VW TOMIE 2019

The Only Meet is Essex

Known simply as VW TOMIE, this gathering is just minutes from the M25 hence it brings visitors from beyond the bounds of Essex-manor, too!

Paul Knight stops off at Orsett en route to Stanford Hall to catch up with some locals.

Words & Photos: Paul Knight

The Location

The Orsett showground is alongside the A13 and just a few minutes from junction 30 of the M25.  It’s not a surprise that this one is popular not just with the Essex massive but also with Kent and London crew, too. I can’t forget to mention those Surrey and Suffolk peeps I spoke to, either!.

TOMIE has been running for a few years now. Given the fact that it takes place over the weekend of the first May Bank Holiday, it’s hardly a surprise to learn that the weather hasn’t always played ball at previous meets.

The Weather

Running up to the 2019 meet (Friday 3^rd – Monday 6^th May) the weather had been pretty good hence the ground was dry and we had high hopes.

The weekend weather proved to be OK. Just the occasional light shower and reasonable temperatures but it was a little windy at times!

The Price

Tickets were only £15 if purchased in advance (£25 on the gate). Pretty reasonable when you consider that includes 3 nights camping and entertainment, too.

Compare that to the price of 3 nights standard Camping at a regular site (i.e. with a noise curfew and no entertainment). See what we mean – a bargain by comparison.

The Amenities

So, we have showers on site and the regular amenities plus a smattering of various traders.  And not to forget a nice big marquee, which was home to bands and DJs over the weekend.

Sure, it was pretty chilly by night but we’d planned ahead and had brought the log burner (the off-the-ground type, not an open fire!). It did the job.

Some of the crew however found it was more fun to throw some shapes in the marquee to keep themselves warm. Either way, we had all bases covered and enjoyed a few beers amongst friends.

The Show

Daytimes were all about the show car line-ups and catching up with people you might not have seen since last summer.

In short, this was the perfect way to kick off 2019.

Cheap and cheerful, bright and breezy – those cheeky Essex chaps got us fired up for a busy show season. Gertcha!

www.vw-tomie.co.uk