(ok, I just typed this then backed out and lost it 
so here goes again!)
Thursday morning, getting packed up. Very surprised at how much an Estelle will take! Theres a full set of spare bits, tools etc under all the camping gear!
Headed off about half one on thurs afternoon, turned back after 11 miles to go get our passports, and went on and met everyone on time (not hard with just three cars!)
I had intended to go in my Favorit Estate, but lack of coolant retaining properties or an MOT meant I was in my Estelle which I've been running as my daily for three or four months.
Dhoireman (An Fear O Dhoire) had similar brake and MOT problems rendering his Capri non-attending. So he and his brother Nugget filled the passenger seats in Redkings Mk2 Golf.
They had picked up Conor, a Canadian hitch-hiker, along the way. Conor liked to muse about hypothetical situations, like how cool it would be if cars were invisible and people floated along the street when they were going somewhere...
We dropped him at Dublin Airport in the noisest possible fashion.
Then we got caught in Dublin Rush hour and spent a couple of disagreeable hours there moving very slowly, meaning we were pushed for time and had to do about 180km in 2 hours.
Which we did. However, it was in vain. Despite arriving just in time, we were told quite ignorantly to get the next morning ferry.
The terminal was closed so we set off to the nearest town for food/B&B/action plan.
Stopped outside a Chinese, and got fed (well, if thats what it was...) after which the Volvo decided it didn't really want to go on. We spent about an hour and a half working at that and finally I managed to get some petrol into the engine at which point it regained functionality.
Of course, all the B&Bs were either full or closed, so back to the dock it was to settle down for an uncomfortable night in the cars by the sea.
In the morning, we waited ages for the terminal to open, so we could have the pleasure of being mightily stung for an extra 85 Euro each, to change this leg of the ferry. Bear in mind the one way fare was 89Euro to begin with.
The Volvo started to our relief, and to the ferry we went. We were joined by Patrick and his wife, who were heading back to London after touring Ireland in their Renault 16!
We tried for pics on the boat, but they weren't great so we agreed to stop in Pembroke again.
The ferry was a good chance to relax.
Redking downed shots of UHT milk
We planted an "Aids tree" in milk and soil. Nugget then took up a dare and snorted it. I don't think it went well!
Redbaronmulisha had a bottle stuck to him.
Dhoireman: less than impressed
Pembroke came, and we spent about an hour moving a mile through the village. We had to stop - my temperature guage was beginning to get very angry at me.
We spent a while chatting to Patrick while the traffic eased, and trying to talk him into leaving the children another day or two and going to Sparkford
So we headed on, but not before Redking had started his impending illustrious modelling career!
Nothing for a while apart from stopping for oil for the rather oven-like Estelle. Around Cardiff, we ran into incredibly long, slow tailbacks and pulled in again.
There we parked near a Camper, who then needed a jump start to get going again. One of about 30 or more we saw in Wales! What was going on this weekend?
Turns out these folks were from Belfast!!!
We headed over the Severn then - well, two of us did, and the Golf decided to go the other way! So we waited in Avonmouth Services for them. Two sat-navs and the best directions were coming from my A3 large scale map...
Another 1hour45 took us to Sparkford then. We saw an Imp fly past us on a roundabout, and when we saw him coming back up the other side of the road ten minutes later we made a space for him and increased our convoy to four!
We got there at 9. We went for food, to Yeovil - mistake. 10.45 by the time we were back after the roundabout city had drove us to desperation!
Set up the tents by sidelight power then, and proceeded towards the BBQ.
We're so cool we even drop our BBQ in the weeds...
scene shot FTW
On Saturday, recovering from two days travelling was the game.
Then, later in the day, Fleet Air Arm Museum? No Thanks! Got chopped coils to fit!!!
The Volvo and Skoda were destined for track action, but the Volvos starting and exhaust issues ruled it out, and the Skoda driver chickened out for fear of being shown up by Jikovrons faster and lighter 136!
So we were represented on track by the totally standard 1.3 Mk2, with a loan of my skid-lid and some impromptu advice on fast cornering
Now tell me this doesn't look like a dab of oppo into the corner?
I have loads more track photos - some are even good! - but this thread is just to show what the event was like from our Irish perspective. I can hardly believe we almost baulked at the ferry debacle. I'm so glad we went, and so grateful to HTW and team for a fantastic event, well worth the effort.
I have to thank B'child too. You don't know just how much I really needed that bacon buttie on Saturday morning Ian!
Thanks to Edd too for helping us guys settle in on Saturday morning. I knew if I got our camp set up beside you it would be inevitable
But one guy in particular stands out as having changed the whole weekend for us. If it hadn't been for you feeding us, laughing at our rubbish jokes, giving us rides in your weapon and basically looking after us and really making us feel part of the action instead of outsiders, our weekend would have been noticeably deprived. We can't meet mainlanders apart from this event, so we don't know anyone, and you made the difference and we are all massively grateful.
so here goes again!)Thursday morning, getting packed up. Very surprised at how much an Estelle will take! Theres a full set of spare bits, tools etc under all the camping gear!
Headed off about half one on thurs afternoon, turned back after 11 miles to go get our passports, and went on and met everyone on time (not hard with just three cars!)
I had intended to go in my Favorit Estate, but lack of coolant retaining properties or an MOT meant I was in my Estelle which I've been running as my daily for three or four months.
Dhoireman (An Fear O Dhoire) had similar brake and MOT problems rendering his Capri non-attending. So he and his brother Nugget filled the passenger seats in Redkings Mk2 Golf.
They had picked up Conor, a Canadian hitch-hiker, along the way. Conor liked to muse about hypothetical situations, like how cool it would be if cars were invisible and people floated along the street when they were going somewhere...
We dropped him at Dublin Airport in the noisest possible fashion.
Then we got caught in Dublin Rush hour and spent a couple of disagreeable hours there moving very slowly, meaning we were pushed for time and had to do about 180km in 2 hours.
Which we did. However, it was in vain. Despite arriving just in time, we were told quite ignorantly to get the next morning ferry.
The terminal was closed so we set off to the nearest town for food/B&B/action plan.
Stopped outside a Chinese, and got fed (well, if thats what it was...) after which the Volvo decided it didn't really want to go on. We spent about an hour and a half working at that and finally I managed to get some petrol into the engine at which point it regained functionality.
Of course, all the B&Bs were either full or closed, so back to the dock it was to settle down for an uncomfortable night in the cars by the sea.
In the morning, we waited ages for the terminal to open, so we could have the pleasure of being mightily stung for an extra 85 Euro each, to change this leg of the ferry. Bear in mind the one way fare was 89Euro to begin with.
The Volvo started to our relief, and to the ferry we went. We were joined by Patrick and his wife, who were heading back to London after touring Ireland in their Renault 16!
We tried for pics on the boat, but they weren't great so we agreed to stop in Pembroke again.
The ferry was a good chance to relax.
Redking downed shots of UHT milk
We planted an "Aids tree" in milk and soil. Nugget then took up a dare and snorted it. I don't think it went well!
Redbaronmulisha had a bottle stuck to him.
Dhoireman: less than impressed
Pembroke came, and we spent about an hour moving a mile through the village. We had to stop - my temperature guage was beginning to get very angry at me.
We spent a while chatting to Patrick while the traffic eased, and trying to talk him into leaving the children another day or two and going to Sparkford
So we headed on, but not before Redking had started his impending illustrious modelling career!
Nothing for a while apart from stopping for oil for the rather oven-like Estelle. Around Cardiff, we ran into incredibly long, slow tailbacks and pulled in again.
There we parked near a Camper, who then needed a jump start to get going again. One of about 30 or more we saw in Wales! What was going on this weekend?
Turns out these folks were from Belfast!!!
We headed over the Severn then - well, two of us did, and the Golf decided to go the other way! So we waited in Avonmouth Services for them. Two sat-navs and the best directions were coming from my A3 large scale map...
Another 1hour45 took us to Sparkford then. We saw an Imp fly past us on a roundabout, and when we saw him coming back up the other side of the road ten minutes later we made a space for him and increased our convoy to four!
We got there at 9. We went for food, to Yeovil - mistake. 10.45 by the time we were back after the roundabout city had drove us to desperation!
Set up the tents by sidelight power then, and proceeded towards the BBQ.
We're so cool we even drop our BBQ in the weeds...
scene shot FTW
On Saturday, recovering from two days travelling was the game.
Then, later in the day, Fleet Air Arm Museum? No Thanks! Got chopped coils to fit!!!
The Volvo and Skoda were destined for track action, but the Volvos starting and exhaust issues ruled it out, and the Skoda driver chickened out for fear of being shown up by Jikovrons faster and lighter 136!
So we were represented on track by the totally standard 1.3 Mk2, with a loan of my skid-lid and some impromptu advice on fast cornering
Now tell me this doesn't look like a dab of oppo into the corner?
I have loads more track photos - some are even good! - but this thread is just to show what the event was like from our Irish perspective. I can hardly believe we almost baulked at the ferry debacle. I'm so glad we went, and so grateful to HTW and team for a fantastic event, well worth the effort.
I have to thank B'child too. You don't know just how much I really needed that bacon buttie on Saturday morning Ian!
Thanks to Edd too for helping us guys settle in on Saturday morning. I knew if I got our camp set up beside you it would be inevitable
But one guy in particular stands out as having changed the whole weekend for us. If it hadn't been for you feeding us, laughing at our rubbish jokes, giving us rides in your weapon and basically looking after us and really making us feel part of the action instead of outsiders, our weekend would have been noticeably deprived. We can't meet mainlanders apart from this event, so we don't know anyone, and you made the difference and we are all massively grateful.
?? lol
[*]
[*]
