2020 RBRR: Any Changes that should be implemented for the event?

[PeteStupps]

Quoted from timbancroft61-

Bit amazed someone told Pete Stupple that the Welsh section was not good, I bl**dy love it!

I did wonder if the RBRR was really the right event for him! But it wasn't his first time, maybe it was just his turn to try and get some sleep. 

One of my workmates had also warned me that the road from JoG to Tongue was 'awful'. Some people are very strange!

[thescrapman]

The road past Dounreay is great, not sure what people are talking about.

the alternative road we used this year was just as good as the closed road by the way 

[Steve28]

Quoted from thescrapman-

The road past Dounreay is great, not sure what people are talking about.

the alternative road we used this year was just as good as the closed road by the way 

I preferred the Scottish diversion and also love the night stage in Wales, i always seem to become wide awake when leaving Gledrid services ;)

[Saltddirk]

Quoted from Velocita Rosso-

Quoted from richard w-

It was nice to see you and Paul at Wetherby Mike, especially as we didn't think we would be there in time. No queues though when we got there 5 minutes before closing time!

A bit of chat and banter with people you know is part of the run. Wouldn't want to lose that. 

...and I would miss `batter and chantter`with such good colleagues like yourself!...its part of eventing 🙂

I might add that you are getting a bit soft with age mike!

No more battery powered flood lights under a gazebo but a nice warm and cosy shopping mall with all services under one roof. 

Incidentally we stopped for fuel and to put the roof up (after all had passed us and seen us brave the elements) did not realize we were at Blight until I paid for the fuel.

D

 

[Saltddirk]

Quoted from Velocita Rosso-

Quoted from richard w-

It was nice to see you and Paul at Wetherby Mike, especially as we didn't think we would be there in time. No queues though when we got there 5 minutes before closing time!

A bit of chat and banter with people you know is part of the run. Wouldn't want to lose that. 

...and I would miss `batter and chantter`with such good colleagues like yourself!...its part of eventing 🙂

I might add that you are getting a bit soft with age mike!

No more battery powered flood lights under a gazebo but a nice warm and cosy shopping mall with all services under one roof. 

Incidentally we stopped for fuel and to put the roof up (after all had passed us and seen us brave the elements) did not realize we were at Blight until I paid for the fuel.

D

 

[Tim Hunt]

I agree with Colin and others, for the past several RBRRs I have chosen to take the A836 via Tongue to Altnaharra. It's about 7 miles more than the official route but the surface is better than the B871/B873 and the road wider with open bends and long sight lines. I have had enough of all the blind bends on those B roads and timewise there is not much difference. How many pictures at the scenic Loch Naver overlook does one person need?

As for favourite bits I concur with Tim's selection but would add the A466 Monmouth -Chepstow (when not closed due to landslips).

 

Tim

[Velocita Rosso]

One of the many articles on the event

[McJim]

Gutted to have to retire halfway round but here's my twopenny worth.

Move the start/finish to somewhere northwest of London and the M25 to improve access.  Not easy, I know, but it may solve some the traffic problems.

Reduce the 2 hour stop at John O'Groats - there's not much to do up there especially if it's blowing a gale.

This would allow longer rest stops further south particularly at Monmouth North Services and Okehampton, where they are really needed.

A replacement for Stirling is required but I'm afraid we can all probably wave goodbye to all the free scotch pies.

One possible location is the Green Welly at Tyndrum on the A82.  It has a petrol station, huge car park and a restaurant and could cope with RBRR numbers.

Downside is that it's further north than Stirling and would remove the option for late runners to take a shortcut down the A9.

Around Stirling and further south there's not much available as it's getting dark by that time and most businesses have closed by then, leaving only the dreary, overpriced motorway service areas.

Although there is a truck stop at Lesmahagow on the M74 that could be a contender.

Make Land's End a passage control and use somewhere like the Brewers Fayre at Hayle, beside the A30, for a breakfast stop afterwards.  They are open at that time and have enough car parking in the vicinity to cope.

Drop Badgers Holt.  It's too out of the way of the route now, just like the TR Register's offices became and it slows up the return to the finish for tired crews.

Perhaps a coastal run round the A39 and Porlock would be more attractive?

The original premise of the event was for the run to be completed in 48 hours but being tied into breakfast opening times and delays at Land's End and the slow meander over Dartmoor prevents this.

Alternatively, you could start and finish the event 1 hour later but that would make both take place in the dark, so probably not an attractive proposition.

One earlier suggestion of a free route after Pimperne is probably worth considering.  Most folk have access to decent sat nav systems or apps that show congested traffic and could inject a bit of self navigation into the equation if crews didn't want to follow the recommended route.

It seems that most folk were doing this anyway, so allowing it from as far back as Pimperne allows crews to take responsibility for any delays they encounter.  

I loved doing the RBRR, what I did of it, and don't think that there is much wrong with it.

Just tinkering around the edges should keep folk coming back in the years to come and keep the event fresh.

 

Jim.

 

[Ian Perry]

My two penn'orth, having only got as far as Carlisle on the way back dahn sarf...

Overall. Excellent. Gutted that we dropped out when we did, and I am already planning "2020-the old fart's revenge". The amount of work that went into planning the event is obvious and paid off many times over. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I hope that not too much changes regarding the overall format; the 2000 miles/2 days challenge and the combination of motorways, trunk roads and country lanes (Scottish A roads in particular) are all integral to the character of the RBRR.

Route. The spacing of the controls that we got to seemed OK, though Knockhill at that time of the morning might as well have been just a random industrial estate, it wasn't like we could see anything of the circuit. Loved the bits round northern Scotland (my last RBRR was 2002 and the top of Scotland was every bit as lovely as I remembered it), even down to the cows standing in the middle of the road. Slow tourist traffic along Loch Ness held us back a fair bit, but it is what it is. We struggled with pace on the motorway drag from Stirling, but I suspect that was down to the engine thinking more about when to execute its retirement plan.

Comms. Pre event comms - I thought very good, though I think the idea of volunteer mentors is a very good enhancement. On event comms - the list of other entrants' phone numbers was really useful to us. However, neither Anthony and I was willing to download the approved messenger app, and neither of us goes on "Twit" or "Faceplant" (all for work reasons). I don't know if there was any/much chat and banter as we went along, if there was any we missed out. I understand in previous years WhatsApp may have been used; that would have been OK for us, is there any reason why that was dropped in favour of the other messenger app?

Road book. Very good, I particularly liked all the stuff on opposite pages. Most of the route information was very well presented, but I didn't find the little map sections as useful as I'd hoped; if they had included slightly more of each area, and had the directions been marked differently I would have found them more useful. I've done a lot of rallying and am used to particular ways of marking routes which might colour my views!

Entry - I would argue - esp with the diminishing numbers of such cars remaining on the road - that the event should be open to as many as possible.

Breakfast halts. JoG were brilliant. The staff I saw were good humoured, friendly and quick with the food - which was spot on. The only improvement to my breakfast would have been if I'd brought my own homemade marmalade! We didn't make it to LE so no comments there.

Along the route, on Fri evening, we saw a few people here and there waving at the cars as we went past. I don't know if the organisers sent messages to local historic/classic car clubs close to the route, to say "we're coming, do please pop out and give us a wave", but it would be a nice little boost to find people waving at you like a mad thing in random locations between the actual controls :-)

[Rutty]

I have already said my two pence worth about the ques at the first control and LE but if nothing changes for next time around I will still be taking part again and for as long as I can drive I will keep taking part. As for favourite parts its all great just some bits are even greater than others.

Mark. 

[Davemate]

In no particular order

 

Lands end:-

my one main niggle about the whole event 

We arrived at lands end to find half a dozen cars parked in a nice “fan” at the entrance, so that meant that no one was able to “get a photo” of their cars parked at the entrance 

quote thoughtless of those people,a case of I’m here,I’ll get my picture and sod everyone else.

this never happen at JOG as the picture taking point is more than a walk from the hotel 

how about a “parking attendant” next time 

take you picture and then move into the car park 

 

Other observations

knock hill:-

if you use it again how about seeing if a local “burger van” would be interested in parking there for the night,I would think he’d do a booming trade in tea,coffees and burgers 

 

sweeper:-

cant thank Doug enough,getting us back to the start to enable us to “re start” in my car otherwise we would have been out 

maybe set a “max time allowed” to help at each brake down.

 

last checkpoint:-

did seem a bit “out of the way” in the wrong direction 

[aleksandar]

This weekend was a bit of 'deja vu' for Wendy and I. We were attending the NFL game at Wembley on Sunday, but prefer not to have to stay in London, so had another stay at the Novotel Stevenage. Ever since we stayed there for the 2016 RBRR, and having thoroughly enjoyed our stay, we now choose to use the same facilities when ever attending shows/events in the Capital.