Summer Solstice:

Stonehenge 2003

W

ith hindsight, and in terms of travelling, the Summer Solstice Stonehenge 2003 meet should have been the hardest yet. One look at the statistics shows why: 250 miles each way, leaving York in the evening and meeting up at 03:30, then driving back the next day with very little sleep, if any. Okay, so it was a broadly similar distance (slightly less) compared to the Crail Raceway Meet, but the timing could have been better. This map shows the route I had originally planned for us to take.

I left York at 20:35 hours on the Friday evening, planning to meet up with another Ka just off the M1. Or so we thought! Unfortunately, we had managed to get both our motorways and junctions mixed up. So, whilst we were happily waiting at Junction 29 of the M1, our kolleagues were waiting at Junction 27 of the M62! /blush/

It was probably my fault that we had the wrong motorway and junctions, and as a result of my error, we met up about an hour and a half later than originally planned. Then, we set about travelling to the meeting point using my Klub kolleague’s GPS satellite navigation system. Except it got us lost!

After some gooning around country roads, we found ourselves on the M5 heading towards Gloucester. A quick check of the map and we’ve our route sorted, and with one eye on the clock, we left the M5 at junction 11a and charged down the A417, then the A419, aiming for the M4. We joined the M4 . . . but the Muppet leading the kavoy got on to the motorway heading West instead of East. Towards Wales. This map here shows the route we actually took!

By the time we realised quite where we were, it was too late to get to Stonehenge for the sunrise, so we elected to continue to check out the Severn Bridge, and to see the sun rise in Wales.

Wales, of all places, and not Stonehenge!

Now unfortunately, I didn’t take very many pictures, because to be fair there wasn’t all that much to take pictures of aside the sunrise, which occurred at 04:43 hours.

However, the trip down there was certainly an experience! It was fun, if a little tiring, especially some of the dual carriageways when the pair of Kas were seen charging on, occasionally swapping position /cough/ and aiming for flies /cough/.

During the trip, Kermit’s petrol needle did it’s usual trick and reported that we were running on fumes when we had over a gallon left. I suppose this is Ford’s way of ensuring that you don’t run out of petrol, but for me it’s annoying. I’m perfectly capable of determining when I need petrol based on an accurate gauge, thanks! I don’t like the petrol gauge reporting I’m on empty when I have fuel left, since I cannot really trust it when it’s showing empty.

It was a kool, surreal experience to drive all through the night in kavoy with another Ka! It’s also the first time I’ve driven Kermit in the dark with his new Ford “Blue Vision” bulbs, and I have to report that, in my technical opinion, they rock.

But next year, I’m going to try to get to Stonehenge! Or plan to get to the Severn Road Bridge.