Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Philip Willcocks, 12-Jan-2006, 11:43am
The Michelin web site has a very good route plan and mapping pages for France down to street level:
http://www.viamichelin.com
If you are trying to navigate to the circuit at Le Mans, the address and co-ordinates are:
Circuit des 24 Heures
72019 Le Mans Cedex 2
X: 23200m Y: 6067800m
Lat: 47:57:22N (47.9561) Lon: 0:12:30E (0.2084)
Other good places for maps:
www.google.co.uk/maps
http://www.multimap.com/
http://www.viamichelin.com
If you are trying to navigate to the circuit at Le Mans, the address and co-ordinates are:
Circuit des 24 Heures
72019 Le Mans Cedex 2
X: 23200m Y: 6067800m
Lat: 47:57:22N (47.9561) Lon: 0:12:30E (0.2084)
Other good places for maps:
www.google.co.uk/maps
http://www.multimap.com/
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Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Jenna Blackwell, 02-May-2006, 09:47pm
God I'm scared....
I've never driven to France before, let alone in a GT6 which I'm just praying won't break down!
Are there any group drive outs I can join?-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Jonathan Binnington, 02-May-2006, 11:03pm
Jenna, such a trip is no big deal, just like a 500mi trip in the uk
take a mobile phone and charger, I have suggested a list of mobile numbers be circulated so that people can stay in touch.
don't drive when tired, stop and have a sleep
petrol, after late hours it's only the motorway petrol stations which are open and take usual uk credit cards
if you are going to travel in company, keep the group as small as possible and pick people you know well because when it gets late/you get tired and crotchety it's too easy to become emotional and abrupt and misunderstandings can occur.
Try not to set fixed objectives because the traffic ort the roads can often conspire against clocking up 500 miles in 6 hours (for example) allow a rhythm to develop
Take a read of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" Robert Pirsig has a great deal of sense to say about long road trips
oh, and take your own bog roll and soap
spares, take what you can reasonably fix with the tools which you can reasonably take and take the continental rescue. ie perhaps take a water pump (you could reasonably change that), do take a fanbelt, don't take a spare diff or gearbox or halfshafts. change your brake linings before you go. GT6, make sure you have the cooling issues sorted ie the ducting infront of the radiator
j-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Don Cook, 03-May-2006, 00:19am
Jenna
Jon's right, it's no big deal; just don't tell it where you're going! What ferry do you intend to take?-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Philip Willcocks, 03-May-2006, 12:54pm
Hi Jenna,
Binman and a couple of others have also raised the question of co-ordinating convoys and co-ordinating help and rescue during break-downs.
We could co-ordinate the convoys, but as you appreciate with almost 200 cars this is no small mission. There are a couple of ways of doing this.
The first way is simple, look for all the other Triumphs when you sit in the queue at the ferry port!
The second is more complicated, I'm thinking along the lines of using my mailing list software to assist in producing a manifest for each of the various ferry crossings - each driver would need to email the details of their crossing (route and time) and then on a fixed date, the list server can send the drivers a list of the group members for their particular crossing.
Thoughts on this??
And then onto the help and rescue, we were contemplating using SMS for public announcements during the weekend, and I've already been trialling this with a bulk SMS provider - this has the benefit that we can contact all of the Le Mans group (assuming they sign up to it) even if they are away from the campsite. We can also mail out an SOS for people en route to assist a breakdown if they are in the vicinity.
Groups can also be set up so that people travelling in convoys can SMS their own group to muster, stop for petrol etc.
Thoughts on this too (keep it simple!) ???-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Jonathan Binnington, 03-May-2006, 03:00pm
Philip, the SMS (text message) idea is exactly what I had in mind, everyone supply their mobile phone numbers, and then have that list distributed to all goers.
have a central phone number to "hub" and off we all go
jonathan-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Jenna Blackwell, 06-May-2006, 05:48pm
Philip, I think the SMS is a great idea!
Don, haven't even got as far as booking a ferry yet....oh my goodness...are some ferries better than others? Good/bad times to go etc? I went on one once when I was much younger for a school trip!! Didn't have to worry about my car getting scratched in those days!
Jenna-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Vin Poonwassie, 06-May-2006, 06:10pm
Jenna, There's three intrepid Spitfire Aces going out and back on SpeedFerries: Vin Poonwassie, Jonathan Binnington, John Davies:
Wed 5.7.2006 11:15 Dover - Boulogne 13:05
SpeedOne
Mon 10.7.2006 14:00 Boulogne - Dover 13:50
SpeedOne
I believe it's a fine time to cross and a pukka route, you're more than welcome to tag along, all three of us (three triumphs going originating from Lancaster, Birmingham, and Ware-Hertfordshire) are 'as one' with our cars and can repair almost anything!
Phil mentioned a table of crossings and who's on them after people send in their details when he requests them, Phil, how's this going?-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Colin Wake, 06-May-2006, 07:16pm
The committee have been in regular session trying to work out how best (easiest) to do this.....
So, it's coming.....
There are people on most routes, on most crossings.
Check out my list earlier this year for all the companies doing crossings to France. Tooooo much choice pretty much sums it up.
Is there anyone else coming from near where you are now (which ISTR isn't Norfolk anymore)???
Cheers
Colin-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : James Beaumont, 06-May-2006, 09:21pm
Hi, note on spare parts i will be takeing a diff due me blowing them up and drive shafts easy to swap, good luck.-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Ben Hutchings, 06-May-2006, 10:09pm
The EHIC cards are really easy to apply for and worth it. Nikki and I got ours just before honeymoon and they turned up in about 4 days.
Here's the site: https://www.ehic.org.uk/InternetPROD/home.do
Jenna: Once you've booked, post your times on the forum.. I might start a thread in a min to get people to post their times. People have done this in various places, but it'd be good to have it in one place.
Phillip: Love the SMS idea for announcements!-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Leon Guyot, 06-May-2006, 11:35pm
When I was TSSC intl liaison sec. , I produced a useful list of what to take on long trips, in the way of (small) spares etc. It was printed in the back of the self-help book...is it still there?
I cannot remember, Philip??? Time it was re-introduced perhaps?
Long trips need hold no fear, I did plenty before mobile phones, it's all about car preperation, and carrying a few critical spares and tools.
Of course a VISA card is extremely useful, as is RAC Continental breakdown insurance.
I am shortly undertaking a 600 mile trip in my Vitesse south to San Francisco, California, and the same coming back. I have already done several 500 mile each way trips up to Portland, Oregon and back without problems...
Of course, they (almost) speak the same language here, but insist on driving on the wrong side of the road!
I am sure that if car and driver are prepared in advance and all supplies are to hand, for the car, and the driver then all will be well.
If it is Le Mans you are visiting then you will have no problems linking up with helpful TSSC members and other enthusiasts along the way...they will be everywhere!
Have a Great trip!
L&195;&169;on
TSSC 81-2119
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Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Jerry Jones, 13-Apr-2007, 00:24am
Phillip,
Brilliant idea.
My details;
Newhaven-Diepe 0700hrs Monday 11th June.
Transmanche ferries
Mobile is:- 07760 207 962.
For Sunday 10th, we are hoping to get cheap Travelodge etc near Newhaven.
About same return time from Diepe and with Transmanche again.
We leave LM Sunday evening and have meal in Diepe and we book into a B2B for the night.
Campsite at LM;
Although booked Expo, we have been issued Bleu, we still hope to get Expo. If Bleu, we'll be the high sandy ground by airport fence and the bushes(!). And no flooding if it rains.
Jerry
1974 GT6 Convertable-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Jerry Jones, 13-Apr-2007, 00:30am
Phillip,
Forgot to ask if you're doing this year.
Jerry-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Michael Bird, 13-Apr-2007, 11:26am
Just to say there are alternatives to going over from Dover...
We're going overnight from Portsmouth to Caen on the 14th June (leaves 23:15 arrives 0:15). It's a much shorter drive to the circuit, (which suits us as we are going straight after work and driving around in France after the race for a week). I did this last year in my TR6 and it was a nice introduction to driving abroad. The worst bit was getting off the ferry and away from Caen, (mayhem amoungst hundreds of Ferraris, Porsches, TVR's Caterhams all trying to escape at the same time - fun though)! Last year we came back on the Sea Cat from Cherbourg which only took about three hours and was a fantastic cross country drive to the port from Le Mans (hardly any other cars on the road).
Michael.-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Mark Stradling, 13-Apr-2007, 04:26pm
[QUOTE:Michael Bird]We're going overnight from Portsmouth to Caen on the 14th June (leaves 23:15 arrives 0:15)[/QUOTE]
My god, that's one fast ferry your on there, Michael!
I'm on the Portsmouth/Le Havre crossing. Leaves about the same time, travels about the same distance but doesn't get in till 8AM...
By my estimate Portsmouth/Caen is 180miles and covered in just 1 hour!-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Michael Bird, 13-Apr-2007, 06:06pm
Okay Mark, you got me! arrives 07:15 so not quite so fast! Don't expect much sleep either!
Michael-
Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Mark Stradling, 13-Apr-2007, 06:21pm
You don't? Sleep is why I do the Portsmouth crossing.
1) You don't need to take a day off work (if you live in Southern England).
2) You can have a few beers with everyone else on the ferry, not have to stay on the OJ as your driving.
3) You wake up fresh for the drive through France, the wait for a French cyclist with no sense of direction to lead you to the (wrong) camping spot in Houx and associated French grumbling when you just don't follow them and pull off because you can clearly see they have cycled past your plot and then the pointing at the post with your number on it an the sticker with the SAME number on it, the tent errection, the first trip to Carrefore.
No, of course the retards they employ as Houx security don't annoy me. What gave you that idea?
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Travelling to Europe this year?
Posted By : Jerry Jones, 18-Apr-2007, 01:31am
Michael,
Which campsite are you on at Le Mans?
I'm trying to organise a get-together.
Jerry
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