IMM 2011 in Sankt Stephan, Switzerland!
One and a half weeks of driving, seeing the sights, joking and of course, Mini’s, with Craig, Andy & Jane, Johnnie & Chendi, Ian, Harry & Kim, Sam & Amy and of course, Boyd & Sue, our support truck.
We left Barton Mills, our designated meeting point, at 2.30pm on Monday and wove out into the traffic, headed for Canterbury. Our adventure had begun. The drive was easy and despite turning off the motorway onto a works road, we arrived at the Travel Lodge with plenty of time left for our Little Chef dinner and parked in sight of a CCTV camera.
The next morning, we were all up fresh and early to cut across to the ferry for 8am. We met Johnnie and Chendi at the Port and before we’d even left the docks the smell of breakfast had beckoned us to the bows. The passing was smooth and soon NMOC were driving on the wrong side of the road, in France. Our first stop was Vimy, the Canadian War Memorial. After accidentally splitting the convoy in two, with half of us travelling 15 miles in the wrong direction, we regrouped at the site and spent the next couple of hours on the Memorial and in the trenches nearby. It was poignant but spectacular. That evening we found our first Etap Hotel in Reims and ate in nearby Restaurants.
Our visit to the abandoned but wonderfully restored Reims racetrack the next morning was a real highlight for most. We tried a bit of urban exploring, finding our way over fences and climbing up to the top spectator rooms and commentators area. The Mini’s were revved up and whizzed past just like in years gone by. Soon we were in our little convoy once more, Sue and Boyd in the Support Vehicle chasing us along and keeping an eye on us. Andy & Jane had a scare when they lost all power but found it was simply a disconnected cable. We drove straight to Dijon, where our second Etap was waiting, and caught the bus into the Centre Ville for our meal. Chendi had a run in with the ‘Loubards’ or ‘chavs’ as we know them!
We aim straight for the IMM site, with no stops... apart from McDonalds! Some of us opted for Croissants instead. Then after hours of beautiful open roads, we climb into the foothills of the Alps and decide a lunch break would be welcomed. Craig finds a beautiful little village en route with cows on the hill jangling their bells as they feed. We saw other Mini convoys pass through and before long we were racing to join them, being told when there was oncoming traffic to allow over takes or cutting of corners. The men loved it. As we neared the border, all Sat-Navs were hurriedly thrown in the back or buried as the Swiss do not permit devices informing us of speed cameras. Then, in an attempt to avoid toll roads, we followed the illegal Sat-Navs up the tiniest, windiest track you could imagine. Boyd and Sue’s truck had to perform a three-point turn to navigate some of the corners and Craig, in his Mpi, barely made it! Johnnie’s camp Freddie was choking out white fumes but going strong. Climbing the hill was one matter, going down it was another. Harrys Mini’s brakes started ceasing and smoking furiously whilst Andy’s clutch began slipping more. Meanwhile, Sam & Amy were being shaken to pieces every time the clutch engaged! The scenery was breathtaking. Vast, sweeping mountains gave way to jagged outcrops with Swiss chalets, traditional farm buildings and musical cows dotted amongst the green. The roads were smooth and were visible hugging the side of the hill far in the distance. The IMM site, when we arrived, was situated beside a saw mill and Harry nearly got crushed by an oncoming train as he missed the lowering barriers, too exited was he at making it there! We picked up our packs and found the camping spot designated to England. After putting our tents up we went to explore the site and admire the other Mini’s. There were hundreds and more to come. That evening, all seated under our club shelter, we enjoyed the camping meals and banter alike.
We spent all of Friday at the site, apart from a quick visit to town to get food for the weekend, and happily looked round the trade stalls and other Mini’s. The weather varied a lot over the duration of our stay, with black clouds and rain one minute, brilliant sunshine the next. The camping was pleasant but cold at night and wet or boiling in the morning. We cooked all the food ourselves apart from Saturday evening and Sunday morning when we used our meal tickets. On Saturday we caught the train into Lenk, its timing perfect as Johnnie insisted it would be, and walked up to the bubble lift. On our way back to the station, Harry, Kim and Chendi paddled in the freezing mountain river and we all perused the local shops before catching our train home. Harry & Kim trekked through the woods to find the air control tower and swung round barbed wire to access it. It was a remarkable view from the top but the tower swung dangerously even with the slightest movement. Johnnie, Andy Harry & Kim went back the next day when the lock had been removed on the gate and on coming back to land were chased through the woods by security. They got some good photos before though. On Sunday, Craig & Boyd and Harry & Kim took their two Minis for a mountain trek, going up steep dead end tracks and along to the end of the roads. They found an amazing waterfall up a one way track (the wrong way) and more pretty Chalets. The roads were brilliant again. Sunday evening saw the ‘End of IMM 2011’ celebrations, with the handing over of the IMM key in the large hangar observed by most. Our last night in the tents was dry but packing up the next morning unfortunately occurred in light drizzle (so we expect some mouldy canvas!)
Lots of people were waving us off as we left Sankt Stephan and Andy and Harry had a horn war as they drove off the site. We were aiming for Bern that evening, like many other Minis, and we passed several convoys, one sadly with a cooper embedded into the crash barrier with a large dent on the wing and glass everywhere. Our stop for the day was in Interlaken, a tourist city between, yes, lakes. The McDonalds meal here cost upward of 12 Swiss Francs! We got pictures of all of us next to the lake and did a bit of retail therapy in the souvenir shops. That evening, in Bern, we took the tram into the city and admired the architecture of the buildings and the beautiful river running through the centre. Andy & Harry walked through the floor water feature, missing its jets, and Johnnie & Chendi dared each other to stand on dormant ones, ending up in two wet Hales. Our meal split us to two restaurants, with Ian salivating over Steak á Cheval (Horse meat) and Kim, Harry, Johnnie & Chendi wanting a Rösti, a typical Swiss potato dish.
Our exit from Switzerland, the following day, involved a wrong turn into the South of Germany and back but as soon as we were over the Franco- Swiss border we found a restaurant to have breakfast in. We stopped for a visit to the Cité de l’Automobile which housed many Bughatti’s, both old and new, as well as many other vehicles. Johnnie found it particularly interesting. The ticket machine refused to work on exit and we deliberated simply driving out of the pedestrian gate but thought it would be mean to leave Boyd & Sue behind! When we were finally free we continued to Nancy where we found the Etap underground car park and unpacked... only to be told it was pre-booked and therefore full so we had to re-park outside the cinema! Nancy, like the hotel, was a bit dodgy so we ate close to the Etap, but afterwards a few of us ventured into the centre to find ice-creams under the protection of Johnnie. There was a store full of vending machines, even a little microwave, selling burgers, chips and luckily our ice-creams. That evening we slept with the windows open to get rid of the stench of smoke, worrying about our cars.
However, the next morning all was fine. Everyone put their cars back together, after having removed parts to make them unable to be stolen the night before, and we were on the road again, music blasting down the CB from Johnnie & Chendi’s end. Camp Freddie had had to ride at the back of the convoy but Johnnie requested travelling on motorways so he could keep the engine more of a constant and he was now overtaking on the downhill and dropping back on the uphill parts. Sam, Ian and Harry were having an ‘in front’ war and Craig became in the centre of the convoy, something he found odd after leading the entire trip! We sped along, stopping only for toilet and food breaks and soon found ourselves drawing up outside the very much smaller, quainter Etap in Laon quite early in the evening. All of us apart from Ian caught the bus into the new town, then France’s first monorail up through the castle walls of the old town. It was magnificent; tiny cobbled streets lined with shops of old and new, plenty of amazing architecture and of course, the Cathédral de Laon, a vast Cathedral beautifully designed with golden features and stained glass windows. Johnnie was following Chendi around with the camera, asking her ‘What do you love?’ to which she reluctantly replied, ‘Old Buildings’. We enjoyed drinks in a side street before leisurely eating at a restaurant on a square. Our secret from Ian: We missed the last monorail down, but slid all the way down the hand rail of the steps (much fun) however we then also missed the last bus to the hotel! We had to walk all the way back, through some very suspicious parts of the new town and on seeing Ian at his window, who announced he had no trousers on, we all acted very nonchalant saying it was a wonderful evening, which to be fair it was. Our last night as an entire group was very nice.
Off to the Cite de Europe the next day, with a final stop for food, where we shopped for an hour before racing to the Dunkerque ferry. We all made it, with Johnnie racing off ahead to avoid stopping too much as camp Freddie was struggling, but still going. We arrived and checked in, the wind gusting around the cars as we waited to board. As the first Mini’s alighted the Ferry, we looked back to see Johnnie pushing his Mini and Chendi in the driver’s seat, bump starting it. We waited, worriedly, to hear the unmistakeable rumble of the Mini engine and sure enough he’d managed to embark. The crossing home was choppy and the wind was vicious. Andy, Jane, Harry & Kim dared to venture on deck and returned to the others with wild hair and red cheeks! We finally docked in Dover, alighted the ferry and all met up at the same car park in the port we had congregated at the start. Ian and Boyd & Sue took the wrong lane and had to go over the fly pass to circle round but we made it; All the way from England, to Switzerland, and back. ALL of us!
Thank-you to everyone who went to this year’s IMM, and congratulations on making it back home!!
We left Barton Mills, our designated meeting point, at 2.30pm on Monday and wove out into the traffic, headed for Canterbury. Our adventure had begun. The drive was easy and despite turning off the motorway onto a works road, we arrived at the Travel Lodge with plenty of time left for our Little Chef dinner and parked in sight of a CCTV camera.
The next morning, we were all up fresh and early to cut across to the ferry for 8am. We met Johnnie and Chendi at the Port and before we’d even left the docks the smell of breakfast had beckoned us to the bows. The passing was smooth and soon NMOC were driving on the wrong side of the road, in France. Our first stop was Vimy, the Canadian War Memorial. After accidentally splitting the convoy in two, with half of us travelling 15 miles in the wrong direction, we regrouped at the site and spent the next couple of hours on the Memorial and in the trenches nearby. It was poignant but spectacular. That evening we found our first Etap Hotel in Reims and ate in nearby Restaurants.
Our visit to the abandoned but wonderfully restored Reims racetrack the next morning was a real highlight for most. We tried a bit of urban exploring, finding our way over fences and climbing up to the top spectator rooms and commentators area. The Mini’s were revved up and whizzed past just like in years gone by. Soon we were in our little convoy once more, Sue and Boyd in the Support Vehicle chasing us along and keeping an eye on us. Andy & Jane had a scare when they lost all power but found it was simply a disconnected cable. We drove straight to Dijon, where our second Etap was waiting, and caught the bus into the Centre Ville for our meal. Chendi had a run in with the ‘Loubards’ or ‘chavs’ as we know them!
We aim straight for the IMM site, with no stops... apart from McDonalds! Some of us opted for Croissants instead. Then after hours of beautiful open roads, we climb into the foothills of the Alps and decide a lunch break would be welcomed. Craig finds a beautiful little village en route with cows on the hill jangling their bells as they feed. We saw other Mini convoys pass through and before long we were racing to join them, being told when there was oncoming traffic to allow over takes or cutting of corners. The men loved it. As we neared the border, all Sat-Navs were hurriedly thrown in the back or buried as the Swiss do not permit devices informing us of speed cameras. Then, in an attempt to avoid toll roads, we followed the illegal Sat-Navs up the tiniest, windiest track you could imagine. Boyd and Sue’s truck had to perform a three-point turn to navigate some of the corners and Craig, in his Mpi, barely made it! Johnnie’s camp Freddie was choking out white fumes but going strong. Climbing the hill was one matter, going down it was another. Harrys Mini’s brakes started ceasing and smoking furiously whilst Andy’s clutch began slipping more. Meanwhile, Sam & Amy were being shaken to pieces every time the clutch engaged! The scenery was breathtaking. Vast, sweeping mountains gave way to jagged outcrops with Swiss chalets, traditional farm buildings and musical cows dotted amongst the green. The roads were smooth and were visible hugging the side of the hill far in the distance. The IMM site, when we arrived, was situated beside a saw mill and Harry nearly got crushed by an oncoming train as he missed the lowering barriers, too exited was he at making it there! We picked up our packs and found the camping spot designated to England. After putting our tents up we went to explore the site and admire the other Mini’s. There were hundreds and more to come. That evening, all seated under our club shelter, we enjoyed the camping meals and banter alike.
We spent all of Friday at the site, apart from a quick visit to town to get food for the weekend, and happily looked round the trade stalls and other Mini’s. The weather varied a lot over the duration of our stay, with black clouds and rain one minute, brilliant sunshine the next. The camping was pleasant but cold at night and wet or boiling in the morning. We cooked all the food ourselves apart from Saturday evening and Sunday morning when we used our meal tickets. On Saturday we caught the train into Lenk, its timing perfect as Johnnie insisted it would be, and walked up to the bubble lift. On our way back to the station, Harry, Kim and Chendi paddled in the freezing mountain river and we all perused the local shops before catching our train home. Harry & Kim trekked through the woods to find the air control tower and swung round barbed wire to access it. It was a remarkable view from the top but the tower swung dangerously even with the slightest movement. Johnnie, Andy Harry & Kim went back the next day when the lock had been removed on the gate and on coming back to land were chased through the woods by security. They got some good photos before though. On Sunday, Craig & Boyd and Harry & Kim took their two Minis for a mountain trek, going up steep dead end tracks and along to the end of the roads. They found an amazing waterfall up a one way track (the wrong way) and more pretty Chalets. The roads were brilliant again. Sunday evening saw the ‘End of IMM 2011’ celebrations, with the handing over of the IMM key in the large hangar observed by most. Our last night in the tents was dry but packing up the next morning unfortunately occurred in light drizzle (so we expect some mouldy canvas!)
Lots of people were waving us off as we left Sankt Stephan and Andy and Harry had a horn war as they drove off the site. We were aiming for Bern that evening, like many other Minis, and we passed several convoys, one sadly with a cooper embedded into the crash barrier with a large dent on the wing and glass everywhere. Our stop for the day was in Interlaken, a tourist city between, yes, lakes. The McDonalds meal here cost upward of 12 Swiss Francs! We got pictures of all of us next to the lake and did a bit of retail therapy in the souvenir shops. That evening, in Bern, we took the tram into the city and admired the architecture of the buildings and the beautiful river running through the centre. Andy & Harry walked through the floor water feature, missing its jets, and Johnnie & Chendi dared each other to stand on dormant ones, ending up in two wet Hales. Our meal split us to two restaurants, with Ian salivating over Steak á Cheval (Horse meat) and Kim, Harry, Johnnie & Chendi wanting a Rösti, a typical Swiss potato dish.
Our exit from Switzerland, the following day, involved a wrong turn into the South of Germany and back but as soon as we were over the Franco- Swiss border we found a restaurant to have breakfast in. We stopped for a visit to the Cité de l’Automobile which housed many Bughatti’s, both old and new, as well as many other vehicles. Johnnie found it particularly interesting. The ticket machine refused to work on exit and we deliberated simply driving out of the pedestrian gate but thought it would be mean to leave Boyd & Sue behind! When we were finally free we continued to Nancy where we found the Etap underground car park and unpacked... only to be told it was pre-booked and therefore full so we had to re-park outside the cinema! Nancy, like the hotel, was a bit dodgy so we ate close to the Etap, but afterwards a few of us ventured into the centre to find ice-creams under the protection of Johnnie. There was a store full of vending machines, even a little microwave, selling burgers, chips and luckily our ice-creams. That evening we slept with the windows open to get rid of the stench of smoke, worrying about our cars.
However, the next morning all was fine. Everyone put their cars back together, after having removed parts to make them unable to be stolen the night before, and we were on the road again, music blasting down the CB from Johnnie & Chendi’s end. Camp Freddie had had to ride at the back of the convoy but Johnnie requested travelling on motorways so he could keep the engine more of a constant and he was now overtaking on the downhill and dropping back on the uphill parts. Sam, Ian and Harry were having an ‘in front’ war and Craig became in the centre of the convoy, something he found odd after leading the entire trip! We sped along, stopping only for toilet and food breaks and soon found ourselves drawing up outside the very much smaller, quainter Etap in Laon quite early in the evening. All of us apart from Ian caught the bus into the new town, then France’s first monorail up through the castle walls of the old town. It was magnificent; tiny cobbled streets lined with shops of old and new, plenty of amazing architecture and of course, the Cathédral de Laon, a vast Cathedral beautifully designed with golden features and stained glass windows. Johnnie was following Chendi around with the camera, asking her ‘What do you love?’ to which she reluctantly replied, ‘Old Buildings’. We enjoyed drinks in a side street before leisurely eating at a restaurant on a square. Our secret from Ian: We missed the last monorail down, but slid all the way down the hand rail of the steps (much fun) however we then also missed the last bus to the hotel! We had to walk all the way back, through some very suspicious parts of the new town and on seeing Ian at his window, who announced he had no trousers on, we all acted very nonchalant saying it was a wonderful evening, which to be fair it was. Our last night as an entire group was very nice.
Off to the Cite de Europe the next day, with a final stop for food, where we shopped for an hour before racing to the Dunkerque ferry. We all made it, with Johnnie racing off ahead to avoid stopping too much as camp Freddie was struggling, but still going. We arrived and checked in, the wind gusting around the cars as we waited to board. As the first Mini’s alighted the Ferry, we looked back to see Johnnie pushing his Mini and Chendi in the driver’s seat, bump starting it. We waited, worriedly, to hear the unmistakeable rumble of the Mini engine and sure enough he’d managed to embark. The crossing home was choppy and the wind was vicious. Andy, Jane, Harry & Kim dared to venture on deck and returned to the others with wild hair and red cheeks! We finally docked in Dover, alighted the ferry and all met up at the same car park in the port we had congregated at the start. Ian and Boyd & Sue took the wrong lane and had to go over the fly pass to circle round but we made it; All the way from England, to Switzerland, and back. ALL of us!
Thank-you to everyone who went to this year’s IMM, and congratulations on making it back home!!