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Post by cannonballbob on Dec 11, 2006 19:02:06 GMT
So, having sewn the seeds for this event back in 2004 when Neil and I went to Monaco and back in a weekend ;D, I spectacularly failed to show up in 2005 due to my F being in bits at the time , then spectacularly failed to materialise again due to an impending trip in the other car , well, I say car, it's more of a truck. So when is the 2007 trip scheduled for? I did see it on the program at the Chiristmas Lunch a couple of weekends ago, just forgot to make a note of it but need to get my plans for next year together and I don't want to miss out this itme.
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Post by Keith Williams on Dec 11, 2006 20:39:33 GMT
The Italian Job is on the MGF Register Event calendar for the 18th to 24th September. Already marked on my calendar and I have warned work I want the time off then already Look forward to seeing you there.
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Post by John Ponting on Dec 11, 2006 21:50:44 GMT
no defo dates yet Bob. We wait and wait for national dates and then they nick the dates used by regular events !!!!
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Post by cannonballbob on Dec 11, 2006 21:59:15 GMT
Hmmm, as Shirley Bassey once sang, it's all just a little bit of history repeating.... On our dash to Monaco we went up and over the Grand St Bernard pass from Switzerland in to Italy. I have a very nice video inspired by the opening title of the film, set to the song "On Days Like These". All I need to do is find a website capable of hosting it!
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Post by TimM on Dec 11, 2006 23:50:15 GMT
Bob it''s as the events calendar given out at the Xmas Natter - you mean you lost yours ?
18th to the 24th - basically we'll be heading out with a group on Tuesday 18th to get to Switzerland by the weekend where we'll play in the Alps before dropping into Italy. All the details are nowhere near being finalised yet but that's the basic plan and that's when it'll happen. There may be an event over the weekend in Italy and an extension from the 24th for those that want to delve further courtesy of Fabio or do your own thing.
As most Natter that Matters - if you want to make a mad dash you can do so and meet the rest of us somewhere on a mountain as I know you're prone to that type of thing !
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Post by cannonballbob on Dec 12, 2006 0:04:58 GMT
we'll be heading out with a group Thought the whole idea was to travel in smaller groups/pairs and meet up once there? Anyway, this was 2004..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lc_AaCwBMo
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Post by Geoff F on Dec 12, 2006 8:44:01 GMT
we'll be heading out with a group on Tuesday 18th to get to Switzerland by the weekend
That makes Saturday in Italy and drive home Sunday and Monday. I can see no point in sitting at home for the previous weekend to 'Work!' Monday and depart Tuesday. I regularly drive UK to Switzerland in one day, including the 180 miles to Dover. That is a 0530 start for a Dinner date at 1830. A drive to CH on Saturday with 7 days to cross Switzerland and visit Italy before returning would be a good plan. Geoff F.
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Post by Adrian Clifford on Dec 12, 2006 13:47:56 GMT
As I put the plan together, I will include the other interested parties, if there is enough interest to leave earlier this can be looked at.
The nature of the Natter is to get to a certain point at a certain time (usually doing things or collecting things on the way).
I shall be working on this soon and anybody who wants to attend will be welcome to contribute, you may travel your own way or all go together, however I hope we can all be together for the drive up the Stelvio Pass and be in the same hotel for the weekend.
Some may not have the amount of time to spare or indeed the money, but all accomodation to and from will be kept to modest prices (Hotel Ibis sort of thing) I would like something a little better for the weekend around Lake Garda or Como as this will be our base.
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Post by colintf on Dec 12, 2006 18:16:21 GMT
sounds great to me! Any ideas of a rough order magnitude of cost? £200, £500, £1000 etc?
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Post by cannonballbob on Dec 12, 2006 21:23:39 GMT
sounds great to me! Any ideas of a rough order magnitude of cost? £200, £500, £1000 etc? Well, Mine and Neil's original concept was simply to suggest a venue and see who turns up, so how you get there and what it'll cost is largely down to the individual. One thing we identified with ANY car club run is the classic "You can't please all the people all the time", hence a long day to someone might be pitifully short in someone else' mind. What one person considers to be a great road might be driving boredom to another, and so on. Same applies to hotels and the cost there of. Me....all I need is a bed, a shower and a willing chalet maid, whereas others might want a 5* dinner thrown in, or at least placed outside their room on a tray. We figured the way round this potential for disappointment/confusion was to simply suggest a meet and let people make their own way there, much as for a UK-based natter. In addition, this means you can take as long as you like be it two weeks or two days, and budget how you want to, blowing hundreds of pounds or camping for a few quid.
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Post by TimM on Dec 13, 2006 2:13:50 GMT
Yes indeed Bob ....but that was three years ago - we have been to Monaco (again) and Angouleme since then - both were of a similar nature but the hotel for the weekend was suggested and in both cases everyone managed to book into it which worked rather nicely. If you'd rather camp in a bivouac on a mountain pass then that option is still available and we'll see you for dinner in our nice warm hotel (or cold one if it's anything like the one we stayed in at Larche in 2005 !!)
2007 will be similar BUT there will be an option of a group run leaving the UK on the 18th. If some people don't want to join that then that's fine and we'll arrange an RV in Switzerland before heading over the Alps. The main idea is to head over the Stelvio together and then head for the Lakes where the "Natter" will take place and hopefully stay in a slightly better hotel but maybe not quite as pricey as the Coumbus !
The final option which has not been decided yet may be a further tour to the North Italy coast - again if people want to head straight home that's fine or hang around Lake Como then that's OK too - The Natter principles still apply but there are just more options next year which may be more suitable for those cars who will be single crewed to join in .
Five star dinner and willing chalet maid sound like a good idea to me (just don't tell Mrs M !)
As in most of our events it's all an experiment and we'll see how it goes in 2007 - we're building experience all the time on this sort of thing.
However you choose to get there it's bound to be great fun and a real driving experience to relish.
Adrian's researching some routes and stopovers and more details will follow in the New Year
Happy Xmas !
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Post by cannonballbob on Dec 13, 2006 9:30:25 GMT
I'd agree, all meeting at the same destination hotel is good, it's just the idea of having the route/pace decided that I'm not too keen on and I'd hope the independant option gets pushed as much as the proposed group travel, after all, half the fun is swapping stories of how one got there, surely?
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Post by Adrian Clifford on Dec 13, 2006 12:24:05 GMT
Bob, you are quite right, but experience has shown that some drivers travelling on their own (sometimes without too much European experience, sometimes with) prefer to travel as a group, they get fun from that and a little security of being with others.
Many like yourself have heaps of experience and enjoy the idea of making it up as you go along, I do too, but as organisers we have to look at all options and provide what the members want, or try to anyway.
With the Natter, all you have to do is get to the destination, but, guaranteed people will ask the questions, what time is the ferry, where are we going to stay, what route do we take etc. So, pre-empting these questions I try to set this out and a costing, beforehand.
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Post by cannonballbob on Dec 13, 2006 12:36:04 GMT
Well that's OK Adrian, it's just previous mention of " the plan" makes it sound more like a Treffen.
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Post by Mike H on Dec 27, 2006 12:24:01 GMT
Sorry to have to say that, because of business commitments next year, we're not going to be able to make the 2007 Natter . (And there was me hoping for a hat-trick.....) Not certain at present what we'll be able to do European events-wise because of the job, but we'll just have to see how the diary pans out. The Highlander may be the furthest we get in 2007.
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