Eighteen cars from different parts of the world were due to arrive in Santander, many by ferry from Portsmouth. Following a fire on the Brittany Ferry flagship vessel Pont Aven, many of the travellers had to be re-scheduled. All of us were contacted by Classics on the Road prior to travel but nevertheless an additional one thousand kilometers from Caen or St.Malo was not the ideal way to start. Nor was the weather ideal on the journey particularly those in older cars meeting heavy rain on the way south.
However, all of us who had booked the tour gathered at the Hotel Real in Santander for the welcome dinner. Myself and my fellow travellers from Singapore met a truly international gathering and we set off the following day to visit the Atapuerca archaeological site and then on to Lerma and reached the Parador although not without mishap as I had managed to remove the exhaust system from my 1976 Rolls-Royce Corniche in a rather deep pothole, which necessitated a visit :Down Under” by a Michelin Chef, and Eye Doc and yours truly!
Our host Diego, from Classics on the Road managed to find a very competent mechanic in Burgos and after several hours of repairs I joined the group for the cocktail dinner. This was appropriate as the lunch had been wonderful and I could not have eaten another full meal! I was not the only traveller in trouble that day! Tim and Mike Sierra had brought their Silver Ghosts from 1911 and 1912 from Tampa, USA. They had made the trip from the north of France as well and one of the wooden spoked wheels on the rear of the car was emitting noises which would have put most travellers from moving further. However, these intrepid tourers made some temporary repairs whilst some “famous” epoxy resin wax sought from Majorca which arrived a couple of days later and fixed the problem.
The following day was damp but the journey to Pago de Carraovejas was worth it not only to taste wines from Ribera del Duero but also a cordon bleu lunch in the restaurant Ambivium.
We had lessons on carving at the Julien Martin Ham factory followed by a complete over indulgence of the best of the Jamon Iberico Pata Negras.
Vintage, classics, neo classics to later day models of RR and Bentleys all completed the drive, save for the two earlier incidents which as mentioned we the intrepid travelers with a few basic tools and a hand full of cable ties were able to complete the road trip through some of the most wonderful sights and sounds of what Classic on the roads’ Diego and Luis who accompanied us together with Stewart had put together.
Worries of not having support mechanics quickly evaporated as Diego and Luis had contacts along the way that were able to attend to our needs which any main dealer RR and Bentley dealer would be proud to have on their payroll.
A massive thanks to Classics on the road for having organized this and bringing new friends together from across the four corners of the world.
Albert Lim
RREC member LIM06475
COTR THOUGHTS
When we design our tours, we do it so everything works perfectly. But then there is the unavoidable… and the difference between a professional tour organizer and someone just selecting hotels on the internet is how they deal with it when it happens.
The ferry cancellation could have been a disaster leading to some of the participants to cancel the tour, but in the very same moment we were informed, we started coordinating the different crossings for cars and crews, so everybody could cross into France and start the drive south to Spain. Special thanks to our colleague Stewart Cusden who spent hours on the phone with the ferry company.
We knew exactly where every car was until they reached Santander, and we had started the search for the “miracle epoxy resin” long before the Silver Ghosts had arrived.
Also, our contacts over the route allowed us to let Dani, the owner of a state-of-the-art workshop in Burgos, know we were on our way with a broken exhaust which he was able to repair to an as new condition.
And then there is the adventure spirit of a group of Rolls-Royce and Bentley enthusiasts, as reflected on Mr. Albert Lim´s article, committed to enjoy the tour regardless of any inconvenience.
It was great touring with this group, and they certainly did enjoy it, as many of them are already booked on our “St. James’ Way Tour” scheduled for 2021.
Diego Sainz de la Maza
