Is it just me ????

[Hammond1073]

Is it just me or are there more like minded petrolheads out there who want to enjoy there cars but can't find any organised trips to suit?
I liked the look of the Great Rally but camping at the end of September did not appeal at all.
I like the routes for the Pure Rally but being a 40+ married man the constant partying and party girls would be a tough sell with the wife !!!
I organised a trip last year to Spa to watch the GT's with my Boxster, an XK8 and an M3 and we already have next years pilgrimage to Le Mans booked. However, I need a few UK trips to fill the void left from giving up Clubman racing.
I see plenty of people discussing routes they are planning but not many asking for groups to join.
Ideally, I'm looking for weekend trips around the UK, staying in hotels / travel lodges where there is a good social gathering on an evening and great driving during the day. Maybe drives to locations (Beulieu, etc).
Is there anyone out there who shares the same interests and wants to enjoy their weekend cars in the company of like minded petrolheads?

[GoneAnon]

I've been on a couple of PH runs and thoroughly enjoyed them, but would like a trip to somewhere for a reason.

With people spread all over, I can see it can be hard to please everyone but it should be do-able to just meet up en-route or even at a destination.

[Red Devil]

Hammond1073 said:

I organised a trip last year to Spa to watch the GT's with my Boxster, an XK8 and an M3 and we already have next years pilgrimage to Le Mans booked.

How did the three of you meet up to begin with?

Hammond1073 said:

I see plenty of people discussing routes they are planning but not many asking for groups to join.
Ideally, I'm looking for weekend trips around the UK, staying in hotels / travel lodges where there is a good social gathering on an evening and great driving during the day. Maybe drives to locations (Beulieu, etc).
Is there anyone out there who shares the same interests and wants to enjoy their weekend cars in the company of like minded petrolheads?

Undoubtedly, but one possible reason why there aren't many such requests is that driving with a group of people you have never met before can be something of a lottery. You may have a great time or deeply unpleasant one. The latter can be a real problem if it a trip with one or more overnight stops.

I still vividly remember one of the latter type (not PH). It became evident quite early on that the standard of driving left a lot to be desired. Indeed a couple of the participants were complete fruitloops and positively dangerous to be near. I became so concerned that the first evening I called my sister and told her to ring me the following morning at breakfast time with an invented 'family emergency'. On receiving her call I duly made my excuses and departed. Sacrificing the already paid for accommodation costs on the subsequent nights seemed a small price to pay for peace of mind and getting home in one piece.

Subsequent events proved that my decision was a wise one. On day 2 one guy went agricultural (overcooked it on a bend) and demolished his N/S headlight and front wing. Undeterred the group carried on and on day 3 a kamikaze overtake forced an oncoming car off the road and the its driver ended up in A&E. Unfortunately for the group there were two independent witnesses to the incident. The police were called and the offender was prosecuted. Result: 9 points plus a severely depleted wallet.

I tend now to only go on such trips with people I have already met and am confident around.

ETA: another likely reason for the lack of requests on here is that many events are now organised via social media rather open forums. The advantage of this is that an organiser can use privacy settings to control access.