Friday 10 May 2013

Check Out Your Local Car Boot Sale

  

Here in the UK we have what are known as car boot sales - typically a local school allows people with second hand goods for sale, say clearouts of unwanted items to sell them on the playing fields, weather permitting. These are usually held on the weekend or public holidays. Known as car boot sales as the goods for sale are likely to have come out of the seller's car boot (or trunk :)).

During the spring, summer and autumn, the Vyne Arts College holds one of these on weekends and public holidays. This school happens to be along the route of my favourite morning ride and opens at 8am so if I'm riding past, I occasionally drop by.

More often than not, there's nothing of interest to me, but its still worth a look - mainly for books and tools useful for bike maintenance. This time I found a book - James Dyson's (the man who makes the vacuum cleaners) autobiography and the above tool box in which I was able to put all my bike tools with room to spare. The book was £1 (normally £18.99), the tool box £5. Both excellent condition. I think both were real bargains and am very pleased that I found them. I doubt I would have found them elsewhere without a hard search.

So if there is a car boot sale or whatever they might be known as abroad local to you, it might be worth a look if you haven't considered going to one before.