'09 Road Trips

[Johno]

So as ever we have lots of repairs and modifications going on amongst the forum populace, with all angles covered, engines, brakes, suspension, bodywork, LED's etc etc

With everyone busy making their cars work or work better I presume that there must be some road trips planned this year, so I thought I'd check out who was going where and doing what.

Here's mine, BB's and Billy no Brakes plan for late summer.

Day 1 - 426m - Boring getting there . . .

Day 2 - 320m - Col de la Schlucht (G), Routes des Cretes (B), Bielerhole Toll Rd (G)

Day 3 - 198m -Timmelsjoch, Stelvio Pass to Davos via the Fluelapass (S)

Day 4 - 256m - Davos to Tiefencastel (G), Rofla Gorge, St Bernadino Pass (G), Lukmanier Pass, Oberalppass, St Gotthardo Pass, Nufenpass, Grimselpass (S), Sustenpass (B)

Day 5 - 238m -Upper & Lower Furka Pass (G), Verbier, Gd St Bernard Pass, Pt St Bernard Pass, Col D'Iseran (B)

Day 6 - 278m - Col du Galibier (B), Col du Lauturet, Col de l'Izoard, Col de Vars, Col de la Bonette (G), Gorge du Cians (S), Gorge de Dalius, Col de la Cayolle,

Day 7 - 241m - Lac de Serre-Poncon, Route Napolean, D526 La Mure to Mens(G), Col d'Ornon, Col du Glandon, Col des Aravis

Day 8 - 310m - Col de la Faucille, Reims GP Circuit

Day 9 - 303 - Boring going home

(G) = Gold rated
(S) = Silver rated
(B) = Bronze rated . . . . as per Alpine Roads . com, the best reference site on the net for roads selection. Bikers always know best (although not all the best roads are on there )

It just seems to me we only ever talk about this bit being broken, wanting to make this bit work better, the varying merits of upgrades, the likely effects of changing the widget sprocket, taking out the whoaja maflip dongle and its possible effects on quantum physics, the latest tread pattern of tyres, how many ponies it makes on the road to nowhere but boredom and wallet aching experiences, various options to slow the speed of the earths rotation, greek mythology of the modifying gods and very very very little about actually driving a Griffith and what you're doing to see what the effects of the degree level engineering modifications we make all winter are actually having on the driving experience.

So let's hear of your plans, and I don't mean joining a planned convoy to Chatsworth up the A1, that's not 'driving', it's just 'going'.

I went out on Sunday and managed 150m just locally on back roads, first 60 miles with PHEA then the rest off the cuff wanting to drive some of my fave roads, suspension geometry still isn't right and I need to resolve a better catch tank arrnagement. Test's completed and they confirmed.

Planned meetings and convoys count if it's about going for a run, not if it's meeting for lunch.

It depresses me that we talk less and less about using them. The weather was fantastic at the weekend and how many people posted on their great drives this past weekend, none . .

What's your plan to enjoy driving your car this year, planned days out to certain roads, planned weekends, planned weeks, Euro trips, anything?

Le Mans counts if you're using a route other than the autoroute to ge there, otherwise it's just boring motorway covered with Gendarmes hell bent of leveraging your debts further if not your vehicle.

[Ballistic Banana]

Does going to the shops count....
























The extremely long way round

[Mark_G]

This year, I'm going on the Euro trip organised by Track Masters - http://www.track-masters.co.uk/DrivingTours.asp - driving to Le Mans on 6th June and then down to Pau on 7th where the tour starts in earnest. Only 8 weeks to wait...!

[culminator]

Johno, You'll love the trip! I had a Swiss girlfreind for 5 years and so i know most of those passes quite well. We both had Caterhams at the time, so spent many a weekend blatting through the Alps into Ticino etc.

Sadly my European trip this year is not on such a grand scale but the other half and I will be taking the Griff down to the Dordogne for 10 days, staying near Loches on the way down and then the rest of the time in Sarlat. cant wait!

[daveb500]

This is my plan for the summer (me in the Griff and my brother in his Tuscan)

Home to Calais - 300 miles
Calais to Nurburg and a few laps of the 'ring. - 300 miles +
Nurburg to Lindau (Germany) - 330 miles
Lindau to Realp (switzerland) via Klausenpass - 141 Miles
Realp to Ascona via Oberalppass and Lukmanierpass - 100 miles
Ascona to Brig via. Re and Simplonpass - 100 miles
Brig to Interlaken via Nufenenpass, Gottardpass and Sustenpass - 117 Miles
Interlaken to Aosta (Italy) via St Bernards Pass - 140 Miles
Aosta to Calais - 590 Miles (not a fun day)
Calais to home - 300 miles

A little bit more leasurely than yours (apart from the trip back).

[Barreti]

I'll be going to Le Mans with a bunch of loons who will also be in Griffiths

Johno, BB and BillyNoBrakes

Chaps, YHM

[The Red Baron]

Johno, can I ask when you are planning your trip? I am in Hungary for the summer with my Griff and your trip sounds like a great few days. Perhaps I could tag along for a few days if the dates work out?

Drove through the Alps this time last year with my '73 MGB, but would be great to do a similar thing with 3 times more horsepower.

[clive f]

not planning anything for 09, but definately for next year, I`ve always liked the look of these guys trips, http://www.bonneroute.co.uk/ but their website has been under reconstruction for around 8 months or more, anyone know if they`ve packed in or just having a very long break??

[Johno]

Ballistic Banana said:

Does going to the shops count....
























The extremely long way round

I know this great shop at the foot of Col de la Bonette

[Johno]

culminator said:

Johno, You'll love the trip! I had a Swiss girlfreind for 5 years and so i know most of those passes quite well. We both had Caterhams at the time, so spent many a weekend blatting through the Alps into Ticino etc.

Sadly my European trip this year is not on such a grand scale but the other half and I will be taking the Griff down to the Dordogne for 10 days, staying near Loches on the way down and then the rest of the time in Sarlat. cant wait!

Where are you staying ? Gerjo has a hotel coplex/chalet's in the Dordogne and although I haven't made it there yet it is apparently really lovely. Drop him a PM if you've nothinng sorted, it may be of interest.

You'll easily be able to have a day out to Verdun, Corniche des Cevennes (awesome piece of road) and a few other places a little to the East . . .

[Johno]

The Red Baron said:

Johno, can I ask when you are planning your trip? I am in Hungary for the summer with my Griff and your trip sounds like a great few days. Perhaps I could tag along for a few days if the dates work out?

Drove through the Alps this time last year with my '73 MGB, but would be great to do a similar thing with 3 times more horsepower.

More the merrier. . . At the moment it looks like it'll be the fiirst week in September, leaving Calais on 5th, so at the end of the holiday season, out of August and all the passes should be clear of snow, rain will be the most likely threat on the lower passes which could mean snow higher up.

Easiest place to join us would be day 3 onwards, we'll be staying near Obergurgl ahead of the Timmelsjoch and Stelvio to Davos the next day.

[Johno]

daveb500 said:

This is my plan for the summer (me in the Griff and my brother in his Tuscan)

Home to Calais - 300 miles
Calais to Nurburg and a few laps of the 'ring. - 300 miles +
Nurburg to Lindau (Germany) - 330 miles
Lindau to Realp (switzerland) via Klausenpass - 141 Miles
Realp to Ascona via Oberalppass and Lukmanierpass - 100 miles
Ascona to Brig via. Re and Simplonpass - 100 miles
Brig to Interlaken via Nufenenpass, Gottardpass and Sustenpass - 117 Miles
Interlaken to Aosta (Italy) via St Bernards Pass - 140 Miles
Aosta to Calais - 590 Miles (not a fun day)
Calais to home - 300 miles

A little bit more leasurely than yours (apart from the trip back).

Some of our days will probably get trimmed a little, but I find 100 miles just too short for a good days driving. On previous trips I've found you're better to plan more and then trim it down in the morning depending on how people are feeling, rather than getting to your destination and then realising you could have done x and y but didn't.

The Alps is always tricky as the routes are restricted by what's available and trying to avoid repeating a road. Essentially the premise for this trip ws to do as many of the great passes as we could from East to West.

Your trip looks great as well.

[Johno]

clive f said:

not planning anything for 09, but definately for next year, I`ve always liked the look of these guys trips, http://www.bonneroute.co.uk/ but their website has been under reconstruction for around 8 months or more, anyone know if they`ve packed in or just having a very long break??

Try the roads forum Clive as I can't remember the login name but they are a member and used to post in there fairly regularly.

The only thing with Bonneroute, Dettaglio and probably Petrolhead Nirvana is the price you pay for them to organise it.

The hotels don't seem that much cheaper, the argument of exeprience of the right roads is less so when there are forums like the roads section here and plenty of internet resources to go through. Also bare in mind that there are only so many roads, so someone will have driven it. Many people won;t have heard of the Corniche des Cevennes, but it is an epic little piece of road that i discovered through the net, viewed it on Youtube and added it to our last tour. A mechanic travelling with you is very useful, but there's seriously a limit on what they're able to achieve without replacement parts.

Having a coordinator like Nick Smith from Dettaglio is very good as he has contacts all over Europe, I can't comment on the others as I've not been on their tours.

Overall though if you can get a group of like minded friends/acquaintances together you can get the whole thing together cheaper.

With Autoroute and conversion programmes all the trips we go on are fully planned with everyone running the same Satnav routes so if we do get split up it's no issue.

A lot depends as well on whether you have to take the other half as some tours you want really nice hotels, lower mielage days, places to stop and do stuff. But if it's just the lads out for a driving holiday then we stay in cheaper hotels as you're only there the night, makes you go out and find a restaurant and as long as I can sleep in relative comfort i'd prefer to spend the money on good food and petrol

I don't mean to take food of these peoples tables, I went with Ted on Eurohoon in 2005 and had a superb tour, great company, great roads and some of the funniest days I've had ever. Thanks you Golden Ladies

ETA Bonne Route's Profile

Edited by Johno on Tuesday 7th April 18:58

[Johno]

Barreti said:

I'll be going to Le Mans with a bunch of loons who will also be in Griffiths

Johno, BB and BillyNoBrakes

Chaps, YHM

This does count as I've planned a great route down off the autoroute this year I've also been tipped off to some other roads I need to investigate for the trip down . . .

Ref your email Ian, really really tempted as that's a route I've always wanted to do.

However, I've already got a 10 day Misano GP and Mille Miglia tour planned for '10 with my folks in their Chimaera plus maybe friends in their Wedge, that's why I'm keen to get this Alps trip away this year otherwise it's going to be a couple of years away at least.

Maybe I can do both though

Edited by Johno on Tuesday 7th April 17:02

[ncs]

Bloody hell mate...looks like we might get to meet on the ferry again!

The satnav & I have been married for 25 years in Spetember, so we plan to get together with a couple of friends & see where we end up

The general plan is to head to the South of France (where we had our honeymoon) then into Italy to visit the lakes.

For once in our lives we might do it off the cuff, with a general idea of where we want to end up, but just pointing the car in the right direction to see what we find. We know most of France reasonably well from previous trips so we will have a pretty good idea of what/where/when, but who knows quite what we will find?

See you soon

Nick

[Johno]

Nick, I've got some fantastic routes down that way if you want em just shout. You can have as .itn files for a Tomtom or Autoroute files . . . We went down the Route Napolean last year, then did all the majors in the area coming back via Millau and a few others . .

If your down that way Millau is a must, it's incredible, along with Verdun, Ventoux, Corniche, Col de la Bonette, Col de Vence (not widely known but a resounding favourite) and of course, Turini

We'll be on the tunnel for Le Mans this year though, going Tuesday evening, it'll be Monday soon

[ncs]

Chuck 'em over mate, as any tips will be much appreciated.

We were planning to do the Mille Miglia (sp) next month but its had to go onto the back burner We'll probably go on a little UK based adventure instead, but somehow I dont think it will be quite the same.

[Pupp]

Sadly, don't think I will get into Yoorup this year but will do the next best thing and head to Skye by the twistiest route possible taking in N York moors and the Borders

[Johno]

Nick, sent you over some South of France fun routes. My Mille Miglia route is fully planned now with stops including Ducati, Ferrari, Misano, Sienna, Florence, Rome, Rimini, Sirmione and of course a lot Mille Migli roads.

If you want it at some point shout . . .

[ncs]

Cheers Mark, I got your email...looks like it will make interesting reading, thanks for your efforts.