TT2 | Thursday Report | Letchworth - Newcastle (275 miles)

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TT2 | Thursday Report | Letchworth - Newcastle (275 miles)

By the time Thursday morning arrives I have already packed and washed the car. I'm meeting the usual suspects at Baldock services; Simon & Tania, Kev, Rob, Brian & Kay, Ruggs, Nat and Milan. Jaye Tillson and Jonathan Peck have also decided to join us at Baldock and I've also arranged to meet Mark Banham at Grantham services (our first stop). Fortunately for me, Baldock services is a 5 minute drive from my house so I have plenty of time to figure out how to fit all the stuff in the car. It's local election polling day and we even have time to go and vote.

To help with packing, I have invested in self-deflating storage bags (www.packmate.com). They work like those vacuum bags but you just sit on them and all the air is forced out of a one-way valve. They work a treat and we have room to spare in the boot which as well as the clothes is also storing:

Rucksack to stuff all the packmate bags into
Sleeping bag (other one above passenger footrest)
Roll-up toolkit with enough bits for removing undertray, wheel etc
Racing boots and gloves
Toiletry bag
Camera
Chargers for camera and phone
Some munchies

There's even enough room to take my crash helmet but I decide against it as I'll only need it for 2 hours at Knockhill and I'd rather not have to worry about re-packing the boot perfectly every day.

We were planning on getting to the services early and having a coffee before everyone else arrives but that plan has gone out of the window with all the messing about with the crash helmet. I jump on the A1(M) for the 1 junction to the services. Just as I enter the sliproad I see a black Elise shoot past on the motorway. It must be Simon I think and hammer after him. I catch up just before the exit and it isn't Simon after all. I don't recognise the plate but assume it must be Jonathan Peck as that's the only person I don't know meeting at Baldock. I flash and wave, overtake and then he follows me into the services. We park up next to the few other cars that have already arrived. I jump out and go to introduce myself. To my great surprise this guy is nothing to do with the Tut Towers weekend and knows nothing about it. He is however driving to Scotland for the weekend!!! I assume he's taking the piss but this is genuine and I don't quite know what to say. A bizarre start to the trip!

By 11:00 everyone has turned up except Ruggs. He will either be a day late or not make it at all - something to do with a steering rack but noone seems 100% sure what's going on other than he won't be coming to Baldock. Later than planned, at 11:15, we hit the road and make our way north.

First stop Grantham. Mark B calls me from Grantham services but we're still a good 40 minutes away. As we approach Grantham, Nat pulls off to collect Gavin from the train station. Everyone pulls off and follows him but I stay on the A1 and stop at the services. I grab a burger while we're wating and then everyone else turns up and does the same. By the time we leave we are well behind schedule. Guy calls me as we leave Grantham and he has managed to get ahead of us. He, Jon and Georgie have stopped for lunch and I suggest that we might be able to meet up with them. They are at Wooley services just after J38. Just as I'm trying to get to the front of the convoy, the lead cars decide that Wooley services is a good place to fill up with fuel. The two titanium Elises are tucked round the back and I manage to tell everyone to move the cars round there while the others finish their lunch. While we're waiting we decide that we've had enough of the A1 and we should duck off onto some more interesting roads once we've passed Leeds. A vague plan is hatched to exit at J48 near Ripon and then head up the A6108 (Masham, Leyburn, Richmond) before deciding whether to get back on the A1 or not.

It seems that not everyone got the message to exit at J48. Guy and Georgie miss it completely and Kev has had to go to the next junction and come into Ripon from the north. Meanwhile we're waiting in the entrance to Ripon racecourse. We head off to try and meet Kev as he comes into town and things to horribly wrong. I'm hoping to find a petrol station or layby or something but there's nothing and I have 8 Elises behind me. Just as Kev comes into view in the other direction I see a farm entrance with a nice long angled curb where we can all wait and turn round. However, as we approach I notice that the curb, although angled, is about 15cm high and nobody wants to risk driving up it. So we end up creating havoc on this strech or road. Kev turns round and joins us and nobody is interested in letting us turn round. Eventually we all get away and on our approach back into Ripon I see numerous Elises circling roundabouts. I suppose I'll have to show them where we're going! A6108 to Richmod, remember?!

Fortunately the roads are quiet and this gently winding A road is just what we needed after 200 miles on the A1. We stop in the village of East Witton and decide that we'll keep off the A1 for the rest of the way to Newcastle. Good news, as we'll be able to cut across the east Pennines on the B6278 through Stanhope and then approach Newcastle from the west on the A69. I'm particularly keen on this as we'll be leaving Newcastle on the same roads the next morning so it should help us find our way out of town that much easier.

The drive through the Pennines is fantastic and brings back a lot of memories of the Great North (fish and chip) Run. I take my first photo of the weekend at a layby just after the fast descent into Stanhope. There are lots of grinning faces as we jump out of our cars and start chatting about the highlights of the last few miles. But it's hard work leading 10 cars. Just finding somewhere where we can all stop is a task in itself (we've completely filled the layby) and knowing that there are people at the back who aren't too sure where we're going is a stressful business. Counting in pairs of headlights as we enter each long straight. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I can drive in a smaller group.

Our diversion off the A1 has meant that we have missed the evening rush hour and driving into Newcastle is fairly painless. I even recognise enough of the town centre to lead us to the Travelodge without getting lost. Things are going well. After checking in it's down to the bar and a few drinks before food. At this point Georgie arrives looking quite upset. She has been carjacked! After finding the Travelodge full, she has headed out of town to the next hotel on the A1. At a set of traffic lights, her pasenger door has been opened and her laptop stolen. She also thinks that her phone and purse have gone too but these are later found in the car. The Travelodge now have a cancellation for her and we leave for food as Georgie goes with the police back to the scene. Hailey gives her mobile to Georgie so she can call me when she's finished with the police and join us for dinner. I send an SMS when we get to the restaurant.

We head for "Est Est Est" on the Quayside as it's the only place we know! Been here 3 times now and I'm surprised they still let us in. But the food is good and Georgie arrives in time for something to eat. There are crayons on the table which is a bad idea because after we're bored with drawing cars on the tablecloth they end up being thrown across the tables! Over dinner, people are discussing when to set off in the morning. 10am seems to be agreed which is find with me as I've already agreed to be leave at 9am with the people I'll be spending the rest of the weekend with. I'm happy to know I'll be in a smaller group than today and everyone ought to have the route I devised from Newcastle to Edinburgh.

On our way back to the Travelodge we visit Gateside by walking over the new Millenium bridge. The Queen is due to officially open the bridge on Tuesday but we got there first! Very nice it is too but it doesn't sway like the London one.