That Was The (Ecurie25) Year That Was

12 cars.

30 days driving.

4,985 miles.

More than 5,700bhp.

£1,455,000 worth of metal.

For full sordid details and reports see below.

Modena Madness

Having previously gently waltzed with the Dancing Donkey in the form of the 430 Spider, it was time to dive into the mosh pit with the real deal: a hardcore 430 Coupe courtesy of ecurie25

This thing means business: stiffer than a stiff thing, and snarlier than ever, with carbon fibre race seats and roll cage you know you’re in for a treat. And it doesn’t disappoint: with brutal acceleration and scalpel-incision handling this is the car (like many) that is way, way beyond the driving speed (and comprehension) of a depressingly high proportion of those on the road today. However, venture out late enough, and deep enough into the countryside and the true delights of the Italian steed can be realised; the tenor bark from the V8 as it spins to 8,500rpm and steadfast roadholding are a delight, but it is not without a degree of playfulness. Ensure the manettino is in ‘Race’ (or above) and the ass’s tail can be made to do more than flick the flies away …

Even at a standstill this is simply a great place to be. Only here can the view in the mirror be dominated by two bright red intake plenums, with just “rarri” visible, confirming that which lurks just behind your left ear. Everything else is functional, with not a spare ounce of flesh spared on frippery, electric motors or cappucino holders. The seats look great and provide good location, but don’t expect to drive continuously for long periods without a need to stop and restore circulation to the derriere. I wish I could report on the radio, but not once was there a need for additional musical accompanyment.

So coupe or spider: no competition I’m afraid - the coupe is more handsome from all angles, as well as being dynamically superior, so wins every time (unless, of course, there is a suntan required). The harder question is which of the two Tricolore stables to pin one’s colours to: the 430 or Gallardo. It is a close run thing, but I’m afraid that Sant’Agata wins the day for me: the 430 front view is still unresolved in my eyes (too high amongst other things) and simply not as attractive as the young bull. And good though the V8 is, it can’t match the sheer event that is the mechanical symphony of the Lambo V10 powerplant. Guess I’m just one of those Lamborghini types of guys …

Continental Cruiser

Three friends to take out for a swanky celebratory dinner in deepest, darkest Berkshire? Look no further than Crewe’s latest drop-top (via Wolfsburg). The ecurie25 blue beast looked exactly the part, but could I persuade the passengers to go al fresco?

There isn’t really too much to add to the many reviews of the Continental GTC; it pretty much does, goes and performs as reported. There is plenty of space for four fully grown occupants (and comfort in the rear even with the front seats occupied by two 6 foot plus-ers and the roof up), there is every toy imaginable available inside and it goes like stink with a wondrous bass rumble for accompanyment. The ride is excellent, and the (adjustable) suspension copes admirably with the beast’s lardyness in delivering excellent handling. Naturally the suspension was wound round as far to the ’sport’ end of the scale, but even then there wasn’t any undue harshness. As might be expected there isn’t a significant amount of feedback provided, either to seat-of-pants or through the tiller, but that isn’t the point of a GT cruiser like this.

And the bad points? Most noticeable was the sat nav that appeared to be from a bygone era; it managed to provide directions OK, but the user interface and graphical display were significantly lacking by today’s standards.

Did we get the roof down? Alas the girl’s coiffure apparently wouldn’t withstand the buffeting, so the only convertible time was limited to when I was in the car alone - and I can highly recommend the experience.

Mmmmmm Three

It dawned on me that in all my years, I’d never actually driven a BMW. Of any type. Anywhere. Ever. So ecurie25’s new M3 (the E92 model for those of you into artificial preservatives) seemed as good a place to start as any.

It is certainly a handsome beast, but does have something of a heaviness and slab sided-ness to the looks to my eyes, although the gorgeous roof does a great job in diverting one’s gaze. That bonnet bulge and attendant ‘nostrils’ provides a very American muscle car look, but mysteriously there didn’t seem much of a need for it in terms of squeezing the V8 under the hood (but I guess pedestrian impact safety requirements might have dictated its design). Inside is a very comfortable place to be, with all of the latest gadgets and knick-knacks that seem to festoon today’s automotive offerings, including electric seat belt helpers for the hard of reaching! I found there was plenty of space, and a comfortable driving position was easy to arrange. A curious arrangement of key that plugs into the dashboard and a starter button gets things rolling, with the variable red-line indication as the engine warmed up a nice touch.



The engine is a real peach - free revving and with plenty of punch, if lacking a little in the V8 growl stakes. It seems that the boys in Bavaria haven’t yet mastered the automatic exhaust valving that others have used to great effect in giving voice to their big bangers. The chassis is also great and provides a very sporty driving experience, albeit with noticeable weight to manage, with a most definite oversteer bias to the handling which is very welcome (but, I suspect, waiting to catch the unsuspecting out). The servotronic steering is a disappointment though, feeling very over-assisted (I couldn’t tell you if the assistance was variable) and providing little feedback from the front. I only tried it in the one mode (’Sport’), but can’t imagine that ‘Normal’ was any better.

Talking of modes, you’d need to spend an awful lot of time driving your M3 to try out all of the permutations and combinations of the EDC, steering, power and DSC settings: does it really take four suspension options, three power, three stability control and two steering options to allow the driver to tune the car to their liking (I make that about 72 different setups)? It is certainly not something you’d want to try and change on the move through the iDrive labrynth (although some of the options are also available through their own dedicated buttons). The ‘M’ button on the steering wheel can be programmed with your favourite setup, but infuriatingly once pressed isn’t persistant - once the car is started again it has to be pressed again. To be fair, this is the same for many other manufacturers, but why?

I can also see how the ‘BMW-driver-lack-of-indicator-syndrome’ stereotype has come to be perpetuated: for such a simple control they seem to have made it unfathomably complicated. I’m not sure I can explain how it works, but the stalk seemed to detemine - based on a number of almost random variables - whether it was going to flash the indicators three times, keep the indicators on, automatically cancel them with the steering or not cancel them until you had moved the stalk again (invariably involving turning the opposing direction signal on in the process). It was much easier simply not to touch the damn things …

So to the hot debate: M3 or RS4? I’d still plump for the one with four rings on the front (not as a saloon mind you) as it seems to be a more focused performance tool, not so encumbered with the electric frippery and computer gadgets as the Beemer. I think there is a great opportunity for a really stripped down and lightweight CSL version of the M3: replace the fatboy recliners with CF shelled race seats, ditch all of the unnecessary electric motors (I’ll grab my own seat belt, thanks), leave the iDrive at the factory and tweak the steering feel and it could be a much closer thing.

Hopefully it won’t be so long until my next BMW experience, for the M3 certainly was a great driver’s car. Before then though, I need to work out how to open the boot - never did find the button …

Ferrari Fidelity

Apparently I’ve done this all the wrong way round; earlier in the year I experienced ecurie25’s Ferrari 430 Spider but have only just got around to trying it’s predecessor, the F360 Spider. Regardless of the step back in time, this was a thoroughly entertaining driving experience, and one that has probably endeared me to the way of the Dancing Donkey more than managed by the 430.

The current ecurie25 fleet car has the F1 automated manual gearbox (which regular readers will know that I’m not the biggest fan of generally), but apart from a few infuriating characteristics (see below) it didn’t spoil the encounter with what turned out to be a lovely balanced, responsive and engaging car. It certainly has a feel of lightness and ‘pointiness’ to it that I don’t remember from the 430. Of course it could all be psychosomatic, with the sports exhaust on the 360 overwhelming all other senses and indeed my memories - but I’m not complaining!

It was a truly memorable experience on a clear, cold autumnal night to have the roof down and heater on and be able to launch a late night attack on the finest country lanes my locale has to offer: the high revving, barking motor sat directly behind me with exhaust note bouncing off the surroundings whilst I tried to exploit the enchanting handling characteristics by braking hard and late into corners, simultaneously coming over all F1 by rapidly flipping downchanges. There seemed to be the perfect balance of power and chassis capability; neither overwhelmed by the characteristics of the other.

However, these reports wouldn’t be complete without adding further to the compendium of F1 gearbox madnesses: in this instance it seemed to include not being able to reverse with the door open (it automatically flipped back into neutral); making the driver look like a second lesson learner when pulling off by wildly slipping the clutch and letting the revs flare; and finally a kidney-punch change from first to second gear for no apparent good reason. OK, I did have the car permanently in ’sport’ mode (who wouldn’t), but on the gearbox front at least I can see there have been massive strides in Modena.

As you can probably tell, I was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed the 360; such an alive and communicative drive, made all the better by the intimate connection to the surroundings with the roof down. And doesn’t it work well in silver as opposed to the more usual Rosso - bellissimo! 

Topless Touring

Having experienced ecurie25’s Lamborghini Gallardos on a couple of previous occasions it was time to try one with more: more power, more noise and more fresh air. Their ‘06 Gallardo Spyder provides it all, with the added bonus - given my flappy paddle and automatic gearbox phobia - of having a manual shift.

This later car apparently also has revisions to the chassis setup and gear ratios, but to be honest it is too long since I drove the previous versions to be able to identify and describe exactly the differences. What is apparent is that this one is loud. Gloriously loud. Almost embarrassingly loud when strafing quiet country communities - but what a noise: simultaneously spine tingling and laugh-inducing, it absolutely makes the driving experience (Audi, take note for your R8 step son).

The superlatives applied to my experiences of the Gallardo coupe apply equally, if not more so, to the Spyder: this for me is almost the ultimate in practical supercar experiences. The absolute event of just starting that powerplant, to say nothing of the poise of the chassis and brutal power deliver make this must of driving experiences for every petrol head. I’m pleased to report also that Audification hasn’t removed some of the Italian supercar idiosyncrasities: the method of checking the oil level (and the contortions required) is laughable compared to the electronic measuring systems of others.

Everything else was as before: near ideal. Heck, the sat nav even worked! Not only is this one stupendously quick car, but (to my eyes at least) it looks absolutely stunning, and it’s proportions are in no way out of kilter with the world today (unlike for example the Murcielago’s width restriction-, car parking space- and NCP-challenging dimensions).

Criticisms are hard to find, most coming down to personal taste. For me I wouldn’t chose such a flambouyant car in an understated colour; this grey to me was a Mardi Gras dancer in a grey suit - give me a pearlescent yellow or orange any day.

And to the ultimate question: spyder or coupe (because the fact that it has to be a Gallardo is out of the question). I think the jury has returned narrowly in favour of the coupe despite enjoying glorious sunshine in the spyder, again down to and entirely subjective view that the coupe is more handsome than the spyder (hood up, or down). Either is brilliant, though, and mandatory to try at least once in a lifetime.

Black Magic

The problem with devouring every printed road test and internet report on the latest supercars is that when you do get to drive the cars in question there is undoubtedly a set of preconceptions as the what it will be like based upon the opinions of various hacks. So the Porsche 997 Turbo is going to be blindingly quick, slightly uninvolving and have more grip than should be legal on the public highway, isn’t it? Better borrow one from ecurie25 to find out then!

If you’re short for time then you can stop reading now: the answer is pretty much “yes”. This is an unfeasibly fast vehicle, especially in A to B driving on the road: the power delivery is effortless and almost entirely without lag, and the acceleration unrelenting. It is very, very easy to suddenly be travelling very, very quickly - good job that the brakes are up to Porsche’s usual high standard and deliver excellent retardation with great feel, and that the chassis always feels composed, whatever it is thrown at. Grip levels are scarily high, with the suspension setup being very much on the stiff side - teeth rattlingly so with ‘Sport’ mode engaged. It is obvious though that the Turbo carries more weight than the GT3 (for example) and this, together with the need to transmit power to the steered wheels, dulls the responses and robs some of the feedback to the helm.

Those guys in Zuffenhausen have been very clever with the Variable Turbine Geometry turbos - the power delivery is quite different to other turbo’d engines, with the boost building slowly (and imperceptibly) from lowish revs when accelerating but bleeding off on constant throttle; add throttle angle again and another slug of boost is provided. Mind you, the only way to tell is by watching the boost gauge (there is a danger you will become transfixed by it - beware!) because your seat-of-the-pants-ometer will tell you that it is more like a normally aspirated power delivery. The ‘Sport’ button also allows an additional overboost facility (encouragingly the upper graduation on the boost gauge is relabelled with a bigger number when selected) and sharper throttle mapping to provide even more opportunities to deploy in excess of 500 ftlb of twist in inducing lateral and longitudinal G forces that render passengers nauseous.

Aside from the oily bits, the 997 Turbo certainly looks good in black (albeit with a bit too much bling in the wheel department for my taste) sitting very purposefully on the road with those broad hips hinting at the firepower beneath. I think the only element that I would change had I been given a stint at the drawing board are those exhausts - they somehow just don’t look right. Inside is an nice enough place - pretty standard 997 fare - with the driving (and passengering) positions being much better once the seat height adjusters were ratcheted all the way down so as to be sitting as near to the floor as possible. There are plenty of toys to keep the gadget-freak happy as well, my favourites being the turbo boost gauge option in the dash, the tyre pressure monitor (also an optional dashboard display) and yes, that chrono.

It seems that this is just about the ultimate road GT supercar; it is comfortable and quiet enough to encourage long stretches of motorway driving, yet when the backroads beckon it delivers great handling and performance. Sacrilegious though it may seem, I do wonder if it delivers just too much of everything to be sensible proposition: there is arguable no way all of its reserves will be dredged in driving on public roads, and that which is used is delivered with a slightly dulled experience. Perhaps I’m just perverse, but I’d take the noisy, lighter weight tactility of the 997 GT3 anyday.

Alright R8

A spaceship: that’s the best description offered of the impression the R8 made rumbling down the street towards the open-jawed observer, and I can see where they were coming from, The bright white bands of LED running lights, low and wide stance and contrasting sideblades certainly add a UFO-ness to the visual impact.

It was the looks and the performance of the chassis that were the highlights of my time with the Audi R8, courtesy of the friendly folks at Ecurie25. This car attracts the most amazing amount of attention – possibly even more than the Lamborghinis I have sampled from the same stable. Sure, the rarity factor has to be taken into account (judging by the number of mouthed “what is it?”s that I saw) but the amazing design – whether viewed from from front, side or back – has to take the bulk of the credit for the turned heads, pointed fingers, thumbs-ups and open mouthed gawping.


It certainly wasn’t the aural experience provided by the V8 amidships that attracted attention – outside there was a pleasant enough rumble, but inside it was simply very refined and well, quiet. Too quiet I think; there was no great excitement in firing it up, and nothing to whet one’s appetite for whatever sports car experience might follow. Audi have missed a trick here – the same powerplant in the RS4 sounds much more exciting, especially with the ’sport’ button pressed – more Vorsprung durch exhaust Technik needed methinks. The engine itself is a cracker, and delivers a hefty enough slug of power to ensure that the R8 never feels slow. When extended to the upper regions of it’s 8K rev band – which it is more than willing to do – it emits a much more pleasing deep-pitched wail overlain by the mechanical whine of finely meshed mechanicals, chains and belts.

It slows down very quickly as well, albeit without much finesse in the braking department. The stoppers seem too over-servoed and delivered next to no feedback, making modulation of the braking effort very difficult to get to grips with; the merest brush of the brake pedal brought into play massive retardation.

The gearbox was also a huge disappointment, this particular car being fitted with the Rtronic sequential shift. Now I’m not the greatest fan of any automatic or automated manual gearbox, but I was hoping this one might help change my opinion: no. No way – I couldn’t see any reason why this could be considered advantageous to a manual. Changes are effected either through the gear lever (forward to move up a gear, backwards to move down, to the right for neutral with reverse being right and back and the fully automatic mode to the far left) or the steering wheel mounted paddles. Annoyance number one was that it isn’t possible to select neutral via the paddles – the gear stick has to be used. This might be forgiven if the shift quality was good, but it was slow and sometimes seemed to have a mind of its own, even with the ’sport’ button pressed to purportedly swap cogs faster. My experiment with the automatic mode lasted all of 200 yards, as the gearbox seemed to think that I wanted to scream through town at maximum revs in 1st and 2nd since I had the Sport button engaged. For me the key benefit of the auto mode should be to take the strain out of changing gear when crawling through jams in town, not to help shout “look at me in me in my flash car”. And then there’s reverse: it has such a low gearing that it was difficult to move backwards at any significant speed, making manoeuvering a chore. Bizarre!

There are all the other usual annoyances of flappy paddle ‘boxes as well, including the nannying reminder and insistence that the brake pedal is pressed to select a gear from neutral (although it concedes that this may not be a good idea if you are already rolling!). The one area this implementation seems to have got right is in matching the revs on downshifts, although it does seem to insist on a flambouyant flourish of revs for low speed changes. If you’re looking at getting an R8 I’d suggest the manual gearbox option, and that’s from someone that hasn’t even driven one in this configuration!

All the other oily bits work exceptionally well and the R8 chassis is sublime, delivering more than enough poise and grip from the four wheel drive to provide confidence to attack corners. The ride is certainly firm, but no more than should be expected from a sports car, and the magnetic ride maintains control over all kinds of surfaces and cornering situations with no discernible attitude changes. The handling provided is the jewel in the R8’s crown – it really does seem to be a well sorted weapon for the twisties with a neutral to rear wheel biased feel to the setup. Steering is on the heavy side, but none the worse for it, and provides adequate feedback – not as good as some, but certainly a step forward from Audis of the past.

The interior maintains Audi’s reputation for providing classy design, fit and finish – it is a very pleasant place to be and the quality is a delight. Nice touches include the ‘arch’ around the instrument binnacle that starts at the driver’s door sill, extends through the door panel (providing the handles) and returns through the centre console having framed the instruments. It is a relatively austere environment, so don’t expect too much excitement. The seats whilst comfortable, are nothing exceptional, and the most damning comment came from the passenger seat: “it doesn’t feel like you are in a sports car – there is plenty of space and I’m not firmly gripped by the seat”. I’d like to see bucket seats similar to those in the RS4 as an option.

So, the burning question on every car magazine’s lips is: R8 or Porsche 911? Whilst many seem to want to pitch the Audi against the 997 C4S, I suspect a more relevant comparison is against the GT3. In that case which you choose will depend upon whether you want the out-of-this-world looks of the R8, otherwise I think the GT3 has to have it. But really I’d want a Gallardo for the sense of occasion it delivers. Perhaps an RS8 will get closer to the Lambo experience if it ever appears…

Dancing With the Donkey

It’s shiny bright red, the top comes off and it has a snorting 480bhp V8 amidships driving the rear wheels: what is there not to like? Once again those nice people at Ecurie25 let me out for the long bank holiday weekend to pop my Ferrari cherry in one of their Ferrari 430 F1 Spiders, so I thought I’d share a few impressions.

The cockpit is a very pleasant place to be with comfortable seats, swathes of leather and in this example plenty of tasteful carbon fibre trim. As with other cars from this part of the world, I found that the driving position is tailored around those shorter in leg and longer in arm than I am which meant that I ended up with my head fairly high in order to comfortably twirl the wheel, but there was still sufficient headroom with the roof up even if I did get a little more of a blow dry than others when moving in al fresco mode. That roof mechanism is a joy to behold when fully automatically raised or lowered: it may not be the fastest in the world, but it is certainly convenient and adds to the theatre of starting or ending any journey. The only real ergonomic problem was in being able to reach the indicator and wiper control stalks behind the gear change paddles: not an issue in most situations, but I found that if I wanted to prepare for an overtake by indicating and downshifting a gear or two, one’s fingers need to be in PS2 gaming championship form to be able get everything done in quick time. Clearly I need more practice …

The main event though is the engine and the performance it endows the 430 with: the deep gargling at low revs changes to a bellowed roar at about 4,000rpm and then rises to a screaming crescendo that is pure F1 as the 8,500rpm red line is reached. This car is loud, and certainly not for those who wish to remain anonymous, even when burbling around town. It is also fast. Very fast. Thankfully it has handling to match with plenty of grip available on both dry and damp roads. Then there is the manettino to play with on the steering wheel to change suspension, E-Diff, F1 transmission, traction and stability control settings: thankfully there was no snow or rain to demand the lowest two options (with their default auto transmission mode), but it was possible to notice subtle differences between the ‘Sport’ and ‘Race’ settings. I’m not in a position to give a more detailed exposition since it was left firmly in ‘Race’ whenever there was a vaguely interesting stretch to drive which I can confirm allowed a little more freedom from the tail in power on oversteer.

I have to confess that I wasn’t a big fan of the concept of automated manual “flappy paddle” gearboxes (and even less so of full automatics), but this opinion was not formed from experience (having never driven one before) so I was keen to see whether the 430 F1 would change my mind. Sadly it hasn’t. Make no mistake the F1 ‘box is undoubtedly a technological tour de force: it slots cogs rapidly and accurately, but for me it detracts too much from the involvement in driving, and then for good measure throws in a few foibles just to irritate a manual gearbox user. How about having to have your foot on the brake in order to move into first from neutral? Understandable from a safety perspective, but not natural if you are wanting to move away on a flat surface. Then there’s the fact that it always defaults to ‘Auto’ mode … More surprising is that the gearbox doesn’t seem to do a very good job of matching revs on a downshift, always needing an additional blip from the driver on the throttle to avoid the 500-1000rpm deficit if left up to the ‘box. This is fine for adding driver involvement, but curious that Ferrari wouldn’t see fit to automatically make it happen correctly. Upshifts though are great fun - a slight lift on the accelerator timed with a flick of the right hand paddle and it is possible to get straight back onto the task of rearranging internal organs.

So, would I have one if I could? I’m undecided at present; to my eyes the looks of the front are unconvincing, and for some reason the front looks a little high (even though it isn’t) - perhaps because of the seeming large gap between wheel and arch. The rear is the best aspect in my view, especially given that large diffuser and sight of the powerplant through the glass cover. I think at the moment a Gallardo would just edge it, although if someone out there is donating a 430 I’ll take a manual please.

Green Meanie

Blimey! So this is what supercars are all about - insane performance, massive presence and sufficient forward planning to ensure it will fit/circumnavigate speed humps/be able to park.

A weekend to remember then with Ecurie25’s very, very green Murcielago. I thought that the Gallardo attracted attention but this beast is off the scale, albeit universally positive: waves, flashing lights, tooting horns, dropped jaws and more photos than you can shake a stick at mean it is not for the shy and retiring. If you have problems striking up conversation with strangers, I have the answer for you.

I’ll take it as a given that everyone can imagine the performance that Sant A’gata’s best serves up: it is truly mind-bending, and means that you can end up travelling far too fast, far too quickly if care isn’t taken. All this accompanied by a deep throated gargling that rises to a joyful mechanical cacophony of big capacity whirring multivalve trains as the red line approaches, overlain with an induction noise that makes the hairs the back of your neck tingle (and nothing to do with the proximity of said induction to the neck). The four wheel drive traction through huge gumball tyres is unsurprisingly more than a match for the immense power, and corners are dispatched in an instant - I doubt the traction control would ever get a sniff of action on dry public highways.

The driving experience communicates that you have a task on your hands: a hefty helm and positive shoves through the metal gated ‘box are needed, but all other controls are no heavier than any other cars. The driving position is pretty good, but probably designed around Italian men slightly shorter in the leg than me (and quite possibly with a derriere more resistant to numbness in what were fairly uncomfortable seats). The fully adjustable steering wheel overcomes most of this, but without anywhere to rest my clutch foot my knee was able to act as a self canceller for the indicators when turning left. 

The width and limited rear visibility also make themselves plainly evident, especially when trying to manoeuvre. And yes, of course I had the scissor door open and sat on the sill to reverse.


So, undoubtedly one of the truly great petrolhead experiences, but I was surprised at how stressful if was piloting the Murcielago at times. I’m sure this is partly due to the attention it attracts (you are in the spotlight all of the time), partly due to it’s physical size (will it fit through that gap, can I find somewhere to park, can I get over that traffic calming?) and partly due to fairly the crowded roads which were the only ones I had the opportunity to use it on. I’m sure further familiarity would ease these worries, but I have to say that for the moment being able to have the use of the Green Meanie for a short time is a much more attractive proposition than outright ownership.

Highland Fling

Having enjoyed Ecurie25’s Lamborghini Gallardo so much last time, I decided to take the Yellow Peril out again for an extended run: 1,800 miles over five days exploring the best driving roads that Scotland has to offer.

There isn’t much to add to the driving impressions over the last report, except that the Gallardo was suprisingly practical and coped well with whatever weather was thrown at us: snow, rain, wind and beautiful sunshine. Whilst you will never be able to show of the full extent of your wardrobe on a trip in the Gallardo, there was sufficient room to pack for two for the trip - a squashy bag on the shelf behind the seats in the cabin freeing up enough space in the front ‘boot’ for a hard suitcase and other bits’n'bobs.

The epic and deserted Scottish roads allowed the Lambo’s performance to come to the fore, reinforcing just how effortless (and obscenely) quick a method of transport this thing is.

We were passing Steve Carter’s highland hideaway so he kindly came out and met us, taking a couple more of his outstanding photos and guiding us to a local hostelry for refreshment. Cheers Steve!