Event Bulgaria Fest - Task complete

[Bucketeer]

^^^^ It's easy peasy. You can drive up in to the mountains and park nearby, and to get inside you just need to climb through a hole in the wall.

[Brodders]

I have been given the provisional nod for the time off from work to do this, as we can't officially book holiday until the new year.

 

After briefly looking at insurance prices there it seems doable, so I will most likely be flying from Stansted to Sofia on Wednesday the 20th, try to find a Sierra or Volvo 240 that has not been hit by Ford/Hipster Scene Tax (however if that green Taunus with the avocado interior is still for sale it will be hard to resist) and then make my way back without breaking down catastrophically.

 

Will any other Shitters be there that early? 

[The Moog]

My plan is to fly out on 24thish.

[Guest Hooli]

I'm thinking of riding out via Transylvania & then back up the Adriatic, meeting you weridos somewhere in the middle.

[panhard65]

Now I really fancy doing this but won't know until a bit nearer the time. Will we have anyone on hand to help negotiations ? As it's a Lancia Kappa for me

[The Moog]

Now I really fancy doing this but won't know until a bit nearer the time. Will we have anyone on hand to help negotiations ? As it's a Lancia Kappa for me

 

Bucketeer was offering his services yesterday. We should also be able to get bulgarian insurance to cover the drive home. 

[The Moog]

It's a new year I have started to think about sorting this out.

 

How many people are actually up for this?

 

Or are more people wanting to go to UK Shitefest?

[dollywobbler]

Might be an idea to recap dates and details. Seem to recall I'd had to rule it out due to timings.

[skattrd]

I was hoping to do this, but cannot make any firm commitments at present.

 

My cunning plan involves a rather shonky taxi purchased from Mr_Glover, that I still haven't seen and is still with my brother in Norfolk. I was hoping to drive said taxi to BG, sell it and buy a Wartburg tourist or similar with the proceeds to drive home.

 

There might be the odd flaw in my plan, for a start I have no idea about selling foreign cars in Bulgaria, and I may have to fight Mr_Moog over the Wartburg.

 

If this doesn't work out for me plan B is to change Bulgaria and Wartburg to Portugal and 3dr RRC.

[catsinthewelder]

I've just started the application for my first passport in years.  Obviously I've lost the old one to add a layer of headache to procedings.  I've wanted to to have a proper motoring adventure for years and I'm finally in a position where I can afford it so count me in.

[catsinthewelder]

I probably won't buy this 1000 lev beauty

 

https://www.auto.bg/pcgi/details.cgi?adv=11514999589786352&page=1&searchres=yn8xqei1

[catsinthewelder]

I wonder if this has any hope of making it back?

 

https://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=1&act=4&adv=11510783759169501&slink=5pbpi9

 

 

Too spendy to risk abandoning en-route but very nice,  my grandad had a very similar looking car.

 

https://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=1&act=4&adv=11503637550178951&slink=5pbr34

 

I could happily drive this 2000 miles home

 

https://www.mobile.bg/pcgi/mobile.cgi?topmenu=1&act=4&adv=11513511688410270&slink=5pbsv8

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ghosty]

My best friend said she wants to go on holiday with me this year.

I suggested this to her and she's oddly interested, she actually wants to go to Veliko Tarnovo as well?!

I'd be interested in getting a Lada 1200 over there. 

 

So I'm a maybe.

 

edit: if somehow I can rustle up a grand of my own I'll come anyway.

[Brodders]

The system for booking holiday at work is currently down for maintenance, and won't be back up and running until Monday.

 

I am absolutely up for this, but will confirm on Monday when I have officially booked the time off and bought the tickets (looking like I will be flying out on Wednesday 23rd May).

 

Main problem now is trying to choose one car. I have been eyeing up that Taunus that catsinthewelder has posted, but have also recently started having stupid thoughts about cheap Alfa Romeo 164s and Fiat Coupes, as well as sensible ones about Sierras and Volvos.

 

By May I will probably be set on something completely different though.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

...started having stupid thoughts about cheap Alfa Romeo 164s ....

I had great difficulty finding an Alfa 164 of any description. I gave up and eventually bought a Citroën instead.

[panhard65]

Right I am kind of up for this but really need a bit more info about the plans. Mainly how easy is it to buy a car insure it etc for the drive home. Are we going to have anyone who speaks the lingo with us or do we just have to shout loadly at Johnny foreigner until he understands we want to buy his motor and drive it back to the UK. I am thinking about a Lancia of some description. Alternatively if anyone wanted a co driver for the way back I don't mind helping out.

[Ghosty]

Looks like I’ll be flying solo if at all as my friend will have exams in May. I think I’ll be hard pressed to make this work so might have to give it a miss, at least car buyage - it will make me a definite for SFUK though.

I’m happy to fly out and offer co-pilot services though - only outside the UK for insurance reasons, mind.

[John F]

I'm conditionally very much up for this trip, along with one or possibly two mates that are occasional posters on here.

 

There are lots of logistical questions that need definitively answering though. Here's a starter list:

 

- I know that accommodation has been offered... is it still available? I would fully expect to make some sort of contribution towards it btw, e.g. meals out for the hosts if nothing else.

- What's the best way to get from the airport (presumably Sofia) to the accommodation?

- Is there anything in place to help us view, purchase & fettle possible vehicles, i.e. Internet browsing facilities, local lingo assistance, offer of lifts and/or spannering space & equipment? (I remember Alex offering to help with the lingo, but isn't he back in the UK now?)

[busmansholiday]

Mrs BMH & I have just booked 11 night holiday in Bulgaria, sadly for September. I wish you all well on this adventure but if any of you are still stuck in a Bulgarian nick when we are there we could bring food parcels etc.

 

If anybody want's to bring something British back, there's a Routemaster, an ex London Metrobus, couple of ex Hong Kong Metrobuses and a Northern Cows bodied DAF down in Nessebarr, all with the doors swaped to the opposite side.

[Guest Hooli]

I believe ze Bucketeer will be on hand for speaking 'da furrien'.

[The Moog]

OK as it stands right now 

 

1) Dates - I am planning on going out on 24th May. The ISF  meeting would be Saturday 26th May - day & evening. 

2) No location has been planned yet - aside from will probably fly into Sofia. 

3) Sealtinn has offered a place to stay. I have PMed him about the details and once I know more I will share it. I will also catch up with Andy to see if he can help with logistics. 

4) Bucketeer has offered his buying services. He said he was coming when I spoke to him last about a week ago. Beyond that no plans have been made (apart from I want a wartbug tourist) 

5) Bucketeer has said we can get bulgarian insurance and tax and drive the cars home as part of EU. More info - http://www.insurancebulgaria.com/faq  

6) I am definitely going to that communist dome and also probably the village in the cliffs. And will definitely be driving home. 

 

I wanted to know how many people are likely (i.e. more than just maybes) to come so that I can then have a look and find venues. Once we have an idea of numbers then we can shape the weekend etc. 

 

The nature of this is that it is to be fairly relaxed for me. There are always be places to sleep, there will always be places to eat and I am sure there might be a drink or two available.  Bulgaria is cheap so advanced booking to get the best deal isnt probably a necessary thing. I am hoping we can arrange a shitefest house with Sealtinn for the weekend.

 

The only bit I plan on arranging centrally is somewhere for the Saturday for the shitefest part. If that fills you with fear then feel free to book things to firm it all up.  

 

So if we can start with a list of people that are likely to want to come so I can get a sense of numbers that would be great. We can then go from there. 

 

1) The Moog

2) The Moogs Mate - Craig 

3) Bucketeer 

[John F]

Ah bollocks... I thought the plan was to go over at the end of April, because I clearly can't read. The weekend of 26th May is spring bank holiday which clashes with a regular annual charity fund-raiser that I do near Castle Cleland.

 

I could potentially make it for an earlier date (end of April would be ideal), but I don't know enough Bulgarian to cope with a purchase transaction on my own so would be reliant on either Bucketeer or another BG resident to help.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

This thread could confuse a stupid person...

 

They could start reading about people flying in and driving home a Lada ,Volvo or Sierra and make them think ' Are these things really that cheap in Scotland?'!!

[The Moog]

Title updated accordingly with date and location. 

[catsinthewelder]

 

 

 

1) The Moog

2) The Moogs Mate - Craig 

3) Bucketeer 

4) Catsinthewelder

[skattrd]

1) The Moog

2) The Moogs Mate - Craig 

3) Bucketeer 

4) Catsinthewelder

​5) Skattrd

[Wack]

Is this on the way home?

explore-the-epic-abandoned-communist-headquarters-hidden-in-the-bulgarian-mountains.jpgbuzludzha-communist-monument-bulgaria.jpg

That is awesome,very Bond villain HQ if I was there I'd have to take a hoe to those steps though

[dollywobbler]

I can't remember why I said I can't do this, so I think I'm going to tentatively chuck my hat in the ring. It's the weekend after my 40th birthday too, and surely there's no better treat than a truly ridiculous caper?

[eddyramrod]

You have to now, Ian!  And bring back a 1981 Datsun Sunny pickup for the next issue of Retro Jap...

[dollywobbler]

I'd rather buy something obscure and East European.