BMW CAR CLUB (GB)
SOUTH EAST REGION
Website design by Melvyn Pettit
Top
BMW CLUB EUROPA 41st Clubtreffen at La-Roche-en-Ardenne, BELGIUM
Held from 4 to 7 September 2003
2003 BCE Meeting - Belgium
For the second time this year we head to Belgium, but before we boarded the ferry to drive to La Roche we visited Dover Castle. We take the tour of the Secret Wartime Tunnels which are under the White Cliffs of Dover. This 1 hour tour of the Secret Wartime Tunnels which only became public knowledge in 1986 takes in the Underground Hospital, Barracks and the WWII Command Centre.
This time we head for Belgium not for a race (SPA 24hr), but the 41st BMW Club Europa clubtreffen (meeting) being held at La Roche. The event was organised in conjunction with BMW Clubs Belgium and BMW Motor Club Vlaanderen.
We arrived at the Floreal club, which was to be our base for the next 3 days mid afternoon. Booked in to our apartment and find our allotted parking space. Due to Selwyn having got his beloved BMW 2002 Tii Touring back on the road in time for this event , our group had two cars, so we needed to park end to end in our bay! All around us we are joined by fellow four and two wheel BMW enthusiasts from the BMW club members in 19 European countries , at this always friendly and sociable gathering. We unpack and place our regions banner on the balcony, Tony and Selwyn are soon sun worshiping.
Time to book in for the event at the information desk and pick up our envelopes, Castrol goodies bag and on the way to the nearly new "old castle" that is the main area of the 3.5 acre Club Floreal, we meet up with Kathleen Butler and Ron Sharrad, who are attending a BMW club Europa meeting being held before the event starts. Later in the afternoon we also see Peter Rust also attending the same meeting. Next it was time to walk into the La Roche town centre. Making sure we all have our event badges on. We walk alongside the River Ourthe and head towards town. The only problem we have is that the main road to the Floreal Club at this time is being dug up and you can not travel along it in a road vehicle, as we found out as we tried to travel up it to the Floreal Club and were turned back by the workers! So we have to pick our way through the rubble to town.
Next morning after our breakfast we decide to all pile in my car and do the Willaims Ride "Cars" up to the lunch stop. As the second part of the trail went to the F1 Museum, which we had visited on our Spa trip. The motorbikes also had the same route but theirs was in reverse but we both would meet up for the lunch stop. Our first problem was that the road book started with turn left out of Club Floreal. Wrong ( road up ), so we plan to take the narrow road around up and down the hill though the Ardenne forest. At the narrowest part we meet a logging lorry coming the other way. We finally get on to the N98 road back into town. Arrive at the bridge we thought was at the end of the road works ( at this point we did not know there were two bridges in La Roche that crossed the river Ourthe!)
In the afternoon we head back to La Roche so we can have a good walk around the town. This time we walk up along the river to the second bridge and work out where we should have joined the road book. Have a picture taken by the US tank in the parking area in the town. Then head back for our welcome drink in the BMW Expo Pavilion tent which had been erected out side the entrance to the Floreal Club "castle".
In the BMW Expo Pavilion, BMW had brought along a BMW Williams F1 show car and a BMW Z4 2.5 with the latest Airopak fitted. BMW Mobile Tradition also had a display of BMW motorcycles. BMW Club Europa had a stand which was selling items and the local Belgium BMW club also had a stand. After the welcome drink it was again time for the evening meal in the Club Floreal restaurant. The conversation at dinner continued about red wine that we had started the night before. I had Tony and David going about "screw cap" or "cork". For some reason which we could not work out, the Club Floreal restaurant would not sell Selwyn his Beck's Beer. So he had to go down to the Club Floreal Bar and bring it back to the table himself.
We attempted to take the road book route, but we see BMW's heading in both ways, Motorbikes by the side of the road checking the route. "Would it have been a simpler if the organisers had reprinted the first page of the road book including the route around the road works". In the end we decided to head straight to Durbuy which was the first stop on the route. It seems that we were not the only ones who took this route as we joined a convoy of BMW's heading in the same direction. At Durbuy we take in the sights of this pretty town. We are now back on the road book and all goes well as we arrive for Lunch at Chateau de Harze. After lunch we take the opportunity to visit the water mill museum on the Chateau de Harze grounds. This was well worth a visit as it took you through all the stages from wheat to flour and the bakery.
In to the supermarket to stock up with Fruit, milk and beer and take a quick look around town square as we need to get back for the welcome drink and evening meal. No welcome drink as it is changed to Friday night, but the evening meal went down well. After the meal we meet up with club members Wilf Rickard, David Leake and partners , plus Kathleen and Ron for a drink. Kathleen introduces us to Dr Thomas Tischler , the new man at BMW Mobile Tradition and we talk about when the new BMW World centre will be open for a visit. Date now put back to 2007, so we will have to wait for a tour !
BMWCC members Sunworshipers
View along the River Ourthe
Lunch at Chateau de Harze
Parking at Chateau de Harze
Ghost of La Roche Castle
At 9.45pm we gather for our walk to visit "The Ghost of The Feudal Castle of La Roche-en-Ardenne". We must have been very lucky as the ghost appeared as we made our way by burning touch light along though the roadworks. The group made our way up the steep pathway to the castle. Once we arrived at the upper main courtyard we were served with a drink of "Snaps" and some nibbles. The Feudal Castle of La Roche-en-Ardenne dominates the valley of the River Ourthe, nestling between a loop in the river and the DEISTER ( a hill with steep sides ) which shapes the watercourse. This medieval castle was built between the 11th,12th and 14th century. At about 11pm we felt a spot of rain so we decided to make our way down the pathway before it became to slippery.
Saturday morning we decided not to do the run as it goes to the space centre which we once again visited on our Spa trip. So we decided to enter the BMW Parade of Elegance ( 80 years of the roundel ). So we sign up and set about cleaning the cars. Once the cars are cleaned we head to town to visit the War Museum relating the battle of the Ardennes. On the way into town we bump into Ann And Neil Liegh ( our hosts for Spa trip ) who were paying a visit to the event.The museum is siturated in the town centre behind the petrol station is on three levels. Looking at the pictures of the devastation of La Roche due to allied bombings makes you wonder how anybody survived. One chapter of The British in the Battle of the Ardennes. On 11th January 1945 preceded by armoured reconnaissance vehicles of the 2nd Deryshire Yeomary Regiment, and supported by tanks of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry Regiment, the 1st Battalion Black Watch entered the town of La Roche. The following day , a reconnaissance unit of the 84th US Infantry Division entered the town and linked with the Scotsman. In the museum there is not only a picture taken of the meeting of the US and Scotsman, there is also a diaorama of the event. Next on the list was to try the local speciality Janbon (Ham) at a restaurant in town.
Time to return to collect the cars for the run and parade. We start to assemble in one of club Floreal car parks, just as we get a rain shower.It is soon clear that the car park is not larger enough for all the parade participants, so as we set of in class order we have to give way to others of our class waiting out in the road .
BMWs assemble for the Parade around La Rouche
We head up the narrow road to town, I pity the cars that were coming the other way as they came across this long crocodile of BMWs in the Ardenne Forest. and had to wait for us. The run was well organized by the local BMW club as they had marshalls at each junction holding back to the traffic until we had all gone though. We headed to La Roche town centre where we would park up for the Parade of Elegance . On the run we took in both bridges across the river Ourthe, where visitors and locals stood and watched us pass over them.
BMWs on the run into La Roche
BMWs take over Square at end of the Parade
Once at the town square we all park up to judge each others cars for best Car and Motorcycle on show. Time for coffee in a local cafe on the square as we watch people looking over the cars and bikes.
Time to head back and get ready for the prize giving and speeches and then onto the fairwell dinner with a disco or jazz band to while away the evening.
BMW Car Club members recieve
2nd prize in La Rouche
As we gather in the Expo Pavilion for the speeches and prize giving. We are first asked to have a minute silence for Fridhelm Gunter who was a stalwart of BMW Club Europa who passed away in June 2003. One of the speeches was given by Dr Thomas Tischler regarding BMW Mobile Tradition and BMW Clubs which went down well. The winner of the BMW Cars Elegance was the BMW 600 and the winner of the BMW Motorcycles was a BMW R60 with sidecar. The BMW Car Club GB also picked up a prize . We won 2nd prize for most points earned by a BMW club, worked out by how many miles travelled to event and how many members attending the event. Well done to the BMW Car Club GB members who made their way to La Roche to take part in the 41st BMW Club Europa Treffin.
Floreal Club web site www.florealclub.be/ has English language version).
BMW Club Europa web site www.bmw-club-europa.org/ has English language version).