November Wander - France (or somewhere) - 8-9 November

Aaaaarrrgh!

Hi Richard,

I'm afraid Mrs Banjaxed can't come on the trip - family commitment, I'm afraid. If I can switch to the single room without messing you about, that would be good. Otherwise, leave the booking as a double and I'll spread out!

Sorry to muck you about - I owe you a beer...

Cheers,

Paul

Hi, if that single room is still available I would like to join you.

Cheers, Dave

Single room gone to Bigdave

Paul, no worries, these things happen. Thanks for letting me know. I will contact the hotel over the weekend to see what I can do to switch your double to a single, unless you want to swap with 'Bigdave'?

Whatever is easiest for you and the hotel

If the hotel can change double to single, that would be fine. Otherwise leave as is.
Unless Bigdave is REALLY big...

Booked!

Excellent, thank you.
Trains booked as per everyone else - 10.50 going, 19.20 returning

Now, where did I put those thermals?

Train booked

Banjaxed said:

If the hotel can change double to single, that would be fine. Otherwise leave as is.
Unless Bigdave is REALLY big...

Click to expand...

Bigdave said:

Excellent, thank you.
Trains booked as per everyone else - 10.50 going, 19.20 returning

Now, where did I put those thermals?

Click to expand...

All sorted out.

Banjaxed, you now have a single instead of a double.

Bigdave, you have a single booked.

We are now back at an odd number, which upsets my tidy world.

Is there ONE more person who would like to join us, if I can get an additional room?

I've reached out to a couple of guys I know incase they fancy it...... I'll post back if one does....

'Reaching out' ... That's something Americans do, isn't it?

Anyway, when you have 'socialised' with your chums, let me know, please. I will go ahead and book us an extra single room, bringing us up to an even number. The hotel owner is a friendly enough chap, hopefully he'll come up trumps.

Great if your friend(s) can join us. I they can't, any other bods out there who maybe want to come?

-----

Now to practicalities....

We now have a decent number of bikes on the road. I will let everyone have:

(A) My mobile number

(B) Garmin routes for both days

We should use the marker 'drop-off' system too. Not because bods cannot use their GPS but because it's the only reasonably reliable way to keep fellows together, particularly if we have a diversion. Most of you are familiar with it; if you are not, don't worry we'll go through it.

Can everyone get on the train in England with a fuel tank of fuel, please.

We will pull into the fuel station on leaving the train, just to make sure we have everyone together. Train loading is a real lottery, so it's quite possible we'll be in different carriages.

Our departure time makes it awkward to stop for lunch anywhere before St Quentin, our final destination. I suggest everyone brings a sandwich and a drink to have on the train.

We will have a coffee stop, probably in Albert. This is only about 40 minutes from St Quentin but it's really the only practicable place.

On arrival in St Quentin, can everyone refuel ready for Sunday, please. The ride across to St Valery is not littered with petrol stations, so having everyone at least fuelled up when we start start out does make it much easier. I rode the two days last time on a bike with a 17.5 litre tank and was fine. There is fuel when we get to St Valery, too. I may well splash some in there, as I know I can make it back to London without stopping again.

It's a decent schlep from St Quentin, up to the coast at St Valery and then up to Calais but doable, for sure. The trick is to get going on Sunday morning by 09:00 at the latest, particularly with a lot of bikes. The weather will play its part, too. The only thing that will stop me going is proper heavy snow!

We will have a coffee / pee stop on the Sunday morning, before St Valery and lunch.

I think that's it. Don't forget you papers, breakdown and travel insurance.

Any questions, ping 'em up here.

Looking forward to it.

Richard

Hi Richard

Been looking at your post and really do not like the idea that your quest for tidiness is being undermined, so to put your mind to rest and make up the fourteenth man, I be happy to brave the cold and join you.

Gives me a nod and I will book a ticket on the long tube thing under the sea.
Bryan

Excellent!

Redtape, Bryan

The place is yours, assuming I can get the room.

I will ping the hotel a mail. I'm reasonably confident it will be a go-er.

Richard


PS GS Bloke, that doesn't mean your chums can't join us. Just let me know ASAP and I'll do my best to fit everyone in. Why not; this may well have to be the last Wander of the year so we might as well go for a full house.

Just a note to everyone..... As the group is growing (which I quite happy with) we will need to be vaguely organised, not least as it makes it easier (and often safer) for everyone. We can do the mileage in the time, despite the failing light but we need to be sensible and cut our cloth accordingly if we have a significant problem somewhere en-route. None of us wants to be standing around in St Perdu du Lost at midnight if we can avoid it. No need for any drama, it's northern France not Outer Mongolia after all; Look out for each other and all will be well, I'm sure.

I asked a couple of geezers (better?) if they fancied it but they declined due to other commitments.

GS Bloke said:

I asked a couple of geezers (better?) if they fancied it but they declined due to other commitments.

Click to expand...

Much.

Anyway, never mind, though it's a pity they can't come.



Richard

Which St Quentin are we heading for as I am finding two?
I'm guessing it's the southern one below Cambrai...

GS Bloke said:

I'm guessing it's the southern one below Cambrai...

Click to expand...

If you could be as accurate at guessing your lottery numbers, you'd be buying St Quentin.

Yup, that's the one.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=le...ntin,+Aisne,+Picardy,+France&t=m&z=17&iwloc=A

Richard,
Maybe I have missed it but have you had a response from the hotel for that last single, no problem if it was not possible, but it may leave you with 13......

Ta Bryan

You have just reminded me that I hadn't heard, though I've been away most of the week.

Update ASAP.

Richard

OK listen up....

I have secured the extra single room for redtape (Bryan).

This brings us neatly back to 14 bods.

I now have a lot of rooms booked and really do not want to piddle the owner (or any Wanderers in the the party) about.

Just to be sure, the list of Wanderers is:

1.Wapping
2.Chas Mill (double)
3.dxtans (double)
4.brianmaslen (double)
5.Matt Gibbs
6.RUS25R
7.Stuart Daniels (via another site)
8.GS Bloke
9.Banjaxed
10.Bigdave
11. Redtape

So, that's 11 bikes and rooms, 14 bodies.

I have PM'd everyone my mobile number. Some of you have it anyway but it's easier to do everyone again. If I have a problem, I probably have enough bods' numbers already to get a message through.... If anyone else wants to let me gave their mobile number too, great.

If anyone has a problem on the day, text me with the details and we'll do our best to sort it out. We will gather up in the petrol station when leaving the train in a France, where I (and I'm sure the other Wanderers, too) are happy to wait for a while whilst we try to fix things. What we really don't want is 10 bikes twiddling our thumbs in the rain, wondering what is going on with the eleventh.

At the fuel stops, let's try to crack on through if possible. It's easy for time to vanish with a big party. We do have slack in the day but we don't want to end up chasing our tails if at all possible.

I suggest we have a simple whip of say EUR 20 a head to pay for coffees when we stop. That should see us through the weekend and have a bit spare for a drink each on Saturday night, too. I will ask the hotel to create separate room bills for each room.

Great that we now have a big group. Let's be (reasonably) careful, look out for each other and all have a good time.

Richard

PS We can decide when and where to eat on Saturday night. There are several restaurants on the main square ( ten minutes walk) and an Italian pizza type place on the same corner as our hotel. I don't mind which. Happy for bods to do their ow n thing, too.

PPS I haven't forgotten about the routes.

Thanks Richard,
train booked now, will send you my mobile number .
Bryan

My thanks to those who have forwarded on their mobile numbers.

Richard