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25 January 2007 - 3ma Reconnaissance
mission
We are now well into 2007 and we'd like to take this opportunity to
wish everyone and especially Fiat 131 owners and enthusiasts a
prosperous and successful year. We want 2007 to be known as
"the year of the first 3ma" and
with your help and of course attendance, we are sure we can achieve
it.
The 3ma organising team has been very busy looking into suitable
accommodation, contacting the ferry companies to arrange discounts
for sea crossings to Ireland and planning some spectacular drives to
ensure maximum 131 enjoyment during the event. For ferry crossing
options and accommodation details please look at the new
trav & acc
(travel and accommodation) section of the website.
 Theo
Kyriacou and Simon
Ryle, two of the 3ma organisers from the UK,
travelled to Ireland for the weekend of 20-21 January where together
with Kevin Doyle, the 3ma Team's Irish member, had a reconnaissance
mission to try out the planned driving routes and finalise the
accommodation options.
It was a successful recce mission even if the weather wasn't kind to
us at all! We've seen all four seasons within a couple of minutes
and the very changeable weather had sunshine, torrential rain, hail
and even snow but was always very cold! But don't worry because we
have chosen the dates for the 3ma very carefully. May is the driest
month in
Southwest Ireland so we are confident we'll have warm, sunny and dry weather for
the 3ma!
We've made some interesting observations during our recce mission in
Ireland including the fact that we cannot rely on street and
direction signs. It
seems that if
 a sign can be turned on its pole, it's most
likely that someone or something (wind?) has turned it! Once again,
do not worry as detailed route
instructions will soon be available for review and download on
this website together with the detailed and finalised itinerary for
the 3ma.
We believe we have come up with some superb driving routes with
breathtaking scenery. We shall start our tour of Southwest Ireland
from
Dromoland Castle in County Clare and head for the
Cliffs of Moher ("Cliffs
of the ruin") which boast one of Ireland's most spectacular
views. We'll then head South crossing the
Shannon by
ferry and ending day one at our chosen base for the weekend in
Killarney.
We have been researching local accommodation for a while and our
team
 member in Ireland has visited several hotels in the Killarney
area to find suitable accommodation for all of us as well as the
cars. We have chosen the Heights Hotel
which is one of Killarney's leading hotels, famed for its warm
welcome and traditional Irish hospitality. We have negotiated a
special rate of €55 (Euro) per person per night for dinner, bed and
breakfast. The special rate rooms have to be booked with the hotel
directly and are not available for booking online. Booking details
can be found in the trav & acc (Travel and Accommodation) section of the
website.
From our chosen base for the extended weekend we will visit the
Lakes of Killarney, drive the 170Km long
Ring of Kerry and drive the
Ring of Beara which includes the famous 13Km Healy Pass, a
twisty mountain road from Adrigole Bridge in County Cork to Lauragh
Bridge in County Kerry.
The 3ma promises to be four days of pure 131 driving pleasure! Have
a look at the Locations Gallery for some
of the places and views you'll be able to see during the 3ma.
The 3ma Team
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