Where do you start when surrounded by 1450 vintage vehicles in one location, including 900 trucks?

We were thrilled to stumble upon the recent Kelsall Steam & Vintage Rally, Britain’s largest display of vehicles. This weekend-long rally is held on a working farm near Chester, in the county of Cheshire. The rally covers more than 30ha and is attended by people from all over the UK (and New Zealand).

On display were steam engines, vintage tractors, motorcycles, classic and vintage cars, and 900 vintage and classic trucks. A highlight was the display for the 75th anniversary of Cheshire-based truck manufacturer ERF, with 245 ERFs lined up, many dating back to the 1950s or earlier. The Foden Society also displayed trucks covering all decades, including steam-powered Fodens dating back to the 1920s. It was truckie heaven to be wandering the hectares of displays.

This family-run event began in 2001, when Geoff Newsome’s (late) Uncle Frank had an idea for anyone and everyone to come to his home and “fetch your vintage trucks, tractors, cars etc and don’t worry, Geoff will sort it”. The event was open to the public and the rally has grown every year since. As Geoff’s wife Marie says, “We have created a monster!”

As the rally grew, it moved to Geoff and Marie’s farm, allowing more space. Marie and her daughter, Sophie, organise the event with the help of a huge team of volunteers. ”Without them, we could not continue,” Marie says.

To put the size of this event into perspective, not only are there the amazing vehicles but there are lawnmower races, tractor pulling, birds of prey displays, trade stalls, a children’s fair, Punch and Judy theatre, food court, live music, as well as a central arena with continual parades of vehicles and live agricultural displays. This year included a dog and duck show, with a cattle dog herding ducks into pens. This amazing event was topped off with a fireworks display on Saturday night.

One of the key objectives of the rally is to preserve the history of steam, honour its heritage and share it, along with the vintage vehicles and machinery, with the community. The rally is described as a charming journey back in time.

As we strolled the vast trucking area, the variety never ceased to amaze us. There was everything from a 1944 Foden, a 1952 Bedford and ERFs from the 1960s, to an impressive 379 EXDH Peterbilt, a V8 Scania with stunning graphics and a few blinged-up long-nose Scanias.

We stopped to talk to Glyn Swain, who was sitting with his coffee, taking it all in, in front of his beautiful 1976 Scania 141 375hp V8. Next to it was his 1959 Commer two-stroke 110hp X model, a fully restored, resplendent piece of history. “It is an absolute replica of the one I had in 1959,” Glyn says.

Glyn’s great-grandfather started a haulage company in 1914, and trucking has been in the blood for generations. Glyn’s son Steve has followed, with five trucks carting nursery plants and waste.

Two other trucks that caught our eye were a 50th anniversary 2014 R580 Scania and a 50th anniversary 2017 FH Volvo. These two previously carted general freight and containers but are now show trucks owned by Econ Engineering, a family business owned by Jonathan Lupton. Econ manufactures gritter bodies to sell or lease to councils throughout the UK, for spreading grit on the countries’ roads.

Geoff Newsome’s passion is trucks. He owned a trucking company, GA Newsome Haulage, with 25 trucks and about 100 trailers. He also has a fleet of vintage trucks and a few old tractors. The Kelsall rally is an extraordinary event organised by a family for families to have an amazing day out and enjoy. We were thrilled to happen upon it while travelling the UK.