maybe i will be showered with constructive answers here but in times when everyone is tightening theirs belts i notice a price hike in the admission to the 2011 ripley meeting. I have attended this meet many times and can only say what great times they have been and well set up. however this year the missus wants to tag along and the daughter for that matter but can i justify £145 for a few days camping plus maybe another £100 on and food. sorry to sound negative but why the price rise. if i just turn up on the day it will be £180 just to get in.
ok , thats me finished. i just had to ask:confused1:

Although prices have gone up I can understand where you are coming from.
I feel the rally is too large for ripley now.

I wont be coming this year due to the ban on children.
I brought my 5 yr old the other year and he loved seeing the bikes and talking to people. But now because some people took them to talks and cant keep control of theres i cant take mine.

Is it really that hard for the people holding talks to ask parents to leave with the children as the talk is not suitable??.

And as for those who are driving around the camp drunk they should be banned and reported to the police.

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FlatEarthRidersGroup

For the non adventurous type of people.

Personally I don't mind paying even though I can't 'justify it' for three days camping (just had a 40% pay cut in my NHS job. Thanks Dave), but I will happily pay it for the fact that it is Horizons Unlimited, this is one of the best resources on the internet and worth every penny.

There seems to be a bit of a split in adventure biking between the 'on-the-road come hell or high water on anything that'll move' brigade and the 'touratech catalogue toting riders on brand new GS's that look like they've never been dropped'. Personally I like chatting to them both as they bring very different perspectives to the table.

I've never noticed a problem with drunk riders or kids but I wasn't there last year, maybe it's started going downhill.... All the more reason to turn up and 'represent', as the youth say

Prices on just about evrything have gone up from road tax fuel council tax etc etc. The cost is justified by the amount that goes on. The road kill cook out is worth it alone let alone the amount of speakers and demos that take place. Yes I know belts need to be tightened and i can understand any one asking why prices have gone up. I have been there the last twoyears and I thought it was worth every penny if only for the people I have met and the invaluable advice I gained from it.

I saw many drunks, I was one of them but I never saw any one riding around while under the influence. If you cant have few s in good company while meeting up with old friends and making new ones while letting your hair down once in while what is the point of going?

It is not a temperance movement but a "fun" meeting of like minded people, those who have done it and those who wish to and gaining advice from those who have, or have I misunderstood?

Not wanting to ruffle feathers here but stating that i want a good time with good company and i do not see it happening at too many other places for this kind of money. You cannot buy experience, you can only gain it from doing it or talking to people who have.

Best wishes for the new year
GM

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www.frothandflames.com
2012 Kawasaki W800
1997 NX 650 Dominator

To put matters into perspective: I'll be going to another bike fest /AGM in Oz (NSW) during the last weekend of March this year. I've just coughed-up nearly 300 quid [ouch!] for me and the missus to attend. The costs breakdown as follows:-

First person
Registration Fee: Au$90
Unpowered Camping Fee: $80

A total of: Au$170 (GB£112) just to set-up a tent for one person, with no grub included! Food (dinner) costs for Fri & Sat evening are in addition @ $32 /meal: $64

Second person
Registration Fee: Au$90
Unpowered Camping Fee: $60
Food (dinners): $64

So that's a grand total for two attendees (inc 2 x bulk catered meals each) of Au$448, or GB£298 in real money for a get-together with some like-minded people!
[Admittedly, the currency exchange rate is the crappiest at the moment.]

Incidentally, regarding the Rules on kids & pets:
1. PERSONS UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE: Will not be admitted to AGM Event venues.
2. PETS: Owners of pets are discouraged from bringing them to the Event venues. Registrants who choose to bring their pets must register them with the Administration Office prior to the Event and must agree in writing to abide by policy.

In short: Ditto what GM says (above)

Cheers .. and a Happy New Year to all

KEITH

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Right Way Round ...

Surely the cost would have only been £105 for you to book for you, your partner and daughter (£35 each) at the time you made this post? As such, that would represent a £75 discount against turning up on the day and :confused1: that sounds like a bargain to me Having checked back, I also see that I paid £35 last year although I didn't pay until after the first deadline, so it's been no change for me.

Last year I went to two rallies..

The first was the French Enfield rally at St Julien Le Petite. This is a club run event. The charge there for camping were E2.50 a night. there were hot showers and clothes washing facilities plus a large BBQ was kept going the whole time for anyone to use.
Beer and food was extra, available in the Village.

The second was the German Diesel bike rally at Hamm which I went to via Italy and Poland. This is a commercial venture run By Willy the site owner. His brewhouse provides meals and at very reasonable prices eg a plate of pork sausages, cabbage and home made bread is eithe 3 or 4 Euros. ( I forget which). No charge is made for the camping, use of toilettes or showers. I use his resturant facilities as that is where he makes his living and it is not much more expensive than porting and cooking your own. Of course afterwards by the wood burner in the brewhouse I am inclined to sample his homemade also.
I arrived early and it was raining so I pitched up here for free, at Willy's invitation.

Photos Of trip to the Flytrap

In my opinion up to £10-12 a night is reasonable for camping on a per tent basis if that includes toilet and hot shower facilies.

Of course, neither of these had to import expensive speakers etc. You have to ask yourself ifthe knowledge and entertainment you get from them is worth it or not.

I went last year and to be honest i thought it was good value, its a shame children cant go as i was planning on bringing my 7 year old son and partner as we are planning some adventures together with a sidecar outfit.
The children that i saw last year at Lumb were very well behaved and polite more than i can say for some impatient adults queing at the bar.

Where else will you get a (very) long weekend like this? Even the Tesch, which has quite a different flavour, will cost as much with ferry or tunnel. If you compare the cost with other entertainments, bearing in mind the sheer number of talks that can be attended, it's cheap.

Personally, I preferred it when it was much smaller, and still enjoy the overseas meetings I've been lucky enough to get to a lot more. I agree about the adults, there has been an influx of arrivista blokey blokes wandering loudly around the site half cut making inane comments. This spoils it to an extent but with 500+ attending it's probably inevitable.

See you there.

Regards, Mick

Perhaps some folk have not twigged that there is a bit of a recession on.
Sorry but this event is now too expensive. Someone I guess is making a very good profit out of the event. I imagine that that will be Lumb Farm. Ah well, will attend small mini-meets and so on. Leave Lumb Farm to the rich kids. Pity as you can learn a lot there and meet some remarkable and interesting people.
Cheers
Col

It's too much for me too

I don't know why its almost doubled in price over the last few years..I'm sure it was only £20-25 the first time I went.. Maybe its the rent, health and safety, red tape etc ! There's always a tax on having fun in the U.K.

It's still only about £15 a night for camping and facilities if you stay for the whole weekend. Although that's far from outrageous in Europe, with the amount of £££££'s that pours through the gates it makes me wonder why it can't be cheaper.

Obviously, Grant & Susan have to keep the hubb running and obviously the meetings help to pay for this and their time !

Sadly, the people who tend to travel a lot are usually the ones counting the penny's. These are the ones who are being priced out, leaving the meeting to the shiny GS/Touratech brigade.

It's not the small traveller meeting it used to be. It's hugely popular now, attracting quite a broad range of riders. Good or bad, it's a personal choice !

I'm sure it will be jam packed and a great time and long may it continue but I'm keener on the smaller, more personal meetings now.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

There's a ban on Children ??? Seriously ???

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

So thats now a ban on dogs, children, and you never know , next year could be a ban on bikes!

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'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

I can't help opinionating on this one. That's what I do.

It doesnt cost £145 to go to Ripley. Thats plain wrong. Bollocks is the word, really. You are taking the missus etc so it costs more. Of course if you want to bring all your extended family and spare kids it could cost up to £20,000.

You say you'll spend £100 (some of us could get to Essaouira on that, including tagines) on grub - well, dont you eat whether you are at Ripley or not? Do you want the organisers to subsidise your nosh? Why dont you do, as many do, who don't have a lotta dosh, i.e. me, - make it yourself or eat at the Co-op's greasy spoon in town? At Ripley, I get my from Lidl - give it a try -why doncha? Go on, explore Ripley a little. Stop bleating.

You say you've had 'great times ' there. Yes, damn right you did, for you got loads and loads of talks for less than a tenner a day, camping and atmosphere thrown in. The speakers spoke to you for free. G+S, Glynn and others worked their socks off so that you could have a 'great time'. I and other lesser mortals picked up your rubbish - for free!

Why the price rise? Well that's the way of the world, china, prices go up, as did your wages/salary. But not mine BTW.

Next time, save a bit of dosh and leave the wife etc at home, if you're man enough. Go on your own and save a lot of money, to put towards your next trip. Then write us a post saying what good value Ripley was.

Or stay at home and watch the telly, with a few cans of ASDA lager, and bank the savings. TV's great on Ripley weekend - there's all those shite soaps to catch up on. You'll like it. Or you could go and see a crap, tired, rock group for an hour for £30.

I can't afford much these days, so to those who posted likewise and who feel the financial strain - me too; I agree. But HU didnt cause the strain, and that's the point.

Don't get me started on criminal politicians and corrupt big bankers for the luvva god...they're still shafting you.....

There is no ban on children. Here's the wording from the reg page:

Quote
Children - the organisers have come to the conclusion that this is not a suitable event for children. Safety concerns have been raised, especially with folks riding around on motorcycles, not always sober! Some of the presentations are absolutely inappropriate for kids, and yet their parents brought them along anyway! It is not fair to the presenters (or the audience) to expect them to censor themselves so that children can attend talks that are intended for an adult audience, and we could run afoul of child protection legislation. So for 2011, IF you wish to bring your kids along, YOU must sign a waiver on the day taking FULL responsibility for kids under 16 (and 14+ year olds will pay full adult price). NO children admitted to talks after 9pm.
Unquote

With ref costs, as mentioned already, book early and eat from your camping stove or from various cheap eateries in Ripley and environs. Buy your booze at the supermarket.

Or do a talk and get in for free.

Please remember that all the info you get from the website and the HUBB comes for free to you. Grant's only and full time job is being webmaster for HU and HUBB. So paying a little money for the best bike travel resource on the internet as well as lots of talks and tech sessions and meeting like minded people is a small price to pay, IMHO.

People have spent (past tense) or will spend (future tense) 1000s of £ on a bike, gear, bling, visas, fuel for their trip etc and begrudge another 35 (which it was for early bookers)... Then, as suggested above, stay at home and watch the telly. They might even have a re-run of LWR or LWD with Thingy lighting his farts.

Rant Over
Chris

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