Emergency Wander no. 2 - (8) 9 / 10 August

OK, here's the latest:

(1) Roll-call

Wanders are:

Wapping
KevB
Rus25R
Vbcdave
Paula

Doubles:
Brenchleyhibs
Wilburt
Alleycam
ChasMill

Total 9 rooms / nine bikes

13 bods

I will reconfirm our bookings with both the hotels.

(2) Contact details

I have taken up creating a spreadsheet with all bods' contact details (mobile numbers only) and circulating them around all the Wanderers on each jaunt. This came into its own when we had a huge jam on the Chunnel, meaning that fellows can find each other.

From the following list can people PM me:

Vbcdave - Your email address

Wilburt - Your mobile number and email address. Also are you alone or coming with a pillion?

Rus25R - Your email address

Alleycam - Your email address

The email addresses I will use to circulate everyone with the routes in a .gpx exchange format.

(3) Vbcdave - I owe you a PM, I have not forgotten

(4) Routes (again)

Both days routes are a touch under 200 miles, so doable easily. This means we should be able to avoid rushing about. If though we could be ready to leave each morning, wheels rolling at 09:30 that would be great. There are a reasonable number of us and not all have sat nag's. i suggest we use the marker / drop-off system. It means we should all keep together, without too much bother. We can run through it again on Saturday morning.

(5) Lunch on Saturday

Assuming the weather holds fair, I suggest we picnic it. St Omer has a really good bakery, which I have used to buy pre-filled rolls / baguettes etc at a good price. The only problem is that it usually means me ordering X number of rolls, just as the poor girl behind the counter is trying to serve bread to the whole of France. I have a cunning wheeze in mind.... Paula is going over early; she has kindly agreed to go to the bakers to see if she can order some rolls and water for us all, to collect on Saturday morning at say 09:00. I suggest she orders a cross-section, with salad. I know we have one vegetarian with us, so I'll ask for one with not a hint of meat in it. Is there anyone else who has a vast aversion to butter, mayonnaise, or cucumber... within reason we can just about cater for anything. Failing that, I am happy to take orders on Saturday evening, stroll drown to the bakers early doors, hand in an order and collect at leisure. Either way, we won't starve.

(6) Lunch on Sunday

I have no idea, not least as I am not too sure where we will be and when. We have never starved before, so I'm confident something will turn up.

(7) Housekeeping

Just the usuals:

Passport

Ticket

Driving licence (both parts)

V5 vehicle registration form (Paula, just bring the slip if yours hasn't turned up; it will be fine)

Breakdown insurance

Personal Travel insurance

Wet weather gear and sun glasses

Mobile phone, activated for foreign use and its charger

Some euro cash and your credit / debit card

We will have a whip for coffees etc.

It's a social event, as much as anything else. All of us except for Dave (vbcdave) have been away together at some time or another, many more than once. Let's look out for each other.

Sense of humour

I plan to be at the Chunnel in good time before departure, see you at the passenger terminal, after check in.

Like Paula, if anyone is going over earlier, please let me know, just so i know who to expect on the train.

Loading is somewhat haphazard. If anyone misses the train, send me a text, please. We will sort something out from there. As it's late(isn) go straight to the Ibis hotel Central, in St Omer. If we are obviously all on the same train, just in different carriages, wait at the top of the ramp on exit. With luck, we'll all be together.

Fuel. As it will be late(isn) when we arrive, I'll break my usual 'depart with full tanks' rule. Let's all fill up when we leave St Omer to bring everyone to a common point to start the day. We have a bit of slack in the day, so we can spend the 20 minutes it will probably take. There is a fuel station near our hotel on Saturday night. Let's top-up there, ready for Sunday morning.

I think that's it.

Richard
 
Richard,

It will be myself and Jen on this trip - so obviously behaviour and speeds will be moderated ........

I'll PM you with my mobile number as it may have changed since the last wander.

Cheers,
Andy
 
Hi Ricardo, solo now as wife having to go up to Otterburn so can take single or double room, whatever is available, looking forward to a few beers
 
Friday evening Scoff

Is everyone expecting to eat in St Omer on the Friday evening? Will there be anywhere open at around 10pm (when most of us will be arriving)?

Thanks,
Andy
 
Is everyone expecting to eat in St Omer on the Friday evening? Will there be anywhere open at around 10pm (when most of us will be arriving)?

Thanks,
Andy

I hadn't thought that far ahead but now you mention it I guess so for me. Unless there are other thoughts from others?
 
I hadn't planned on it, to be honest.

I think I'll just take some sandwiches on the train.
 
Thank you everyone for your contact telephone numbers and email addresses.

You should each have received an email with two attachments:

(1) A spreadsheet with the telephone numbers, the hotels' names and addresses and the train times. The RED booking number is MINE... Please don't use it, pretty please.

(2) A .gpx exchange file with the routes.

Any problems, let me know, please.

I think we might have to put the idea of asking Paula to order some sandwiches on hold, until we have a better idea of the weather on Saturday. I still fancy the idea, so we can take a view on saturday morning. As I said, I don't mind getting up early to fire the bakers into action.

Paula, I think you will be in St Omer ahead of the rest of us. I have asked the hotel to save us the parking space by the gate. If you could do your best to make sure they have done it, please. They are usually pretty good but it's holiday time, so you never know.

I think that's it. See you at the train....

Richard
 
wow, the weather doesn't look good, stay safe have a fantastic ride. if I had found this forum earlier I would have asked to tag along
Ho Hum .......
 
ok will hold the sandwich order. Will do my best with parking Richard. My fantasy of sitting outside a café in the sunshine is fading fast but forecasts are unreliable so fingers crossed- and there is always inside the café! Take care all- see you soon x
 
Well, that was an experience. Arrived late due to Mrs ChasMill being at work and the M25 turning itself into a car park on Friday evening.

Saturday was great, taking in some old favourites in Cassel and St Valerie sur Somme followed by a great night at the hotel and a really good meal.

The promised weather arrived and "we" decided to make a break for the UK. Said our goodbyes and headed for the Tunnel. Our brave border force kept you all safe by making us wait in the pouring rain for forty minutes while the tea was brewing so we eventually got a train at 12.50

Now safely at home after a long wait at the Dartford crossing.

Hope the rest of the Wander went well and sorry for dipping out early.

Many thanks (again) to Wapping for the customary excellent arrangements.
 
Great weekend everybody, enjoyed your company and hope to see you all again sometime. As always a big thank you to Richard for putting the whole thing together.
 
Thank you Richard for organising a great trip and to everyone for making me feel so welcome.
I had a great weekend and can't wait to join you again on another trip.

I am sorry that I never had a chance to say goodbye properly at the tunnel. I am not sure what happened as when I went through customs I saw a couple of bikes going to the trains and assumed they were our group. I followed and was told to go into a lane that was open at the end with a green light. They waved me on and next thing I knew I was on the train with the other bikes (who obviously weren't you), but a group from the way valley club.

Hope to see you all soon :D
 
Many thanks again Richard for arranging another great weekend. The weather made Sunday shall we say interesting (and damp).Great to meet some old faces, and Russ and Dave who I hadn't met before. Look forward to meeting up sometime in the future.
 
Hi Dave and everyone,

Good to have you along and well done for jumping onto an earlier train. It's always a bit of a lottery, not least as the queues at the tea huts (aka the frontline of Britain's defences against an invasion of cats) were ridiculously slow.

The weather on Sunday was interesting as we caught the tail end of hurricane B. But, everyone kept together and we still cracked along. In a way it helped as, by keeping going, we were able to catch an earlier train. Hats off to Paula, who I know was a bit apprehensive about the weather for our return; no shame in that. As always, P scuttled along with the best of everyone, with her usual good humour; someone who really has worked hard on her riding and grown in confidence since she first came away with us a couple of years ago.

All in all, a good fun group. For a reasonably large bunch of bikes, riding mostly D roads that are sometimes a bit tricky, everyone kept together really well. The fuel stops (mostly at single pump stations) went well and we made pretty good time everywhere. It puts the lie to the theory that a group cannot all ride together reasonably sensibly and safely. My thanks to Charlie and Al for taking on the tail-ender duties and for everyone for marking their drop-off points faultlessly.

There was five euro and a bit of shrapnel left in the whip. As usual, I will add it to the charity pot, used to buy presents for some very disadvantaged kids in Tower Hamlets at Christmas. It's a charity supported by my employer, whose City office borders on the borough.

Richard
 
Another corker, good to see everyone again and to meet Dave and Russell

That was real rain that was!

Thanks again Ricardo :beerjug: Note to self - don't get mugged by Eurotunnel...............:D
 
Just arrived back up north (where it be grim!) we'd dropped off for a night a the Premier Inn at Ashford to break the trip home. Trip today, a leisurely journey dodging the rain, but blown all over the place!

A great trip away and good to meet up with friends from earlier trips, meeting new ones too! Thanks to Richard for impeccable planning and organisation of course. The weather was a good touch too... making us all feel like adventurers into the abyss of an (ex) hurricane, yet supplying a cracking day on Saturday with sunshine and warmth throughout. :)

Good fun with great roads, excellent food at well chosen venues and a weekend to remember for all the right reasons. Looking forward to any future events...

Al and Sandy
 


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