lovegroova

A bit last minute, but the weather looks lovely this weekend.

This is a regular driving meet from Rickmansworth to Potterspury, near Towcester, usually on the last Sunday of each month, but will be on the first and last Sundays in April.

The route is a lovely drive on a mixture of A, B and C-roads, I try to make sure that the pace is dependent on the slowest driver, and we do wait to let folk catch up if necessary. We stick to the 30 and 40 limits through the villages. I have SatNav files and Google Maps links if people want to navigate it solo.
To avoid the traffic, we leave early in the morning from Christ Church Chorleywood Car Park.

It's on the A404 about 1/2 mile from junction 18 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.
Google Map of Christ Church: https://goo.gl/maps/XpWZoaA6Pry




Our destination is the Super Sausage Cafe, winner of "Britain's Best Café, 2016", which is on the A5, just North of Potterspury
https://goo.gl/maps/rSD3zPwdcoz

We then eat a hearty breakfast.

Time: please aim to arrive by 6.45am. We will not wait if you are late.

Fuel: Please arrive with sufficient fuel for the drive (it's about 70 miles to the Café - I usually use just under a quarter of a tank). As mentioned above, there is a Shell garage a couple of hundred yards from our meeting point but be warned that this is sometimes closed for a delivery, so it's best to fill up the night before. There is a BP near to the Café, so you can fill up if necessary once we get there.

Weather: If the weather is forecast to be bad, I'll cancel the run by 4pm on the day before. Please check before travelling.

SatNav: I have a TomTom/Garmin file of the route, 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.

Simon

List of attendees here (please do not say you are coming and then not turn up, it's annoying for everyone else to have to wait for someone who is not coming)

Definite

1. lovegroova
2. CaptA
3. MQ

Maybe

1. .

Breakfast Only (8.15 or so)

1. .

Some notes on convoying and overtaking:
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 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, certainly on the way there, 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 https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/...ading-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

soupdragon

we're in Spain

AquilaEagle

OK so I could have the option of doing Ricky Run, then Japfest, then Ace!

Mistress Quickly

Not much interest in your proposed jaunt lovegroova. It's quite likely that you've made other plans, however if you still fancy a run in the beautiful weather I'd love to join you.

AquilaEagle

I can't do it timing wise, need to be at Silverstone for 7am

lovegroova

The run is on

Donforce

damn, might have missed you! i live in wellingborough. Will be out for a drive anyway so will have a looksee if you eat breakfasts for a couple of hours :P

lovegroova

We were long gone by 9.48

What a fantastic morning it was, clear roads, blue, blue sky and sunshine at last!



MQ and I stopped off on the way home for some pics

lovegroova

We reflected on what a lovely morning it was:




Many insects sacrificed themselves this morning, lest we forget!

Mistress Quickly

Thank you for a fantastic run lovegroova, everything was perfect. Driving in company with you and CaptA has given me confidence in my yellow, up to today I wasn't sure whether I could trust it like I do my MCB.
The countryside was so beautiful in the sunshine and it was lovely seeing the wildlife. I loved how the pair of swans swooped over as we negotiated that little bridge, I saw muntjac deer and French partridges at the roadside. Nice to see the hot air balloon too.
I even enjoyed our constitutional from the village where we parked, owing to a traffic jam, to the Super Sausage.
Great pics from your new camera, it's going to give you so much pleasure. I very much enjoyed playing togging with you in the oil seed rape field.