McJim

Don't knock them till you've tried them. I'm telling you straight up, from experience. Jim.

Blue pill in the post. Jim.

Bit far north for you Paul? Along with the entry you are required to own a whippet and a racing pidgeon. Jim.

Welcome to life in the Matrix. Did he take the red pill instead of the blue? Jim.

Cars should start to arrive around 17:30 and the control opens at 17:56. Jim.

Gluten free? In the land of the deep-fried Mars Bar? Not much chance I'm afraid. This is a bit of an experiment in reintroducing scotch pies after many years of absence since Morrisons Garage in Stirling changed hands. There were no gluten free pies in those days either. Sorry. Jim.

GOOD NEWS, GOOD NEWS! Just met up with the caterers for Gartcosh, who have informed me that we won't be getting hot mini scotch pies but we'll now have hot FULL SIZED scotch pies. Still just one pie per person. Don't be greedy just cause it's free. The caterers have been clued in on the greedy buggers from the past. So, if you try to get more than one, you may get none at all! There's a limited amount of pies and they'll be given out fairly. Jim.

There's been a bit of concern elsewhere regarding the extensive road works on the A30 in Cornwall. I don't think it will be much of a problem. At the times in the morning when we are going to and from Land's End, the traffic will be very light anyway. There have been a series of drive through videos over the last few months, that I have been monitoring. So, for those of you who are a bit concerned, watch this. Jim.

We need these guys. Jim.

Nuff said. Jim

Also, if you're ordering magnetic sheets, make sure that they are motorway quality or else you may lose them. 0.85mm thickness is the optimum thickness. Check delivery dates on eBay as I have already been let down by one supplier (fadex) and have reordered from elsewhere. Jim

Apply warm soapy water to the metal or magnetic sheets. That way, you can slide the stickers into position and it's easier to push air bubbles out without creasing the sticker. Old rally car prep technique. Jim.

I've just had the same offer on a WhatsApp group and I'll give you the same response. You give me a bottle of Lambrini, I'll make sure you walk funny for the rest of the weekend when I stick the Lambrini where the sun don't shine. Jim.

Now that Tim has held the drivers meeting, I can finally announce that the Gartcosh control stop will see the return of hot mini scotch pies along with sausage rolls, sandwiches and tea and coffee. All of this is free, courtesy of the Scotch Pie Hunters. There is a limited quantity of scotch pies, so don’t be greedy, only one pie per person. It’ll be a case of first come, first served and the supply will eventually run out. With such a long run from the Falls of Shin to Tebay and the opportunity to buy a decent sized meal, the food at Gartcosh is intended as a snack to stave off hunger until crews are back in England. The Gartcosh Works Social Club are looking forward to welcoming us back and have given us a hall right next to the car park without having to walk through the public bar this time. Toilets are available just off the entrance to the hall and there are tables and chairs where crews can sit, relax and enjoy their scotch pies before the long motorway slog south. Please follow marshals’ instructions when leaving the control to avoid congestion in the narrow streets in the village. Jim and Katy, Car No.21, the Scotch Pie Hunters

I can see where the Triumphs were parked. 😁 Jim.

As a concerned resident of Cardiff, I added my name to the petition. Between ULEZ zones - we have one in Glasgow and more are planned in cities in Scotland - then there's 20mph blanket areas, zones shut off to through traffic forcing everyone into gridlocked roads, where's the fun in driving? What next? Pay per mile? It's coming, only a matter of time. Jim.

Just a quick question. Came across this video on YouTube where it shows ANPR cameras are now in place at the entrance to Land's End with a minimum £6 fee. Many people had ended up receiving "fines" from the company who monitor the cameras. Are we in the same position? Jim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJRRYuQElNA&t=401s

Not quite. Once inside a blanket 20mph zone, such as a residential area or town centre, there will be no further repeater 20mph speed limit signs. No one is going to "drift" through an invisible barrier where the limit drops from 60mph to 20mph. This is from the gov.wales website: "20mph signs will no longer be needed on roads where the default is now 20mph. Speed limit signs will be in place where the speed limit changes." The important part being the second sentence. As I said before, under the Road Traffic Act 1988, all changes to a road's speed limit must have a circular sign with the posted speed limit with a red circle around the sign to show that the sign is mandatory. Imagine the court case if there was no speed limit sign, only street lights. The "offence" would be thrown out as it does not comply with the legislation. Nowhere in the Road Traffic Act 1988 are streelights mentioned as notice of a change in speed limit as designated in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016, nor the Traffic Signs Manual. Think about it, how can you tell what the speed limit in England is from streetlights? Is it 30mph? is it 40mph? Is it the colour of the lights? The distance apart? How do you judge the varying distance? We have traffic signs for a reason - so there is no ambiguity. So, unless Wales just turned every part of the road traffic legislation on his head (very, very doubtful), then let's return from la-la land of "I read it on Facebook, so it must be true" or "I heard a mate say, down the pub" and let's all try to deal with what we've all experienced in life so far and stick to facts. Or, if you're still not convinced, watch those streetlights. Jim. (Former Roads Engineer.)

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, all changes in speed limits must be signposted with a red circle around the new limit to be enforceable. Jim.

Don't you get the impression that this has been blown out of proportion? We'll be driving through Wales in the middle of the night. Police forces are stretched enough with limited resources during the day with fewer officers than ever available to enforce the existing speed limits, never mind the new "blanket" 20mph at two in the morning. Your sat nav will tell you where the speed cameras are (if any). The vast majority of roads along the route are trunk roads or main roads, not affected by the 20mph limit. Storm in a teacup. And what are you doing breaking the speed limit on the Round Britain anyway? Jim.

My bladder has never been the same! Jim.

Still not finished them yet either. Prefer scotch pies to Lambrini these days. Carter Bar is an amazing place to marshal. I did it the first year after negotiating with Transport Scotland, Amey, Highways England and Northumberland Council for permission to use the lay-by on behalf of Tim and Nigel. You can't rock up and set up a control, it can take weeks or even months. We were lucky to have a dry night with crystal clear skies affording us a dark skies view of the Milky Way. The nearest town is Jedburgh, 11 miles away. It really is a remote location but, on the night we were there, I loved it. The peace and quiet and the solitude before all these noisy, old cars appeared and the Lambrini arrived. Jim.

No worries Richard. Just being a sad person sitting on my laptop, working on my spreadsheet. Really anal, I know, but I like to know on the event how we're doing, how long we can stop for. It helps with other things too. Katy and I plan on stopping beside Loch Naver for some shots of the cars for our Scotch Pie Hunter YouTube channel. We've already picked our spot and now can work out how long we can stay there before we have to get the finger out and get down to the Falls of Shin. Hopefully we'll get enough footage to make something decent, although all of those we were going to collaborate with have decided not to enter this year or have had to withdraw. So, expect a lot of cobra stripes. That'll please Mr Bancroft. Jim.

Andy, The time shown is how long the control will be open but marshals usually hang around for longer for stragglers who may be experiencing difficulties. The stop times for Wetherby, for example, is probably 30 minutes. By using that, I have a spreadsheet that calculates the minimum average speed required to stay on schedule, although no one hangs around the control for the, say, 30 minutes at Wetherby, therefore the average speed required is acually lower and keeping up with the event becomes easier. As Martin Randle once said, "No fannying around!" A minute wasted fannying around in the control is a mile lost. While you're all self congratulory at reaching the first control (well done you!) everyone else is halfway to Scotch Corner, so now you have to play catch-up and if anything serious happens with your car, you're basically stuffed. Personally, I think the last section from Popham to the finish is a bit tight, depending on the length of the stop at Popham. A 20 minute stop there would require you to average 60mph up the M3, M25 and A1(M), which at that time of the day is unlikely to be easily done. Still, as Tim says, "Patience" and all will be revealed. Looking forward to this. Jim.