HUNTS
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TREASURE HUNTS |
| Page updated Late October 2009 |  |
In the past these foreign Treasure Hunts were nearly always based in France, but for the most recent event of this type everything was changed, and the venue moved to Belgium, with two nights in the magnificent city of Bruges and three in a hotel actually on the battlefield of Waterloo, so competitors got to see Flemish as well as French Belgium.
Competitors crossed to the continent as they wished and then travelled to the start for the first get-together. The event then lasted for five days, involving much eating and drinking and general jollification, with that little extra tease of the Treasure Hunt competition as well, most of the clues being from various visits, to places like the chateau of Gaasbek outside Brussels, the Duke of Wellington's headquarters in the town of Waterloo, a walkabout in the town of Bruges, and more. There were visits and tastings, of chocolate as well as wine (well, it was Belgium, after all), and lots of gourmet and unusual meals. Incidentally, please do not believe the oft-repeated rubbish that you can't get a good meal in Belgium apart from moules-frites, because we proved that comprehensively wrong. The event ended with a final dinner in the middle of the battlefield of Waterloo. Oh all right then, in a restaurant in the middle. We weren't actually sitting in a field, you know. Winners were Mike and Julie Sanders from Somerset in their 1960 S2 Bentley Continental.
These events are normally open to anyone in a classic or exotic or generally interesting car, and the price per person (assuming two people share a twin/double room) varies up or down according to the venue, but normally hovers around €1000. However, this price includes all visits and paperwork, all hotels + b&b, and most evening meals, though one day is always left free for you to do what you wish, as no one likes to be regimented all the time. It can not include ferries, because that may vary from entrant to entrant, and from route to route.
The longer version is what we used to do, and I'm sure will do again in the future, but in early 2007, in response to many requests, I put on a much smaller event in England, a bit more intense (actually a hell of a lot more intense!) because it was shorter, only Friday night to Sunday lunchtime. And for this one, since it was in the depths of winter when a lot of classic cars are safely tucked away, it wasn't really a Classic Car Event as such, more a People event. The trouble with all of this was that I contacted the normal people, the Usual Suspects, so to speak, and it filled up so fast things got positively blurred. Certain people who missed out were thus disappointed.
So in 2008, in response to even more of those "when are you going to do another Treasure Hunt?" cries in the form of letters, Christmas cards, emails, whatever, I announced another of the smaller ones, set in the historic town of Wells in Somerset, this time with more hotel rooms available this time. And that one promptly filled up immediately just the same.
Spring 2009 passed without one, as all energies were being directed towards the last-ever Claret & Classics, but once the rallying was over, the Treasure Hunt requests started again. I'd still prefer the longer ones abroad, but the general reaction seems to be "Yes, yes, yes, they're very nice, but can we have one of the shorter ones NOW, please?" So at the end of July I announced another one for around early November, to be based near Bath, and whoosh, before you knew it everyone was positively baying to do it as before. One or two people couldn't make the date, but most who applied are doing it, with 24 sitting around the table enjoying each others' companies. How nice to be so popular, he purred. Details are below: This is NOT, repeat NOT, a rally. It is a problem-solving devious Treasure Hunt, Deeley style. The driving in it is purely to get from place to place by your own route, so even classic cars are not essential, especially considering it's in November (though November actually has had some pretty good weather for the past few years at least). We do hope that those who can do so will actually decide to come in a classic of some sort, since such a thing would increase the gaiety of nations and enrich the public stock of harmless pleasure, to paraphrase the great Dr Johnson. But it's not crucial at all because, as I said above, this is not a driving event as such, more like a social get-together of friends during that weekend, with a little bit of Devious Deeley skulduggery thrown in to lighten things up a bit.
The event will be set in and around the city of Bath, based in an extremely nice country hotel set in gently rolling hills (blah blah blah, you know the sort of stuff) to the north, within easy reach of the M4 motorway. This is the PARK RESORT, near the village of Wick, just north of Bath, and has its own website which you can find here which you can peruse at your leisure.
The weekend starts with competitors' arrival in their own time on the Friday afternoon/evening, November 6th, ready for gastronomic dinner together that evening. The hotel does have a good reputation for its food.
On the Saturday November 7th after breakfast everyone departs, again in their own time, for a day searching for answers and things in the historic city of Bath, five miles or so down the road. No, no one is expected to drive into the city themselves, as traffic and parking in Bath are an expensive nightmare at the best of times. Instead there is a Park & Ride only a mile or so down the road from the hotel, and two quid return each has to be a bargain. Everyone will have the whole day in Bath to look around and search for the answers, as well as time to knock off and eat, etc. In the late afternoon it's back to the hotel with the results for this day, later to dine together again.
Sunday November 8th sees the only driving bit, where they have to dash around some of the nearby countryside looking for more clues. No again, this is not one of those old-style Treasure Hunts like they used to be, dawdling along the road looking for answers like that, because those are too dangerous now. Actually they used to be dangerous then, but let it pass. In this they go to various designated spots in whichever order they like (so people won't be all there together) to search for even more fiendishly difficult solutions - no one said this would be easy - before dashing back to the hotel to hand the final answers in, and then enjoy a roast Sunday lunch together when results will be announced and awards presented. Then it's off home again.
We already have the numbers, but I suppose that even at thise late stage, as long as rooms still remain at the hotel, if there are any others out there desperate to come along, please email Deeley Classics accordingly.
THE BATH BONANZA : 6th - 8th November 2009
DEELEY CLASSICS ORGANIZES SIMILAR EVENTS FOR CLUBS AND SOCIETIES (WE REGULARLY RUN THE JAGUAR DRIVERS CLUB ANNUAL RALLY, FOR INSTANCE) AND ARE ALWAYS WILLING TO DO THE SAME FOR ANYONE ELSE.
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