We couldn't decide who would write up the Sussex drive report, and thus, y'all get stuck with both.
His version:
Safely home we'd like to thank CharlesL, Rich C, dreamcar and Monkey for joining us for an, at times, spirited drive through Ashdown Forest. I'm happy to announce it a big success - with the only reservation that the relative proximity of villages and high volume of cars on the roads left us with perhaps less free roads than we could have wished for. Perhaps the area is just too close to London to be really fit for drives like this.
We met up in Newlands Corner - the early birds got to enjoy a breakfast at the Barn across the street while people were sorting out traffic difficulties, but oddly enough not pathfinding difficulties (!), to arrive in time for us to set out only slightly behind schedule. Our only loss of the day was established at that time - WTSnet had to stay home but promises we haven't seen the last of him!
Speaking of schedule, there's a learning experience right there. We had based our time estimates rather narrowly on the time it takes to get from one place to another with one car - with five cars a little fiddling around at right turns and waiting for each other translates into about 5 minutes extra per half hour. And for some reason people thought it was a social event and stood around chatting about cars and specs and driving which didn't help the schedule one bit! Truth be told, I'd probably put down any delays to people actually enjoying themselves and us not losing anyone on the way.
Our quest to find empty roads met with intermittent success and we exhilerated in a smooth and rapid pace through turns. Anyone and any car can go fast on the straight, but it's when things get a little twisty that fun really begins. Once again I'm amazed at the effortless control and speed of the Boxster, and I must say I find a well executed turn ten times as rewarding as any mere speed thrill.
Lunch time found us (belatedly) at the excellent Red Lion pub-turned-modern-restaurant in Chelwood Gate where the Boxsters preened their feathers under the supervision of Monkey's well appointed 911. By well appointed I am naturally referring to it's clearly superior colouring! We were joined for our repast by a rogue 911 that appeared as if by magic without us having a chance to say hi to the driver.
The lunch parking lot:
From the Red Lion we went past areas of momentous impact in the history of, well, Winnie the Pooh and enjoyed further good stretches of road through Ashdown Forest - the sheep tried to crowd us off the road but acquiesced and let us pass, for us to find that the ice cream truck we had an appointment with had mysteriously disappeared! After a bit of accusatory glaring and bleating (from my side at the sheep) we were back on the road and once again going through the twisties near Horsted Keynes.
Horsted Keynes deserves special mention. It's a village that to my eye had nothing in particular going for it until we started driving through it. It just so happens that the roads north, east and west out of the village are all delightfully twisty - in fact, they are such a pleasure to drive that I would rank those three stretches of road as probably the three best that I've found while scouting for this trip - and all surrounding the same village. That's remarkable.
Driving pleasure aside this was also a day where sounds were playing a big part.
Arguably the best sound was Monkey's PSE that caused Boxsters to change positions just so they could get close and sniff at his rear end.
Arguably the worst was the sound of tractors with associated moans from Porsche drivers.
We ended on a high note with a nice cream tea at High Beeches and the next one or two drives are already in the works. Perhaps next time it'll be a package deal - a Saturday drive with "My other car is a ..." and a Sunday drive in the Porsches on the same route!
I had a great time and it was a pleasure seeing everyone - I look forward to the next time.
Her version:
Thanks everyone for coming! The Sussex drive was great fun. Despite best efforts to obscure the meeting point, we started out with an almost full set of participants: CharlesL, Rich C, Dreamcar and me forming a 987 quadriga, and Monkey in his honorary Boxster (C4S, black mmm). Dreamcar and Rich C must have veered off into no man's land for a while despite satNAV, but they sold it as a road block and still made it ontime.
WTSnet had to bail but is to join us the next time (or else). After admiring CharlesL's shiny new chrome exhaust (want one!), we set out for the adventure.
It quickly became apparent that our schedule had not accounted for the necessary delays in coordinating 5 cars throughout Sunday family traffic and so we ran a tad late on the way to the lunch restaurant. I'm not quite sure whether the nice roaring of Monkey's PSE or the increasing growling of the drivers' stomachs was more dominant on the final meters. Counting on the Ford Mondeo estates of this world to make our driver's life miserable, we had packed oodles of twisties into the drive, hoping to get have a few stretches of them to ourselves. As luck had it, we managed to test the driving capabilities of our cars a couple of times before arriving at the lunch place. Who needs more than 3 gears anyways? Witnesses also report that Monkey's behind was quite lively.
On the downside... my feeble attempt to wait at the roadside and allow an occasional slowpoke to disappear so we could enjoy the road ended in a surprise, when the a tractor came around the bend and we ended up stuck behind him for 2 miles or so.
Food at the Red Lion in Chelwood Gate was great, despite a slight order mixup which was corrected quickly. When we returned to our cars, we found the group had grown in the meantime and a nice seal grey 911 had been added to the mix. Some more pictures, and off we went. The post-food driving bit was dedicated to Ashdown forest itself - largely on speed restricted roads so not quite as exciting to drive, but with time to spare for enjoying the beautiful heath scenery and the countless sheep on the street. Since the anticipated icecream truck at the viewpoint abandoned us without prior notice, we were quickly progressing towards the second set of Sussex twisties on our way to the tea break and managed to find one or two uncontested set of curves before being forced into sightseeing mode again. We saw a couple of other Porsches along the way and most were happy to wave back.
High Beeches is known for their gardens, but they also feature yummy cream tea, served in the traditional rustic setting of an old stable. Several cups of tea and an enjoyable (car) conversation later, we split up to head home - time for me to follow the holy PSE.
Judging by the tire temperature and the smell of braking, my 987S got a good workout today. The more I drive it, the more confident I get into the handling, feedback and braking abilities, though still a tad scared of ever hitting the traction limits. Some of the roads we hit today were gorgeous but posed a good challenge - a dedicated lane 2m wide at best, a road walled by several meters of greenery which made for rapid light/shadow changes and curves of any variety.. with or without warning signs. Since you don't know what's behind the next curve, it's vital to stay exactly within the narrow lane and ever so ready to hit the brakes for the next set of jolly pedestrians or farm machinery to pop into view. At least the wabbits were all out on vacation today. Well, the Boxsters have been hooked on those scenic drives for a while, and today we spread the addiction into the Carrera camp. I don't feel a least bit guilty about it.
And now I humbly rely on others to supply more pictures and will be looking forward to the next meet (Dreamcar may be already planning...).