LOH's mini (2013 JCW-GP) adventure
Discussion
Sandy59 said:
Great read, sounds like a hoot of a trip !!
I didn't notice anything about suspension settings, I presume they are just the standard factory ones ??
Also did the brakes hold up pretty well on track ??
sorry sandy i intended to answer once i'd finished the write up but yes we're still on standard for the time being-i'll explain after i've finished & yes the brakes are truly, truly epic! seeing that caymanR pull up alongside on the kemmel straight at spa & then totally out-braking him for the chicane convinced me the brakes have more to give than i'll ever need.I didn't notice anything about suspension settings, I presume they are just the standard factory ones ??
Also did the brakes hold up pretty well on track ??
somchie said:
LOH, lovely pictures and stories!
I got my GP two days ago and enjoying it immensely, only 5 were delivered to my country (Sweden).
May I ask what phone holder you have installed?
search google for ravenspeed, not cheap but the best solution i've seen so far although to be honest once you've seen how its made you could quite easily fabricate one yourself. once you find the item you can download the fitting instructions to get an idea of how it worksI got my GP two days ago and enjoying it immensely, only 5 were delivered to my country (Sweden).
May I ask what phone holder you have installed?
Chr1sch said:
Great write up and it sounds like a whole heap of fun to drive! We had an 08 Cooper S and I can relate to the fidgety nature but god it's addictive!
Was also surprised to see it put in a faster time around the track in Evo mag recently, clearly a very handy little car!
they're great little cars, i always thought they were style over substance but i'm really getting why folks love them so much now. the evo (& other publications) lap times really surprised me too but after doing a bit of track work i'm starting to see why it can beat the megane. i'll update further but it might not all just be down to the shorter gearing Was also surprised to see it put in a faster time around the track in Evo mag recently, clearly a very handy little car!
so back to the story & back to the little mini, or origianl mini, or mini mini or whatever you want to call it. if you can't remember my last comment on it that i high lighted in bold above go & have another look.
so it wasn't running to well as we knew but ross had brought another airbox with him that might just cure the problem so he fitted that in the paddock whilst we were out playing webber/alonso through eau rouge & managed to unstick the mixture screw & give it an adjustment.
circuit-days being the good lads they are took a few euros off ross for the last hour & let him go take the car on track so he could get some pictures going through eau rouge. brilliant!
so we get it out & bloody hell it hardly makes it out of the pit lane (eau rouge really is steep!) but a quick change back down & away we go
ross had never done a track day before & was a little nervous but soon got the hang of it. 60mph top speed on spa isn't exactly flying but the little mini didn't have to break much-how many people do you know that have taken eau rouge flat in top gear on their first lap!
in fact we were having so much fun that i decided we better give the car a rest & told him to pull in after 4 or 5 laps for it to cool down. our enthusiasm was pretty short lived though when as we slowed we smelled the unmistakable stench of a serious fuel leak.
so, back to the pits to investigate & oh there's fuel pissing out of the mixture control screw, the one ross loosened. the reason it was pissing out was because the screw had actually fallen out somewhere along the track. bugger (we called the last so-called specialist worse).
so, trace one of the pipes off the carb as a vacuum control for the points & it had a screw blanking it off-that'll do (or it hopefully will as old BS sized screws aren't in such ready supply over hear i'd imagined). tightened up but still leaking
find some ptfe tape to bodge it up but alas still to no avail, now it's litterally pouring out from under the car.
trace that & find its the fuel overflow for the carb
by this time it's now getting late & the girls are statring to ask what we are up to as they've finished lounging in thermal pools for the day. do we call adac & admit defeat? not a chance! well not yet anyway.
after asking we found out that the circuit was open the next day as a practice day for the some bmw championship so we left the little car at the track & journied back to spa to go over some solex diagrams before an evening meal with the other halfs.
if you're a fan of chris rea you'll know the song auberge, well aparently it's written about the fantastic seafood restaurant in spa & we go there every time now as the food is great & they sell wine by the magnum.
[URL=http://s1079.photobucket.com/user/cragswinter/media/Facebook/Easter%20Trip%20to%20Spa%20Ring%20%20Bruges/524783_10151423347809475_1957415971_n.jpg.html]
the service stinks mind you but you get that in this part of belgium-a very french attitude but what the hell when the foods this good.
so, an evening going over things & steve with the megane reckons he has a plan for the carb. before he sold his soul to the insurance industry steve used to own various car related businesses & knows his way around an engine bay, that plus the free hotel wifi supplying as much info as we could find he had an idea.
hopefully it'd work because if we could get it running we knew of a man who can near the nurburgring & hopefully repatriation by adac wouldn't be needed
so it wasn't running to well as we knew but ross had brought another airbox with him that might just cure the problem so he fitted that in the paddock whilst we were out playing webber/alonso through eau rouge & managed to unstick the mixture screw & give it an adjustment.
circuit-days being the good lads they are took a few euros off ross for the last hour & let him go take the car on track so he could get some pictures going through eau rouge. brilliant!
so we get it out & bloody hell it hardly makes it out of the pit lane (eau rouge really is steep!) but a quick change back down & away we go
ross had never done a track day before & was a little nervous but soon got the hang of it. 60mph top speed on spa isn't exactly flying but the little mini didn't have to break much-how many people do you know that have taken eau rouge flat in top gear on their first lap!
in fact we were having so much fun that i decided we better give the car a rest & told him to pull in after 4 or 5 laps for it to cool down. our enthusiasm was pretty short lived though when as we slowed we smelled the unmistakable stench of a serious fuel leak.
so, back to the pits to investigate & oh there's fuel pissing out of the mixture control screw, the one ross loosened. the reason it was pissing out was because the screw had actually fallen out somewhere along the track. bugger (we called the last so-called specialist worse).
so, trace one of the pipes off the carb as a vacuum control for the points & it had a screw blanking it off-that'll do (or it hopefully will as old BS sized screws aren't in such ready supply over hear i'd imagined). tightened up but still leaking
find some ptfe tape to bodge it up but alas still to no avail, now it's litterally pouring out from under the car.trace that & find its the fuel overflow for the carb
by this time it's now getting late & the girls are statring to ask what we are up to as they've finished lounging in thermal pools for the day. do we call adac & admit defeat? not a chance! well not yet anyway.after asking we found out that the circuit was open the next day as a practice day for the some bmw championship so we left the little car at the track & journied back to spa to go over some solex diagrams before an evening meal with the other halfs.
if you're a fan of chris rea you'll know the song auberge, well aparently it's written about the fantastic seafood restaurant in spa & we go there every time now as the food is great & they sell wine by the magnum.
[URL=http://s1079.photobucket.com/user/cragswinter/media/Facebook/Easter%20Trip%20to%20Spa%20Ring%20%20Bruges/524783_10151423347809475_1957415971_n.jpg.html]
the service stinks mind you but you get that in this part of belgium-a very french attitude but what the hell when the foods this good.
so, an evening going over things & steve with the megane reckons he has a plan for the carb. before he sold his soul to the insurance industry steve used to own various car related businesses & knows his way around an engine bay, that plus the free hotel wifi supplying as much info as we could find he had an idea.
hopefully it'd work because if we could get it running we knew of a man who can near the nurburgring & hopefully repatriation by adac wouldn't be needed
Jamesf288 said:
I am really enjoying your reviews of the GP, LOH; absolutely cracking car!
I particularly like this shot, with the R26.R and 2006 JCW GP. I will be starting my own search for the latter in the next few months
I particularly like this shot, with the R26.R and 2006 JCW GP. I will be starting my own search for the latter in the next few months
Edited by Jamesf288 on Saturday 13th April 20:19
my favourite shot too, those were a great couple of laps. I got to speaking to the owner of the mk1 GP as he was staying at the same hotel & he pointed me in the direction of the GP UK forum, it's mostly mk1 owners but you should get signed up as there's a wealth of information & they seem like good guys there.He was surprised at just how much quicker the mk2 was in a straight line seeing as they're both "supposed" to be the same brake horsepower (more on this later.....).
I'll tell you something though, it could still put in some good laps & I reckon it'll have sounded even better with the supercharger whine!
been a bit slow with the updates as been snowed under with work, so, fixing mini's....
essentially we (steve) got the mini working again via an ingenious use of a cut down allen key to hold the float in place & a good ol' bodge. which was great as finishing the trip off in a hire car just wouldn't have been the same.
me & laura entertained ourselves whilst all this graft was going on by going shopping in spa (avoid if you're on a budget-it cost me a very expensive designer handbag) before setting off again in fantastic weather.
the journey to the ring from spa is a pretty short on unless you're driving to a restricted 50mph again but the weather was good so everything was ok. when we used to stay at the blau ecke hotel in adenauer we always used to notice a garage that specialised in old bmc stuff & always had a large selection of mini's, stags & the like hanging around outside. we managed to find out who owned it & luckily the guy (klaus) spoke english & had a few solex carbs in stock to try.
we bimbled along in the slow lane & managed to get there ok to find a treasure trove of old mini spares. after trying a few that didn't seem to get the car running any better klaus got one of his own personal ones that had come off his car. it was set up to run best at high revs on track but it would work & in fact did so extremely well-with the added bonus that instead of running best at 50mph it was running sweet at 85mph
we decamped at the local guesthouse we were basing ourselves at & went to the track to get the various things signed on for the car then entertained ourselves with the usual vist to the pistonklause steakhouse for a lovely steak on a stone
tuesday was bright & sunny & the boys out on the gp circuit trackday were having plenty of fun but the weather reports for wednesday were for more snow
after a few socialable beers we headed for an early night to see what the weather would bring....
err not ideal then.
to be fair although the snow was falling it wasn't laying but the problem was that at the beginning of the foxhole from aremburg where they'd piled up the snow at the side of the track it had melted in the sun & then frozen overnight. resulting in one huge ice patch exactly where you dont want it. bugger.
it was absolutely freezing though, the wind had got up & the wind chill was something else. it's not often i sing the praises of the heated recaro's in the mini but i was that morning.
we eventually got out onto track at around 11am for a few steady sighting laps & i've driven the track in many different adverse conditions but not snow & ice! the car seemed to be handling it all in its stride but there were a few moments when grip let go without any warning & i couldn't decide if it was cold tyres or something on the track.
after getting in a rythm we decided to go for it & after only two corners on the gp circuit the car just went. opposite lock was naturally applied & although i didn't spin it was one big slide.
cold tyres.
it was actually useful that we were on the vln circuit as we could use this part to get some heat into the wheels & brakes before hitting the north loop-i've always cringed at those people who do a F1 style warm up lap on track days but i seriously had to with the khumo tyres-something that wasn't needed on the megane with its toyo 888's.
once the heat ws in them there was nothing else to do but try & keep it there & go for it. as at spa the car was just superb. more than enough power for the track & adjustable enough to still be fun. again the 6 speeds in the box made light of the gradients at the ring & again helped the car stretch out a lead over the r26.r
in fact we had a wonderful lap with a 911gt3RS (R500 PAS where are you?!), he was taking things a bit cautious & although he could pull away on all the straights we caught right back up at almost every bend culminating in passing him on the second last corner.
this is exactly what having super-hot-hatches is about! chasing down the big boys & using every bit of performance you can on track.
i'm not daft enough to think that with a bit more commitment he couldn't have left us behind but that one lap following him was worth the trip alone.
we had another near spin again later in the afternoon with the cold tyres again but all in all the mini was perfect, well for the driver. i made the other half sick & most people complained about the lack of buckets but to be honest it didn't bother me so much.
the car was err, fuel efficient enough on track! the megane still seems to use a bit more but i can't see that there'll be much in it.
overall i had a fantastic day out there. both myself & steve can hardly believe the fun we're getting out of the cars on track considering some of the cars we've owned in the past. anyone who suggests there isn't much of a challenge in driving a fwd hot hatch on track really needs to get themselves into something like these two-they're just epic, epic fun.
quite often at the ring i find myself quite glad when the end of the day comes & you know that you've made it through safe & sound but i can honestly say we were totally disappointed when the chequered flag came down on our session-just when we were filming a couple of laps too!
that was the end of the track days for the trip but we still had a journey over to brugge to look forward to & a night on the beer that we'd traveled so far to come experience again......
essentially we (steve) got the mini working again via an ingenious use of a cut down allen key to hold the float in place & a good ol' bodge. which was great as finishing the trip off in a hire car just wouldn't have been the same.
me & laura entertained ourselves whilst all this graft was going on by going shopping in spa (avoid if you're on a budget-it cost me a very expensive designer handbag) before setting off again in fantastic weather.
the journey to the ring from spa is a pretty short on unless you're driving to a restricted 50mph again but the weather was good so everything was ok. when we used to stay at the blau ecke hotel in adenauer we always used to notice a garage that specialised in old bmc stuff & always had a large selection of mini's, stags & the like hanging around outside. we managed to find out who owned it & luckily the guy (klaus) spoke english & had a few solex carbs in stock to try.
we bimbled along in the slow lane & managed to get there ok to find a treasure trove of old mini spares. after trying a few that didn't seem to get the car running any better klaus got one of his own personal ones that had come off his car. it was set up to run best at high revs on track but it would work & in fact did so extremely well-with the added bonus that instead of running best at 50mph it was running sweet at 85mph
we decamped at the local guesthouse we were basing ourselves at & went to the track to get the various things signed on for the car then entertained ourselves with the usual vist to the pistonklause steakhouse for a lovely steak on a stone
tuesday was bright & sunny & the boys out on the gp circuit trackday were having plenty of fun but the weather reports for wednesday were for more snow
after a few socialable beers we headed for an early night to see what the weather would bring....
err not ideal then.
to be fair although the snow was falling it wasn't laying but the problem was that at the beginning of the foxhole from aremburg where they'd piled up the snow at the side of the track it had melted in the sun & then frozen overnight. resulting in one huge ice patch exactly where you dont want it. bugger.
it was absolutely freezing though, the wind had got up & the wind chill was something else. it's not often i sing the praises of the heated recaro's in the mini but i was that morning.
we eventually got out onto track at around 11am for a few steady sighting laps & i've driven the track in many different adverse conditions but not snow & ice! the car seemed to be handling it all in its stride but there were a few moments when grip let go without any warning & i couldn't decide if it was cold tyres or something on the track.
after getting in a rythm we decided to go for it & after only two corners on the gp circuit the car just went. opposite lock was naturally applied
& although i didn't spin it was one big slide.cold tyres.
it was actually useful that we were on the vln circuit as we could use this part to get some heat into the wheels & brakes before hitting the north loop-i've always cringed at those people who do a F1 style warm up lap on track days but i seriously had to with the khumo tyres-something that wasn't needed on the megane with its toyo 888's.
once the heat ws in them there was nothing else to do but try & keep it there & go for it. as at spa the car was just superb. more than enough power for the track & adjustable enough to still be fun. again the 6 speeds in the box made light of the gradients at the ring & again helped the car stretch out a lead over the r26.r
in fact we had a wonderful lap with a 911gt3RS (R500 PAS where are you?!), he was taking things a bit cautious & although he could pull away on all the straights we caught right back up at almost every bend culminating in passing him on the second last corner.
this is exactly what having super-hot-hatches is about! chasing down the big boys & using every bit of performance you can on track.
i'm not daft enough to think that with a bit more commitment he couldn't have left us behind but that one lap following him was worth the trip alone.
we had another near spin again later in the afternoon with the cold tyres again but all in all the mini was perfect, well for the driver. i made the other half sick & most people complained about the lack of buckets but to be honest it didn't bother me so much.
the car was err, fuel efficient enough on track! the megane still seems to use a bit more but i can't see that there'll be much in it.
overall i had a fantastic day out there. both myself & steve can hardly believe the fun we're getting out of the cars on track considering some of the cars we've owned in the past. anyone who suggests there isn't much of a challenge in driving a fwd hot hatch on track really needs to get themselves into something like these two-they're just epic, epic fun.
quite often at the ring i find myself quite glad when the end of the day comes & you know that you've made it through safe & sound but i can honestly say we were totally disappointed when the chequered flag came down on our session-just when we were filming a couple of laps too!
that was the end of the track days for the trip but we still had a journey over to brugge to look forward to & a night on the beer that we'd traveled so far to come experience again......
typically, the weather improves the day you leave!
nurburg to brugge is a bit more of a slog than the other journeys we'd done so far but with the little mini running better than ever on it's new carb we didn't mind so much.
the big mini swallows these schleps with ease but to be honest tyre noise does become an issue. it seems to boom around the cabin what with the lack of rear seats but having done these trips in all kinds of impracticle cars it doesn't bother me too much & the other half can simply switch on her heated seat & have a doze.
the end of the trip was a flying visit to brugge to pick up some of our favourite beer for our wedding later on in the year. ross & hs mrs hadn't been there & tagged along for one last night out before we headed home.
if you've never been before it's a stunning town, not one building in the center can be younger than a couple of hundred years & it's like stepping back in time. it's called the venice of the north & it really is a pretty little place with canals & boat trips to go on plus a massive selection or rare belgian beers
we stayed in a hotel with on site parking (a rare thing here)
straight out so the girls could have a look round the nice shops & us boys could sample some of begiums finest. there's a pub with a beer wall that muct be 8 foot high & fifty foot long & is made up of god knows how many individual brews. each beer has its own individual glass as well so you can get quite carried away sampling which ones you want to take home with you.
after getting ready for a night out we went for a traditional belgian meal of mussles & frites & flemmish stew-great stuff.
afterwards we took the others to our undiscovered gem-the garre bar
just off the main square is brugges smallest street (or alley in flemmish "de garre"), a street so narrow you have to make way for others coming in the opposite direction.
down this dingy alley is the alley bar. like everything else in town it has an historic medievil feel to it but most importantly they serve a secret behind the bar.
they'll give you a massive menu from which to chose your tipple but look around & you'll see a few people drinking from some rather home made glasses with the bars name on them-these people will probably be having more fun than anyone else
the first time we asked for the local's brew we enjoyed it immensely, though were a little surprised at its potencey! asking one of the barmen just how strong it was we were replied that it all depended on who was doing the brewing that week, though we could be assured that it would be between 12-15%!
this is a beer to be supped like a fine wine!
they bring you out plates of cheese to nibble on while you drink & assure you they won't serve more than 3 large glasses per individual, though believe me this is enough! they also sell it by the magnum & you can't buy it anywhere else & don't do mail order or internet sales.
we explained why we were in brugge & the barmans face dropped, it being pretty obvious they were out of stock!
we explained we wanted a case to take back but due to a problem with the guy who makes the bottles they were completely out, however sensing our disapointment the barmen asked for 5 mins & disapeared down to the cellar. the guy turned up with a dusty old bottle & regardless of the other staff who were apparently arguing over what should be done he presented us the only bottle they had. this he explained, was their final bottle of a very special brew. the bar started brewing "de garre" in 1984 & for their 25th anniversary they made their "25 jaar garre" as a celebration.
they kept one bottle as it will sit in a cellar for up to 5 years & it was the bosses intention to drink it on the 30th anniversay! as we wanted to celebrate our wedding with the beer the barman said it was only right that we have it instead
the other staff seemed to think he'd lost the plot but never the less we had our booty, had our photo taken with the barman behind the bar & thouroughly enjoyed a fantastic night toasting to their generosity (ross who was driving the old mini claims not to remember getting back to the hotel & falling UP the stairs).the next morning fuzzy heads were quelled with slap up belgian breakfasts & the sights were seen, presents for those at home were bought & the long journey back home began.
due to work we had to make it home that day so we left brugge at around half one in the afternoon & made it back to sunny cumbria for around half eleven that night.
__________________________________________________________
writing this now a couple of weeks later i have to say the car coped amazingly well for what it is. yes the road noise from the tyres is a pain but at least they don't howl like 888's & the grip is simply astonishing on track which is the whole point of them after all (once heated up obviously!). the fuel bill was nothing compared to some cars i've had in the past & the car generates a huge amount of good will where ever we went, though not quite as much as the little mini it ahs to be said.
stand out memories are too many to list, but hanging onto & then passing the GT3rs was great fun, as was outrunning the magane on the straights but most of all it was just so much fun blasting across europe with friends & experiencing the high life for an all too brief week.
what with work we don't get to do this quite as much as we used to. then there's the fact that with rising fuel costs its getting so much more expensive which means yet another reason not to do it. i hate to say it but how much longer have we got before euro-hoons are a thing of the past for your average driver. the days of us blatting along for hours at 100+mph are long gone, the penalties are now just too high to warrant the risk.
but if you've never done this sort of thing before i implore you to give it a go. there are some stunning places out there & i'll hold my hands up & fully admit that my other half has absolutely no interest in cars what so ever. after our first trip away though she enjoyed it just as much as i do-as long as there are some nice shops & spa's to visit along the way. in fact our next trip will more than likely be our honeymoon, & that will be a roadtrip of even bigger proportions!
we'll be taking in a couple of grand prix circuits on that one too but not on track days unfortunately as i don't think anyone does days on a certain street circuit in some principality on the cote d'azure
just a few more pictures that anyone sad like me will appreciate 
after the eurohoon i wanted to just check over the brakes to see what the pad wear was like & clean everything up-surprisingly they didn't even look like they were worn yet. i know the car isn't very old but i was wondering just how much the torque vectoring would kill the front pads but everything looks sweet.
que gratuatious suspension & brake pics....
after the eurohoon i wanted to just check over the brakes to see what the pad wear was like & clean everything up-surprisingly they didn't even look like they were worn yet. i know the car isn't very old but i was wondering just how much the torque vectoring would kill the front pads but everything looks sweet.
que gratuatious suspension & brake pics....
long time no update.
nothing of great importance has happened recently, the little mini hasn't missed a beat & it's proving ridiculously cheap to run. i can't quite believe how little petrol the thing uses, not something i was expecting to be raving about but it doesn't half make a nice change
what with the weather getting better i've been finding excuses to get the thing out & about a little more frequently-new bag of dog food? might as well take the long route to the suppliers in the countryside
i've become used to switching sport on & traction off every time i get into the car now (activating GP mode) & it's a hoot. the pops & bangs on the over-run are so much part of the character, spot a roundabout ahead, drop a couple of gears to activate the exhaust theatrics & chuck the thing into the bend in an effort to get some tyre squeal!
the grip off those khumo's is supreme (even if the wear rate is horrendous) & the feel you get through the steering is fantastic. i'd read about people needing to ditch run-flats on the standard JCW's & although i don't have anything to directly compare with (the coil over suspension & geo is completely different on the GP) i certainly can't complain.
i keep getting the odd wobble on whether i should be keeping the car. common sense says i might as well for another year as i'll probably lose no more between now & then anyway but i still do yearn for something a little more supercar rather than superb car. as mentioned before we're taking a drive down through the alps to monaco for our honeymoon this summer & the shallow b
d in me would love to do the journey in a 911, aston or something!
mind you, averaging 40mpg on the trip is appeasing the tight bd in me so horses for course
i've got to be careful with thinking like that though as that was the reason i sold my R26.R & then regretted it ever since as all the exotica didn't compare on the fun front.
anyway, we'll see, but if you have an opinion on what i should do then feel free to post up
nothing of great importance has happened recently, the little mini hasn't missed a beat & it's proving ridiculously cheap to run. i can't quite believe how little petrol the thing uses, not something i was expecting to be raving about but it doesn't half make a nice change
what with the weather getting better i've been finding excuses to get the thing out & about a little more frequently-new bag of dog food? might as well take the long route to the suppliers in the countryside
i've become used to switching sport on & traction off every time i get into the car now (activating GP mode) & it's a hoot. the pops & bangs on the over-run are so much part of the character, spot a roundabout ahead, drop a couple of gears to activate the exhaust theatrics & chuck the thing into the bend in an effort to get some tyre squeal!
the grip off those khumo's is supreme (even if the wear rate is horrendous) & the feel you get through the steering is fantastic. i'd read about people needing to ditch run-flats on the standard JCW's & although i don't have anything to directly compare with (the coil over suspension & geo is completely different on the GP) i certainly can't complain.
i keep getting the odd wobble on whether i should be keeping the car. common sense says i might as well for another year as i'll probably lose no more between now & then anyway but i still do yearn for something a little more supercar rather than superb car. as mentioned before we're taking a drive down through the alps to monaco for our honeymoon this summer & the shallow b
d in me would love to do the journey in a 911, aston or something!mind you, averaging 40mpg on the trip is appeasing the tight b
d in me so horses for course i've got to be careful with thinking like that though as that was the reason i sold my R26.R & then regretted it ever since as all the exotica didn't compare on the fun front.
anyway, we'll see, but if you have an opinion on what i should do then feel free to post up
Time for a little update I think.......
Well, it's been a while but I do have a reason for that! 2013 is proving to be a bit of a hectic year for us, hectic but incredibly enjoyable! Work has been extremely busy & along with the day to day stuff we're going through expansion plans that take up as much spare time as I can throw at it plus we had a little party to organise.....
Those that know me on PH will understand a little about the convoluted path that resulted in me buying the little GP, search out my car history & it looks a little strange but the top & bottom of it was around 18 months ago me & the other half got engaged. There was no expulsion of toys on her behalf but after years of pleasing myself & enjoying some absolutely fantastic cars I decided to be sensible & get myself a modern do it all car that didn't involve something being tucked up in the garage due to it being a temperamental classic or an out & out track toy.
The mini is absolutely fantastic at this, as you've read from the posts before its great on track & keeps up with the best of them but more importantly I can use it every day for work if needed. The other half loves the fact it's comfy with heated seats & has loads of room in the back for when we want to go away, all in all it ticks all the boxes
So, the small matter of getting hitched.....
Now, I'm a pretty lucky guy (which was the theme of the best mans speeches!) & I don't mind admitting it. I love my job, where we live & the fact I've been able to have so many nice cars but most of all I love my (now) wife. The whole reason I popped the question was realising whilst we were at the other end of the country inspecting another old Porsche I was pretty lucky to have someone who despite having absolutely zero interest in cars puts up with holidays to the nurburgring, camping trips to carfest & generally giving up lots of spare time & money to all things motoring.
The wedding would be no different! Pretty early on she made the decision that if she was to get all the things she wanted for the wedding I should be "encouraged" to sort out a honeymoon that would combine all the things we love, namely a eurohoon to end them all with some of the best locations across Europe linked by some of the best roads
We also decided pretty early on that the cars would feature throughout the big day. We've been to weddings where the bride & groom get a glass of bubbly & get driven off in an old Bentley or something but I wasn't having that-I do the driving round here & my first journey as man & wife wasn't going to be driven by some chauffeur!
So the big day arrived at the beginning of the month & we had everything sorted. Me & the best man (my dad) drove the GP down to the church along with all the other lads in their respective toys. Steve (the guy with the R26.R) is in the car hire business so sorted out some S class limos for the brides party but we had the mini GP, a boxster S, 911 turbo, the original mini as seen above & the Megane R26.R in our party
The ceremony went off without a hitch (she turned & and said yes) & after the photos & confetti we got into the car to drive to the venue, me & dad got a little carried away & conducted a rally style 3-2-1 start on the spur of the moment away from the crowds with the mini performing its popping & back firing party tricks all the way down the street from the church. Hooligan
No ones here to read about some daft northerner getting married mind you so ill just post a few pictures of the cars on the big day & leave it at that, we had an amazing time but the best was yet to come. We stayed at the venue the whole weekend & come Monday we had a ferry to catch to Northern Europe & another epic road trip ahead of us.
Updates to follow
Well, it's been a while but I do have a reason for that! 2013 is proving to be a bit of a hectic year for us, hectic but incredibly enjoyable! Work has been extremely busy & along with the day to day stuff we're going through expansion plans that take up as much spare time as I can throw at it plus we had a little party to organise.....
Those that know me on PH will understand a little about the convoluted path that resulted in me buying the little GP, search out my car history & it looks a little strange but the top & bottom of it was around 18 months ago me & the other half got engaged. There was no expulsion of toys on her behalf but after years of pleasing myself & enjoying some absolutely fantastic cars I decided to be sensible & get myself a modern do it all car that didn't involve something being tucked up in the garage due to it being a temperamental classic or an out & out track toy.
The mini is absolutely fantastic at this, as you've read from the posts before its great on track & keeps up with the best of them but more importantly I can use it every day for work if needed. The other half loves the fact it's comfy with heated seats & has loads of room in the back for when we want to go away, all in all it ticks all the boxes
So, the small matter of getting hitched.....
Now, I'm a pretty lucky guy (which was the theme of the best mans speeches!) & I don't mind admitting it. I love my job, where we live & the fact I've been able to have so many nice cars
but most of all I love my (now) wife. The whole reason I popped the question was realising whilst we were at the other end of the country inspecting another old Porsche I was pretty lucky to have someone who despite having absolutely zero interest in cars puts up with holidays to the nurburgring, camping trips to carfest & generally giving up lots of spare time & money to all things motoring.The wedding would be no different! Pretty early on she made the decision that if she was to get all the things she wanted for the wedding I should be "encouraged" to sort out a honeymoon that would combine all the things we love, namely a eurohoon to end them all with some of the best locations across Europe linked by some of the best roads
We also decided pretty early on that the cars would feature throughout the big day. We've been to weddings where the bride & groom get a glass of bubbly & get driven off in an old Bentley or something but I wasn't having that-I do the driving round here & my first journey as man & wife wasn't going to be driven by some chauffeur!
So the big day arrived at the beginning of the month & we had everything sorted. Me & the best man (my dad) drove the GP down to the church along with all the other lads in their respective toys. Steve (the guy with the R26.R) is in the car hire business so sorted out some S class limos for the brides party but we had the mini GP, a boxster S, 911 turbo, the original mini as seen above & the Megane R26.R in our party
The ceremony went off without a hitch (she turned & and said yes) & after the photos & confetti we got into the car to drive to the venue, me & dad got a little carried away & conducted a rally style 3-2-1 start on the spur of the moment away from the crowds with the mini performing its popping & back firing party tricks all the way down the street from the church. Hooligan
No ones here to read about some daft northerner getting married mind you so ill just post a few pictures of the cars on the big day & leave it at that, we had an amazing time but the best was yet to come. We stayed at the venue the whole weekend & come Monday we had a ferry to catch to Northern Europe & another epic road trip ahead of us.
Updates to follow
Cheers for all the kind comments!
So, the honeymoon
We'd originally planned on heading over to the Italian lakes in the car as its an area we've yet to really explore it & it looked like just our type of place but one Sunday morning an email arrived from secret escapes.com with something that looked right up our street. On offer was a stay at Richard Branson's lodge in verbier & it looked fantastic, we watched this video that pretty much sealed it for us;
http://youtu.be/nhK0NsFj4nQ
So a new plan was formed that revolved around us spending the centre of the tour in Switzerland & the furthest points being Brugge & Monaco!
Hull ain't the most auspicious start to your honeymoon but the overnighter to zebrugge means a relaxed start to the journey for us northerners & although the boat isn't the most modern in the fleet if you book a club cabin (double bed, free mini bar & English channels on the tv!) & eat in the very reasonably priced "posh" restaurant I think it's a properly nice way to get into Europe.
It also means after a nice evening meal & a bottle of fizz you can go to bed, wake up the next morning & be right into your tour
Our only faff was discovering the co-pilot app that I'd only just updated needed to rather stupidly update my security code every time I switched it on requiring data abroad. It's a shame as the sat nav app has been really good but this was a total pain in the arse as for some reason I couldn't make my phone connect to a 3G service over there no matter what settings I adjusted. We solved it by putting the other halves SIM card in to get it started (even though we' both on the same network) but after getting in touch with the co pilot help centre they could only suggest deleting the app & reloading it without the traffic updates-not much help when you're already abroad!
Anyway, we got it started & were on our way, the long slog to Strasbourg. To be fair as you leave the ferry at 8:30am the 5-6 hours to Strasbourg didn't feel like too long, especially as after my efforts to teach Laura how to navigate by map in case the sat nav let us we figured we were going right past Luxembourg at just before midday. Lunch by the side of the road or at some swanky town centre place? Follow signs for centrum!
It's a pretty small place & has a reputation as a bit boring of a night due to being a commuter city but we really liked it. We followed the signs for a car park which to us to some vast underground city centre one & once we walked out we (she) was pleasantly greeted by a load of shops by the like of prada, gucci, hermes etc etc. cue one happy newly wed!
After a bit of shopping we headed into the tourist trap main square & had a lovely meal taking it all in, much better than some baguette at a motorway service station.
After a bit more checking out of the designer stores we headed back to the car & carried on our way.
Unfortunately we could see the storm clouds brewing & sure enough it started to pour down. Now, I had considered replacing the tyres before we went away but I really didn't fancy banging on a new set of track tyres just to scrub them off on motorways so I made the decision to just roll with it & if my (very worn) tyres needed replacing I'd just do it where ever we were. This of course was with the proviso that any rain we encountered would mean reduced speeds as these khumos won't like standing water it full tread depth never mind at what we had.
The thing is, reducing the speed down to around 60mph on the motorway has two effects, your fuel economy is fantastic & I also actually find it so much more relaxing to drive (as does she!)-I must be getting old!
Any how, we got to Strasbourg probably only 30 mins later than we would have feeling fine & without any aquaplaining!
Obviously as with all other euro trips I'd booked the hotel with parking in mind & although nothing too fancy I've found that if you're doing a city break the local Novotel rarely lets you down. Strasbourgs was really nice for what it cost & was in a fantastic location for the historic side of town (& the shopping) & had a huge secure car park in the basement.
(The handbag isn't mine)
Way too much of this;
Results in photos like this;
Laura was really pleased she'd finally got those sunglasses so why I decided to try them on I don't know? In my defence that is a very fetching Matra 24hrs Le Mans t shirt I'm wearing so I only looked like half a tt.
Oh & if you ever do get to Strasbourg make sure you try out the Alsatian speciality, a "crepe flambé". Like a mega thin crust pizza with creme freche instead of tomato purée they're bloody gorgeous!
I won't bore you with all the details but its a fantastic town & we loved the few days we spent there, but after a couple of nights we were ready to head off & see some good driving roads
Essentially we had to make our way to a town called weggis on lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Not too far of a journey at a couple of hours but just east of Strasbourg is the Black Forest & after searching the road network on google maps there appeared to ba a lot of squiggly lines!
So why bother taking the motorway when there's plenty of good back roads to travel? Updates to follow.....
So, the honeymoon
We'd originally planned on heading over to the Italian lakes in the car as its an area we've yet to really explore it & it looked like just our type of place but one Sunday morning an email arrived from secret escapes.com with something that looked right up our street. On offer was a stay at Richard Branson's lodge in verbier & it looked fantastic, we watched this video that pretty much sealed it for us;
http://youtu.be/nhK0NsFj4nQ
So a new plan was formed that revolved around us spending the centre of the tour in Switzerland & the furthest points being Brugge & Monaco!
Hull ain't the most auspicious start to your honeymoon but the overnighter to zebrugge means a relaxed start to the journey for us northerners & although the boat isn't the most modern in the fleet if you book a club cabin (double bed, free mini bar & English channels on the tv!) & eat in the very reasonably priced "posh" restaurant I think it's a properly nice way to get into Europe.
It also means after a nice evening meal & a bottle of fizz you can go to bed, wake up the next morning & be right into your tour
Our only faff was discovering the co-pilot app that I'd only just updated needed to rather stupidly update my security code every time I switched it on requiring data abroad. It's a shame as the sat nav app has been really good but this was a total pain in the arse as for some reason I couldn't make my phone connect to a 3G service over there no matter what settings I adjusted. We solved it by putting the other halves SIM card in to get it started (even though we' both on the same network) but after getting in touch with the co pilot help centre they could only suggest deleting the app & reloading it without the traffic updates-not much help when you're already abroad!
Anyway, we got it started & were on our way, the long slog to Strasbourg. To be fair as you leave the ferry at 8:30am the 5-6 hours to Strasbourg didn't feel like too long, especially as after my efforts to teach Laura how to navigate by map in case the sat nav let us we figured we were going right past Luxembourg at just before midday. Lunch by the side of the road or at some swanky town centre place? Follow signs for centrum!
It's a pretty small place & has a reputation as a bit boring of a night due to being a commuter city but we really liked it. We followed the signs for a car park which to us to some vast underground city centre one & once we walked out we (she) was pleasantly greeted by a load of shops by the like of prada, gucci, hermes etc etc. cue one happy newly wed!
After a bit of shopping we headed into the tourist trap main square & had a lovely meal taking it all in, much better than some baguette at a motorway service station.
After a bit more checking out of the designer stores we headed back to the car & carried on our way.
Unfortunately we could see the storm clouds brewing & sure enough it started to pour down. Now, I had considered replacing the tyres before we went away but I really didn't fancy banging on a new set of track tyres just to scrub them off on motorways so I made the decision to just roll with it & if my (very worn) tyres needed replacing I'd just do it where ever we were. This of course was with the proviso that any rain we encountered would mean reduced speeds as these khumos won't like standing water it full tread depth never mind at what we had.
The thing is, reducing the speed down to around 60mph on the motorway has two effects, your fuel economy is fantastic & I also actually find it so much more relaxing to drive (as does she!)-I must be getting old!
Any how, we got to Strasbourg probably only 30 mins later than we would have feeling fine & without any aquaplaining!
Obviously as with all other euro trips I'd booked the hotel with parking in mind & although nothing too fancy I've found that if you're doing a city break the local Novotel rarely lets you down. Strasbourgs was really nice for what it cost & was in a fantastic location for the historic side of town (& the shopping) & had a huge secure car park in the basement.
(The handbag isn't mine)
Way too much of this;
Results in photos like this;
Laura was really pleased she'd finally got those sunglasses so why I decided to try them on I don't know? In my defence that is a very fetching Matra 24hrs Le Mans t shirt I'm wearing so I only looked like half a t
t.Oh & if you ever do get to Strasbourg make sure you try out the Alsatian speciality, a "crepe flambé". Like a mega thin crust pizza with creme freche instead of tomato purée they're bloody gorgeous!
I won't bore you with all the details but its a fantastic town & we loved the few days we spent there, but after a couple of nights we were ready to head off & see some good driving roads
Essentially we had to make our way to a town called weggis on lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Not too far of a journey at a couple of hours but just east of Strasbourg is the Black Forest & after searching the road network on google maps there appeared to ba a lot of squiggly lines!
So why bother taking the motorway when there's plenty of good back roads to travel? Updates to follow.....
So after a few days in French speaking Strasbourg its pretty strange to go over the river & find yourself in a German petrol station but hey ho, no different to those funny speaking sorts that live just over the border up here in Cumbria
As I said we had the journey planned out to go through the Black Forest & after the slightly monotonous motorways of France from a couple of days back this was a welcome change!
We only had a short hop to go before we found the mountains & what a motoring paradise! Unfortunately the weather was a bit overcast so the pictures aren't amazing but if you've ever driven through the Eiffel mountains to the ring you'll know what to expect, stunningly finished roads, beautiful villages, friendly local & some cracking sights.
This was at the summit of our first mountain pass, I think it was a Thursday & the roads were virtually deserted. Switchback after hairpin & then right before the summit we went through the clouds to come out on top, a superb road!
When we left Strasbourg we visited a little bakery & stocked up on goodies (& cheap French wine) for a picnic en route & we were spoiled for choice. In the end we passed through a quaint little village that was build on the banks of a little river, most of these towns are bypassed by the Germanic efficiency of tunnels but you soon learn to deviate from every tunnel & just bimble through the village to see what's on offer;
Another typically German touch is the habit of a little tourist information board at the beginning of every village by a lay by, pull over & you'll see what museums or local attraction there is close by (mostly wood related in the black Forrest!), like some waterfalls or something;
Once we got through this half of the region & started heading further south towards Switzerland the roads started opening up more & getting faster, skirting past lakes & such like. It's a really stunning part of the world & if you get the chance take some time to explore it
It's a bit weird being so high up & then seeing the terrain rise up above you knowing that you need to go even higher, but that's the alps I suppose & it could be worse-we could be on push bikes!
Mountains & lakes ahead, that'll be the alps;
To be honest, coming through the black forrest was superb but it doesn't drop you into Switzerland at its best, coming in from the French side is much more picturesque than the Zurich side which was a bit of an anticlimax after the wonderful Forrest lined roads of Germany
But needs must, & although I didn't know too much about lake Lucerne or weggis where we were heading after a bit of motorway we suddenly dropped into a little bit of paradise. Lucerne is a typically picturesque posh little swis lakeside town but further down the coast of the lake lies weggis, a sort of spa region with health spas & hotels dotted along the lakes shores-our hotel was no different.
Some of the places round here were just amazing, we saw a hospital for people recovering from neuro surgery & although not one to pity insurance companies I wouldn't like to be the man picking up the tab for a stay in that place!
Our hotel had indoor & outdoor pools, a lido on the lake (considered healthy to go for a dip before breakfast apparently) & a big German speaking woman who sorted us right out. As a surprise I'd booked some treatments for us & on the first night before dinner we had a private spa room with some kind of milk bath that we had to spend 40 mins in or so-bliss!
As I said the weather was a bit overcast & the forecast was for rain the next day so we just chilled for the night & mapped out a plan to tackle some of the regions alpine passes the next day seeing as sunbathing didn't look to be on the cards.
As I said we had the journey planned out to go through the Black Forest & after the slightly monotonous motorways of France from a couple of days back this was a welcome change!
We only had a short hop to go before we found the mountains & what a motoring paradise! Unfortunately the weather was a bit overcast so the pictures aren't amazing but if you've ever driven through the Eiffel mountains to the ring you'll know what to expect, stunningly finished roads, beautiful villages, friendly local & some cracking sights.
This was at the summit of our first mountain pass, I think it was a Thursday & the roads were virtually deserted. Switchback after hairpin & then right before the summit we went through the clouds to come out on top, a superb road!
When we left Strasbourg we visited a little bakery & stocked up on goodies (& cheap French wine) for a picnic en route & we were spoiled for choice. In the end we passed through a quaint little village that was build on the banks of a little river, most of these towns are bypassed by the Germanic efficiency of tunnels but you soon learn to deviate from every tunnel & just bimble through the village to see what's on offer;
Another typically German touch is the habit of a little tourist information board at the beginning of every village by a lay by, pull over & you'll see what museums or local attraction there is close by (mostly wood related in the black Forrest!), like some waterfalls or something;
Once we got through this half of the region & started heading further south towards Switzerland the roads started opening up more & getting faster, skirting past lakes & such like. It's a really stunning part of the world & if you get the chance take some time to explore it
It's a bit weird being so high up & then seeing the terrain rise up above you knowing that you need to go even higher, but that's the alps I suppose & it could be worse-we could be on push bikes!
Mountains & lakes ahead, that'll be the alps;
To be honest, coming through the black forrest was superb but it doesn't drop you into Switzerland at its best, coming in from the French side is much more picturesque than the Zurich side which was a bit of an anticlimax after the wonderful Forrest lined roads of Germany
But needs must, & although I didn't know too much about lake Lucerne or weggis where we were heading after a bit of motorway we suddenly dropped into a little bit of paradise. Lucerne is a typically picturesque posh little swis lakeside town but further down the coast of the lake lies weggis, a sort of spa region with health spas & hotels dotted along the lakes shores-our hotel was no different.
Some of the places round here were just amazing, we saw a hospital for people recovering from neuro surgery & although not one to pity insurance companies I wouldn't like to be the man picking up the tab for a stay in that place!
Our hotel had indoor & outdoor pools, a lido on the lake (considered healthy to go for a dip before breakfast apparently) & a big German speaking woman who sorted us right out. As a surprise I'd booked some treatments for us & on the first night before dinner we had a private spa room with some kind of milk bath that we had to spend 40 mins in or so-bliss!
As I said the weather was a bit overcast & the forecast was for rain the next day so we just chilled for the night & mapped out a plan to tackle some of the regions alpine passes the next day seeing as sunbathing didn't look to be on the cards.
Cheers guys!
So, the weather reports weren't wrong & the morning dawned wet & cloudy but although not what you really want on your honeymoon it at least gave us the chance to get in the car & try & find some clearer skies & it wasn't exactly cold.
I'd already made some plans & asked some questions on the PH roads forums so we at least had some good ideas. I'd made a loop that took us over a few passes & through to a couple of other valleys that looked a bit like this;
We tracked the lake down to Altdorf & then started climbing pretty quickly up the Klausenstrasse. The scenery, what we could see of it was absolutely epic. I've no idea why grass grows there at such higher heights than ours but you'd think it was lawn turf freshly cut that clings to the side of the mountain.
The road just kept on climbing, like nothing I've ever driven before & even though it spoiled the view there was a certain point when we were driving through the clouds where we were on a very narrow two lane bit of road with just rocks placed by the side to stop you going over a couple of thousand foot drop
you really wouldn't want to be looking over the edge here;
We made it to the summit & emerged from the car to the sound of cow bells ringing in the distance through the clouds, very strange, obligatory pic from the obligatory hotel at the top;
The summit levelled off for a short while before winding its way back down into the next valley & mindfull that the pads had done a few track days I went with the minimum use of the breaks technique much to the wife's amusement (that's sarcasm by the way). The exhaust note was absolutely fantastic throughout all this as it popped & banged all the way down, echoing off the valley walls
(Temptation for handbrake application ignored)
A few hairpins like the above & we started to come across a large plateau a thousand or so feet below the summit, turning one particular corner to be greeted by the most incredible waterfall I've ever seen- the pictures just can't do it justice.
We took some videos & you can watch plumes of water burst over the edge & take around 6 seconds to reach the bottom, I'm not sure how high that makes it but it was bloody impressive!
The road continued down & we followed it as it changed into the hauptstrasse towards Glarus Sud & from there we followed a stunning motorway through some epic mountains to Chur, where we would join our next pass.
(We weren't stuck behind him for long)
The olberalpass was, diving wise, one of the best stretches I've driven in my life. Heading east to west the road is full of fast open sweepers that have just enough tough & technical parts to make it a challenge & just enough villages to give the other half a break & not get sick! Also there's a radical dealership up there too
On the last stretch before the top we caught up with two very well driven Italian registered Porsche 356s, we followed them for a while listening to the air cooled thrum before making our way past with a hoot & a wave
We were also that bit luckier with the weather in this valley & we had dry Tarmac pretty much all the way allowing some good heat to get into the tyres & to really push on. The car was absolutely fantastic throughout all this with just enough power, more than enough grip & a soundtrack that made everyone point.
Doing it in this direction also meant that the really steep part with all the hairpins were done on a trailing throttle of course but I think it's still the best way. We didn't really get the opportunity to enjoy that quite as much as dropping down to Andermatt we headed back onto the really wet side we left that morning, so a leisurely drive back along lake Lucerne & back to to the hotel....
By this point it was probably around 4pm & our treatments that night didn't start until half 5 (a treat for her after putting up with my driving all day) so we thought we'd use the fluffy bathrobes & slippers & enjoy the spa.
We got talking to an old boy in the lift who looked like he was doing the same but as it turned out he was doing his daily dip in the lake. Now, this guy must have been 80 if he was a day so not to be out done I reckoned we should do the same. All I'll say is it was bloody freezing & she bottled it before it got to knee level
After warming up in the indoor pool we made our way over to the spa to meet the German masseuse & honestly what a craic. As I said I'd booked all this as a surprise for the wife & it was part of a romantic package the hotel offered, last nights milk bath jacuzzi was awesome, as was the champagne that went with it.
Anyway, we get into this room & the woman was (read in German accent) "ok, remove ze clothes", err what love? "Yes, remove ze clothes, I seen everything before"
Cue nervous glances while we figure if she's serious, which of course she assures us she is. Before we know it we're covered head to toe in different types of mud before eyeing put I a steam bath prior to getting oiled up & massaged.
I did consider whether I should post about this & I apologise if the mental image of me going through this has put you off your breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper but rest assured, it was very nice & if you ever get the opportunity to do the same just laugh & get on with it, apparently she's seen it all before
Any road, while you try & erase that thought from your head I'll try & write down what happened next (dont worry that's the last I'll talk about me being naked).
Getting ready for dinner we could genuinely see the weather improving right in front of our eyes, the clouds rolling over the mountains & the sunlight bursting through at the Lucerne end of the lake. Over a glass of wine we literally watched the evening turn from a grey showery day to a beautiful summers night.
I'm sure you'll have heard it before but if you're ever away on holiday you really should try the "it's our honeymoon" trick sometime as folk really do pull out the stops. We got flower petals on the table cloth with dinner that night & the staff couldn't have been more helpful, I'm pretty sure they didn't organise the firework display as we went to bed that night but it was cool all the same.
The next morning we opened the curtains to this;
Breakfast was served on the terrace which gave me a chance to check over the passes we were going to do today as this was to be the main day of fun driving. We had 5 main passes to do before getting to Gstaad later that afternoon so by half 9 we were loaded up & ready to go.
Updates to follow
So, the weather reports weren't wrong & the morning dawned wet & cloudy but although not what you really want on your honeymoon it at least gave us the chance to get in the car & try & find some clearer skies & it wasn't exactly cold.
I'd already made some plans & asked some questions on the PH roads forums so we at least had some good ideas. I'd made a loop that took us over a few passes & through to a couple of other valleys that looked a bit like this;
We tracked the lake down to Altdorf & then started climbing pretty quickly up the Klausenstrasse. The scenery, what we could see of it was absolutely epic. I've no idea why grass grows there at such higher heights than ours but you'd think it was lawn turf freshly cut that clings to the side of the mountain.
The road just kept on climbing, like nothing I've ever driven before & even though it spoiled the view there was a certain point when we were driving through the clouds where we were on a very narrow two lane bit of road with just rocks placed by the side to stop you going over a couple of thousand foot drop
you really wouldn't want to be looking over the edge here;We made it to the summit & emerged from the car to the sound of cow bells ringing in the distance through the clouds, very strange, obligatory pic from the obligatory hotel at the top;
The summit levelled off for a short while before winding its way back down into the next valley & mindfull that the pads had done a few track days I went with the minimum use of the breaks technique much to the wife's amusement (that's sarcasm by the way). The exhaust note was absolutely fantastic throughout all this as it popped & banged all the way down, echoing off the valley walls
(Temptation for handbrake application ignored)
A few hairpins like the above & we started to come across a large plateau a thousand or so feet below the summit, turning one particular corner to be greeted by the most incredible waterfall I've ever seen- the pictures just can't do it justice.
We took some videos & you can watch plumes of water burst over the edge & take around 6 seconds to reach the bottom, I'm not sure how high that makes it but it was bloody impressive!
The road continued down & we followed it as it changed into the hauptstrasse towards Glarus Sud & from there we followed a stunning motorway through some epic mountains to Chur, where we would join our next pass.
(We weren't stuck behind him for long)
The olberalpass was, diving wise, one of the best stretches I've driven in my life. Heading east to west the road is full of fast open sweepers that have just enough tough & technical parts to make it a challenge & just enough villages to give the other half a break & not get sick! Also there's a radical dealership up there too
On the last stretch before the top we caught up with two very well driven Italian registered Porsche 356s, we followed them for a while listening to the air cooled thrum before making our way past with a hoot & a wave
We were also that bit luckier with the weather in this valley & we had dry Tarmac pretty much all the way allowing some good heat to get into the tyres & to really push on. The car was absolutely fantastic throughout all this with just enough power, more than enough grip & a soundtrack that made everyone point.
Doing it in this direction also meant that the really steep part with all the hairpins were done on a trailing throttle of course but I think it's still the best way. We didn't really get the opportunity to enjoy that quite as much as dropping down to Andermatt we headed back onto the really wet side we left that morning, so a leisurely drive back along lake Lucerne & back to to the hotel....
By this point it was probably around 4pm & our treatments that night didn't start until half 5 (a treat for her after putting up with my driving all day) so we thought we'd use the fluffy bathrobes & slippers & enjoy the spa.
We got talking to an old boy in the lift who looked like he was doing the same but as it turned out he was doing his daily dip in the lake. Now, this guy must have been 80 if he was a day so not to be out done I reckoned we should do the same. All I'll say is it was bloody freezing & she bottled it before it got to knee level
After warming up in the indoor pool we made our way over to the spa to meet the German masseuse & honestly what a craic. As I said I'd booked all this as a surprise for the wife & it was part of a romantic package the hotel offered, last nights milk bath jacuzzi was awesome, as was the champagne that went with it.
Anyway, we get into this room & the woman was (read in German accent) "ok, remove ze clothes", err what love? "Yes, remove ze clothes, I seen everything before"
Cue nervous glances while we figure if she's serious, which of course she assures us she is. Before we know it we're covered head to toe in different types of mud before eyeing put I a steam bath prior to getting oiled up & massaged.
I did consider whether I should post about this & I apologise if the mental image of me going through this has put you off your breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper but rest assured, it was very nice & if you ever get the opportunity to do the same just laugh & get on with it, apparently she's seen it all before
Any road, while you try & erase that thought from your head I'll try & write down what happened next (dont worry that's the last I'll talk about me being naked).
Getting ready for dinner we could genuinely see the weather improving right in front of our eyes, the clouds rolling over the mountains & the sunlight bursting through at the Lucerne end of the lake. Over a glass of wine we literally watched the evening turn from a grey showery day to a beautiful summers night.
I'm sure you'll have heard it before but if you're ever away on holiday you really should try the "it's our honeymoon" trick sometime as folk really do pull out the stops. We got flower petals on the table cloth with dinner that night & the staff couldn't have been more helpful, I'm pretty sure they didn't organise the firework display as we went to bed that night but it was cool all the same.
The next morning we opened the curtains to this;
Breakfast was served on the terrace which gave me a chance to check over the passes we were going to do today as this was to be the main day of fun driving. We had 5 main passes to do before getting to Gstaad later that afternoon so by half 9 we were loaded up & ready to go.
Updates to follow
So, where were we?
Leaving weggis in lake Lucerne with some pretty impressive weather! Knowing we had some good driving ahead of us (or so we thought anyway, this was the first time we'd ever driven this area) we got a decent start at around 10am & went to fill up the car with v power at the station in town, I'll add up all the fuel costs at the end of these posts btw.
Having headed clock wise around the lake the previous day I'd planned to go the other way so we followed the lake until we hit Lucerne itself, a truly beautiful town.
Ignoring the sat nav slightly we followed the contour of the lake so we could get the best scenery & drove through the centre of town before heading off south to catch up with the roads that were the real reason for coming.
The plan was to again link a few passes together that had some cracking reputations, namely the susten, gothard, furka & grimsel passes. It essentially made a loop of a few hours cracking driving that would get us back to where we started (sort of) & then heading in the direction of gstaad where we would be spending the night.
After a short run of autoroute we gradually started heading up & up to the beginning of the susten pass. It's easy to run out of super,actives on roads like this but without a doubt this was the highlight (pass wise) of the trip. The weather probably helped as it was around 80 degrees by 11 o clock but the scenery was absolutely mind blowing all the way up, passing those glorious turquoise green rivers & lakes as the road wound up & sometimes down through small villages as before the pass started proper.
on the run from one mini pass to the next we got behind a guy with an amazing old motorbike that was properly giving it some so we tucked in & followed his obvious local knowledge. Windows wound down so we could hear his twin through straight pipes it was obvious when the slow corners were coming up as he downshifted until unfortunately he had a fuel problem that he couldn't fix while riding & waved us past.
At the bottom we had a nice little tussle with a Ferrari 430 spider but as with most of the trip the confidence that the mini instilled with its grippy rubber & tiny size meant we were really hanging onto his bumper before we could find a place to pass. Once past him we wound in a group of motorbikes that weren't hanging around & what followed were some of the best miles I've ever driven off track. Four wheels grip better than two so we were gradually working our way through the pack with the wife even getting into the swing of things by keeping her eye open for straights after the right handers that I couldn't spot.
One after the other we worked our way through until we got behind the leader of the pack who really didn't feel like losing out to a little mini but leaving one village we got the drop on him & had the next few miles to practically ourselves.
By this point I'd started to wonder just how much driving I'd set ourselves in for as the pass just kept on climbing & climbing, the sun was still shining so we kept on going as the weather just seemed to get better & towards the top we rounded a corner to find the most amazing sight of a waterfall cascading over a cliff with the road tunnelling underneath it. We were so blown away by it we didn't even think to get a photo but I've found this one off the internet;
A few more corners & we realised just how high we were as across the valley only slightly lower than we were was the glacier that provided the valleys below with their gorgeous blue waters. By now the were amazingly still patches of snow at the side of the road on the shaded slopes but the mini just kept on going, the forced induction seemingly not concerned by the thousands of feet we'd climbed.
Yet again at the summit we pulled over at the obligatory hotel for a few photos & low & behold we were approached by some blokes on push bikes who actually work with the wife! They'd seen the mini come flying past & didn't think anything of it until they saw the reg at the top, unfortunately we were taken so by surprise we didn't take a photo.
The run back down the other side was pretty easy going as it wasn't as short as some of the descents that we'd tackled so it was just keep the car in 2nd or3rd with the occasional run up to 5th on the straights.
At the bottom there was a short traffic jam (it was a Saturday in August after all) while we had to join the traffic waiting to get into the gothard tunnel but it was short lived, just long enough to catch up with a swiss family obviously heading into Italy for the weekend. Mum & daughter in the Ferrari California (obviously with the luggage I'd guess!) & dad & son up front in the veyron-how the other half live eh?
The gothard pass is a short & steep collection of switchbacks that lead onto the furka pass, another great stretch that had some truly steep edges & a great bunch of British bikers that we seemed to group together with pretty much all of the way, leading to a summit at just above 8000ft & a surprising chill in the air when we got out for the pictures. The run down was remarkable for the way that at the top you can pretty much see the road you're going to take all the way down through the valley & luckily we again got behind a local who seemed to not want to waste any brake pad material on the way!
(You can just see the grimselpass on the other side of the valley)
At the bottom of the pass (relative, it was probably still at 5000ft) lay the village of gletch where almost immediately you start the climb towards the grimsel pass, a thoroughly picturesque run taking you past some lakes & reservoirs to the huge lake of grimselsee with its huge dam stopping it from flooding the valley below.
The grimsel pass is one of the best rated passes in the alps & I can truly see why, if you're into the views obviously. As for driving its still fantastic but there's so much to see you tend to bimble along marvelling at the stunning vistas & sheer granite walls of the mountains that surround you.
After this we made our return loop to where we started on the sustenpass & headed east towards our final destination of Gstaad. This part of the route was mostly autoroute but seeing as it clung to the hillside oboe various lakes the views were never less than spectacular & the hour or so it took seemed to fly by. At spiez we turned left & yet again took in another "mini" pass en route to Gstaad, the fabulous route 11, much lower due to the smaller mountains on that side & much more open & faster with lush countryside & picturesque little farms & villages to pass through.
Arriving in Gstaad we found the hotel immediately, this place http://www.bellevue-gstaad.com/
Rolling up in your little Mini Cooper to see a vintage Bentley & E-Type outside can be a little disconcerting but the staff were amazing, some bloke jumping out to open the car door for the wife & taking the car keys off me & whisking it away. In reception the girls asked us how far we'd been & after hearing what passes wed done prepared some energising tea cocktail for us while they showed us around this amazing hotel. When we got to the suite they'd prepared for us the luggage had been removed from the car & was waiting for us as was the most stunning room with flower petals spread over the bed, a mini bar stocked with drink & a toilet with more functions than you could shake a stick at.
Ah the toilet, listen, if you ever sit on a toilet that comes with its own remote control just think carefully what each symbol means before you start pushing buttons-it's an experience I'll never forget! To be fair I did price one up on our return but the cost was the deposit on a new alfa 4c so I don't think we'll be wowing guests with such an extravagance any time soon.
(Heated seat, air extraction, hot wash & dry & perfumed too, yep, I googled the spec)
The hotel has a Michelin star restaurant & the food was simply stunning, though the wine list was a bit daunting when you start consider some bottles were ,ore than the mini but the sommelier picked us an inexpensive white that went superbly with the first two courses we had. After the main the hotel sent a driver over to take us up to a church above the village where the string quartet from the film Titanic were playing, we got to meet the band & had a really special night before they came back to pick us up for dessert. Occasionally she says I'm not romantic enough but I have my moments Oh & they had a menu for which pillow you wanted in your bed, we did consider ordering a different one for a laugh but thought better of it, I have no idea quite how different one can be from another but hey ho.
The next day we were heading over to verbier but we couldn't get there until 4pm so we spent the day in the gardens of the Bellevue & enjoying the spa & pool before having a wander through the beautiful little town-I can't recommend Gstaad enough.
Anyway, that's enough for now, I'll take you through the next part soon as.....
Leaving weggis in lake Lucerne with some pretty impressive weather! Knowing we had some good driving ahead of us (or so we thought anyway, this was the first time we'd ever driven this area) we got a decent start at around 10am & went to fill up the car with v power at the station in town, I'll add up all the fuel costs at the end of these posts btw.
Having headed clock wise around the lake the previous day I'd planned to go the other way so we followed the lake until we hit Lucerne itself, a truly beautiful town.
Ignoring the sat nav slightly we followed the contour of the lake so we could get the best scenery & drove through the centre of town before heading off south to catch up with the roads that were the real reason for coming.
The plan was to again link a few passes together that had some cracking reputations, namely the susten, gothard, furka & grimsel passes. It essentially made a loop of a few hours cracking driving that would get us back to where we started (sort of) & then heading in the direction of gstaad where we would be spending the night.
After a short run of autoroute we gradually started heading up & up to the beginning of the susten pass. It's easy to run out of super,actives on roads like this but without a doubt this was the highlight (pass wise) of the trip. The weather probably helped as it was around 80 degrees by 11 o clock but the scenery was absolutely mind blowing all the way up, passing those glorious turquoise green rivers & lakes as the road wound up & sometimes down through small villages as before the pass started proper.
on the run from one mini pass to the next we got behind a guy with an amazing old motorbike that was properly giving it some so we tucked in & followed his obvious local knowledge. Windows wound down so we could hear his twin through straight pipes it was obvious when the slow corners were coming up as he downshifted until unfortunately he had a fuel problem that he couldn't fix while riding & waved us past.
At the bottom we had a nice little tussle with a Ferrari 430 spider but as with most of the trip the confidence that the mini instilled with its grippy rubber & tiny size meant we were really hanging onto his bumper before we could find a place to pass. Once past him we wound in a group of motorbikes that weren't hanging around & what followed were some of the best miles I've ever driven off track. Four wheels grip better than two so we were gradually working our way through the pack with the wife even getting into the swing of things by keeping her eye open for straights after the right handers that I couldn't spot.
One after the other we worked our way through until we got behind the leader of the pack who really didn't feel like losing out to a little mini but leaving one village we got the drop on him & had the next few miles to practically ourselves.
By this point I'd started to wonder just how much driving I'd set ourselves in for as the pass just kept on climbing & climbing, the sun was still shining so we kept on going as the weather just seemed to get better & towards the top we rounded a corner to find the most amazing sight of a waterfall cascading over a cliff with the road tunnelling underneath it. We were so blown away by it we didn't even think to get a photo but I've found this one off the internet;
A few more corners & we realised just how high we were as across the valley only slightly lower than we were was the glacier that provided the valleys below with their gorgeous blue waters. By now the were amazingly still patches of snow at the side of the road on the shaded slopes but the mini just kept on going, the forced induction seemingly not concerned by the thousands of feet we'd climbed.
Yet again at the summit we pulled over at the obligatory hotel for a few photos & low & behold we were approached by some blokes on push bikes who actually work with the wife! They'd seen the mini come flying past & didn't think anything of it until they saw the reg at the top, unfortunately we were taken so by surprise we didn't take a photo.
The run back down the other side was pretty easy going as it wasn't as short as some of the descents that we'd tackled so it was just keep the car in 2nd or3rd with the occasional run up to 5th on the straights.
At the bottom there was a short traffic jam (it was a Saturday in August after all) while we had to join the traffic waiting to get into the gothard tunnel but it was short lived, just long enough to catch up with a swiss family obviously heading into Italy for the weekend. Mum & daughter in the Ferrari California (obviously with the luggage I'd guess!) & dad & son up front in the veyron-how the other half live eh?
The gothard pass is a short & steep collection of switchbacks that lead onto the furka pass, another great stretch that had some truly steep edges & a great bunch of British bikers that we seemed to group together with pretty much all of the way, leading to a summit at just above 8000ft & a surprising chill in the air when we got out for the pictures. The run down was remarkable for the way that at the top you can pretty much see the road you're going to take all the way down through the valley & luckily we again got behind a local who seemed to not want to waste any brake pad material on the way!
(You can just see the grimselpass on the other side of the valley)
At the bottom of the pass (relative, it was probably still at 5000ft) lay the village of gletch where almost immediately you start the climb towards the grimsel pass, a thoroughly picturesque run taking you past some lakes & reservoirs to the huge lake of grimselsee with its huge dam stopping it from flooding the valley below.
The grimsel pass is one of the best rated passes in the alps & I can truly see why, if you're into the views obviously. As for driving its still fantastic but there's so much to see you tend to bimble along marvelling at the stunning vistas & sheer granite walls of the mountains that surround you.
After this we made our return loop to where we started on the sustenpass & headed east towards our final destination of Gstaad. This part of the route was mostly autoroute but seeing as it clung to the hillside oboe various lakes the views were never less than spectacular & the hour or so it took seemed to fly by. At spiez we turned left & yet again took in another "mini" pass en route to Gstaad, the fabulous route 11, much lower due to the smaller mountains on that side & much more open & faster with lush countryside & picturesque little farms & villages to pass through.
Arriving in Gstaad we found the hotel immediately, this place http://www.bellevue-gstaad.com/
Rolling up in your little Mini Cooper to see a vintage Bentley & E-Type outside can be a little disconcerting but the staff were amazing, some bloke jumping out to open the car door for the wife & taking the car keys off me & whisking it away. In reception the girls asked us how far we'd been & after hearing what passes wed done prepared some energising tea cocktail for us while they showed us around this amazing hotel. When we got to the suite they'd prepared for us the luggage had been removed from the car & was waiting for us as was the most stunning room with flower petals spread over the bed, a mini bar stocked with drink & a toilet with more functions than you could shake a stick at.
Ah the toilet, listen, if you ever sit on a toilet that comes with its own remote control just think carefully what each symbol means before you start pushing buttons-it's an experience I'll never forget! To be fair I did price one up on our return but the cost was the deposit on a new alfa 4c so I don't think we'll be wowing guests with such an extravagance any time soon.
(Heated seat, air extraction, hot wash & dry & perfumed too, yep, I googled the spec)
The hotel has a Michelin star restaurant & the food was simply stunning, though the wine list was a bit daunting when you start consider some bottles were ,ore than the mini but the sommelier picked us an inexpensive white that went superbly with the first two courses we had. After the main the hotel sent a driver over to take us up to a church above the village where the string quartet from the film Titanic were playing, we got to meet the band & had a really special night before they came back to pick us up for dessert. Occasionally she says I'm not romantic enough but I have my moments
Oh & they had a menu for which pillow you wanted in your bed, we did consider ordering a different one for a laugh but thought better of it, I have no idea quite how different one can be from another but hey ho.The next day we were heading over to verbier but we couldn't get there until 4pm so we spent the day in the gardens of the Bellevue & enjoying the spa & pool before having a wander through the beautiful little town-I can't recommend Gstaad enough.
Anyway, that's enough for now, I'll take you through the next part soon as.....
Edited by LaurasOtherHalf on Saturday 21st September 18:50
Craikeybaby said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Do you have any secret family recipes for those tarte flambes?! Bloody lovely!
Matt_L said:
Best thread ever!
This is really inspiring me to take a Euro road trip, hopefully next year, just got to sell the idea now to the girlfriend and take a decent set of wheels too!
Where do you get all the info and where to go? Any advice would be brilliant.
To be honest pistonheads was a good start, I started a thread in the "roads" forum asking for advice & got loads of advice, plus the Internet in general was I great help.This is really inspiring me to take a Euro road trip, hopefully next year, just got to sell the idea now to the girlfriend and take a decent set of wheels too!
Where do you get all the info and where to go? Any advice would be brilliant.
Essentially when planning I have a few pages open;
Google maps
Booking.com
Trip advisor
General Internet search
So, I look on google maps for a region I want to go (in this case the alps), then put my ferry port in as a start point & see which way is the quickest. If its a long journey I just look & see what towns there are on the way roughly that we might want to stop at (in this case Strasbourg). Then I check booking.com for an average hotel price (making sure I set the filters to include in site parking), then trip advisor to see what there is to do, what restaurants etc etc.
If it all looks good, I usually google search which ever town + tourist information & I've found that usually there are a few nice hotels (like the one in Gstaad for example) doing package deals with dinner thrown in, or tickets to a show or spa treatments etc.
This means you're making the most of your time in each stay by not faffing on looking for stuff, though it does take some of the spontaneity out of it I suppose!
Finally, if everything looks good I'll go back to google maps & see if there's a less direct route we can take that isn't just motorway. All the passes are searchable on google maps by the way so you can find them easily if you want to link destinations around those.
Craikeybaby said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Do you have any secret family recipes for those tarte flambes?! Bloody lovely!
My mum went to catering college in Strasbourg and learnt to make tarts flambees from a local, this is the recipe she uses:Mum's recipe said:
Tarte flambee
Ingredients
500 g Flour
20 g Active Dry Yeast
pinch of salt
1/2 Glass Tepid water
Crème fraîche
Sliced onions or shallots
Lardons
Seasoning to taste (salt, pepper)
Directions
Prepare a bread dough
Spread it on one or 2 pizza pans turning about 1cm back around the edges.
Spread the bread base with crème fraîche so it covers the base, sprinkle the onions/shallots and the lardons. Season
Cook in a very hot oven (220 centigrade) until bread is cooked, brown and crispy.
Serve straightaway with assorted salad.
Ingredients
500 g Flour
20 g Active Dry Yeast
pinch of salt
1/2 Glass Tepid water
Crème fraîche
Sliced onions or shallots
Lardons
Seasoning to taste (salt, pepper)
Directions
Prepare a bread dough
Spread it on one or 2 pizza pans turning about 1cm back around the edges.
Spread the bread base with crème fraîche so it covers the base, sprinkle the onions/shallots and the lardons. Season
Cook in a very hot oven (220 centigrade) until bread is cooked, brown and crispy.
Serve straightaway with assorted salad.
Rest assure we are going to try these this week! Pretty much the same as a pizza dough recipe then, just mega thinly rolled out. I'll add some pics if they're a success!
So as I said, if you're in the region you must check out Gstaad. I kind of fluked choosing it as the only time I'd heard of it was in the film "trading places" when dan ackroyds character has to sell his watch he mentions it tells the time in all these different places & one of them is Gstaad, I figured it must be some posh place if his character mentioned it so I decided to go.
Whilst browsing the posh shops before we left we were in hermes & while I was waiting to pay there was a bloke buying his young daughter something who was struggling to get his credit card accepted. After much faffing on it eventually went through & I spied his receipt & it was over 7 grand! Anyway, I tells the wife this & while she was browsing the handbags she reckoned some woman was buying two bags for work with a combined total of nearly 16 grand! You could get two of those fancy toilets for that!
Anyway, that sort of gives you an insight to some of the folk that go to Gstaad for their jollies, what a place. As I said because we couldn't arrive in verbier too early the kind people at the hotel let us use the spa & gardens for the day so for the most part we were having a swim & sunbathing.
Once we were ready, a quick shout to reception & the car was waiting for us, bags packed from the room & a couple of bottles of water for the journey-nice touch.
As we were getting ready to leave I noticed a mclaren Mercedes slr leaving the hotel & as luck would have it we caught him up on leaving town
(The noise!)
There actually was a mountain pass that we could have taken to get to verbier (one that had been used on the Tour de France) but after searching on the net it apparently wasn't fully surfaced & was more of a cyclists route so we left it & used the main roads. Which to be fair turned out to be no hardship, the guy in the slr up front with the little mini snapping at his heels through some stunning scenery. We followed him for about half the route before he pealed off & after that we had a local boy racer racer behind who was up for a bit of fun, not wanting to disappoint we pushed as hard as we could to have a little fun
Interestingly we started going through loads of vineyards which we didn't expect, it turns out Switzerland produces a nice few types of wine but as their growing season is so short they don't export it & just keep it for themselves.
After this we joined a familiar route that we'd done before when we took the R26.R skiing (yes on 888s!) one year that leads to the st Bernard's pass. As another main alpine route into Italy there are always some exotica knocking around but my favourite sight was of two turbo bodied 964 cabriolets (yellow & red) out for a run together, didn't get a picture unfortunately but they looked just superb & it was the only time on the trip I was a little bit jealous!
Verbier had to be one of the proper highlights of the trip. Richard Branson's Lodge was just the best place I've ever stayed. We honestly went with the idea of it being a once in a lifetime experience but came away promising to return.
Essentially, it's a catered lodge, so you share it with up to 9 other couples or families. It's all inclusive so you can make a bit of a pig of yourself & with such good food it's hard not to! The chef trained under Raymond Blanc & his food was absolutely superb.
(Better than an after eight on your pillow, as was the bottle of champagne on ice they'd left at bedtime!)
Even better than that was the craic we got with a great bunch of other guests (including a fellow PH'r!). When we arrived we were introduced as the honeymooners so naturally the champagne was opened for our arrival & I can't remember it stopping. We were shown round the place & had everything explained including the fact that no one has a key, the rooms are unlocked at all times. I was a bit suspicious of this (& they did offer a key if we wanted one) but the atmosphere immediately put us at ease, the idea was if you put the St. Bernard toy dog outside they knew to "let sleeping dogs lie".
(Our little balcony, the woman who lived opposite was obviously some musician as we got to hear her practicing her opera singing & piano skills)
(Me checking out PH as usual)
The place had its own spa, cinema room, pool table & basement bar, the list goes on, oh & their own dog too. For me, it was a bit more "us" than the super posh place we stayed the night before, all the staff were young & great craic which just made us feel more at home. To get an idea on our last night we had a great party where we recreated our first dance from the wedding as the lodge had a sound system where you could download any song you wanted.
The weather was really hot while we were there too so our days mostly consisted of sunbathing, chilling in the outdoor jacuzzi with a cocktail or taking pebbles the dog for a walk through the woods, great fun for us as we were missing our dog.
Pebbles
Man them shorts are short!
Our stay there really did go way too quickly, on the morning we were leaving we were genuinely sad to be leaving-not something I thought I'd be saying on my way to Monaco, but the place ally was that special. The fact that the staff were so good & we met some people we will genuinely keep in touch with just put the icing on the cake.
Whilst browsing the posh shops before we left we were in hermes & while I was waiting to pay there was a bloke buying his young daughter something who was struggling to get his credit card accepted. After much faffing on it eventually went through & I spied his receipt & it was over 7 grand! Anyway, I tells the wife this & while she was browsing the handbags she reckoned some woman was buying two bags for work with a combined total of nearly 16 grand! You could get two of those fancy toilets for that!
Anyway, that sort of gives you an insight to some of the folk that go to Gstaad for their jollies, what a place. As I said because we couldn't arrive in verbier too early the kind people at the hotel let us use the spa & gardens for the day so for the most part we were having a swim & sunbathing.
Once we were ready, a quick shout to reception & the car was waiting for us, bags packed from the room & a couple of bottles of water for the journey-nice touch.
As we were getting ready to leave I noticed a mclaren Mercedes slr leaving the hotel & as luck would have it we caught him up on leaving town
(The noise!)
There actually was a mountain pass that we could have taken to get to verbier (one that had been used on the Tour de France) but after searching on the net it apparently wasn't fully surfaced & was more of a cyclists route so we left it & used the main roads. Which to be fair turned out to be no hardship, the guy in the slr up front with the little mini snapping at his heels through some stunning scenery. We followed him for about half the route before he pealed off & after that we had a local boy racer racer behind who was up for a bit of fun, not wanting to disappoint we pushed as hard as we could to have a little fun
Interestingly we started going through loads of vineyards which we didn't expect, it turns out Switzerland produces a nice few types of wine but as their growing season is so short they don't export it & just keep it for themselves.
After this we joined a familiar route that we'd done before when we took the R26.R skiing (yes on 888s!) one year that leads to the st Bernard's pass. As another main alpine route into Italy there are always some exotica knocking around but my favourite sight was of two turbo bodied 964 cabriolets (yellow & red) out for a run together, didn't get a picture unfortunately but they looked just superb & it was the only time on the trip I was a little bit jealous!
Verbier had to be one of the proper highlights of the trip. Richard Branson's Lodge was just the best place I've ever stayed. We honestly went with the idea of it being a once in a lifetime experience but came away promising to return.
Essentially, it's a catered lodge, so you share it with up to 9 other couples or families. It's all inclusive so you can make a bit of a pig of yourself & with such good food it's hard not to! The chef trained under Raymond Blanc & his food was absolutely superb.
(Better than an after eight on your pillow, as was the bottle of champagne on ice they'd left at bedtime!)
Even better than that was the craic we got with a great bunch of other guests (including a fellow PH'r!). When we arrived we were introduced as the honeymooners so naturally the champagne was opened for our arrival & I can't remember it stopping. We were shown round the place & had everything explained including the fact that no one has a key, the rooms are unlocked at all times. I was a bit suspicious of this (& they did offer a key if we wanted one) but the atmosphere immediately put us at ease, the idea was if you put the St. Bernard toy dog outside they knew to "let sleeping dogs lie".
(Our little balcony, the woman who lived opposite was obviously some musician as we got to hear her practicing her opera singing & piano skills)
(Me checking out PH as usual)
The place had its own spa, cinema room, pool table & basement bar, the list goes on, oh & their own dog too. For me, it was a bit more "us" than the super posh place we stayed the night before, all the staff were young & great craic which just made us feel more at home. To get an idea on our last night we had a great party where we recreated our first dance from the wedding as the lodge had a sound system where you could download any song you wanted.
The weather was really hot while we were there too so our days mostly consisted of sunbathing, chilling in the outdoor jacuzzi with a cocktail or taking pebbles the dog for a walk through the woods, great fun for us as we were missing our dog.
Pebbles
Man them shorts are short!
Our stay there really did go way too quickly, on the morning we were leaving we were genuinely sad to be leaving-not something I thought I'd be saying on my way to Monaco, but the place ally was that special. The fact that the staff were so good & we met some people we will genuinely keep in touch with just put the icing on the cake.
Edited by LaurasOtherHalf on Wednesday 7th January 12:13
so, leaving verbier to monaco.
essentially verbier is up a road that leads away from the main road that leads form switzerland to italy so in order to get back we just needed to head back down the road we'd traveled up before joining the main route.
the main road winds its way up the valley towards the grand st bernard tunnel or pass, obviously we were going to take the pass! it's not such a long one but strangely the road on the swiss side is pretty pot holed & generally a bit ropey & as we were ascending on this side we didn't really get to drive the best way-no tail out power slides on the hairpin side in a mini! strange as the swiss normally have everything perfect, i wonder if the swiss look after the tunnel & the italians the pass?
anyway, up at the top there is the monastery & the italian border, along with the breading kennels for the st bernards dogs.
the italian side of the road in a marked difference to the other side is much more open & smoother with plenty of fast bends & not too many hairpins, we got behind an italian registered old punto that was burning plenty of oil but obviously not wanting to put too much wear on his brake pads as he was really giving it some on the way down!
we also passed a rather jazzy mini convertible at the top & he obviously wanted in on the fun as he made great effort to catch us up & tag along!
getting to the bottom you approach the town of aosta where you join the motorway proper. we probably should have stopped for lunch here but as we'd pigged out for breakfast for the lodge & as they'd very kindly packed a full picnic for the journey for us we carried on to the A5.
it's a strange old experience as you drop that much altitude on a motorway for such a long distance, there were long periods of pretty much free wheeling at 80+mph & the speed of the trucks had to be seen to be believed! very picturesque though & we pulled over about half way down to a rest area nestled in the green valleys for our picnic lunch
once you get down to turin the roads become more general european autoroute & we were just happy to chug along. just past turin the rain came 7 with the khumo track tyres looking very bare we were happy plodding along at 60-70mph in case we came across any standing water, though to be fair they were fine & didn't cause any problems.
there were a few diffeernt options on which way to drop into the med but we eventually just settled on following the ss28 that had us climbing through some wonderful italian countryside with sleepy little villages & towns, you couldn't help but think there must have been some great pizzas & pastas on offer round these parts!
coming down (eventually) into imperia it was a strange feeling to see the mediterranean. we'd left verbier in weather warm enough to sunbathe & it was above 80 when we stopped for lunch but on seeing the sea we wound the windows down to take in the "holiday" air.
this stretch of the coast is beautiful & pretty much exactly as you'd imagine with palm tree lined roads & mediterranean styled mansions with stuccoed walls & red tiled roofs. rather than take the toll road motorway we decided to take the SS1 that followed the coast & wound its way through all the lovely seaside towns to take it all in. we'd made good time from that morning so an extra hour or so wouldn't make much difference-a decision that we questioned while stuck in traffic in san remo!
(Bad parking thread?!)
e
veryone always says you never realise just quite how small monaco is until you get there & it must be said it's pretty small! after a full day of driving through countryside, hills & valleys it was quite a culture shock rolling into such a busy, populated place.
to put things into perspective up our way when someone has a 911 it's a major talking point & if an old ferrari 360 is seen driving through town everyone knows about it, dropping into monaco & literally seeing supercar after supercar is a bit of a sensory overload though the pointing out tends to stop pretty quickly after you've seen your tenth ferrari in a few minutes!
we pulled up outside the front of the novotel, unloaded the bags & left the valet to park the car in the huge underground car park that the hotel sits on top of. having used novotels so much over the last few years we immediately felt at home-helped by the bottle of champage they'd put in our room
unpacked & showered we went for a wander to see what all the fuss was about.......
essentially verbier is up a road that leads away from the main road that leads form switzerland to italy so in order to get back we just needed to head back down the road we'd traveled up before joining the main route.
the main road winds its way up the valley towards the grand st bernard tunnel or pass, obviously we were going to take the pass! it's not such a long one but strangely the road on the swiss side is pretty pot holed & generally a bit ropey & as we were ascending on this side we didn't really get to drive the best way-no tail out power slides on the hairpin side in a mini! strange as the swiss normally have everything perfect, i wonder if the swiss look after the tunnel & the italians the pass?
anyway, up at the top there is the monastery & the italian border, along with the breading kennels for the st bernards dogs.
the italian side of the road in a marked difference to the other side is much more open & smoother with plenty of fast bends & not too many hairpins, we got behind an italian registered old punto that was burning plenty of oil but obviously not wanting to put too much wear on his brake pads as he was really giving it some on the way down!
we also passed a rather jazzy mini convertible at the top & he obviously wanted in on the fun as he made great effort to catch us up & tag along!
getting to the bottom you approach the town of aosta where you join the motorway proper. we probably should have stopped for lunch here but as we'd pigged out for breakfast for the lodge & as they'd very kindly packed a full picnic for the journey for us we carried on to the A5.
it's a strange old experience as you drop that much altitude on a motorway for such a long distance, there were long periods of pretty much free wheeling at 80+mph & the speed of the trucks had to be seen to be believed! very picturesque though & we pulled over about half way down to a rest area nestled in the green valleys for our picnic lunch
once you get down to turin the roads become more general european autoroute & we were just happy to chug along. just past turin the rain came 7 with the khumo track tyres looking very bare we were happy plodding along at 60-70mph in case we came across any standing water, though to be fair they were fine & didn't cause any problems.
there were a few diffeernt options on which way to drop into the med but we eventually just settled on following the ss28 that had us climbing through some wonderful italian countryside with sleepy little villages & towns, you couldn't help but think there must have been some great pizzas & pastas on offer round these parts!
coming down (eventually) into imperia it was a strange feeling to see the mediterranean. we'd left verbier in weather warm enough to sunbathe & it was above 80 when we stopped for lunch but on seeing the sea we wound the windows down to take in the "holiday" air.
this stretch of the coast is beautiful & pretty much exactly as you'd imagine with palm tree lined roads & mediterranean styled mansions with stuccoed walls & red tiled roofs. rather than take the toll road motorway we decided to take the SS1 that followed the coast & wound its way through all the lovely seaside towns to take it all in. we'd made good time from that morning so an extra hour or so wouldn't make much difference-a decision that we questioned while stuck in traffic in san remo!
(Bad parking thread?!)
e
veryone always says you never realise just quite how small monaco is until you get there & it must be said it's pretty small! after a full day of driving through countryside, hills & valleys it was quite a culture shock rolling into such a busy, populated place.
to put things into perspective up our way when someone has a 911 it's a major talking point & if an old ferrari 360 is seen driving through town everyone knows about it, dropping into monaco & literally seeing supercar after supercar is a bit of a sensory overload though the pointing out tends to stop pretty quickly after you've seen your tenth ferrari in a few minutes!
we pulled up outside the front of the novotel, unloaded the bags & left the valet to park the car in the huge underground car park that the hotel sits on top of. having used novotels so much over the last few years we immediately felt at home-helped by the bottle of champage they'd put in our room
unpacked & showered we went for a wander to see what all the fuss was about.......
ManaghGB said:
David87 said:
Well, this thread has just helped sell another JCW GP. Mine arrives next week.
I've never been a fan of MINI's but I REALLY want a GP2 just because of reading this thread!Sorry for the slowness of updates on the rest of the trip, I'd love to use the excuse of being newlyweds but unfortunately it's down to being snowed under at work. If I get time I'll get the next leg written up this Sunday during the F1.
^^^good trip, congratulations!
2011 minis onwards don't have the timing chain issues I believe so I should be ok & the GP apparently has a newer version of the engine that is now being fitted to all John cooper works.
I may have mentioned it previously but a couple of GPforum owners have had theirs on rolling roads & they're putting out much higher bhp figures than mini claim (if you trust the dyno) so whether the GP has a few tricks installed on the software side I don't know but it is an update from the 2012 model year engine.
2011 minis onwards don't have the timing chain issues I believe so I should be ok & the GP apparently has a newer version of the engine that is now being fitted to all John cooper works.
I may have mentioned it previously but a couple of GPforum owners have had theirs on rolling roads & they're putting out much higher bhp figures than mini claim (if you trust the dyno) so whether the GP has a few tricks installed on the software side I don't know but it is an update from the 2012 model year engine.
230 odd to 240 odd bhp against a quoted output of 217ps I think?
To be fair I'm never really that confident of rolling road figures but a 20% difference is a fair old hike so perhaps there is something to it. The thing to remember is it was pretty clear that it was a bit faster than the r26.r when we lapped together despite the renaults huge torque advantage.
To be fair I'm never really that confident of rolling road figures but a 20% difference is a fair old hike so perhaps there is something to it. The thing to remember is it was pretty clear that it was a bit faster than the r26.r when we lapped together despite the renaults huge torque advantage.
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