MR2 Owners Club

Carol, you were the one who told us it was a dogging area when we had a meet there last time!

Funny how that place is mentioned and you suddenly pipe up

Way to go you two! Looks like you will have a guaranteed audience...

OK, we've been out today checking out places for the main meet point.

Gateway Centre - we drove past and the car park was full! We didn't even bother stopping there. Not suitable for us.

Kingsmeadow Lorry Park/Greasy Joe's - this has now been completely fenced off and no longer accessible and is therefore off the list.

Waterhay Car Park - (checked this out in the week). It would be perfect for up to 25 cars in the evening but too small for us. Plus the Thames has burst its banks so half the car park is underwater!

Barbury Castle - whilst this has the capacity for us and great scenary, the car park was pretty full at 2pm today and not suitable for our large group. Access may also be an issue due to the single track road leading to it & lack of passing places for oncoming traffic.

Tesco Cirencester - with the amount of traffic in & out of that place this afternoon, its definitely a no go area for us.

The Lakeside car park - ideal for 10-15 cars, too small for our needs.

Vale Cafe/A46 lorry park - unfortunately we didn't get chance to check this out. However a quick look online suggests the cafe charges lorries £15 per night to stay there. Could this lead to a charge for us if we wanted to go there? No idea as we didn't get chance to check it out. If need be we could check this out next weekend & find out.

Barrow Wake - this is the most suitable place we can find, short of a motorway services which we want to avoid!

A few pics are below so people can decide for themselves. Note that the pic down the car park is taken halfway up so it's around twice as large as pictured, however the other half of the car park had quite a few spaces taken. The right hand side is big enough to get cars parked opposite the main spaces so we can utilise both sides. I would imagine we should be able to take over the bottom half of the car park without causing too many issues.

Its right next to the A417 with easy access to the M5/A419/A46 & M4. The views are great as you can see, much nicer than a service station!

Downside - there are no facilities, I.e. cafe/toilets ect but the Air Balloon is just down the road if needs must (not suitable for all of us at the same time though!).







Based on the places we saw today, Barrow Wake would appear to be them most suitable place for a group of our size. However, we currently don't know how many cars/people will show on the day!

Any further ideas/thoughts?

Fantastic views, should be fine.

That was a long day, especially in a stripped out rev 1!

Hopefully we've found a good place for you all

MrAndy wrote:That was a long day, especially in a stripped out rev 1!

Its all good fun, you seemed have enjoyed it given your expression in the picture!

Big for taking the time to undertake this task.

Craig-rev3 wrote:Vale Cafe/A46 lorry park - unfortunately we didn't get chance to check this out. However a quick look online suggests the cafe charges lorries £15 per night to stay there. Could this lead to a charge for us if we wanted to go there? No idea as we didn't get chance to check it out. If need be we could check this out next weekend & find out.

The charge is for overnight stops not daytime pull-ins. How many trucks might be there on a Sunday is anyone's guess. However I have done some Googling which has thrown up some interesting information.

A couple of contact numbers: Telephone: 01386 882685 & Mobile: 07980 561535
I have no idea how current they are, but I suspect maybe not because the company which owns/operates the cafe is dormant - i.e. it is no longer trading: check out the various tabs for more info. Got to be worth a couple of calls though, especially if they result in not needing to make a visit next weekend.

Craig-rev3 wrote:Barrow Wake - this is the most suitable place we can find, short of a motorway services which we want to avoid!

Downside - there are no facilities, I.e. cafe/toilets ect but the Air Balloon is just down the road if needs must (not suitable for all of us at the same time though!).

The only problem that I can see is the one I mentioned earlier. The complete lack of any cover if the weather is turns against us after we arrive (unlike the sunshine you had). If so we would have to make a dash for the pub or disperse. The only other alternative I can think of where we could get undercover and try to find somewhere to sit is the M5 motorway services at Brookthorpe. Sure it's not ideal but what else is there? Maybe have it as a Plan B?

Craig-rev3 wrote:Based on the places we saw today, Barrow Wake would appear to be them most suitable place for a group of our size. However, we currently don't know how many cars/people will show on the day!

There is always the chance of drop outs during the next 4 weeks but any planning has to assume a full house. Trading down is always easier than trading up. Much may depend on the weather on the day and that is something nobody can predict in the UK!

Craig-rev3 wrote:Any further ideas/thoughts?

None atm that are workable for the numbers involved.

It would be good to have a few possible destinations in mind for various attendee numbers... As we all know, with the best will in the world, people will drop out and while there's 50+ at the moment, that number could well be half that on the day.

If we were guaranteed less than 20 cars then we have a few options, The Lake side being my chosen favourite. Over 20 and we have the same issue as we have with 50+. As a result I can't think of any alternatives bar a motorway service station or a retail park.

http://www.burford.co.uk/ It may be busy, but it has a large car park and huge covered indoor area with eating places. Just in case we struggle.

Er, you mentioned that one already on page 2. I posted a Google Maps link to it...

TonyleFrog wrote:Er, you mentioned that one already on page 2. I posted a Google Maps link to it...

I know, but there is now chat about possible weather issues and looking for somewhere to get inside out of the rain.
So I thought I would just put it up again

firebobby wrote:

TonyleFrog wrote:Er, you mentioned that one already on page 2. I posted a Google Maps link to it...

I know, but there is now chat about possible weather issues and looking for somewhere to get inside out of the rain.
So I thought I would just put it up again

I think potential weather issues were always on the cards!

HM

If the Barrow Wake Layby is the final destination I can't see people hanging around very long. Quick meet/chat/photo opportunity. Especially with no facilities.

The South East will aim to arrive around 2pm. Probably head for home around 3pm.