Brooklands new year day classic gathering
Discussion
Got back 1/2 hour ago,enjoyed my first time there on NYD.
Pity about the queue when I got there and finding the site full.
I did go for the show gate after what I said yesterday but got parked on the entrance road.
I wasn't bothered but I'm sure there will be some disgruntled people unable to get better cars than mine on site.
Pity about the queue when I got there and finding the site full.
I did go for the show gate after what I said yesterday but got parked on the entrance road.
I wasn't bothered but I'm sure there will be some disgruntled people unable to get better cars than mine on site.
What a pain, so much for my proudly repeating Brooklands mantra 'The right crowd & no crowding'. Massive queues to get in blocking the main road into Weybridge, further long queues waiting to be guided into parking slot by very overstressed marshals, some getting in a right old flap. Heaving with people (think first day at the sales) & yet more long queues for food & drink. Without doubt the worse most over-populated Brooklands event ever.
Come 11am I was able to flee to MercedesWorld for a quiet coffee. Well not that quiet, coffee was as is usual at week-ends accompanied by screaming kids running riot.
An experience I won't risk again in 2017.
Come 11am I was able to flee to MercedesWorld for a quiet coffee. Well not that quiet, coffee was as is usual at week-ends accompanied by screaming kids running riot.
An experience I won't risk again in 2017.
thoroughly enjoyed today, was busy, but good fun... defo do next year. www.secck.co.uk (car club in london / essex ).
I sometimes despair with Brooklands - a historical important site, steeped in nostalgia, an enthusiastic group of volunteers willing to give up their time and a location just outside London - what could go wrong, for one of the only New Years Day events on a clear and dry day?
Here's what:
Parking - Arrive at 0830 hrs and one of the first ones in - marshals didn't have a clue on how to park anyone or where cars were supposed to go - messed around for 30mins even at that time - helpfully the rather gruff Marshall helped me reverse by banging on the roof of the McLaren when I was 10 foot from the rear of the parked up cars at crawling pace....
Food/Drink- queue at 0915hrs - for 1.5 sausages in a bap and the toughest I've ever had the displeasure to digest, washed down with a machine coffee. Thought I'd get a hot chocolate later in one of the outside venues and was barely drinkable - think spoonful of hot chocolate and tepid water...
The site - it's a st-tip, with the squint of an eye it could be a breakers yard. Dirt everywhere and poorly made surfaces, plus decrepid "attractions" that dispite their age/history are only really good for the melting pot
The crowd - definitely car people, but I just fear that in 10 years time 50% of them won't be here. Not an insult, more what is the long term plan to get a new set of people to Brooklands
All negative (and I'm a Brooklands Club Member), but with criticism, has to come some positives - here's what I'd do:
Drill the Marshalls - have a plan ready for when people arrive - maybe a sticker on windscreen at the entrances for zones (see below) - also make sure people don't park blocking the through fairs on the site
Car clubs - rather than reserve areas (which it appeared were not used in some cases), just split the site into generic Zones (maybe like the Goodwood breakfast themes?) and taper dependant on attendance levels
Food - have a few people serving and be prepped for the numbers (it's not rocket science to expect the number of people today). Fire the sausage supplier. Do something different and have chilli pots for example at lunch, or different types of food. Get some proper coffee stalls.
Clean the site up - the place is falling to pieces and dispite lottery funding, the expenditure seems to go on new buildings that weren't open - or poorly stocked (think the bus museum) and seemed like a workshop rather than an attraction. Get the place resurfaced (at least the main roads). Think about what planes people want to see and drag the rest to the tip.
Want the place to succeed, but I fear it'll fall even further into disrepair as the years roll by
Here's what:
Parking - Arrive at 0830 hrs and one of the first ones in - marshals didn't have a clue on how to park anyone or where cars were supposed to go - messed around for 30mins even at that time - helpfully the rather gruff Marshall helped me reverse by banging on the roof of the McLaren when I was 10 foot from the rear of the parked up cars at crawling pace....
Food/Drink- queue at 0915hrs - for 1.5 sausages in a bap and the toughest I've ever had the displeasure to digest, washed down with a machine coffee. Thought I'd get a hot chocolate later in one of the outside venues and was barely drinkable - think spoonful of hot chocolate and tepid water...
The site - it's a st-tip, with the squint of an eye it could be a breakers yard. Dirt everywhere and poorly made surfaces, plus decrepid "attractions" that dispite their age/history are only really good for the melting pot
The crowd - definitely car people, but I just fear that in 10 years time 50% of them won't be here. Not an insult, more what is the long term plan to get a new set of people to Brooklands
All negative (and I'm a Brooklands Club Member), but with criticism, has to come some positives - here's what I'd do:
Drill the Marshalls - have a plan ready for when people arrive - maybe a sticker on windscreen at the entrances for zones (see below) - also make sure people don't park blocking the through fairs on the site
Car clubs - rather than reserve areas (which it appeared were not used in some cases), just split the site into generic Zones (maybe like the Goodwood breakfast themes?) and taper dependant on attendance levels
Food - have a few people serving and be prepped for the numbers (it's not rocket science to expect the number of people today). Fire the sausage supplier. Do something different and have chilli pots for example at lunch, or different types of food. Get some proper coffee stalls.
Clean the site up - the place is falling to pieces and dispite lottery funding, the expenditure seems to go on new buildings that weren't open - or poorly stocked (think the bus museum) and seemed like a workshop rather than an attraction. Get the place resurfaced (at least the main roads). Think about what planes people want to see and drag the rest to the tip.
Want the place to succeed, but I fear it'll fall even further into disrepair as the years roll by
Brooklands is a brilliant location but suffering from the malady that struck The Phoenix gathering a few years ago, ie just too many people and services unable to cope.
Two huge issues for me - food service and parking.
I have spent 40 years in the food service business and with a minimal investment in different equipment and a couple of staff they could cope with the crowds easily as well as put on a more exciting choice. The better they cope and the less queuing there is, the more people will come and buy which pays back the investment fast. I suspect one of the problems is that they only have this many people once a year.
If they started the parking at the furthest point, the vehicles would have no reason to get clogged. Of course, some folk will want their P&J front and centre which is why they get up early etc etc.
More entrances could also be the partial answer but the big one is just pre book vehicles and then 'no pass no entry' on the day.
This might change the spirit of the event but they have to do something soon.
There is a real appetite for this kind of event as the numbers show but I fear it will not last unless they do something.
Also, hats off to the volunteers who do a cracking job despite everything.
Two huge issues for me - food service and parking.
I have spent 40 years in the food service business and with a minimal investment in different equipment and a couple of staff they could cope with the crowds easily as well as put on a more exciting choice. The better they cope and the less queuing there is, the more people will come and buy which pays back the investment fast. I suspect one of the problems is that they only have this many people once a year.
If they started the parking at the furthest point, the vehicles would have no reason to get clogged. Of course, some folk will want their P&J front and centre which is why they get up early etc etc.
More entrances could also be the partial answer but the big one is just pre book vehicles and then 'no pass no entry' on the day.
This might change the spirit of the event but they have to do something soon.
There is a real appetite for this kind of event as the numbers show but I fear it will not last unless they do something.
Also, hats off to the volunteers who do a cracking job despite everything.
Gassing Station | Events & Meetings | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff