Just wondering what the 72 euros rally fee is paying for ? Looks like everything is an extra, camping, meals, t shirt. So what do we get for 72euros, please don't say the "rally book" a waste of money in my opinion
Gino Rondelli
So it's 72 Euros just to…
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I was thinking of attending …
I was thinking of attending - nice ride thru France to a somewhere where there are lots of motorbikes to see. But there doesn't seem to be much going on. A trip to the St Nazaire docks - on a bus !?* - which, apart from my father dropping mines in the sea around there in 1942, doesn't strike me as that interesting.
So, what do you all do on these rallies? Is there a programme?
I image there's some chatting, some looking at other bikes. But what else? Ride outs? Local motor museum? Band? Concours? Track session? What does the rally give me that I can't get from an informal ride round France? Or making a weekend of Andover Norton Day followed by Leicestershire and Northampton Branch in Welford? Or the Beezumph Rally at Cadwell (in fact, how about bring your JPN down for that Gino and I'll bring mine)?
Seriously, I'm not taking the piss, I would like to know.
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The trip around England…
The trip around England would be much cheaper Stan, I raced at cadwell back in the 80s, could be a good weekend but I'm afraid my brain reverts back to the 80s on a racetrack so I can't be trusted,
As always I'm sure the French will put on a great rally but still baffled as to what the 72 euro fee gets you.
if anyone fancies our Tay valley camping weekend in Strontian in May, it will only cost you for 2 nights camping , no rally fee, no rally book and the ferry is only £6 , midges may or may not be present
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If you are thinking of…
If you are thinking of coming you'll need to decide shortly. There are 230 places available. Over 200 went in the first 48 hours.
I really enjoy rallies but would be hard put to specifically explain why. I think you covered it Stan, the ride somewhere with a purpose, meeting up with friends, seeing another part of the country or Europe. The French Club will make much of the social element which is what a proportion of the rally fee is spent on.
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Rally costs
It's 2025 and from what I can see it's unfortunately what these things cost to put on. The days of a cheap blat over to the continent for a long weekend are generally long since gone, especially if you're travelling west of Dover where the ferry company's have no competition.
My wife and I used to organise the annual Bristol Branch Continental Caper every year - a long weekend in cheap traditional hotels sailing from Portsmouth or Plymouth. Our last Caper was 2018 ( having started in 1995) One of the reasons we no longer do it was that the cost of the ferries, accommodation and meals out over four days became more than a lot of people felt comfortable with.
In summary if you want to camp in a farmers field and cook your meals over the gaz stove, you can save quite a bit of money. If you want decent catering and the modern facilities, which most fellow branch members I know do, it is inevitably going to cost a lot more. Changing times I'm afraid.
PS A visit to the submarine pens/docks in St Nazaire is well worth while and be aware that in WW2 St Nazaire finally fell to the Germans several weeks after Dunkirk, following a relatively unreported mass evacuation of British troops etc. It was also where the sinking of the SS Lancastria occurred, an extremely sobering event.
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So it's 72 Euros just to register? Is that right?