2014 AGM. Vienna, Austria to Uttoxeter, England by ROAD.

Maybe the wrong place and the wrong time to ask this question but here go's.

Has anyone dates for this and location?
If not no problem but if someone could inform me as soon as it is confirmed I'd really appreciate it.

I would like to come over with mine from Vienna and may be bring my Son over (school depending).

My Employer insists on six months notice for more than one week, so the earlier I know the better.  

The idea is to drive across Austria and into Switzerland, stay somewhere on lake Geneva. Then onto Paris for a day or two and then head on over for the big event.  

If my Son is with me, we will try to blog the trip over with comments, the trails and tribulations and of course a bucket load of photos.

Should be a laugh, well that's the plan!

Mike. :starwars:

sounds like a great road trip, whatever the date ill be there again this year

chris

aircooled1968 said

sounds like a great road trip, whatever the date ill be there again this year

chris

Certainly an adventure with some great sights and hopefully no pics of all the different types of recovery trucks there are between here and you lot!
Lol.

Then I've got to do it back again  

Look forward to meeting you all  

Mike.

Sounds a great drive,

Update but this is the direct post from the announcement about the AGM 2013.

Great, so now I can start planning the trip over from Vienna, Austria to Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England.

As mentioned in one of my previous posts:
"The idea is to drive across Austria and into Switzerland, stay somewhere on lake Geneva. Then onto Paris for a day or two and then head on over for the big event. If my Son is with me we will try to blog the trip over with comments, the trails and tribulations and of course a bucket load of photos. You're not my father!
Should be a laugh, well that's the plan!" There there!  

Watched last night the Top Gear program where they found in their Super Cars the "Greatest driving road in the World".
Well may be we will find one of our own.

I've renamed my post to "2013 AGM. Vienna, Austria to Uttoxeter, England by ROAD." and will start real soon to add to it.
The original route and changes, the costs (as I thought they might be) and what they become. All the silly stuff like getting the car ready. What can we take with us (it's going to be a looooong trip). Spare parts? Where to stay, even what about a tent when we get there, all that kind of stuff.
If we make it, how do we get back not the same way surely?

Feel free to check in with the story from time to time as I'm sure there will be something for everyone, from a good laugh to "why the hell did I open my big mouth in the first place'!

It will cost a packet, so if any of the Club's approved advertiser's want to come forward and offer their assistance, my ears are very much open! Wink

More to follow.

 Mike.

mike this sounds like an amazing journey

it will be really good to see you at the AGM and when you do make it, come and see me there will be a beer waiting

jellybelly said

mike this sounds like an amazing journey

it will be really good to see you at the AGM and when you do make it, come and see me there will be a beer waiting

Hi JB and thanks for the encouragement.
To be honest I'm sat here now thinking about what I've let myself in for and more importantly what might happen to the Car I love so much, it scares the willies out of my me.

Oh well, in for a penny…. Can't wait for the beer or maybe two!
Cheers Mate.

Mike and DJ (that's my Son, Daniel) he will be 15!
I'm posting this using a BlackBerry 9700 and I can't see what the heck I've written.
Need to get a 'Smarter phone'!

Sounds like a wicked plan mate
Just had a look at google maps its 1079miles/1736km and 17hours 50 mins driving time

Scott

just have breakdown cover for wherever you are, patience and a bit of planning and it will be fine.

Mike i also will have a beer waiting for you and a shandy for your lad :-)

mike if my 1980 diesel mk1 can make it to germany and back i'm sure your motor will be fine

"arf333" said

Sounds like a wicked plan mate
Just had a look at google maps its 1079miles/1736km and 17hours 50 mins driving time

Scott

richyhill said

just have breakdown cover for wherever you are, patience and a bit of planning and it will be fine.

Mike i also will have a beer waiting for you and a shandy for your lad :-)

Cheers Richy,
I'll hold you to that especially about the shandy because my Son (DJ) doesn't know yet what one is.
We don't have it over here like back home!  :wink:

Mike and DJ.

And so it begins.

294 days until the 'Mk1 Golf Owners Club Annual Gathering 2013' or 7,056 hours, so not long really!

Just looking at routes between Vienna, Austria and Uttoxeter, England and to be honest it's pretty scary to say the least. Well it scares the Willies out of me for a starter but I like a challenge as I've said before!  

We plan to leave Austria on the most Southwestern tip through 'Villach' passing 'Wörthersee', where I'm hoping the Clubs own road trip will take us in 2014!
See thread: http://www.vwgolfmk1.org.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=122082&highlight=

Then through the Northern part of Italy, skirting Liechtenstein, although we may just take a detour over the border, just for the hell of it if time permits. Carrying on into Switzerland, followed by France and crossing the Channel to England and good old Blighty.
The rest you can work out for yourselves.

Here's the first map with the estimated route.



Just about 2,330 km or 27 hours driving time. Yeah right, not driving mine that fast.  

Mike and DJ.

Just a thought.

Thinking about changing the outbound trip into the return trip (see map posted above)!
What I mean by that is if I get into trouble enroute to the Clubs gathering I may not make it across in time for the start. Could incur additional costs getting over the water having missed my booked time on the Train or Ferry. Then to top it all, turn up half way through the event or God forbid miss it all together.
I'm thinking of some sort of major mechanical failure as they will be no convoy of Club members on hand to help.  

What I'm thinking now is to take a more direct route over with less risk and doing the much more adventurous route on the way back. Same route but if things go wrong and no doubt something will, I will be under far less time pressure to complete the journey.
Still keeping my promise to my Son DJ to drive and stay in Paris and then on to Switzerland for a night and over the Alps etc…

Might be physically more demanding on the way back having been with you lot for three days but it would seem to make a little more sense looking at the complete round trip as a whole.

But what do you think?
I'm open to suggestions; nothing is yet fixed in concrete.  :dontknow:

Mike and DJ.  

seems to make sense to take a more scenic route on the way back

looks like an epic adventure tho!

Last time I was down your way, nearest point to you was Graz I guess.  I went up through Germany via Linz, Nurnberg, Frankfurt etc.  Good easy route to get from A-B and was about 15 hrs back to here, Uttoxeter being another 3 hrs on the trip.  Makes sense to do the sightseeing on the way back with no worries about being somewhere at a specific time.  Great roadtrip tho!

jellybelly said

seems to make sense to take a more scenic route on the way back

looks like an epic adventure tho!

Thanks JB.

The other way round feels right in my gutt.
I'm going to look at possibly putting the car on a train from Vienna to somewhere in Germany and then cutting across to the UK.
The drive to Salzburg for example is all up hill (and not the hills we find back home either) from Vienna it's around 350Km from where I am.
It's a constant climb from leaving the City border of Vienna, trust me I've done it to many times to count. Now driving back down, that's a different matter.  

Must keep the well being of the car in mind and not just the adventure!

Mike and DJ.

ew said

Last time I was down your way, nearest point to you was Graz I guess.  I went up through Germany via Linz, Nurnberg, Frankfurt etc.  Good easy route to get from A-B and was about 15 hrs back to here, Uttoxeter being another 3 hrs on the trip.  Makes sense to do the sightseeing on the way back with no worries about being somewhere at a specific time.  Great roadtrip tho!

Hi Mate,

You know it's starting to feel right, to take the quick (quicker) way over and the longer one back.
Have a day or two on the back end (in the bank) to really suck in the views, photos etc… and to drive the car over the alps with time on our hands.
Can't get better than that, can it!

Mike and DJ.

Good luck on this Mike.

I take it that you'll be in a hotel/ B & B rather than camping for the weekend? I can't see you lugging a load of gear over as well !!  :wink:

Dano said

Good luck on this Mike.

I take it that you'll be in a hotel/ B & B rather than camping for the weekend? I can't see you lugging a load of gear over as well !!  :wink:

Thanks Dano,

As for accommodation, I'm keeping my options open.
My Daughter and her Husband do a lot of camping with the Family and I've asked them if they want to join us.
They have one of these tents that takes six adults easily and still have room for the Cabby and the kitchen sink!

But assuming they don't come up, do you have any recommendations as to where to stay (hotel/B&B)?
I honestly do not know the area one little bit and will be relying on GPS just to get me around.  :?
Does or will the club be negotiating any specials deals locally for members?

Is there for example; somewhere that's within easy drinking distance, sorry I mean walking distance from where we will be?


Look forward to meeting you!

Mike and DJ.