Manx Birthday Bash

[johns]

As announced in True Grip (out today), the SIDC are celebrating their 5th birthday in style this year, with an organised trip to the Isle of Man, the home of British Motorsport. Isle of Man

This is a 5 day trip to the Island, with an fantastic itenerary of events lined up for our members to enjoy.

The trip will take place between the 12th and 16th of September (Thursday - Monday inclusive).

The schedule is as follows:

Thursday - arrive on the island via Seacat or ferry from Liverpool of Heysham. Crossings from Ireland are also available. See Steam Packet Company for more info.

Thursday evening. Welcome reception party at the House of Manannan museum in Peel with wine and nibbles included. This fantastic museum has won many awards, including Museum of the year quite recently. More details at House of Manannan

Friday morning - you have the option of a track event at Jurby airfield, or an organised Treasure Hunt taking you to many points of interest around the Island.

Friday afternoon will be left free (you can continue at the track all day if you wish), so that you can explore the Island, and do one of many activities which can be arranged for us. These include horse riding, scuba diving, golf tournaments (6 courses to choose from), cycling, mountain biking, sea boat trips (seal colony/basking sharks etc), numerous sporting activities, hillclimbing, fishing etc etc.

Friday evening. BBQ and party night A chance to let your hair down, and enjoy a BBQ and party evening at one of the many good quality restaurants on the Island. Mini-buses/taxis can be arranged if you don't want to drive.

Saturday morning. Drive the original 1902 TT circuit, which comprises 52 miles of the best roads on the Island. This is an extention of the existing TT circuit. The route will be signposted with club logos, so you don't get lost, and there will be a few stops en-route to obtain signature which prove you ahve done the whole circuit. Some people may wish to drive the route twice before lunch, which will be a buffet lunch at one of the hotels near the TT route.

The latter part of Saturday afternoon is again left free for other activites, such as shopping, sporting events, etc, or just a chance to relax and enjoy the leisure facilities on offer at both of the hotels we have chosen for our base.

Saturday evening is also free, and will allow you the chance to enjoy the best that the island has to offer in terms of high quality restaurants, pubs and nightlife. The casino at the Hilton will also be open until 4am if you fancy a spot of gambling!

Sunday morning: Perhaps the best part of the trip. The government will close the mountain section of the TT circuit (about 8 Km) for our exclusive use. There will be no other traffic permitted on the road, so you have the guarantee that nothing will be coming in the other direction, and of course with no speed limits in place, you can enjoy the driving experience of a lifetime.

Following the mountain section, we will have a photo call at the TT grandstand in Douglas, which is again reserved for our use during the day.

Sunday afternoon will again be free for that last round of golf, last minute bargains at the shops, or those memorable final few trips across the mountain section of the TT circuit.

On Sunday evening, we will be having a grand gala dinner at the Hilton in Douglas (black tie preferred but not essential), with possibly some speeches, prizes and special awards etc.

Monday - the sad day when we all depart for home again, or you can if you prefer, stay on at any of the hotels for a few more days at the same incredibly low room rates on offer.

We are also in talks with a company who plan to make a film of the event, with videos and DVDs of the event being produced (your chance to star on TV! ).

The two hotels we have chosen for the trip, are the Mount Murray, which is situated just outside Douglas (5 minutes drive). This has a fantastic gym and leisure complex, with squash courts, several swimming pools, aerobics halls, tennis courts, 18 hole golf course on site etc. Full details at Mount Murray Web Site

The other hotel is the Hilton in Douglas. 3 star hotel, offering all the usual Hilton refinements. I can personally vouch for the breakfasts being superb . Swimming pool, leisure complex, casino, two restaurants, and a bar which is open until 3:30am every morning! Centrally located, so ideal for the younger crowd who wish to explore the Douglas nightlife and pub scene. Plenty of parking available. Some rooms have balconies overlooking the seafront at Douglas. More details on Hilton Web Site

The price for this amazing weekend to remember, a mere £333 per person, which includes all ferry travel, good quality hotel accommodation, breakfast every day, meals where mentioned above and all the events. The only exception is the track event, which will be an additional £50 per car, with no additional fees for extra drivers etc. This is based on two people sharing a twin/double room and a car. Single supplements will apply for those who wish to travel on their own, but these can be reduced if you share a twin room with another member on the trip.

This will certainly be one of the biggest and most memorable events in the club's history, and a large turn-out is expected. There are already some 30-40 owners who have already booked their trip (only need pay a £50 deposit just now), or are planning to within the next few days. A booking form is printed in the current copy of True Grip, along with further details of the event. You can also book by telephone by calling Magic Holidays (who are handling all the arrangements) on 08457 585833. You will also shortly be able to book on-line as well

We also hope that many of our good friends who live overseas, in Holland, Belgium, France, Sweden, Norway etc will also make the trip over the the island to help us celebrate our 5th birthday in style, and indeed there have been some special discounted ferry rates negotiated to enable them to join us. Members of other car clubs with who we have formed a good relationship with over the past 5 years are also welcome. Special arrangements can also be made for those who live further afield, and may wish to fly in for the event.

We look forward to meeting you all on the Island in September.

Remember, please don't be afraid to ask any questions in this forum. We'd be more than happy to help out with any queries you might have.

John

[½cwt]

Provided I can make it, which is doubtful unless I get a new contract soon, I'd be quite happy to guide people on a few of the more famous Manx rally stages if there is time for extra excursions. They can be quite fun at night even at non-competitive speeds

Failing that I'll get info to someone so you can at least seek out teh stages as they are far from obvious in a lot of cases with out all the arrows and bunting in place.

[fishy]

What an excellent bash, it sounds pretty good. I just hope I can get released from work.

Question? Do you have to stay in one of the hotels mentioned above or can you make your own arrangements etc.. Some people may want to camp or know somebody there.

Question? Is it possible just to go for the weekend and make own arrangements, cos' if I cant get time of work, it will have to be a weekend venture, thus still getting in the closed mountain section in.

Can anyone advise me of that, cheers!

[johns]

Fishy,

it should be possible for you to make your own arrangements if you wanted to. You could then just pay the same fee (to be decided) for local members who won't need any of the travel and accommodation etc., and just wish to take part in the events.

Camping - it was discussed when we were over there, but as the savings were marginal (due to the excellent hotel rates), we thought that most people would prefer to simply enjopy the luxury of a hotel for the weekend

If you do just wish to make your own arrangements, then I'd suggest you give Magic Holidays a call, who could advise you on ferry times, prices, local event fee etc.

Hope to see you there

1/2 cwt - we'll look forward to iy

John