CGT Open Weekend, Twenty-Ten

Well now that I have moved and the new year is underway it must be time to plan for those balmy summer days.

I am starting to think about an event here.

Obviously I don't have a permanent railway as yet but that will follow and I have a fair size portable layout and I'm even thinking of perhaps if everyone brought some bits of track we could a temporary line in the garden, along the drive or even out along the side of the road. It's flat and straight and it would certainly attract some attention.
There are all sorts of unusual or wacky possibilities.

For a provisional date....

I'm thinking about the 10/11 of July. That's a week after that school holiday starts here.

Accomodation.

We have 2 spare rooms = 2 couples.
I can do camping and space (gravelled driveway) for caravans, including water and electricity but no outside toilet yet.

There is also a 4 bedroomed Gite at the back of our house, just a few minutes walk. This belongs to the mayor and can be rented at a reasonable rate.

Gite No.748 Boisney

Or there are a couple of nice hotels about 10mins drive away in a neighbouring village.

Food and refreshment.

My wife will probably disappear in fear for the weekend so don't expect the superb lavish spread that Geoff and Celia achieved.
It will be something very simple and self service.

There is a small restaurant in the main village plus a 'Les Routiers' and a couple of bars/restos on the main road.
A large E.Leclerc and Lidl about 10 mins drive away.

Transport and access

Yes, a long way for the Southerners but access is straighforward.

We are not far away from the A28 Le Mans to Rouen motorway and just off N13, Caen-Evreux.

Train, direct servces from Paris St Lazare, Rouen and Caen to Bernay 12 kms away.
There is a daily TGV Caen-Dijon via CDG airport and Marne la Vallée that stops at Evreux where you can change trains for Bernay.

For vistors from the UK - which I hope. Best routes are via Portsmouth to Caen or Le Havre and 1 hours drive thereafter.
Calais/Tunnel is about 2 1/2 hours. Or Newhaven - Dieppe could be possible too.

I will try and contact a few traders who may wish to participate if there are enough people interested.

So over to you for your initial thought and discussion.

Love to but Maria will kill me - it's her birthday and her 85 yo mums, so we have to stick around here.

We are up for it.Also got plenty of spare track,that should have been laid by now .
July 10/11 penciled in on the calender

Hi Carl,

Nice to hear about it, not sure I could make it this year as it will be the week of the "Championat de France" at Lamotte Beuvron (You know the horse things with about a lot, lot, lot of poney and horse in two weeks). Don't tell your daughter. Too late she looked over your shoulder.

I will be on duty to look after a bunch of kid when they are not on their poney (as I will be the only one not riding).

Not sure I will survived that.

Laurent

Ps : If I could managed to come for a day I will let you know.

I expect to attend and have pencilled in 10/11 July.

Whilst I thought Geoff and Celia were insurpassable hosts and created a fantastic weekend IMHO I dont think that hosts should have to cope with that level of expectation. I think a more DIY approach would be just as interesting and if we all popped into town for a simple meal after trains that would be just great. Anyway if we left the metaphoric bar at the last height few would attempt a leap, so I would prefer the hosts efforts are minimised as far as possible and that we all play a part in the organisation, if that is possible.

Carl, if you get chance please let me know about the hotels nearby.


David

Here are 2 that I like the sound of but I have no experience of them yet.

Le Logis de Brionne

...and the delightfully named

Auberge Du Vieux Donjon
19 r Soie 27800 BRIONNE
02 32 44 80 62

Brionne is a charming, rustic, Normandy market village about 6 kms along a straight road from us. It has a station too with a direct TER diesel service from Rouen.

If you go on to,

Pages Jaunes

Type in hotel and then Boisney, that will give you a full listing.

There are a few bars/hotels along the main road just a few minutes away not listed and I will make some enquiries about those.
including...
Les Routiers 782 Boisney

Sounds good to us Carl. the simple life will suit us fine. a sandwich and a beer/wine and perhaps a small barby? We will be there!!

mike and Glyn

Carl:

Thank you for the invitation! Sounds good to me. Dorothy and I will make every effort to attend - perhaps on our way south for a long summer as we have both now officially retired! As Van is coming, I can hand over the railbus he bought - and we can test-run it at the same time! There will also be some track coming south with me to add to a "temporary" layout.

Happy New Year.

Phil

Hi Carl

Sounds like a great idea, thanks for the invite, it's in the diary!

I'll probably be on my own this year so will bring an overnight bag and happy to kip in the car /sofa whatever!

However I do have a 6 berth frame tent - not the orange 70's model seen next to the CFHC but a newer model. So if you're short of accomodation and other bods don't mind sharing under canvas, I'll happily bring it along. It's not worth erecting it just for myself.

Can also contribute a small oval of temporary track if required, plus trafo's controllers etc if required.

Happy New Year

Brian

I don't think you'll need to sleep in the car or on the sofa Brian.
I'm sure we can do better than that.

The tent may be useful but see nearer the time and who likes to share their breakfast with wild rabbits and hares......

Sounds like a great time - too bad it's so far away. I'll have to arrange a business trip to France or Belgium in July.....

Sounds like it could be a good weekend Carl, pencil us in complete with caravan, provided nothing unto wards happens in the mean time.

Peter

Hi Carl,

I cannot come to the open weekend, as we'll come back from Lamotte only on the monday (after the weekend).
Hope to have a lot of pictures then.

Laurent

CARL!,,,,, with your health / recovery, and lack of progress with your line. What is happening about the open weekend, is it cancelled, postponed, transferred, or what?

JUST A THOUGHT

That's strange you should post Peter as I was just about to make an announcement.

I'm rather sorry but I think I will have to postpone events of a railway nature as originally planned.

Following another bout of (I think connected) ill health which leaves me at the moment with some sort of sciatica - more tests to follow next week.
I have reduced mobility and haven't been able to achieve anything in the garden as far as trains go.
I cannot even assemble the portable layout as I have lifting restrictions.

In fact I'm so far behind with general and domestic work in the garden that trains are sadly a low priority.

However the school term ends in a few weeks and notwithstanding another hospital stay I may able to get cracking and catch up a bit during those 'off duty' weeks.

If so we might try and do something late summer.

I am Psychic, or was that psychotic?

It's no problem for us Carl. Just get yourself better!

Mikey

Hope you'll be better soon, being in the garden is a good healer, school hollidays soon as well.

I'm not surprised you've had to cancel Carl.

You've been having a desperate year healthwise!

Just get yourself better!

I shall undoubtedly host a small get together here later in the year, once my family commitments are over. I hope you'll be well enough to attend?

GWhizz wrote:

I shall undoubtedly host a small get together here later in the year, once my family commitments are over. I hope you'll be well enough to attend?

I hope so too, and would certainly like to make an overdue visit 'chez toi'.

Carl,

best wishes for a quick recovery.



David

Carl: can I too add my best wishes for a speedy recovery. Like Brian, I would hope to host a small get-together later in the summer (and many thanks to Brian and Caro for last year).Unfortunately, there has been extensive work on the garden and the railway and this is how it looked when I had to abandon it at the beginning of June. There is no chance of getting to it before the end of July now, and there is still lots to do..so at present, an invitation is more an aspiration....but I will keep you all posted and if running looks possible before early September, you guys will be the first to know (but those are R1s on the new loops....





Phil