Just got back from the autumn meet and had a very good time. I found it more intimate than Ripley and actually spent more time talking to people as a result. It was well organised, thanks to Gabe and Charlotte, with some interesting, amusing and informative talks.
If it takes place next year I would recommend it.

Everyone was friendly but compared to Ripley it just seemed very expensive for what we got.
Real back to basics camping muddy portacabin loos (with no hot water)
Didn't start 'till late on Friday and finished the next day.
No techy talks just trip talks.
Because I didn't buy the all in full meal package I wasn't even able to buy a breakfast on Saturday morning.
Sorry, would'nt go again

__________________
have fun with your helmet!

Agree 100%. I much prefer to see 1 or 2 talks and spend the rest of the time chilling and getting to know new people.

We actually passed on Ripley this year and signed up to the Autumn meet on a whim. So glad we went

Cheers to Gabe and Charlotte (and all the volunteers) for a great weekend.

Steve & Sas

My first meet and thoroughly enjoyed it. Met some great new peeps and had some good laughs and chats. Enjoyed the talks, t'was a very chilled atmosphere with io consumed!!

Some very curious bods wondering who's was the strange looking black Beemer (G640X Country hybrid ;-) )

My mate Kev should have set up a Tipi sales counter, due to all the enquiries he had.

The food was plentiful and nice, but for the cost, should have at least included pud and a drink(I didn't bring my stove for a brew unfortunately). The camping field was great and plenty of room, loos were fine and the venue was bang on.



I did my bit behind the bar, but big thanks to Gabe and Char for organising the event.

A big thank you to Gabe, Charlotte and all the other volunteers that made my first HU Travellers meeting one to remember; I am definitely coming to another meet.

It was great to meet so many people that have that "you can do anything you want" attitude and most have the T-Shirt to prove it!

The seminars were great; nice and personal. Thank you to all those that spoke and further fueled my growing obsession to "get up and go" . . .

All I have left to say is Ed . . your seminar was a laugh, good on you for your spirit and Dennis . . . . I'm ready to go!

Thanks again and hope to see my new-found friends at further meets.

__________________
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away".

I had an excellent time! Thanks very much C&G - great stuff.

What a great weekend!
I met such interesting people and learned a lot, (and even managed to pass on a couple of tips from my experiences).
The presentations I saw (six, I think) were informative and entertaining.
Well done and a BIG THANKS to Gabe & Char for running this event and of course the thanks go to all the team of volunteers for working so hard.
Can't wait for another one!
Steve/Moose

Thoroughly agree with this sentiment and Gabe and Charlotte and all the gate/registration, tech, kitchen helpers and the owners of the farm did a super job getting it together and making things run smoothly.

Shame you thought it expensive. What's earnt at these meetings goes towards running the website.

I thought the camping was good. The portaloos worked, had ample paper and soap. That the floor was muddy is unavoidable cosidering they were in the middle of a grass field and it rained over night. There were more facilities in the "barn" including showers and hot water.

There were tech talks: planning and preparation, Stans paperwork, maintenance, which bike. There were various talks running concurrently in 2 venues between 10.30am and 11.30pm on Saturday: About every continent, on everything from a c90 in the snow of Germany to a 12gs in Tibet and everything in between.

Everybody who arrived while I was helping on the gate/reg/welcoming team on Fri (between about 12 and 6) was offered the opportunity to purchase breakfasts/dinners from Sat morning onwards (including all who hadn't pre-booked them). We assumed that those who didn't want these were self-catering. The kitchen crew and helpers were volunteers and weren't a commerial money making venture.

I really enjoyed having space to chat to people. Also liked the raffle prize I won. No mention at all of adding insult to injury

I'll be there next year.
Chris

__________________

TBS.com

Big Thanks to Gabe and Char for organising a great weekend. Everyone I talked to was really friendly and all had a different story to tell.

Here are a few photos from the unofficial trail ride on Saturday.














Hope to see you all at Ripley next year (I haven't yet been there so am looking forward)

__________________
http://mudandknobblies.co.uk
http://www.justgiving.com/FMFox

Chris proudly posing with his sought after raffle prize

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
If you think you are too small to make a difference you have never spent the night with a mosquito.

For Sale: Unused motorcycle "sidestand in the mud" support. Better than a TT-Cameltoe. . Especially useful for the road from Moyale to Isiolo.

In late '99 I used my LP guide book (a similarly useful tome)...



The floor in the bog was muddy here too...

__________________

TBS.com

Well I enjoyed that, even the part where I whizzed into Bristol to get a "missing" cable was fun. I was just about to get ticketed by a parking warden lady, when I pointed out that Santa Claus was getting in a jeep across the road, as he drove off the spare tyre cover had Santa Claus written on it, so that was proof. The warden chuckled and didn't ticket me, in fact she insisted I park up on the pavement. That just doesn't happen in a car does it?

Anyway, to the technically competent guys who helped "thanks". To the hardy few whose adventurous nature took them from the snug comfort of Tiffany's presentation to the cold extremes of the shearing shed, I extend a hearty thanks and hope that the presentation taught you a lesson (it certainly taught me one). And to the organisers and fellow attendees, my warmest thanks go to you all for making this such a seriously and sometimes not so seriously great time.

The coincidence of a shared Tom and Dom was too much, so here's a clip for you Dom.

http://youtu.be/T1VoKGtET_w

__________________
www.unchainedworld.com

www.roughguidesintouch.com/lamble

http://ttt.unchainedworld.com

That was brilliant.

For those of you who came to my talk on "Africa" and Steves talk on "Tea" we both travelled with the same American called Tom. A couple of years apart.

Anyway - I had a great time and would like to thank all those who made it happen

Could I just make a plug for presenters. These meetings only work if we have presenters and to do that people have to volunteer. If you have been on any sort of trip then PLEASE volunteer to do a presentation at the next meeting.

Ride safe

Dom

PS I FINALLY got my UK registration plate when I got back from the meet. It's taken over 2 months but now my Alaska BMW is now a UK BMW and road legal.

__________________

Each to his, own, I was happy that there were flushing toilets, that is all I need in life :-)

I think Jean and I will be back next year, and will offer present again (if people are interested).

__________________
--

http://www.ytc1.co.uk

£35 for two nights camping and quite a lot of talks. A good bonfire too with a good selection of stalls. I think that's actually not too bad. You pay a lot more to do a lot less in some places.

I find it incredible that someone would class the camping as back to basics. They had hot showers and very clean toilets in the bar. The other toilets were also very clean and all had paper in them. I don't know what kind of camping you're used to but it seems you must have been camping in the Hilton's back garden.. God help you if you ever go travelling....

You didn't book food so why would it be available for you ?? This was quite clear on the event page wasn't it ??? To be honest, the food looks pretty crap for the price (£7 a meal ?) but the local cider and ale was cheap at £2 a pint.. FANTASTIC !!!

This was a first time event by a couple of guys who obviously put a lot of effort and time into putting on this event and it is appreciated by 99.9% of people who went.

I REALLY enjoyed it and so did everyone else that I talked to. Nice one Gabe and Charlotte. I can't wait to go next year. Much more personal and chilled out that Ripley.

As a first time effort.... BRILLIANT !!

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.