My door will always be open for you guys and galls.
T, what date do you prefer? 5th and 12th still available for up to 25 people, the 19th is already booked up but I suspect that's too close to Christmas anyway.
I can provisionally book this slot for now if someone can agree on a date, there might be a surge in early bookings once the restrictions are eased. Just let me know and I can hold this until something concrete develops nearer the time.
If we have the numbers you can all have the upstairs dining room with a great view of the scantily clad Santas trying to negotiate one foot in front of the other
Hi all, We are assuming Carlisle 2020 Xmas actually means 2021? Just like the Euro's and Olympics!! Please had StupotShazB to the list of joining, Thanks
There isn't one. The forum code is broken. It claims that one can move a message and all replies to a new thread, but it seems to move only one post at a time, and it maintains the original title so you need to change that individually as well.
I couldn't get booked into the Corner House this year, so booked Abberley a while ago. So used to the Corner House, it feels like I know my way home, so someone might need to spin me in the different direction this year
Ibis and County used to be really cheap years ago, but not now Corner House has been great for the last few years, but somewhere new for me to go this year
I'll have to leave at an earlyish time again this year as I have no one to let my dogs out
Simon, do you have a readable PDF link to the xmas menu please?
Neil
Agreed, I struggled at first with the photo I received, but try saving it to your desktop then opening it with whatever you use (Mac uses Preview) and enlarge it - that worked much better for me. It doesn't seem to translate well to the forum software?
If folk are still finding difficulty I'll ask 'em to send me another pic.
I'm glad you're at the Abberley too Simon, even after me thinking you had booked all the available rooms at the Cornerhouse Will be strange walking to Robs a different way to the usual
As for food, I have no idea with the menu, usually some deep fried mushroom dish to start and a bolognese for mains. Rob calls me boring Desert - yeah, anything
It's started looking, um, interesting. We'll see. We've booked all the hotels on three-day free cancel rates, so if it doesn't work we're only out the cost of the tunnel.
But we have hopes. We're currently both vaccinated against covid - thrice - and shingles and flu. So we'll probably come down with yellow fever or dengue or something... but hopefully the bug that bites us dies a horrible death.
Things progress; we have about fifty pages of documentation, and as of noon we're covid free (can't think why - obviously three vaccinations had nothing to do with it, right?) and we start moving at dark o'clock tomorrow. Then we're under house arrest until we get the two-day test results... if they're fine, so are we, but if they're not we're either under more house arrest, or we may leave. Only none of transit systems will have us and neither will France. It's all ein bisschen stressig...
Things progress; we have about fifty pages of documentation, and as of noon we're covid free (can't think why - obviously three vaccinations had nothing to do with it, right?) and we start moving at dark o'clock tomorrow. Then we're under house arrest until we get the two-day test results... if they're fine, so are we, but if they're not we're either under more house arrest, or we may leave. Only none of transit systems will have us and neither will France. It's all ein bisschen stressig...
Neil
Neil if it's any consolation you've done the worst bits - the actual travel knitty-gritty should be fine. The officials in our experience (we did Spain in July and Dubai in October) have all been great and just glad that you've made their job a lot easier and they can get you on that plane.
We didn't even receive our day 2 test kits until day 3 so it was day four when they got sent away from a priority post-box (google where your nearest is). My daughter in Holland reckons this is a common occurrence and as long as you complete a test they're happy even if a day or so late.
Well, we've made it as far as Folkstone... got a bollocking from the immigration person who insisted that coming back was a really silly idea and they were trying to discourage it and none of the tests worked and blah blah blah - I restrained myself from asking (a) why they just didn't put that at the top of the covid page at gov.uk and (b) then what was the point of the two-day bloody expensive test?
And the French immigration (emigration? exmigration?) bod didn't like that our UK passports were suspiciously free of EU entry stamps, and insisted on seeing Anita's DE passport and my residency permit...
Jobsworths. As if you don't have enough to do in preparation - you were only following instructions. What's the point of a one-person crusade? "welcome to the UK". Quite the contrary of our experiences.
Well, it gets better... my must be done today covid tests were misdirected due to a postcode typo. They won't come until Monday...
I have had to locate a local tester who can do me tomorrow morning at a cost of somewhere between 'how much!?!?!?' and 'you must be f*kin' avin' a larf'
Mr Barnacle is currently getting his ear bent and is not in a happy place
Everything is ok thanks, just a load of crap happening that makes it hard for me to attend this year I left it as long as I could to make the decision, but I think it's just easier for me not to attend this year
Everything is ok thanks, just a load of crap happening that makes it hard for me to attend this year I left it as long as I could to make the decision, but I think it's just easier for me not to attend this year
Dug the Coupe out of my garage to make sure things are OK a wee bit early. All seems fine apart from drivers front tyre loosing some air. So a trip into Inverness to get it reseated and checked. Depending on conditions and traffic, I will have a journey time of four and a half to five hours. To me this is part of the enjoyment. Safe journey to you all, and will see you on Saturday…..
Good plan Jim, my "warm-up" is tomorrow morning, the two hours travel for us on Saturday is a mere spit across tarmac compared to your trip, hope the roads are clear for you.
Some measures just introduced in England have been standard fare north of the border throughout, e.g. mask-wearing indoors (wherever) and on public transport, so for us porridge-gobblers it'll be pretty much more of the same.
Unfortunately not for me. I'm in a position of at least waiting for pcr test results if not also having to go and get my own done. Either way I won't have an all clear by tomorrow.
Apologies to Rob for having to pull out at short notice, and to everyone else that I won't make it.
I need to square some stuff away with you Simon but I'll pm you.
That’s a shame some not being able to attend. In all honesty I’m not really all that surprised. I’ve been triple jagged plus flu jag. My wife was not keen for me to go because of our son who has to be shielded. However I’ve managed to negotiate when home I will isolate myself from our son for a few days.
I took the Coop into Inverness this morning to remedy the front tyre loosing some air, it just needs reseated. Five garages later, all too busy, next week at the earliest. This was me into town at eight. Loosing the plot, I decided to purchase a can of tyre sealer and try that. In the middle of Halfords car park I did the deed. So far so good. You just couldn’t make it up, every place I went, young lad on the phone, then when I asked about just needs reselling the tyre, sharp intake of breath and barely words that are difficult to understand followed by a laugh and no chance until next week. Aaaah!!!!
I’m here at County hotel, took me four and three quarter hours. The weather was very wet and busy. Entering Carlisle in the Coop was an eye opener for me, very busy…..
Sorry we missed you this morning Jim, perhaps it slipped your mind we were convening at Rob's this morning as the restaurant wasn't opening I tried phoning you several times after you called!
Otherwise many thanks to Rob and his long-suffering staff for delicious food and looking after us so well, the lads and I had a terrific time - they especially look forward to it immensely. Also in spite of limited numbers there was no detraction in quality company and craic, and thanks Rob for your hospitality this morning
Had a really good run back, and even the recalcitrant widget, after being given a "fright" in all probability by the amount of welding it underwent during restoration, actually started to work, not cutting out after reaching 1200 rpm
However if it misbehaves again I have a couple of potntial remedies up my sleeve....
Good to see everyone and can't wait till next year
Aye Simon I was at the restaurant, I wouldn’t have known where Rob stays. Anyhoo, good night right enough, good food and company. I had to stop in past my granddaughters in Perth. I’m a bit knackered after all the driving. The motorways were a bit busy and it was spraying water. Concentrating and keeping your wits about you and watching for numpties that switch lanes at the last moment, and some who don’t indicate. Another thank you to Rob and his lovely staff…..
Glad everyone had a good time and gutted I couldn't be there
Typically, this weekend has been one of the calmest weather weekends for travelling to Carlisle over the years, as there's usually snow, heavy rain or lorries blowing over in the wind on the M6
Jimboy, if it helps, whenever I do a long journey like Carlisle, I put RainX on the windscreen as it helps disperse the water and crap on it. One year, porkypaul thought my wipers weren't working as I didn't use them throughout the rainy journey, but I didn't need them most of the time
Good to know the Abberley is another option to book for the future too
Glad everyone had a good time and gutted I couldn't be there
Typically, this weekend has been one of the calmest weather weekends for travelling to Carlisle over the years, as there's usually snow, heavy rain or lorries blowing over in the wind on the M6
Jimboy, if it helps, whenever I do a long journey like Carlisle, I put RainX on the windscreen as it helps disperse the water and crap on it. One year, porkypaul thought my wipers weren't working as I didn't use them throughout the rainy journey, but I didn't need them most of the time
Good to know the Abberley is another option to book for the future too
Theresa, I’ve been using rain x for years. Good stuff. Hardly used my wiper’s either……
A huge thank you to all who made the annual pilgrimage for a Xmas get together, even the staff say it wouldn't be the same with the Coupe Club making an appearance. It's a shame we're a bit out of the way up here in the north so I'm especially grateful for all your efforts, none more so than Neil and Anita for their epic journey.
It was great to see everyone again, Theresa you were missed. Maybe something could be organised for a summer meet, where travelling might be a little less precarious due to the winter weather?
Can't wait for the new season of meets, hope to see you all again in the new year.
/me is back in Fahrland, 4300km since we left Anita has had no recurrence (or explanation) though the cold meant we only got about three hour's sleep on Sunday night
The journey was only improved by the lorry that shed its load and closed the M20 just before we got there on sunday, me falling asleep in the driver's seat while queueing for the tunnel loading, meeting Keyjay at Zele (though sadly the rest of the family were out at school and jobs), and Anita driving for three hours so I got some sleep.
Yes, any date suits me these days as I'll just book the time off work. A few years ago, I used to try and work it to fit in with my weekend off work as I used to be off every other weekend.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/fiatcoupenet/pics/sig_barnacle_v1.gif)
but I suspect that's too close to Christmas anyway.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/fiatcoupenet/pics/sig_book_v1.gif)
![[Linked Image]](https://i.ibb.co/tD5DzjN/Collezione-Coupe-Wide.jpg)
Corner House has been great for the last few years, but somewhere new for me to go this year 
Sound good to me… 
Another thank you to Rob and his lovely staff….. 