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MG MGA - Road trip from Long Island to Cape Breton, NS

Starting tomorrow we're taking the A on a 10-day trip up through the northeast, crossing Mass and Maine on the way into New Brunswick then over to Nova Scotia and around the Cabot Trail, then back home.

Total should be around 2800 miles round trip.

Got a trunk full of spares and tools, but just in case we run into problems I can't fix, can anyone recommend a good shop in the following areas:
- Middle Massachusetts
- East Coast of Maine
- East Coast of NB
- North end of NS

Any advice greatly appreciated!

- Ken



Ken Doris

Ken, just looking at my map to see where you are going, where is that fabulous piece of road in your picture?
Lindsay Sampford

Ken,

You have safe and fun trip. Sounds like a great trip. I know your MGA will enjoy it.

David......
David Honness

You should probably contact these people

http://www.batans.ca/
John DeWolf

Brit Bits - Portsmouth, NH 800-995-2487

Leyland Auto Repair - Kennebunkport Maine 207-967-2504

I've used them both. Top notch. Knowledgeable.
Lmazoway

Lindsay,

That road is the Cabot Trail - one of the most incredible routes in North America:
http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/gettinghereandaround/gettingaround/scenic_travelways/cabot_trail/default.aspx

Here's another picture

John - thanks for the link to Batans. I now have the contact info if I need help.

OK - Off at 0600 tomorrow. The car is mostly packed, just need to strap the luggage on the rack and off we go. Expecting rain the first 300 miles, so the hood is up, but we've left room to put it down for most of the rest of the trip (it is a ROADSTER!)

- Ken



Ken Doris

Lmazoway - thanks! I have them in my cell phone now if I need help.

- Ken
Ken Doris

I'm envious Ken, too far to drive from here and would need more than a hood to keep the wet out! You have a good time and I hope the weather is kind to you.
Lindsay Sampford

Go for it ken and have a great time, I have just done a trip of the same mileage and as daft as it sounds one of the things that I would do next time is leave my side screens at home, just a personal thing but I find they take up to much space and unless its going to be blowing a gale for hours (I hope its not) you dont need them,a thin water proof jacket in the side pocket will do just as well when the hoods up, lets face it if it rains when you are in a roadster you are going to get a little wet,you soon dry out, have a great time, cheers, vin
Vin Rafter

Not so sure about that Vin. We would have been in serious trouble if we hadn't had the sidescreens when we were on the way back from the Northumbria Tour earlier this year. Just north of Peterborough we ran into a real deluge and had to erect the hood for the first time in months, the rain lashed the sidescreens so hard, that Lynda and I had to shout at each other over the noise. I think if it is raining hard enough to require the hood, (let's face it; you can drive through some pretty heavy rain, top-down, in an MGA without getting too wet) you are going to need the sidescreens as well. I'd take them Ken, there's not much between you and the Atlantic Ocean where you are going!
Lindsay Sampford

I take your point lindsay but thats how i feel, I traveled with the party of Ausies that drove from China to England and among them there was an A (Dave Godwin) and he had done the whole trip with no side screens, I agree it is a gamble and a personal thing but I dont like them, Vin
Vin Rafter

I think you were blessed Vin, judging by the contented look on your face in the pictures posted on here! I hate sidescreens too, with their annoying rattle, just as I hate the hood. I could do with a new hood on my car but it hardly seems worth it for the amount of time I have it up, but I was gratefull for both of these horrible accessories when that horizontal rain came at us accross the fens, and continued relentlesly for the remaining 40 miles to our home.
Lindsay Sampford

Coming back you could cut over and head down 93 into VT and then go south on Route 100 - very picturesque New England road, and will be one of my first "A" ventures when my car is running.

http://www.travelguideofamerica.com/scenicdrives/route100.html

Here is a pic of a real VT tourism "come to see scenic VT" photo from a website that actually features MGA's on Route 100. There used to be an MG museum in VT - now closed I understand.

JIM in NH

AJ Mail

OK, we are back - 2400 miles in 8 days! The car drew crowds at each stop on the Cabot Trail, defintitely the best part of the trip. We lucked out and had top-down driving for most of the trip, with rain just two of the 8 days, both while heading home.

Here's a picture taken from the A while on the Cabot Trail.

- Ken



Ken Doris

We had one problem - on the second day the generator fan began making noise - turns out it and the pulley both were spinning without the key. Blame myself that I found the nut loose back in 2008 after returning from GT-33 in Seven Springs and just tightened it. Well, 5000 miles later, the fan and pulley now had oval centers and obviously wouldn't last more than the next 100 miles or so. So, somewhere south of Portland, Maine we begain looking for a Brit car shop.

I had loaded my phone with a few shops in New England just in case. Turns out we were just 8 miles from "Leyland British", located in Kennebunkport. Ten minutes later we found it down a country road - MG Heaven - A's, B's, TC's and TD's all over the lawn of a big farmhouse. Eric Van Sickle, the owner and chief mechanic, cobbled up a fix from some old parts and had us back on the road in two hours. That fix lasted the next 2000 miles!

Here's a photo of British Leyland.

- Ken



Ken Doris

I forgot to give thanks again to Lmazoway for giving me the name of Leyland British - without that our trip would have been put back at least a day as I had parts over-nighted to a hotel (not to mention the cost!).

You know you have found the right place when the mail box looks like this:


Ken Doris

Ken
Your are an inspiration. I have been lallygagging with finishing someone else's MK II project for 6 months and now you have given me the push to get it finished.
Thanks
Gary
Gary Edwards

Can anyone recommend more websites like "Travel Guide to America"? Our MG trip to US & Canada in 2012 (with cars)is slowly being planned, but everytime I have a rough itinerary, I read another travel story, and there's another beautiful area to explore!

BTW, any of you in Australia who would like to venture outside of Oz with your car, please contact me on the email. Along with Dave Godwin (China/UK trip, South Africa trip) and others from the Gold Coast MG Car Club (UK & NZ trips), we are trying to get more global use from our cars (and the freight is not that expensive, so don't be scared off by that!)
Gary Lock

http://www.aaa.com/AAA_Travel/Guides/travel_destination_guide.htm

or start at www.aaa.com


JIM in NH
AJ Mail

We did a lot of our planning using a site called Trip Advisor. The hotel info and reviews were really useful and from what we experienced, quite accurate.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/

- Ken
Ken Doris

This thread was discussed between 28/07/2010 and 07/08/2010

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