Northern Drive-Out - Pennines, Kielder and the Borders - Fri 6th & Sat 7th August 2021

Peeps,

Now the dates are decided upon and the hotel's booked, I thought I should start a new thread for this one with all the details, the thinking being that if I simply update the existing one, people who could be interested in attending might overlook it, believing there's nothing new.

So, as promised, the route will be the same as the 2019 one (but hopefully not as wet!). But this time, there'll be a break-out after Kielder itself that'll take you back to the hotel pretty much directly, for those who've had enough or for whom the lure of the bar is too great :)

Dates are as above, and the hotel is also as of 2019, i.e. the SHAP WELLS HOTEL, near, strangely, Shap. Price will be £60 per person per night on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis, so £240 for a couple for both nights. Single rooms are a bit more expensive at £80 a night, or £85 if you want a double room all to yourself (maybe thinking you might get lucky, hahaha). To make a reservation, call the hotel on 01931 716628 and say you're with the Stratos Enthusiasts' Club. I've reserved 10 double rooms to begin with, but I'm sure more will be available provided you don't leave it too late to book (especially if no-one can go abroad for hols this year).

As regulars will know, the Shap Wells is....erm....quirky :) It's not the full-on 5-star experience (probably why it's only 3-star), but then, it's not 5-star money either. Plenty of parking space, a mile from the A6 down its own drive, so no chance of passing lowlifes (lowlives??) attempting to have a go at yer motor. As always, it doesn't matter what car you drive (in fact last time, there were no Strats at all), it's about a fun weekend away with like-minded peeps, all of whom for some reason have been unable to find a decent hotel elsewhere in the Lakes ;)

Reply to this thread when you've booked so I know who's coming, and with luck there won't be any backtracking on lifting of restrictions and we'll be able to Do The Needful, i.e. have a great drive over some fab roads, and talk shite well into the night (yeah, like you needed an excuse or my permission...)

Come on, what are you waiting for???

Booked, the chap on reception is Mike , Pat got the impression he was the only person in the place

David

Yeah, when I called the hotel last week he said he WAS the only one in....not much point having others there if it's closed I suppose!

Did he relieve you of £50? Was about to post that they want a deposit this time... anyway, good to know there'll be four of us even if nobody else wants to go :)

£50 deposit was asked for and duly paid. Apparently he said it was non refundable, Pat then asked what if we were all locked down again !!!. Oh that would be different.

Wim commin. Bringin t lile wellies jus tin case , & sou wester.

Cheers Robin, whatever it was you said :) Just shows, you can't keep a good Do down! Or something.

Had a bit more info today after receiving the printed contract from the hotel. The £50 deposit is indeed non-refundable under normal circumstances, and it seems we'll be required to pay for our accommodation individually upon arrival. I suppose they must have had a few guests doing a runner so they're being careful!

Lord and Lady Dolby will be attending in a Fortnum and Mason shopping trolley

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Originally Posted by Bernard

Lord and Lady Dolby

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uh get you, champers all round!! together with retrieved and recycled Corn Flakes

Nah, it's quails' eggs, autolan and foie gras only for those two - definitely no fluffy brekky cereal. They're so far upmarket even the trolley's chauffeur-driven with a drinks cabinet (a box of cheapo supermarket red).

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Originally Posted by Normb666

Nah, it's quails' eggs, autolan and foie gras only for those two - definitely no fluffy brekky cereal. They're so far upmarket even the trolley's chauffeur-driven with a drinks cabinet (a box of cheapo supermarket red).

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As you well know Norm..... I usually get my cereals off the carpet !!

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Originally Posted by Longtimefan

uh get you, champers all round!! together with retrieved and recycled Corn Flakes

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Champers all round........ Why thank you so much Robin... we'll have a Bottle of Bolly please !

Had a communication from the hotel today to say they'd introduced a new breakfast cereal - Karpet Krunchies. They contain added fibre (from the Karpets) and are especially for the non-discerning. Kool, eh?

Sussex to Scotland (there and back again) in a Stratos. (apologies to J.R.R.Tolkien)

Jobs to do...

Get the old girl started after a winter layoff
Clean the car after the October quarry playday
Fit the tarmac rubber/rims
Fit the touring springs
Adjust ride height
Adjust the anti-roll bars to a touring setting
Start saving for the petrol
Program the satnav with the route(s)
Learn to speak a bit of Northern
Buy some suncream
Check the headsets (ear defenders) work

Hotel deposit paid, looking forward to it

MMMMMmmmmm don't know if you'll have time to "Learn to speak Northern" lad..... tha' teks yeers

Can we use our other cars?
Obviously mine aintent buildid yet....

No problem, the Yorkshire Drive I organise usually has a variety of cars as does Norm’s. In fact Norm’s 2019 had no Strats at all due to the biblical rain that was forecast.

Good lad, Mark, glad you're coming! In fact I'd already got your name down on my list here, so Ta for making it so I don't have to cross you out :) Don't worry about not speaking Northern, we're well used to communicating with those from the Far South. Usually by judicious use of a middle finger.

Andy, as David says, you can come along in and drive whatever you like. In fact you can do it on a pushbike if that's what floats your boat, but we'll all be back home by the time you return to the hotel on the Monday ;) And, I can't see my Strat being ready in time for the Yorkshire Run in early June, so it'll be the Porsche...with Leah navigating, and therefore the slowest and lostest car attending, and waving at other attendees as we pass in the opposite direction on the odd occasions we see each other on the route (thus spake the Voice of Experience.)

OOoooooooo Norm !!!!...........please don't mention "Pushbike" in front of David J....particularly peletons of the buggers!!!! .....I understand he has an aversion to them on public roads (said roads paid for by Car owners amongst others)..... the fall out ain't pretty !

Ah, so that touches a nerve, does it....hmmm....if the conversation looks like it may be flagging during the evening, it would appear we've been handed a sure-fire way of livening things up :)

We were out and about the other day and spotted a peloton of about 10 riders taking up the whole of one carriageway. Tour de Yorkshire I think not!!!!. Oh for a box of drawing pins that would steady them up a bit.

Deb & I booked & deposit paid. Thanks for organising.

You were right Phil, it's started already. ;)

Have to say though, that sort of behaviour pisses me right off. They've certainly got the right to use the roads, same as other forms of transport, but we all have a duty to be courteous and considerate to others - and blocking a carriageway simply because you're in a group, isn't it. The Highway Code says that you must allow following, faster vehicles to pass, and even I do that (amazement from the club members). Last time I happened across such a group I followed (initially) patiently, but when it became obvious they weren't going to allow me to pass (they must think that's my problem and nothing to worry themselves about), I ended up passing half of them and pretty much forcing a gap in the middle until I could pass the rest of them. You can imagine the shouts of rage... I wouldn't mind so much if these were kids who'd never been taught roadcraft, but they're grown men and women who also have cars, so they DO understand the principles of how it's supposed to work. I think perhaps groups of 5 or 6 riders is a reasonable number, making it far easier and safer to pass them one bunch at a time.

Having said all that, not all cyclists are so discourteous and/or oblivious, and I always try to give them plenty of space and pass somewhere there's no danger of anyone getting hurt. But I do wish there was some sort of compulsory riding test to teach all on self-powered 2-wheelers how to behave....after all, if you want to ride a motorbike, you have to jump through hoops to be able to do so, so I don't see why it should be any different just because you have to provide the motive power yourself!

Rant over....for now ;)

Ooo, good stuff Neil! Not seen you two since the last Kielder run - hope it's a bit dryer this time ;)

I'll try to make an appearance since it's not too far (relatively speaking) away. Will book closer to the time once I can confirm.
Will bring something suitable... wellies, a brolly and a big coat no doubt.

Hurray! Thr Northern Run finally goes international! Suppose it'll be the Southern Run for you, Jim....

But "something suitable" ? That'll be Tunnocks and cans of Irn-Bru :)

Last week 2 out of 3 days on the way into work along an A road (single carriageway either way) but at 7am its really busy with cars and lorries etc, I crawled along at 20 mph only to find that there was ONE cyclist at the head of the queue holding up approx 30 cars.... and he clearly refuses to ride on the footpath (which never has pedestrians on it).... so who is the selfish Ba**ard ??

As an 'ex' cyclist who once rode many many miles I am now embarrassed/angered by most cyclist behaviour... I find the integrale really useful as its left hand drive with electric windows which give good access for verbal abuse and a good whack with my crook lock... (joking honestly officer)

"What have the Romans or Cyclists ever done for us................other than.........."

19th century cyclists paved the way for Modern motorists' roads - Car Drivers assume the roads were built for them, but it was cyclists who first lobbied for flat roads more than 100 years ago.

The hard, flat road surfaces we take for granted are relatively new. Asphalt surfaces weren't widespread until the 1930s. So, are motorists to thank for this smoothness? No. The improvement of roads was first lobbied for – and paid for – by cycling organisations. In the UK and the US, cyclists lobbied for better road surfaces for a full 30 years before motoring organisations did the same.

Cyclists were ahead of their time..............

Full article....................

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...-way-for-roads

Time to leave and close the door............. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Well said Andy, we're all road users no matter how many wheels or hooves our mode of transport has. I think I can say that we'd like to think that we're all courteous users of the Queen's Highway and give extra caution to the more vulnerable out there.

But there are some cyclists who don't..... On my journey to and from my (ex place of) work there is a 3 mile stretch of road that's a 60 mph limit. And the number of times a week you'd see cyclists on it instead of using the cycle path next to it beggared belief! Clearly signposted, with a separate footpath next to it. I wonder how much contributory negligence would be assigned to the cyclist that gets hit when they're on the main road and not using the cycle path.

Caravans. That's the real problem. Should be restricted to the hours between 1am and 7am...

As someone who regularly, drives cars and until recently a wagon, rides motorbikes ( not regularly in this country for a few years), rides push bikes and walks, I've found that there are a**eholes doing all these things ( yes, even walking) and unfortunately these are the ones who get noticed, not the majority who play fair by everyone else.
Back to topic, still debating the dog situation Norm!

Well said Guy, but I forgot about the hooves!
Should be banned , IMMEDIATELY!!
There is a particularly large nasty stain on the main road near
Oulton because someone who thought they should be able to ride a skittish horse on a main road while everyone else kow towed to them found out they were wrong.....

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Originally Posted by john

As someone who regularly, drives cars and until recently a wagon, rides motorbikes ( not regularly in this country for a few years), rides push bikes and walks, I've found that there are a**eholes doing all these things ( yes, even walking) and unfortunately these are the ones who get noticed, not the majority who play fair by everyone else.
Back to topic, still debating the dog situation Norm!

Well said Guy, but I forgot about the hooves!
Should be banned , IMMEDIATELY!!
There is a particularly large nasty stain on the main road near
Oulton because someone who thought they should be able to ride a skittish horse on a main road while everyone else kow towed to them found out they were wrong.....

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Ang on !!!!!!!..... 'Orses were around before bikes !!!....... who ever invented 'Orses ???... buggers !...:D....... bet it was the Romans who invented 'Orses !

If the Guardian says we all have to thank cyclists, well, it MUST be true, mustn't it? Hahaha....don't think so - they can't even spell! :)
If we're going to discuss who's responsible for our roads (which we weren't - we were talking about bad manners and ignorant people) then we have to go back to the Romans. And in fact even further, with various iron-age routes in use before that. But it was, indeed, bad manners we were on about, and yes there are people who display such traits in all groups who use the roads. And I suspect things ain't gonna improve any time soon, what with peeps seeming to have an increased sense of entitlement of late.
Latest thing that seems to have got people's backs up is older drivers, i.e. those over 70. As it stands, you have to reapply for your licence once you hit this great age, and every 3 years thereafter. All you have t odo is say you're not unfit to drive due to various ailments, and you're good to go. But now some obscure group I'd never heard of before is angling for certain older people to be restricted to only driving within 30 miles of home, and not at all during the hours of darkness. Excuse me? Who gets to say who is and isn't covered by these restrictions? Bet none of them are over 50.... even more laughable is the result of a poll where almost 100% of younger drivers say everyone over 70 shouldn't be allowed to drive AT ALL. Yeah, watch that opinion change the closer they get to 69 :)

Anyway, come on John, get that room booked and give the dog a break from pounding the back streets of Cheshire with all those smiley cats!

They had big noses the Romans didn't they Phil?
Perhaps it was indeed them who invented horses, along with the long practised withering look down those noses at us hoi polloi below their lofty perches.
In saying that, we've just joined the Polo Club, don't ya know, (for dog walking purposes) and they are a lovely bunch!

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Originally Posted by Normb666

If the Guardian says we all have to thank cyclists, well, it MUST be true, mustn't it? Hahaha....don't think so - they can't even spell! :)
If we're going to discuss who's responsible for our roads (which we weren't - we were talking about bad manners and ignorant people) then we have to go back to the Romans. And in fact even further, with various iron-age routes in use before that. But it was, indeed, bad manners we were on about, and yes there are people who display such traits in all groups who use the roads. And I suspect things ain't gonna improve any time soon, what with peeps seeming to have an increased sense of entitlement of late.
Latest thing that seems to have got people's backs up is older drivers, i.e. those over 70. As it stands, you have to reapply for your licence once you hit this great age, and every 3 years thereafter. All you have t odo is say you're not unfit to drive due to various ailments, and you're good to go. But now some obscure group I'd never heard of before is angling for certain older people to be restricted to only driving within 30 miles of home, and not at all during the hours of darkness. Excuse me? Who gets to say who is and isn't covered by these restrictions? Bet none of them are over 50.... even more laughable is the result of a poll where almost 100% of younger drivers say everyone over 70 shouldn't be allowed to drive AT ALL. Yeah, watch that opinion change the closer they get to 69 :)

Anyway, come on John, get that room booked and give the dog a break from pounding the back streets of Cheshire with all those smiley cats!

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All true Norm, apart from there are only worried cats in Cheshire now our Bryn's got his goolies.....

Booked in for this, just need Norm to book some decent weather now:cool:

Well done that man - I've sent off the Good Weather Request Form and am now waiting for confirmation from God. Although I think we're in with a decent chance, cos we already had enough rain for 30 weekends last time we did Kielder....

I reckon it's time I published the route details - not that it's changed any from 2 years ago, but some of you won't have a copy unless you've been sneaky and gone onto the thread for the 2019 Run ;)

There is a difference though - there are now two breakout points included, for those who either don't want to do the whole thing or have had enough by Kielder. Besides the regular written directions, Treasurer Mark (Redline) has kindly knocked up a set of tulip instructions based on the written ones, but there are no breakouts in that. So without further ado, here they are....

Shap 2021.doc

shap-wells-2021-wide-pages-a4.pdf

It is my plan to turn the breakout routes into tulips as well. I hope to have some time next week and I'll put the .pdfs and the .gpx files onto this thread.

Up until now the tulips were in .pdf format and you needed to print them out (A4 or A5). The developers of the navigation software have now released an app which means you can load the .pdfs into the app and the app will display the route instructions (junction by junction) on your phone as you drive round (I think you have to manually click per junction...) Now I haven't tried this yet but for those of you who are singletons (or the equivalent) in your cars, the navigation app might be worth trying and it may be easier to set-up and use than the .gpx (for your satnav, phone or standalone).

See website here (watch/listen to the video).

Any comments, fire away

Brilliant stuff. Ta for producing the tulips whether the new thing comes off or not - must have taken yonks!

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Originally Posted by Redline

It is my plan to turn the breakout routes into tulips as well. I hope to have some time next week and I'll put the .pdfs and the .gpx files onto this thread.

Up until now the tulips were in .pdf format and you needed to print them out (A4 or A5). The developers of the navigation software have now released an app which means you can load the .pdfs into the app and the app will display the route instructions (junction by junction) on your phone as you drive round (I think you have to manually click per junction...) Now I haven't tried this yet but for those of you who are singletons (or the equivalent) in your cars, the navigation app might be worth trying and it may be easier to set-up and use than the .gpx (for your satnav, phone or standalone).

See website here (watch/listen to the video).

Any comments, fire away

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Updated Tulip files below. Main route, Breakout Point 1 and Breakout Point 2

Then for the .gpx satnav peeps the zipped up .gpx files.