Casual Car Club (CCC) with the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club (RREC) Polish Section, Warsaw, Poland: CCC Excursion to Żelechów, Poland

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Victoria Ayre in the Ayre TR 6

Under somewhat threatening skies, six cars assembled for what may be the Club’s last excursion of the year. With all eyes on the uncertain weather ahead, the original plan, to take a leisurely B road route to Żelechów and enjoy lunch at the spa hotel in the old Pałac, was curtailed to the shorter and faster run to Sobienie Królewskie and lunch at the golf club.

Starting from the somewhat prosaic meeting point behind McDonalds on Ostrobramska, were Kuba Owoc’s BMW 6351, Paul Ayre’s TR6, Piotr Ficenes’ Austin Healey 3000, Artur Gabor’s MGB, the Ferrari 328 under Błażej Żuławski’s care and, for the first time at a CCC event, Iain Batty’s magnificent Jensen Interceptor Mk III. Three bikes, very much in the spirit of the Club, provided a vocal accompaniment to the trip - a Ducati, a Moto Guzzi and a Harley Davidson, ridden by Radzimir Dębski, Mateusz Żuławski & Bart Behnke .

The route along Nadwiślanka gave ample opportunity for all participants to enjoy both the openness of the roads and the somewhat more bucolic surroundings beyond Otwock and Karczew. A minor detour took the group past the notable timber church at Warszawice, with its separate Romanesque bell tower. Although not as striking or as well frescoed as the better-known timber church at nearby Mariańskie Porzecze, it is still a handsome structure it its own right.

Sobienie Królewskie has now evolved into a thriving club and, consequently, the Club was unable to park together as a group. However, there was compensation in the excellent light lunch on the terrace, with only mild consternation at the risk posed by a wayward ball or two. Fortunately, the attentive waitress was able to offer reassurance that mishaps were rare and that only one window had been lost since she had joined the club. She did not specify the length of her employment, but her knowledge of the menu suggested that this was not her first day.

The approach of rain brought reveries to a peremptory end and the Club made a dignified but hasty return to Warsaw, again along Nadwiślanka, in the hope that a further outing may be possible before autumn closes in.

Attendance:

BMW 635i

Kuba Owoc & Stefan

TR6

Paul & Victoria Ayre

Austin Healey 3000

Piotr Ficenes & Kamila Kozłowska

Jensen Interceptor III

Iain Batty & Adam Mozel

MGB

Artur Gabor

Ferrari 328