Holland2008

Day One - Thursday/Friday

Finally the event we had all been looking forward to arrived. I made my way down to Laura's for Thursday afternoon. We packed the car and prepared ourselves so we could leave at ten thirty that night... it was gonna be a long haul.

The news came through that the Channel Tunnel was closed thanks to a fire at the French end but after a few texts and hasty phone calls we had managed to confirm our ferry crossing would not be disrupted and the rest of club were changing their traveling plans to match. We arrived in Dover bang on time at four fifteen in the morning and bumped into Neil (Wheelie) & Tom (Top Cat). After a quick catch up on everyone's plans we headed to check in & through customs.

The Ferry trip went smoothly although it was packed due to the Tunnel incident. The sea was calm and we made the crossing in good time.

After landing we headed out on the Motorway towards Belgium where we could have a rest and meet up with some of the other members making the trip.

We refueled the car and then parked up, allowing us the chance to wander round and stretch our legs. Even better, the services offered a Full English breakfast which we quite happily ordered & tucked into. After that we retired back to the car to doze until the others arrived.

After a while we were joined by the rest of the group (except those who had caught an earlier ferry and travelled on ahead). We had a small delay leaving the services while a few of us worked out how to use the fuel pumps but it wasn't long before we were heading out towards the Brussels ring road in the pouring rain.

Unfortunately before we got to the ring road we had our first incident (on the other side of the channel at least). Turboshed's voice was heard over our radios informing us that his clutch cable had just snapped but he'd be ok if we don't hit any traffic, well that tempted fate and within a few minutes we were snagged up in slow moving traffic. Typical. After a stop off in another service station a new clutch cable was fitted and the Sierra was back fighting fit so we headed out again.

The rest of the journey proved uneventful (reliability wise) although we soon learnt that it was common practice for other cars to move into spaces on the road which just weren't there.

Also Snoop made the discovery that we weren't miserable and not talking... it was just that he was on the wrong radio channel. Doh!!

We made it to Valkenburg in one piece and pulled up into the hotel car park keen to stretch our legs and get settled.

We unloaded the contents of the car into our room and headed to the bar for a well deserved drink... well... actually it was more than just the one.

We booked ourselves a table with the hotel and treated ourselves to a fancy meal. We all had a good night and a good laugh, by the end we retired to bed happy, well fed, slightly tipsy & very very tired.

Day Two - Saturday

Morning comes and yet another rainy day but we are not easily beaten. After a slap up breakfast we were raring to go. We were joined by Snoop & walked down from the hotel into the the town of Valkenburg. On the way we stopped at a little cable car and decided to give it a go. For just a few Euro we were sat on the bench seats making our way up the hill into the driving rain. At the top we got off & had a little wander round, looking at the tower and admiring the little campsite. We would have tried out the toboggan run but it wasn't up & running for the day at that time. Some of the others did get to use it later on though and Rob (Super 12V Rob) even managed to fall out of one.

We got back on the cable car and headed back down, by this time we were rather soggy. It turns out that there was a lady with a camera who took our picture as we went up and by the time we got back to the bottom we could purchase our photo... well... it would have been rude not to.

We found a little arcade which to Jaffa & Snoops delight had a Ford racing game which the two jumped at the chance to play. They went head to head racing in Capris and didn't do too badly at all. Snoop emerged smug at beating Jaffa by a good few places.

The town itself was a great little place to explore with loads of restaurants & little shops. We bumped back into Tom while walking around & he tipped us off on a model shop he had found (why am I not surprised). We headed straight there & were not disappointed. It was simply amazing, the shop owner had everything from Mustangs to large tanks and Lord Of The Rings life size weapons. After spending a bit of our money (realising we had been in there for over an hour) we decided to get some munchies. We found a great little place that was friendly and let us sit at the first table so we could warm up & dry under their heater.

We continued wandering round for a little longer, admiring the sights & taking a few pictures. We couldn't help but enjoy the sight that greeted us on a bridge going over a river/stream, a bronze statue of a naked women leaning over & watching the water.

In the square we saw what was left of some beautiful chalk drawings, although the rain had been heavy you could still make most of them out.

We headed back to the hotel to relax before we all got together to go for our evening meal. This is where the Lego incident happened. Rob decided he wanted to make a model of Grahams (Turbosheds) car, wheel arches and all.

Graham decided it would be a good idea to make his own little models but soon both he & Rob got a bit carried away.

A group of us headed back into town and towards a restaurant with a large table for us all. The town was completely different, it was busy & full of life, music blaring from the different bars & most of the restaurants packed.

We sat down to our meal & had a good laugh & joke. The food was absolutely superb and yet again the staff were brilliant, very happy to help us and translate where necessary.

We opted for a main meal & a pudding leaving us all feeling very fat but satisfied.

Soon after we headed back to bed, ready for an early start for the show the next day.

Day Three - Sunday

Finally we woke to a gorgeous sunrise and blue skies, although a little chilly in the shade it was gonna be a great day.

We all headed to Landgraff for the show which was only about 20 minutes down the road, unfortunately there was a little mishap while trying to get into the grounds. One of the marshals had gone missing so we (along with loads of other cars) were just being sent round & round in circles until he turned up. When he did we were shown the way by him and made our way to the club stand. After parking up we saw how much muck had accumulated on the car from all the driving we had done so a good clean was in order. Jaffa concentrated on the interior & bodywork while I had the harder job of making the wheels white again before applying dressing to the black trim & handles etc.

Finishing with the car we realized we had lost half the day already & the afternoon was already pressing on. We decided to get a move on & look round the show. We had already been told there were no XR Sierras in concourse & it was suggested Jaffa should enter but we decided that we'd be stuck there all day (not very socialable) and also it would be a hollow win with no competition so we left the 4be where she was with the club.

We headed towards the trade stands where Laura picked up a model of a XR3 in yellow. We also found a set of Colin McRae tribute stickers which we have looking for since the tragic news first broke. Laura also managed to snag the last Mk3 Fiesta chrome bonnet catch from the display for a good price. Jaffa soon picked up a pair of black & white XR seat covers at a cheap price, it wasn't long before they were put to use in the Sierra. We spotted Tom stopping for a quick snack as we queued for our own. Chips & mayo have never tasted so good!

We stood next to the sprinting area for a while, watching some of our lot giving the Dutch a run for their money. It was a good giggle hearing the Dutch announcements change to English "Here come the Brit's" as the first sprints were made by Toby, Snoop, Turboshed & Rob.

We headed back to the club stand and chatted to various members while taking a few more pictures. We watched a few mad Germans trying to take a picture of their stand which involved being sat on each others shoulders to make the shot.

Near the end of the day we had some great news Luciano had won his category of concourse with his XR3i.

Rob got second place on the sprints with Turboshed in fourth (I think that's right).

Within our club we had to vote for best Standard & best Modified XRs,Tom won best standard & Rob won best Modified.

It was a perfect end to the day. It wasn't long before we were all packing up ready to go included a couple of broken gazebos left behind by the German group who were opposite us. Most of the group headed back to the hotel leaving Jaffa & I with Ryz, Snoop, Emma & Toby. We headed to the other end of the grounds to the banking where Jaffa organized a little photoshoot session.

We then set off for the hotel tired but happy.

Jaffa & I wanted an early night but it didn't stop us going out for a meal with the same group who stayed for the photoshoot. We were also joined by the two chaps from London (Sorry, the names have escaped me right now). It was a great meal yet again, with the most gorgeous bit of meat I have ever eaten. The waiter at the restaurant was fantastic, he spent a good while chatting to us about modifying cars and the best way to get more power out of his own car.

Due to tiredness & Jaffa not feeling too great we left early, going straight to bed ready for the next day... a day at the Ring!!!

Day Four - Monday

After a well earned lie in a few of us headed off to the Nurburgring for a spot of automotive fun. We got split up on the journey there but we had a good run anyway taking a slightly more scenic route on some windy roads with beautiful views.

We arrived at the ring in good time and decided to get a bit of shopping in, buying sew on badges for our jackets, new jackets, Laura also bought a T-shirt & replacement pit-trainers much to her delight. As we spent so much the lady at the desk even gave us a couple of free metal pens.

Feeling very pleased with ourselves we headed to the office and purchased our ticket to get out on the track.

We took it easy knowing that one of the wheel arches would scrub & the suspension was still set to soft (oops) but even with a boot full of spares & shopping we still got round in 13 minutes 9 seconds. It was only Jaffa's second time round the ring too so he was quite happy. Laura came away buzzing & cant wait to put the Fezza round.

We finished our lap & headed back to the car park to be greeted by the rest of the club. We found out that Toby & Emma had a few problems en route which had delayed them but all was ok. As it was getting on a bit everyone was keen to get their laps in, Jaffa & Laura took a few photos & video clips as everyone headed out, then went up to the restaurant for a bite to eat.

Everyone's laps went well & everyone left feeling pleased with themselves.

We got back to the hotel late & really could not be bothered to walk into town to get any food so we propped up the bar & tried the local food. We tried 'Bitterballen' which was translated to us as 'Deep fried junk food' It sounded good to us! It actually turned out that they were like a mini beef stew kiev & really quite nice so we polished them off while talking to those who didn't go to the ring & then headed to bed.

Day Five/Six - Tuesday/Wednesday

We stayed an extra day to try & make the most of our trip so after breakfast we wished everyone a safe journey before heading out to Maastricht to do a bit of sight seeing & shopping.

We had a fantastic day just walking around in our own time taking pictures of some of the buildings & treating ourselves to a few goodies from the local shops. We got back to the car having spent rather a lot and were heavily laden with bags... getting it all into the car for the journey home was going to be fun.

We got back to the hotel late in the afternoon and headed into town for the last time, we sat outside of one of the restaurants and ate the biggest burgers you have ever seen. It sat so heavily in our bellies we didn't want to move afterwards but it was delicious & worth it.

We got back & went to bed as it got dark ready for our early morning Wednesday (having collecting our packed breakfast the hotel staff kindly put together for us).

Six in the morning we crept out of the hotel to start our journey home. It was a nice & uneventful one which we enjoyed. It was also great to be on the Ferry in daylight leaving us able to see the White Cliffs as we reached Dover. It was a strangely warming sight knowing we were nearly home but it didn't stop us feeling slightly sad our trip was already over.

We would love to thank everyone for making us feel welcome & letting us come along. It was a great holiday (& road trip) & we are looking forward to doing it again... maybe even with the Fiesta!!

Thank you & see you all soon

Write up by Laura Summerwill & David Reading

Photos by Laura Summerwill & David Reading

Video by Laura Summerwill