SELOC

We first found out about the trip through our friends Luke and Christine when it was already full, our place on this trip was a late addition as someone else had to drop out, which was a shame for them but brilliant news for us.

Our trip started with the usual pre-drive checks of the Exige, oil, water, snacks: CHECK! and off we went, on our way to the first checkpoint – McDonalds at Whittlesford to meet with Luke and Christine in their red Honda powered S1 Elise. Spicy Nuggets procured we were on our way for the longest leg on the trip to Liverpool

The day started sunny and bright but soon turned to rain and wind as we got closer to our destination. Upon arrival in Liverpool we pulled up at the hotel only for Luke to announce that this was not the hotel he was booked at. Cue much hunting around and checking of bookings only to find @M6rk_swarbrick had booked us into the wrong hotel for the night! However our hotel had a Lamborghini Hurucan and the rain had stopped by this point so I feel like it was worth the stay!

We arrange to meet the rest of the guys and gals at the curry house in Liverpool for dinner, so we took the opportunity beforehand to have a drive around and take in the after dark scenery of this beautiful city. will definitely be visiting again for further exploration!

I am always nervous meeting new people but the SELOC crew were lovely, so whilst it was daunting at first to meet all these people, who all knew each other from previous trips, they made us feel at ease very quickly. A swift drive back to the hotel, after stuffing ourselves back into the Exige – very full of curry, and heads down to get a good nights sleep before the Isle of Man Steam Packet Ferry in the morning!

When we arrived at the port I immediately found my second car spot of the trip, the number 75 car from the Gumball 3000 rally that had taken place a few weeks previous! The crossing was smooth however getting on and off the ferry did pose a challenge for all our low cars, thankfully the ferry crew were used to low cars and guided us on successfully with no damage!

Once we were on the island we got straight to it, doing a full lap of the TT Circuit before heading to the hotel to check in. I knew by this point that I was going to enjoy this trip!

Once we had deposited our stuff in the hotel we went out for a wonder around Ramsey, starting with the beach we walked down towards the town centre, as we came up off the sand we were greeted with what we all describe as a creepy looking house – bleak house, adjoining a wonderfully appointed house. We looked into the property to see if we could find out anything about it as we came to the conclusion it must have been an art installation, sadly the story is slightly more tragic than that – https://tinyurl.com/y5qumwoq

We met with the rest of the crew for dinner and drinks and had fun getting to know each other a little better and planning for the next days fun!

The Treasure Hunt! this consisted of splitting off into two groups for a full drive around the island taking in loads of tourist spots and some hidden treasures! Our first stop was the wheel at Laxey, where Christine and I found a hidden waterfall in a bush!

We met some guys with classic minis and a classic escort who told us about a trackday at Jury Autodrome aka the Jurburgring that was on the next day! Sadly we did not have helmets so we agreed go down to watch! Jumping back in the cars we continued our drive round the island heading south taking in various beaches, beauty spots and historical sites before stopping at The Cafe at Sound point for lunch.

Bumping in to the other group who were there for lunch at the same time, after we continued north round the west side of the island, stopping off at various points on the island and taking in all the glorious unrestricted roads.

Along the way we met up with a local Lotus owner and his son who were going to the trackday on the Sunday and kindly offered M6rk the use of a helmet for the day if he could get a place on the trackday.

We arrived at the Point of Ayre Lighthouse at Sunset, it was breathtaking we soaked in the atmosphere for a short while but by this stage we were all quite tired and ready to head back to the hotel, via some more lovely unrestricted roads of course!

When we arrived back the others had already been back a little while some had even gone out for another little drive over the mountain, an idea which M6rk loved so much he decided to go out as well whilst the rest of us settled in for a drink before dinner.

Sunday was a free day so M6rk woke up early and headed out for an even faster drive over the mountain and round to Peel before coming back to collect me and head out to Jurby for the track day! and the motor museum. M6rk had decided not to get out on track but when we arrived he couldn’t resist so he approached the organiser and asked if there was any way he could squeeze on and they were more than happy to let him go out for a session after a safety briefing and paperwork were completed. He quickly found his track feet again and enjoyed a little play about with a couple of BMWs who loved to drift it! turns out they were both racers who come to the islands only track to get practice fairly regularly.

After the track session was over we headed out to the Motor Museum which is just around the corner from the Autodrome, the collection here is so eclectic and interesting there is definitely something here for everyone, bikes, cars, military and service vehicles from all around the globe, my favourite was the preschool bus shaped like a train!

Once we had finished at the museum we headed down to Douglas to find Tourist tat and food, we scouted around and found a wonderful little place called Down Town which had a lovely menu including the bagels which we all chose! After another swift drive over the mountain, we headed out to visit our friend who had moved out to the island 10 years previous and could not speak highly enough about Island life!

On the Monday we had a more relaxed day, some people went off for a quad biking excursion, M6rk went off for another high speed run and I enjoyed a more sedate morning with a leisurely breakfast, following this we headed to Douglas and tried to find somewhere to have dinner that evening after disappointingly finding out that The Abbey was closed Monday and Tuesday each week, we fast realised that most places on the island are closed Monday at least! We gave up on the search and headed to meet Luke and Christine at the Steam train station where we took the most immaculately restored and presented steam train down to Port of Erin where we enjoyed half an hour on the beach before our train back. During the journey back we managed to find a place called Thai Thai for dinner which came with good reviews. The reviews were correct! the food was amazing, the service was fantastic and I cannot recommend it enough!

Tuesday was Leaving day, we got up and had breakfast, packed our things into the car an headed out for a last drive over to Peel, round and down to Douglas where Christine grabbed a hoodie and I went to get takeout Bagels from Down Town for our lunch whilst we awaited the ferry! It was a bittersweet wait in the port, I was excited to be heading home to see our kittens but sad to be leaving the island, we will be returning, no doubt about that but that last sunset on the way home from Liverpool was the perfect way to end the trip!

Visit the Isle of Man, you will not regret it!

Report By Phoebe Rudd (Jagermini)

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Write up from the Tent Off weekend, from a Central Southern perspective.

We had been looking forward to this all year and finally it was time to squeeze everything into the Lotus and head off to France.

Idiot sign fitted ready

To make the most of the short break, Mrs FW and I left home straight after work on the Wednesday and headed in the general direction of Portsmouth to get the overnight to Caen. After a massive 9 mile journey, we stopped for food and drink in Fareham, the view from the pub window already making us feel like we were away somewhere nice (not saying Fareham isn’t nice.

After a walk along to Fareham creak, we jumped back in the Elise and drove the short distance to the Ferry.

In the carpark we met  whizzee111s and Lisa Y who were heading out on a later ferry, soon after we were directed to the boat, unfortunately I was directed to the upper deck with the resulting bodywork modifications.

In the normal Womble tradition, we popped the cork of something fizzy, whilst relaxing in our luxury cabin.

An early wakeup call and we were back in the car and ready to hit the road. After some minor scraping, we left the boat and headed for our on route sight seeing stop of Mont Saint-Michel.

It was reasonably quiet at 9am, but already hot and the walk in was sweltering. It’s a beautiful quaint old place, totally spoilt by the tourist tat and the huge number of tourists. We bailed after a quick walk round and it was already busy, but there were hundreds walking and bussing in.

Next stop Camping de Gouarec (deeppurpleelise’s campsite)

burt and Julie had arrived a few days ago, but the rest of us arrived over the course of the day, most of us without the joy of air conditioning in the cars, therefore some of emerged looking a little lobster like.

Some arrived by more energetic forms of travel.

Lunch was bread and cheese, our staple diet when camping in France, although had I been a ham eater, I would have added this to the ingredients, as jambon seems to be a big part of life in Brittany, so much so that they had a whole isle dedicated to it’s sale in the supermarket.

Kate then dished the accommodation for those without their own tent. The Wombles got Blanche, a classic caravan which Mrs FW ended up falling in love with, we definingly want her again next year.

First evening meal was at a local restaurant, serving traditional French cuisine….pizza.

Fuelled by alcohol and the excitement of foreign travel our minds were open to trying new things.

Yahzee!

More new experiences the next day. Mrs FW fancied paddle boarding and Juiliadream (Dudley and Julia), brought their board with them. After pumping it up, taking out the pump hose, having it deflate almost completely before we read the instructions on how the valve works, blowing it up again, this time keeping the air in the correct location, Tracy passed the board lesson over to me as there was quite an audience building.

Julia showed us how it was done.

I did manage to get to my feet, but didn’t feel like falling in the canal, so stayed kneeling mostly.

In the evening there was a crepe night and Geoff and Kate’s Son and friend entertained us with live music.

The crepes were great, but what ever you do, don’t try to queue up for a sweet one until everyone had been served a savoury one!

Then these arrived.

Having been taken out for a go and shown how to work it, I was then told to take anyone else out who wanted a go, making me chief VeloSolex tour guide Barbie.

I never did find out why someone made Kate and Geoff’s 2CV a coat, perhaps it gets cold

More aquatic adventures were had the next day, when we hit the water in a rowing boat.

I was sent to the Poop Deck

The evening saw children being placed in car boots

And more Yahzee (we know how to party)

On the Sunday, after a gentle drive in the country (Geoff’s description of gentle, being somewhat different to mine!), we met up with the Interesting Car Club, at the lake. The club is a mix of French and British car enthusiasts with an eclectic mix of cars.

Coffee by the lake

Then a picnic.

In the evening, Julia presided over the BBQ, whilst burt tortured innocent chickens and Niccii took on baby sitting duties

Despite the clouds, the sun always shines on the righteous

Alas it all had to end at some point and after photo opportunity on Monday morning, we all made our way back to Blighty (other than burt and Julie who were staying for a few more days and live in foreign parts)

A very brief stop in St. Malo, before heading on to Cherborg for the ferry

A fantastic weekend, thanks to burt, Julie, Kate, Geoff and all the other attendees, glad to hear we will be back next year.

Report by Mark Holttum (fatwomble)

This historic run, originally from Bournemouth to Swanage, can trace its roots back to the early part of the century, and was a ritual originally carried out by a group of Bournemouth Lotus Owners (BoLOCs). The route has been changed over time, this iteration being suggested by Ginnders, who suspiciously wasn’t joining us.

Keen to avoid as much of the Friday traffic chaos as possible, Mrs FW and I headed West at midday and spent the day mooching about the Hampshire Dorset border, before grabbing some pre burger nourishment as we wouldn’t be arriving in Swanage until around 9pm.

These days the start point is Ferndown Sainsbury’s. 12 cars were assembled ready to to leave and the briefing given.

Main points of the briefing were:

Don’t leave the car park ahead of the lead car (yes this has happened before, one person was a little too keen and everyone followed them, leaving me the last car left, when I was supposed to be leading).

Keep an eye on the car behind, slow down at junctions to ensure we don’t lose anyone.

Our / my track record isn’t good, for some reason (shear incompetence probably) either I will get lost and lead us all the wrong way (occasionally this will be someone’s driveway, I think they were quite surprised to see several Lotus arrive and turn around and promptly leave again) or I lose half the group. Alas today would turn out to be no better.

Philygumbo had some electrical problems on route to Sainsbury’s which turned into a flat battery. Delbert came prepared for all eventualities had some jump leads and Phil’s car was started (he also had a voltage meter and found the alternator to be kaput), he bailed out and headed home ahead of us, only to clap out on the second roundabout.

The main group went on and parked up in a safe point while Delbert and King SuPah stopped to try jump starting the car again. A new battery was procured from a conveniently placed Halfords,

Most of us parked up waiting, however Juliadream sailed by (pun intended) without spotting 7 brightly colored Lotus and the bald bloke frantically waving at them to stop.

davehope almost got to where we had parked, but thought he’d gone wrong and turned back to the main road and then vainly attempted to chase us down in the wrong direction.

Delbert and King SuPah found us again after seeing Phillygumbo on his way and we were back up to 9 cars (from an original 12).

We set off again and after a short distance we ended up with a couple of Euroboxes between me and Dobbin, therefore Dobbin didn’t see me turn in to Burt’s Lane (a road, not a euphemism) and we’d gone from 9 cars to 1 in the blink of an eye. Tuning round and chasing the 8 errant Lotus, I find them turning round and coming back in my direction. Another about turn for the Womblemobile and back up Burt’s Lane (snigger), this time followed by 6 Lotus, yes in the space of about 100 yards we’d lost Delbert and King SuPah.

With now only half the starting number of cars we set off again, running rather late and slightly concerned that all the food establishments would be shut for the night before we arrived. We agreed to to miss out the stop at the view point to give us the best chance of being fed..

Delbet messaged to say that they would meet us at the viewpoint (this was going to cause confusion and consternation as we couldn’t share this information with our group) so Mrs FW confirmed we would pick them up there, but not stop. On arrival the view point gate was shut, meaning 8 Lotus (yes, numbers were back on the rise) had to turn round and then squeeze passed each other on a very narrow road.

After this it was plain sailing, we headed down to Swanage and parked up, meeting the free roaming members of our original contingent, including Philygumbo, who’d changed into a working car and beaten us there.

Food was procured, eaten and we said our goodbyes to some whilst the diehard members then went on to the Scott Arms in Kingston, a great pub with fantastic views over Corfe Castle. I think there were 6 cars, so back to half again. A quick drink and we departed, most heading to their homes, Mrs FW and I to our luxury Airbnb garden shed, up the biggest Hill in Swanage.

Thanks all, here’s to the next one.

Report By Mark Holttum (Fatwomble)

Ypres Lotus Day

This annual event is always organised on Ascension day and is definitely not to be missed. Seloc were well represented with approximately 10 cars travelling over from the UK to take part and thoroughly enjoy a great day out.

For some of us the journey commenced on the Wednesday catching the Eurotunnel train to Calais and a leisurely drive to the very nice Hotel Ariane in Ypres (Ieper) where we were greeted by the staff and provided with a complimentary drink.

The evening before the event we had a lovely meal at a local restaurant named Captain Cook where we caught up with a few other Seloc friends. An absolutely lovely and enjoyable time was had by all and finished in time for a walk to the Menin Gate to witness the daily service as a memorial to the fallen of the Great war. From 11th November 1929 the Last Post has been sounded at the Menin Gate Memorial site every night regardless of weather conditions. The only exception to this was during the four years of the German occupation of Ypres from 20th May 1940 to 6th September 1944.

After the service we were invited to a ‘meet and greet’ at a local bar (Café Troebadour) with Pascal (One of the YLD organisers) for a few infamous Belgian beers. Wow some these have a pretty strong ABV!! To finish the evening off it was back to the Hotel for a night cap.

The morning of the YLD event saw approximately 120 Lotus cars of all descriptions descend on the Grand Place Grote Markt and what a magnificent sight it was with all the Lotus cars parked up plus with the weather on our side it had the making of a brilliant day. With registration completed and armed with the map book of the morning route we all headed off around 10:00 a.m. It’s amazing how many cars leave the meeting point and become spread apart so quickly. The map book is straight forward to read (by the co-pilot) but woe betide should you miss a turning! Thank goodness for reverse gear which was well used.

Even straying off the route at times was all part of the fun and you soon spotted other Lotus cars roaring around so it was just a matter of catching up. I guess that’s the beauty of the landscape being so flat. The roads were predominantly farm roads and lanes, just over one car width, making a spirited drive possible.

Our first stop was for Lunch at a lovely venue Den Oesterput where a delicious meal was prepared and awaiting our arrival.

Once we had all been fed and watered it was off on the afternoon run. With the sun shining and a cloudless sky it was a warm pleasant drive through the countryside again. Now that everyone had made it through the morning run we knew what to expect for the afternoon and we weren’t disappointed, what a superb drive it was!

A mid-afternoon drink stop was arranged at Verzekeringen  ERARD  where we all parked up and enjoyed some welcome light refreshments and a quick catch up on the day’s event so far.

With no more a do it was off for the last stint to the final destination at the lovely Hotel complex Domein Vossengerg where we were greeted with a Champagne reception ready for the superb evening meal.

To sum up the event, it really must be on any Lotus owners ‘must do list’ as this is one event not to be missed.

The organisation of the whole day is second to none, with tremendous hard work by the organisers Pascal and Frederik; an achievement that deserves recognition. So add a note in your diary for next year’s event arranged for Thursday 21^st May 2020.

Report by John Murphy (S2john)