# TTOC TTour of BriTTain 2005



## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

I HAVE POSTED THE DETAILED ROUTE AND THOSE THAT ARE JOINING US. PLEASE TRY AND FIND THE TIME TO JOIN US FOR A CRUISE AND/OR BEERS.

Ok then, how do you fancy joining the inaugural TTOC TTour of BriTTain?

We need you [smiley=weneedyou.gif]

MikeyB and I are going to be driving a complete circuit of the British Mainland in 7 days. We will be starting at the end of TTorquay on March 13th.

We are looking for others to join us for any amount of the trip. The whole week, a day or two, an afternoon or even just a few beers in the evening. This is going to be an fantastic opportunity to meet forum/club members and do what we love best, driving our favourite cars through some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain on the best roads to get the most out of the cars.

So can you take some time out week commencing March 14th? We want to meet as many of you as possible and for as many people as possible to take part in what could be the first of what could become an annual event :wink:

Itinerary will be










CLICK HERE FOR LARGER IMAGE

Needless to say, each evening we will be up for a few beers and a bit of grub [smiley=cheers.gif]

I will try and get a wireless connection point each day and post a diary and pics on the forum.

This is an open invitation for anyone to join us. For a meet, leg or even for the whole trip.

Advice on best roads, B&Bâ€™s, pubâ€™s, locations of Optimax pumps :? is most welcome, the more info the better.

Letâ€™s make this an event for all. Not just the drivers, drinkers and families left at home. Letâ€™s make it a *total* forum event for everyone. If you not there with us, join us on here daily and take part from the comfort of your computer :wink:

So who is up for this? Go on you know you want toâ€¦.[smiley=cheers.gif] [smiley=mexicanwave.gif] [smiley=cheers.gif][/img]


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

omen666 said:


> So who is up for this? Go on you know you want toâ€¦.[smiley=cheers.gif] [smiley=mexicanwave.gif] [smiley=cheers.gif]


Too right: I wanna do it!!!!!!!!

But I would need a little more warning than ~10 days.

How about organzing this for late summer/early autumn and involving the TTOC "officials" and, possibly, Audi UK?
Or perhaps at the end of our intern. meet at Gaydon so the French crew can join in? 

I'm certainly up for this but would need more time to warn my clients


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

I'm up for it? 

Can't we get SHELL to sponsor us though?


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Apologies, I know it's short notice, but that doesn't rule out another one later in the year :wink:

I only had the idea to do this 2 days ago as it falls into a time when I can do it easily. mikeyB is as mad as me and has made the time.

We just hope anyone can make sometime to join this.

I'm pretty sure we can get a bigger event organised once we've learnt the lesson's and costs of this one.


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

I know this is early stages at the moment, but this could easily been an annual event, so if all goes well this time, maybe we could open this up to even more people next time.

Not sure if we can re-arrange it Dani, lets see what the Omen comes back with...

You DUG your camera out yet? :wink:


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

Well, I'm a defo for later this year with about 2-3 months of prior warning 

Well, I may be able to meet you guys on the Thursday, when you're hitting my part of the Pennines



MikeyB said:


> You DUG your camera out yet? :wink:


  It's too cold and dark now  
I'll do it, promise :roll:


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

What happened to Lands End & John O'Groats? :wink:

Definitely gonna add Shares in Shell to my portfolio tomorrow.. :roll:


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## Wallsendmag (Feb 12, 2004)

Wednesday 16th might be a night to avoid Newcatle Uefa cup match :?


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## davidg (Sep 14, 2002)

MikeyB 
Where you had your meal today do a good price on B&B , dont know if it will be in your route / time ... , J26 M6


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## S11 W TT (Jul 29, 2004)

Im up for playing damon, coming anywhere near me in Stokenchurch nr. High Wycombe or M40 way?


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

If Lou and I can wangle to be in Manchy on the Monday, then we'll do the Sunday leg up to Chester with you 

Not sure she'll let me go anywhere near Glasgow :roll:


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## tactile (Dec 3, 2004)

See you in Hull !!!!! and I will join you part of the way !!!


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## saint (Dec 6, 2002)

Nice Idea - shame it is only really a weeks notice..I'd be up for the trip around Scotland


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## NaughTTy (Jul 9, 2003)

Damon - Great idea mate 

The current date for the March Kneesworth meet is the 16th and we meet at the Cambridge Motel (see Kneesworth threads for map). Maybe you could have a word with Norm to see if he can shift the meet to the Thursday night and you could stay at the motel over night. The K. Crew might need some persuading but you never know :wink:


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Fantastic idea (and definitely one for the mag ), I can't commit to anything at the minute though with a baby due in two weeks' time.


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

Ill be up for catching you as you go to Brighton, then follow you back up towards Oxford


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## the wul (Dec 17, 2004)

sounds great i would love to meet you guys in newcastle  
as wallsendmag has said tho there is a uefa cup game on that night  
but there is the coast for a night out, tynemouth has plenty of pubs broken up by indian and italian places 

would love to come on a drive aswell and have promised the wife a weekend away starting on the friday 18th
sure i can incoporate the two

let me know if you need local hotels or anything


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## v6vin (Oct 6, 2004)

Damon/MikeyB.

Great idea, I assume you will be wanting to avoid motorways where possible? If so I will do a route for Lake district if required.

Mike


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

Thanks all! Since Damon is planning the route for the whole thing I won't start jumping in to organise stuff. I'm sure he will be along soon, he's probably at AMD again or something! :lol:

Keep the advice coming as this is exactly what we need, as I think we do want to aviod the motorways as much as possible.

MikeyB!


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## CapTT (Mar 2, 2003)

If you need any assistance on the Windermere/Cockermouth/Carlisle leg of your trip let me know. The way the roads are at the moment in the Windermere/Ambleside area you may be better advised going round the coast and over the fells to Cockermouth depending on your hectic schedule of course and Carlisle needs navigating at off peak times or it will take you an hour to get over the Eden bridge to the M6 , but there are ways around these problems , if you need help you only have to ask. As for Optimax , thats scarce , 2 shell stations in Cockermouth and 1 in Carlisle.


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

Optimax or Bp ultimate will do... Optimax is the preffered choice though.,


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## JayGemson (Jun 8, 2004)

It's crazy idea, I love it!!

Absolutely gutted though, I'll be passing you on your return leg on the last weekend. As you travel from North to South I'm going up to visit a mate in Cumbria and the convoy doesn't go anywhere near me the rest of the week.

A little more notice though and count me in, so eyes peeled for the next one!


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Nice one... I always fancied a LE to JoG trip in the TTR, but sold it before I could spare the time...

I really don't envy your fuel bills, guys. Care to give an estimation of mileage and cost for this venture?


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

jampott said:


> I really don't envy your fuel bills, guys. Care to give an estimation of mileage and cost for this venture?


No!


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

MikeyB said:


> jampott said:
> 
> 
> > I really don't envy your fuel bills, guys. Care to give an estimation of mileage and cost for this venture?
> ...


Well at least you can smile and know that if *I* did the trip, it'd cost me as much as both of you put together... :lol:


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

jampott said:


> MikeyB said:
> 
> 
> > jampott said:
> ...


Not sure we should track the cost as it might put others off when we launch the annual event!!!


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## KevtoTTy (Aug 24, 2004)

Mikey/Damon

I am soooooo jealous!!!

I will defo try and meet you when you get back souff of the river!

Keep me posted!

Best of luck

Kev


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## J 22S DS (Aug 17, 2004)

omen666 said:


> *Sunday 13th March*
> Leaving Torquay lunchtime and say good bye to main group, Newport, Carmarthen, Aberystwyth, Betws-y-coed, Chester


Great idea chaps! Might well be up for this part of the trip. We've got to travel up to the midlands regardless so a 'little' detour shouldn't be a problem


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

J 22S DS said:


> omen666 said:
> 
> 
> > *Sunday 13th March*
> ...


Great, the only issue is what time to leave TTorquay? The cruise in the morning is fine but can we make lunch and do the mileage to Chester? Will look into timings.


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

Seriously, does anyone have any contacts at Shell so we can badger them into some sponsorship or something? :?


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## fastasflip (May 13, 2003)

Mikey, The Shell refinery is about 8 miles from Chester, unfortunatley I've no contacts there, but surley they have a PR department that you could badger for a few tanks of optimax.


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

Either that or for a tanker to follow us! 

Maybe we could tempt them with a copy of the new DVD being launched by the TTOC..? :lol: mmmm, I wish!


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## the wul (Dec 17, 2004)

we have a shell petrol account but do not know anyone to speak too :?

08007313132 is the number you could just beg :roll:


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## v6vin (Oct 6, 2004)

Damon/MikeB

Can`t find anything for Sell PR, but attached is the contact Address/No of Shell UK.

http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?sit ... ct_uk.html

Have also done maps of all of the Optimax garages en-route, having a little trouble at the moment as the network is down. Will post later.

Mike


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

You do know how long it takes to traverse Wales in a N/S direction, I presume?

On the Portmeirion run, we went from Cardiff (met folks @ Ross) and up the shortest route to meet Clarkson coming over from Manchester. Still took IRO 4-5 hours at least, and we were incredibly reckless... :lol:


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

Great stuff guys, ill see you on the 13th around Carmarthen  as the optimax stations get a bit sparse around here urmm

There is one in Carmarthen, and will depend which way you plan to travel from there, but there is one in Kilgetty (not sure if its even open on sundays). Perhaps the station in Carmarthen is the best best, its very close to the general hospital.

Anyway, if you need any help with the route down at this end of the world, ill see what I can do.

Are you going to post any kind of route and times for the day? Don't want to be hanging around Carmarthen all day on the hope you all drive by!

Steve


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

Hmm the Newport to Betws-y-coed shouldnt take you more than 4 hours at an average (non TT speed) without any breaks (or breakdowns lol) , a lot will depend on how much tourist traffic and farmers are around when you make the trip.

You taking snow shoes 

Steve


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

Snow shoes, chains, gloves the lot! And my AA card so we should be ok.


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## v6vin (Oct 6, 2004)

Damon/MikeyB

Here is the link to pics of the OPIMAX garages at the main points of your journey. Hope this helps :wink:

http://public.fotki.com/vin/optimax_garages/

Mike


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

ttisitme said:


> Are you going to post any kind of route and times for the day? Don't want to be hanging around Carmarthen all day on the hope you all drive by!
> 
> Steve


Great stuff, thanks for your support.

I am working on details of route. Over the next couple of days I will be applying feedback from here and publishing the detail. Its a question of making sure we have the overall plan and commitments in place before committing to detail and creating more work than we already have by constantly adjusting the detailed plan.

Give us a couple of days :wink:

So what's your general plan? Meet Carmarthen and cruise to ??? then turn back for home?


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

ttisitme said:


> Hmm the Newport to Betws-y-coed shouldnt take you more than 4 hours at an average (non TT speed) without any breaks (or breakdowns lol) , a lot will depend on how much tourist traffic and farmers are around when you make the trip.
> 
> You taking snow shoes
> 
> Steve


Yep, I'd agree with timing. No snow shoes, just Quattro 8)

N. Wales is my 'place of origin'


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

v6vin said:


> Damon/MikeyB
> 
> Here is the link to pics of the OPIMAX garages at the main points of your journey. Hope this helps :wink:
> 
> ...


Thanks for your help, will get in touch next few days for route and hopefully seeing you again :wink:


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

The responses so far have been fantastic and make this look like the unique experience we had hoped for.

MikeyB and I are going to go through plans-to-date and all your responses tonight and I will post an update tomorrow.

Thanks again for your support.


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## Wallsendmag (Feb 12, 2004)

Didn't mean to be negative just Newcastle will be heaving on the 16th I off then by the way so may join up for a drive depending on the time


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## NormStrm (Sep 6, 2003)

Damon/MikeyB

Well I've modified the "Kneesworth!" meeting to coincide with you guys being in the area so hope for a good turn out to support you guys 

http://www.********.co.uk/ttforumbbs/vi ... hp?t=38379

Norman


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Thanks Norm

Would be fantastic to meet the prestigous Kneesworth crew


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

wallsendmag said:


> Didn't mean to be negative just Newcastle will be heaving on the 16th I off then by the way so may join up for a drive depending on the time


Wasn't negative, I thought it very helpful.

Hope to confirm tomorrow update on plan. Hope we get to meet up.


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## Hilly10 (Feb 4, 2004)

Damon join you at Betys coed up to Chester


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Hilly10 said:


> Damon join you at Betys coed up to Chester


Nice one, give me a day or two and we'll have timings up.


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## a3derv (Dec 31, 2004)

Will catch up with you on the M4 around Newport and cruise up to Aberystwyth with you.


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

omen666 said:


> Nice one, give me a day or two and we'll have timings up.


After that I may be able to commit for 1/2 day


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Iâ€™m up for this, canâ€™t wait to see the full schedule.

Depending on when your where (Final List) I my tag along to the south leg - if its during the week, else northern leg at the weekend.

Hopefully I will have got the red TT back by then, else i just have to come in the silver one!


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

omen666 said:


> ttisitme said:
> 
> 
> > Are you going to post any kind of route and times for the day? Don't want to be hanging around Carmarthen all day on the hope you all drive by!
> ...


Damon

We are from Tenby, well close to anyway  and will have the kids on board as my eldest is a keen TT fan in her own way  I said we would tag along with you guys for a couple of hours after that they will be totally uncontrollable (the kids not the car (I hope!)) if thats ok  So yeah we can drive east 20 mins to Carmarthen and follow you back west/NWest.

This may be the largest area with the least opti petrol stations, but Ill get my fill the night before 

Looking forward to meeting you guys, with more notice I could have arranged more time and left em all at home, but perhaps the summer one! its great for all us poor buggers who have to work and live millions of miles from all the meets!

Steve

PS Wonder if the other two Pembrokeshire boyz are going to join us, will PM them now  Yup Thats you JohnTT and Harold!


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Thanks again for another good day of support.

I have so much information and joiners I need to break this process down to the folowing steps.

Route - will complete today
Tomorrow - sorting accomodation
Weds - overlay all joiners, participants

Then we should be ready to go....

I'll be back later


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

omen666 said:


> Tomorrow - sorting accomodation
> Weds - overlay all joiners, participants


Tomorrow is Wednesday :wink:


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

I've thought of the perfect name for this tour...

... Paddy & Max's road to nowhere!! :lol: :lol:


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## Hilly10 (Feb 4, 2004)

Nice one Mikey :wink:


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

A3DFU said:


> omen666 said:
> 
> 
> > Tomorrow - sorting accomodation
> ...


Yep it is see..I have too much on my hands :wink:


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## Dont I Recognise You (Oct 10, 2003)

omen666 said:


> A3DFU said:
> 
> 
> > omen666 said:
> ...


I thought you were having a 'senior' moment


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

I'd like to join the Brighton to Oxford on the 19th, and maybe some of the SolenTTeers also... 8)


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Guys

You thought of taking donations?


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

jampott said:


> Guys
> 
> You thought of taking donations?


Hi Tim, we are making arrangements for a raffle and donation to a charity that the TTOC has just joined up with.

More news to follow.


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

Don't I Recognise You? said:


> omen666 said:
> 
> 
> > A3DFU said:
> ...


 :lol: :lol:


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## KevtoTTy (Aug 24, 2004)

jampott said:


> Guys
> 
> You thought of taking donations?


Perhaps each of us could be avilable at our nearest Shell garage with Pluspoint Cards and Shell Visa's at the ready :lol:


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## ANT (Oct 2, 2002)

Omen 666
Think the whole thing is a fantastic idea! really wish I could go, but only reason I can go to TTorquay is that I work there!!!!! :? One day I will have a life out of work! 
good Luck with the Tour m8! and see you in TTorquay!
ANT


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Intinerary has been updated on Page 1 top of thread


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## v6vin (Oct 6, 2004)

Damon/Mikey.

Can you handle another one to do the full trip, or does this affect yor planning. If i do it i can probably get some sponsorship from Centrica.

Mike


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Nice on Mike, give me a call on mobile.


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

So we have our third 'full-time' participant...v6vin.

Nice one, Mike.

I haven't got too far today with this, slightly distracted by my receiving my redundancy payment and my local wine bar's half price Champagne day!!!! [smiley=mexicanwave.gif]

Will be back on-topic tomorrow to post all those who have put their hands up to join each leg.

Thanks again for your support.

Omen 'hic' 666


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Ok, local knowledge needed.

I am now booking accomodation for the 3 of us.

Can I ask those in each of the stopover areas to think about a decent B&B or Hotel in the area?

We are trying to keep costs down, so Â£30 per head is approx. rate required.

We would prefer off-street parking obviously.

I have Chester and Royston (Kneesworth) booked. So need somewhere to stay in...

Glasgow
Aberdeen
Middlesborough
Brighton

Thanks for your help.


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

Omen

Aberdeen - Holiday Inn Express - Chapel Street (just off Union Street which is the main street in the town centre so plenty of pubs / places to eat etc)

HTH

John

PS I might be able to meet up for Inverness to Elgin depending on the time of day you will be passing along the A96


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## Grauditt (Nov 29, 2004)

Damon,

As discussed the other night on the phone sorry I can't be more helpful in accomodation - had a bad work week but the good thing is I'm off on holiday from tomorrow 

John has mentioned the HIX in Aberdeen and there's Travelodges and Travel Inns in Glasgow at reasonable prices - more help will be along soon I'm sure :roll:

I am defo up for a run with you guys on Wednesday 16th - I've got some great backroads in mind too :wink:

I will send you a PM with more details [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Thanks for your support, looking forward to meeting on Weds.

Hope the skiing goes well.


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## J 22S DS (Aug 17, 2004)

omen666 said:


> *Sunday 13th March*
> Leaving TTorquay mid-morning and say good bye to main group, Newport, Carmarthen, Aberystwyth, Betws-y-coed, Chester


Have you decided whether your staying for the TTorquay Sunday morning cruise or are you planning to leave before hand :?: :? :?: As I said beford Ive gotta to get back up to the midlands so I might well tag along on this leg of the tour depending on what time your leaving?


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

I need to have a chat with the other participants, I'll do that this weekend.

But given TTorquay to Chester is approx 5.5hrs drive we should leave by 11 to give ourselves a relaxed cruise.

Will let you know by Monday.

Thanx


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

We will be leaving TTorquay at about 11am on Sunday.

It means we will be missing some of the cruising in Torquay, but we will be driving through some beautiful Welsh countryside.


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Mikey and I are working on a raffle of TT related prizes to be run as part of this event.

We are working with the well-known TT businesses for prizes, more details to follow.

Tickets will only be available by meeting us. The number of prizes means your chances of winning are going to be high, so come on, get out on the road and meet us for a cruise and/or a drink.

The proceeds of the raffle will go to the charity the TTOC supports, Changing Faces

http://www.changingfaces.org.uk/


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## KevtoTTy (Aug 24, 2004)

Damon

Put me down fro the drive from Souf of the River to Brighton!!!

See you Sat

Kev


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

kevtoTTy said:


> Damon
> 
> Put me down fro the drive from Souf of the River to Brighton!!!
> 
> ...


Nice one Kev, over the next few days I will have detailed route ready and we can organise meeting point and time.


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## XXMetal (Jan 20, 2004)

Guys I'm busy at night, but if your coming passed Lincoln around lunch time do tyou fancy meeting up?


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

kevtoTTy said:


> Damon
> 
> Put me down fro the drive from Souf of the River to Brighton!!!
> 
> ...


As your only up the road, wanna meet up ?


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## KevtoTTy (Aug 24, 2004)

Sure thing, perhaps we can meet close to the Dartford Crossing?

Damon - do you know what your route is going to be when you hit Kent?

Kev


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

ronin said:


> kevtoTTy said:
> 
> 
> > Damon
> ...


Your already on the list mate :wink:


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

XXMetal said:


> Guys I'm busy at night, but if your coming passed Lincoln around lunch time do tyou fancy meeting up?


We are coming through Lincoln, will confirm timings today/tomorrow.


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## the wul (Dec 17, 2004)

what time do you think you will be leaving newcastle for the middlesboro run on wed :?: 
if its late afternoon i`m in


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## smuTTy (May 3, 2004)

I am heading from Aberdeen to Inverness on Tuesday 15th. Hopefully i'll see you guys on the road somewhere. I'll be travelling in the morning and be on the road between 11:00 and 13:00hrs. Any ideas when you'll be on the A96? I'll buy some raffle tickets off ya :wink:


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## smuTTy (May 3, 2004)

By the way, there is only one optimax pump in Inverness. Located at the shell garage (obviously :roll: ) near Raigmore hospital.


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Ok the final route has been posted on Page 1 of this thread.

You will need to click the link to get a full size image.

Please take a look at the timings and see if you can meet us on the way for a cruise and/or beers

Omen


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

Have just spoken to Damon and it seems the route times are a little urmm early  13th March leave Torquay at 11am (not 1am) , I guess this follows through with the rest of the times.

I did wonder when everyone was going to get some sleep 

Steve

PS If you are doing the TTour around Carmarthen, ill see you later, have a great drive!


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## fastasflip (May 13, 2003)

Hope they enjoyed Sunny Torquay as it's snowing in Chester, but not sticking. Looking over to North Wales it looks as if the hills have a light dusting


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

Sun is out in Pembrokeshire (some of the time), guess its the same in Carmarthenshire, will see what the roads north of carmarthen bring! Anyway im not going to post any more on the progress or photos of this part of the leg as I dont want to steal the boys limelight, however might get the missus to get some follow on shots of damons car and new stick on graphics 

Steve


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## Hilly10 (Feb 4, 2004)

Left Damon & Mikey about 6:35pm we had a great run through the mountains leave them to fill you all in


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

Hey Hilly, where did you guys meet up in the end? if they were late it was prob. my fault, got stuck behind a huge queue (caravan led) and it made us late for meeting Damon & Mikey, who had to delay for us!

Will post some photos shortly.

Steve


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

Mikey  best photo of the day! you wouldnt believe how close the old biddy came to giving your TT go faster nissan micra red stripes! I think she was a little more cautious when she saw me taking a photo - bad move really, she should have been looking where she was going!










We were all cringing in the car, Rachel was doing the "oh my god look look" routeen , just didnt have the heart to tell you at the time!

Alls well that ends well eh 

Steve


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## Hilly10 (Feb 4, 2004)

ttisitme We had a late lunch (me & wife) waited for them at Dogellegu (spelt wrong) we then went up through Festinog oooh those roads mostly empty fantastic I left them at Corwyn on the A5


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

Yep, then it was all my fault, can't remember who Damon/Mikey said they had to meet but it was Dolgeth.....whatever! We had a bit of a strange trip to be honest, travelling 30 mins east to meet then travel north west back on ourselves! Excellent fun due very much from the inter-car radio comms!

Steve


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

Okay have upped afternoons pics to

http://public.fotki.com/ttisitme/ttour_05_carmarthen/

Steve


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Hi everyone,

We are absolutely knackered. I have posted all photos from today here

http://public.fotki.com/Omen666/ttour_2005_day_1/

Unedited, so forgive some of them. FTP is still running, so should all be there in the next 30 mins.

Some of the roads today were awesome, still grinning.

Write up will be in the morning.......

Apologies, but physically exhausted and need to get some sleep.

Thanks to Steve and Paul...great driving Paul :wink:

Will be back int morning.....


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

Great first piccies Damon or should I say David :wink: , have fun today!!


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Well 6 hours sleep and feeling a bit more human after an exhausting but thrilling days driving.

On reflection 3 days at TTorquay was not best preparation. Drank far too much and slept too little which meant we werenâ€™t at our best yesterday.

Sunday got of to a great start taking the S4 Audi provided out for some â€˜testingâ€™. I can see why Scotty and Jampott have made to move to it. Huge grin factor, what a noise that engine makes.

Then a slow drive into Dartmoor with the main TTorquay cruise. Due to the group breaking up and waiting for everyone at Sainsburyâ€™s we set out a couple of hours later than we wanted to. This set up a pressured first days driving.

I was getting phone calls from ttstu, ttisitme and hilly10 as they had committed their Sundayâ€™s to meeting us. We â€˜pressedâ€™ on and made some time back.

ttstu on left









Highlights of TTorquay to Carmathen were great M5 cruise with 6 from TTorquay and ttstu joined. We got Chav-Camed on the Severn Bridgeâ€¦..we caught up with a Corsa kitted with an outrageous body kit over took, they pursued and started filming with a camcorder. So we gave them a little â€˜displayâ€™, including a standing drag race after the tolls.

Then a â€˜miniâ€™-cruise with a Works Cooper S Mini to Carmathen.

After surprising ttisitme with our rapid progress we met up for a cruise up to Aberystwyth. Great tight twisting roads. Stopped for first of many Optimax fill ups, where Mikeyâ€™s car nearly got a new modification care of a Nissan Micra driven by a pensioner.

Ttisitme









We said goodbye to ttisitme and cracked on to Dolgellau to meet up with Hilly10.

The roads were amazing; fast sweeping bends, long straights, tight sections. Interesting over taking opportunities :wink:

The investment in high quality walkie talkies paid off as we were able to assist each other for overtaking.

Met with Hilly10 and had a great time. I suggested to Paul that if pace was too high then to shout, mistake. It was red rag to a bull and Paulâ€™s chipped 150bhp (210bhp) he set off and really went for it. Both Mikey and I are running at 275bhp and it showed how a good driver can more than compensate for any power â€˜deficienciesâ€™ on a section with lots of corners. Nice work Paul, much respect.

Hilly10









Despite the high pace we still ran out of light and the temperatures quickly dropped. We had to miss out the Horse Shoe Pass, much to my disappointment, as it is an old stomping ground of mine.

We got to Chester for 7, and were joined by Mikeyâ€™s lovely fiancÃ© Emma. A quick pizza and some wine.

We now getting ready for a trip to Awesome GTI who have kindly supported the event, and then on to Lakes and up to Glasgow.

The Sport Contact 2â€™s kindly donated by Continental UK are great. They are still bedding in so we will see how they get on in next few days.










With the early start today we should have more time to enjoy the day and get to hotel at a decent hour. We will post update tonight rather than next morning hopefully.

Weâ€™ll be backâ€¦..


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## M T Pickering (Aug 11, 2004)

Good work so far lads!!!  and excellent pictures  More of the same please 8)


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## Wallsendmag (Feb 12, 2004)

Where abouts in Newcastle are you stopping off at ?


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## M T Pickering (Aug 11, 2004)

What time will you be at Scarboro on thursday????


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## fastasflip (May 13, 2003)

Just met up with the boyz as they were leaving the hotel in Chester and heading across to Awesome Gti in Warrington. Both looked like coiled springs [smiley=zzz.gif] (not) in readiness for another days driving.

Good to see you both and take it easy


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

Well done fellas, keep going ! Good to see you both at TTorquay.

Dont forget to text me your mobile damon so we can meet at Dawn's Crack on Saturday at Brighton  Aiming to get there by 7am.  
John


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## KevtoTTy (Aug 24, 2004)

TTotal said:


> Well done fellas, keep going ! Good to see you both at TTorquay.
> 
> Dont forget to text me your mobile damon so we can meet at Dawn's Crack on Saturday at Brighton  Aiming to get there by 7am.
> John


Who is Dawn - should I know her???? :lol:


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

TTotal said:


> Well done fellas, keep going ! Good to see you both at TTorquay.
> 
> Dont forget to text me your mobile damon so we can meet at Dawn's Crack on Saturday at Brighton  Aiming to get there by 7am.
> John


I won't ask what Dawn's crack is!!!! :lol:


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

a feeble joke fellas, you are all too young I guess to have heard the expression "the crack of dawn" :?

Cuh, the yoof of today


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## Hilly10 (Feb 4, 2004)

Damon Mikey If yesterdays run is anything to go by you two will need a front end respray. Got some big chips on the bonnet and valence. Could that gritting truck have somethink to do with them I wonder. Remember Mikey BasÂ£Â£ard did I hear you utter when he went past   Never mind it was all worth it


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## CapTT (Mar 2, 2003)

Just left Damon and MikeyB on the outskirts of Carlisle after an enjoyable blast over the fells from Bass. Lake. The boys will now be on the M6/A74/M74 on their way to Bonny Scotland and a well earned few beers in Glasgow.

Pity about the weather , pissing down as usual , but best of luck lads and have fun on the rest of the TTour.


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

My last contri to this thread, and the last of day 1  a little video clip taken on a slower part of the drive (yep both hands were on the damn wheel the rest of the drive!)

http://www.costaalmeria.com/tt/ttmovie.mov

Size is around 1.7mb

Steve


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## CapTT (Mar 2, 2003)

ttisitme said:


> My last contri to this thread, and the last of day 1  a little video clip taken on a slower part of the drive (yep both hands were on the damn wheel the rest of the drive!)
> 
> http://www.costaalmeria.com/tt/ttmovie.mov
> 
> ...


Any chance of translating it into english , V.perhaps ? , it all looks Greek to me :?


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

Damon/Mikey... can you give us a meet point for Brighton ? Dave (dibblet with the purple TTC ) and I will be there for 7 am... so please tell us where you will be camping :wink:


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

The morning got off to a good start, just as we were leaving fastasflip (Glenn) turned up in an immaculate TTC225, black with cream leather. Looked the business Glenn.

As Glenn says, we were totally refreshed :wink:

fastasflip









Then short drive to Awesome GTI for a natter and quick clean of cars. Good setup, loads of modded cars there.

Then we were off proper. Within 2 miles I was nearly totalled by an articulated wagon running wide on on a bend. He had â€˜the tail outâ€™ and got in back inline just before I went through. If Iâ€™d been as close to Mikey as normal, that would have been the end of my TTour.

Then we had a quick blast up the M6. The M6 provided todays Chav-Camâ€¦.










Then onto the Lakes, Windermere to Ambleside was the usual 40mph, but we got a nice photo whilst looking at the Good Pub Guide for decision on where to have lunch.










Lunch at the Travelers Rest (very apt) in Grasmere is special, we would recommend it to all when passing through.

We had a great cruise to Cockermouth and met CapTT (John). Had a quick natter and we were off for another â€˜lessonâ€™â€¦

CapTT









Great hoon, bottoming out very often, at the end Mikey and I had big grinsâ€¦..then John confesses he is an ex-Rally professional!!!! Great stuff John, highlight of the day.










Then we were off to motorway for a nice open motorway cruise, good photos.


















Got to Glasgow for another Optimax fill and cleaned cars.










We are currently in a v. nice bar in with wifi and posting this update. The ftp of photos isnâ€™t working very well so we will just post link to my fotki account rather than including them here. We will pop into Starbucks in the morning and get them completed.

http://public.fotki.com/Omen666/ttour_2005_day_2/

We are going to keep a track of a few statistics for you allâ€¦..

Stella count = 10
Spilled pints = 1 :x
Bottles of wine = 5
Burger count = 6
Red Bull count = 9

Traffic patrol count = 8 [smiley=stop.gif] 
Fill-ups Optimax = 4 
Interesting â€˜momentsâ€™ count = 3 [smiley=oops.gif] 
TTOC Flyer count = 9 
Miles so far = 622


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## KevtoTTy (Aug 24, 2004)

Damon/Mikey

Great to see you both again at TTorquay, glad all appears to be going okay.

Friday may be problem for me, either way I will be down for Saturdays cruise.

PM me your number or I'll contact TTotal later in the week.

Best of luck

Kev


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## davidg (Sep 14, 2002)

Mikey/Damon

Sorry i missed you today would have been great to meet at Awesome and drive north ,,,, but i had to :x :x :x work all day :x :x :x

Have good trip


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## Hilly10 (Feb 4, 2004)

Keep safe boys


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

What time will you guys be leaving Inverness 2day ??


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Hi Jam225

I was hoping to here from you today.

We will be leaving Glasgow about 1000. will put Inverness in TomTom and will then have exact time.

Can you call me on 09730 358580 after 1030? and or PM your mobile by 0900 this morning? or text me it


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

kevtoTTy said:


> Damon/Mikey
> 
> Great to see you both again at TTorquay, glad all appears to be going okay.
> 
> ...


Good to see you to fella, is that a bit of a crocky voice and sniff I detect.....sounds like you'll have a really bad cold by Friday :wink:


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

omen666 said:


> Hi Jam225
> 
> I was hoping to here from you today.
> 
> ...


Damon's mobile should read 07930 358580, not sure if he is able to get back on to change so hope you don't mind Damon?!

Having fun?


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

No problems Lee, thanx

Having great fun, call me later.

Best


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Photos have been added to yesterdays message/write up.

Complete days photos are http://public.fotki.com/Omen666/ttour_2005_day_2/


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## L7 (Aug 27, 2004)

Looks like you've been having fun fella's 8) most :mrgreen:

Oh yeah Damon go easy on Mikey don't forget be gentle :lol:


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

Proof that MikeyB drives on 2 wheels !


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

Just noticed your sig pic John, very good!! :lol:


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

What a lovely little feller he is ... this aint Oliver but same sweet smile !


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

TTotal said:


> Proof that MikeyB drives on 2 wheels !


Errm is that not Damon? MikyB's car is Black! :roll:


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

mighTy Tee said:


> TTotal said:
> 
> 
> > Proof that MikeyB drives on 2 wheels !
> ...


Mikeyb is taking the pic! :lol:


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

Multiprocess said:


> mighTy Tee said:
> 
> 
> > TTotal said:
> ...


That puts a different slant on the subject....


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

URGENT UPDATE!!!

Mikeyb's MAF is kaput!! There are having to change the route for today! The are NOT doing the Inverness to Elgin to Aberdeen route, they are heading east to Aberdeen to get a new MAF, but they will be in Aberdeen tonight as planned.

Tomorrow they will do the Aberdeen to Elgin to Inverness route backwards so anyone joining them please get in contact with Damon on 07930 358580.

They will be in Middlesborough tomorrow night as planned and there after everything is as planned.

I'm sure Damon will update things tonight when they get it sorted.


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## tactile (Dec 3, 2004)

Good luck lads !!!!!


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

Best of luck boys 

Just called Damons mobile but no reply :?

Hopefully catch up with you tomorrow

John


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

jam225 said:


> Best of luck boys
> 
> Just called Damons mobile but no reply :?
> 
> ...


Were just in The Foundry pub in Aberdeen sorting out tomorrow's route. We are going to start it as Lee (Multiprocess) says above and we will see how my car is running on the new MAF. (Bloody thing!  )

Fingers crossed everything will be running fine and our 8 hours 45 minute drive tomorrow will go as planned and on schedule.

Were just about to upload the new photos from today whilst were having a pint or two.. :wink:

Feeling shattered at the moment due to a cold I have picked up somewhere...  - but the driving and the beer is keeping me running so far! Just hope my car is ok... :?


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Well a slow start this morning that just got slower. No sooner than we had got out of Glasgow, Mikeyâ€™s car started loosing boost under hard acceleration.

We carried on for a while around Loch Lomond until it became obvious the problem wasnâ€™t going to clear.

A quick run without the MAF confirmed our fears and the dayâ€™s plan were out the window.










A quick call to Multiprocess, got us the details of all the Audi Dealers on the route we had planned. Thanks for your help Lee.

Neither Audi Inverness or Elgin had an appropriate MAF for Mikeyâ€™s year of TT. Aberdeen was our only option. We decided against doing the planned route as we couldnâ€™t be 100% about getting through. So opted for a gentle easterly run across to Perth and then north to Aberdeen.

The weather could have been better so visibility was not great. Nonetheless we did some stunning scenery and ran some real lakeside â€˜twistiesâ€™.









































Caught up with an â€™05 TT on the way to Aberdeen. Looked like he was running it in :wink:










The Audi dealer had the MAF delivered for 3 and we fitted the MAF and went to nearest Shell garage for Optimax and the daily jet wash.


















We saw this TT with nice RS6â€™s 300m from the hotel, anyone here?









So we now have to rethink our plans for Day 4. 
We really want to run the A90 to Elgin and the A85 alongside Loch Ness so we have to decided to go for it and have an 8 hour sprint â€" Aberdeen, Elgin, Inverness, Fort William, Stirling, Edinburgh, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Middlesbrough.

Itâ€™s a long route, but will be rewarding enough to make up for todayâ€™s drive. It was still beautiful and testing, but after the high standards of Day 1 and 2 we donâ€™t feel as exhilarated as normal tonight.

So we are off for a wee Curry and a quick GT4 session back at the B&B (yes Mikey brought his PS2!!!) before an early night and a very early start tomorrow...6 a.m. !!!!!!

As usual all the days pic are here... http://public.fotki.com/Omen666/ttour_2005_day_2/

Updated statsâ€¦..

Stella count = 20 (and rising, we are in a pub with wifi typing this)
Bottles of wine = 6
Burger count = 6 (no change from Day 2, we didnâ€™t even stop for lunch)
Red Bull count = 11

Traffic patrol count = 9
Fill-ups Optimax = 6
Interesting â€˜momentsâ€™ count = 3
TTOC Flyer count = 11
Miles so far = 899


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

Even with the problems and long tiring drives... still looks like fun. Let's hope we can organise one for next year


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## aidb (Mar 19, 2003)

Bl**dy maf. :x

Here's the link to all the new pics. (Damon must be tired) [smiley=zzz.gif] :wink:

http://public.fotki.com/Omen666/ttour_2005_day_3/


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## L7 (Aug 27, 2004)

Good going fella's keep it up 

After reading about your mile munching when i came home tonight Jo asked whether i would mind driving up to Derbyshire (Swanick ?) at the weekend to see an old school friend of hers , oh alright says i :roll: 

Hope you get on without any further mishaps.


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

Glad I could help, safe journey tomorrow!


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

Nice one boys 8)

Heres a link to NESCAMP http://www.nescamp.co.uk/sites.htm
which is only showing 2 safety camera locations on the A96 this week 

As a general rule there is usually a police presence between Inverurie -Huntly and Huntly-Keith. Be extra vigilant around the crawler lane sections as they like to lurk around at the top / bottom of these.

I'm not sure what time you guys are leaving 2day but I'm pretty free in the office up till 11.30 so I might be up for a wee cruise (ahem site visit :wink: ) depending on when you are passing through Elgin.

Cheers

John


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

PS guys after you leave Aberdeen there is only ONE fixed camera on the A96 all the way 2 Inverness which is about 1 mile after the airport roundabout just as you leave.

Living up here does have some advantages :wink: 8)


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

Damon / Mike photos as promised

Hope the rest of your day went well 8)


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## M T Pickering (Aug 11, 2004)

Excellent pictures Jam!!! Usual scottish weather!!! :roll:

Hope to see Mikey and Damon on the Scarboro to Hull leg!!!!  tomorrow.

Lads will you need any matchsticks??? to keep yer eyes open :lol:


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

CapTT said:


> ttisitme said:
> 
> 
> > My last contri to this thread, and the last of day 1  a little video clip taken on a slower part of the drive (yep both hands were on the damn wheel the rest of the drive!)
> ...


As much as I would love to speak Greek, here is a translation closer to the Queens English, or as close as I can get :-

This is my last contribution/message to this thread (or discussion) (This is now a lie obviously)

If you click the link below (the bit of the message that starts http://) you will be able to download a small video clip that I look on day one of the TTour following Omen666.

It was on quite a slow piece of road as I was unable to hold the camera and keep the car on the road on the faster bits of the drive.

http://www.costaalmeria.com/tt/ttmovie.mov

Hope this helps CapTT 


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

nutts said:


> Even with the problems and long tiring drives... still looks like fun. Let's hope we can organise one for next year


Mark,

We had some problem finding out just quite where the Mikey and Damon road show was, making it quite difficult to syncronise meeting points, and didnt really wan't to phone them up all the while.

Anyway, what I was thinking is that whoever decides to take the next TTour (one of the members who is doing the whole run) should arrange to take a laptop, mobile and GPS - something that Mikey is doing this time around. Im not sure if the software is available (at a reasonable price) but I would be willing to crank some software up if there is a need, for those techie and cgi heads amongst us I figure....

1. Get the PC to go to a specific website where a CGI is hosted, and use post to send location from the GPS in the car, perhaps every 10 mins, or 5 mins etc - via GPRS it shouldnt cost too much.

2. (at least) One of the online mapping solutions will take a url with long/lat parameters and display where that location is so every member can check where the ttour is currently located and make sure everyone is ontime.

For the non techies, you may have seen the Jeremy Clarkson DB9 tour down to Monaco (I think) where "the other two" were on the train with a laptop and checking the position of Clarkson as he drive, well Im thinking of the same kind of solution but where we can all just check a webpage and it shows you where they are on a map. As far as I can see total cost is the cost of the data costs from the mobile phone, should be just a few pence a day on GPRS.

Anyway, any thoughts anyone?

Steve


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

Just incase I have totally confused anyone, as an example you could go to the TTour page, click "where is the tour now" and it could refer you to the following pages (or similar)

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=51.6965&lon=-4.8972&scale=10000&icon=x

or even (slightly tongue in cheek for this one)

http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?x=199877&y=203723&scale=10000

Steve

PS Notice the long and lat references, nice and easy!


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## the wul (Dec 17, 2004)

should be meeting with the lads this afternoon in corbridge, northumberland
4.30ish traffic alowing


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## fastasflip (May 13, 2003)

ttisitme, was only thinking of this, this morning. I went to a company that had a fleet of vehicles. The boss (to make sure his drivers were ok :? ) could log onto a website, trackback.co.uk I think, and view a map of the UK and pin point any one of his vehicles.


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## tactile (Dec 3, 2004)

Nice Pics see you in the morning guys !!!


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## Hilly10 (Feb 4, 2004)

ttisitme said:


> Just incase I have totally confused anyone, as an example you could go to the TTour page, click "where is the tour now" and it could refer you to the following pages (or similar)
> 
> Totally confused me


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

ttisitme said:


> nutts said:
> 
> 
> > Even with the problems and long tiring drives... still looks like fun. Let's hope we can organise one for next year
> ...


Only problem is that GPRS coverage in Scotland and ESPECIALLY Wales is crap!

I'm project managing a UK wide solution to track our vehcles. The in-cab device picks up it's GPS location and sends it back via GPRS to a server, so that the traffic controllers can track and trace each truck 

If you could help out on next years trip with this type of system, it would be 8)

Mark


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## the wul (Dec 17, 2004)

due to a Tom Tom error and bad traffic the TTour is running late so i wont be meeting the lads in corbridge  , they are heading on down to stockton and should be there for 7ish( if mikeyB stops taking wrong turns :wink: )

drive safe lads and hope to see you at another meet soon


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

Damon and Mikey will be psting the detail of the day a bit later than they planned today, due to a hectic and tiring two days.

Damon tells me he has fantastic scenery shots today so look out.


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

They looked pretty knackered at 9.30 this morning :?

I can't begin to imagine what they must feel like now


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## L7 (Aug 27, 2004)

Why oh why did they do this :?

Oh yeah because it looks like bloody good fun


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Hi all

We are absolutelty knackered after 13 hours today!!!

So report in the morning, for now pics are at

http://public.fotki.com/Omen666/ttour_2005_day_4/

They are VERY special. FTP is still running so give it a while....

Good night


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## L7 (Aug 27, 2004)

Great pic's should have taken snowboards 8)


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## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

Have a good run tomorrow. I'm sure we'll make "Kneesworth" feel like home from home. :wink:


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

L7 said:


> Great pic's should have taken snowboards 8)


Photos were taken at the Lecht L7, its been one of the poorest seasons for sonw up here for a long time  Then again I say that every year :lol:

Damon / Mike the photos are stunning on thinking about it last night I reckon that you could have saved 2 hours by travelling on the A96 from Aberdeen to Inverness instead of the scenic route :? but then again some of the scenery is STUNNING 8) 8) 8)

Best of luck with the rest of the trip, sounds like you'll need a holiday afterwards to recover

Cheers

John


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Good morning all

So after Day 3â€™s reroute we decided to be bold and go for the circuit of Scotland that we had to abandon. Although it was going to be a longer drive as we had to make it to Middlesbrough to keep the plan on schedule and meet the people we had committed to.

A 6 a.m. start should have seen us through no problems and allow us to keep our appointments to meet Jam225, GraudiTT and The Wul on the way.

So after pouring over the maps and trying many different combinations in the TomTom Sat Nav we came up with a route calculated as a 8 hours 43 minutes. A long drive, but we were up for it as we really wanted to drive over the top of the Scottish ski resorts and the length of Loch Ness.


































We met with Jam225 (John) for a quick chat and photoâ€™s. It was nice to meet you and Joe and thanks for putting up the pics.










The drive into Inverness was fast and the end of it brightened up by a yellow Mini Cooper having a play, driven by a friendly girl called Mel.

A quick VAGCOM check at Audi Inverness gave both cars the all clear. But the same canâ€™t be said for TomTom Sat Nav.

We had been on the road for 3 hours and had a fantastic drive taking in some breathtaking views. We set off from Inverness for the Loch Ness drive on the A82. At this point the TomTom Sat Nav decided to reveal a revised plan and we found out we still had 9 hours to go!!! Our 9-hour drive had just turned into a 13 hour marathon!

We spotted a strange animal at the roadside who came out to support the TTour...










Progress was slowed by some torrential rain coming through the west of Scotland. At times visibility was down to 20m. The Conti Sport Contact 2â€™s seemed to cope really well with the large amounts of standing water and I never felt uncomfortable with the grip levels on the twisties. Mikey says his still feel a bit â€˜softâ€™, the only difference in the setups is Mikey has R32 ARBâ€™s fitted.


















This meant we werenâ€™t going to be able to meet graudiTT in Edinburgh for late lunch and I had to cancel, apologies Graeme.

It was a day for impromtu TTourers yesterday. On the way to Edinburgh we were joined by a *very* quick Honda 200SX. We could see a boost gauge on the dash so we knew some after market work had been done. It was all friendly and we waved goodbye as we got to Edinburgh.










Despite our recent good progress we were going to be getting to Newcastle too late to meet The Wul, again apologies.

Concentrations levels were down and I called a turn-off too late for Mikey and we got separated on different motorways. It took about 30 mins to get back together. Whilst Mikey was catching me up a Civic Type R had a play, again it was modified and mighty impressive.

We cruised from Edinburgh to Middlesborough on the A68. Progress was tortuous until we got through Jedburgh and the roads opened up. This lifted our spirits and we found reserves of energy to get us thorugh.


















ChavCam


















I havenâ€™t had time to select the best of the photos from yesterday, so I have posted them all. Itâ€™s a lot, but there are some brilliant pics. I am running out of time again this morning as we are meeting TTCool in 30 mins for a cruise over to Scarborough before onto Hull to meet Tactile. Hopefully getting to XXMetal in Lincoln later too.

Thanks to everyone for your support, its good to see responses here, keep them coming.

Best

Damon and Mikey

Updated statsâ€¦..

Stella count = 30 
Bottles of wine = 6
Burger count = 7
Red Bull count = 14

Traffic patrol count = 15 (6 yesterday!)
Fill-ups Optimax = 8
Interesting â€˜momentsâ€™ count = 4
TTOC Flyer count = 12
Miles so far = 1400 approx.


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

You'll never make it under that barrier mate...STOP now ! 

and yes  I looked at all 248 pics  Well done guys a great diary!


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## M T Pickering (Aug 11, 2004)

Thursday UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Myself and Tactile Just met up with Damon, Mikey B and Joe at Scarboro through to Hull!!!

Left the guys heading to the Humber Bridge and then on to the A15 to Lincoln!!!

Good to meet up with you guys!!!  Good luck with the rest of the Tour!!! 8)

Its off to work for me now!!!! Cheers.


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## jog (Oct 13, 2003)

Well done so far guys. I am soooooo jealous. Cant wait to meet up with you on Saturday morning. Hope you wont be too tired. there should be quite a few of us by the time you reach Southampton. Have you any idea how far West you want to go before heading North?


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

Hey...great news, I shall have my favourite passenger with me !

Helen :-* , is coming up all the way from Plymouth to see you Damon and Mikey ! You are honoured indeed, we shall meet up with Little and Large in Brighton dead early then escort them across the borders into Hampshite. Guess we could go as far as Newbury / Oxford ish.

Good fun ! Still need to know how we can all contribute to the charity??


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## jog (Oct 13, 2003)

TTotal said:


> Hey...great news, I shall have my favourite passenger with me !
> 
> Helen :-* , is coming up all the way from Plymouth to see you Damon and Mikey ! You are honoured indeed, we shall meet up with Little and Large in Brighton dead early then escort them across the borders into Hampshite. Guess we could go as far as Newbury / Oxford ish.
> 
> Good fun ! Still need to know how we can all contribute to the charity


Funnily enough, Andrea wanted to come and be a TTour Groupie too, but she's got another appointment on Saturday AM. I think my son Max is going to be co-driver for the day instead.


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## tactile (Dec 3, 2004)

Hi Guys as said we met up with the guys in Scarborough and brought them down to the Humber Bridge, and at this moment in time they are winging it on the A15 with CoolTT in tow ( an elderly gent in his 70s who has decided to go the the TT shop as well.)


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

fastasflip said:


> ttisitme, was only thinking of this, this morning. I went to a company that had a fleet of vehicles. The boss (to make sure his drivers were ok :? ) could log onto a website, trackback.co.uk I think, and view a map of the UK and pin point any one of his vehicles.


So no freebie software then eh


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## ttisitme (Jun 26, 2003)

nutts said:


> ttisitme said:
> 
> 
> > nutts said:
> ...


Ha so im not preaching to the unconverted then  I knew someone would have experience of such a system! I guess its not cheap?

Nothing wrong with GPRS in Pembrokeshire ill have you know, guess it would just be a case of checking which provider has the best coverage for the route,

What got me thinking was orange having a PAYG offer of â€¦.4MB (worth Â£16) for Â£4 (of GPRS) which is a lot for just a little data logging of 7 digits for long and 7 digits for lat , hmm okay without any overheads is around 2000 updates, driving for 8 hours a day means you could update at 250 times an hour, so lets be realistic and go for once every 10 mins and you would have just over 300 hours of car position logging for 4 quid! Thought id better get this down â€œon paperâ€ before I forget.

Just for the confused people, I figure the most cost effective way would be :-

1. Every 10 mins the in-car PC updates a remote website (only be connected for a second or so)

2.People who want to check on progress will check the website (not the in-car pc) which will give the opportunity to view the long/lat on a map (as demonstrated earlier)

Even with problem GPRS areas such as Wales and Scotland, if the in-car system misses an update, well its only going to be another 10 mins until it tries again, or of course we could get it to keep trying until it does get through.

I expect that by next year there may be a cost effective package available, but if not, well we can work on it then â€" I really think a week tops for the development :- one day to write and test and another few days for in-car testing 

Okay well ill shut up now and let the thread get back to the Mikey and Damon roadshow, if anyone is even slightly interested or is still confused, please feel free to PM me â€" and if you have a use for the project I would be even more interested in talking to you! Would love to see it in action!

Anyway, better go get some work done or ill never be able to get the 911 I promised myself next year LOL

Steve


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## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

Just a quick post to confirm the TTour arrived at Kneesworth safe and sound. I'm sure pictures from this evening will arrive soon.


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## NormStrm (Sep 6, 2003)

scoTTy said:


> I'm sure pictures from this evening will arrive soon.


As if my magic :wink:










I think it's safe to say a good time was had by all.

Norman


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## jam225 (Jun 24, 2003)

Good to see your still going strong guys 

Whats happened to your red pumas Damon ?


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## tactile (Dec 3, 2004)

jam225 said:


> Good to see your still going strong guys
> 
> Whats happened to your red pumas Damon ?


Hes had enough stick !!


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## NaughTTy (Jul 9, 2003)

Good to see nomaD ( :wink: ) and Mikey last night (and, of course, the rest of the Kneesworth Crew!) - good luck with the rest of the tour.

Forgot to ask last night - were we supposed to buy raffle tickets from you - can't remember it being mentioned :?


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

ttisitme said:


> nutts said:
> 
> 
> > ttisitme said:
> ...


You do know that the CoPilot Sat Nav software designed specifically for the latest Windows Smartphones does EXACTLY what you are talking about?

It updates your position to a website and you can "invite" people securely to login to view your position...


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

FYI...

http://www.alk.eu.com/products/consumer ... splive.asp

It supports messaging functions, too. V. Clever. Its the only thing missing from TomTom 5... :roll:


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

So ...you wait till I leave before you take the photograph then


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## tactile (Dec 3, 2004)

Whats the latest on the Lads anyone, they obviuosly had a late night as they have not posted any of yesterdays pics.


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## KevtoTTy (Aug 24, 2004)

Just spoke to Damon

Yep they are still alive!!!! 

Too many beers last night + short dash from Colchester to Margate = late start!!!
:lol: 
K


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

Just had a word with Laurel and Hardy...

Apparently had a Stella too many  but otherwise delighted to meet up with us all at the Kneesworth Chapter last night.

Currently they are in Colchester @ 13.00 hrs today 8)


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## tactile (Dec 3, 2004)

Cheers m8 !!!


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

Just spoke to Damon and tonight's post will be late but will cover the last 2 days!


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Hello everyone, we've made it to Brighton. Just!

Made the mistake of thinking the coast round from Dover would be a nice run....mistake!

We have a really flaky wireless connection and the FTP keeps timing out. It seems that these hotspots have good download, but small upload bandwidth.

So no piccies until I get home on Sunday 

Yesterday was a quiet day compared to the few days before, a quick run to Scarborough, Hull and down to TTShop. Then onto the Kneesworth meet. Had a great time, good fun. Drank too much [smiley=sick2.gif]

This is the third time I've written this post as the wireless connection keeps dropping so I'll be brief.

Today was a run from Kneesworth to Colchester, met up with Vingers and his girlfriend for a cruise, then onto Brighton via Dover.

TTotal has organised a mini-cruise from Brighton to meet with the SolenTTers tomorrow, looking forward to that to finish this fantastic week.

John, breakfast is booked for 8 at 8'oclock. See you then.

Sorry this is short. Given the early start tomorrow, it is likely to be Sunday morning before I get a proper write-up and pics done, apologies.

A big thanks to all that have met us so far, its be a great week.

Best

Mikey and Damon


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

Were looking good on Portsdown Hill (Portsmouth) this morning, and a really good receiption. Pity the fog had not lifted so there weren't any views across the Solent, but at least it was sunny.

Also the sight of Mick's Monster Burgers seemed to please those who had not had any breakfast, including a hot dog for the dog  .

Left the guys (approx 12 TTs) heading towards the M27 and a lunch date outside Andover.


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## dibblet (Sep 10, 2003)

just got back feet up after a good cruise to brighton in the fog & a run back to Pompeyl... some interesting comments over breakfast & a offer from Damon to Mikey. :roll: [smiley=gossip.gif] you guys must have got close after a week . but maybe it as just the brighton Air.some good photo's at brighton. wil have to download a few. a good cruise.

see you all soon with polished cars :!: Have a good sleep. [smiley=sleeping.gif]


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## steveh (Jan 14, 2004)

It was a good day, the weather was great as was the company. Breakfast was missing but the burger the size of the Isle of Wight that I had at Portsmouth made up for it. The pub we went to was also very nice although it's a shame they didn't have a bigger car park and also a shame I'd had the previously mentioned burger as the food at the pub looked really appetising.

Damon and Mikey looked knackered but it sounds like they've had a great week and I must admit that, apart from the B&Bs I am quite envious.

Should be some good photos from them tomorrow.

Good to meet you all guys.

Steve


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

Well, 2600 miles later, I have arrived back at home!! 

Just a short post as I am off out to get drunked to celebrate my younger brothers birthday and the successful TTour 2005! [smiley=cheers.gif]

Thanks for all the support and encouragement 

MikeyB


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## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

Well played guys !

[smiley=cheers.gif]


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## tactile (Dec 3, 2004)

Nice one mikey...................have one for me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

Glad you got home safe guys 

See you soon


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## brayboy (Aug 6, 2004)

well done lads looked like fun, when will the next one be?


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## aidb (Mar 19, 2003)

I'm now looking forward to *TTour '05...The Movie.* 

I wonder who Hollywood's going to cast 
in the role of Mikey and Damon? 8) 8) :wink:


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## LakesTTer (Jan 19, 2005)

aidb said:


> I'm now looking forward to *TTour '05...The Movie.*
> 
> I wonder who Hollywood's going to cast
> in the role of Mikey and Damon? 8) 8) :wink:


Laurel and Hardy are out 'cos they're both dead :lol:

You might get Ricky Gervais to do a Xmas special of The Office.

David and Gareth go large :lol:


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## NormStrm (Sep 6, 2003)

TTotal said:


> So ...you wait till I leave before you take the photograph then


Well you didn't look hard enough :wink:


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## Vingers (Dec 22, 2004)

Well done lads - Good work. Good to meet you both. Put your feet up for a while... [smiley=sleeping.gif]


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

NormStrm said:


> TTotal said:
> 
> 
> > So ...you wait till I leave before you take the photograph then
> ...


Simply amazing, you would never know that Mayur and I were photoshopped in!

The only give away is the hats mate :wink:


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## KevtoTTy (Aug 24, 2004)

TTotal said:


> NormStrm said:
> 
> 
> > TTotal said:
> ...


 :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## MikeyB (Sep 30, 2004)

Damon is having trouble posting on the forum which he thinks is down to the MAC issue...

When this is resolved, he will post an update to the tour.


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

A foggy run down to Brighton with Dibblet, Dave and his Purple TTC, lovely colour mate, where we parked right on the front esplanade.

Walked up to Laurel and Hardys B&B which was funnier than Fawlty Towers !

They had obviously been closed all winter and we were the first to use the "dining room"... :lol: . the cups upturned on the saucers were actually stuck to them and Helen just could not seperate them .

Mikey's knike and fork were stuck to the "tablecloth"  Breakfast was one rasher, one "second hand sausage"  and a couple of baked beans!!!

Mikey and Damon have now obviously got very close (there was talk that this could be the forum's first gay wedding!!) , Damon asked if he could grab Mikey's sausage (Smirk smirk  ). The (single) bedroom seemed like something from Oxfam, with the stolen TV in it, "PLEASE can *Travelodge* sponsor the next TTour?" cries Damon :?

SteveH ,KevTotty and Wendy (left Bev at home) and Ronin (GavJW) and Tim Lakester eventually turn up too late for the banquet feast of a breakfasy so we head for the sea road for a photoshoot. (Nice pix which should be posted soon).

We all head off with our 8 cars for Portsmouth and join the trippers and chavs for a cruise to the Monster Burger Van.

All lined up ther to meet us were

Marky Bears, MighTTea Tea, BillP, Mark Jog and Nipper, all awash with burgers the size of Cow pats !!! 

We lost s few on the wayside and 6 cars ended up having a riverside lunch at the Fly pub on the river at Chilbolton near Stockbridge (nice suggestion BillP). Was a red hot glorious day so Helen and I shpot off home to get the Triumph Daytona (motorbike) out and go for a burn ...YES back to the Burger van on the hill!  (Next day, not having enough of TTs I took Helen for a whole day of modding to the Staines TT Shack where we met Jamie/ Clarko, Andi, Tej , Arfji and the Maestro and family too, getting away far too late and missing lunch and supper  )

Well done Damon and Mikey for a splendid effort and lottsd of interesting posts and photos, cheers guys!


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## Multiprocess (Aug 9, 2004)

Damon's having trouble with his Mac and the TT-F so has asked me to post the links to the latest photos...........

http://public.fotki.com/omen666/ttour_2005_day_5/
http://public.fotki.com/omen666/ttour_2005_day_6/

We done to the boys on this TTour, roll on the next one!!


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

Quiz...

Who is this then ?


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## digimeisTTer (Apr 27, 2004)

I hope your not casting aspertions regarding anyone's taste in women?? :lol:


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## LakesTTer (Jan 19, 2005)

digimeisTTer said:


> I hope your not casting aspertions regarding anyone's taste in women?? :lol:


You need to look closely at the Brighton line up. Firstly at the W12 front end that everyones been bangin' on about fo photos, then take a closer look inside the car. :wink: 
Tough luck yesterday 'twas a good game [smiley=smash.gif]


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## digimeisTTer (Apr 27, 2004)

Lovely Dog mate, and yes was a good game no complaints apart from Martins' howler, keeps things ineteresting tho' :wink:


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## dibblet (Sep 10, 2003)

Tim yep Lovely dog & well trained too. or did the hot dog bribe work ?

Good set of photo's & the Sun did come out for the last day . just need to get my car polished as good as the rest . roll on my order for some swissol I think 8) . though i need a few lessons..


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## LakesTTer (Jan 19, 2005)

dibblet said:


> Tim yep Lovely dog & well trained too. or did the hot dog bribe work ?
> 
> Good set of photo's & the Sun did come out for the last day . just need to get my car polished as good as the rest . roll on my order for some swissol I think 8) . though i need a few lessons..


The hot-dog helped, he's normally naughty when we're in company  I just have to train him to stop shedding when he's in the car, not gonna get too excited about a few hairs. Good day out, good cruise although I must admit, that when I got onto the A30 and discovered I was only 60 odd miles from London, I wish I hadn't left quite so early. I think I'll do the next tour, take some time off work and do it sans SatNav, follow the stars and look for moss on trees. :lol:


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Just re-read the whole thread.

Brings back fantastic memories.

Thanks to everyone for your support, big smiles.

[smiley=iloveyou.gif] [smiley=mexicanwave.gif] [smiley=iloveyou.gif]


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## NaughTTy (Jul 9, 2003)

omen666 said:


> *Just re-read the whole thread*.
> 
> Brings back fantastic memories.
> 
> ...


Not got any MBA stuff to then Damon? :lol: :wink:

Looked like it was a good trip though, despite the stone chips :roll:


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

Think he's missing his room mate :-*


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## dibblet (Sep 10, 2003)

or the shared Breakfast items. :roll: 
the run from brighton to portsmouth was good. shame about the fog/mist.. 
honest damon there is a view from mick's burger van.. :?


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## steveh (Jan 14, 2004)

dibblet said:


> or the shared Breakfast items. :roll:
> the run from brighton to portsmouth was good. shame about the fog/mist..
> honest damon there is a view from mick's burger van.. :?


I still have nightmares about that burger :lol: it was huge :!: :!: I'm just glad Tim's (LakesTTer) dog was there to finish it off. Mind you I still have nightmares about the breakfast in Brighton and I only had it described to me. :lol:


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## omen666 (Oct 10, 2004)

Nearly a whole year ago, OMG 8)

Good times, would love to do this in the current motor but can't begin to think how much fuel it would take!


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## Grauditt (Nov 29, 2004)

omen666 said:


> Nearly a whole year ago, OMG 8)
> 
> Good times, would love to do this in the current motor but can't begin to think how much fuel it would take!


That's an easy one Damon..... more than last time :lol:


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

But it would take half as long...... :lol:


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