[pjs]

Views from me then; personally had a very good time, a great bunch of people, and I might even persuade my missus out on the next one. You cant beat seeing the looks of the ramblers as several thousand horsepower tootles past.

The facts on the organisation of route/stops etc as I saw it were this. (I know Malcolm had a gripe which I can sort of understand, but he also drove like miss daisy! allegedly). And btw, the Scottich contingent were late, but no one had a pop.

So - No route planned prior to the meet, Therefore no pubs etc pre booked.

However, via the power of combined brainpower and the interweb, a route was quickly put together by about 11am ish like this. "er, how about that hardknott pass?" which was generally accepted as a good call. (the original plan to do it both ways!)

A bit of googling soon sorted out a decent pub for lunch, which as it happens was ideal. Tony wrote it all down (twice), photocopied it, and handed out the 'plan' to everyone

So off we went to the pub - simple to find (tiny village, big pub). Then off on the tricky pass. Lets just say they are challenging roads, but surely every enthusiast can enjoy them. Absolutely no danger of going too quick. We all regrouped at about the only pub in Eskdale Green (as per plan). Tony even dished out numerous CB type radios so spread throughout the gropu to keep us together

It was clear the pass wasnt everyones cup of tea, and coupled with the desire to find some fast flowing 'a' roads, I dug out an actaul road atlas and suggested a decent circular route to get us back to Kendal, via Egremont, Cockermouth and Keswick. Everyone seemed happy, and indeed the only stop we had to make was at the now infamous petrol station/chav look out post for that gas guzzling c63!

Downsides were that the last 25 miles or so were clogged with tourist traffic.

Back at the hotel, good to find Tony had pre booked taxi's for a decent italian restaurant.

So in hindsight, the only bit that could have been improved was to sort the route prior to the meet and perhaps PM'd out the night before. Still, as somone pointed out, theres some valuable cars there and this doesnt exaclty need broadcasting to the world. Oh, and more sunshine.

Looking back, quite a few people said they were 'up 4 it' only not to attend, only a few having the manners to post up their apologies.

I've no idea what happened on Sunday, but certainly looks like the sun came out a day late..

Thanks everyone

[Palmnuts]

Originally Posted by pjs

and indeed the only stop we had to make was at the now infamous petrol station/chav look out post for that gas guzzling c63!

Errr....yeah! Not only did I turn up in the wrong make of car but I actually held everyone up!

Sorry about that one guys'n'gals...I felt like a right twat! I seriously thought 1/2 tank would do for the afternoon.

[Steve A]

Originally Posted by beemerbird

It was also entertaining sitting with SteveA, Ant and the ladies in the restaurant on the evening. Great relaxed company and we all seemed to share the same sense of humour ie. base which was excellent imo.

Helen we had a right laugh love and the feeling is mutual

[AlanQS]

Originally Posted by pjs

And btw, the Scottich contingent were late, but no one had a pop.

How so? Between 10.30am and 11.00am at the hotel for a 12 noon departure. I'm not looking to stir things but I hate being late and whilst I didn't check my watch to see when we arrived, I'm pretty sure it was way inside that.

We would have been a bit earlier but the very short intense rain we got at the lakes, we had pretty much all the way down from Scotland so speeds were a little underwhelming.

[pjs]

Originally Posted by AlanQS

How so? Between 10.30am and 11.00am at the hotel for a 12 noon departure. I'm not looking to stir things but I hate being late and whilst I didn't check my watch to see when we arrived, I'm pretty sure it was way inside that.

We would have been a bit earlier but the very short intense rain we got at the lakes, we had pretty much all the way down from Scotland so speeds were a little underwhelming.

Sorry Alan, my watch must have been fast could ahve sworn it was past 11, no offence meant

[- Paul -]

Pretty sure it was arrive at 10:30 for 11am departure.

[beemerbird]

Originally Posted by Palmball

Errr....yeah! Not only did I turn up in the wrong make of car but I actually held everyone up!

Sorry about that one guys'n'gals...I felt like a right twat! I seriously thought 1/2 tank would do for the afternoon.

Andy, I turned up 'in the wrong make of car'...........so what eh!

No need for you to feel like a right twat imo just 'cos you needed fuel. I had to stop later on and had Lars with me so he got some as well. Besides which stopping at that Esso station was quite entertaining as we had a right good chav slagging session.

[ed335d]

A few more pics!

[- Paul -]

Cheers Ed......

Love the nightclub pic. Whose shoulders were you stood on?

[ed335d]

Originally Posted by - Paul -

Cheers Ed......

Love the nightclub pic. Whose shoulders were you stood on?

Love the look on Jimbo's face while he concentrates on shakin' his groove thang

[willhollin]

Wow what a weekend!

The trip up proved to be rather annoying, my last 65 miles taking me 3 1/2 hours but it was well worth it for what I think rates as one of, if not the best UK meets ever!

Viv, a real shame you couldn't make it as i'm sure you would have had a superb time, you did a great job directing parts of the meet from your bed, I was particularly impressed with you taking my dinner order whilst still on the M6. Hope that you found plenty to do whilst in bed over the weekend.

Tony, thanks again for all your efforts organising the meet with Viv, and your knack for finding great food locations continues! Saturday night's food was worth the wait!!! Thanks for the ride in your beast on the Saturday, hope you get a few photos worth seeing from my efforts although I somehow doubt it. I won't forget looking up after messing with the camera to find you overtaking cars on a blind corner on what appeared to be a single carriageway road luckily we were on a dual carriageway.

Matt (mjh93sa) as always great to see you and your equisite motor Great route planning as usual from you, wish my trip up was as smooth as our trip back home. Oh and a great lunch stop on the Sunday

Floyd (Soyank) great to see you again, shame it will be the last time I see your car , but hope to see you again very soon!

Carlos and Chloe, great to see you guys. DXB was looking hope you enjoyed the weekend!

Steve A and Lisa nice to meet you at last, you didn't disappoint shame you had a to get back early on the Sunday, as I think you would have enjoyed the drive.

Ant and Angela, again really good to meet you guys, your are a mine of information for all things BMW, hope you had a great weekend!

Paul, love the 645ci mate, thanks for the test drive its an awesome car, hope you have many enjoyable miles in it!!!

Matt (Ragingkileak) your car looks great in the flesh, hope you can complete the job and get her to the ring to really appreciate the car. Nice to see Tracy again, hope you both enjoyed yourselves.

James (Serjames) and Tanya, great to see you two again whilst you weren't making the most of your suite and the creaking bed.

Ed (ed335d) and Mandy, lovely to see you both, glad the car is back to it's best and hope to see you soon.

Lars (335rocks) your car is really taking shape now with your current mods completed, certainly was a good tester for it over those roads!

Helen (beemerbird) and Steve, was a pleasure to see you both again in your stopgap car, and thanks for the ride in the RS4 Helen, some women can drive you know guys.

Alan (AlanQS) good to see you again, thought you car looked superb, and you proved yet again that a 320d is not just all show.

Paul (pjs) hope you had a great weekend mate, perhaps you will have your new car by the next meet.

Jon (JLR1969) Nice to meet you and Ashley, you make a lovely couple.

Andrew (Palmball) and Vicky (?) nice to see you again mate, lovely motor!!! And YES it can go round corners.

Amar, good to meet you, your car is absolutely stunning, hope you had an enjoyable day.

Andy, Pete and Malcolm, didnt get to say hello properly, but hope you all enjoyed yourself.

Sorry if I missed anyone out!

It was a truly epic weekend, wish I had taken Monday off work now.

[SiKkBaSs]

Fackin 'ell a serious post from Will loooooooooool

[JLR1969]

Originally Posted by willhollin

Wow what a weekend!

The trip up proved to be rather annoying, my last 65 miles taking me 3 1/2 hours but it was well worth it for what I think rates as one of, if not the best UK meets ever!

Viv, a real shame you couldn't make it as i'm sure you would have had a superb time, you did a great job directing parts of the meet from your bed, I was particularly impressed with you taking my dinner order whilst still on the M6. Hope that you found plenty to do whilst in bed over the weekend.

Tony, thanks again for all your efforts organising the meet with Viv, and your knack for finding great food locations continues! Saturday night's food was worth the wait!!! Thanks for the ride in your beast on the Saturday, hope you get a few photos worth seeing from my efforts although I somehow doubt it. I won't forget looking up after messing with the camera to find you overtaking cars on a blind corner on what appeared to be a single carriageway road luckily we were on a dual carriageway.

Matt (mjh93sa) as always great to see you and your equisite motor Great route planning as usual from you, wish my trip up was as smooth as our trip back home. Oh and a great lunch stop on the Sunday

Floyd (Soyank) great to see you again, shame it will be the last time I see your car , but hope to see you again very soon!

Carlos and Chloe, great to see you guys. DXB was looking hope you enjoyed the weekend!

Steve A and Lisa nice to meet you at last, you didn't disappoint shame you had a to get back early on the Sunday, as I think you would have enjoyed the drive.

Ant and Angela, again really good to meet you guys, your are a mine of information for all things BMW, hope you had a great weekend!

Paul, love the 645ci mate, thanks for the test drive its an awesome car, hope you have many enjoyable miles in it!!!

Matt (Ragingkileak) your car looks great in the flesh, hope you can complete the job and get her to the ring to really appreciate the car. Nice to see Tracy again, hope you both enjoyed yourselves.

James (Serjames) and Tanya, great to see you two again whilst you weren't making the most of your suite and the creaking bed.

Ed (ed335d) and Mandy, lovely to see you both, glad the car is back to it's best and hope to see you soon.

Lars (335rocks) your car is really taking shape now with your current mods completed, certainly was a good tester for it over those roads!

Helen (beemerbird) and Steve, was a pleasure to see you both again in your stopgap car, and thanks for the ride in the RS4 Helen, some women can drive you know guys.

Alan (AlanQS) good to see you again, thought you car looked superb, and you proved yet again that a 320d is not just all show.

Paul (pjs) hope you had a great weekend mate, perhaps you will have your new car by the next meet.

Jon (JLR1969) Nice to meet you and Ashley, you make a lovely couple.

Andrew (Palmball) and Vicky (?) nice to see you again mate, lovely motor!!! And YES it can go round corners.

Amar, good to meet you, your car is absolutely stunning, hope you had an enjoyable day.

Andy, Pete and Malcolm, didnt get to say hello properly, but hope you all enjoyed yourself.

Sorry if I missed anyone out!

It was a truly epic weekend, wish I had taken Monday off work now.

Really good to meet you too Will, I now know who eats all the popcorn

[Sir_Pigley]

The meet looks to have been awesome. I wish I could have been there. Maybe next time.

[SiKkBaSs]

This pic is hilarious. Look at Will's face. Could shop this pic, looks like Wills lookin at Paul's £$%^ LOL!

[- Paul -]

Mmmm

another random pic

[Em135eye]

One disadvantage of being all the way down in Cornwall.

Looks like it was great fun!!

[MEGA]

I'll definitely be at the next one (As long as its further south Ok.. so not definitely )

[mjh93sa]

It was a long drive, but there are usually people from all areas heading that way so it's easy to group up and travel together. Plus having at least one nights stop means that the mileage is split over a couple of days at least.

It still may not be for everyone as they are understandably wary about driving hundreds of miles to see a bunch of strangers, but give it a go or try a more local meet 1st to see if they are as weird in real life (or worse) than they are on the forum.

To be honest, much of the social interaction comes from the overnight stops, having a meal and a few beers in the bar. Those who just come for the drive and leave early are missing out on the best bits. Especially when Carlos starts telling stories....

[SiKkBaSs]

UK7 night was pretty hectic at the start in the restaurant up until the hotel where everyone when everyone was back mashed and dead on the sofas. Did this rival??

[ed335d]

Originally Posted by SiKkBaSs

UK7 night was pretty hectic at the start in the restaurant up until the hotel where everyone when everyone was back mashed and dead on the sofas. Did this rival??

I'm pretty sure that this was more mashed up

[fastloop]

Feeling a bit better now and I had a bit more time to write up some experiences from my first ever UK meet. This was my third meet so I had already met quite a few people before going and it was great to see everyone again. There were a few people I didn't get a chance to speak to during the meet and I'll probably miss someone below, but please don't take any offence.

Floyd, it's was great to see the book that Matt, Viv and Tony (hope I haven't missed anyone) had made for you as a going away present at the Ring and flicking through the pages really showed the great camaraderie and experiences that you can experience at the UK meets and Ring trips. The book was amazing and everyone was very impressed with the professional pictures. I love the black/white shot - stunning picture. Also thanks for demonstrating the camera to me. It looks pretty impressive and a nice piece of kit. Definitely a good way to review your experience on track days. It's a shame that your car will be on the boat soon and I'm sure that you'll miss it. Guess this time it looks quite likely this was you last UK meet for now and it's been great meeting you.

Helen, I really like your stop gap. Lovely car and it looked absolutely stunning, but hearing Steve's RS4 I know why you call it a stop gap. Seeing the two next to each other I can only imagine that an RS5 will be an absolutely cracking car. The S5 is no slouch and there is nothing wrong with brakes either. Maybe that bus driver should have a look at his . Also thanks for looking after me and getting us back on track . The winding dual carriage way on the way back was amazing and it was great following you and Steve.

Andrew, that C63 AMG is the Nuts and following it sounded lovely. I really like the body kit and it both looks and sound like a DTM car. It was nice you meet you and Vicky.

Paul, that 645Ci is a cracking car and it I was really surprised to see how flat it stayed through the bends. It sounded very nice.

Ant/Angela, it was nice meeting you and it was great to put a face to Speed Religion and see that you are doing well. I'm sure Ed will remember the dinner trick to boost his protein intake and had you not called Ant in again I'm sure Ed would have finished off that Steak. Funny hotel story.

Steve/Lisa, nice to meet you and I regret I didn't get a chance to speak to you more. The sound of the RS4 is amazing and I understand why Helen is looking forward to the RS5 being released.

Ed/Mandy, I really enjoyed the company and the weekend trip. Being a newbie it's always nice to know a few familiar faces. I was pretty impressed that you made it up for the F1 GP and even managed to find a local jet wash to cleanup your wheels. They looked stunning and were really gleaming.

James/Tanya, good to see you again. I really had a good few laughs. You and Tanya are funny and it was nice to have a bit more time than last time. The car sounded lovely and it looked immaculate. I really like the wheels.

Matt, the car looked really nice and the 335D is so quick on the dash between back roads bends. I was having a hard time keeping up and being in the right gear and on the boost. Makes me wonder if I should get the lag looked at again as I had to be a bit careful with the boost. It was nothing, nothing and then whooosh and next corner. So it helped to have a few slower cars to reel you in.

Will, as ever great to see you again and I can always count on you to bring the entertainment and funny comments. I can imagine that riding shotgun with Tony on Saturday was a great experience and I'm looking forward to see the pictures when Tony gets a chance to have a look at them. Looking at pjs's pictures I can see where the "Treeeeeeeee" broadcast came from on the radio. Oddly enough I don't remember seeing it, but so much happened on Saturday that it's hard to remember it all.
The dual carriage way you had a bit of a moment on was quality and I can imagine that not seeing the road being split in two and then next thing Tony overtaking on the right around a blind bend would be a bit hairy .

Matt (mjh93sa), great to meet you again and for working behind the scenes with Tony and Viv arranging this. We can always count on you to produce some quality pictures and be prepared for helping out with the route. Floyd has now left you with a bit of a heritage as the only member that has attended all UK meets. I looking forward to the pictures and videos.

Alan, I didn't get a good chance to speak to you, but it was great meeting you and show that the 320D is more than "All Show and No Go" . Anyone that's been to a meet would know that they are pretty quick and the car looked stunning.

Carl/Chloe, it was really great to meet you again and I really enjoyed your company on the way up and over the weekend. Carl, you are such an amazing story teller and Saturday evening still brings a smile to my face. Definitely a moment to remember and anyone that went to bed early missed out big time!

Tony, again thank you so much for organising this with Viv. It was a truly memorable weekend and I really had a great time. For me this meet was absolutely amazing and will be a tough act to follow. I can only concur what has already been said and that staying the weekend is a big part of the meet. It's great to be able to have a few beers with friends after a great drive and this is also when the real entertainment starts. As ever we can always count on you to find some quality food!

Viv, I hope you are feeling better soon and I hope to see you the next time. Again thank you for all the work behind the scenes and I'm very impressed about your dedication to make this meet a great success. I agreed that doing this from your sick bed was above and beyond your duty.

And last but not least a few photos.

Few shots going over the pass:




On the move, this actually reminds me of the shot of Helen's Turbo from UK6/UK7?


Ed posing for a quick snap.


Where did the sun go?