andy_k
MB Enthusiast
We'll do our best to answer any questions and update you as we get more details.
Let's make this a great event
Let's make this a great event
2010 National GTG questions and answers thread
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Can I be first to say thanks to Andy_K and all the other people involved for organising what promises to be a fantastic event next year!
I have organised this sort of thing before and know only too well what a thankless task it can be
You guys rock
I have organised this sort of thing before and know only too well what a thankless task it can be
You guys rock
Sorry i havent kept up to date with the other thread but WALES????? thats blooming mad... it took me 4 hours to get back from almost the same place and im only in the midlands..
why dont we just go all out and go for southern ireland... we could have a convoy from the ferry then
not going to be a good turnout on this one...
EDIT: dont get me wrong.. a lovely part of the country.. just not for a GTG..
why dont we just go all out and go for southern ireland... we could have a convoy from the ferry then
not going to be a good turnout on this one...
EDIT: dont get me wrong.. a lovely part of the country.. just not for a GTG..
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nick mercedes
MB Enthusiast
Sorry i havent kept up to date with the other thread but WALES????? thats blooming mad... it took me 4 hours to get back from almost the same place and im only in the midlands..
why dont we just go all out and go for southern ireland... we could have a convoy from the ferry then
not going to be a good turnout on this one...
Not just Wales, but Wales miles from any motorway or decent road....
So much for the membership map...
flango
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
I realise you cant please all of the people all of the time but have to agree with Nick and Jay how you came up with Wales!!! is well beyond my level of logic. Accross country for me thats a 5 hour run from Yorkshire.
I must admit when I first saw this I thought it was a wind up.
I must admit when I first saw this I thought it was a wind up.
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Not wishing to hop on a passing bandwagon, but I too can't help but thinking turnout will be limited. It's a long way from anywhere and everywhere - even most members who live in Wales.
That's not to say that I don't appreciate the hard work that Andy and others have put into the planning thus far.
That's not to say that I don't appreciate the hard work that Andy and others have put into the planning thus far.
Sp!ke
Administrator
It's a long way for me to drive too.
But its not an area of the country I've explored much and this event would give me a jolly good excuse to do so.
It is after-all a forum for Mercedes enthusiasts and I for one am looking forward to not using congested motorways, planing a leisurely scenic route, taking in some of the very best driving roads in the country and thoroughly enjoying myself in my fine automobile.
But its not an area of the country I've explored much and this event would give me a jolly good excuse to do so.
It is after-all a forum for Mercedes enthusiasts and I for one am looking forward to not using congested motorways, planing a leisurely scenic route, taking in some of the very best driving roads in the country and thoroughly enjoying myself in my fine automobile.
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EDZ649
MB Enthusiast
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Many of the dedicated regulars of the forum membership will no doubt make the trip, but I fear that might not offer the critical mass to attract yet more ticket sales, some vendors who have a choice of shows in the summer season, etc.
Fingers crossed early ticket sales will start ball rolling, and encourage further ticket sales. To this end, the early bird discount is a great idea.
Fingers crossed early ticket sales will start ball rolling, and encourage further ticket sales. To this end, the early bird discount is a great idea.
As most of the others are, I'm a little confused. Why did we do the members map thing and then almost turn it upside down.
I'm all for a good drive every now and then, but I reckon the turnout to this will be only a fraction of what it was looking to be originally. I guess most people expected somewhere fairly central - give or take a bit up/down - Yorks/Midlands etc (or even further south
) where the accessibility is better and we'd be likely to see a lot more members.
Thanks for all the hard work so far, but I just can't see it attracting enough members for it to be a 'National' GTG?
Will
I'm all for a good drive every now and then, but I reckon the turnout to this will be only a fraction of what it was looking to be originally. I guess most people expected somewhere fairly central - give or take a bit up/down - Yorks/Midlands etc (or even further south
) where the accessibility is better and we'd be likely to see a lot more members.Thanks for all the hard work so far, but I just can't see it attracting enough members for it to be a 'National' GTG?
Will
flango
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
nick mercedes
MB Enthusiast
As most of the others are, I'm a little confused. Why did we do the members map thing and then almost turn it upside down.
I'm all for a good drive every now and then, but I reckon the turnout to this will be only a fraction of what it was looking to be originally. I guess most people expected somewhere fairly central - give or take a bit up/down - Yorks/Midlands etc (or even further south
Thanks for all the hard work so far, but I just can't see it attracting enough members for it to be a 'National' GTG?
Will
The location is a mission to get to from almost anywhere, with the added bonus of single lane roads and caravans/lorries off to Holyhead...
Let's try to keep the thread positive. Regardless of personal preferences, there is no doubt that the committee have made a lot of effort to organise everything so far and will continue to contribute their free time over the coming months.
So in that spirit, there is so much to offer the enthusiast driver in that area. The same time last year there was some great club racing at Anglesey Circuit. The surrounding roads are also made for drivers of quality cars and the scenery is stunning.
I anticipated that this thread is for GTG FAQs. Those who don't wish to attend, I'm sorry. Remember how the Millennium Dome became a self fulfilling prophesy with all the negative press? Let's draw a line and move forward positively.
edit: a lap of the beautiful Anglesey circuit
[YOUTUBE]YNbyL57ZFvk[/YOUTUBE]
So in that spirit, there is so much to offer the enthusiast driver in that area. The same time last year there was some great club racing at Anglesey Circuit. The surrounding roads are also made for drivers of quality cars and the scenery is stunning.
I anticipated that this thread is for GTG FAQs. Those who don't wish to attend, I'm sorry. Remember how the Millennium Dome became a self fulfilling prophesy with all the negative press? Let's draw a line and move forward positively.
edit: a lap of the beautiful Anglesey circuit
[YOUTUBE]YNbyL57ZFvk[/YOUTUBE]
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Absolutely agree! The choice is very clever indeed - The majority will all have a significant journey to make.
Using the ever-reliable Michelin route planner and working clockwise I see that the destination is:
6.00 hrs - Helensburgh
6.00 hrs - Perth
5.50 hrs - Edinburgh
4.30 hrs - Newcastle
4.15 hrs - Peterboro'
5.30 hrs - Norwich
4.50 hrs - Richmond, London
5.40 hrs - Ashford
5.40 hrs - Brighton
5.30 hrs - Bournemouth
6.00 hrs - Plymouth
4.00 hrs - Carlisle
...err - 17hrs from Lerwick...
For a long thin country, that's pretty evenly spread out. Generally, the closer the departure point, the greater proportion of cross-country A roads to be negotiated.
From the aerial view, it looks ideal for a rave or a hideout following a train robbery.
So, the turnout will either be huge or...
I have kept out of all of the location discussions as I am pretty happy to go anywhere for a decent meet
Every year the CRX guys have a long camping weekend meet just down the road at Y-Ffor - In February! ( I tend to call it operation Icebreaker). Every year I go with my thermal sleeping bag thinking i'm mad and every year I return thinking what a great time I have had. A couple of years ago I even took the SL because I had a pretty bad back!
I can do the trip in about 4.5-5.5 hours on any given day and would happily do that for this GTG as I consider the drive as much fun as the GTG itself. Somewhere I have some pics of the surrounding area with loads of FWD cars and my SL - I will try and dig these out.
We always intend to have a great time and it happens - Camping isn't for everyone - but also not everyone has a chance to lap it up in hotels. I am quite happy either way - Its the occasion and the people I go for. I may drool at the occasional car I cant afford but on the whole its personalities and attitudes that make any GTG a true success.
Here are a couple of pics for starters - remember this was feb 2007 and I wasnt so good with a camera then
mark
.
Every year the CRX guys have a long camping weekend meet just down the road at Y-Ffor - In February! ( I tend to call it operation Icebreaker). Every year I go with my thermal sleeping bag thinking i'm mad and every year I return thinking what a great time I have had. A couple of years ago I even took the SL because I had a pretty bad back!
I can do the trip in about 4.5-5.5 hours on any given day and would happily do that for this GTG as I consider the drive as much fun as the GTG itself. Somewhere I have some pics of the surrounding area with loads of FWD cars and my SL - I will try and dig these out.
We always intend to have a great time and it happens - Camping isn't for everyone - but also not everyone has a chance to lap it up in hotels. I am quite happy either way - Its the occasion and the people I go for. I may drool at the occasional car I cant afford but on the whole its personalities and attitudes that make any GTG a true success.
Here are a couple of pics for starters - remember this was feb 2007 and I wasnt so good with a camera then
mark
.
andy_k
MB Enthusiast
Thanks for all the comments so far (both positive and negative) they are appreciated.
Let me try and explain the reason for the choice of location.
From the start, in order to get the highest attendance, the idea was a 'family event' not just another 'bunch of blokes standing around in a car park tyre kicking' gathering whilst wives, girlfriends, children and pets were left at home – other car clubs manage that very well with their club weekends, why don't we?
Booking sites wasn't hard, we could have had virtually any site in the country but costs were an issue. Most of the sites capable of accommodating us were asking for prices of £750 and upwards a day which meant for the two days we wanted the site it would have cost us at least £1500 which needed to be paid at the time of booking. The club has no funds (other than Koolvin's bank account) so at £10 a ticket (which seemed to be the price point people agreed on) that meant we had to sell a minimum of 160 tickets before we could confirm the location or even start to raise money to organise the event. How many people on here can honestly say that they would have agreed to that? A few maybe but certainly not the numbers that we required
Many of these venues also wanted to tie us in to using their own caterers which further added to the costs and took away control. We are a diverse bunch on here, from all races and creeds. A traditional burger van (which is what most sites were offering within our budget) wouldn't satisfy everybody so we had to look elsewhere
We had two generous offers from forum members to use their (or their immediate family's) land/camp sites which immediately lifted the financial burden so we felt we had to go down that route
One was in the very far North East of England (which would have meant an even longer journey for many) and the other which has experience of hosting 'club weekends' like we are planning was in North Wales and was the one we went for.
We've got a good rate for the use of the field, we know the owner so they will be a lot more helpful and flexible than many other sites and they know what they are doing when it comes to hosting events like ours.
Some people wanted to stay in a Travelodge – there are three nearby
Some people wanted to stay in a Hotel, guest house or B&B – there are plenty of good quality ones within easy reach all of which we have spoken to have vacancies as it's early in the year
Some people wanted to camp – this site happily accepts campers
Some people want to travel on the day – as Del320 pointed out everyone gets pretty much the same journey time
.
Some people wanted a restaurant for a meal – there is a superb restaurant 2 miles away that can cater for us
Some people asked about staying on for a few more days – the site will allow that as long as we know in advance
It may not be perfect for everybody and it may not tick every single box but it's a great location, it's secure, it's accessible to everybody and we can maintain control over the event – all of which were essential
Unfortunately, we couldn't arrange a meeting that is in everyone's back yard so we went for a compromise.
North Wales has some wonderful 'driving' roads and the scenery is spectacular. With the meeting being held on a weekend, it's unlikely (but not impossible) that the roads will be blocked with caravans and trucks. The dates we have chosen are still relatively early in the season and during 'term time'. In my experience, most of the caravan owners will have travelled on the Friday night and the volume of trucks /business traffic should be at much lower levels than during the week.
Jump in your car with the family, pack an overnight bag and make the journey as much a part of the event as the meeting itself.
We are working to make this a truly memorable weekend. All it needs is people to turn up with the intention of having a good time rather than looking for reasons not to have fun.
Let me try and explain the reason for the choice of location.
From the start, in order to get the highest attendance, the idea was a 'family event' not just another 'bunch of blokes standing around in a car park tyre kicking' gathering whilst wives, girlfriends, children and pets were left at home – other car clubs manage that very well with their club weekends, why don't we?
Booking sites wasn't hard, we could have had virtually any site in the country but costs were an issue. Most of the sites capable of accommodating us were asking for prices of £750 and upwards a day which meant for the two days we wanted the site it would have cost us at least £1500 which needed to be paid at the time of booking. The club has no funds (other than Koolvin's bank account
) so at £10 a ticket (which seemed to be the price point people agreed on) that meant we had to sell a minimum of 160 tickets before we could confirm the location or even start to raise money to organise the event. How many people on here can honestly say that they would have agreed to that? A few maybe but certainly not the numbers that we requiredMany of these venues also wanted to tie us in to using their own caterers which further added to the costs and took away control. We are a diverse bunch on here, from all races and creeds. A traditional burger van (which is what most sites were offering within our budget) wouldn't satisfy everybody so we had to look elsewhere
We had two generous offers from forum members to use their (or their immediate family's) land/camp sites which immediately lifted the financial burden so we felt we had to go down that route
One was in the very far North East of England (which would have meant an even longer journey for many) and the other which has experience of hosting 'club weekends' like we are planning was in North Wales and was the one we went for.
We've got a good rate for the use of the field, we know the owner so they will be a lot more helpful and flexible than many other sites and they know what they are doing when it comes to hosting events like ours.
Some people wanted to stay in a Travelodge – there are three nearby
Some people wanted to stay in a Hotel, guest house or B&B – there are plenty of good quality ones within easy reach all of which we have spoken to have vacancies as it's early in the year
Some people wanted to camp – this site happily accepts campers
Some people want to travel on the day – as Del320 pointed out everyone gets pretty much the same journey time
.
Some people wanted a restaurant for a meal – there is a superb restaurant 2 miles away that can cater for us
Some people asked about staying on for a few more days – the site will allow that as long as we know in advance
It may not be perfect for everybody and it may not tick every single box but it's a great location, it's secure, it's accessible to everybody and we can maintain control over the event – all of which were essential
Unfortunately, we couldn't arrange a meeting that is in everyone's back yard so we went for a compromise.
North Wales has some wonderful 'driving' roads and the scenery is spectacular. With the meeting being held on a weekend, it's unlikely (but not impossible) that the roads will be blocked with caravans and trucks. The dates we have chosen are still relatively early in the season and during 'term time'. In my experience, most of the caravan owners will have travelled on the Friday night and the volume of trucks /business traffic should be at much lower levels than during the week.
Jump in your car with the family, pack an overnight bag and make the journey as much a part of the event as the meeting itself.
We are working to make this a truly memorable weekend. All it needs is people to turn up with the intention of having a good time rather than looking for reasons not to have fun.
- remember this was feb 2007 and I wasn't so good with a camera then
... don't give us that rubbish...
nick mercedes
MB Enthusiast
Sorry guys but the above is utter tosh, a car park near a hotel would have done just fine.. plenty of activities can be planned.. even somewhere like the lake district is much more accessible.. Deep dark wales is no kind of compromise.
Im sorry to be the one to put a downer on it but someone has to be the one to tell it as it is.
Its going to be a small holiday for a few devoted members NOT a national club GTG.
Shame as I was looking forward to a day off work..
Im sorry to be the one to put a downer on it but someone has to be the one to tell it as it is.
Its going to be a small holiday for a few devoted members NOT a national club GTG.
Shame as I was looking forward to a day off work..
