Mon
Late start today as the first job needs some prep before being moved, so mosey on over to Tattenhall for midday to collect the machine and……its not ready yet, so hang around until its done then load up. The machines destination is the National Agricultural Centre at Stoneleigh, Warks for the Dairy Event, a small annual show where dairy farm machinery manufacturers show their wares to dairy farmers. It’s a used demo machine so it’s been having a wash and brush up, as the manufacturers haven’t got a new one of this model available for the stand.
Loaded it’s off cross country then onto the A49, A51, and A500 down to the M6, then off at J4, then through Coventry on the A45, then over to Stoneleigh.
Arrive and make contact with the loaders, but they’re pretty busy so have to wait a while.
I’m parked next to about 20 new John Deere’s, I’ve got a spare JD key and I’m tempted to borrow one for a few minutes, but spot a guy amongst them cleaning and polishing, and he might get a bit [zb] off if I do, so wait for the official loaders.
A quick look inside, eek 
Tipped and its off again, this time down to Suffolk, I call the contact and ask if its alright to load about 9pm, he says yes its ok, but I’ll be on my own.
Back to the M6, then A14, call at Brampton Hut for some tea and a 45, and then off again.
Take the A12 across to a village called Blaxhall nr Snape, and find the farm, a bit tight getting in, the machine, a loading shovel is waiting. Drop the ramps and go to the machine and its locked, so another call and I’m told where the keys are hidden. Loaded, chained down, I decide I’ve had enough for today and park up in the corner, it’s pretty remote and quiet out here but that’s how I like it, I go and shut the yard gates and turn in.
Tues
06.30 After a restless night I get up and dress, make a coffee, then boot up the motor and go and open the yard gates, on the way back to the truck I notice in the daylight the mother of all power lines running across the yard, right above where I’m parked, with another set running parallel, I know the Sizewell Nuclear power station can’t be far away, so there’s probably been some serious wattage rattling past overhead last night, I wonder if that’s why I didn’t sleep to well. Get rolling back to the A12, A14. Call in at Tesco’s by Copdock, Take 45 and do a bit of shopping. The next stop is a little village called Gravely in Herts, to a farm where a tractor and trailer are waiting to be collected, so back off onto the A14, then A11, then A505 across to Baldock,
then drop down to just above Stevenage. Spend about an hour, measuring, squeezing and rearranging to get all three items on board, then chained down and off. Next stop is Ledbury, Hereford to tip the tractor. Because of the tight squeeze, the boom of the loader is positioned above the trailer, and I’m running at 16’3’’,
The relevant pages of my bridge height atlas are missing, so play safe and head for the M1, switching to the A43, then M40, M42, M5, M50, then up into and through Ledbury to the farm. Remove everything, tip the tractor, and then reload the trailer and loader. I’m feeling tired and I don’t fancy the A49 going north, so back down to the M50, then onto the M5 and straight into Strensham for another 45, kip for 30, then have a coffee.
Fully refreshed and caffeine levels replenished its off back to the yard, its two hours from Strensham and a nice easy run, M5, M6 j18, home.
Weds
The plan is to tip the loader and trailer at whitchurch, and reload with two tractors, but only one tractor is there, the other is on its way up from Oxon on another truck who is returning to the south west with the loader on my truck and another tractor. So the job is re-planned, I drop the farm trailer and loader (again), pick my tractor no1 and the SW tractor and the reload the loader, and we meet at Wolverhampton Truck Stop and swap about.
Get rid of the loader at long last, and collect my tractor no2, then its off M54, M6, A14 towards Huntingdon, then onto the A141 out towards Chatteris,
then Wimblington, and across and through Manea, tip tractor no2,
then off again, next stop Immingham, where tractor no1 is to be dropped and booked for Denmark. So off across country, A1101 to Wisbech, then across to Long Sutton and stop for a 45 and some tea.
Then A17, A16 Boston, Louth, up to Immingham and find the usual yard for plant etc, but it’s closed. A quick word with security and I’ve missed them by 10 mins.
Don’t fancy trying to get back out of the Docks with no pass out for the tractor, so slot in amongst some trailers and call it a day.
Thurs
Awake, caffeined up, and drop the ramps where I am, tip the tractor and drive the 100m up to the compound, ‘sorry mate, you need the new terminal’. Ah [zb]’s, so back to the truck, reload and round to the new terminal, tip,
book out and now off to Ripon, A180, M18, M62, A1, then into Town. Find the yard, and its waiting, a 22 tonne 360’
bound for Fleetwood Docks for shipment to N.Ireland. Loaded and chained, it’s through Ripon, then down the A61 to Harrogate, then onto the A59 westbound. Skipton.
Gisburn, Clitheroe, stop for 20 and a bacon sarnie, then onto the M6 for a short burst, then the M55, then A585 up to Fleetwood. Book in and round to the slipway, because of the metal tracks it has to go on a MAFI, a sort of platform with wheels, so line up the trailer end to end,
unchain, and inch by inch transfer over.
Job done, chains away and its time to finish my 45. so I lunch, drink coffee and enjoy the sunshine.
Break finished its time for home as the next job isn’t till tomorrow, so set off back, decide to take a trip down memory lane, or better known as the Golden Mile, and detour down Blackpool Prom,
not been for a few years but not changed much, so out onto the M55, M6 j18, home.
Fri
Easy day today, leave the yard at 08.00, and it’s off to Stoneleigh again today, but for a different load, so M6 off at J4, then through Coventry on the A45, then over to Stoneleigh. This time I’m one of the last to collect my load, and the loaders are waiting, this time its two tankers to go to Whitchurch,
so loaded and chained just before it starts to rain,
take a 45 and lunch, another late collection driver turns up, so have a chat then time for off, back to Whitchurch through the torrential rain, tip and reload for Monday, then home.
.I was there on Tuesday collecting one of our tractors.
.Things have started to pick up now with alot of machines coming off hire