Drove the Vee (trade slang for Renault Clio V6) to Weston Super Mare (WSM) yesterday, across country via Salisbury and Taunton (M5) to rendez-vous with customer on seafront. Pulled into The Grand Atlantique Hotel - it looks just as it sounds, desperate for a 'jimmy' only to find the doors locked and a note to say only open to residents until Jan 6th! More like keeping the inmates in if the convalescent home my daughter works in is anything to go by! It's OK, I survived. BTW, the seafront at WSM looks just like Eastbourne or any other generic retirement seaside town, but thought the whole place was as welcoming as the customers I went to see. All very civilised. When DP pulled up in his M3 alongside the Vee it looked like something out of Evo Magazine comes to Costa Geriatrica though!
On the way across country I stopped at a Little Chef, having heard on the news that the chain is in financial trouble, (and read that in the Daily Express while eating) I have to say that I think anyone who travels quite a bit would miss the opportunity to stop somewhere like that. The food, cleanliness and service were fine, but maybe the staff have had a wind up and are all working full tilt. The place concerned could do with a bit of a revamp and that might include the presentation and menu, but I wouldn't think a lost cause. Between there and the M5 though I passed two more and if they were as apparently overstaffed as the one I visited then there's a good place to start to control the costs?? Possible thin out the premises too boys. Perhaps Mc D's or BK might take some off your hands....
Home in the BMW M3 (awesome machine and an absolute performance bargain if you have the money) via the M5 Motorway around Bristol, Bath and along M4 to M25 and home A24. That's 200 miles or so in about three hours. The average speed was testiment to the ease at which I drove around the extra wide M25 around Heathrow , although maybe more people are on holiday until next week then the queues will start again. Quite honestly, having driven one, I couldn't imagine buying anything else but an M3 with (say) a £25K budget. I'll post some pictures of the car once it's valeted etc.
The used car page on the website is looking pretty sad with my being SOLD OUT! of Renaultsport Clio stock - I am desperately on the hunt for the right cars and have been working full tilt on that today.
Random thought of the day, reading back through this you can see a clash between BMW models and UK motorways!
