The milk machine that really floats Paul’s boat

Baconsthorpe musician Paul Thompson who is touring the the country in a milk float as he makes his way to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.Picture: MARK BULLIMORE (Image: Archant Norfolk 2015)

But a 10-year-old electric milk float, converted into a live music stage and recording studio, has completed a 1,200-1,500 mile journey around England and Scotland.

Its owner, singer-songwriter Paul Thompson, 45, travelled from The Forum in Norwich up to the Edinburgh Fringe festival in just over three months in the unusual vehicle for his Floating to the Fringe Tour.

He hopes to write a book about the experience and set a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous journey by an electric-powered milk float.

Mr Thompson toured around the Outer Hebrides, tackled steep hills and mountains including the North Pennines and Glencoe, and performed at festivals, nature visitor attractions and village halls as well as holding songwriting workshops.

He said: 'This is the wackiest and slowest tour I have done. I don't think I will go to Scotland again in the milk float as it was quite a challenging and tiring time.

'People absolutely loved the idea. They thought the milk float was brilliant. People who saw it on the street would have a huge grin on their faces. Drivers were fairly understanding too.

'Wherever I went people were coming up to ask me about the tour.'

Mr Thompson, from Baconsthorpe, near Holt, started on June 3 and stopped at the Green Britain Centre in Swaffham before traveling via Lincolnshire, York, Hadrian's Wall, the Outer Hebrides, and Inverness before finishing in Edinburgh where he performed with other musicians on the busy George Street.

The most northerly point he reached was the Isle of Harris on the Hebrides and the most challenging time was when his motor broke for a week at Hadrian's Wall, which nearly prevented him from carrying on to the Scottish islands.

He had to recharge his milk float for eight hours every night, stayed in a variety of accommodation and mainly travelled along smaller B roads.

Mr Thompson said a 'special' moment of the trip was during his stay on the 'beautiful' island of Colonsay, off the west of Scotland.

He now wants to travel closer to home, around Norfolk venues and events, on his milk float offering the chance for communities and artists to record music.

The musician also wants to hold more songwriting sessions for groups including people with mental health issues.

He was inspired to do the tour, which ended on September 20, after watching a scene involving a milk float from the television comedy series Father Ted.

Visit www.paulsmusic.co.uk.

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