| Friday May 27th 2005 :: Brentwood to somewhere near Amiens | |
| Having spent all day rushing around getting all manner of last-minute things done, I finally left Brentwood at about 10:30pm to head to Dover and catch the 01:00am Ferry to Calais. Thankfully, the journey went without hitch (even the M25 isn't busy at that hour!) and I arrived at Calais in plenty of time to check-in. I boarded the ferry early and soon met up with the rest of the Minis of Tamworth group that would be my companions for the next two weeks :-) Once the ferry had arrived in Calais, we were soon on our way into France, heading South-West, towards the coast. At about 8am, having been awake for more than 24 hours, we were all starting to flag a little and decided we'd start the lookout for a campsite. I was too tired to notice what the town was called where we stopped, but it was a good start to our trip. We ended up having a quite relaxing first day to prepare us for the long journey ahead! |
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Our First Stop in France - Click for a larger image We arrived at the camp site on our first day quite early, as we'd been driving through the night. This meant we had plenty of time to check out the town :-) |
Checking Out the Town - Click for a larger image I thought this was the town hall, but it turns out it's actually a hotel. |
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| Sunday May 29th 2005 :: Somewhere near Amiens to somewhere South-West of Le-Mans | |
| The second day didn't start off so well, as we awoke to rain on our tents. Having packed everything away wet and set off again, we were to spend the whole day driving in pretty miserable weather. It ended up being quite a long day and we ended up setting up camp somewhere South-West of Le-Mans during a breif break in the rain. |
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The Second Camp Site - Click for a larger image Thankfully, the weather wasn't to stay with us for too long :-) |
IMM2005 Door Sticker - Click for a larger image All of the Minis of Tamworth convoy were wearing these IMM2005 "Tamworth to Salou" stickers :-) |
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| Monday May 30th 2005 :: Somewhere South-West of Le-Mans to Biarritz | |
| After a couple of long days of driving, we were making good time and decided to go for a two-night stay in Biarritz. Thankfully, the previous day's weather had given way to glorious sunshine and we were all hoping it would stay that way for the rest of the trip! The camp site we'd found at first seemed really good, though we soon discovered that we'd managed to pick one that was near a busy road, a railway, an airfield and had it's own family of noisy owls! All of this didn't make for the most peaceful night's sleep! Our trip into Biarritz on the Tuesday soon made up for any shortcomings of the camp site though. Biarritz is a beautiful place and I'd recommend a trip there to anyone. After a day exploring Biarritz and lazing on the beach and by the pool, we finished the day off with a BBQ and a few beers, looking forward to our journey through the Pyrenees tomorrow :-) |
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At the Beach in Biarritz - Click for a larger image A shot of the amazing coastline at Biarritz. |
More of the Beach - Click for a larger image This is where we spent much of the day! |
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| Wednesday June 1st 2005 :: Biarritz to somewhere in the Pyrenees, via Lourdes | |
| Wednesday morning and we'd packed up our tents and were headed for Lourdes. This is where the scenery really got good, as we approached the mountains. We made it to Lourdes for about noon and stopped there for a couple of hours for lunch. During this time, we had a look around the cathedral, famous for it's vision of the virgin Mary and it's holy water. The cathedral was an awe-inspiring place, I couldn't help but be impressed by the meticulous detailing on a place of such enormity. After lunch, we pressed onwards and upwards into the mountains. The scenery just got better and better and the road surfaces worse and worse the further we got! Progress was pretty slow, but far more enjoyable than in previous days, with the twisty, steep mountain roads proving to be very entertaining :-) Later on that afternoon we spotted a camp site and pulled in to check it out. We'd found a cracking spot, with decent facilities and a great view, so there we stayed for the night, making the most of the cooler air at that altitude to get a better night's sleep. |
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The Cathedral at Lourdes - Click for a larger image This place was pretty unbelievable. Absolutely enourmous, but meticulously detailed. |
Holy Water at Lourdes - Click for a larger image The Holy Water taps at Lourdes. Not quite as romantic as you'd expect; perhaps a stream of holy water flowing by? No, just a bunch of taps! |
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Our First Taste of the Pyrenees - Click for a larger image After we'd left Lourdes, we began our ascent of the Pyrenees. |
Through the Mountains! - Click for a larger image Chris entering a tunnel, but will he come out the other side? This tunnel was quite freaky, we'd got used to expecting lights inside tunnels. Not so here! Forget to turn your lights on before you enter and you're plunged into pitch darnkess! |
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Typical Mountain Pass - Click for a larger image Steve and Jackie on a typical stretch of mountain road. Notice the sheer drop to their right and the lack of barriers. Not very comforting! |
A Cooler Camp - Click for a larger image We were glad of the cooler, fresher air up in the mountains, it made for a much better night's sleep :-) |
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| Thursday June 2nd 2005 :: Somewhere in the Pyrenees to Salou | |
| After some contemplation over what route to take for the remainder of the journey to Salou and where to stop, we came to the conclusion that it wasn't really worth stopping for a night in between where we already were and Salou. We called the camp site at Salou, where we'd be staying for the IMM and asked if we could turn up a day early. They said that'd be fine, so off we set for Salou! It was quite a long day of driving to get there, but it was very re-assuring to finally be at our final destination and it meant that we got to meet up with Steph and Rebecca (Mark's wife and daughter, who'd flown out) a day early. First impressions of the site were impressive! A fantastic looking camp site, right by the sea, with excellent facilities. Things were looking good :-) |
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On Through the Mountains - Click for a larger image The Mini convoy heads on through the Pyrenees towards Spain! |
The Spanish Border! - Click for a larger image At last, we reach the Spanish border! It really starts to feel like we're getting close now :-) |
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Our First Taste of Spanish Roads! - Click for a larger image The road surfaces in France were terrible. We thought they couldn't get any worse, but we were soon proven wrong when we crossed the Spanish border! This gravel track where they were doing road works was actually far better than the normal roads! |
A Quick Petrol Stop - Click for a larger image We stopped for petrol just over the Spanish border, where we were pleasantly surprised to see that petrol was about 30 cents a litre cheaper than in France :-) |
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| Friday June 3rd to Sunday June 5th 2005 :: IMM 2005! | |
| Friday morning and the atmosphere really started to warm up as minis began to pour through the gates into the camp site. We began to check out the camp site facilities and soon found one of the swimming pools to help cool us down :-) Friday night's entertainment in the enourmous event hall was a band called "Funky Town", who were highly entertaining! The French contingent seemed to be particularly fond of them and were soon up on stage showing their appreciation! Saturday provided an opportunity to check out the trade stands and the other minis, which turned up some pretty unusual sights! Some of the highlights were the blue roadster, "Mini Williams MPI", the chopped mini "van" and the mini limo in the pictures below. Saturday evening's meal was to be catered for by the IMM organisers at the events hall. We weren't sure what to expect here, but I got the shock of my life when I saw the size of the piella they were serving! The food was excellent and was soon washed down with a generous helping of beer while we were entertained by the Beatles tribute band - another really good live band. On Sunday, I decided to take a drive over to Barcelona and after a bit of difficulty finding my way to the centre, I parked up to check out the sights. Probably the best sight of the day was the Temple de la Sagrada Familia - Spain's longest standing "work in progress", construction began in 1882 and is scheduled for completion in 2022! |
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Our Pitch at IMM2005 - Click for a larger image Having finally made it to Salou, first impressions were very good. A good camping pitch was a very good start, as we were to spend the next four nights here. |
Taking a Dip in the Pool - Click for a larger image Chris and myself enjoying a drink and an ice-cream at the bar :-) |
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The Beach - Click for a larger image The beach at Salou was just across the road from the camp site entrance! This photo was taken at dusk, hence it's a bit dark. |
Funky Town - Click for a larger image Friday night's entertainment was a live band called Funky Town. |
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Mini Limo - Click for a larger image I've seen quite a few mini limo's at shows in the past, but this was certainly one of the best! |
Inside the Mini Limo - Click for a larger image The interior of the mini limo was no less impressive, complete with fridge, champagne glass set and LCD TV. This photo was taken through the full-length Webasto folding roof. |
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Walnut Bonnet? - Click for a larger image This paint effect was certainly unique! |
Mini Williams - Click for a larger image This "Williams MPI" mini got a lot of attention due to it's Clio Williams inspired theme and those unique Azev alloys. |
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Mini Van? - Click for a larger image At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a mini van. It's actually a roof-chopped saloon with the rear windows plated in. |
Roadster - Click for a larger image This mini roadster really drew a crowd. It had huge flared arches and a removable hard-top roof! |
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Mini Marcos - Click for a larger image I'm not a huge fan of the Mini Marcos, but this white one was about the best example I'd ever seen. |
Who Gnows? - Click for a larger image This gnome obviously wasn't a fan of the BMW MINI! |
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Renault Moke? - Click for a larger image Mini Moke, or a Renault camper with an indentity crisis? |
Piella Anyone? - Click for a larger image This is one of the Piellas that was served on Saturday night! |
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The Tower! - Click for a larger image Continuing an IMM tradion: Who can build the tallest tower out of empty plastic glasses? |
The Towering Inferno! - Click for a larger image Of course, it can only last so long, and as they attempt to place the final glass at the top, the whole lot comes tumbling down! |
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The Beatles - Click for a larger image Saturday night's entertainment was another live band - a Beatles tribute band! |
A Barcelona Street - Click for a larger image Just a street in Barcelona. You can't get much more different to London, it was deadly quiet on a Sunday afternoon. |
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Temple de la Sagrada Familia - Click for a larger image The Temple de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona - probably Spains longest "work in progress" there was a lot of cranes and construction work going on around it. It didn't make it any less spectacular though. |
Spanish Ghurkin - Click for a larger image Does this building ring any bells? Has they mayor of London moved to Barcelona? |
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| Monday June 6th 2005 :: Salou to Andorra | |
| Monday morning felt a bit sad, as we packed up our tents and left Salou to start our journey back home. It didn't last for long though, as it was really just the beginning of another nomadic holiday through Spain, Andorra and France :-) The roads through the Pyrenees soon put a smile on my face and before I knew it, we were in Andorra and setting up camp at a site right next to a white-water river in the middle of a valley, with steep mountain slopes either side of us. We soon discovered that awe-inspiring scenery wasn't all that Andorra had to offer us; petrol at just 84 cents a litre was soon snapped up by our mini convoy! Andorra must surely be one of the smallest countries in the EU, with a total area of just 468 square kilometres and a population of just 72,000. It was also one of the most confusing - we couldn't figure out whether they talk Spanish or French! We soon realised that they actually seemed to speak both and I later found out that the official language of Andorra is Catalan, though Spanish is the most commonly spoken language on the street, closely followed by French. We got the hang of it enough to order a few beers while we checked out a few bars, so we were happy :-) |
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A Little French Village - Click for a larger image We stopped for Lunch in a little French village. |
The Camp Site in Andorra - Click for a larger image Our camp site in Andorra was quite noisy, being close to a main road and a raging river, but we soon forgot about that after a few drinks in the town centre in the evening! |
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| Tuesday June 7th 2005 :: Andorra to Millau | |
| Tuesday morning and off we set for our next destination: Millau. It was to be another day of amazing scenery, as we continued our jaunt through the Pyrenees. The roads we used this time were a bit more well established than the B-roads we'd used on the way to Spain, which resulted in far better road surfaces and hence fewer bangs and scrapes, helping our sumps, exhausts and wheel arches stay in one piece! It also meant more traffic though :-( Not such a problem on the way up, as the crawler lanes meant that overtaking wasn't too difficult. On the way down however, there was very little opportunity to overtake and although there were frequent lay-by's for slow moving traffic to pull into to let everyone past, they were largely ignored. On this section, I began to develop a hatred of camper vans, all of which seemed to be driven by ignorant gits and electronically limited to 20mph. Once we'd got back to the B-roads though, the entertainment factor picked up again and an excellent days driving was had. The road surfaces did get worse again though and by lunch time, I was almost feeling sick from being jolted about so badly! It felt like I'd spent the morning in a tumble dryer! |
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Camper Vans: Satan's Children - Click for a larger image Stuck behind a camper van. This was to become an unwanted theme for the morning! |
The Millau Bridge - Click for a larger image The Millau Bridge - the tallest bridge in the world! |
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The Millau Bridge From Millau - Click for a larger image During a trip to the supermarket later that evening, we spotted a photo opportunity! Some of those posts are taller than the Eiffel Tower! |
| Wednesday June 8th 2005 :: Millau to Melun | |
| After using mostly B-roads the day before and hence not getting all that far, given the length of time we'd driven, we needed to get some distance under our belts today if we were to get close enough to Calais to have a two-night stop somewhere. This meant that motorways and A-roads were to be the order of the day. Although motorways aren't generally very entertaining in a mini, it does require far less concentration than flying along mountain passes with dodgy road surfaces and sheer drops just a few feet away. This meant that we had more chance to check out the scenery as we were driving along, which helped make the drive much less tedious. We'd made good progress during the day and had acheived our aim of getting near Paris, so at about 4pm, we set about finding a camp site. This is where things started to go a little bit wrong. We spent quite a while following signs for camping that ended up going no-where, followed by just driving around randomly, trying to find a camp-site. After getting a bit lost in what seemed to be the ghetto of Paris, we retreated to a supermarket to ask some locals if there was a camp site anywhere near. The answer was "no", there were no camp-sites anywhere near where we were, so we decided to head back along the way we'd came, to Melun, where we'd been told we'd be able to find a camp-site. By the time we'd got to Melun and found a camp-site, it was getting quite late and I'd got lost having been separated from the rest of the group at some traffic lights. This resulted in much confusion, having been directed to "turn left after the bridge", which I did and got even more lost. What neither I, nor the rest of the group that were directing me realised, was that there were two seemingly identical rivers in Melun, which run parralel and have identical bridges! Having realised this, the directions were spot on and having turned left after the right bridge, I found the camp-site! I feel that special thanks are in order to Jackie and Steve for managing to navigate us out of the ghetto and find a camp site! They did an excellent job on what became quite a stressful day! |
| Thursday June 9th 2005 :: Melun to Arras | |
| This part of the journey had the potential to be a complete disaster. Without Mark's sat-nav, Jackie and Steve had been doing an excellent job of naviagting so far. This leg of the journey however, included the unenviable task of navigating around Paris, through a maze of a road network. Thankfully, we made it Arras with no problems at all and we were soon setting up camp and getting ready to check out the town. Arras turned out to be a gem of a town to stop in and we decided that, although it was about a 70 mile drive away from Calais - meaning an early start to get the ferry at 10am, we'd stay here for two nights. |
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The Anglo-French War Memorial - Click for a larger image On the way to Arras, we stopped at the Anglo-French war memorial near Albert. |
Fire in a Fireworks Factory? - Click for a larger image Soon after we arrived at the campsite in Arras, we heard loud bangs, which turned out to be explosions coming from a nearby fire! |
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The Centre of Arras - Click for a larger image Chris' mini and PJ, parked up in the square in the centre of Arras. |
| Saturday June 11th 2005 :: Arras to Brentwood | |
| It had finally arrived; the last day of the trip :-( It was an early start, leaving Arras at 7am in order to get to Calais in time to check in and board the ferry for a 10am departure. The drive to Calais was fairly un-interesting, being motorway all the way. We were more concerned about getting to the ferry on time than anything else. The ferry crossing was a fair bit more choppy than the crossing on the way over, which didn't help my breakfast go down well! Still, we were soon at Dover and ready to set off for the final leg back home. I came off the M25 at junction 28 to head back to Brentwood, waving goodbye to the rest of the group, who had another couple of hours driving to go 'till they'd get back to Tamworth. Though I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, having been camping for the past two weeks, it was kind of sad to think that our mini adventure was over. Still, only a year to go 'till IMM2006 in Poland :-) |
| THANKS: I'd like to say a huge thank you to Mark, Steph, Rebecca, Jackie, Steve, Chris and Pete from Minis of Tamworth for coming and for being such great company. I'd also like to thank everyone from Club Mini Cooper for organising the event - it must have taken a lot of hard work and it was well worth the effort, so thanks! |