The MGF Register Forums

Dear lovers of the (cold) night: We keep going!

Last year’s Berlin Arctic Circle has found a successor.

As you know from the London Arctic Circle/FRL, the idea to drive 110 miles top down in early February on the motorway is for complete fools only, so for the German version we decided to meet on Carnival weekend in the fools’ metropolis - the region around Düsseldorf (Helau!) and Cologne (Alaaf!).

So if you’re too bored to go to Stoneleigh on that weekend and live not too far from the Channel ferries, here’s the invitation.

20 rooms (double, 77 euros per night incl breakfast) have been pre-booked for the Saturday to Sunday night at
Hotel am Vogelsanger Weg, Vogelsanger Weg 36, 40470 Düsseldorf
Bookings are managed by us.

The rough plan looks like this:
- arrival at the hotel in Düsseldorf around lunchtime on Saturday, 10/02
- we have something in the planning stage for Saturday afternoon
- Saturday night around 10 pm start from Vogelsanger Weg clockwise along the motorways A44, A3, A4, A61, A52, then back again on the A44.
- midnight meeting in Markus’s garden (cars can be left there overnight)
- barbecue until 3 am-ish
- last night bus to the hotel leaves at 3.51 am

Düsseldorf is about 4 hours to drive from Dunkirk, so there’s two ways to get here in time, if you have to work on the Friday: Either (recommended) take a late boat on the Friday and stay overnight in Dunkirk (Campanile Loon Plage), or go to Dover in the evening, stay at the Premier Inn right at the Eastern Docks roundabout and take the 6am ferry in the morning.

To put the icing on the cake, you can also stay another night to watch the famous “Zoch” on Green Monday (parade with satirical floats, marching bands and thousands of fools) in Düsseldorf’s old town. There’s enough rooms at the hotel and we will surely find some things to do or visit on the Sunday. Real tough people could even take the train (S-Bahn Düsseldorf-Derendorf, 15 minutes from the Hotel) to Cologne …

Please just send me a PM or email, and I will put you on the list. Don’t forget to mention if you wish to stay one or two nights.

Looks a lot of fun Mykel

For anyone from the uk, you'll need Winter Tyres

And fun we will have, thinking of last year in Berlin and Potsdam!

As to the winter tyres, I don’t think it’s an issue Colin. Here in Germany’s Far West it’s usually quite clear on the roads, even in February. We rarely had any snow in the lowlands for the past years.

Mykel wrote:And fun we will have, thinking of last year in Berlin and Potsdam!

As to the winter tyres, I don’t think it’s an issue Colin. Here in Germany’s Far West it’s usually quite clear on the roads, even in February. We rarely had any snow in the lowlands for the past years.

Added to the 2018 International Events listing viewtopic.php?f=45&t=13179

We rarely have snow here either, but I wouldn't be without winter tyres when it's below 7 degC, even here in the Uk

Sounds like fun but are winter tyres a legal requirement?

Mrs TC who lived near Den Haag says it sounds lovely but we're not risk the temperature at that time of year.

Legal requirement depending upon the conditions that you are driving in https://www.german-way.com/travel-and-t ... r-driving/.

colintf wrote:Legal requirement depending upon the conditions that you are driving in https://www.german-way.com/travel-and-t ... r-driving/.

We have had winter tyres since living in Jugoslavija for 3 years from 1968. The were knobblies with stellite studs.On a dry road, they would overheat above 60 MPH and the studs come out like bullets and dent the underside of the wings.
Since retiring 16 years ago after 4 years in Switzerland, we returned each year for a ski trip in the Astra 1.8 but put snow tyres on the F for the register run to the Geneve Motor Show then gave up skiing to take the MGF.

In summary, it is ok to keep you summer tyres unless it is heavy snow or thick ice when there is a risk of a 40Euro fine. It would be preferable to have at least 3+ mm of tread.

The 2nd week in February is always our Swiss trip however we start to Fly/Drive now.
Geoff.F

participants’ list as of today:

01: Susanne and Mykel (DE, incl Green Monday)
02: Natalie and Christian (DE)
03: Dani and Jan (DE)
04: Franz (DE)
05: Karin and Tassilo (DE)
06: Jürgen (DE)
07: Maike and Markus DE
08: Karen and Ken (UK, incl Green Monday)
09: Adrian and Dawn (UK, incl Green Monday)
10: Sue and Ron (UK, incl Green Monday)
11: Malcolm and Kris (UK, incl Green Monday)
12:

Looking good Mykel

You have mail.

Report now online on the MGCC Germany web site!

Mykel wrote:Report now online on the MGCC Germany web site!

Would be a great addition to FasTForward Mykel

Good idea, Col! I’ll translate it properly and send it out to Tim with the high res pics.

Mykel wrote:Good idea, Col! I’ll translate it properly and send it out to Tim with the high res pics.

Wunderbar!

Sent.

Mykel wrote:Sent.

Danke Mykel