My (not so) quick recce of Carters Steam Fair
From within moments of arriving at the fair it was clear to see just how much dedication and passion goes into the faithful restoration of these rides – the park truly looked beautiful and it was like stepping back in time. From what I’ve read the Carters family have a real passion and expertise for restoring vintage vehicles and fairground rides, so much so that if you have a vintage vehicle yourself that you are working on, you can arrange for their advice and assistance with paintwork and restoration if needed.
I intended to just have a quick look around the fair to see if it would be a good day out for myself and my son and so my focus of attention was initially on the children’s rides. I wasn’t really expecting much given that the few travelling fairs that I have attended only seem to have one or two children’s rides (that’s just in my limited experience). However the Carters steam fair had a large selection of children’s rides and also rides for the whole family, in addition to a few thrill rides that the modern day attractions a good run for their money.
So after having a quick walk around, I spotted a couple of larger attractions* that I just had to try out for myself whilst I was there, and my quick trip ended up being over 2 hours long given there was so much to look at.
(*the Ghost Train and the Carters Steamships – the latter being one of the most frightening rides that I have ever been on! see details below and a link to the ride and my reaction).