We have been to the Mille Miglia several times, and fancied one last run at it, a spectacle to behold, Brescia, northern Italy, Lake Garda, sounds good!
Previously, we have flown to a close location and hired a small car with Italian plates, but, when you have a keen 2.9 Boxster, the call for a road trip is strong. Wife agreed, so a trip plan was formed, mostly by her!
I though some would like to read and see some of the trips up and one down mini adventures, so here goes....
May is a good time for us, we don't like too much heat and the MM is in mid May and starts from Brescia on a Wednesday, so we left the West Midlands for the tour on the friady before. Maybe not a good idea with London area Friday Traffic, but too the whole day getting to the hotel close to dover. An oddly quiet journey with crowded motorways and aggressive drivers and a lot of trucks and big white vans with no time for anything or anyone.
The car prep was all done well before hand with the awkward knuckle busting stuff done by the excellent Zuffenhaus. two pull-along cases fell into the front well with space to spare, 7 maps in the boot and all the coats and stuff, sunglasses, door pockets stuffed with Hi-Viz vests, torches, bulb kits, litre of Mobil 1 and no tools.
Screen carried all the right stickers and the invaluable Toll T system logger to avoid having to lean 1/2 out of the car at the Payage points...not the most graceful sights, my wife backside almost tipping out of the window.
The morning Chunnel was boarded with no fuss as usual and certainly only a few passengers, and 40 mins later we were in glorious France, sunny so Cool Dude shades on, wife with a 1000 maps (she does NOT do Sat Nav) and we were going.
The car is such a good car for this kind of trip, just feels right, potent and safe, and we scooted down towards our first one night stop over 640Km from Calais, 4 hours of driving later and several pit stops we arrived to a charming IBIS hotel, clean and easy and a nice meal, huge secure parking I found a good lamp to park under.
Found some Total 100 octane fuel on the way and the car ran 34 mpg, just humming at 3000 rpm, sometimes a tad faster.....before I got told off by The Wife.
Up early, and faced with another 630Km to Antibes in south of France on the Med. for 3 nights. Just a great coast line hotel just away from the town and the marinas that rival Monaco, old and new town areas, markets and shops and city wall walks. Hotel underground parking used and the car rested for a few days in good company with several MGB's and few 911's and a Merc 300 convertible and a few common modern Ferraris. Wonder where they were going?
Antibes thoroughly checked-out, we did too and set off for the real destination, Desenzaro on the lake side of Lake Garda, Italy's larget lake.
610Km of driving and the worst part of the trip in Europe, just really not nice. Traffic, lorries by the million and dull weather with rain for a torture of a day compared to gliding down through France.
France must be the best driving conditions in Europe? The difference in motorway services has to be experienced, France is clean ad light, space everywhere, Italy is a seedy trucker's stop over with few caring at all about anything.
Anyway, as ever the hours and hours my wife puts in planning and choosing hotels with rooms-with-a-Lake view, secure parking and easy access to nice places (to visit and eat) was paying dividends. The hotel was really nice, faultless and only 5 mins from the local train station.
We took the train to Brescia, 12 Euro return for the 2 of us and 20 mins later we were in Brescia with quite a few others!
"The most Beautiful race in the World", race is a stretch of the imagination but beautiful it certainly is. I will let the pictures tell the story
Back to the Desenzaro hotel for the afternoon as all the car come through the town along the wide long and near straight lake side road with time check-points, commentary in enthusiastic Italian just getting above the screws of every race engine imaginable that ran in period of the race.
The whole run through was lined with car crazy people, children on dad's shoulders, flags waving, dogs sleeping through the lot and a billion iPhones clicking like crazy.
All very Italian, All very Special, All just wonderful.
A nice pizza along the que side finished off the day.
Following day was sight seeing of the local towns that cling onto the lake sides with such charm, you can't resist!
We have been here before, and visited out favorite Coffee Shop for the customary Aparrol Spritz, savouries, cakes and all that as the picture, all for 12 Euro.
As an aside I love photography, and have 3 favorite cameras, and took 2 on this trip, one digital and a 35mm old Kodak Retina from around 1952.
Using film makes you think before clicking, refreshing from the all-done-for-you digital!
I have yet to get the film developed....
Time to move on to the next spot, the wonderful town of Merano, right north of France and at the feet of the Dolomite Mountains.
We love this place. The town has a raging river that white waters over huge boulders, the river in the town is flanked by sleepy cafe's, good shops and lots to see and stroll about, and of course the Hotel was sublime. We went DBB for 2 nights, the food was out of this world, the whole place was magic and the lift was at least a 100 years old, deep brown hard wood carriage with sliding gated doors that clunked and snapped locked as the modern lift system eased the residents from floor to floor smoother than a modern Merc auto box. Summed the place up, fabulous.
Well, all good things come to an end.
Time to run back to the West Midlands!
We took the route round the Dolomites which were deeply covered in snow and Trish does NOT DO mountain passes so mapped us round those, and around part of the Alps as we popped into Austria for a short time, another screen pass sticker, and into Germany, past Barden-Barden which we visited last year, so reluctantly drove past it, such a shame as it is truly a jewel of a place, and to a small hotel east of Strasbourg not far from where I used to work in the Alsace in the '80s.
This involved several 600Km+ runs as usual, and by now the car was being given 95 Ron Total fuel. Can you feel the octane difference?
Nope, not one moment did the car complain, just went the same and now 37 mpg as the speed limits are 110Km/hr.
We ran a long time to the hotel prior to going to Calais from the Alsace on toll motorways, sunny, in France, 130 Km allowed and the car just blasted along until we stopped for a potty stop and fuel in the morning.
Came to start the car, clutch pedal down and start it, right?
Nope, the 'depress clutch pedal' message came on. I was, so ..tried again 3 times, same message.
Turned the key to auxiliary and tried, and it started , no message. Ah, must have just been me.
Another blast, stopped for fuel. Oh dear, hear we are again! Trish looked anxious, I was irritated and we had to get the Chunnel tomorrow.
It eventually started and this happened 4 times in the day.
Onto the internet and it seems the clutch switch can be an issue, and the car is 57K miles so seem ripe for a problem.
Got ready to do a very awkward fumble under the dash to the hidden switch and with a blade fuse read, but decided to risk it and make an early start for the Chunnel.
Came the morning, the day to get home.
I needed a minimum of 5 starts, all critical, so the car started perfectly at the hotel in the morning!
And at the fuel station, and at the Chunnel terminal, and (thankfully) leaving the train carriage to English Soil, and twice on the way home.
It's been perfect since, but I will over ride the switch this week.
The M20/25/40 and local roads were really rough as we stuttered our way back home.
What a miserable day of travel in the UK, aggressive, get out of my way driving, tail gating, space invading and lousy driving habits.
Now, where can we go to find sports car bliss? I think we know.
So, the car did 2650 miles, average 35 mpg was the perfect companion, fast solid but with a dicky switch.
Hope I haven't bored you all too much, but we need more Travel Adventures!
Graham.
Club Member for 30 years.
Previously, we have flown to a close location and hired a small car with Italian plates, but, when you have a keen 2.9 Boxster, the call for a road trip is strong. Wife agreed, so a trip plan was formed, mostly by her!
I though some would like to read and see some of the trips up and one down mini adventures, so here goes....
May is a good time for us, we don't like too much heat and the MM is in mid May and starts from Brescia on a Wednesday, so we left the West Midlands for the tour on the friady before. Maybe not a good idea with London area Friday Traffic, but too the whole day getting to the hotel close to dover. An oddly quiet journey with crowded motorways and aggressive drivers and a lot of trucks and big white vans with no time for anything or anyone.
The car prep was all done well before hand with the awkward knuckle busting stuff done by the excellent Zuffenhaus. two pull-along cases fell into the front well with space to spare, 7 maps in the boot and all the coats and stuff, sunglasses, door pockets stuffed with Hi-Viz vests, torches, bulb kits, litre of Mobil 1 and no tools.
Screen carried all the right stickers and the invaluable Toll T system logger to avoid having to lean 1/2 out of the car at the Payage points...not the most graceful sights, my wife backside almost tipping out of the window.
The morning Chunnel was boarded with no fuss as usual and certainly only a few passengers, and 40 mins later we were in glorious France, sunny so Cool Dude shades on, wife with a 1000 maps (she does NOT do Sat Nav) and we were going.
The car is such a good car for this kind of trip, just feels right, potent and safe, and we scooted down towards our first one night stop over 640Km from Calais, 4 hours of driving later and several pit stops we arrived to a charming IBIS hotel, clean and easy and a nice meal, huge secure parking I found a good lamp to park under.
Found some Total 100 octane fuel on the way and the car ran 34 mpg, just humming at 3000 rpm, sometimes a tad faster.....before I got told off by The Wife.
Up early, and faced with another 630Km to Antibes in south of France on the Med. for 3 nights. Just a great coast line hotel just away from the town and the marinas that rival Monaco, old and new town areas, markets and shops and city wall walks. Hotel underground parking used and the car rested for a few days in good company with several MGB's and few 911's and a Merc 300 convertible and a few common modern Ferraris. Wonder where they were going?
Antibes thoroughly checked-out, we did too and set off for the real destination, Desenzaro on the lake side of Lake Garda, Italy's larget lake.
610Km of driving and the worst part of the trip in Europe, just really not nice. Traffic, lorries by the million and dull weather with rain for a torture of a day compared to gliding down through France.
France must be the best driving conditions in Europe? The difference in motorway services has to be experienced, France is clean ad light, space everywhere, Italy is a seedy trucker's stop over with few caring at all about anything.
Anyway, as ever the hours and hours my wife puts in planning and choosing hotels with rooms-with-a-Lake view, secure parking and easy access to nice places (to visit and eat) was paying dividends. The hotel was really nice, faultless and only 5 mins from the local train station.
We took the train to Brescia, 12 Euro return for the 2 of us and 20 mins later we were in Brescia with quite a few others!
"The most Beautiful race in the World", race is a stretch of the imagination but beautiful it certainly is. I will let the pictures tell the story
Back to the Desenzaro hotel for the afternoon as all the car come through the town along the wide long and near straight lake side road with time check-points, commentary in enthusiastic Italian just getting above the screws of every race engine imaginable that ran in period of the race.
The whole run through was lined with car crazy people, children on dad's shoulders, flags waving, dogs sleeping through the lot and a billion iPhones clicking like crazy.
All very Italian, All very Special, All just wonderful.
A nice pizza along the que side finished off the day.
Following day was sight seeing of the local towns that cling onto the lake sides with such charm, you can't resist!
We have been here before, and visited out favorite Coffee Shop for the customary Aparrol Spritz, savouries, cakes and all that as the picture, all for 12 Euro.
As an aside I love photography, and have 3 favorite cameras, and took 2 on this trip, one digital and a 35mm old Kodak Retina from around 1952.
Using film makes you think before clicking, refreshing from the all-done-for-you digital!
I have yet to get the film developed....
Time to move on to the next spot, the wonderful town of Merano, right north of France and at the feet of the Dolomite Mountains.
We love this place. The town has a raging river that white waters over huge boulders, the river in the town is flanked by sleepy cafe's, good shops and lots to see and stroll about, and of course the Hotel was sublime. We went DBB for 2 nights, the food was out of this world, the whole place was magic and the lift was at least a 100 years old, deep brown hard wood carriage with sliding gated doors that clunked and snapped locked as the modern lift system eased the residents from floor to floor smoother than a modern Merc auto box. Summed the place up, fabulous.
Well, all good things come to an end.
Time to run back to the West Midlands!
We took the route round the Dolomites which were deeply covered in snow and Trish does NOT DO mountain passes so mapped us round those, and around part of the Alps as we popped into Austria for a short time, another screen pass sticker, and into Germany, past Barden-Barden which we visited last year, so reluctantly drove past it, such a shame as it is truly a jewel of a place, and to a small hotel east of Strasbourg not far from where I used to work in the Alsace in the '80s.
This involved several 600Km+ runs as usual, and by now the car was being given 95 Ron Total fuel. Can you feel the octane difference?
Nope, not one moment did the car complain, just went the same and now 37 mpg as the speed limits are 110Km/hr.
We ran a long time to the hotel prior to going to Calais from the Alsace on toll motorways, sunny, in France, 130 Km allowed and the car just blasted along until we stopped for a potty stop and fuel in the morning.
Came to start the car, clutch pedal down and start it, right?
Nope, the 'depress clutch pedal' message came on. I was, so ..tried again 3 times, same message.
Turned the key to auxiliary and tried, and it started , no message. Ah, must have just been me.
Another blast, stopped for fuel. Oh dear, hear we are again! Trish looked anxious, I was irritated and we had to get the Chunnel tomorrow.
It eventually started and this happened 4 times in the day.
Onto the internet and it seems the clutch switch can be an issue, and the car is 57K miles so seem ripe for a problem.
Got ready to do a very awkward fumble under the dash to the hidden switch and with a blade fuse read, but decided to risk it and make an early start for the Chunnel.
Came the morning, the day to get home.
I needed a minimum of 5 starts, all critical, so the car started perfectly at the hotel in the morning!
And at the fuel station, and at the Chunnel terminal, and (thankfully) leaving the train carriage to English Soil, and twice on the way home.
It's been perfect since, but I will over ride the switch this week.
The M20/25/40 and local roads were really rough as we stuttered our way back home.
What a miserable day of travel in the UK, aggressive, get out of my way driving, tail gating, space invading and lousy driving habits.
Now, where can we go to find sports car bliss? I think we know.
So, the car did 2650 miles, average 35 mpg was the perfect companion, fast solid but with a dicky switch.
Hope I haven't bored you all too much, but we need more Travel Adventures!
Graham.
Club Member for 30 years.
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