8th Annual Druids' Run - Sunday 28th June *
03-09-2015, 01:49 PM
#1
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8th Annual Druids' Run - Sunday 28th June *
As you may be aware there is a regular driving meet known as the Ricky Run. We get up early and drive 65 miles along some wonderful roads, have breakfast, and drive back again.
For the last seven years, as a special event, to celebrate the longest day of the year, we got up up extra early (4.30am) to take advantage of the early rising sun to enjoy some clear roads. It's a lot of fun with around 15-20 S2000s attending. Last year's thread is here
As part of the "Druid" theme, the route will broadly follow "Britain's Oldest Road", known as "The Ridgeway" from Ivinghoe Beacon near Tring to Overton Hill near Avebury - some info here: Ridgeway Information
This year the plan is to get even more Druid-ish and we will be heading down to Stonehenge.
We meet at Christ Church Chorleywood Car Park (click the link) which is on the A404 about 1/2 mile from J18 of the M25. The postcode is WD3 5SG. At junction 18, take the A404 exit to Chorleywood/Amersham, past the Shell garage on your right, then past The Gate pub, also on your right. The church is opposite the pub and the entrance to the car park is a sharp left at the end of the churchyard wall.
Time: please aim to arrive at 4.30am.
The drive: This year the convoy will run one way to Stonehenge and then people can make their own way back.
Fuel: Please arrive with sufficient fuel for the drive which is 170 miles. As mentioned above, there is a Shell garage a couple of hundred yards from our meeting point, so feel free to fill up there but allow time to do so. A tank should be plenty enough for the whole drive, but there are a couple of opportunities to fill up en route if need be/you have FI. These are BP and Esso. Additionally, there is a Shell station in Amesbury at which you can fill up before heading home. The postcode for that is SP4 7AS
Weather: If the weather is looking horrific, it may well be postponed, so please check on the 27th for confirmation.
SatNav: I have a TomTom/Garmin file of the route available, so PM me your email address if you'd like a copy. I really want as many folk as possible to use these please, as they make the run a lot safer by removing some of the "keeping up" pressure, so if you have a SatNav, please PM me your email address, type of SatNav and I'll send you the relevant file.
Joining En Route: Here are some meet up points and approximate times Please add the postcodes to your phone/satnav if you don't have the full file. You'll be able to meet us up in the event of anyone getting lost:
a) Ivinghoe Beacon - 5:15am Ivinghoe Beacon
b) BP/McDonalds, Benson OX10 6LX - 6:20am Fuel Stop
c) Esso, Chiseldon SN4 0NR - 8.10am Fuel Stop
d) The Friar Tuck Café SP4 7HD - 9.30am Breakfast
Photographer/navigator/walkie talkies: If anyone's up for it, I'd love to have an official photographer/videographer/walkie talkie user alongside me as it'd be good to have some great pics and video of the run, the view from the front looking back is really great. If those who kindly provided walkie-talkies are coming again this year, it'd be great to have those.
Accommodation: If you want to stay near the start at Chorleywood, then the Bedford Arms is pretty close by and there are a few cheap hotels in Watford.
Visiting Stonehenge: We will be driving past the monument, but will not be visiting it. Should you wish to do so, you will need to pre-book here Link
Simon.
List of attendees here:
Definites
En Route
Ivinghoe Beacon
Chiseldon Esso
Maybes
Here's the usual Ricky Run blurb, if you've not attended one of those and want to come to this, please read it carefully.
Some notes on convoying and overtaking - please read and stick to these:
1) I try to keep the pace reasonable, if you feel that it's too fast, please feel under no pressure to keep up. Drive to your limits, not mine, or anyone else's. We will wait at the next turning.
2) Overtaking - getting 5 or more cars (and we've had as many as 15 on occasion) to overtake can be a tricky business. Patience and safety are key here.
3) It's your responsibility to make sure you can overtake safely. If you're unsure, then don't overtake. Do not feel pressured into overtaking to keep up. Chances are that I am stuck behind another vehicle half a mile up the road, so you'll catch up anyway. Err on the side of caution at all times. Remember, We will wait at the next turning.
4) One other thing to remember, given the roads are quiet, it means that there isn't much traffic coming the other way so overtaking opportunities are plentiful. There's no need to take any sort of risk when overtaking.
5) If the cars in front have overtaken and it's been a couple of minutes before you've been able to overtake, there is no need to drive at excessive speeds in order to catch up. This is especially relevant in light of this ruling http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/new...eading-rideout/ where a lead rider was fined on the basis of the speeds following riders were doing. I do not want to be fined for your actions, so please be considerate and bear this in mind. And if not for me, then for anyone else using the roads.
As mentioned above, the lead cars will either be stuck behind someone else just up the road, or will be waiting before the next turning (or perhaps in the next village where appropriate), so simply stay on the same road at a similar pace until you catch up. Even if you're unable to overtake, you'll only be a couple of minutes behind at the most, so there's no pressure at all.
6) Think of it this way, the leaders overtake a car doing 40mph on an 60mph section. After 5 minutes, the leaders will be 1.7 miles ahead. At 40mph, that means you'll only be 2 1/2 minutes behind, which is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, so there's no need to worry about keeping people waiting. Most NSL sections on this run are only a few miles, so it's even less of a worry.
7) If you are "stuck" behind someone who is going a bit slowly, please keep a safe distance and do not try to push them along. Backing off a bit on the straights and then enjoying the corners is a good way to approach things.
8) Remember to have fun
For the last seven years, as a special event, to celebrate the longest day of the year, we got up up extra early (4.30am) to take advantage of the early rising sun to enjoy some clear roads. It's a lot of fun with around 15-20 S2000s attending. Last year's thread is here
As part of the "Druid" theme, the route will broadly follow "Britain's Oldest Road", known as "The Ridgeway" from Ivinghoe Beacon near Tring to Overton Hill near Avebury - some info here: Ridgeway Information
This year the plan is to get even more Druid-ish and we will be heading down to Stonehenge.
We meet at Christ Church Chorleywood Car Park (click the link) which is on the A404 about 1/2 mile from J18 of the M25. The postcode is WD3 5SG. At junction 18, take the A404 exit to Chorleywood/Amersham, past the Shell garage on your right, then past The Gate pub, also on your right. The church is opposite the pub and the entrance to the car park is a sharp left at the end of the churchyard wall.
Time: please aim to arrive at 4.30am.
The drive: This year the convoy will run one way to Stonehenge and then people can make their own way back.
Fuel: Please arrive with sufficient fuel for the drive which is 170 miles. As mentioned above, there is a Shell garage a couple of hundred yards from our meeting point, so feel free to fill up there but allow time to do so. A tank should be plenty enough for the whole drive, but there are a couple of opportunities to fill up en route if need be/you have FI. These are BP and Esso. Additionally, there is a Shell station in Amesbury at which you can fill up before heading home. The postcode for that is SP4 7AS
Weather: If the weather is looking horrific, it may well be postponed, so please check on the 27th for confirmation.
SatNav: I have a TomTom/Garmin file of the route available, so PM me your email address if you'd like a copy. I really want as many folk as possible to use these please, as they make the run a lot safer by removing some of the "keeping up" pressure, so if you have a SatNav, please PM me your email address, type of SatNav and I'll send you the relevant file.
Joining En Route: Here are some meet up points and approximate times Please add the postcodes to your phone/satnav if you don't have the full file. You'll be able to meet us up in the event of anyone getting lost:
a) Ivinghoe Beacon - 5:15am Ivinghoe Beacon
b) BP/McDonalds, Benson OX10 6LX - 6:20am Fuel Stop
c) Esso, Chiseldon SN4 0NR - 8.10am Fuel Stop
d) The Friar Tuck Café SP4 7HD - 9.30am Breakfast
Photographer/navigator/walkie talkies: If anyone's up for it, I'd love to have an official photographer/videographer/walkie talkie user alongside me as it'd be good to have some great pics and video of the run, the view from the front looking back is really great. If those who kindly provided walkie-talkies are coming again this year, it'd be great to have those.
Accommodation: If you want to stay near the start at Chorleywood, then the Bedford Arms is pretty close by and there are a few cheap hotels in Watford.
Visiting Stonehenge: We will be driving past the monument, but will not be visiting it. Should you wish to do so, you will need to pre-book here Link
Simon.
List of attendees here:
Definites
- lovegroova - sat nav
- Capt A - sat nav
- soupdragon - sat nav
- japcrap
- le Sau - sat nav
- scottyos2k
- MQ
- Suzybee
- jsh - sat nav
En Route
Ivinghoe Beacon
- C.I.H - sat nav
- senninha1994 - sat nav
- rdann - sat nav?
- Rob-BPA sat nav
Chiseldon Esso
Maybes
- Floppy
- Ninebolts
Here's the usual Ricky Run blurb, if you've not attended one of those and want to come to this, please read it carefully.
Some notes on convoying and overtaking - please read and stick to these:
1) I try to keep the pace reasonable, if you feel that it's too fast, please feel under no pressure to keep up. Drive to your limits, not mine, or anyone else's. We will wait at the next turning.
2) Overtaking - getting 5 or more cars (and we've had as many as 15 on occasion) to overtake can be a tricky business. Patience and safety are key here.
3) It's your responsibility to make sure you can overtake safely. If you're unsure, then don't overtake. Do not feel pressured into overtaking to keep up. Chances are that I am stuck behind another vehicle half a mile up the road, so you'll catch up anyway. Err on the side of caution at all times. Remember, We will wait at the next turning.
4) One other thing to remember, given the roads are quiet, it means that there isn't much traffic coming the other way so overtaking opportunities are plentiful. There's no need to take any sort of risk when overtaking.
5) If the cars in front have overtaken and it's been a couple of minutes before you've been able to overtake, there is no need to drive at excessive speeds in order to catch up. This is especially relevant in light of this ruling http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/new...eading-rideout/ where a lead rider was fined on the basis of the speeds following riders were doing. I do not want to be fined for your actions, so please be considerate and bear this in mind. And if not for me, then for anyone else using the roads.
As mentioned above, the lead cars will either be stuck behind someone else just up the road, or will be waiting before the next turning (or perhaps in the next village where appropriate), so simply stay on the same road at a similar pace until you catch up. Even if you're unable to overtake, you'll only be a couple of minutes behind at the most, so there's no pressure at all.
6) Think of it this way, the leaders overtake a car doing 40mph on an 60mph section. After 5 minutes, the leaders will be 1.7 miles ahead. At 40mph, that means you'll only be 2 1/2 minutes behind, which is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, so there's no need to worry about keeping people waiting. Most NSL sections on this run are only a few miles, so it's even less of a worry.
7) If you are "stuck" behind someone who is going a bit slowly, please keep a safe distance and do not try to push them along. Backing off a bit on the straights and then enjoying the corners is a good way to approach things.
8) Remember to have fun
03-15-2015, 08:23 AM
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05-10-2015, 06:31 AM
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A brief update, MQ and I made a reconnaissance of the new parts of the route this morning, and I'm pleased to report they are very lovely indeed. MQ will be along soon with some photos.
In addition, we paid a visit to the Friar Tuck Café in Amesbury which will be our destination for breakfast. I'm pleased to report it is a proper café and do the type of breakfast you'd expect after a long early morning drive!
In addition, we paid a visit to the Friar Tuck Café in Amesbury which will be our destination for breakfast. I'm pleased to report it is a proper café and do the type of breakfast you'd expect after a long early morning drive!
