Clifton CC Discussion Board

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by Dr Dave Sat Oct 22, 2016 5:36 pm
Just a reminder that we are having a preliminary meeting to plan the trip tomorrow - Sunday 23rd in the Knavesmire Hotel at 7pm.
Everyone is more than welcome to join us :D

Keep pedalling!
by James Milner Mon Oct 24, 2016 10:12 am
Excellent turn out last night at the Knavesmire for the Alps trip planning meeting. There were apologies from a couple of people who couldn't make it so this post is very much for their information as well as to confirm to everyone who was present what we agreed.

We are looking at flying from Manchester to Geneva on Saturday 3rd June,returning the following Saturday and staying in Morzine, which is around an hour and a half from Geneva.

Flights on Easy Jet are currently a little under £140 each return including bikes. This is based on us taking the 07:00 flight on 3rd June and returning on the 10:25 flight from Geneva on the 10th. It is important that we are all on this flight and not the later one as it will affect the cost per person of transfer to and from Geneva airport. This is around £55 per person, return including bikes.

There is an update on the accommodation which could increase the price slightly compared to what was quoted at the meeting. The price was based on chalet 'Les Lanchettes' where I stayed earlier this year. This sleeps 14 and is available at £1400 for the week. The only thing I have against this is that it is around 4km from the centre of town, which makes it awkward for going out on an evening.

If we want to stay in the centre of town we are looking at the Grand and Petit Belvedere. The Grand Belvedere sleeps 10 and is available at £1400 for the week. The Petit Belvedere is a two bedroom apartment attached to the larger property and is £560 for the week, making a total of £1960 for the week or £140 each based on 14 of us. Just crunching a few more numbers, if there are more than 10 of us going and we are going to stay in the centre of town the maximum cost of accommodation will be £178 each. This is based on there being 11 of us. I'm sure you can all do the maths for any other permutations.

I would propose that we stay in the centre of town in the slightly dearer accommodation. Apart from anything else, any saving we make by staying out of town will soon be swallowed up by taxi fares if we're not careful.

They are prepared hold the booking for one week until I receive confirmation from everyone. I therefore need to know by next Monday, the 31st October if you are coming on the trip. After that I will need to book and pay the deposit for the accommodation. Once this is confirmed I will let you know and it is then up to everyone to get their flights booked asap.

It was proposed at the meeting that I take a non returnable deposit of £100 per person which will go towards the accommodation. This will guarantee your place on the trip and prove your commitment. Anybody giving backword will lose their deposit unless they are able to find someone to take their place.

As far as getting to and from Manchester airport is concerned Stuart mentioned the possibility of hiring a man with a van to transport the bikes. This would cost around £20 each. How we then get ourselves to the airport is up to us. The obvious choices are train or car.

I have some people's contact details. They know who they are. Could everybody else wanting to come please inbox me with your mobile number and email address. I can then send you my bank details for the deposit payment.

I think that's everything. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

One more thing. The accommodation provider www.thealpinegeneration.com has mentioned to me that there is the 'Time Megeve' sportive not too far away in the Mont Blanc area on Sunday the 4th June. This is 144km route with 3800m of climbing. They are able to arrange transport to and from the event if anyone is interested in taking part.

Look forward to hearing from you all.

Happy cycling. :D
by IanH Mon Oct 24, 2016 10:41 am
Thanks for this James, you have been busy after the meeting last night.

Town centre does sound the best option for getting out for meals etc, may be an obvious question but is the accommodation proposed OK to house us and all the bikes securely?

Ian H.

Are we there yet
by James Milner Thu Oct 27, 2016 8:20 am
I have now received deposits from 8 people so I think it's safe to say that the trip is going ahead. :D

A few of us have already booked our flights and I would suggest that it is now safe to do so and anyone coming on the trip might as well get on and book.

The flight details are as follows:

Sat 3rd June

Easy Jet

Flight 1947

Depart Manchester 07:00

Arrive Geneva 09:50

Sat 10th June

Flight 1948

Depart Geneva 10:25

Arrive Manchester 11:20

The flights are currently £137.98 including the bike box/bag at £70 but will slowly start to increase in price as they get booked up so an early booking is advised.

Please note that, unless you are thinking of taking the kitchen sink you should not need to book any more hold luggage as there is a 32kg allowance for the bike which means you can get most of what you need in the bike box and the rest in your cabin luggage.

As I mentioned previously, I have deposits from 8 people. I am waiting for deposits from another three and there are a couple of people who have yet to confirm interest.

At the moment it looks like there will be at least 11 of us on the trip.

Given that fact I will need to book both the Grand and Petit Belvedere - please see my previous post for details.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT I HAVE A FIRM COMMITMENT FROM EVERYONE BY MONDAY 31st AT THE LATEST AS THERE IS NO POINT BOOKING ACCOMMODATION FOR MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE IF WE DON'T NEED IT. SO IF YOU ARE COMING ON THE TRIP PLEASE FIRM UP YOUR COMMITMENT BY MONDAY. THANK YOU!

Happy cycling! :D

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