"Fish'n'Chips" - Saturday 12th July 2014 - Gosport
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I hope the weather is like last year, what an amazing day that was
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I'll bring my tool kit for running repairs.
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Yup, I need something to stand on
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Great shout re-posting the pics from last year, Gav. It was a superb day.
Not been on the forum much recently, but very much looking forward to catching up with everyone again - it'll be a blast
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Some good looking faces in that crowd!
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IF YOU'RE COMING TO FISH'N'CHIPS AND DIDN'T RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM ME TODAY, PLEASE PM ME!
Apologies for long post, here are details about next weekend. We have attendees confirmed from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil (OK, not flying in specially - Winchy's wife Mariana is Brazilian!), Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, UK and USA!
**Saturday 12th July 2014 – 2pm to Midnight
Iron Heart UK HQ, 21 Cooperage Green, Off Weevil Lane, Gosport, PO12 1FY**
We’re really looking forward to seeing you at our Fish’n’Chips event! We have a wonderful, multinational group of people attending, and it should be a really fun afternoon and evening. If you’re interested in trying any Iron Heart gear then of course you’ll be welcome, Giles has even rigged up a temporary changing room, and we’re offering 15% off anything bought on the day.
There’ll be plenty of beer, wine and soft drinks and light snacks available during the afternoon. Early evening we will make our way to Hardys at Haslar, a local restaurant, for a barbecue (on us, of course).
Directions on how to reach us are given below (and our contact details are at the end of this note).
For those of you staying over the weekend, of course the main event is on Saturday but we’ve made some simple plans for Friday and Sunday.
Friday 11th July
We have people arriving throughout the day and evening on Friday. It is a working day for us, but we’ll aim to pack up early and we’ll be having drinks at the workshop from around 5pm onwards. Then at around 6:45pm we’ll make our way to Frydays Café, approximately 10 minutes walk away, for a meal, followed by more drinks back at HQ.
So depending on when you arrive, you can go first to your guest house/hotel, or come straight to the workshop, or if arriving after 7pm go straight to Frydays (see location on map – opposite the Gosport ferry terminal), or if arriving later we’ll be going back to the workshop for more drinks after the meal (you might want to call to check where we are – mobile numbers at the end of this document). Last orders for food at Frydays will be at 8pm, so if you’re arriving after this please make sure you’ve grabbed something to eat en route – we’ll have plenty of drinks available at the workshop but no grub on Friday.
We plan to finish no later than midnight because we have a big day on Saturday, but if those with more stamina want to continue there are a couple of bars in Gosport that are open later, and there is a late night ferry service between Gosport and Portsmouth which runs till around 4am, there are late-night bars and clubs in Gunwharf Quays (a few minutes walk from the ferry terminal in Portsmouth).
Saturday 12th – Morning
As we’ll be busy, please do your own thing on Saturday until we start at 2pm – there are plenty of things to do locally and we especially recommend a visit to the Historic Dockyard (just across in Portsmouth, a few minutes walk from the ferry terminal). Richard (Twin) is an expert on the local area and I am sure will be pleased to offer advice!
Sunday 13th July
If you’re up bright and early, do join us at Stokes Bay beach for Giles’s training swim at 09:30 (we’ll be there for a couple of hours, longer if the weather is good). We’ll be at the beach in front of the Bayside Café (which will be open all day). Why not bring your swim trunks/swimsuit in case the weather is really nice? We can supply towels! Speak to one of us on Saturday about how to get there (short taxi ride or good walk – we have plenty of local maps).
For those who don’t need to leave on Sunday, we’d love you to join us for a meal on Sunday early evening prior to the World Cup final.
DIRECTIONS
Driving Directions to Cooperage Green (from M27 Junction 11):
Take the exit signposted Fareham and Gosport at Junction 11 of the M27 and keep following the signs to Gosport. Basically you stay on the A32 until almost the end – it’s not a very long road but seems to take ages because of all the traffic lights, roundabouts etc. Once the Spinnaker Tower comes into view in front of you, you’re getting close.
When you reach traffic lights with “St George’s Barracks” (old building with clocktower, now a kindergarten) on your left, turn left into Weevil Lane. Turn 2nd right into Cooperage Green, Unit 21 is the second unit on the right as you drive in. You can park anywhere in Cooperage Green free of charge (maximum 4 hours) but please avoid spaces directly outside the units.
Coming by Train and Ferry:
The nearest railway station is Portsmouth Harbour (not to be confused with Portsmouth and Southsea). Train fares can be expensive, but you can often save money by booking in advance at www.thetrainline.com or www.nationalrail.co.uk.
On exiting Portsmouth Harbour station, turn left and walk to the Gosport Ferry pontoon, you’ll need to buy a ticket from one of the machines before boarding the ferry, cost is £2.90, there are change machines and remember the ticket is a return so hang onto it. The ferry leaves every 15 minutes, and every 7.5 minutes during peak times. The crossing to Gosport takes less than 5 minutes.
On leaving the ferry in Gosport you can either walk (takes about 10 minutes) or take a taxi. If walking, bear right and walk past the Castle Pub and straight up Mumby Road until you reach Weevil Lane on your right (Clarence Tavern on left). Turn right into Weevil Lane, take 2nd right into Cooperage Green, we are in Unit 21, second on the right as you enter. If you prefer, you can grab a taxi from the rank just outside the ferry pontoon (tell the driver Cooperage Green off Weevil Lane).
Coming by Aeroplane
From London Heathrow (LHR) – best to get the coach to Portsmouth Harbour (or Portsmouth Hard – which is basically the same place, it arrives just by the railway station and very close to the Gosport ferry terminal). You can pre-book coach tickets on the National Express Coaches website: http://www.nationalexpress.com.
From London Gatwick (LGW) – make your way to the railway station (below LGW South terminal), there are regular trains to Portsmouth Harbour.
Then follow directions “coming by train and ferry” above.
Contact Details
Please don’t hesitate to call if you need anything or have any questions.
Giles +44 (0)7740 706464
Paula +44 (0)7887 993509
IH UK HQ +44 (0)2392 521541Local Taxis
Streamline Taxis +44 (0)2392 522222
Hardway Cabs +44 (0)2392 502244
Sky Cars +44 (0)2392 522522
Bridge Cars +44 (0)2392 511111For guidance, approximate fares: from Gosport ferry to Cooperage Green £4, from Cooperage Green to Premier Inn £7.
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Looks (surprisingly) good
Is it a sail?I asked Tommy if he was excited to be going back to Gosport and he was really visibly excited by the whole thing, he did a weird little dance. So I asked him what he was looking forward to the most, his answers were….
- The water park thing near the beach.
- Seeing Haraki.
- Seeing Giles and Paula.
- Eating.
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Looking good, G - fantastically appropriate piece of lateral thinking.
Pretty psyched about the weekend now it's nearly upon us
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The new fridge in the office is fully stocked (and may well need re-stocking after tomorrow night), keg of local ale ordered from the Oakleaf brewery, Matt and I are busy tidying and getting ready (whilst Giles swans around in Berlin)… very excited!
I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not that I definitely have my drinking tastebuds back...
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@Madame Buttonfly , you and I have a date with alcohol this weekend
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I'll be en route at 10am, eta to Gosport about 3ish (after several coffee stops).
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My train gets into Portsmouth around 4. Will dump my stuff at the B&B and wander over to Cooperage Green
