It's about that time again. A time when the itch to flock together takes hold of all AGS'ers (well, those in and around the UK anyway), and new and exciting nesting grounds must be found/explored/destroyed.
This year, I propose the following...
O'Brittens! AGS takes the emerald isle!
28th of June - 5th of July 2008
Yes, seven days of fun on the west coast of Ireland! Begorragh, etc...
Corofin, Co. Clare, to be exact. See it here! (http://www.rentacottage.ie/property/index.php?user=det&pid=4#calendarform)
The closest airport to Corofin is Shannon, a mere medium-length train/bus/hired car journey away, and an airport serviced by most UK and/or european airlines.
Renting two of the above cottages, depending on the number of people who would attend (each sleeps eight), for the entire seven day period, would cost just over one thousand euro. If sixteen people actually attend, the price per person would be E62.50 (£47.50).
Would anybody be interested in this plan? Would anybody be interested in Ireland in general? Are there any other plans? Do small voles really hold the answer to life's questions?
Post your answers...here!
Thank you.
EDIT: Nothing is set in stone yet, so if people have other ideas, feel free to voice them. :)
I was going to ask you about this, we were talking about it recently. If this doesn't happen CJ said he doesn't mind asking about his friend's place in the Lake District again, but most people don't seem to have a problem with the idea of O'Brittens if you're serious about organising it. I'd come, unless I really had no money. Travel sounds fine, Shannon is cheap enough to get to from all over the UK. Probably easier to get to than the north of England for most of us, £30-40 return from most regional airports.
My only concern (and it applies to both suggested Brittens locations) is remoteness, because there have been quite a lot of AGS meets without shops or pubs nearby recently. I personally don't find a bit of a walk much of a problem, but I know for some people it's an issue, so it'd be nice to work out how far of a walk it really is to the nearest source of food. Says "5 minutes by car" which sounds like it's probably slightly better than CJ's location, but doesn't seem to give the location any more specifically than that.
Lake District eh?
I remember my sister going on her honeymoon there... and my brother-in-law mistaking a breed of orangey-brown cows on the hillside for lions (I wish I could believe he was joking, but I know him too well).
He really was twenty-three years to old to be making that mistake.
All about Corofin...here! (http://www.corofin.org/)
To be honest, I chose Corofin because of it's location to a major airport and the price of the holiday cottages.
If we bypass the idea of holiday cottages all together, perhaps a B+B/Guest House/Hotel-based accommodation plan might give us a more flexible choice of locations.
If we veto Corofin, it should still be fairly easy to find an alternative.
I'll get solid details about Corofin over the next couple of days (transport to and from, etc), make some inquires, and poke around some more on the side.
Why oh why don;t you make it to Greece?
Quote from: Dualnames on Mon 14/01/2008 21:57:34
Why oh why don;t you make it to Greece?
You should have been to Mittens 2005, then :)
Anyway, I still live near the UK and I'll still consider going there. Depends on if I can get both that and Mittens off from work, I suppose.
I am game.
Corofin seems fine to get to, just wondering about getting between the cottages and the town. You can get fairly inexpensive car rentals from Shannon airport if needs be anyway (less than 10 euros between the 16 of us, we could get everyone in cars if people thought it worthwhile). There's at least one bus in the afternoon according to buseireann.ie and 35km is probably not too far to share a taxi.
Don't worry dualnames, we're using an increasingly loose definition of Britain these days... maybe Brittens will be in Greece some day.
I'm interested, but right now I have no idea whatsoever of my next summer's free time, financial situation or any travelling possibilities altogether.
I'm in, but only because there's a town called "Killinaboy" just up the road which sounds like it's worth a visit -- lucky we've got the 18 minimum age these days or some people could be in trouble!
QuoteMy only concern (and it applies to both suggested Brittens locations) is remoteness, because there have been quite a lot of AGS meets without shops or pubs nearby recently.
I think the problem is that since we've moved "upmarket" from campsites to renting cabins/houses/etc they're bound to end up being more remote, since people don't tend to build large houses in the middle of towns. So yeah, it's not Corrofin itself that would be the problem, the issue is more the distance from the cottages to the town.
If we think it's a big problem, we can always continue looking for other places. A quick search turns up this, for example (http://www.groupaccommodation.com/propertydetails.asp?adId=324) which claims to be in a village.
Anyway, thanks for getting the ball rolling, Fish!
I've been looking forward to this announcement ever since coming back from the UK a week ago, and went straight into setting aside money. Whether in England or Ireland does not matter a whole lot, but Ireland would be preferable as I have yet to conquer it. Prices don't look too bad either.
Ireland is an amazing place! I will be there!! Corofin my guts up :D 50 squid is more than reasonable, yay! I'm sure a flight won't be too mental on price either. So yes, I would like to go :)
Hmm. I'd be up for making an appearance if I can afford it.
This going to be a tight year for me money-wise.
How far in advance are you going to need numbers?
Damn!
Exactly on the 5th of July I have to be in Greece. I'm the best man to a wedding. Can't be away, can I? :'(
Quote from: scotch on Mon 14/01/2008 22:08:10
Don't worry dualnames, we're using an increasingly loose definition of Britain these days... maybe Brittens will be in Greece some day.
Maybe it should be renamed "Eurens", which would be a piece of piss... ;)
Yeh Ireland isn't technically in Britain anyway, sl this sets a precedent.
In a few years time Mittens and Brittens will merge and become Antarctens.
Quote from: Radiant on Mon 14/01/2008 22:06:03
Quote from: Dualnames on Mon 14/01/2008 21:57:34
Why oh why don;t you make it to Greece?
You should have been to Mittens 2005, then :)
Anyway, I still live near the UK and I'll still consider going there. Depends on if I can get both that and Mittens off from work, I suppose.
I would so want a time machine now..
Just play Ben Jordan 6 and it's like you're there...
of course, the underwater section is the only part that actually happened at Mittens
I'm there... the Mittens isn't.
Ireland sounds just super.
Most people in the "British Isles" would consider Ireland to be part of the "British Isles" although of course it's not (Great) Britain, which the name Brittens is based on. The truth is we've been sent to take back the province for Her Majesty... so this will not be an issue by the end.
We can call it Ittens :)
Do you suppose there is enough land for a makeshift baseball diamond? I want to play baseball with a shillelagh and a potato! :D
Ittens, LOL!!!
QuoteJust play Ben Jordan 6 and it's like you're there...
Ain't that the truth!!! :D Kudos for Grundislav for making a secretley perfect Mittens adventure game!!
Hopefully the big "merger" will occur on Mittens 10th birthday. In de carribean!!!1
Quote from: m0ds on Wed 16/01/2008 00:03:31
Ittens, LOL!!!
QuoteJust play Ben Jordan 6 and it's like you're there...
Ain't that the truth!!! :D Kudos for Grundislav for making a secretley perfect Mittens adventure game!!
Hopefully the big "merger" will occur on Mittens 10th birthday. In de carribean!!!1
We can have the world's first/only Monkey Island reenactment.
Quote from: m0ds on Wed 16/01/2008 00:03:31
Hopefully the big "merger" will occur on Mittens 10th birthday. In de carribean!!!1
In which case you've already sold me...
Okay, I've dug around a bit for some more information regarding transport to and from Shannon Airport/Corofin, and turned up the following:
Bus:
By bus seems to be the best bet for travelling more or less direct from Shannon Airport. Bus Eireann's (http://www.buseireann.ie/site/home/) route seems to be: Shannon Airport > Ennis Bus Station > (change bus) > Corofin. On Saturday's, they have a handful of runs to Corofin, although their timetable doesn't seem to allow me to check beyond march, so I can't be certain.
Corofin is 30mins from Ennis Bus Station, so as long as we can make it there, getting to Corofin shouldn't be a major problem (google maps shows us: this (http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=Corrofin,+Clare,+Co.+Clare,+Ireland&geocode=&dirflg=&saddr=Ennis+Bus+Station&f=d&sll=52.950706,-9.070501&sspn=0.023736,0.058365&ie=UTF8&ll=52.878662,-8.989563&spn=0.190206,0.466919&z=11&om=0).)
Hire Car (s):
I'm not sure about rates and such, but this site (http://www.budget.ie/) would seem like a good starting point. Depending on numbers, I guess we would have to rent two?
Train:
I can't find a suitable route that doesn't involve having to get from Shannon to Limerick City (ugh), and on to Ennis. If anybody wants to have a stab at finding something better, have a look here (http://www.irishrail.ie/home/).
Alternate Accomodation:
If the cottages in Corofin don't suffice, or (God forbid!) end up unavailable.
The Jamaica Inn (http://www.jamaicainn.ie/jinn/asp/section.asp?s=1) is a hostel, which looks okayish/cheap.
Clares Rock Hostel (http://www.claresrock.com/) is another.
A list of alternate accomodation options can be found here (http://www.clare.ie/where-sleep.htm).
Like I said earlier, nothing is set in stone. We don't have to hold it in Co. Clare either, if a better location somewhere else in Ireland can be found.
We have 26 counties to choose from! :D
Quote from: LimpingFish on Wed 16/01/2008 22:16:13
The Jamaica Inn (http://www.jamaicainn.ie/jinn/asp/section.asp?s=1) is a hostel, which looks okayish/cheap.
This reminds me. There is a Jamaica Inn at Bodmin Moor in Cornwall and it is supposedly one of the most haunted establishments in the country. I believe it has featured on Most Haunted, and it was also staked out by Jonathan Boakes and his friends (http://www.darklingroom.co.uk/thl2/jamaica_inn.html).
Boakes is the guy behind the Dark Fall (http://www.darklingroom.co.uk/) games, and he is well into ghost hunting, which is probably obvious if you've ever played his games.
I don't actually believe in ghosts, but it would make a great few days. Perhaps something to consider for B-2009.
Put me down as a hopeful.
Assuming I can find some money, a passport and a pack of alkaseltzers.
I'll be there.
A maybe. A probably maybe, but I have to look into my finances to see if it is do-able (to do both brittens and mittens)
Quote from: Layabout on Fri 18/01/2008 15:01:33
A maybe. A probably maybe, but I have to look into my finances to see if it is do-able (to do both brittens and mittens)
Has anyone ever done Brittens and Mittens in the same year?
That would be the ultimate Summer Holiday...
[says he who spent the whole of last summer in Tokyo - Ed]
I hate being poor.
Sure. I did it in 2007, Disco did it the year before. It's certainly a strange feeling to go to an AGS meet and then go to another 2 weeks later. Strange, yet fun.
There are two people that have been to every Mittens and every Brittens.
CJ and AGA?
Jack Daniels and Stella Artois?
Quote from: Layabout on Fri 18/01/2008 22:02:26
CJ and AGA?
Every Mittens, Brittens, Wintermeet and most other things , excluding Lapaset, because it smells.
Right, so O'Brittens seems to be a likely candidate for this years gathering. So let's see what we have so far...
Interested/possible/maybe (but in no way confirmed) attendees:
CJ
AGA
LimpingFish (natch :P)
Renal Shutdown
Layabout
Disco
Creed_Malay
Radiant
Scotch
m0ds
Stupot
Zooty
Ishmael
JetXL
(14)
If the Corofin plan comes to fruition, it means there are (based on us staying at the holiday cottages) 16 available spots. Regardless of where we actually end up staying, the more people who attend, the cheaper it will end up costing per head.
Holiday cottages: Two cottages at E505.00 per cottage for 7 days:
16 attendees: E63.12 per person.
14 attendees: E72.14 per person.
12 attendees: E84.16 per person.
etc, etc
As I've said before, I'm still looking at possible locations, based on price/proximity to major airport(s)/transport options. I'm hoping to have a solid location, and final booking details, by mid-february at the latest.
Based on what I've seen so far, everybody should probably budget for between 50 - 100 euro to cover accomodation. :)
I'll go too. Never been to Ireland before so it better be not like Jersey.
Alright, update time!
The cottages are still available, for the time being anyway, and each requires a security deposit of 125 euros. I can cover that for now, with the rest of the money to be paid on receipt of picking the keys up at the location.
I'd like to get a solid list of attendees, so I can calculate the rate per head. Seeing as I want to keep the cost under 100 euro per person, I'm going to set an arbitrary minimum of 12 attendees, and a maximum of 16 (since this is what the cottages comfortably hold).
12 attendees = 85 euro per person.
16 attendees = 63 euro per person.
Looking at the logistics involved in getting people here, what with air fares and other misc expensives, O'Brittens will only be a go if I get eleven definite (and I mean SUPER definite!) attendees, willing to pay their share on arrival. I won't be collecting money ahead of time, as I possess no means of doing so, so I'm asking for people to budget well in advance. Extra money will be required to cover food/electricity/various, so expect the unexpected. Turning up with no money will result in a polite wave from me, as I catch the nearest bus home, leaving whoever showed up to fend for themselves. When the chips are down, this fish is the first cast off the shackles of responsibility and make a dash for the nearest body of water! Be warned.
This is the point of no return, people, and I'm looking to have those eleven confirmations by the end of this month (if not sooner)! Nobody should feel pressured to make up the numbers, though. If we fail to make the numbers, or lose the cottages, we have other, cheaper, non-irish, options.
I hope.
._./ I'm coming. My flights will be bought very soon so will have to wait until then to be SUPER-definite, now I am just plain definite :P
me me me me me me me
Holy Jesus Christ almighty, we have a whole country and you choose Corofin?!? I mean, its a beautiful place and all but good luck getting a shop within a few miles. I've barely heard of Corofin and I live in Dublin for Gods sake.
On the plus side the burren is very nice but I think a better choice would have been Inis Móare. The biggest of the Aran islands, it has some of the most breathtaking scenery you'll ever see. Plus it's a Gaeltacht area so you can have loads of hilarious incidents trying to speak to the locals. If any of you have seen Father Ted the ship from the opening sequence is on Inis Mor.
I have actually passed through Corofin and It's a rather dumpy little town, Inis Oirr has one of the nicest Coral beaches in Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aran_Islands
http://www.aerarann.com/
I'm serious if this isn't set in stone consider the aran islands, you can even fly with Aer Aran if you hate boats!
Edit it keeps editing M ó are to Moare for some reason.
What ever do you mean man, this place looks almost perfect. I would even consider forgetting about Mittens and going to Ireland instead with brits and brats if there was enough room for a polar bear descendant. Also, it would be a lot cheaper and a lot more Irish ;) And not the same time with uni lessons.
We may have a whole country, but we have to budget realistically. I'd put everybody up in Powerscourt, if I could afford it. Or rent a castle somewhere.
The reason for choosing Corofin is twofold:
1. The cottages are relatively cheap, and each sleeps eight people.
2. It's relatively close to Shannon Airport, handy for people coming from abroad.
Seriously, if I could find a suitable location in Dublin (hell, if it's held in Dun Laoghaire, people could get the ferry -and bring their own cars- from the UK, and I could sleep in my own bed!) I would.
...
Which gives me an idea...
Anyhow, things aren't finalized yet (though we need to set a concrete plan in motion sooner rather than later), so who knows? :)
EDIT: For those would could drive from the UK, how would you feel about being able to do just that, if it meant nobody has to fly if they don't want to, and accommodation would be significantly cheaper? The catch?
You would be staying somewhere like this (http://www.dublintourist.com/details/marina_house.shtml). Yes, it's a hostel, but to be honest it looks pretty nice. Plus, it means I could arrange our accommodation in person, far ahead of time, since I live about three minutes away from there!
Dun Laoghaire is full of pubs and whatnot, and has buses and trains, to all major Dublin locales, in spitting distance of that hostel.
It would mean less shenanigans with directions and such, since I'm a native, and no need to worry about being lost in a peat bog.
Shit, why didn't I think of this earlier?!
Anyway, it's an alternative to think about. :)
Dun Laoighre? Fancy that, I'm in Stillorgan, I had no idea there was an AGS community in Ireland. Think seriously about the Islands though, I went there last summer and it was fantastic.
I will be there.
As for location, I'm not sure how appropriate a hostel would be to the brittens atmosphere, if you've got random guests getting in the way all the time.
But I think the important thing is to agree a definite place & date soon, because it's only 4 months away now so it won't be long until the flight prices start going up. Anywhere is fine with me, as long as there's a shop and pub reasonably close by that we can pop along to.
I'll be there, as long as it doesn't end up being in a â,¬200 per night luxury hotel.
Ooh, ooh, I have a suggestion: It would probably be much easier to spot each other in the airports, and around the town if you had a clothing convention. Y'know, like a uniform.
How about black coats and beige trousers?
The locals will adore you...
Quote from: Pumaman on Tue 19/02/2008 21:30:04
I will be there.
As for location, I'm not sure how appropriate a hostel would be to the brittens atmosphere, if you've got random guests getting in the way all the time.
But I think the important thing is to agree a definite place & date soon, because it's only 4 months away now so it won't be long until the flight prices start going up. Anywhere is fine with me, as long as there's a shop and pub reasonably close by that we can pop along to.
Actually I'd say a hostel would have the similar privacy as a campsite, except indoors. It doesn't look like the biggest place, so if it were booked in advanced, there would be a chance that it would be mostly agsers, and the odd random backpacker. The place looks nice, and it is within distance to dublin, which is where everyone really wants to go. If it were near dublin, i would go.
Three words would sell it for me.
Guiness Factory Tour.
We couldnt do that if we were over the other side of the country.
I vote Dun Laoighre
And emerald, most of us know what each other looks like. We don't do uniforms. Although I may wear a silly hat.
I'm afraid I won't be able to make it to both Mittens and Brittens, so I'll have to pass on the Irish one. Sorry :(
Ok, as we're still dithering I think we need to summarise the options and make a decision:
Option 1: Rent cottages in the countryside (eg. Corrofin)
Advantages: Peaceful setting, no interruptions, can just do our own thing. Relatively cheap at E85/person maximum.
Disadvantages: Would probably need hire cars and may not be much to do in the area.
Option 2: Stay in a hostel in Dublin
Advantages: In the town, no need for hire cars, etc -- lots to do and see, places to visit, etc
Disadvantages: Relatively expensive (most hostels seem to be about E25/night, which would be E175 each for the week, though that would include breakfast), though this would be partially offset by cheaper transport costs being in the city
I guess it depends on what we want out of Brittens. Personally I'm fine with both options, and with less than 4 months to go now I think we just need to make a decision and book it before everywhere fills up.
Cottage!
I don't think the locals will like it if we go into bohemian rhapsody mode at 2 o'clock at night.
I'd love to go to a cottage but, thinking realistically, this is far too expensive for me. I was under the impression it was at "someones house" again but looking back over the original page I guess I miss-read it. So, I'm going to have to say no, and save my pennies for mittens.
Well, there you have it.
With only half a dozen or so definite attendees, it just isn't feasible to hold this years Brittens in Ireland. I've been contacted by a few possible attendees who, like m0ds, would otherwise attend but feel that there's too much money involved with what is usually thought of as the "cheap" Mittens alternative. Had it been in somebody's house, or a campsite, they may have been swayed, but otherwise no.
The hostel plan clearly wasn't going to pan out when I made inquires in person. They did indeed have ten-bed dorms to offer, but larger parties would have to be split up among these, and spend alternating nights in other rooms, as the hostel played, Tetris-like, with it's bookings. So, hardly the best place to hold a get together.
The cottage plan would only work if we got twelve or more paying attendees, and seeing as we struggled to get five, it's best to shoot it in the head and be done with it.
I'm sorry to have left us without an alternative so late in the day, but it seems that in the end the UK would make more logistical sense.
Thanks to everybody who said they would come, and those who expressed an interest in doing so.
I guess it's back to Pumaman or AGA.
Then I guess we shall meet the rest of the adventurous Brits at Lapaset next summer ;D
Oh well, looks like we will have to camp at woodhenge.
As much as I was looking forward to visiting the land of (apparently*) half of my ancestors, this announcement saves me the pain and anguish of dropping out since I am moving shortly after Mittens. I am now looking at scaling back to 5-6 weeks instead of 8 :P I will hopefully be making visits for the few weeks after arrival in the UK, but if Brittens were to be organised for mid-July-ish, I could probably still go :D
*When half your family tree describes great-great and great-grandparents as being "Scot-Irish", I'm not sure what to believe. Does anyone know out of Scottish and Irish which gene is dominant and which is recessive? ???
The Scots were also an Irish race, maybe it means those?: "For the Scots, an ethnic group of the late Iron-age, the historical people of Dalriada, a Gaelic-speaking kingdom in north east Ireland and western Scotland, see Gaels (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelsi) and Scotti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotti)"
Aw, thanks for trying anyway Fish.
So what do we want to do for Brittens this year? It's too late now for my backup plan (all booked up for the summer) so if people are looking for a free/very cheap option, I'm not sure that we have many choices...
If I didn't still live with my Mummy I'd host it... would save me the cost of traveling, ;)
Anyone else live in the South-East? o O (Meowster, did you say something about Brighton?)
I should be fine to host it in my house again, if there's no other option.
Go here (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=34065.new#new).