Diary at a glance:
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Month
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Area 9
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Other
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Sep
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Meeting & Concours in the Dark, The Partridge, 2nd
Ireland Wild Atlantic Way Tour, 2-11th
Meeting, Haighton Manor, 16th
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The Ultimate Show, Exhibition Centre, Liverpool, 13th
Isle of Man Festival of Motoring, 17-21st
AMOC Autumn Weekend & Concours, Bowood House, 26-27th
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Oct
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Meeting & AGM, The Partridge, 7th
Meeting, Haighton Manor,21st
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Nov
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Meeting, The Partridge, 4th
Meeting, Haighton Manor, 18th
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Dec
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Christmas party, Nunsmere Hall, 12th
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May 27
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Area 9 trip to Spain, 23 May-3 June
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11 Astons and 28 people were at Haighton Manor for our monthly meeting. It was too cloudy this year for the amazing sunset pictures we sometimes get there in August however It was a dry evening….until it was time to go when sprinting skills were handy for those like me who left their coat in the car!
Our Astons at our mid-month meeting at Haighton
Impressive turnout of 32 people and 14 Astons at The Partridge for our monthly meeting there given that 25 people were on our Area 9 Ireland Wild Atlantic Tour. We welcomed Stephen Ingocki who had picked up his first Aston the day before. September is when we have our Concours in the Dark which this year was won by Graham Marginson with his Vanquish and runner-up was Pete Ruane with his DB9 Volante. Pete gets the additional honour to be the first to have his name on our new Runner-up trophy. Many thanks go to Craig France from the Partridge who did the judging as our regular judges Kev & Jackie Beard were both unavailable. Our October meeting at The Partridge is our AGM.
Concours in the Dark Winners for 2026
Astons at the Partridge Inn
Andrew & Teresa Hayes got their recent wedding featured on page 1 of AM Monthly
Jon Langley is organising a trip to Spain in May/June 2027 to coincide with 20 years of the popular Supercar Drivers Community event held in and around Santander. A number of us have already booked our ferries and we are about to reserve our hotel rooms. See below for details of the trip.
Finally, please join me in welcoming new Area 9 members Neil Patten, Mike Orme and Stephen Ingocki.
Area 9 trip to Spain 23 May-3 June 2027
A number of Area 9 members have already booked ferries for our next trip to Spain to coincide with 20 years of the popular Supercar Drivers Community event held in and around Santander.
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Date
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Location
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Duration
(nights)
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Comment
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Sun 23 May
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Brittany Ferries
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1
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Plymouth to Santander
Depart 1645/Arrive 1545 (24 May)
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Mon 24 May
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Blau Gran Hotel Las Caldas, Oviedo
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2
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Radisson
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Wed 26 May
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Parador de Fuente De
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1
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Parador
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Thu 27 May
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Bahia Hotel, Santander
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4
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Bahia
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Mon 31 May
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Palacio Arriluce, Bilbao
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2
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Arriluce
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Wed 2 June
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Brittany Ferries
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1
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Santander to Plymouth
Depart 20:30/Arrive 17:30 (3 Jun)
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Driving distances between points are circa 2 to 3 hours.
Notes:
- Monday 24th May 2027 – ferry arrives into Santander at 1545 and we drive to the first night’s accommodation near Oviedo. The journey time is about 2 hours and so we should arrive around 1830 hours to take dinner in the hotel
- Tuesday 25th May 2027 – Visit the nearby Fernando Alonso Museum in Asturias. Afternoon to visit Oviedo with its medieval centre, cider houses (Sidrerías) or pre-Romanesque churches in the hills around the city. Museum
- Wednesday 26th May 2027 – Driver to the Parador at Fuente De and the Picos de Europa region to join SDC for lunch (location TBC) and dinner (Parador).
- Thursday 27th May 2027 – head north towards Santander for a 4-night stay at the Bahia Hotel. At this stage, plans from the Wednesday through to the Friday morning are being worked on by SDC but aside from a visit to the Picos de Europa using the cable car Cable car next to the Parador, it’s likely that we shall also visit the El Soplao Caves Caves.
- Friday 28th May 2027 – in the evening there is a lavish black-tie dinner at the Palacio de la Magdelena, formerly the summer residence of Alfonso XIII and gifted to him by the City of Santander until it was returned to their ownership in 1977 Palacio Magdalena. Driving to the Palacio for the dinner is a little like arriving for a film premiere, to be greeted by large numbers of people anxious to see the cars.
- Saturday 29th May 2027 – the cars meet at the Parque de las Llamas which is about 10 mins drive from the Bahia Hotel, where there is an open-air car show attended by thousands of Santander residents. There are stewards in attendance and the cars are parked behind taped lines although visitors are generally very respectful and considerate. There is a city parade in the cars about midday and then SDC members go by coach for a lunch on the beach front and return about 4pm. In the evening there is a dinner at the Casino.
- Sunday 30th May 2027 – there is a smaller car show to attend in the nearby town of Maliano with time to relax for a few hours before going to a seafood lunch on the other side of the Santander Bay. The event closes with an informal dinner in the evening.
- Monday 31st May 2027 – Drive to Bilbao which is 90 mins from Santander staying at the relatively new 5-star hotel, Palacio de Arriluce, in an historic mansion which overlooks the harbour and beach at Getxo, with a nearby metro station that’s a 20-minute ride into the city.
- 2 days’ free for sightseeing in Bilbao with notable attractions such as the world-famous Guggenheim for art lovers or maybe to sample the Basque region’s version of tapas. The owners is a car enthusiast (an SF90) and the hotel has private parking within their own grounds in front of the main building, so having a group of Aston owners to stay would be a big event.
- Wednesday 2nd June 2027 - we head back to Santander for the ferry back to Plymouth.
Summary
- Total trip duration: 12 days
- Budget: I estimate the cost for 2 people would be £4,600 (ferry, hotels, SDC) based upon the most attractive rates currently available.
- Additional costs not included: petrol, meals outside of SDC event, drinks etc.
- Overall cost: could be higher depending upon individual choices made for cabins on the ferry, hotel room types etc.
- SDC package includes all event costs, lunches/dinners/drinks from the Wednesday to Sunday
- Car parking: underground at the Bahia by lift and the other hotels, open air in private grounds.
The route map is something like this but where appropriate I’ll look for scenic routes at a later date e.g. in/around Picos de Europa - Route
Area 9 Christmas Party, December 12
The Christmas party will be at Nunsmere Hall, Tarporley Road, Oakmere, Northwich, CW8 2ES on Saturday 12th December and is open for adult AMOC members, family and friends. The event is expected to take place from 7pm to 1am and will include a 3-course meal, live music and a DJ at a cost of £70 per person.
In order to reserve your place at the party please let me know details of your group by email and send a non-refundable party deposit of £35 per person. We already have 50 people going so you need to book soon to avoid disappointment.
Payments for the party should be paid to the Area 9 account of which details are shown below.
Payment details:
Bank: Lloyds Bank
Name: Area 9 (Cheshire Lancashire & Cumbria)
Sort Code: 30-99-50
A/C: 32226163
Business Account
Please remember to include both your NAME and “CHRISTMAS” in the reference.
For those wishing to stay overnight, the hotel is now full so Nunsmere Hall Hotel recommends the nearby Premier Inn Northwich (Sandiway) Hotel as an alternative. Please note if you are staying there you will need to pre-book your taxi for the 5-minute journey. Address: London Road, Northwich, CW9 8EG. Tel 0333 321 1363. Website:
Hotel Website
Facebook
We have a Facebook group called “AMOC Area 9 (Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria)”. The group is a closed one so people need to be accepted to gain full access. Please post pictures on our group but if you prefer you can send to me and I will load them for you.