Thought I would share with you guys a meet I am organising on the OC to see if anyone wants to join in
This will be taking place on Sunday 3rd of February (as long as the weather isn't horrific, lets hope for a beautiful spring day!). The idea is much like the Cheddar meet I arranged in the autumn and will be very informal and friendly and all comers are welcome, with plenty of time to chat and poke around cars. As before the meet will include a stop for pub lunch/a drink for those that want it, plenty of photo opportunities in beautiful settings and a drive on some absolutely breathtaking drivers roads
On that subject here's a few pics and info of whats in store from
http://www.greatestdrivingroads.com to get the juices flowing:
Quote:
"Heading east out of Minehead is 36 miles of the A39. A stretch of road that takes you from the coastal town of Minehead, to the oldest borough in the United Kingdom: Barnstaple. The journey begins with a couple miles of standard tarmac and hedgerow. The alarm goes off as you pass the village of Porlock and the road wakes up bolt upright as you begin your climb into Exmoor. Pushed back in your seat Porlock Hill lifts you 1,300 ft in less than 2 miles and travelling up this 1 in 4 gradient hill really does feel steep as you head for the heavens. Assuming you've avoided any buses with brake failure coming the other way, you'll find yourself in god-like surroundings very quickly. The tarmac peels away into the distance and urges you to follow. Either side of you the countryside unfolds like a picnic blanket into the distance and the fields on this spring morning are perfectly green and look like row upon row of pregnant putting greens.
Exmoor National Park drapes itself over the border and the moorland surroundings make a stunning backdrop for your transition from Somerset into Devon. This fluid road devours mile after mile of fantastic road with ease but before you know it you've used up all the moorland tarmac and are heading for your plunge back out of Exmoor. Countisbury Hill is the more effeminate brother of Porlock Hill with its mainly gentle, straight descent and a particularly wonderful view of Lynmouth beach. As you come to Lynmouth village however, its sibling rivalry bubbles over with a petulant burst of 1 in 4 gradient for good measure. If you're still feeling frisky by this time make sure you stay on the A39 as you head through Lynmouth by turning left into Watersmeet Road and enjoy an ascent almost mountain-like in its appearance. For the next 4 miles you've got chicanes to keep you busy, tight sections to keep you alert and trees straight from the set of a Tim Burton movie to keep you amused.
The final 16 miles into Barnstaple offer a smattering of hairpins, chicanes and fast straights. When you think of what makes a great driving road the A39 probably ticks all the boxes. It's a lovely drive that has definitely given me a reason to re-visit Somerset again. If someone said I could drive this road every week I'd probably bite their arm off, or maybe just a couple of fingers.
With something for everyone how can you not like the A39? Ever changing scenery, a road layout that'll keep you guessing and hills so steep it'll make your bum clench. Even the odd farm vehicle and heavier traffic in the summer doesn't de-tract from its charm. With bends to negotiate, hills to climb and Exmoor to soar over, time will bomb past and you won't have a care in the world, whenever you decide to drive it."
*NOTE* - Just a quick note to remind everyone that we are all out to have fun and enjoy ourselves, but this is not a rally or race it is a group drive/cruise. There will be opportunities for everyone to enjoy some "spirited driving" but please remember the laws of the road and the safety of yourselves and other road users, as well as the reputation of the club. You are all responsible for your own behaviour
As for the agenda for the day this is what I was thinking, meet is at 11:00 am but all other times are approx:
11:00am - Meet at Bridgewater services just off the M5, chance to meet and greet and poke around the cars
11:30ish - Head out down the A39 to Lynmouth as described above. There will be chances to stop and admire the beautiful scenery and excellent photo ops for the cars
1:30ish - Arrive in Lynmouth where there is an excellent carpark at the base of the cliffs on the far side, pretty sure it is free parking in the winter. Again a great backdrop for group photos with views across Lynmouth bay as a backdrop. We will then leave the cars and walk round the corner to one of the nice local pubs or fish and chip joint for a bite to eat and a drink.
3:00ish - After lunch there is a bit of a choice of return routes, we can either double back via the same route, head towards Barnstable and back via the A361, or head over the Moors via Simonsbath. All routes onward from here have some excellent roads.
I have provisionally shown a route below as it incorporates some nice fun roads and returns back via the nice fast open A361 to relax on your way back home, however this is subject to change if people have other opinions and suggestions. Obviously this is a fair bit of driving and anyone that wants to cut it short and take there own route is more than welcome (but please let us know so we don't think we've lost you!). I will be doing a recce before to check out the routes and options and look for nice places to stop for pics etc
The proposed route:
So there you have it, should be fun! If your interested in joining please copy and paste the list with your name added as usual:
1 - Treacle (Edd)
2 - NoGT4 (Phil)
3 - Graham
4 - Donna & Paul
5 - DaiMorse (David)
6 - 205/BELL (James)
7 - astro_boy_81 (Louis)
8 - supersan23 (Si) not in GT4
9 - Hellreign
10 - Paul@TCB
_________________
GT4 no 10 - I must be mad :help:
^^^Click the banner for my Black Treacle project thread ^^^
Now back home and mapped to 531bhp & 411lb/ft - that's enough power for now!
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