Planning for 2014

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Ian Grace
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Planning for 2014

Post by Ian Grace »

Believe it or not, planning for 2014 is already high on the to-do list. We know that the Summer Rally will be the weekend of 19th/20th July, with Pre-War Prescott already booked for the 19th. We shall then return 'oop north for the Northern Weekend the following weekend.

2014 marks the Centenary of the outbreak of The Great War and will be marked by a number of high-profile events and ceremonies up and down the country, and we shall do the same at Pre-War Prescott.

As for the Northern Weekend, we may arrange this based on the Grange Hotel in Loweswater in the Lake District, but this needs to be confirmed. Jayne and I have booked two days there in July this year to recce the area.

I heard from Alex Dempster - our anchor man in New Zealand this week who is hoping to visit with his family next year. We have Col Schiller, his wife and two daughters visiting Prescott and the Midland Weekend from Queensland this year. It is tremendously exciting when we have members from around the world traveling from afar to be with us, so we can actually get to meet. Alex has worked hard supporting our Antipodean members for 13 years, so it will be super to fly from Seattle to meet him for the first time!
Ian Grace
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by Ian Grace »

Jayne and I completed our Lake District recce last week and all looks good. Superb accommodation with various options, including camping, trailer parking, secure car parking and plenty of scope for touring without too many hills. The northwest region of the Lake District is much quieter than the more popular tourist traps such as Windermere and Ambleside, but the scenery of lakes and fells is every bit as scenic, and there is no shortage of quiet country pubs in the area. Last weekend, we were the only guests at the Grange.

The dates will be Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July. Interested parties should make themselves known so that planning can proceed.
Ian Grace
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by Ian Grace »

Three new web pages launched last night - our 2014 Summer Rally:

http://www.vintageminor.co.uk/Summerral ... _2014.html

Pre-War Prescott:

http://www.prewarprescott.com/

And our 2014 Lakeland Weekend:

http://www.vintageminor.co.uk/Lakeland% ... _2014.html

All three can be reached from the 2014 Events link at the top of the home page.

There are probably a few bugs and gremlins in these pages, but all will develop and be refined over the coming weeks and months. Please let me know if you spot any screw-ups!
martinng
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by martinng »

Hi Ian, are those with pre-war cars, but not members of the participating clubs, allowed to join in the day on the same terms as VMR members? In particular a member of the Bull Nose Morris Club and VSCC with 1927 Oxford?
Martin
Ian Grace
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by Ian Grace »

Hi Martin,

I'm glad you asked!

The discounted entry for VMR members is because the VMR organizes the event, and it is one more much-needed way to coax more Minors out onto the open road!

Members of other clubs (participating or otherwise) have two options - either pay GBP 35 to enter (which is fantastic value anyway, and includes one free climb), or join the VMR and get an immediate GBP 15 Prescott discount, thereby effectively getting VMR mnembership for just GBP 10, which has to be the deal of the year!
martinng
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by martinng »

Thanks Ian, I'll see if I can drum up any more support.
Incidentally the PWP pages and entry form are a bit confused over the date of Sunday 20th July and often refer to it as the 21st!
An extra day would be great if it could be fitted in to the same 24hrs.
Martin
Ian Grace
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by Ian Grace »

Thanks Martin - thought there might be some gremlins in there - I updated the 2013 site in the small hours the other night. The date is definitely Saturday 19th!

We received the firtst online entry yesterday, which shows that that key part of the website is working! Tim Green has entered his Aero Minx again for Prescott and the Sunday Scenic Tour, so has the honour of being entry number one!

Ian
martinng
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by martinng »

My entry for PWP is in the post today - not the first I know, but hopefully not the last either.
Hope to be spending the w/e in the Cotswolds at Bourton-in-the-Water with our friends of the Oxford tourer, who will also join in I'm sure.
So we are all looking forward to a grand day in the sun - is that also within your powers of organisation Ian?

Have a very happy Christmas and hopefully a successfuk 2014.
Martn
rmburnett
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by rmburnett »

I am not sure whether this the right place to post this question but here goes.

Inka and I are thinking of attending the Northern Weekend but are a bit intimidated by the thought of driving our 1931 M-type from just outside Northampton to Loweswater. We don't want to use motorways but the distance (~250 miles) and the car demand reasonably good roads with, ideally, not too much traffic and plenty of opportunities to be overtaken (I know, but one can dream!). There's nothing worse than driving with frustrated moderns piled up behind!

The direct route goes straight through the Manchester conurbation so doesn't look very attractive. An alternative is to go East and take parts of the old A1, which appears from maps to parallel the motorway, and then head West (Leicester, Newark-on-Trent, Doncaster, Leeds, Skipton, Kendal).

We don't know this area at all (a good reason to go) and so would be very grateful for advice on the best route and/or B&B recommendations. We are thinking of taking three days each way. This is a bit generous perhaps, but we will then enjoy the drive more and won't have to travel by the shortest route.

Roger
Trevor Wilkinson
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by Trevor Wilkinson »

Hi Roger, I always plan my routes in my 1934 Minor 2 seater using Google Maps, it is possible to start with a basic A to B route and then drag the route to exactly the way you want to go,use "street view" to see what the roads are like and view junctions etc. I type up my own directions with reminders of landmarks to identify the route and junctions. 8)
rmburnett
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by rmburnett »

Thanks Trevor. What I really need at this stage is to get some overall advice on the best way to get from A to B from someone who knows the area. I will then plan the detailed route exactly as you describe. As you say, it's great to be able to actually view the critical points along a route.
Roger
Ian Grace
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by Ian Grace »

I use Streetview extensively when planning our nav rallies/tours - particularly for the explicit directions in the tour handbook. OS maps don't show the true orientation of junctions, but on Streetview I can not only see which is the stop/give way and which is not, but I can also read the road signs, so I can with things like, 'At the Give Way, turn left, signposted to Upton Snonsbury 5 miles'. Jayne and I always drive the route on the preceding Friday before the evening reception to double-check the directions and also check for closed roads, diversions, depth of fords (!), accurately measuring the route distance, as well as visiting the various clue and lunch stop/cream tea venues for final co-ordination, etc., but being able to 'drive the entire route from my desk in Seattle is a massive advance over simply using OS maps.

Roger, we have some very good friends who live just outside Blackpool and who know the area very well. If you like I could put you in touch and they should be able to get you up through the area and into the Lakes. I suggest you don't go the Honister Pass route through to Buttermere – it’s one in four for a couple of miles.

Jayne and I will be driving up - probably mid-week, so we could also convoy with you (and anyone else) for added security/peace of mind. And we'll have the VMR tow rope with us...

Ian
rmburnett
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by rmburnett »

Ian - that would be great. Could you perhaps put me in touch by email?
Ian Grace
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Location: USA

Re: Planning for 2014

Post by Ian Grace »

Will do Roger, and it will be great to see you and the Coupe in the Lakes. Will Inka be joining you?

Incidentally, we've been planning the weekend tour and had some aeroplane enthusiasts help recce the route:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/sjvgC1cKQGA
martinng
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Re: Planning for 2014

Post by martinng »

Fantastic video, but I think street-view is more my style!
Martin
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