John O'Gs To Land's End......
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Topic author
John O'Gs To Land's End......
Back in the summer of 2010, I embarked on an epic journey, of pure epicness, and suchlike, having sadly lost my dad to cancer at the start of that year I decided to do a charity drive from top to the bottom of the UK. (Bear with me on this one...)
To make it a challege I was to drive my Mini Clubman estate, if that wasn't enough of a challenge, we were to do it in 1 day... and if that wasn't challenging enough, we set out to do it from dawn to dusk, in daylight hours only!
Having spent several minutes working out calculations of time, fuel, toilet and food stops, it was agreed, and on the longest day of the year at 4am we left J.O.G's and arrived at Land's End not much after half 8 that evening to a warm welcome, warm sunny weather, and Jeremy Clarkson about to do his over night drive from west to east.
Best part was driving in the higlands with some of the best main roads one could ever ask for, straights that lasted forever and corners that if I had the right car one would easily drift round with a smile on their face!
(So the point being...)
I was wondering If anyone else had done the trip in a 2 before and would ever consider doing it again...?
To make it a challege I was to drive my Mini Clubman estate, if that wasn't enough of a challenge, we were to do it in 1 day... and if that wasn't challenging enough, we set out to do it from dawn to dusk, in daylight hours only!
Having spent several minutes working out calculations of time, fuel, toilet and food stops, it was agreed, and on the longest day of the year at 4am we left J.O.G's and arrived at Land's End not much after half 8 that evening to a warm welcome, warm sunny weather, and Jeremy Clarkson about to do his over night drive from west to east.
Best part was driving in the higlands with some of the best main roads one could ever ask for, straights that lasted forever and corners that if I had the right car one would easily drift round with a smile on their face!
(So the point being...)
I was wondering If anyone else had done the trip in a 2 before and would ever consider doing it again...?
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Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
Never done it but sounds like it could be great fun.
Andy.
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Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
Hi and welcome to the club.There was talk of a couple of member doing this same thing last year but I don't recall seeing an update.
We have our annual Highland drive in April which, when you take it some of our members travel from Kent to attend, its not a kick in the shirt off lands end to John o groats all beit its done over a weekend. The roads in the Highland s are hard to beat.
Love the mini
We have our annual Highland drive in April which, when you take it some of our members travel from Kent to attend, its not a kick in the shirt off lands end to John o groats all beit its done over a weekend. The roads in the Highland s are hard to beat.
Love the mini
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Topic author
Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
Nice one Phil, might there be a few others interested cos I'm sure we could make this a proper event with a bit of thinking/drinking and such.
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Topic author
Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
I'm already in Devon but would be happy to tag along to Lands End once you got further down here
Actually, there'd be 2 MR2s here that would join you.
Actually, there'd be 2 MR2s here that would join you.
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Topic author
Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
I'd like to do this just for the sake of it. Be good to get a few people together and a few different vehicles. I would just want to go and drive it though rather than doing it all official and for a charity or something but if someone else was to sort all that I would be happy to do the drive.I couldn't be bothered with all the hassle of organising a big event...
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Topic author
Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
Well asking the moderators and the regional reps etc,
do you guys n gals think it might be possible to link the majority of the regions en route so theres a ever changing convoy? it would be quite a challenge of well complexity, and may be a bit ott, but it could be done..... the 21st of June is a thursday this year.... (Long weekend?) what are your thoughts?
do you guys n gals think it might be possible to link the majority of the regions en route so theres a ever changing convoy? it would be quite a challenge of well complexity, and may be a bit ott, but it could be done..... the 21st of June is a thursday this year.... (Long weekend?) what are your thoughts?
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Topic author
Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
[quote="shnevpayne"]Well asking the moderators and the regional reps etc,
do you guys n gals think it might be possible to link the majority of the regions en route so theres a ever changing convoy? it would be quite a challenge of well complexity, and may be a bit ott, but it could be done..... the 21st of June is a thursday this year.... (Long weekend?) what are your thoughts?[/quote]
I'm game for a laugh! deffo
do you guys n gals think it might be possible to link the majority of the regions en route so theres a ever changing convoy? it would be quite a challenge of well complexity, and may be a bit ott, but it could be done..... the 21st of June is a thursday this year.... (Long weekend?) what are your thoughts?[/quote]
I'm game for a laugh! deffo
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Topic author
Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
shweet! I have officially booked it off work so gonna make it into an event if people want to tag along for a part or some or even all they can, would be great to get it together!
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Topic author
Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
[quote="shnevpayne"], would be great to get it together! :D[/quote]
What happens on the drive, stays on the drive ;-)
I think I would prefer to drive north leaving the best roads till last. When you get to glasgow you then have about 7 hours of contry roads which would be the best part of the route. If you do that first then you still have another load of driving to do and you've already seen the best bits making it a bit disappointing when you eventually hit lands end.
I say save the best till last to keep you going and keep your spirits up.
What happens on the drive, stays on the drive ;-)
I think I would prefer to drive north leaving the best roads till last. When you get to glasgow you then have about 7 hours of contry roads which would be the best part of the route. If you do that first then you still have another load of driving to do and you've already seen the best bits making it a bit disappointing when you eventually hit lands end.
I say save the best till last to keep you going and keep your spirits up.
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Topic author
Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
Well saying that Phil, I do admit the best roads were in the North.... However....
When we got to JOG's it was probably the most depressing place I had ever visited. The hotel was in ruins, it was misty and merky, not a soul in site, and this was 4pm in the afternoon.
When leaving, when the sun started to rise and the mist disappeared, as the roads were empty other than the odd scottish person wandering aimlessly down them, it allowed myself and the gf at the time o enjoy the scenery, take photos of all the bits we missed on the journey up and get to Falkirk/Dunfermline in time for breakfast. Whilst driving down, the weather only go better, the people friendlier, and the support drumming up at the services (though even for 15 minutes per stop) was well worth it.
It also meant we had an extra 17 minutes of sunlight (or something) and as we were against the sun it seemed that 17.5 hours was better than 17.25.
Plus when we arrived at Lands end, everything was still open even at half 8 as it was the summer solstice, the bar was still open, the sun was setting over the atlantic, it was defo the right way to go.
When we got to JOG's it was probably the most depressing place I had ever visited. The hotel was in ruins, it was misty and merky, not a soul in site, and this was 4pm in the afternoon.
When leaving, when the sun started to rise and the mist disappeared, as the roads were empty other than the odd scottish person wandering aimlessly down them, it allowed myself and the gf at the time o enjoy the scenery, take photos of all the bits we missed on the journey up and get to Falkirk/Dunfermline in time for breakfast. Whilst driving down, the weather only go better, the people friendlier, and the support drumming up at the services (though even for 15 minutes per stop) was well worth it.
It also meant we had an extra 17 minutes of sunlight (or something) and as we were against the sun it seemed that 17.5 hours was better than 17.25.
Plus when we arrived at Lands end, everything was still open even at half 8 as it was the summer solstice, the bar was still open, the sun was setting over the atlantic, it was defo the right way to go.
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Topic author
Re: John O'Gs To Land's End......
Well, you obviously know better than me because you've already done it. So we are heading south then... ;-)