Carole?’ quiz to see who’d been paying attention to their videos.

By default our group was assigned a dining time of 5.30p.m. with a section of the Soleil dining room being assigned to us. This was great: we were effectively on a cruise for 170, not 3,660 (the ship rated capacity). No one was obligated to eat here; if you wanted to eat later, in the buffet or at a speciality restaurant you were of course free to do so. Those of us who are P&C Patreons (financial supporters) were each invited to dine with Paul or Carole on one night of the cruise.

The cruise was meant to include four port stops: Kristiansand and Oslo in Norway, and Copenhagen and Skagen in Denmark, with sea days at the beginning and end of the cruise. For weather reasons we had to skip Skagen so got an extra sea day. Here’s a quick summary of our three port visits; lots of other websites cover them in more detail:

Kristiansand

This was my first visit to Norway. Kristiansand, Norway’s fifth largest city, was an easy walk from the ship. I got to see the city centre, 1885 cathedral and railway station. The brightly painted buildings near where the ship was docked are a credit to those who commissioned and designed them.

Oslo

Oslo is the capital of Norway. I could have done better here. I’d booked a ticket for the hop on/hop off bus, intending to do two circuits, the first to get an overview of the sights, noting those to stop off on the second circuit. The full circuit takes ninety minutes. Having made a rather leisurely start to the day I realised once on the bus that I’d only manage one circuit if I was to be sure of being back on board by the stated time (3.30). By alighting at one stop and walking to the next I did get to see the Opera House, Parliament, University and National Theatre, plus lots more from the bus. Next time, if ever …

Copenhagen

Here members of our group cruise had the option of taking a coach for an extended visit to the Tivoli Gardens; all aboard time wasn’t until 8.30p.m. I chose to do my own thing. Cruise ships dock a fair way from the city with a free shuttle bus running to and from the Orientkaj metro station, opened in 2020. From here I got a train to the city centre (24DKK, A$5.72, £2.75). 27,000 steps later I’d visited the National Gallery, the Royal palace and after a quick visit to the Tivoli Gardens walked along Strøget, to the historic Nyhavn. From there I walked to the Vor Krelsers Kirke (Church of our Saviour) to see its famed 400-step spire built in 1752. The last 150 steps go round the outside of the spire and, no, I didn’t climb them!

Then back to the ship for two full days at sea with plenty of onboard activities and entertainment. A great trip! Many thanks to Paul and Carole for being such good hosts, to Dan, their travel agent, who did all the admin, and, as ever, the first class Princess crew.