4th XV Tour: Ciudad Real 2001



marks the spot.


Travel Arrangements

We are meeting at Maidenhead Rugby Club at 09.00 Thursday 19th April. As it would be unforgivable to start a tour without a drink or two, we have arranged for the rugby club bar to be open from 08.30.

The travel arrangements are as follows:

09.30 Thur - Maidenhead Rugby Club to Heathrow airport  Horseman Coaches
12.05 Thur - Heathrow airport to Madrid airport   British Midland (Flight BD483)
15.35 Thur - Madrid airport to Ciudad Real   A Spanish coach company
12.00 Mon  - Ciudad Real to Madrid airport   A Spanish coach company
16.45 Mon  - Madrid airport to Heathrow Airport   British Midland
18.05 Mon  - Heathrow Airport to Maidenhead   Anything you can find

You will need passports and we suggest also a form E111 which you can get from the Post Office which allows you access to the Spanish equivalent of the NHS (if you have one from last year you can still use it).

Nb. The coach leaves Maidenhead at 09.30 on Thursay 19th April, if you miss it you'll have to make your own way to Heathrow. As we have a plane to catch we cannot afford to hang around waiting for people forever (Robbo, please note).


Hotel

We will be staying at the Hotel Santa Cecilia in Ciudad Real. This is a 4 star hotel with a pool, bar and café, satellite TV, etc and is probably far too good for us. Bear in mind that we've never had any trouble with a hotel (apart from stroppy Germans in Paris) and we don't want to start now. Anything you break, steal or charge to the room will be coming out of your own pocket, probably along with a hefty fine towards the kitty.

The address (for those of you who can't bear to be out of contact with your loved ones or office) is:

Tinte, 3
Ciudad Real 13001
Spain

Tel: 0034 926 228545
Fax: 0034 926 228618

Clicking on the map on the top of the page will open an interactive map of the area.


Matches

We will be playing against RUC Rugby and hopefully another team, whether the games are played over two days or as a tournament on one day hasn't yet been finalised.

Do not swap the team shirts, Stuart and Denise from the Hand & Flowers went to a lot of trouble to get us the great kit we're currently using, anyone "losing" one of these will probably not have much of a chance of surviving.


Tour Law

The official tour law has yet to be divulged but the traditional laws are as follows:

Mandatory Attire

Travelling to and from Spain
  • Blazer or club jumper
  • Shirt and club tie
  • Trousers (no jeans)
  • Shoes (no trainers)
  • Hat (no baseball caps)
  • A fresh flower
Travelling to and from Matches
  • As above but substitute shorts (not rugby shorts) for the trousers

At other times the attire is at the discretion of the Judge.
Do not forget to bring your rugby kit.

Miscellaneaous

All these laws (and any susequently introduced) are liable to change without prior warning at the discretion of the Judge.

Ignorance of Tour Law is no excuse for breaking it, however, asking what the Law is is a finable offence.


Other Activities

A number of activities are being considered, including a possible trip to a vinyard and a water park that turns into a nightclub, bring swimming attire (apparantly the Spanish don't have the same tendancies as the French and will allow bermuda shorts in the pool).

Any preferences or ideas can be suggested to Ron Butler or Tim Robinson, but you'd better make it quick.


Cost and Fundraising

Uncle Ron writes: "Because for the first time in 5 seasons we have made no fundraising efforts for whatever the reason, or excuse, we cannot subsidize the cost of the tour."

Because of this, The tour cost is now £255, which is due in full to the tour treasurer, Charlie Hanman, by Saturday 7th April.

This will get you:

As usual, any other food, drink, souvenirs, etc you require will not come from the kitty so pick up some of the local currency.


Tour Party

The current list of intrepid tourists is:

Alan Gray Andy Ardron Bruno Prior Charlie Hanman
Chris "Meaty" Meade Dan Robinson Darran Brown Luke McAndrew
Mark Robinson Mark Rogers Marc "Reggie" Seward Martin Ellis
Neal Gibbings Richard Flower Richard Prevost Ron Butler
Scott Vann Simon Howard Simon Hutchinson Simon Womack
Simon Worth Stuart Forsyth (Captain) Tim Robinson Tony "Scud" Rawlings

Names in green denote virgins.
For tour officers, room allocation, etc, click here.

The flights and hotel rooms have now been booked for a party of 24 lucky people. If you're not on the above list and you have a last minute change of heart contact Ron Butler as soon as possible. It may be possible to come to some arrangement, although this will probably involve you making your own way to Spain.