BRITS in BMW MOA

franze said:

Just two questions.

1. Riding from the mainland to the UK, or is it Great Britain, or is it England, or is it His/Her Majesty's ???? Anyway, I'm talking Chunnel. Do you put the motorbike on a train? Do you need your own tie downs? Appoximate cost........I'll convert sterling to Swiss francs.

2. Getting from UK/GB/ENG/HMSS to Ireland??Ferry? Tie Downs??? Best town to leave from, arrive to??? Besides putting a big duct tape "X" on the right side of my windshield.......any other mind tricks I can use to look right, then left, then right before I head off for a banger, and I'm not talking about metal on metal

wait, one more queston????

Isle of Man?????? When is that race?

Thanks in advance!!!

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Franze, it's simple. England, Scotland, Wales are all autonimous regions on an island that is Great Britain. Great Britain along with Northern Ireland makes up the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is a country, the others aren't. No I don't get it either but it doesn't seem to matter too much.

You can either cross the English Channel by Ferry or in the tunnel on the train.
Ferry is more comfortable, train is faster and takes you further inland. You stay with your bike during the train crossing and there aren't any waves to cause the bike to rock or roll, so a side or centre stand will do. It gets tied down on the ferry.

From England to Ireland, the best bet is to go to Wales and catch the ferry from Fishguard or Holyhead
If you intend to go to the TT via Ireland I've no idea, but if you are going to the TT from England, then head for Liverpool. The Steam Packet have a monopoly on the crossing and get's booked well in advance of the May/June races. http://www.iomtt.com/TT-2008.aspx should give you all the current info on schedules, costs, accommodation etc.
The other prices fluctuate on day of the week, time and time of the year, you'll need to research those yourself.

How do you cope with traffic on the otherside of the road? It never was on the otherside, when I was there!!

If it's anything like riding in Mainland Europe, or here in the USA, just be glad you are on a bike, all the controls are still in the right place. Give yourself an hour or so of riding conservatively, then you'll be okay. You will have momentary lapses-usually when coming into, or out of, car parks or petrol stations, but if you wait until you see another vehicle pass, then you'll switch into it, no problem.

Our mainbeam light needed a euro adaption, usually a bit of triangular masking tap, so as not to "blind" on coming drivers. I expect you'll need something similar.

On Mad Sunday...ride around the island in a clockwise direction, the direction the races go, otherwise you will probably die, and don't forget to say Hi to the fairies for good luck whenever you cross a certain bridge-name escapes me!

God Bless

AZ Greg said:

Some of my closest friends are from the UK . . .

However, I still do not understand the common folks support of the Monarchy?

(Oops, maybe I should have posted this in the new "Fight Club" forum)

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Well, they just seem to have been there for so long. They don't have any real power and so can't do much damage.
There's more to it than that of course, the heritage, the pomp and ceremony, the fact they are German and Greek, and the ginger one of the princes (Harry) is questionably not Charles's, so we get to see dysfunction and feel better because at least it's not us having the families dirty laundry aired in public.
Plus, they are so small in stature, that they fit neatly on to postage stamps.

I've met the Queen twice...she does a very fine chocolate cake, but her icecream is a bit average.

Tally-ho

thanks Lamble. I've got every thing I need to have a jolly good time.......... No, I could never say anything like that. But appreciate the insight. I'm a beer slut and I recently found out that Guiness is WAY BETTER in Dublin than anywhere else and I've always been a Newcastle man.

Cheers......... I can say that, and mean it!!!

reminiscing

tessler said:

I'm an Anglophile.

Have only been to London and it's suburbs though, but have many friends who currently reside there, and several friends and family members who are from there.

My favorite British "comedy" act has got to be the late Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, fronted by the late great Vivian Stanshall (any of you who've ever heard Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells would have heard him as the narrarator).

Of British actors living or deceased, there are many favorites. Amongst them John Mills, Jim Broadbent, Ralph Richardson, Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn, Laurence Olivier, Deborah Kerr, Alec Guiness and Wendy Hiller come to mind. I had the honor to meet Sir Michael here in NY last Spring.

Musically, I consider Vaughn-Williams, John Dowland, Henry Purcell, Elgar and Britten to be amongst the greatest composers ever.

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I'd add Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins to the list of fine actors. I've always wanted to sound like Burton.
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, a comedy act? Surely not! The 'push bike' song will forever be scarred into my brain, every time we had a sunny summer it would get pedalled out.
I think you hit every Brit classical composer of note. There's something stirring yet pastoral that England in particular seems to draw from musicians and artists. I lived only a few miles from the Hay wain scene painted by John Constable, I think it was Lott's cottage if I recall. I rowed up and down the Stour many summer evening, in fact most of his works were in the Stour valley... a very mellow area, almost unspectacularly calm and tranquil. Still has the salmon pink plastered cottages, old churches and dewy grassed grave yards. Quaint sums it up.

If you are ever in that area, visit Lavenham, stay at the Swan Hotel. Christmas time is particularly appealing.

And pop along to Mersea Island for fresh seafood at the sheds or from the Colchester Oyster Fishery, then walk along Coast Rd and look for the Lorna. My old boat.
For a more bracing walk, visit East Mersea. Drive until the road ends, then walk onto the islands shell strewn spit and bird sanctuary, glorious on a very windy day.
For those with WWII interests, keep a look out for the bunkers. Many aircraft fell on this strip of land and water...Fingerinhoe has a museum in the lighthouse, worth a visit.

the real stuff

franze said:

thanks Lamble. I've got every thing I need to have a jolly good time.......... No, I could never say anything like that. But appreciate the insight. I'm a beer slut and I recently found out that Guiness is WAY BETTER in Dublin than anywhere else and I've always been a Newcastle man.

Cheers......... I can say that, and mean it!!!

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Ah but Murphy's whups Guiness. Murphy's is what the Irish drink, they just sell Guiness to us poor fools.

lamble said:

I know the derivation of "limey" from our naval history and vitamin C deficient rickets and scabese being limited by eating fresh fruit - limes kept longer than other fruit, but, apart from Jimmy Cagney singing it, where does Yank come from?
A "yankee doodle" sounds even more bizarre.

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It's still better then the Cockney term for us Americans.
I mean really....sceptic tanks?
What about Friendly thanks or Sherman tanks?

For those who have no clue what I am talking about:
Link

Can't be everywhere at once

mandypants said:

University of Central Lancashire, 2003 here.
Lived in Preston.
Visited lots of other places.

Self-confessed Anglophile.

And to get to Ireland, may I suggest the ferry that runs from Holyhead, Wales to Dun Laoghaire? It was quite nice, and the roads through Wales are gorgeous (especially if you like to look at woolly jumpers).

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I once had a girlfriend who went to Lancaster Uni, so I spent some time there, but never went to Preston...what did I miss?

Stroof Guv'ner

Rapid_Roy said:

It's still better then the Cockney term for us Americans.
I mean really....sceptic tanks?
What about Friendly thanks or Sherman tanks?

For those who have no clue what I am talking about:
Link

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Well cockneys are a different breed altogether. It's said that cockney came from the need for the criminal fraternity of East London, to be able to converse without the Old Bill, Peelers, Police being able to understand them, so rhymning slang was used, replacing the actual word with something quite different but which had the same meter.

Plates of meat-feet
apples and pairs-stairs
Trouble and strife-wife
Bread Knife-wife

These terms were 'so convincingly' used by Dick Van Dyke in his portrayal of a cockney chimney sweep in Mary Poppins.
Core Blimey, luv a duck!

So where does Yank come from?

lamble said:

Ah but Murphy's whups Guiness. Murphy's is what the Irish drink, they just sell Guiness to us poor fools.

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OMG they lined the Pubs with tourists!!!!!!!!!!!! with Al Cap hats, and giant red schnozzes........Hey, I did make it out to the coast and " have a go" with some oysters, damn good experience for a transplanted Chesepeake guy/CA guy/ currently land-locked guy.

OH, and I had the pleasure of working with some Cockney lads. I had to have them write down on paper what they were saying. Then, I had to have them translate it.

Love that scene in Goldmember when Michael Cain and MIke Meyers go into the Cockney spiel.............

Lamble...

I don't think members are really interested in a place where:

it's always raining/cold
all food is either boiled or fish and chips
the beer is warm
you have to drive on the wrong side of the road and get to use 'roundabouts'
they speak unintelligible English

us Brits better just keep our uncle neds down

mandy....nice job on the spelling of Done Leera

Flying the flag?

chris_d said:

Lamble...

I don't think members are really interested in a place where:

it's always raining/cold
all food is either boiled or fish and chips
the beer is warm
you have to drive on the wrong side of the road and get to use 'roundabouts'
they speak unintelligible English

us Brits better just keep our uncle neds down

mandy....nice job on the spelling of Done Leera

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I see you have particularly fond memories of Britain. Which part did you come from, sounds like Newport Pagnell Services on the M6?

chris_d said:

Lamble...

I don't think members are really interested in a place where:

it's always raining/cold

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Wisconsin has 3 months of summer. The rest is raining/cold.

chris_d said:

all food is either boiled or fish and chips

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I love boiled dinner, and fish and chips.

chris_d said:

the beer is warm

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I don't drink beer.

chris_d said:

you have to drive on the wrong side of the road and get to use 'roundabouts'

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That depends on your point of view. Although you might have a point about roundabouts. They do seem to be a punishment.

chris_d said:

they speak unintelligible English

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So do I!
I think I would like it there.

lamble said:

I see you have particularly fond memories of Britain. Which part did you come from, sounds like Newport Pagnell Services on the M6?

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Ouch....too far north of the Watford gap for me

I'm lucky enough to be able to return 'home' frequently and see for myself how things have changed...good and bad.

Also fortunate to be able to get hold of many of the best bits here in Canada...magazines, pickle, beer....even pork pies!

I would suggest the Chunnel to people crossing the channel...drive on and drive off again 40 minutes later, no tie downs required.

Gapping the Gap

chris_d said:

Ouch....too far north of the Watford gap for me

I'm lucky enough to be able to return 'home' frequently and see for myself how things have changed...good and bad.

Also fortunate to be able to get hold of many of the best bits here in Canada...magazines, pickle, beer....even pork pies!

I would suggest the Chunnel to people crossing the channel...drive on and drive off again 40 minutes later, no tie downs required.

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Watford Gap...so much in common with the Darien Gap; inhospitable, impeneterable, nothing worth stopping for and a pain to get passed.

For those who don't know, Watford Gap is a stop on the motorway. They are called service stops, but there are no services other than a toilet worth stopping for. The food is notoriously awful and irrationally expensive. The building is lit by the static electrical build up of the synthetic clothes-usually sport replicas on unsport-like frames is used to light the mid seventies dour building. Children scream, rival football team supporters use it as a rendezvous for exchanging testosterone, and the truck stop is a prostitute pick up area, buy drugs etc...really classy place. One of my riding buddies had been a policeman based there.
It's also a frequent traffic accident spot, as people who know no doubt speed up to get passed the damnable place and its pervassive odour of old frying fat.

A truly horrid place to visit.

Well, yes. I'd fancy a bit more, if you'd be so kind.