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This is a regular driving meet from Rickmansworth to Towcester, usually on the last Sunday of each month. The route is a lovely drive with fast A-roads, although I try to make sure that the pace is dependant on the slowest driver, and we do wait to let folk catch up if necessary. We also stick to the 30 and 40 limits through the villages.
To have some clear roads, we leave early in the morning from Christ Church Chorleywood Car Park. Google Map of Christ Church
It's 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.
via the A404, A413 with a detour past Chequers to wake Gordon with the glorious sound of vtec in the morning, A43 and A5.
We then eat a hearty breakfast (you need cash to pay for this, none of yer fancy plastic taken here) and drive back again.
Time: please aim to arrive at 6.45am so we can set off promptly when the church bell tolls at 7am.
Fuel: Please arrive with sufficent fuel for the drive (it's about 65 miles to the Cafe - 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 Cafe, 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.
Deputies: Given the recent success of the run and the occasional difficulties involved with following the leader, a few folk have offered to act as "deputies". These are regulars who have a pretty good idea of the route. The idea is that these folk will be stationed every 4th or 5th car in the convoy meaning that there's less pressure to keep up with the lead car - from the front I can only really see about 10 cars back at best. I'll point these people and their cars out at the start of each run and try to organise the running order. SuzyBee is kind enough to bring up the rear in case of separation, and her yellow car is easier for me to spot
SatNav: I now have a TomTom/Garmin file of the route in both directions available, so PM me your email address if you'd like a copy (established members only). 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:
Definites
lovegroova
Suzybee
MQ
Sazzy
raf
High Side
AE
dembo
US_NFR_S2K
gacklez
Maybes
haroonsarwar
NigelC
Breakfast Only (8.30 or so)
unclefester
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 (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, 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 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.
01-04-2010, 05:10 AM
Ricky - Towcester Breakfast Run
