The
Rutland Rollercoaster will feature rollercoaster roads...
.... beautiful vistas ...
...stunning cottages ....
...and the odd
well-trimmed bush!
I've decided to make this one a bit more conventional, and there will be several "scenic" stops with opportunities to explore the environs on foot (if there is demand!)
Because there is so much else on this weekend (Donington, Harz Mountains) I don't expect much turnout. But if you're not doing anything special, this will be one heck of a cruise -- the view from the lunch pub alone is worth the entire journey!
Starting time and place
The cruise will leave from the McDonald's at the junction of the A15 and the B1443 at 10AM sharp! There is a Total service station there, but if you need Shell, there is one on the A15 a couple of miles south of the meeting point.
Getting to the start
Take the A1 till you reach the A47 -- turn east towards Peterborough / Wisbech / King's Lynn. The road will eventually become a dual carriageway. Look for the Werrington exit (I
think it's J17). It's kind of weird, because it looks like it's taking you back on to the motorway (you go straight across a roundabout), but actually, you run parallel to the motorway in a fenced-off slip road. You then get to a roundabout where you turn left and head north on the A14. The Shell will be on your left.
When you leave the Shell, stay in the left hand lane, as the right lane is turn right only. Follow the A15 until you get to a roundabout where the A15 meets the B1443 (includes a brown tourist sign for Burghley House) -- turn left and immediately left again to go into the Total / McDonalds.
Ending time and place
The cruise will end at the BP on the A1 very near to Peterborough. It's a bit elastic, depending on how much mooching around goes on, but 5:30-ish seems doable.
Road safety
There
are one or two bits of driving on this cruise
and my choice of the word "rollercoaster" is not an idle one. Please exercise caution when going over blind rises, there are several places where you come over a blind rise only to find a sharp turn on the other side!
Also,
los federales were out today, and only my ruthless adherence to the speed limit in villages saved me from a nasty surprise. I did exchange very warm smiles with the policewoman operating the camera, she must have a soft spot for old cars (or else she knew how fast I was going before I got to the 30 zone!
)
How to join in
Please PM me if you are interested in attending with details of
- your message board username (e.g. Zmurf)
- name of driver and passenger (e.g. Tim and Irene Cullis)
- model, colour and reg number (e.g. M roadster 3.2, Laguna Seca Blue, A4 TRC)
- mobile phone number (e.g. 07999 999999)
Confirmed participants so far are:
Spokey - Z1
BartS - Z3
B7 Eater - M5
Mrs B7 Eater - Baur
Unconfirmed participants so far are:
Giles - M3 CSL
Edited by spokey
Sun 3 Apr 2005: The Rutland Rollercoaster
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Suitably coffeed up, I headed off to the start point where I found BartS and the lovely Sarah just going around the roundabout and Mark, Jackie and Charlotte just about to leave.
... just a perfect day!
