Day 9: A tour side-story from Culloden Battlefield

Sunday August 21st - 2022

Have I got a wonderful Day 9, side-story for all my motor vehicle enthusiast friends, plus any one else that wants to listen. As you all know by now l am holidaying over here for 3-months in England & Scotland during the Summer of ‘22.

Unfortunately my sensational holiday is quickly drawing to a close, right now l am in Scotland on Day 9 of this fabulous 12-day Scottish Isles & Glen trip. l want to tell you all about this Australian gentleman that l met yesterday parked in the car park of this very historic Culloden Battlefield near Inverness, the cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands.

Most of you probably have no idea what happened here on the 16th April, 1746. The Battle of Culloden was fought on this moor that bought to and end the Clan system in Scotland.

(Above) Bob Roberts from Muswellbrook in NSW and his Australian registered 1926 Rolls Royce which is fitted with NSW historic plates (73686 H).

I will not go into all those historic & horrific details in this story, however I will let you know about this unbelievable meeting l had with an Aussie car tragic like myself by pure chance in the car park while visiting here yesterday, so here we go, you will not believe it.

Driving into the coach parking area, l noticed this vintage car parked towards the rear of the car park, & thought to myself l must walk over there & check it out, this will definitely worth a photo or two.

First things first, l am here to learn about the conflict that led to the end of the clan system in Scotland.

In this area the most ferocious hand to hand fighting took place at the height of the battle. Historians believe that around 700 Jacobite soldiers were killed or wounded here in just a few minutes of fighting. The Jacobites charge had broken the government front line but they were then forced back with catastrophic consequences.

(Above) As l got closer to the trailer, I noticed there was a boxing kangaroo, an Australian National flag & the word 'Australia' written on the side of the trailer.

Back to my story, our tour guide told us that we had approximately 1-hour at this memorial to explore out on the battlefield, check it out, then come back to the Museum complex. By the time l had walked out to the battlefield & returned l was left with only a half hour up my sleeve before it was time to jump back onto the coach for our departure.

I had to decide there and then what my priority was, either explore the Museum or walk over to where this vintage vehicle was parked right at the rear of this huge car park. Of course you know what l decided to do, don’t you. I had absolutely no idea of the surprise l was about to walk into.

Thankfully the vintage vehicle was still there, as l approached the vehicle l noticed this middle aged man hop into the driver's seat & I thought, ‘how lucky am l’ as he was about to leave.

(Above) Bob's touring vintage 1926 Rolls Royce

As I drew closer to the vehicle, I noticed that it was a vintage Rolls Royce, l had no idea what year model it was, then l noticed that it had a trailer hooked up to it. The closer l got to the trailer, I could quickly distinguish some familiar logos. There was a boxing kangaroo, an Australian National flag & the word 'Australia' written on the side of the trailer. (see photo).

I introduced myself to this bloke behind the wheel & immediately we struck up this unbelievable conversation.

He wanted to know what l was doing here in Scotland and more importantly l wanted to know what he was doing here in the UK with his vintage RR & trailer. Here is the story.

This gentleman’s name is Bob Roberts from Muswellbrook in NSW, which is a country town about a 3-hour drive north from where I live in Sydney. l started asking him all these question like what model of Roller is this & I sort of recognised the box trailer for some unknown reason.

(Above) Bob with his vintage 1926 Rolls Royce and trailer on a camping tour across the United Kingdom.

Bob told me that his vintage vehicle is a 1926 Rolls Royce with a 20hp engine that just happens to be the smallest engine that RR made for this model.

He told me that he is a real estate property valuer. I then said to him what on earth are you doing here? Rob told me that he is 69-years-old & if I don’t do this trip now l will never be able to do it in the future because l will be too old. I asked him who are you traveling with? I am travelling on my own, I have left the cheese & kisses at home & here l am having the time of my life. He shipped the vehicle & trailer over here from Australia to drive it all around Ireland & the UK.

Then l asked him why are you towing the box trailer? his answer completely blew me away. Bob said l have my swag & tent & camping gear in there, l am sleeping under the stars. He then said, do you know how expensive the hotels are over here, not only that he said even the B&Bs are completely over the top.

(Above) Check out the trailer's spoked wheels, they are definitely Model A Ford rims

During our conversation l mentioned that I am a Model A Ford tragic & his eyes lit up. He told me that one of the worst decisions he had ever made in his life was the day he sold his Model A Ford to purchase this 1926 RR. He said that the Model A Ford was a much better car than this Roller.

Once he discovered that l was a Model A Ford man, he said have a closer look at the trailer, you wouldn’t believe it, he made the trailer up using Model A Ford parts. Check out the spoked wheels, they are definitely Model A Ford rims, l would guess ‘28 or ‘29 rims with small wheel caps if l am not wrong.

Bob also mentioned that when he was driving around Ireland near Cork, he had the misfortune of having five punctures in one day, yes five punctures in one day. Bob said that was a challenge, indeed.

(Above) Culloden Battlefield Trail map.

I asked him why did he have his vehicle & trailer sort of hidden right up the back of the car park away from everything (see photo) with Bob standing in front of his RR. He told me that the authorities of the Museum told him that he had to move it away from the entrance because it was creating too much attention away from the Museum & Battlefield, so he had to hide it away from the punters, can you believe that?

I was quickly running out of time because l had a deadline to meet to join my tour group back on the Coach in less than 5-minutes. l would loved to have spent another few hours with him to listen to his stories, experiences, & adventures of him driving around Ireland & the UK.

I asked him where he was off to next, he told me that he was on his way back down to London via Edinburgh. He wanted to see the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo tomorrow night.

Then came the big question from me, are you going to ship your vintage RR & trailer back to Sydney when you have finished here in the UK. Hell no, he said, I am on my way back down to London because l am going to one of the Classic Vehicle Auction Houses (Sotheby’s) l think he said to offload them. I asked him if he was going to sell both of them together. No, he told me they are worth more money sold individually.

By now l had to leave Bob & his Vintage 1926 RR and trailer in the grass car park & run back to our coach because l knew they would be waiting for me. On the way back into Inverness in our coach yesterday afternoon l asked our tour guide John if I could tell our group of 30 travelling companions the experience that I had just had back in the car park. He handed the PA microphone to me & away I went. 

Our group mainly consists or Americans, Canadians & three of us Aussies. Of course the North Americans could hardly believe my story & were completely flabbergasted with what l told them.

Right now l am sitting in my room here in Edinburgh, reporting live to you all from my hotel which is the Apex Grassmarket Hotel, with a commanding view of Edinburgh Castle directly across the street.

Next up: the 2022 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Warmest regards

Warbo