YORK S&B weekend 26-28th October 2018

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A message from John Henderson:

Here’s my annual spring announcement, regarding what will be our fifth autumn S&B weekend get-together in York, proposed dates: Friday evening 26th October to Sunday lunchtime 28th October with the main event at the Fox and Roman during the day on Saturday 27th. Once again, we have avoided a clash with the final of The Times Crossword Championships, which is being held in London the following week (see the Crossword Event Calendar).

For those wishing to make a weekend of it, there will of course be the quizzical Ale Trail on the Friday night, and a “Recovery” session on the Sunday morning at the York Tap. Built into the recovery is an extra hour in bed due to the end of DST! The weekend also marks the end of school half-term week.

I have provisionally booked 20 B&B places at The Stables accommodation at York Racecourse for Friday and Saturday nights. This seemed to go down very well last year, being very inexpensive compared to typical weekend hotel rates in York, as well as being situated opposite Saturday’s venue. Unlike last year, you can make early bookings NOW to avoid disappointment. Please deal directly with Fay Waudby-Green and quoting “S&B Event” at fay.waudby@yorkracecourse.co.uk (Tel: 01904 709174). She has very kindly again held room rates at 2016’s £45 (single room) and £70 (twin room). Note that last year the racecourse accommodation joined booking.com and that it will fill up fast! If our 20 places are taken up quickly, I can ask Fay to release some more rooms to us.

For admin purposes, would you for now (a) please indicate whether your attendance at Saturday’s main event (and those of other halves etc) would be likely, and (b) say if you have booked a place with Fay.

I’ll be back with a request for more definite details later in the year.

Thanks, everyone!
John

41 comments on “YORK S&B weekend 26-28th October 2018”

  1. Hoping to be there again. Will try not to lose my Kindle there this year (probably by virtue of no longer having a Kindle).

  2. I must say it’s very cruel that this event falls before the Times Champs now, not afterwards, since I am incapable of solving properly for at least a month after a good York S&B, normally.

  8. Add two more for Saturday’s main event, and two single rooms booked at the Stables. Looking forward to it already.

  9. Hoping I don’t have to miss this one, I plan to be there just for the Saturday – no accommdation required.

  10. Please count me in for Saturday. Have sent e-mail requesting one room for Saturday night only. Thanks.

  11. Yes please, for Friday and Saturday. No accommodation needed, and I’ll probably have the usual 2-4 hangers-on for the quiz.

  12. Please count us in for the Friday night, and me in for the Saturday when my better 3/8 will be diverting herself in York, and probably joining us later on.

  13. Count us in for the Saturday event John. Pleased to see that the Art Fair is on again at the Racecourse that weekend too. We will be emailing Fay.

    Thanks

  16. All being well, Jennifer and I will be there for the Saturday event. We’ll be doing ot as a day trip, as usual, so no accommodation needed.

  17. I’ll be there on Friday/Saturday and have reserved a room at the racecourse for the Friday night.

  22. I plan to be there both friday night and saturday – I have asked fay for accommodation for  those two nights

    Many thanks John,

    Dutch

  23. On second thoughts, I may be there just for the Saturday this year.

    I will let you know closer to the date (but well in time).

    As ever, John, so many thanks for organising this – one of the real highlights of the cruciverbal year!

  25. I will be there Fri and probably Saturday too Mothers knitting do permitting. I’m local so no accom required. Looking forward to this again.

    I hope the toughie you are listed for on Friday is not too tough as it is my birthday.

  28. Hello John, nice to bump into you in York yesterday.  Just to confirm, Christina and I would like to be there both Friday and Saturday.  Thanks.

  29. My partner and I are dedicated followers of fifteensquared, though I rarely post comments.  We’ve long wanted to attend an S&B weekend, and this one fits perfectly into our plans.  We’ve booked a double room at the Racecourse for two nights, and will definitely be at the main event, and will possibly join the Friday Ale Trail, (although we’re not quite sure what that involves!).

    [I tried to post this a few days ago, but it didn’t appear – hope this attempt works.]

     

  30. Ahoyhoy –

    Train tickets for that weekend just released, so I’ve booked mine (£24 return from Cambridge!) – I’ll only be able to come up on the Saturday and will have to return the same day, but I’ll be there about 11 till sixish.

    Will be lovely to see people.

    Hamish (Soup)

  31. Triggered by Hamish’s post (him mentioning a very reasonable train price), I’ve booked now too. It’s two days later now but £24 wasn’t really possible (anymore). The best I could get (with a Railcard) was about £42 [perhaps, Hamish swapped the digits??].  But then I cut the journey in two and, all at once, I got it for £27 – same trains, same times.  I am happy with that but it makes clear that there’s still something very wrong with the rail system in this country!

    Anyway, I can confirm (as a follow-up to myself @23) that I will only be there for the main event on Saturday this year.

  32. £24.70, Sil! But there was only one train which that applied to. The outward one does have three changes, though, so maybe I’m being a bit hopeful that things won’t be cancelled…?

  33. Laurel (Bayleaf) and I will be coming to the main Saturday event and we have reserved Friday and Saturday nights with Fay.  We are looking forward to meeting up.

  34. Hamish, I cannot go back that same day anymore but I already booked a return ticket.  I would have liked to have given it to you (and still do) but I guess the fact that my Railcard’s linked to it spoils it.

    By the way, everyone’s talking about delays and 3.5% as opposed to 3.2% but here’s another example of what’s really unfair/wrong in the UK’s rail system. A friend of mine who lives in Norwich asked me to figure out the best deal from that city to London Liverpool Street.  A day return (on an off-peak day, Saturday 18 August) via Cambridge was £55, the same journey cut in two in Cambridge where one has to change (same train company, same trains) leads to £31.60 …. That’s just crazy. In my native country (the Netherlands) you just pay for the distance travelled i.e. for the product offered, the price is always clear, no need to book in advance etc.  I really think the example I gave makes clear that train companies in the UK don’t care about their customers.  And they offer non off-peak prices as well on days that there aren’t ….   I am quite close to call it ‘fraud’.  But people like Mr Grayling probably have never been in a train since their student days.

     

     

     

     

     

  35. Aiming to be there, and looking forward to it already.Thanks J^2 for all your eternal efforts on this front.

    Hi there Sil @ 34: split ticketing is highly disturbing to the rational, algorithmic mind. When I went hiking in Snowdonia 3 years ago, I went by rail to Stoke to rendezvous with and be picked up my old hiking buddy who had driven up from Cambridge. The two return tickets I was advised to buy (Leeds-Manchester RTN and Manchester-Stoke RTN) were each £9, yet the combined return (Leeds-Stoke RTN) ticket was £36. Barmy.

  36. It’s not just disturbing, it also highly unfair (but I know, it is as it is in this country).  The example I mentioned above is especially idiotic since the journey Norwich-London LS via Cambridge is operated by one and the same train company. The journey as a whole is exactly the same, too. If you’re not smart enough to look at alternatives yourself, then we’ll get you!  And why is it that a single ticket Norwich-London LS (via Ipswich) is £18 when you buy it the day before you travel online and £54 when you buy it on the day itself at the station? And mind you, a return ticket (valid a month) is £55 …. It’s ludricous but you never read anything about this nonsense in the newspapers when they discuss the rail system. It’s like going to the local bakery for a bread, and then Mrs Miggins asks: when are you going to eat it?  If it’s today, then it’ll cost you £2, but if you’re putting it in the freezer for later, well, then, we’ll charge £3.50.  And to end this rant (and then it’s enough!), last week Advance tickets 1st Class for the journey I mentioned were only £1 more expensive than 2nd Class tickets.  It’s these huge differences that make it fully incomprehensible for me (and surely others).

    But I will be in York too (on the Saturday), as one already knows, but expect take 4 ‘guests’ with me (Peter, Karen, Damien & Caroline). All in for food, John!

    And I promise not to talk about trains anymore!!

  38. Highly likely to be dropping in for Saturday lunch, along with Mrs B – no accommodation needed – and looking forward to the usual top-quality food and banter …

  39. Please, add one more guest to the party on behalf of me: Paul (not that one). He would like to have food too.

    So, all in all, we will be there as a six-pack. Don’t worry, we won’t behave (or worse, dress up) like that!

  40. We won’t be there as a six-pack anymore!

    My eldest brother’s birthday is not really in my system [yours is!] but one cannot ignore someone reaching 60, can you?  I promised not to talk about trains anymore but I will now take the late one back to Cambridge on the Saturday, then take a flight, a couple of days later.  On the day I planned to return, there should be a deal or no deal with the EU – so, hope to find my way back to the UK.

    John, all this simply means, forget about Caroline, Damien, Peter, Karen & Paul.  In the end, it will be just me. Food? Yes, please.

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