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January - uhhgh

 

dull dull dull

 

All I want to do is drive my Cayman in day light, on dry roads, with little other traffic on them, and with good quality (un-potholed) surfaces. 

 

Which got me thinking - where do such roads exist in the UK or ‘nearside’ of Europe?

 

evo triangle mid wales?

 

far north of Scotland?

 

swiss alps?

 

southern Spain?

 

But going all that way on your own would be a tiresome and less entertaining drive than convoying in a group. 

 

So I was wondering who might be interested in having a (extra) long weekend sometime late spring or early summer perhaps (April, May, June) finding and enjoying some fun roads somewhere this, or the other, side of the channel?

 

i know there are companies that organise this sort of thing, but I’m not fussed with 5star hotels and black-tie masquerade balls - I just want to ‘spank my porker’ down some awesome roads with fantastic scenery for a few days with a pie & a pint in the evening in a local pub B&B, swapping tall-tales of superhuman driving capabilities with a few likeminded civilised driving amigos. ????????

 

Thoughts / ideas?

 

 

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I have always fancied the Stelvio, ever since Top Gear made it ‘famous’. 

 

I actually drove in a similar area (Bolzano) in some tiny tinny Lancia hire car about 11 years ago on climbing holiday in the Dolomites - the scenery was stunning, but I found the roads just too ‘switchbacky’?

 

I read this article a few days back - perhaps there’s even better roads beyond the Stelvio....?!!!! ???

 

https://jalopnik.com/the-worlds-greatest-road-actually-sucks-here-are-fo-944904488

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Yeah I drove both the side photographed and the Italian side yet never ventured into the swiss half. Definitely got to have your wits about you with other road users such as cyclists etc. Had my Mrs on lookout when descending. Always personally fancied a trip to spa if I'm honest.

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9 hours ago, Nail it said:

Would be great fun, sorted 2 trips to the ring years ago and was great fun as you have like minded people out for fun.

So yes I would consider it

Aye, I took a Mitsubishi FTO GPX to the ring for a long wknd back in 2006, and loved it! ???????

 

Not sure I’d want to spend a whole weekend there again, but maybe a day on the ring and the rest of the weekend finding some good roads to, through and back from the Black Forest might be fun?

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7 hours ago, Munch197 said:

Yeah I drove both the side photographed and the Italian side yet never ventured into the swiss half. Definitely got to have your wits about you with other road users such as cyclists etc. Had my Mrs on lookout when descending. Always personally fancied a trip to spa if I'm honest.

 

Oh yes Spa, it would be like a trip to a petrol heads Mecca! 

Whats the trip like there and back, interesting and decent roads? Or just long straight auto routes?

 

i want to find broad open roads with long swooping curves and big open site lines so I can just pour in the gas ???????

Edited by Windymiller
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5 hours ago, Windymiller said:

 

Oh yes Spa, it would be like a trip to a petrol heads Mecca! 

Whats the trip like there and back, interesting and decent roads? Or just long straight auto routes?

 

i want to find broad open roads with long swooping curves and big open site lines so I can just pour in the gas ???????

Well we were staying at lake Garda at the time so was a rental we took from there but that was a good drive to be honest with magnificent scenery. I've not looked at the spa route or if there's any entertainment on the way. As long as there's a bit of a complex to stretch the Caymans legs and a variety of tunnels, i don't see why it won't be fun.

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What about an overnight ferry to Bilbao and then some of the Northern Spain coast roads?

 

Or into the ‘interior’ for some cross country / mountain roads?

 

Anyone done a driving tour in Spain?

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14 hours ago, Windymiller said:

What about an overnight ferry to Bilbao and then some of the Northern Spain coast roads?

 

Or into the ‘interior’ for some cross country / mountain roads?

 

Anyone done a driving tour in Spain?

 

Done that with a motorhome a few years back and the ferry alone will be at best £400 to £600 depending on time plus they only run a few days each week if I remember right so it might mean that the trip would be longer than some would like

Top side of Spain is very hilly and has lots of nice bridge's and tunnels as they built loads of new roads to cut through instead of going up and down, but you can see the old roads when you travel on the new ones so guess they are a lot quieter, could be fun but for me a road trip to the alps would be my number one but as well as a nice long weekend away to the ring and spar taking in the forest roads rather than the autobands as done both and the forest roads are simply amazing what with the views ect and the type of roads

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3 hours ago, Nail it said:

 

Done that with a motorhome a few years back and the ferry alone will be at best £400 to £600 depending on time plus they only run a few days each week if I remember right so it might mean that the trip would be longer than some would like

 

Ok, so maybe not Spain given the ferry time and cost to get there and back - sounds more like a 3 week euro tour driving down through France (once the kids have left home and I’m semi-retired... ???). 

 

Ok, so options seem:

 

1) Germany’s black forests to the ‘Ring’ with a couple of days at the Nordscheife (700 miles return from Folkestone + ‘Ring’ Miles) - I stayed here in 2006: https://www.ringhaus.eu/english-1/

was close to the ‘ring’, had a great atmosphere and was full of petrol heads. 

 

2) Switzerland’s Grimsel pass via Furka and Gotthard to the Susten Pass (1,300 Miles return from Folkestone + ‘fun miles’ through the passes). 

 

Best of time of year? May through June possibly? After the winter and snow / ski seasons and before the summer rush, so quieter roads and cheaper accom presumably?

 

How would an early doors departure from Folkestone on a Friday for 6 to 12hrs of driving to Ring or Alps. 2 days of playing sat and sun, and an early depart Monday to return to Blighty sound?

 

Jason

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With the amount of snow this winter, unless it is a particularly warm spring, then the passes will be closed longer than normal. We're going a week later this year (6th July). Even last year Nufenen Pass (a favoutite of mine and much quieter than the Andermatt loop) was snow lined in July.

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2 hours ago, mr pg said:

With the amount of snow this winter, unless it is a particularly warm spring, then the passes will be closed longer than normal. We're going a week later this year (6th July). Even last year Nufenen Pass (a favoutite of mine and much quieter than the Andermatt loop) was snow lined in July.

By eck!

thats not good - I would not want to drive for 12 hours and 750 miles to find the pass blocked with snow. And I dont think I can wait till July / August. 

 

Although, just been speaking to SWMBO and she thinks we’ll be without the kids for a week in August due to residential scout and school camps.....

 

But still, I want to drive some tip-top roads before then. 

 

So option 1) - Black Forest roads to the Nordschleife in May anyone?

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I find even the shortest "convoy" trips require maximum concentration trying to stay with the group. Then some want to speed, others don't. Beanoir knows a great chap who organises these sort of trips so everyone can go their own pace yet meet up along the way. Pricey, but perhaps the most enjoyable way so as not to feel constantly pressured to do things outside your comfort zone.

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19 minutes ago, DJMC said:

I find even the shortest "convoy" trips require maximum concentration trying to stay with the group. Then some want to speed, others don't. Beanoir knows a great chap who organises these sort of trips so everyone can go their own pace yet meet up along the way. Pricey, but perhaps the most enjoyable way so as not to feel constantly pressured to do things outside your comfort zone.

Aye DJMC, I understand the points you make. But I’m not trying to arrange a phalanx of Caymans to weave their way way across Northern Europe constantly staying nose to tail with one another. 

 

And nor do I want to pay someone for the privilege of planning my route, booking a few hotels for me and arranging some pre-organised meals / parties etc. 

 

Im simply interested in getting away to somewhere with far better roads than ours in the UK (or certainly better than Bucks, Berks, Herts, Oxon), and going in the company of 2 or 3 other like minded souls. 

 

I’ve no intention of arranging a ‘gumball / cannonball’ style rally and it would be entirely for each to drive at their own pace and comfort. Just be nice to roughly stick together using a common route and meet at each ‘pit stop’ / watering hole / overnight venue for dinner and a couple of the local ales ?????

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Liked said I have sorted trips to the ring on 2 different occasions when I was registrar for the focus RS, it's not difficult to sort out and plenty of places to stay near the ring or not to far away (cheaper) as for the drive down then the last time we went we had 13 cars in the group and no one was left behind for got lost and we had both fun on the way down 

It just takes common sense if you are leading as if you are near the back it's harder to keep up and as leader  you adjust your speed ECT 

But the ring is a fantastic place that any car lover will find simply amazing and that's even if you don't fancy going round, I know as I have destroyed  a mk1 focus rs on the ring.

 

I think a ring trip would probably be the best fun for your buck and if we sort it out sooner then we can get cheaper crossing ect

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Right then Amigos,

 

cross checking between Nordschleife ‘tourist driving days’ in May and June, with UK bank holidays and school half term dates (to try to avoid them as chunnel prices will be higher and roads will be busier - as would the ‘Ring’ be), I reckon these are the favoured dates (all Friday to Monday):

 

20-23 April

27-30 April

(May too ‘booked’ already according to Mrs windymiller)

8-11 June

22-25 June

 

Nordschleife intel site:

http://m.nuerburgring.de/oeffnungszeiten_nbr.html?month_20=06&year_20=2018#location20

NB - it’s the Nordschleife ‘tourist driving’ days that are the infamous 12 mile long derestricted one-Way road that everyone calls ‘the ring’.

 

the Nürburgring itself is a proper GP style race track, not usually open to the public.  

 

I’ll research Chunnel prices for those dates this week and come back to you. 

 

??????

 

Jason

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