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Normb666
17-03-2019, 16:45
Guys and Gals,

Yes, it's the moment you've all (probably not) been waiting for - confirmation that the 2019 Northern Drive-Out is on!

After last year's fun and games at the Shap Wells Hotel, I thought we'd give it another go this year. I've reserved 10 double rooms for the Friday (9th) and Saturday (10th), at a rate of £114 per room per night on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis. That doesn't mean that more rooms can't be allocated, or that you can't have a twin, or even a single - it's just a sort of placeholder thing.

If you fancy it (and why not??), you'll need to give them a bell and leave a £70 deposit, telling them you're with the "Briers" group.

Phone number is 01931 716628, and if you didn't go last year but fancy seeing what the place is like, their website is www.shapwellshotel.com.

I've already got a route in mind, which I think could be interesting - but no stopoffs this time (except for eats and drinks). I'll have to try it out shortly to get timings and see if it's doable - let y'all know about that.

I'm looking forward to it already....it says here ;)

Norm

Normb666
17-03-2019, 16:50
Forgot to say - leave a note in this thread if you're going, so I know who we've got! Cheers!

David J
17-03-2019, 21:03
I will open up the batting with the first two.

Pat and David

Bernard
17-03-2019, 22:19
Fawlty Towers continues !!.....tried to book in....however someone is standing in for the stand in on reception !!!!!...

Phil and Helen will be there .....

ah_sprite
17-03-2019, 22:45
And 2 more here!

Richard + Stratos




...Oh yeah, and Sara too :rolleyes:

Normb666
18-03-2019, 09:48
Stout Fellows! - although if anyone was gonna go it was always you 3 (6?) who'd be first in the queue...think I might even go meself now :)

Neil63
18-03-2019, 22:11
Debs and I will be there. Hopefully in LB but defo in. ��

Normb666
19-03-2019, 11:28
Glad you're up for it Neil, doesn't matter what car you're in. I'm hoping I'll be in mine too but I know how that goes...could be the Panda yet! Will you be giving evening classes on nail painting and presentation? :) :)

Longtimefan
19-03-2019, 19:16
Norman, consulted with C on the date, and we shall be joining you, will sort the stay out next week.

Looking forward to a bit of Fawlty Towers relief, and your company of course.

Robin

Normb666
19-03-2019, 20:32
Great that you and The Boss (not Bruce Springsteen - I mean the real one) are coming, but I just don't understand all these Fawlty towers references....I thought the place was great. Honest. Ahem.

The Slug
21-03-2019, 11:57
Plus 2 more Norm, Jayne & Ian

Normb666
09-04-2019, 21:25
**** Important News Regarding Hotel Bookings ****


It seems there's been a bit of a problem with the hotel booking system, and they've lost all reference to our group. Some of you who've already been in touch are still on the system but at a non-discount rate...anyway, it's all in hand now, and I'm working with a dedicated staff member to get it sorted. But she's off for a fortnight now, so it'll be a couple of weeks before it's back to normal. In the meantime, can I ask anyone who's thinking of going, NOT to call the hotel till I give the all-clear please! :)
Don't worry about there not being room for us as she's reinstated our provisionally-booked room quota, it's just that we don't have any names against them as yet! So as they say, Watch This Space (the one between my ears....)

Ta!

Norm

David J
09-04-2019, 22:15
Fawlty Towers strikes again !!!!

Normb666
09-04-2019, 22:24
Yep, it's already shaping up to be a memorable weekend, and it's still 4 months off yet :)

Bernard
10-04-2019, 08:16
REALLY looking forward to Rice Crispies for brekky..................AGAIN..............

Kind Regards
Manuel

Normb666
28-04-2019, 19:41
Right, we appear to be back on track hotel-wise now. If anyone wants to go, call the hotel and say you're with the "Briers" group and leave the deposit - which is now only £30 for some reason. And leave a note in this thread so I know too, ta!

Phil, if you want the Rice Crispies Special again, they've offered to mix some fluff in with the cereal just in case the dispenser doesn't fall apart upon the slightest touch. Thoughtful or what?? ;)

The Slug
29-04-2019, 17:07
Re-booked, asked if he would like a deposit and was told No its not required!!

Make your own rules up again time.....

Norm... how do you do it..... 4 months before the event, and already you have started with the fun and games, the Fun just never ends with you....:D

Can't wait till breakfast, with the rice krispies..... and Manwell...

Normb666
29-04-2019, 18:36
Hahaha, wait till the run itself when I don't turn up at all....or stay somewhere else ;)

Neil63
29-04-2019, 20:51
Deposit paid. ��

Longtimefan
30-04-2019, 13:27
Norm, confirming that I have confirmed with Laura who confirmed that Carol & I are expected to be at the Hotel on the 9th August.

Normb666
30-04-2019, 19:01
Robin, can you confirm that you've confirmed the confirmation? Cos I'm confused and I've not had me tea yet. :)

Messing about aside, I think we're back on track with all this now (till the next time we're not...!) If anyone else fancies going, when you call the hotel ask for Laura Copland, who's dealing with our booking. Tell her you're with the "Briers" group and she'll relieve you of £30. She's only there on Tuesdays and Wednesdays though. Ta!

Normb666
27-06-2019, 22:49
Only 6 weeks to go to the gig, so as I'm not in work this week I decided it was time to try out the route and see if there were any gotchas (there was just the one, involving road resurfacing, but it won't be an issue when we're there).

Total mileage came out at 215, and I have to say I was very pleased with how it went. Great roads, fab scenery, very little of what you might call nadgeriness, and not much in the way of traffic either....hope that's also true when we do it for real!

Also called in at the hotel to check on our bookings and see if their list tied up with mine (it did, amazingly). There are still rooms available if you've been umm-ing and ahh-ing, so come on, do the biz and give 'em a ring. Now the booking prob is all sorted you can call any time and you don't need to ask for Laura, but make sure you tell them you're with the "Briers" group or you'll be charged the full rate. Don't forget to post on here as well to let me know!

Neil63
28-06-2019, 07:35
Thanks for organising Norm. Really looking forward to it. Just refreshed the mobile nail bar and will bring some specially selected, new for 2019 stratosec exclusive colours.
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Normb666
28-06-2019, 09:19
Errrr….that's impressive, in a very scary way....do us all a favour and don't forget yer socks :)

By the way, if anyone wants to just do the run and not stop over, that's OK - you can do the whole thing or just a part of it, or even meet up at one of the stops if you like. I'm looking to set everyone off about 10:00 on the day so we're back at the hotel about half 5 or 6-ish, assuming a 30mph average including the stops.

Normb666
25-07-2019, 21:48
Just had a day out and about checking some of the route - as suspected, the resurfaced part has now bedded in (even has road markings again) and won't be a problem. So the route as was is now a goer, and I'll knock up the directions over the next few days, then post them on here so you can see what you're letting y'selves in for :)

Hoping the weather's good for the run, but not as hot as the last few days, or we'll be seeing large puddles of melted glass resin where there used to be a Stratos-looking thing...

carol
25-07-2019, 23:57
Norm,
i have forgot to put our names down, I have booked into the hotel ,
regards carol

Normb666
26-07-2019, 14:59
Don't fret, knew you were coming so you're on my list....mwahahahaaa!

Normb666
30-07-2019, 09:23
Gang,

Here at last are the directions for the run a week on Saturday, a little later than usual cos I had to go and check a stretch last week that they’d just resurfaced with loose chippings when I originally tested the route. Anyhow all now seems OK, with just the odd loose stone pinging off the underside, so a re-route wasn’t necessary. Length of the drive is about 210 miles (!!) so a bit of a marathon, but there are very few nadgery bits and most of it is fast and flowing. Assuming the usual average of 30mph allowing for pee, petrol and pie stops, you’re looking at a 7-hour extravaganza…

For anyone who fancies just coming “on the day”, we’re kicking off from the SHAP WELLS HOTEL (off the A6, south of Shap itself) at 10:00. Of course you don’t have to come to the hotel, you can simply get right into it as the 1st section is up the A6 to Penrith anyway.

For those staying over, I’ve arranged for dinner at 8pm on the Friday to give peeps time to get there after work, etc. After the run on Saturday we’ll be sitting down at 7:30 so there’ll be plenty of time to freshen up before dinner, and then later for regaling others with tales of derring-do during the day, avoiding flying sheep etc.

Any questions, shout out, otherwise I’ll see y’all the weekend after next!

Laterz

Norm

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ChrisCar6
30-07-2019, 10:18
The Northbound layby at the Carter Bar was having work done and was closed; they may have moved on to the southbound one, or it may all be open again.

Lancialulu
30-07-2019, 14:01
Looks absolutely great and something I would jump at if it wasn't so far north.

Any chance of organising a weekend south of Manchester next year.....

Normb666
30-07-2019, 16:18
Tim, may I suggest you petition the government to either a) move Manchester further north, or b) move the north of England further south? :)

The problem of doing a drive-out south of Manchester (ish) is one of decent, uncluttered driving roads. Maybe it's just me, but it seems that the further south you go, the more traffic there is. Yes I know you still get traffic and tourists further up, but it's never as bad....plus the scenery can be quite spectacular, and I'm trying to tempt people to try somewhere they might never otherwise consider.

I did consider the Peak District for a run a few years ago, but it's too small and crowded, so I keep going back to "north of Preston". I'm toying with something a bit different than a simple drive-round-a-route next year, but it'll take quite a bit more effort...hmm, see how I feel about it come March!

I don't suppose you'd think about moving further up this way instead? ;)

john
30-07-2019, 18:56
The Peak District?
Whoops, too late....

Normb666
30-07-2019, 20:26
A guy I know organised a couple of drives in the Peak District. First one was a 100-mile loop and even that had "busy" sections. Second one was the first one, backwards....he's not done one since... :)

Normb666
06-08-2019, 08:30
In a feeble attempt to stir up some more enthusiasm for this 'ere do - it's only a few days off the Run, this Saturday in fact, and although the weather forecast is looking a bit iffy, maybe a few of you are thinking of joining up at some point on the route? If so, let us know on here so we can look out for you. You don't have to be in a Stratos of any description, or even an Italian car - I'll be in the ole Porsche - so why not get out for a wizz before you die of boredom watching endless re-runs of Poirot, or whatever your televisual poison is?

You know how it'll be in the future - you'll be saying "If only I'd have gone", etc, whereas those who braved the great outdoors will say, to gasps of admiration from the assembled throng, "yes...I was there". I mean, come on, it's not every day you see supposed motoring enthusiasts getting hopelessly lost, or even cereal dispensers self-destructing and flinging corn flake fragments everywhere.

So...are ya coming, punks? Well, are ya??

Bernard
06-08-2019, 10:27
It was RICE CRISPIES !!

Normb666
06-08-2019, 11:33
Details, details...see you didn't dispute the "getting lost" bit tho, eh... :-P

ProtoTipo
06-08-2019, 11:54
or even cereal dispensers self-destructing and flinging corn flake fragments everywhere.

Crunchy nut dispensers are the best:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRGJ3C7FLA0

Bernard
06-08-2019, 13:38
Details, details...see you didn't dispute the "getting lost" bit tho, eh... :-P

Didn't want to Diss your directions Normy !

Normb666
06-08-2019, 14:31
Hahaha, doesn't usually stop ya :)

Talking of directions - slight ambiguity on instruction (17) - the 3 miles mentioned is from the turn at (16), not from the village. And at (44), it's a left hand bend, not band!(y'all probably thought I'd arranged a small concert, I bet).

Just shows, no-one's perfect, not even me. :)

mariner
06-08-2019, 15:04
Hi Norm,

I intend to tag along for part of the run once you reach Northumberland probably after Bellingham.
If the Kielder Castle stop off is an official lunch break or regroup I may just go straight there.
Any idea of a likely ETA. ?

Rain or sunshine I'll be in my car.

rgds Bob

renmure
06-08-2019, 17:11
Oooohh... I saw the "Northern" bit in the title and got all excited. Then realised that Shap is 215 miles (or 3hrs 45mins) south of home and is even in another country!! Gotta be some contravention of the Trades Descriptions Act or sommat.

In saying that, I've been on a few runs in that area in the past and all have been memorable.... and wet. Perhaps I'll have something suitable to join in with next year... passport controls, immigration formalities and hard border barricades permitting.

Normb666
06-08-2019, 18:56
Hiya Bob, had an idea you might show up somewhere along the route! We're leaving Shap at 10 so I'd have said a couple of hours to Kielder, maybe a bit longer. And you know how these things go....it's not a procession so peeps will be well spread out by then! My suggestion: have the teas ready and waiting with a nice piece of cake :)

Jim - you don't need a Stratos to come along, in fact there are usually only a couple. And there's a group of peeps who aren't even Stratos Enthusiasts (specifically) who'll be there!
The one thing you do need to know, though, is that anyone coming from north of that daft "border" has to bring a supply of Irn-Bru and Tunnocks, as a sort of guarantee of good faith. I know it's a long way for you... even if you decided to just pop down to Kielder to say Hello on this one, it's still a good schlep. There's a goodly number of folks from Dahn Sarf who can't make it for the same reason - too far. Ah well, c'est la vie, as they say in the other half of the Auld Alliance....

ChrisCar6
06-08-2019, 19:43
Keilder's not far towards the equator from me, indeed I was there a month or two ago on the way back from Newcastle airport when they shut the A68. But there's no wheels on my wagon, and I'll be in midge central near Oban at the weekend now, so I'll miss you this year. Do look out for motorcyclists and MAMILS; there's a lot about and a steady cull of them at weekends doesn't seem to put them off.

Normb666
06-08-2019, 19:58
Cheers Chris, shame you can't pop over. Maybe next time.

As a biker meself, I try to be aware of them, but as we all know there are usually a few who think they're invincible and have a God-given right to be in front of all cars, and can overtake whenever and wherever they want... forecast isn't looking too good for the weekend, but the upside of that is that it might keep many of them indoors... ;)

renmure
06-08-2019, 22:31
Jim - you don't need a Stratos to come along, in fact there are usually only a couple. And there's a group of peeps who aren't even Stratos Enthusiasts (specifically) who'll be there!
The one thing you do need to know, though, is that anyone coming from north of that daft "border" has to bring a supply of Irn-Bru and Tunnocks, as a sort of guarantee of good faith. I know it's a long way for you... even if you decided to just pop down to Kielder to say Hello on this one, it's still a good schlep. There's a goodly number of folks from Dahn Sarf who can't make it for the same reason - too far. Ah well, c'est la vie, as they say in the other half of the Auld Alliance....

I've no other plans for the weekend so, if the weather forecast changes, I might jump in something suitable for a car run (Japanese, but still suitable) and pop down to Kielder.

Normb666
06-08-2019, 22:35
Great! See ya there (if you're not careful).

Bernard
09-08-2019, 11:42
Getting ready to set off within the next hour !!............ see you all soon........ great news about the weather forecast !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Normb666
09-08-2019, 13:10
Yep, just a little extra challenge I arranged to have thrown in...

Kenny m
09-08-2019, 13:24
Enjoy your run everyone

ProtoTipo
09-08-2019, 14:21
Looking forward to a bit of Fawlty Towers relief, and your company of course.

Oh yes!....

Lancialulu
09-08-2019, 16:29
Dont open any clams in the gales tomorrow... Have fun.

Longtimefan
10-08-2019, 08:24
Weather update, just looked out of the window and it is persisting down !!! And I really mean persisting down.

mariner
10-08-2019, 16:06
Hi Norm,

Hope you all survived the weather today and apologies for not meeting up with you all in the Kielder area as planned.
I know I said rain or shine I'd be there in my car and I nearly got there.
My route approaching Bellingham from the east was very wet lots of standing water and some flooding was probably pushing my luck getting through in some places.
About 1130 I was within half mile of Bellingham to find road completely flooded at least a foot deep over quite a long stretch.
Decided to retreat and head home as my alternatives if passable would add more time and I'd just be too late to meet.

rgds Bob

rgds Bob

Longtimefan
11-08-2019, 00:11
Bob, absolutely b---dy marvalous, quite a few of the party didn't get any further than Bellingham either and finished up spending most of the day there, gracing the local hostalries with there custom, and they were all in modern vehicles. As Norman commented in his address to those assembled for dinner, this must be the first drive out organised by the SEC that didn't have a single Stratos, replica or otherwise, attending.

BUT HE HADN'T RECKONED ON YOU. I THINK A SPECIAL MEDAL SHOULD BE STRUCK !!!!!!

Robin

ah_sprite
11-08-2019, 10:13
they were all in modern vehicles.

I guess a 50-year old MGB counts as a modern car, but only to those of a certain age :p

Normb666
11-08-2019, 16:23
Well that was an event and a half, wasn't it? :) :) "Wet" doesn't really cover it...maybe we're the wrong SEC - shoulda been "Speedboat Enthusiasts Club"!

Big Thanks to all who attended the inaugural Noah's Ark Rally - I really appreciate you showing such faith in my organisational abilities, and also your inability to take any notice of the weather forecast. As noted by Robin, this was probably the first SEC event where there were no Strats at all (apart from Bob's valiant effort, but a fail is still a fail, haha!) Congrats to all those who completed the whole route, cos it was something of a challenge - it was more akin to fording rivers than going through a bit of water across the road! I was particularly impressed by what Porsche call a "shower cap" on my 987 Boxster Spyder, which despite being out for two nights in some seriously heavy rain and being inundated by passing traffic, refused to let in a drop of water.

Many commented on the route itself being spectacular, with fantastic roads (which are now amazingly clean after a thorough washing...), so I think we should re-run it and have another go at it, maybe in the Summer next time ;)
Of course, that means another visit to what turned out to be Not-So-Fawlty-Towers, as they seem to have upped their game considerably this year. We even had our own banqueting room for the evening meal, whether for our protection or the safety of other guests wasn't said, but the hotel was actually great value for money.

Despite what I said when giving my wee speech last night, I really did have an ace time, and once again, thanks millions to all who came (or almost made it...Bob). I didn't get to have a good chat with everyone for one reason or another, so apols to anyone who thinks I might have snubbed them. Maybe we should do a full week in future... noooo, could you imagine!!!

Cheers, Guys and Gals! :) :)

David J
11-08-2019, 17:22
Once in a life time drive with biblical amounts amounts of rain the roads around Kieider akin to rivers with small lakes at the bottom of every depression in the road, water was even bubbling out of the carriageway on the A68. Many thanks to Norm and everyone for making this weekend so enjoyable.

Funnily enough the crap weather added an extra dimension to the drive that will never be repeated again I doubt.

David & Pat

Bernard
11-08-2019, 18:50
Well... Boxster rinsed off and back in garage... it's roof too did not let in 1 drop of water... clever those Germans !
Great weekend that will live long in the memory banks, great company with laughs all the way.
Hope you all got home safely
Thanks again Norm !!... great weekend
Cheers
Phil and Helen

Neil63
11-08-2019, 18:57
What rain? Epic adventure. Great event, Great company and quite simply a hoot. The weather perversely actually made for a great experience. Norm once again Thankyou for the time and effort in organising. (The Sheep must of thought I was a Forest Fan turning their backs on me!)
Fab Time all the best
Neil & Debs

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ah_sprite
11-08-2019, 20:59
Thanks to Norm for organising another weekend of hilarity... even the weather was laughable! We both had a great time and can't wait for the next one. Maybe it'll be snowing next time?

Bob, shame you didn't get to Bellingham, you could have had lunch on a railway carriage with Sara and myself, along with a load of Belgian Porsche owners who were stranded too. Not to mention the group of riders on 60s and 70s BMW motorbikes...!!

Didn't take many photos but Sara took this one which I think probably sums it all up:

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Thankfully MEG took everything in her stride, must say I'm glad I changed my mind at the last minute and left the Stratos at home!

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ah_sprite
11-08-2019, 21:02
PS... I took this photo on one of the practice runs... this is what the horizon was supposed to look like on Hartside!


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Normb666
11-08-2019, 21:28
Thanks All, glad you enjoyed it! And as mentioned, the weather kinda made the whole thing seem more of an adventure. That and the overturned van on the Bellingham road, right on the blind bend. At least the tyres were pointing "outwards" so anyone hitting it woulda bounced off....maybe ;)
Poor old Dave in his V6 Exige (not a club member, but ex-Hawk owner) got inundated, so much so that he ended up with 3" of water in the passenger footwell. I'll be dropping off his prize of a white whale for "Best Captain Nemo Impersonation" later in the week. (OK, not a whale, it'll be a goldfish so he can keep it in the footwell.)

Some good pix there too - thanks for sharing! Neil, the sheep were showing you their arses cos they thought that was how you liked 'em :) :) Shameless temptresses. And Richard's shot of the Spyder at Hartside back in June proves my suspicion that I used up all the sun I booked for the event, during the sighting runs (the follow-on check run a fortnight last Thursday was in temps of 32 degrees...)

Longtimefan
12-08-2019, 09:45
Norman, now reflecting on a memorable weekend. As David J has already said the rain was of Biblical proportions, we now know what must have prompted Noah to set out on his project!!

We were lucky on the way up to Keilder as we were following some very, very enthusiastic Road Racing Cyclists, and were able to judge the depth of the "pop up lakes" by whether their feet and chain wheels were under water.

The run and weekend had everything, great fun, copious laughter, aching sides, views to look at noted in the route instructions that couldn't be viewed due to being in the clouds!!! and never ending vertical stair rod rain.

We managed to cover the whole of your route which will be remembered by us for ever. (not for the route, as we could only see water for most of it).

Norman, we do have great faith in you, you're organisation was great, but please stop singing, especially in the week before the next one!!!!

Robin & Carol, founder members of the SEC Sub Aqua Section.

PS. Official record for rainfall shows that Kielder Castle had 132mm on Saturday 10th Aug.

Normb666
12-08-2019, 14:12
That wasn't singing, it was Leah causing me pain...again :)

Just goes to prove, though, that it's the people that ultimately make the event. So Thanks for coming, and trusting me to show you a good time (ooer)....you fools.

I'm seriously considering Carol's suggestion that next year, we do the same route again, and this time fingers X'ed you can actually see something rather than what seems like being inside a power shower. Her suggestion of some sort of short-cut breakout in case the drive gets a bit much, has been duly noted and already acted upon!

Record rainfall? Yeah, felt like it too, and I think most of it ended up inside Dave's Exige :)

Longtimefan
21-08-2019, 13:43
A Plea because of memory loss!!!

Can whoever it was that I was discussing Scissor Lifts with at the Hotel the other weekend, when I said I was trying to locate the maker of one that I had seen at the 'The International Autosport Show' a couple of years ago, and who suggested a possible maker, please remind me who that was!!!.

I have already tried the possible suspects to no avail.

Robin

STR_Strat
21-08-2019, 14:36
Hi Robin,

It wasn't me, but could it have been these:

https://sm-t.co.uk/product-category/vehicle-lifts/mobile-lifts/

The company is called Strongman Tools, based in Southam, Warwickshire.

BR

Dave

The Slug
23-08-2019, 00:45
Hi Robin,

It may have been me but have other things on my mind... Have a look here https://www.automotechservices.co.uk/ those are the ones I bought a fair selection
Regards
Ian

Bernard
23-08-2019, 20:04
I got mine from here Robin..... http://www.bhrepairs.co.uk/