Emergency, two-day Wander 2/3/4 August

Wapping

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http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3517542#post3517542

Watch this space.

Subject to finding some hotel space etc. I will probably slot something together for this.

I am largely fecked as the roads seem to be closing around 05:00 AM on Saturday and they haven't made it too clear how the access roads will operate. It's not obvious that I will be able to get across The Highway at East Smithfield... trapped between there and Old Father Thames I'll be.

From the map it appears that the A11 will be open, running east but the Blackwall Tunnel will be shut. Tower Bridge and the other bridges west are also shut.... bugger it, that means somehow getting out to the QE2 crossing, very early.... stuff that.

So, outline plan....

(a) Leave work early on Friday 02 August say around 16:00. Go home, pack up, feck off.

(b) The traffic will probably be shite. Scuttle straight down to the Chunnel, for a train around 18:30 - Lose an hour - 19:30 frog time (why the feck we have to appease the Jocks I have no idea) Arrive France 20:15. Scuttle straight to St Omer, have a beer, go to bed.

(c) Next day. Get up early and depart. Ride somewhere a decent all day schlep away. We'll need to get our skates on all day.

(d) Arrive somewhere around 18:30. Beer, food, bed.

(e) Early start the next day, returning to Calais via a different route, not slouching around.

(f) There is no point in me getting back to Blighty before 18:00, so we may as well aim for an 18:30 frog time train.

The Ardennes / Luxembourg look favourite to me. We can do Vianden and back into two for sure and I have the routes already.

Hotels..... TBA

Number of bikes? Depends on room space. Preferably four, max five who don't mind cracking on a bit.....

Ping up interest here, please. First come etc. etc.

Richard
 
Train booked

Departure: Friday 02 August 18:50

Returning: Sunday 04 August 18:50

Travelling at peak demand time.... :augie
 
02 August - St Omer

Ibis Hotel St Omer booked.

Four single rooms, one gone.

Three spare, I guess I might be able to juggle one into a double or twin :nenau

Saturday night hotel to find....
 
03 August - Vianden

I have spoken to the nice bloke who owns the Petry.

He was full (a biker group :eek:) but he has slotted us into his sister hotel down the road, for four single rooms.

I think it's called La Tourelle, or summat like that.

We will have to walk :eek::eek: a couple of hundred meters back up the hill for breakfast on Sunday morning.

I have booked us dinner outside on the terrace for Saturday evening, back at the Petry.

=====

So, that's it all done....

Should be good (fingers crossed).

Form an orderly queue, please.

Richard
 
gas_meter.jpg


We will have to walk a couple of hundred meters back up the hill

I couldn't allow you to talk to yourself all afternoon!

:D
 
Richard

I have had so much crap the last week I need to get away.

If you can please book me a place

Karl
 
Hi Karl, good to have you along.

You missed a good jaunt last weekend.

I did think about repeating last week's venture, making the run down to St Quentin longer, but I am going back there later in the year.

We know that the Vianden run works and it may be nice to see it somewhere a bit north of zero degrees for once.


Four single rooms, two gone.
 
Hi Karl, good to have you along.

You missed a good jaunt last weekend.

I did think about repeating last week's venture, making the run down to St Quentin longer, but I am going back there later in the year.

We know that the Vianden run works and it may be nice to see it somewhere a bit north of zero degrees for once.


Four single rooms, two gone.

Yes I really wanted to go but things happen.

Train already booked :beerjug:
 
Hello Richard,
These dates would be good for me. If there is a double room spare, then great I'll bring Pauline along. If not then I'll leave Pauline at home and come be myself.

Let me know.
Thanks
David
 
Hi Neil, Hi David

I have two SINGLES spare.

One gone to Neil :thumb2 Book your train ticket.

One left. That I will hold for you, David. I will contact the two hotels to see if I can switch the one single to a double. Either way, I suggest you book your train ticket.

Richard
 
Hi Neil, Hi David

I have two SINGLES spare.

One gone to Neil :thumb2 Book your train ticket.

One left. That I will hold for you, David. I will contact the two hotels to see if I can switch the one single to a double. Either way, I suggest you book your train ticket.

Richard

Hello Richard,

Just found out Pauline is working during that week-end. So I am on my own. If you have booked the double room already that is OK, else I will go for the other single.

My train is booked:
out 16:36 - Fri 02 Aug
back: 18:50 -Sun 04 Aug

So I guess I will see you @ the hotel
Thanks
David
 
Jaunt full!

Hi David,

Excellent news (but not about Pauline).

The single room is yours.

Four of us:

Wapping

dxtans

NeilDD

karlp

 
Hoorah :clap

I have given the Ibis all the names for the reservation AND asked them to reserve a spot to put four motobikes into. They are a bit odd about reserving spaces, even though it does make it much easier for the car drivers.

As you and David should be there ahead of me; see if they have, please. If they haven't, see if you can blag a space for us all, without the risk of us getting boxed-in in the morning. I think it's EUR 8 for a single car sized space, which will be sufficient for the four of us. We can pay for it out of a whip.

Richard


PS I will ping the suggested routes up, some time before we go. They will probably mirror what we have done before.... But we shall see.
 
I am currently boiling in Provence at 35c, helping the aged P's move back to the UK, a task akin to herding cats.

Back late Wednesday.

Will have to ping the routes up on Thursday. We just about know the way anyway.

Richard
 
Suggested routes out and back

The usual way from the Chunnel, direct to the Ibis in St Omer.

St. Omer to Chimay. I have taken us a different way to the way we went last time; just to ring the changes. We'll still take the motorway down to Cambrai, anyway.

Chimay to Vianden. It's the way I have been before.

Vianden to Peronne. This is the way we came back at Easter, which was OK, I thought.

Peronne to the Chunnel. This is the longer way back option, which we can do if possible. If we run short of time, it's easy to cut it short and hop on the motorway via either, Arras, St Pol or St Omer.

Sunday is a decent schlep whichever way we go, though it has some motorway in it to cut some corners. We'll have to make a decently early start, with half an eye that I think we have breakfast in the other hotel. Saturday is a decent distance, too.

Anything else:

(1) The weather forecast from this distance looks OK, maybe some rain on Saturday. I'll have a look later in the week and decide what to wear on Friday.

(2) We are arriving at St Omer at different times. I think it's me and Karl on the 18:50 train, David and Neil on the earlier one out at 16:36.

I have asked the hotel to reserve us a spot, can you see what you can do, please. We can split the cost of what should be a single bay between us, I think it's EUR 8 a night divided by four, so not much each.

Karl and I probably won't be at the hotel until close to 21:00 - I suggest we get in, quicxk change and trundle down to the town to find some scoff of some sort.

Irrespective, can everyone fill up on arriving at St Omer, ready for the morning departure please. Having everyone starting with a full tank makes it so much easier. There are several petrol stations in the town. Similarly, if we can all fill / top-up somewhere before Vianden, that would be great, ready for Sunday.

Richard

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14126843/Emergency ride August 2013.gdb
 
Looks good to me.

I will be at the terminal waiting for you then Richard with a full tank.
 
Yup, routes look good here as well. One thing is for sure it will be a 'lot' warmer than last time we were in Vianden.

Thanks
DT
 


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