TVR London rally - PHEA convoy?
Discussion
work comes first.I am frustrated beyond frustration
Good to meet you too Chris.
Nice to meet you too David and thanks for the good company today.
I have to say the day was interesting but tortuous for us (cuneus and I), weather, traffic, wrong turns, hold ups in accident queues, and bursting bladders! (Managed to hold on......just).
The gathering at the Ace Cafe was something else. Never seen so many Tivs in my life.
We did finally make it down Piccadilly and to Trafalgar Square but the traffic was absolutely horrendous and by that time it was getting dark and we had had enough, so home we went.
My Griff behaved faultlessly in the traffic never getting above 80°. Well done the boys at Scole!
Saw Steve and Ian pulled up just before the slipway to the cafe. Someone in an S was just behind them with the bonnet up. Hope you guys survived the day?
We saw plenty of other broken down Tivs.
Glad to be home now
Nice to meet you too David and thanks for the good company today.
I have to say the day was interesting but tortuous for us (cuneus and I), weather, traffic, wrong turns, hold ups in accident queues, and bursting bladders! (Managed to hold on......just).
The gathering at the Ace Cafe was something else. Never seen so many Tivs in my life.
We did finally make it down Piccadilly and to Trafalgar Square but the traffic was absolutely horrendous and by that time it was getting dark and we had had enough, so home we went.
My Griff behaved faultlessly in the traffic never getting above 80°. Well done the boys at Scole!
Saw Steve and Ian pulled up just before the slipway to the cafe. Someone in an S was just behind them with the bonnet up. Hope you guys survived the day?
We saw plenty of other broken down Tivs.
Glad to be home now
Edited by Bacardi on Sunday 26th November 21:24
Paul - thanks again for the lift - your Griff sounds great and goes like stink
It was a very eventful day and as we both predicted a large group of cars did make it to Whitehall whilst we had just made it to Trafalgar square before dark.
Have put a few pics in General TVR and a video of the mass startup at Thurrock
It was a very eventful day and as we both predicted a large group of cars did make it to Whitehall whilst we had just made it to Trafalgar square before dark.
Have put a few pics in General TVR and a video of the mass startup at Thurrock
Hi Paul, It seems I drove all the way to London with a duff alternator and with lights, wipers and fans all on max. The battery gave up as you saw just short of the Ace cafe. Just a flicker from the ignition warning light and then the engine died.
Ian and I had to trade the Whitehall bit for a burger and coffee at the Ace. The boss there said the total turnout was over 1500 TVRs. Shirley not that many?. We lost count but did see that the convoy took a full 55 minutes to leave the cafe. We also heard that all 110 factory workers got a ride which is good.
Not posted any pictures yet. Most on the ones I took seem to feature a large orange transit van. Ho-hum. Got home at 7pm so too bad.
Ian and I had to trade the Whitehall bit for a burger and coffee at the Ace. The boss there said the total turnout was over 1500 TVRs. Shirley not that many?. We lost count but did see that the convoy took a full 55 minutes to leave the cafe. We also heard that all 110 factory workers got a ride which is good.
Not posted any pictures yet. Most on the ones I took seem to feature a large orange transit van. Ho-hum. Got home at 7pm so too bad.
Steve, real sorry to hear that. I thought you were walking back to help the guy with the S. I didn't think Ian looked to cheerful! Glad you made it home OK. At least you had some food. After a slight cock up and ending up on the M1 (we weren't the only ones), then getting stuck behind a jam caused by a nasty looking accident before we could turn around. We arrived to late for food before the convoy set off again. So we starved for the day.
I heard numbers ranging from 400 - 1500. I think the real number was about 478ish, which is pretty darn good out of the 450 who said they would go.
David, do you have a link to your Thurrock video? How about the video of driving in the mild showers?!
I heard numbers ranging from 400 - 1500. I think the real number was about 478ish, which is pretty darn good out of the 450 who said they would go.
David, do you have a link to your Thurrock video? How about the video of driving in the mild showers?!
The guy in the S was Yellabelly from Lincoln. He got going again after topping up his coolant. Like us he won't have been counted.
I was told that the official clickers at the cafe got muddled so video evidence from part of the route will be submitted for record verification purposes instead. I'm not sure which bit of road was being filmed other than it was a white line somewhere!
I was told that the official clickers at the cafe got muddled so video evidence from part of the route will be submitted for record verification purposes instead. I'm not sure which bit of road was being filmed other than it was a white line somewhere!
Bacardi said:
I didn't think Ian looked to cheerful!
It was a bit wet out there!!
At least Steve had the good sense to break down near some railway bridges, so at we kept sort of dry whilst waiting for the orange van! The burger and coffee at The Ace was very welcome!
Thanks again Steve for the lift, even if it didn't go completly to plan!.
Looking at this I think we got off very lightly !!
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=330463&f=13&h=0 At least they got out of it, all be it injured. Not good though.
Edited by Ian V on Monday 27th November 08:54
Edited by Ian V on Monday 27th November 13:20
Short Thurrock video is here: www.pistonheads.tv
Paul the M25 videos don't look that bad amazingly but this still gives an idea
It was carnage on the M25
Paul the M25 videos don't look that bad amazingly but this still gives an idea
It was carnage on the M25
I did wonder that if they counted people at Whitehall but, If they did the counting as people left Ace I guess we were counted, so that's good .
Here's a detailed account of our day.
The meet up at Thurrock was fine with up to about 90 cars. After a mass start up we left, but later than I thought was planned. Trundling around the M25 was when the heavens opened, very difficult driving but managed to keep going in the right direction. There was carnage everywhere with cars (not Tivs) spun off all over.
Coming off the M25 was where it went a bit wrong. I found myself in the wrong lane and it was ahead only... up the M1.. Arse! (I wasn't alone, with at least three, later, appearing behind me). Not a big deal, only three miles up to the next junction and then we could turn around and come back. Only, less than a mile away from the junction the traffic stopped. Someone had lost it in a people carrier type thing (difficult to tell as we passed as it was a mess), hit the left hand barrier and spun across three lanes into the right hand barrier. We must have spent the best part of an hour there and by the time we reached the services we were both desperate to take a leak.
Back on track we finally made it to the Ace cafe and eventually parked up in a street behind. We had about 25 mins there with a chance to say hello to a few faces but the food wait was to long and then we were being called to start off again. But arriving later we were to the back of the convoy.
I had put the itinerary of the route in my TomTom that someone had posted in the main TVR forums. But that went pear shaped as soon as we crossed the bridge at Ace. Instead of turning down the North circular, plod directed every one straight over. We followed along in convoy, ignoring the satnav, until we got caught at some lights on a corner. By the time they had changed and we turned the corner, they were no Tivs to be seen. The road forked left or right, I guess I made the wrong decision! I had about 6 or 7 blindly following me, God knows where we went!
I followed the TomToms directions, and tried to make 'Whitehall' the destination within the itinerary which ended up leading us back to the Ace starting point. (Seemed like a good idea at the time but I need to check how this itinerary business works). From then on, with David on the maps, we took the original planned route down the north circular (plod had gone by this time). I had a charcoal Griff behind me all the way but some of the others behind me must have thought 'where is this plonker going?' and made their own way.
We finally made it to Park Lane, saw a few conked out Tivs on the side of the road, one managed to restart and tag on behind us. A few more appeared, at least one who had been following me earlier. When we got onto Piccadilly we tagged onto some more so we were in a convoy. Tivs were coming the other way along Piccadilly (although not part of the official route). In fact there were Tivs everywhere, going this way and that. The traffic was just dreadful and my left foot was going numb with use. The Tourists and shoppers seemed to like the cars, lots of camera flashes going off and odd roars of engines.
We went around Piccadilly Circus and down Haymarket, but by the time we reached Trafalgar Square we had had enough and bailed out. By this time it was getting dark and the first convoy must have been there about 1 1/2 hours before. As soon as we got onto Embankment the traffic flowed. We finally stopped for a coffee and a snack at some Chelmsford services.
It was an experience that's for sure. It was a shame that due to weather, wrong turns, other peoples misfortune, traffic etc that it didn't go quite as planned. It could have been a lot better... but of course it could have been a lot worse... just the way the digestive crumbles!
Would I do it again? Maybe... but only with hindsight.
. Here's a detailed account of our day.
The meet up at Thurrock was fine with up to about 90 cars. After a mass start up we left, but later than I thought was planned. Trundling around the M25 was when the heavens opened, very difficult driving but managed to keep going in the right direction. There was carnage everywhere with cars (not Tivs) spun off all over.
Coming off the M25 was where it went a bit wrong. I found myself in the wrong lane and it was ahead only... up the M1.. Arse! (I wasn't alone, with at least three, later, appearing behind me). Not a big deal, only three miles up to the next junction and then we could turn around and come back. Only, less than a mile away from the junction the traffic stopped. Someone had lost it in a people carrier type thing (difficult to tell as we passed as it was a mess), hit the left hand barrier and spun across three lanes into the right hand barrier. We must have spent the best part of an hour there and by the time we reached the services we were both desperate to take a leak.
Back on track we finally made it to the Ace cafe and eventually parked up in a street behind. We had about 25 mins there with a chance to say hello to a few faces but the food wait was to long and then we were being called to start off again. But arriving later we were to the back of the convoy.
I had put the itinerary of the route in my TomTom that someone had posted in the main TVR forums. But that went pear shaped as soon as we crossed the bridge at Ace. Instead of turning down the North circular, plod directed every one straight over. We followed along in convoy, ignoring the satnav, until we got caught at some lights on a corner. By the time they had changed and we turned the corner, they were no Tivs to be seen. The road forked left or right, I guess I made the wrong decision! I had about 6 or 7 blindly following me, God knows where we went!
I followed the TomToms directions, and tried to make 'Whitehall' the destination within the itinerary which ended up leading us back to the Ace starting point. (Seemed like a good idea at the time but I need to check how this itinerary business works). From then on, with David on the maps, we took the original planned route down the north circular (plod had gone by this time). I had a charcoal Griff behind me all the way but some of the others behind me must have thought 'where is this plonker going?' and made their own way.
We finally made it to Park Lane, saw a few conked out Tivs on the side of the road, one managed to restart and tag on behind us. A few more appeared, at least one who had been following me earlier. When we got onto Piccadilly we tagged onto some more so we were in a convoy. Tivs were coming the other way along Piccadilly (although not part of the official route). In fact there were Tivs everywhere, going this way and that. The traffic was just dreadful and my left foot was going numb with use. The Tourists and shoppers seemed to like the cars, lots of camera flashes going off and odd roars of engines.
We went around Piccadilly Circus and down Haymarket, but by the time we reached Trafalgar Square we had had enough and bailed out. By this time it was getting dark and the first convoy must have been there about 1 1/2 hours before. As soon as we got onto Embankment the traffic flowed. We finally stopped for a coffee and a snack at some Chelmsford services.
It was an experience that's for sure. It was a shame that due to weather, wrong turns, other peoples misfortune, traffic etc that it didn't go quite as planned. It could have been a lot better... but of course it could have been a lot worse... just the way the digestive crumbles!
Would I do it again? Maybe... but only with hindsight
. Edited by Bacardi on Tuesday 28th November 12:43
steve
sorry to here you didnt get all the way round mate, it was one of those days were it was almost impossile to keep track of people, i think by the time we got to the ace cafe i did,nt spot any one that i would reckonise from baldock in the morning such was the volume of the cars parking up at the ace cafe,was avery long day in the end about 10 hours of driving in a 13 hour day.
martin
sorry to here you didnt get all the way round mate, it was one of those days were it was almost impossile to keep track of people, i think by the time we got to the ace cafe i did,nt spot any one that i would reckonise from baldock in the morning such was the volume of the cars parking up at the ace cafe,was avery long day in the end about 10 hours of driving in a 13 hour day.
martin
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