A write up of our trip to Istanbul…
A few thoughts on how the event unfolded and how the memories were gained.....No pics on this post I'm affraid however all of the pics from the event can be found here...http://www.panda-to-istanbul.co.uk/istanbul/index.html
Part 1
It seems so long ago that I jumped into Willie the Sisley on that warm morning on the 29th of Aug and headed for Stranrear, I say that as I think I’m still tired from the Journey, suppose that’s what happens when all of a sudden you realise you are a Granddad. On way to Stranrear I began a complex in my mind that remained till we got to Paris and that was….is that noise getting louder? Is the gearbox going to last? Will Willie for the first time ever let me down? The prospect of driving Willie for the next 6000 miles was starting to play on my mind. I had never doubted him before but then again I had never contemplated taking him across 20 countries in 10 days before. On arrival at Stranrear relaxed for a change as I was there in plenty of time I started to polish a bit of this & that till the boarding began probably to make him as shiny as Sylvia & knowing that many photographers were waiting to see him.
I met Jim & Sylvia just outside the ferry terminal that whisked us off to Carrick Fergus to say hello to the Mayor and get some publicity pics followed by a very nice buffet laid out to officially start the trip in style. I was pleasantly surprised when given the gift of a Carrick Fergus tie & pin badges. After a few words of encouragement we headed to the Hospice care in Belfast for the Official/Official start of our Journey to Paris. We were so welcomed on arrival it made it a pleasure to have completed the extra 300 miles to start in Belfast. Soon after we were joined by the PSNI traffic department. Initially we were told that we would have to leave by 3.30pm 30min earlier than anticipated if we wanted the escort, as they had to be back at base shortly after. As time neared to 3.30 the photographers had just started snapping away and NIIMC members had started to arrive to wave us off, I looked at the PSNI officers who gave an it’s ok no problem type of wave. I believe they were starting to enjoy themselves with the crazy panda owners and the entourage that followed such a madcap event. Time continued and I apologised for the delay but they seemed no longer interested in the deadline and were I think just happy to be involved. All of a sudden the photographers were finished and the police escort was about to begin to the ferry terminal. Being used to escorts I told Jim just to follow close behind as I knew the Police car would stop traffic to let us through, instinct would leave the novice to stop behind the police car instead of taking it wide and continuing through. It was an excellent run to the ferry and there were many onlookers wondering just what was so special about two panda’s, they would have to wait to read about it the following day. We arrived very quickly to the ferry terminal and with much thanks waved good bye to the officers who made another memory to add to the many to follow. We had a chat with the NIIMC members that followed soon after then waved goodbye to head for the main land. Security staff on booking in wasn’t quite sure what to make of these two little panda’s being led by the police but after brief explanation I think we managed to stop the about to begin alert search process.
Willie & Sylvia on arriving at the mainland were singing merrily away they were at one with the world and doing just what they do best….being driven Italian style. Near Carlisle we stopped to refuel and on getting back into Willie horror struck I tried to put him into first but the gear stick just kept going “WTF” was pressing my thought process and with much in trepidation I had a look underneath. A 13mm bolt attaching the gearlever to the body of the gearbox had dropped off of the car, there was no reason for this but a 13mm replacement was quickly found and Willie was as good as ever, although the mind games & mechanical complex had now really taken hold. I wondered if Sylvia’s occasional bad luck was going to be transferred to Willie for the duration of the event, “god help us” was to be the prayer for the next 12 days. We arrived safe in Cumbria for the first overnight halt and to finally pack Willie for the next 11 days.
On the morning of the 31st a last coffee at home was drunk and we headed for Carlisle airport for the waiting media crews, about 15 minutes into the drive I realised that not all of Willie’s documents were with me so headed home whilst Sylvia continued on, I was now 30 min behind but Willie was rearing to go so unleashed him on the Cumbrian roads, he was singing and must have thought an Italian owner had taken the rains for a change. I didn’t want to push him so early but there were people waiting and not the type of people you keep waiting especially since they had just bought Stobbart’s trucks for £138 million and the new owner Andrew Tinkler was to be a surprise guest to wave us off. I arrived about 2 min behind Jim and Sylvia, whilst our other team mate Jim was waiting with Ivor to complete the 3 panda’s leaving Cumbria to head for France. The media interest was amazing and whilst Jim Magill was being interviewed by the papers I was being interviewed by CFM radio and Pilot Jim was being interviewed by BBC radio Cumbria with ITN/Border news waiting in the wings to interview us all. It was just about over when Andrew Tinkler blew us away with the fact he would pick up the tab for all fuel used in the event, it was a marvellous gesture.
Happy the bank balance would later recover Jim/Sylvia and me/Willie headed for Leicester with a bacon buttie & coffee in hand to pick up the final car. Ivor was to stay in Cumbria for the next few hours as the co-driver was not allowed to leave till 5pm after his commitment to the Air Ambulance was concluded. The M6 saw Sylvia at her very best she was eating up the miles and Willie who is normally relaxed on this Motorway had to stretch his legs to keep up. The next stop on the route was Sandbach services to meet Sam & Fuzzy panda. The schedule was so tight that only a quick chat & a few photographs were available before heading to Leicester. We were scheduled to be in Leicester for 1.30 and leaving at about 3.30 but after the additional time with the press we were well behind and only made Ibstock for 3pm, we were welcomed by Gina (posh) Rob (Co-driver) Sarah (Rob’s wife) and Sarah Monk (Mk1) also there to welcome us was Damon (Panda-sport) who was there to help Willie add a new lease of life to his gearbox in the form of ZC90. So after a quick oil change & coffee we said our goodbye’s to Rob & Sarah’s kids then headed for Dover with Damon bringing up the rear. The road was uneventful and pretty clear so good progress was made to the Speed ferries terminal.
Willie, Mk1 & Sylvia were all securely parked in the hold and we were whisked off to mainland Europe for the foreign start to the trip. We knew that we would have plenty of time the following day so stopped 50 miles short of Paris at about 2am looking for a hotel, we decided on cheap & cheerful in the guise of Formule1, it wasn’t the Hilton but at least it was clean and comfortable. Ivor’s crew were now in Dover and ready to take the first crossing in the morning. We woke refreshed and with the continental style breakfast that can only be found in the Formule1 motels filling our bellies we set the Sat-nav for the Gare de l’Est train station to meet the Orient-Express for the first time. Ivor’s crew by this time let us know they had crossed the channel & was heading for Paris themselves. On entering Paris all crews drove well to prevent being split up and throughout the inner-city journey managed to keep together with a combination of defensive & offensive driving to the amusement of many locals who’s mobile phone camera’s were busy. Sylvia & the Mk1 during this time were getting hot eventually causing the Mk1 to stall at a very busy crossing. Panic struck and all crews jumped out to help the poor thing start. Finally we arrived at the station together followed soon after by Ivor.
The Orient-Express platform was pristine filled with shiny people about to embark on their immaculate trip which all of a sudden made the pillock wearing the beige shorts & black socks very self conscious. On speaking to the staff of the train in their immaculate uniforms they showed genuine interest and seemed pleased to have a bunch of mad British following on in what they described as more than second hand cars. Once all the passengers had boarded we readied for the off which became more & more delayed. Jim Martin had the ITN camera and wanted to film the train leaving, We told Ivor’s crew that we intended to beat the train to Budapest and was going for the 25 hour run, they responded by telling us they would be too tired and would probably have to stop off on route, we then told them that we would share the drive whilst they slept in the car, responded by we’re not sleeping in the car. It was obvious that they were going to do the run on their terms. Eventually the train left the station and we were off, let’s go, Ivor’s crew informed us that they were going for a kebab first? So we didn’t even leave the station together. Bearing in mind how much organising had gone into this event and Ivor’s crew was the official representatives of the Air Ambulance the charity we were trying to raise money for, the response was disappointing. So 3 crews, Willie, Mk1 & Sylvia left Paris and once well out of heavy traffic decided to have a bit of sustenance for the long night ahead.
The next part of the journey although exciting was to become a bit of a blur, darkness fell through midish France and the only difference between countries we were travelling through were the changes in traffic signs. We received a text to say that Ivor’s crew was pulling up in Metz France for the night as they were now very tired and couldn’t go on. This was followed by a later text saying that they had been taken by the locals to a lap dancing club, maybe they weren’t quite so tired after all. The first text was expected the second a real slap in the face for 6 drivers who had decided to go all out at personal sacrifice to achieve the task in hand. The Panda’s were magnificent and plodded on with youthful vigour not complaining at the hard drive put to them, the organic bit’s behind the wheel however had to stop occasionally to pass the baton to the next organic bit taking over. Our meeting in Germany with the German panda club looked set to be a miss and as time went on the meeting place just not achievable till about 4 am. Tom called and I hinted that the meeting was more than likely going to be cancelled, we were pushing forward with all our worth but it was never going to be enough. Three cars travelling together will always be slower than one, 6 different bladders and 6 different tired minds more than likely reduced our average speed, however the 6 minds and bladders without much complaint continued well into the night. As dusk approached enough was enough we had entered Austria and just couldn’t continue, it just wasn’t safe so we all parked in the next services and tried desperately to get some sleep. Luckily Sylvia still had reclining seats, not so the Mk1 or Willie meaning the word comfortable was just not an option. Every one however managed to get at least 1.5 hrs before filling up the tanks and setting off again.
Budapest just seemed so far away but as we reached the Austrian Hungarian border tiredness slipped away and renewed vigour threw us towards our goal. Crossing the border also brought us into contact with the Polish Panda Contingent waiting our arrival to follow us to Budapest. It was a marvellous sight but time marched on and after a very brief chat had to get moving again. We had to reach Budapest for 2.45 or we wouldn’t be allowed on the station platform to welcome the train. On our large multinational convoy we were told that some of the Polish members were unable to keep up but the distance to cover with the time available meant we had to push on and leave some behind, all of a sudden the Mk1 had to pull off for fuel and a message was passed to go for the station so Willie and Sylvia continued leaving the Mk1 behind. Next a very heavy downpour left Sylvia’s tyres wanting for grip and a further message on the radio came across that they now had to pull off and again was told to go for the station. Now only Willie was in the position to get to the station in time he pulled away from all the others making for Budapest all on his own. The miles were disappearing fast but not as quickly as the time available to get there, finally we received a message from Budapest station telling us it was too late to get any of the cars on the platform it was a real disappointment and our heart sank, Willie then slowed to allow the others to catch up, it wasn’t the right thing to now go it alone after so much effort was put in by all the other drivers we had to get there together. The Polish contingent must have thought what were these crazy British up to quick/slow? What was going on? We attempted to contact them with the answer but the radio remained silent. Finally the Mk1 and Willie were back together but Sylvia was missing when we realised that we could still beat the train to the station. Yes we had missed our spot on the platform but it would still be an achievement to beat the train so yet again we set off for the station. There was only a few miles left to go and it looked like the panda’s were going to win the first leg of the race, and this had to be the most important leg, the largest stage of the event and the panda’s were most definitely ahead. A few missed turns aside Willie and the Mk1 pulled into the train station and parked. I ran into the station to see who the victor was, the platform was empty YES the train had not yet arrived. After speaking to the Orient-Express reps at the station I heard that Sylvia had also joined us and as a result all three Panda’s made it to Budapest before the train. It was close but close doesn’t matter when you are the winner, we were extremely jubilant as the Orient-Express horn sounded to announce it’s arrival 10 min later. All of a sudden it appeared that this may be a walkover were we going to now win this race so easily. We maybe shouldn’t have been as confident as the hardest part was still to come, not that we knew this yet.
Part II to follow……….
A few thoughts on how the event unfolded and how the memories were gained.....No pics on this post I'm affraid however all of the pics from the event can be found here...http://www.panda-to-istanbul.co.uk/istanbul/index.html
Part 1
It seems so long ago that I jumped into Willie the Sisley on that warm morning on the 29th of Aug and headed for Stranrear, I say that as I think I’m still tired from the Journey, suppose that’s what happens when all of a sudden you realise you are a Granddad. On way to Stranrear I began a complex in my mind that remained till we got to Paris and that was….is that noise getting louder? Is the gearbox going to last? Will Willie for the first time ever let me down? The prospect of driving Willie for the next 6000 miles was starting to play on my mind. I had never doubted him before but then again I had never contemplated taking him across 20 countries in 10 days before. On arrival at Stranrear relaxed for a change as I was there in plenty of time I started to polish a bit of this & that till the boarding began probably to make him as shiny as Sylvia & knowing that many photographers were waiting to see him.
I met Jim & Sylvia just outside the ferry terminal that whisked us off to Carrick Fergus to say hello to the Mayor and get some publicity pics followed by a very nice buffet laid out to officially start the trip in style. I was pleasantly surprised when given the gift of a Carrick Fergus tie & pin badges. After a few words of encouragement we headed to the Hospice care in Belfast for the Official/Official start of our Journey to Paris. We were so welcomed on arrival it made it a pleasure to have completed the extra 300 miles to start in Belfast. Soon after we were joined by the PSNI traffic department. Initially we were told that we would have to leave by 3.30pm 30min earlier than anticipated if we wanted the escort, as they had to be back at base shortly after. As time neared to 3.30 the photographers had just started snapping away and NIIMC members had started to arrive to wave us off, I looked at the PSNI officers who gave an it’s ok no problem type of wave. I believe they were starting to enjoy themselves with the crazy panda owners and the entourage that followed such a madcap event. Time continued and I apologised for the delay but they seemed no longer interested in the deadline and were I think just happy to be involved. All of a sudden the photographers were finished and the police escort was about to begin to the ferry terminal. Being used to escorts I told Jim just to follow close behind as I knew the Police car would stop traffic to let us through, instinct would leave the novice to stop behind the police car instead of taking it wide and continuing through. It was an excellent run to the ferry and there were many onlookers wondering just what was so special about two panda’s, they would have to wait to read about it the following day. We arrived very quickly to the ferry terminal and with much thanks waved good bye to the officers who made another memory to add to the many to follow. We had a chat with the NIIMC members that followed soon after then waved goodbye to head for the main land. Security staff on booking in wasn’t quite sure what to make of these two little panda’s being led by the police but after brief explanation I think we managed to stop the about to begin alert search process.
Willie & Sylvia on arriving at the mainland were singing merrily away they were at one with the world and doing just what they do best….being driven Italian style. Near Carlisle we stopped to refuel and on getting back into Willie horror struck I tried to put him into first but the gear stick just kept going “WTF” was pressing my thought process and with much in trepidation I had a look underneath. A 13mm bolt attaching the gearlever to the body of the gearbox had dropped off of the car, there was no reason for this but a 13mm replacement was quickly found and Willie was as good as ever, although the mind games & mechanical complex had now really taken hold. I wondered if Sylvia’s occasional bad luck was going to be transferred to Willie for the duration of the event, “god help us” was to be the prayer for the next 12 days. We arrived safe in Cumbria for the first overnight halt and to finally pack Willie for the next 11 days.
On the morning of the 31st a last coffee at home was drunk and we headed for Carlisle airport for the waiting media crews, about 15 minutes into the drive I realised that not all of Willie’s documents were with me so headed home whilst Sylvia continued on, I was now 30 min behind but Willie was rearing to go so unleashed him on the Cumbrian roads, he was singing and must have thought an Italian owner had taken the rains for a change. I didn’t want to push him so early but there were people waiting and not the type of people you keep waiting especially since they had just bought Stobbart’s trucks for £138 million and the new owner Andrew Tinkler was to be a surprise guest to wave us off. I arrived about 2 min behind Jim and Sylvia, whilst our other team mate Jim was waiting with Ivor to complete the 3 panda’s leaving Cumbria to head for France. The media interest was amazing and whilst Jim Magill was being interviewed by the papers I was being interviewed by CFM radio and Pilot Jim was being interviewed by BBC radio Cumbria with ITN/Border news waiting in the wings to interview us all. It was just about over when Andrew Tinkler blew us away with the fact he would pick up the tab for all fuel used in the event, it was a marvellous gesture.
Happy the bank balance would later recover Jim/Sylvia and me/Willie headed for Leicester with a bacon buttie & coffee in hand to pick up the final car. Ivor was to stay in Cumbria for the next few hours as the co-driver was not allowed to leave till 5pm after his commitment to the Air Ambulance was concluded. The M6 saw Sylvia at her very best she was eating up the miles and Willie who is normally relaxed on this Motorway had to stretch his legs to keep up. The next stop on the route was Sandbach services to meet Sam & Fuzzy panda. The schedule was so tight that only a quick chat & a few photographs were available before heading to Leicester. We were scheduled to be in Leicester for 1.30 and leaving at about 3.30 but after the additional time with the press we were well behind and only made Ibstock for 3pm, we were welcomed by Gina (posh) Rob (Co-driver) Sarah (Rob’s wife) and Sarah Monk (Mk1) also there to welcome us was Damon (Panda-sport) who was there to help Willie add a new lease of life to his gearbox in the form of ZC90. So after a quick oil change & coffee we said our goodbye’s to Rob & Sarah’s kids then headed for Dover with Damon bringing up the rear. The road was uneventful and pretty clear so good progress was made to the Speed ferries terminal.
Willie, Mk1 & Sylvia were all securely parked in the hold and we were whisked off to mainland Europe for the foreign start to the trip. We knew that we would have plenty of time the following day so stopped 50 miles short of Paris at about 2am looking for a hotel, we decided on cheap & cheerful in the guise of Formule1, it wasn’t the Hilton but at least it was clean and comfortable. Ivor’s crew were now in Dover and ready to take the first crossing in the morning. We woke refreshed and with the continental style breakfast that can only be found in the Formule1 motels filling our bellies we set the Sat-nav for the Gare de l’Est train station to meet the Orient-Express for the first time. Ivor’s crew by this time let us know they had crossed the channel & was heading for Paris themselves. On entering Paris all crews drove well to prevent being split up and throughout the inner-city journey managed to keep together with a combination of defensive & offensive driving to the amusement of many locals who’s mobile phone camera’s were busy. Sylvia & the Mk1 during this time were getting hot eventually causing the Mk1 to stall at a very busy crossing. Panic struck and all crews jumped out to help the poor thing start. Finally we arrived at the station together followed soon after by Ivor.
The Orient-Express platform was pristine filled with shiny people about to embark on their immaculate trip which all of a sudden made the pillock wearing the beige shorts & black socks very self conscious. On speaking to the staff of the train in their immaculate uniforms they showed genuine interest and seemed pleased to have a bunch of mad British following on in what they described as more than second hand cars. Once all the passengers had boarded we readied for the off which became more & more delayed. Jim Martin had the ITN camera and wanted to film the train leaving, We told Ivor’s crew that we intended to beat the train to Budapest and was going for the 25 hour run, they responded by telling us they would be too tired and would probably have to stop off on route, we then told them that we would share the drive whilst they slept in the car, responded by we’re not sleeping in the car. It was obvious that they were going to do the run on their terms. Eventually the train left the station and we were off, let’s go, Ivor’s crew informed us that they were going for a kebab first? So we didn’t even leave the station together. Bearing in mind how much organising had gone into this event and Ivor’s crew was the official representatives of the Air Ambulance the charity we were trying to raise money for, the response was disappointing. So 3 crews, Willie, Mk1 & Sylvia left Paris and once well out of heavy traffic decided to have a bit of sustenance for the long night ahead.
The next part of the journey although exciting was to become a bit of a blur, darkness fell through midish France and the only difference between countries we were travelling through were the changes in traffic signs. We received a text to say that Ivor’s crew was pulling up in Metz France for the night as they were now very tired and couldn’t go on. This was followed by a later text saying that they had been taken by the locals to a lap dancing club, maybe they weren’t quite so tired after all. The first text was expected the second a real slap in the face for 6 drivers who had decided to go all out at personal sacrifice to achieve the task in hand. The Panda’s were magnificent and plodded on with youthful vigour not complaining at the hard drive put to them, the organic bit’s behind the wheel however had to stop occasionally to pass the baton to the next organic bit taking over. Our meeting in Germany with the German panda club looked set to be a miss and as time went on the meeting place just not achievable till about 4 am. Tom called and I hinted that the meeting was more than likely going to be cancelled, we were pushing forward with all our worth but it was never going to be enough. Three cars travelling together will always be slower than one, 6 different bladders and 6 different tired minds more than likely reduced our average speed, however the 6 minds and bladders without much complaint continued well into the night. As dusk approached enough was enough we had entered Austria and just couldn’t continue, it just wasn’t safe so we all parked in the next services and tried desperately to get some sleep. Luckily Sylvia still had reclining seats, not so the Mk1 or Willie meaning the word comfortable was just not an option. Every one however managed to get at least 1.5 hrs before filling up the tanks and setting off again.
Budapest just seemed so far away but as we reached the Austrian Hungarian border tiredness slipped away and renewed vigour threw us towards our goal. Crossing the border also brought us into contact with the Polish Panda Contingent waiting our arrival to follow us to Budapest. It was a marvellous sight but time marched on and after a very brief chat had to get moving again. We had to reach Budapest for 2.45 or we wouldn’t be allowed on the station platform to welcome the train. On our large multinational convoy we were told that some of the Polish members were unable to keep up but the distance to cover with the time available meant we had to push on and leave some behind, all of a sudden the Mk1 had to pull off for fuel and a message was passed to go for the station so Willie and Sylvia continued leaving the Mk1 behind. Next a very heavy downpour left Sylvia’s tyres wanting for grip and a further message on the radio came across that they now had to pull off and again was told to go for the station. Now only Willie was in the position to get to the station in time he pulled away from all the others making for Budapest all on his own. The miles were disappearing fast but not as quickly as the time available to get there, finally we received a message from Budapest station telling us it was too late to get any of the cars on the platform it was a real disappointment and our heart sank, Willie then slowed to allow the others to catch up, it wasn’t the right thing to now go it alone after so much effort was put in by all the other drivers we had to get there together. The Polish contingent must have thought what were these crazy British up to quick/slow? What was going on? We attempted to contact them with the answer but the radio remained silent. Finally the Mk1 and Willie were back together but Sylvia was missing when we realised that we could still beat the train to the station. Yes we had missed our spot on the platform but it would still be an achievement to beat the train so yet again we set off for the station. There was only a few miles left to go and it looked like the panda’s were going to win the first leg of the race, and this had to be the most important leg, the largest stage of the event and the panda’s were most definitely ahead. A few missed turns aside Willie and the Mk1 pulled into the train station and parked. I ran into the station to see who the victor was, the platform was empty YES the train had not yet arrived. After speaking to the Orient-Express reps at the station I heard that Sylvia had also joined us and as a result all three Panda’s made it to Budapest before the train. It was close but close doesn’t matter when you are the winner, we were extremely jubilant as the Orient-Express horn sounded to announce it’s arrival 10 min later. All of a sudden it appeared that this may be a walkover were we going to now win this race so easily. We maybe shouldn’t have been as confident as the hardest part was still to come, not that we knew this yet.
Part II to follow……….
