Tractors congregated at Downs Farm, Batsford, for Tractor run
Last Sunday over 60 tractors, both modern and historic, congregated at Down’s Farm on the Batsford Estate, near to Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire. This was courtesy of David and Bruce Minnett.
This event is the annual tractor run through the North Cotswold countryside, in association with the North Cotswold Vintage tractor club and the Moreton Show, raising money for their chosen charity, Cancer Research UK.
The 42-mile run called in at Cutsdean, Ford, Sudeley Hill, Brockhampton, Sevenhampton, Syreford, Shipton Oliffe and Hampen, with a lunch stop at Lower Hampen Farm, put on by the Hardy's.
In the afternoon, before returning to Downs Farm, it went via Hazleton, Turkdean, Cold Aston, Notgrove, Lower Harford (with its ford), Upper Slaughter (with its picturesque setting and ford), Condicote and Petty France.
Tractor convoy through the lanes
The Bluebell Run was this year sponsored by Norton Air, Cotswold Petroleum, and Bearings Plus.
The tractor run was set to run at a speed no faster than 12 mph through the minor roads, and farm tracks through the North Cotswolds, and its rolling countryside. The route was lined in places with excited children (and adults!) with the prospect of seeing a large convoy of tractors of all types, and they were not disappointed.
The marshals made sure that Health & Safety was paramount during the day, particularly at crossroads with main A roads, making sure that tractors crossed safely by stopping the traffic briefly.
Through the Upper Slaughter ford on the Bluebell Tractor run
At the two fords on the route, Lower Harford and Upper Slaughter small crowds of excited children and adults were gathered looking forward to the eventual site of over 60 tractors splashing through the fords, with various sizes of the bow wave, depending on the size of the tractor!.
The differences in tractor Size were very obvious, with the massive modern tractors, many driven by members of Young Farmers, and covered tractors from the 1970s, and historic open-top tractors from the 1930/40s, driven by their owners or enthusiasts.
The Moreton Show, organised by Moreton-in-Marsh Agricultural & Horse Show Society, takes place on Saturday 2nd September 2017.
