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NEWSLETTER
ISSUE NO 39SEPTEMBER 2011
Chairman: John Welham01237 420943 [[email protected]]
Treasurer: Ken Bradshaw01159 177038 [[email protected]]
Membership Secretary: Diane Bradshaw01159 177038 [[email protected]]
Rally Coordinator: Graham Tonks01270 524321 [[email protected]
Newsletter: Katherine Elliott01142 869786 [[email protected]]
www.laikaclub.com
CHAIRMAN’S CHAT
It seems the task of writing the Chairman’s Chat comes around more and more quickly. Because ofprint deadlines, and various summer trips by ourselves and others I am writing this in mid-July. We areheading out to Canada to visit family in Quebec, but are also spending time in a rented RV touring theAtlantic coast visiting an area of Canada that we have only flown over before. Like others in the club,who have travelled down under, we decided that motorhoming is what we do, so went for renting onerather than a car and doing B&B. We will report on the trip in some future newsletter.
Meanwhile, back on the home front, a rally programme for 2012, and even some options for 2013, isalready being worked on. You will find rallies for the early part of 2012 listed in this edition. I know Isaid it in the last newsletter, but a successful rally programme really does rely on members volunteer-ing to help organise and run them. There have already been a number of rallies this year run bymembers who have not done it before, all of which have been very successful. There would be plentyof help and advice, so if you would be willing to have a go, we would be very grateful if you would getin touch. Also, watch the rally programme space for the possibility of club trip to places further afieldthan normal. (Hope this whets your appetite!)
This newsletter is this last edition before the combined Christmas/AGM rally near Banbury 1st – 5th
December, so I am taking the opportunity to remind you.
You may recall that we had a disappointing turn out for the AGM last year – perhaps not the mostexciting rally event, but an important part of running the club nevertheless. This year we have movedthe AGM to the same rally as the Christmas get together in the hope that the fun bit will encouragemore interest in the AGM. Please get this double-header event in your diary and send your booking toKen Bradshaw. Even if you do not normally come to rallies, how about giving this one a go, meet somenew friends, and help, briefly, with the administration of your club.
I have not yet had any further news from the marketing lady at the Laika factory. I have sent an enquiryasking how they are progressing with the appointment of additional UK dealers. I am also still pursuingthe old chestnut of a factory visit. I know this idea of another visit has been going on for years, butunless we keep plugging away, we will never get there. A factory visit might also hold out the possibilityof a meeting with the German Laika Club at the same time. Anyone for football!
You will find in this edition a write up about the trip to Morocco earlier this year. We decided that itwould be a good idea if someone other than us gave their view of the trip and the country. We are nowsomewhat biased, so it is better to have a fresh opinion. We have added what we saw as the changesbetween when we went first in 2007 and this year. If you want to see a real part of North Africa don’twait too long. Morocco is catching up fast; parts of the northern coast already look just like Spain onthe opposite side of the Straits.
John Welham
Welcome to New Members
Teresa Jones and Brian Handley, NottinghamErnie Thorn, Ouchan, Isle of Man
From Peter Bennettwww.tyresafe.org/data/files/motorhome%2008.pdf
The answer to all our tyre pressure problems! Very good article.
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Rally Report for Cartmel, June 2011
Like Richard and Ruth in the last month’snewsletter, we have been in our club for afew years and thought it was time we did‘our bit’ and host a rally of our own insteadof relying on others.In mid 2010 we approached CartmelRacecourse to see if we could hold a rallyon their site. As a lot of you will know bynow, they hire out “the racecourse” as awhole and we would be the only onesthere. They have an area with electricalhook-ups that allows us all to be togetherin one block. They had at that time onlyone week available in 2011, so popular isthe venue that it is booked up at least ayear in advance.
We arrived on the racecourse midday on Friday 24th to be followed by 23 other units (including 3tents).Also present where 3 units from the Morocco trip – 2 couples from Wales who are members but “don’trally”. Well hopefully Morocco and Cartmel will have changed their minds and we will see themagain. They were joined by guests Fred and Gwen from Preston who were also on the Morocco trip.This brought the vans from the Morocco trip to 7 at Cartmel.
Friday evening saw a ‘meet and greet’ with members socialising and generally catching-up since theirlast meeting.
The following day was a ‘free day’ to explore the village of Cartmel with its priory (I don’t think thechoral event was arranged just for us), shops and pubs. The day was sadly very wet, a good excusefor going to the pub!
Saturday evening saw a get together of the Morocco contingent with others from the club for aMorocco reunion. A very pleasant experience it was, even if it did go on till after 11pm.The Morocco experience is exceptional – if you are even mildly thinking about it…...do it.
On Sunday we had arranged a Cross Bay walk, 9 miles across the sands and rivers of MorecambeBay on the Old Coaching Route with an official guide. The weather was excellent for the walk and itproved a unique experience, even for feet (salt water and wet sand are not a good combination).
Monday saw a trip on Lake Windermere on the Victorian steamers. The trip was from Lakeside toBowness and optionally to Ambleside. The weather was even warmer with little wind, an excellentday for the trip.
In the evening a meal was enjoyed at the Kings Arms in Cartmel. This pub is newly refurbished by itsnew owner, the new kitchen only opened Wednesday prior and we were their first big party, all in allit went well with only a few hiccups.
Tuesday saw some of us take a walk across the racecourse and over the fells to Holker Hall for lunch,before returning to Cartmel.
The rally seemed to be a good, happy event enjoyed by all, from the youngsters who had a whale ofa time in the stream across the site to several members who came Friday to Monday but didn’t leaveuntil Tuesday.
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We hope all had a great time and would like tothank John and Elaine for helping us get setup and organised and thanks to all who at-tended and made the rally a success.
Steve and Jill Brindle
Holker Hall Walk with Morecambe Bay beyond
Laika set for new A-Class launch
Laika are about to launch a new A-class series. Thenew motorhomes are to be officially presented to thepublic during the end-of-summer European interna-tional shows, including Dusseldorf.
The A-class range, named after the already estab-lished Kreos low-profile, is designed to satisfy all theneeds of A-class enthusiasts. The main features arehigh level technology and functionality combinedwith Italian design.
The new Kreos range will consist of eight models ofvarying lengths, starting from 6.99m up to 7.6m. Thenew Kreos will be offered on Fiat Al-Ko and Ivecochassis.
Rexosline A-class motorhomes will become the top-of-the-tree A-class range in the Laika line-up. Thenew Rexosline is going to be presented to the publicat the beginning of 2012.
Taken from Which Motorhome - July 2011
Possible Channel Crossing Stopover
The Drum InnStone Street
Stanford NorthAshford
KentTN25 6DN
01303 81212507545 218493
Email: [email protected]
CampingReal Ales£10/night
£15/night with electric
J11 prior to Eurotunnel
The Club is very sorry to announce the death of Audrey Shaw. We all got toknow Audrey at the Puy du Fou rally and were all aware of her illness.
All our thoughts are with Brian and family at this time.
The Club has sent a donation in memory of a lovely lady.
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LAIKA GROUP TOUR OF MOROCCO - SPRING 2011
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We asked the members that toured Morocco earlier this year to each put down their impressions ofthe tour and the country. By asking everyone to put in their two-penneth we hope that you will get avariety of views about what was interesting and good, what didn’t quite work out as expected. Wehave added a few thoughts at the end about how Morocco has changed since we first went in 2007
Morocco February 2011 Andrew and Annette SparkMy decision to travel with Blue Camel Tours to Morocco for 3 weeks (+ travelling to and from) withfellow Laika Club members was an adventure I (but not Annette) was looking forward to, if a bitapprehensively. The vision of Lawrence of Arabia and the ‘dance of the seven veils’ were ignited butnever found. Many e-mails to John and Elaine about advice on what and what not to take cullminatedin lists of ‘essentials’, ‘wants’, and ‘not needed’. Thank you John and Elaine. I’m sure anyoneinterested in the trip can rely on their knowledge and help.
The time fast approached and we settled on a compromise. I would take extra spare underwear torap them round my wine store, but the problem of what happened when I used the underwear wouldbe solved by drinking the wine faster. “Simples” Tchhhh. Lucy Laika was emptied of spare mats,non-essential gadgets I’ve accumulated over the years and many bulky heavy objects. (I consideredAnnette, but under advice from John decided to keep her !!!! and anyway who would pour my G&T’s)I might live to regret that joke later. Annette bought copious quantities of tinned food and had thebutcher package meat in sealed bags, a wise decision as our fridge stopped working on the way tothe ferry (but that’s another long saga which I won’t bore you with). The van was serviced and sparefilters, fan belts, wipers, oil and towing rope bought “just in case”. We looked like a professionalmechanics van without the knowledge.
The departure date arrived with the growing unrest in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya dominating theheadlines. Advice on the British Foreign Office website suggested that Morocco was far more“westernised” and tolerant but “just in case” I kept contacts details for my mobile which we were toldwould work with the Moroccan “chip” provided by Blue Camel to put in our mobiles (just one of theservices provided by Edy and Floh from Blue Camel). When we were in Morocco there was noobvious problem apart from most towns in the North having a couple of army lorries full of soldiersparked visibly in town squares, I assume to deter protesters. We were made welcome wherever wewent, so with hindsight I would have no hesitation in returning.We made the decision to sail from Portsmouth to Santander on the ferry rather than drive throughFrance in winter. Although more expensive there was less “hassle” and less chance of treacherousroads plus reduced mileage but that would be a decision for each individual. The crossing was lumpywith a 25 knot wind but it did not put us off the excellent buffet meal. The drive through Spain waseasy once we sorted out our satnav which decided to swallow the Spanish CD and refuse to recognise
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it whilst coming off the ferry. This might have been a blessing as it was getting older (like myself) andwould not have had on the CD all the new excellent autovistas (or whatever they are called), that havebeen built. Makes you realise were all the EU money has gone to. The upside is we bought anexcellent new TomTom, the downside is I was 290 Euros worse off. Our route via Valladolid, Caceresand a detour to Salobrena to see some friends then onto Tarifa, near Gibraltar, to join up with the tourwas trouble free and a plus for the holiday. I think we were the last to arrive at Tarifa (no change there)and settled to meet the rest of the “trippies”. Formalities over (i.e. paid the balance the tour in Euros)we settled for the night eager to experience the new continent. Tuesday morning at 05.00 and I wasnot so sure. A tired but excited bunch of people stirred (some earlier than others) ready as they everwould be. The 10 mile trip in convoy to Algeciras was soon completed and we were loaded, after ashort delay (which most used to grab a drink and bite to eat) onto the ferry. The uneventful 35 min tripcompleted, we disembarked still on Spanish soil. Another very short drive through Ceuta (with theteam going in all different directions) and we arrived at the infamous border into Morocco. “Lookcasual”, “Don’t let them know you’re new to all this”, “Just one person from each van to go to theguard’s hut”, “Don’t make jokes” (nobody laughs at mine anyway), “Make sure you get all thepaperwork stamped”.
I had to admit to Edy, that I had only brought a copy of my registration documents and not the original.He thought about it and said that they might not bother and let me through !!!! You can imagine whatAnnette said to me, and it wasn’t “never mind darling”. After all the doom mongering we all gotthrough reasonably quickly after going backward and forward between “huts” having bits of paperstamped under the watchful gaze of Edy and Floh . The Morocco side of the border was heaving withpedestrians trying to go across to Spain and there was a heavy police presence controlling them butwe just drove on and regrouped a short way down the road.The rest of the journey will, I’m sure be covered by John and Elaine’s report so I won’t bore you exceptto say that it is an experience not to be missed. Different smells, tastes, people and many a variedscenery. Perhaps we were lucky, but the other trippers were a pleasure to be with (except one whowas lacking in etiquette. (Note: not a club member – anymore!)) and all helped each other out. My
memory of Morocco is a developing country withparts in the middle ages but with areas on thecoast in the 21st century. The people are ex-tremely poor but friendly and inquisitive andkeen to get hold of any western trappings. Inthe end Annette thoroughly enjoyed the trip andthe hundreds of photographs are a testament toa memorable adventure. I would hasten to addthat stories you may hear of my giving youngboys lifts, although true, are greatly embellishedand should be treated in the innocence withwhich they were meant. I rest my case My Lord.
Morocco Exposition Jill and Steve BrindleMorocco was in no respect anything we expected. The first impression is a desperate scramble tocross the Spanish Border at Ceuta. It felt like a scramble at a refugee camp, a mass of raggedhumanity being herded into great queues. The point of it all being to cross into the Spanish enclaveto buy – anything and everything – return with it to Morocco and sell it. It looks like a scene of biblicalenactment.
The first part of our journey was – to our utter surprise – through a green landscape, much greenerthan the dry sandy scrub of Spain or other Mediterranean countries. The land was agricultural andvery productive. The quality of the produce – throughout Morocco - was excellent; there appears tobe no shortage of vegetables and fruit anywhere in the country. The meat also was excellent, usually
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lamb or goat, and offered in a completely different way, but outstanding quality. We see that theundeveloped agriculture appears nearer to organic (by our standards – normal to them) quality.
Pressing on south we find the town of Fes, its souk (small shops/stalls set in narrow windingpassageways), really does feel medieval - but with electricity and drains. In truth, dirty, smelly,crowded, and generally unsavoury.
The feel of the big cities – Fes, Marrakesh Agadir, is busy, bustling chaos. All things are done a totallydifferent way to what we know or expected. Marrakesh in particular is so unlike anywhere you haveever possibly been it leaves you a little stunned, an exotic heady mixture of humanity.
The journey continued south away from the ‘green’ to the ‘desolate’ up and over the phenomenal HighAtlas mountains, we crossed these three times in all and they are big. They are not as developed asthe Alps and consequently more desolate, open and less populated. The main difference that struckus however was that mountains were set in the vast desolate flat landscape. The mountains stoodout for miles and miles before we reached them more than half a days travel, not conceivable inEngland When we leave camp in the morning we see the Atlas Mountains ahead that we are goingto climb and cross in the afternoon.Were the Atlas Mountains the highlight (and we went well above the snow line, in fact our guide toldus to hang back, they hadn’t got the snowploughs through yet) or was it the incredible sand dunes ofErg Chebbi? These were just the tiny northern point of the Sahara desert but they are massive. Thesize of the Sahara Desert itself is just not imaginable on a European scale.
The desert other than the sand dunes is stony, the sands blown away by the winds over the centuries,leaving the stones behind, again bleak and massive, they spread unbroken from horizon to horizon.Yet in the openness a river wells up from its underground course to form an Oasis – a valley alongwhich the river flows. The river breaths life into all things animal, vegetable and human, in thislandscape water is the only king. It is amazing to see a full blown river emerge from the desert andgive life to the land, in a valley full of date palms, or fields of crops, all cultivated by hand or donkey.
The most amazing ‘Oasis’ we found was a town call,Tafraoute. Completely surrounded by mountains ofvarious heights it has provided a habitat for probablymillennium with water rising from the rocks. The townof Sidi Ifni on the coast, in the south, it was the oldSpanish provincial capital with all its art-deco build-ings looking out of place in the Moroccan country-side. Some of these buildings restored, others left torot, where they portrayed their old colonial masters.A land of contrasts, a land of differences, a land ofcontradictions, a land of old meets new, medievalmeets twenty-first century, motor car meets beasts ofburden (donkey and camels), mud huts with satellite
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dishes. A land of amazing sights, goats that have climbed up Argan trees to eat the berries, camelsploughing fields, wagons loaded with bails of hay that towered above and over passing camping cars.Absolutely unforgettable, thoroughly enjoyed and thoroughly recommended.
MAROC 2011 Myfanwy and Doug HarriesMe:”How do you fancy a tour of Morocco, the Laika Club are thinking of doing one?”Myf: “Hmmmm....no, not really. Fancy going to Marrakesh though.”
Some days later Haydn and Rose pay us a social visit.
Me: “The Laika Club are planning a tour of Morocco and ….......”Rose interjects: “Can we come?”
And that's where it all started for us, this was going to be our 'adventure'. A few emails back and foreto John Welham and we were 'on-board'. We didn't know many in the club as we'd only been on onerally years ago, but they seemed a friendly lot!
We decided on the 'long crossing' to Santander – a bit of luxury and anyway we might get stuck in thesnow in France. The luxury faded slightly for Rose and myself as we wallowed around Finistere andreturned our lovely meal. We travelled via Caceres, Seville, and Cadiz to Tarifa, bumping into theSparks and Brindles en route. By the time we got to Tarifa everyone else was there, except for Andrewand Annette, but they weren't very late!
Edy and Flo introduced themselves and pointed to our spaces with the rest of the group. And thegroup? - what a welcome! Everyone one hit it off together and we all gathered round for the odd drinkor two (or more!), together with Fred and Gwen, caravanners Richard and Dot, and Herbert and Heidefrom Switzerland (all non-club members).
We had our first briefing with Ed – 'off at 6 in the morning in convoy to Algeciras'.Off the convoy went in the dark to Algeciras, boat to Ceuta, then customs – and this is where Edy'sorganising proved a boon. He'd prepared all documentation, vehicles and personal, to facilitate ourpassage through customs. That, together with him and Flo being on hand to assist made the entry intoMorocco through what seemed to be a pathetic organisation, much simpler. Then 'hey presto’ (morehey than presto!), we were in Morocco.
The first few miles seemed fairly modern, but it wasn't long before we hit 'the sticks' – and for those ofus brought up 'in the sticks' it was a bit sort of nostalgic! One harped back to our childhood andgrandparents' era (we're too young to harp back further!), very little mechanisation, empty roadsexcept in villages which were full of people, donkeys, goats, sheep and carts. Some pothole dodgingwas necessary on many roads, but they were nearly all metalled, albeit a bit narrow at times. Drivingthrough a village would be walking pace just trying to avoiding colliding with anything or body. Wewaved at everybody including the police, as advised by Edy, and all waved back including the police.There were children 'a plenty' either walking to or from school. No mums in their Chelsea tractors hereparking on yellow school markings. As soon as they saw a motorhome they ran towards it waving andwith hands outstretched pleadingly. Not unlike our childhood when cars were quite rare and we wouldwave at any car that went past – except we didn't (daren't) beg! - a way of life it seems instilled intothe Moroccan kids from birth. But, they all smiled. In fact most people smiled and welcomed us toMorocco. The police always stopped local traffic to let us through. We felt very welcome.
The scenery was fascinating, forever changing, ranging from beautiful mountain scenery to Arizonatype desert, to boring gravelly desert to seemingly lush oases. And of course we had a taste of 'propersand' desert at Erg Chebbi, complete with camels. Those that could spread their limbs over the backof a pregnant camel's back took a ride further into the sand – don't think it did Haydn's limbs muchgood though!
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What of the towns/cities we visited? Well Fred, who was leading our trio of vans, immersed usimmediately into the souks! Having missed the turning in Tetouan (none of us saw the sign) he led usdeeper and deeper into the town, narrowly avoiding people and carts and animals, so much so thatwe thought we all three would have the seemingly impossible task of reversing out again. Then rounda corner we were ushered into a car park – 'up there for camping cars, it's more secure'. An eager'guide' immediately latched on to us andbefore we knew it we were getting a guidedtour of the Kasbah, together with assist-ance with our shopping for veggies. Wedidn't know it at the time, but when weextricated ourselves away, as we had plac-es to go, he followed us to the car park andwasn't happy until we assisted with thefunding of his many children. (Seems allMoroccans need some money to clotheand raise their children!). We realisedafterwards how useful Fred's tour and ourguide had been in introducing us to theways of Morocco. We now knew this wasreally to be an adventure and not a tour.
The Morocco we saw was mainly rural villages with mountains and snow and hairy roads thrown in,avoiding the 'druggy' north and the big western cities, our only cities being Fez and Marrakesh. Manyvillages had been abandoned to build another one nearby, the abandoned villages blending into thesurrounding countryside like small castles or forts. As we drove further south I came to realise that mychildhood impression of an oasis as being a pool in the desert with a clump of palm trees and a camelor two was too simplistic. Oases can stretch for miles- and to camp in one is simply charming so longas you don't expect 5* camping facilities. Many campsites reminded me of our early camping trips toFrance in the '60's – except many of them were more modern. Here was a culture presented withceramic tiles and porcelain toilet furniture but little else and no facility to properly maintain or repairthem. They were not dirty in the hygienic sense but a few pressure washes to remove the accumulatedsand would have made them more presentable. The lack of a proper sink outlet would have beenovercome by the hard blow of a hammer to form a drain hole in the tiles. As for electricity, forget fancyterms like reverse polarity etc,- just hope there's enough volts (yes, volts not amps) to keep yourautomatic fridge going – it could fall to 175 volts. The lack of 'anaesthetised' facilities did not concernus too much, as we didn't have such facilities as young children. We didn't have flushing toilets andour first knowledge of germ warfare was Dettol and Jeyes Pine disinfectant. Parazone came later!Other than our early initiation by Fred, Idon't propose to detail all our experiencesof the towns. We were very ably guided byFlo through the souks in Fez, the leatherfactory, the bronze and marble factoriesetc. and the evening tour of Marrakesh.We never felt threatened in the areas wewent to, but heeded Edy's advice as whichroads to avoid. It is a tour we would nothave ventured on our own but are sopleased that we did. Blue Camel Toursprovided just the right amount of informa-tion, with Edy's brief driver's briefing everyevening to Flo's guided tours, and her smil-ing welcome when we turned up in theafternoon at the next campsite.
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Our thanks go to John and Elaine for mooting the idea, to Haydn and Rose for encouraging us to go,to all those on the tour for wonderful companionship, to Edy and Flo for their organisation and to higherauthority for seeing us through unscathed.
Morocco Meanderings Rose and Haydn ReesAn adventure to a fabulous country. Well organized by Eddie and Flo of Blue Camel Tours, andexcellent company with Laika Club members.
At the end of 3 weeks we were completely at ease with the country and its welcoming people-(Rosefelt like royalty waving to all and sundry as we drove along! ) and have so many memories of the variedscenery and towns on route.
Apart from an unplanned swim at the Source Blue de Mesky, all was incident and accident free, andwe would not hesitate to return in the future.
So many highlights- camping in the desert- struggling to walk for 3 days after the camel ride,Tafraoute, Chefchuan, I could write all day.
Thanks for the Laika Club members for their friendship and acceptance of the Welsh contingent- wewill all meet up again on many occasions.
Morocco Revisited Elaine and John WelhamThey all seem to have enjoyed the trip, warts and all. So what has changed since we went in 2007?A lot.Morocco is getting to grips with dragging itself into the 21st century, although it still has a long way togo. They are clearly trying to respond to the needs, and demands, of tourists. Tourism is a hugeforeign currency earner, so the message that pleasing the tourist is important is getting through. Onvisits to shops, cafes and craft centres you will now find several European loos, with someone keepingthem clean, whereas in the past you were lucky to find a hole in the ground! The general feel is verysimilar to how Spain felt in the late 60’s into the 70’s. Lots of part finished projects, but they areheading in the right direction.
The roads are improving. Even small towns now have French-style boulevards for the main roads inand out. The road surfaces are generally better, but the roads are still narrow away from towns andvillages. The cars and trucks, and even the driving, are improving. No longer is every car a wreck,probably brought about by a ban on importing vehicles over 5 years old. In the past, vehicles fromEurope that were heading for scrap yards were brought in and run on for years. Around towns andcities, there were many more fuel stations – a sign of growing affluence, and only high grade diesel(European quality) is now available, at about 60 pence per litre!Campsites are popping up everywhere, usually attached to an existing hotel or Kasbah complex.These are not full facility set ups, but they are safe, and somewhere where you can chill out, get water(sometimes) and empty out the tanks. The appearance of so many more sites makes it very mucheasier travelling around. You no longer need to plan stages that only go from city to city to be able toget overnight parking. On 2 occasions we stayed in something very similar to a CL, but very much ‘enfamile’ with owners. We were even invited to share the family meal on one occasion. These had roomfor only 2 or 3 vans, and you shared facilities with the family. There were no problems, a bit of French,German, Spanish, or even English got things organised.
If you are a bit apprehensive of shopping in the souk, (great fun, but you need to work at getting a keenprice), then European style hyper-markets have opened at all the major cities. In 2007, we found themin Marrakech and Agadir only. They are more expensive than the souk, but they will be very familiar.You can get things not available in Europe or the UK. We brought back large bags of different floursfor making different styles of bread at home.
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As mentioned above, the trip went ahead in the wake of the ‘Arab Spring’ in North Africa. Moroccohas been much more liberated since the re-instatement of the monarchy following the withdrawal ofthe French and Spanish in the 60s. The current King, a man in his 40s, made a rare live broadcastwhilst we were there; announcing further moves towards full democracy include relinquishing his ownpowers over parliament and government.
The Moroccans we spoke to were very pro their King, and anxious to re-assure us of the stability ofthe country. They regarded their King as being the leader of change rather than the established andcorrupt old guard. We did see several demonstrations, both for and against the current regime, butthey seemed to be well tempered, and we certainly did not feel threatened in any way. It is interestingthat it was the teachers and lecturers that were leading the protests – does this sound familiar? It isto be hoped that Morocco can continue to pursue its economic development without the hugelydisruptive effects of civil strife.
We hope that you have enjoyed this insight into Morocco and the experiences of those that went onthe trip. We would not hesitate to recommend Blue Camel Tours. You would have a great experienceat a sensible price. For comparison, Blue Camel charged about two-thirds of the price that theCamping & Caravanning Club charged for their trip this year. With Blue Camel you are very muchmore independent, you learn a lot more, you get more for your money and you see more than just thevan in front of you. No big convoys, just cruising along at your own pace.
When the trip was first contemplated, although we wanted to return to Morocco, we were not sure thatwe wanted or needed to go on a led tour again. However, when we saw who was going from the club,we soon decided that this trip was going to be good fun and we did not want to miss out. It wasimmensely enjoyable going with a group who we knew, and because we had been before, we weremuch more relaxed right from the start, and were able to see and enjoy aspects of the country that wehad missed the first time.
PS. No-one seems to have mentioned the group activity that involved members of the club, both maleand female, but not together, removing all but the merest of their clothes; submitting themselves topurgatory in a room so hot you could not walk comfortably; suffering hot and cold water torture whilstsubmitting to flagellation with Brillo pad, in places usually treated somewhat more tenderly! If yousurvived, you came out squeaky clean and GLOWING!
What was all this I hear you say? Something that should not be mentioned in the Club Newsletterperhaps.
You can be re-assured that many of us enjoyed the experience greatly. Even worse you say!
It was, of course, a visit to a Haman.
A communal bath house where you get a thorough scrub and hose down – a bit like the Romans really,but not as complicated and probably pre-dates the Romans anyway.
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FRANCE JUNE 2012
Camping La Bretèche 1km north of Les Epesses on the D752.Friday 8th to Wednesday 13th June
This is a large, level, well run campsite with good facilities including a M.V. Service point. It is 3 milesfrom Puy du Fou on the edge of the small town of Les Epesses. It has spacious pitches and a free300 sq m heated outdoor swimming pool. If you have the ACSI card the cost is €13 per night including10amp electrics in 2011. Without ACSI the cost is €16 plus €3 for electrics although a 10% reductionfor those in the group without ACSI is being negotiated. Tennis is available at extra cost.
Bring your Boules!
Puy du Fou Wednesday 13th to Sunday 17th June
14 units have so far declared an interest in visiting the Puy du Fou experience, including LaCinéscénie. This is a unique late night extravaganza. Le Grand Parc du Puy du Fou is exceptional,La Cinéscénie is Supreme:- the biggest evening show in the world 1200 actors, 8000 costumes aswell as horses, cattle, pigs and geese actually taking part in the show.
Cost is £60 per person.
THE CLOSING DATE FOR BOOKING IS FRIDAY 14TH OCTOBER 2011 WITHMONEY UPFRONT BY THAT DATE.
I hope to be at the Bourton on the Water Rally and the French Double Rally if you wish to hand yourcheques to me personally otherwise make sure it arrives before 14th October 2011.
Cheques to be made payable to B. T. Shaw and send to‘Trident Lodge’,
1A, Laythorpe Avenue,Skegness, PE25 3BX
Money is needed so far in advance because of the rapid take up of tickets for the Cinéscénie whichis normally booked up by the end of October!
Brian Shaw.
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DECEMBER CHRISTMAS RALLY AND AGM 2011
Thursday 1st to Monday 5th December 2011 (4 nights)Barnstones Touring Camping and Caravanning SiteGreat BourtonNear BanburyOxon01295 750289
Due to the disappointing numbers for the 2010 AGM and as discussed at the AGM, we have combinedthe Christmas rally with the AGM for 2011 and hope that the revised dates together with the centrallocation, will result in a good turnout.
We used the site in 2009 and both the availability of the village hall (for the AGM meeting), plus the localvillage pub met with a favourable response from all.
We have therefore booked 20/25 pitches at £9.00/night including electricity for the above dates. Wehave reserved the village hall for the Saturday afternoon for the AGM meeting, suggested time 3.00pm.
We need a £20.00 /unit non refundable deposit to be paid by END SEPTEMBER 2011. Cheques to bemade out in this instance to The Laika Club of Great Britain and sent to our home address.
For those of you who depart for Europe or beyond before the above date please ensure paymentis made in advance.
We intend to arrange an evening meal in the Bell Inn for the Saturday. They will make us "hot potspecials ", salads and sweets (very seasonal!!) and costs for this will be advised close to the time whennumbers are known. When booking please give your arrival and departure dates.
Suitable local walks will be arranged as usual by Peter/Geoff and we look forward to receiving goodsupport for this new AGM date.
Rally StewardsDiane and Ken Bradshaw01159 177038 email: [email protected]
Cheques to The Laika Club of Great Britain and sent to
64 Leamington DriveChilwellBeeston
NottinghamNG9 5LN
JokeWith all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the deathof a very important person which almost went unnoticed last week.Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote ‘The Hokey Cokey’, died peacefully at age 93. The most traumaticpart for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in, and then the trouble started.
RALLY PROGRAMME 2012Month Dates Venue
Volunteers please to organise Rallies where help will be given if needed.
March 22nd to 26th Ulwell Cottage Park near Swanage organised byAndy and Ali Morrison.Pitch price approx £12 pernight including electric and use of indoor heatedpool. SEE BELOW
April 25th to 30th Devizes Camping & Caravan Club next to Kennet &Avon Canal organised by Geoff and LindaMitcheson.Pitch price approx £20 per night.Goodwalking and National Trust sites to visit.
May 13th to 20th Whitby Rally organised by Alma and Keith Pitcher.SEE PAGE 15
June 8th to 17th Camping La Breteche & Puy du Fou organised byBrian Shaw as detailed in Newsletters
July 9th to 13th Brookside, Burton Upon Stather, North Lincolnshire,Best of British site Page 46, on Rally Field includingelectric and use of showers etc for £7 organised byKath and Peter Elliott.
September TBA Croatia Tour by Richard and Ruth. See page 15.November 1st to 5th Cambridge area, details to follow by John Welham.
December TBA AGM midlands area, details to follow
SWANAGE, DORSETThursday 22nd March to Monday 26th March inclusive (5 nights )
We have provisionally booked 15 pitches at Ulwell Cottage Caravan Park(www.ulwellcottagepark.co.uk ) at £12.00 per night per van. The price covers 2 people per van, electric-ity, use of the indoor heated swimming pool and dogs.
The pitches are mainly hardstanding but some will be gravel/grass which will be reserved for smallerand front wheel drive vans. The site is partly gentle sloping so chocks will be essential.
A walk of just over a mile gets you into Swanage where there are a few seaside type shops, atheatre/cinema and the train (sometimes steam) station for trips to Corfe Castle, pubs and restaurants.For railway enthusiasts ( www.swanagerailway.co.uk. ) The beach is 0.9 miles away so bring yourbucket and spades! The site does have a bar and a restaurant which I need to check out before decid-ing if it will be suitable for a group meal.
The bus for Bournemouth passes the campsite.
Good walks are available from the site and we have a couple of OS maps of the area which will also beuseful for the keen cyclists
Please book with Andy Morrison (01929 552158) and provide a £15 non-refundable deposit by20th December 2011 at the latest. Cheques should be made payable toThe Laika Club of Gt. Britain.
When booking please provide your vehicle length as some of the pitches will have to be allocated on asize basis.
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Please book with Andy Morrison and provide a £15 non-refundable deposit by
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Wednesday 25th April 2012, departing Monday 30th April (5 nights)Devizes Camping and Caravanning Club SiteSpout LaneNr SeendMelkshamWiltshireSN12 6RN
This large Club site is located next to the Kennet and Avon Canal, which provides good walking opportu-nities either into Devizes or towards Melksham. We have reserved 20 hard standing pitches, hopefullyclose together, with all usual full site facilities available. Cost is yet to be announced for next year, but willbe in the region of £20 per night, for all Laika Club Members. You do not have to be a member of theC&CC to attend, but you must pay the negotiated rate we agree with the club (the age concession willnot apply, but our fees should be close to it). All requests to attend must be with the Stewards by 10th
March as we have to advise the club of attendees and release any unused pitches by mid March.
From the site you will be able to visit local National trust sites such as Avebury and Lacock Manor, allwith good parking for motorhomes. Also tour the White horse sites of Wiltshire. A pub is at the entranceto the site, and an hourly bus service to Devizes and Melksham from just outside the site.
This will be a ‘free and easy’ rally, with very little organised by the stewards!
Directions, Sells Green is half way between Devizes and Melksham, Sign posted at the Three MagpiesPub on the A365.
Rally Stewards Geoff and Linda Mitcheson. 01260 273135.
Whitby Rally Sunday 13th May - Saturday 19th May 2012
By popular request we have provisionally booked 15-20 pitches at SANDFIELD HOUSE FARM CARA-VAN PARK situated on the beautiful Whitby to Sandsend coastline.
Pitch prices haven't been confirmed as these will probably change next year but the low season price pernight for caravan/motorhome including 10amp hook-up is £17. Awning £2 p.n. Porch awning £1.50p.n.(this does not include wind-out awnings) extra person £2 p.n. and dogs (max 2) £1 p.n.
Things to doSituated on the coastal edge of the North York Moors National Park, Sandfield House Farm is the idealbase from which to explore the moors. The North York Steam Railway is based at Grosmont and a shorttrain ride or drive from there would take you to Goathland (Aidensfield) where the TV series 'Heartbeat'was filmed. The National Parks visitor centre is based at Danby in the Esk Valley and is well worth a visit.
The bustling harbour town of Whitby is a short walk down the coast and hosts numerous things to see anddo, including: Whitby Abbey, The Captain Cook Museum, St. Mary's Church, Bram Stoker's Dracula andmore.
Sandfield House Farm have a web page - www.sandfieldhousefarm.co.uk
This is a very popular campsite so I shall need firm numbers by Christmas. The site, like manyothers, will require a deposit and therefore we will require a non returnable deposit of £20 per unit.Please make cheques payable to A.Pitcher.
Contact details :- [email protected] 01287 660450 mobile 07814 237529
Rally Stewards Geoff and Linda Mitcheson. .
The information and opinions in this newsletter are those of the contact name or names given. The Laika Club ofGreat Britain does not necessarily agree with nor endorse their comments and/or views. It is a totally independentClub, governed by its constitution giving no preference to any Publication, Dealer or other club. This however, doesnot prevent, with Committee approval, the fostering of mutually beneficial relations.
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Please, please let the rally stewards know as soon as possible if you have to cancel and make surewhen you book that they have got correct email addresses and mobile phone numbers in case theyhave to contact you.Thank you
Trip to Croatia By Laika Privileged Tours Autumn 2012To be discussed at AGM
The intention is that we each make our own arrangements to arrive in Portoroz in Slovenia where wewill welcome each other!The estimated distance is 850 miles outwards, a tour of 370 miles and a return trip of about 1200 miles.At the end of our tour which will terminate in Split (Croatia) we will have a farewell meeting and eachgo our separate ways.The sites are mainly ACSI so they will be about £14 each van and members will be responsible for theirown ferries and sundry expenses. I will try to book the ACSI sites but with some it may be difficult insome cases, so sites may have to alter.I have based the itinerary on a trip I made about 5 years ago and open to suggestions if we can improveit.I intend to cross on the Dunkerque ferry and stay at the following places :-Du Clair de Lune site at MaubeugeVilsberg/Phalsbourg in Mosselle areaACSI 732 at LuganoACSI 1989 near Venice
1. Meet up at Camping Lucija in Portoroz where we stay convenient to visit Piran old town (2 nights)
2. Rovinj ACSI 904(3 nights) Distance 40 miles3. FAZANI Camping Bi Village(4 nights)
Here we can visit Pula Guided tour of Brioni Island Good for bikes Distance 20 miles
4. KRK Island ACSI 887(2 nights) Distance 90 miles 5. Kolan/PAG ACSI 886(1 night) Distance 80 miles 6. Nin near Zadar ACSI 894(2 nights) Distance 30 miles 7. Lazovac ACSI 890(3 nights) Close to Krka Falls Visit Primosten Distance 60 miles 8. Split ACSI 911(4 nights) Visit Dubrovnic by day trip Visit Trogir and Omis Distance 50 miles
We will be in Croatia/ Slovenia for about 3 weeks and it will take another 2 weeks to get there and back.Between sites it would be better if we staggered our journeys so that we do not cause delays to othermotorists and divide ourselves into sub groups.At the end of the trip there will be the opportunity to tailor your own journey home including other placesyou want to see.We have an invite to the Laika factory in October 2012 which could work in well with the Croatia trip.Before organising such a trip we need to know approx numbers, so when letting me know interest inCroatia could you also state whether you would be interested in a Laika Factory Visit. There is a newLaika Kreos A class being launched in October and changes to other models.
Due to the logistics of organising a rally of this kind there will be a limit of 15 units. Thereforeplease register your interest ASAP and at the latest by the end of the year.
Rally organiser Richard Moss Tel 01522 500844 email [email protected] organiser Richard Moss
