Barcelona: It was the first time that we met
It makes me feel old to think so, but it’s eight years this month since I set off on my year abroad from university.
Eight years since I caught my first international flight. And eight years since I first went to Barcelona, Spain’s second city, that fascinating, stunning, diverse metropolis which seems to inspire love so much more easily than its capital Madrid.
I was teaching in a school in the mountains two hours outside the city, so caught the train without even leaving the airport the first time I passed through. My second visit was equally underwhelming - a lightning trip to the travel agents to change my flight home. But it was enough to taste Barcelona’s charisma, so when my best friend invited me to go for a long weekend there a couple of years later, I jumped at the chance to discover the city properly.
The hotel we stayed in, the three-star Hotel Sagrada Familia, was spotless, modern and comfortable, and as you can probably guess from the title, round the corner from the monument that defines the city. Antoni Gaudi’s amazing Sagrada Familia cathedral is still a work in progress more than 110 years after he was commissioned to design it. He worked on the building from that moment on, and completely dedicated himself to it during the last years of his life, even living on site as a recluse.
With its magnificent spires, clusters of sculptures and incredible detail, the cathedral is truly awe-inspiring. Scene by scene, it tells the story of the life of Jesus and the Christian faith. And Gaudi’s dedication was worth it - the building which took over his life is visited and studied by millions every year. Even if, like me, you find its Gothic splendour slightly overwrought, you still have to marvel at the dedication which went into this stunning building. Inside, as well as learning more about the cathedral, you can climb up the towers and enjoy amazing views of the city.
In fact, Barcelona is really Gaudi’s city - it is full of his works, several of which have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. His beautiful municipal garden, Parc Guell, is full of his originality and flamboyance, starting with the impressive buildings and the multicoloured dragon fountain at the main entrance. The main terrace is enclosed within a giant bench in the form of a sea serpent, and the mosaic work on the back of the bench is incredible. We sat on the bench and took in the panoramic views of Barcelona, before going into Gaudi’s former home on the edge of the park, which contains furniture he designed. We also visited Casa Pedrera, in the centre of the city - this is a house Gaudi designed for a married couple in the 1900s, so is a particular delight if, like me, you love seeing how people lived in the past.
Much of our time was spent just walking around the city and taking it in, and if you’re going to walk in Barcelona, the one place you should go is Las Ramblas. This vibrant, tree-lined boulevard is the most famous street in the city, though it is actually a collection of shorter streets, hence the plural name. It links Placa de Catalunya, the square right at the centre of the city, with Port Vell, the harbour area, where it continues right out into the water as a wooden walkway. And it really is a fascinating place to walk. Mime artists, portrait painters and street performers jostle for space with stallholders selling everything from jewellery and antiques to flowers and pets. And legend has it that if you drink from the famous fountain at the top of Las Ramblas, you will return to Barcelona.
Also delightful is the Barri Gotic, a maze of streets and squares which was the centre of the old city. Many of the buildings date from medieval times, and some were even built during the Roman Empire - parts of the Roman wall remain. As well as the Catedral de Santa Eulalia and several other churches, you’ll find the home of the Catalan parliament here, and plenty of individual little shops. Oh yes, shops. If you like shopping, then Barcelona is somewhere you must visit. There are more branches of Zara and Mango than you can shake a stick at, plus a huge branch of the department store El Corte Ingles, and a host of designer stores on the Passeig de Gracia. By the time we flew home at the end of our four days, it took three strong women to lift my best friend’s suitcase.
We also decided to take in two of Barcelona’s less well-known museums: the Museu de la Xocolata, the chocolate museum, and the Museo Erotico (you don’t need me to translate that one). The Museu de la Xocolata is a must for any chocoholic (that would be me, then). As well as learning about the history of chocolate and how it is made, you can marvel at the amazing chocolate sculptures throughout the museum. And don’t worry - there’s a shop at the end full of delicious treats to satisfy the craving you’ll undoubtedly have worked up. The Erotic Museum is less delightful, unless you have a serious interest in pornography from around the world. If you can walk round it without laughing your head off at the ridiculous exhibits, there’s something wrong with you.
So would I go back? In a flash. The city completely charmed me, as it surely charms every visitor, with its vibrancy, its beauty, its culture, its history and its strange role as both Spain’s second city, and the capital of a region which has always had its own distinct identity, even having its own language. There is so much that I didn’t get a chance to visit - so many parks, museums, beaches, churches and fascinating buildings. Whatever you want - a city break, a beach holiday, or a trip to the mountains - Barcelona has it all. Unless you’re after dullness.
Getting there:
The easiest and quickest way to get to Barcelona is to fly. You can fly there from all the UK’s major airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Cardiff. Direct flights take about two hours - for goodness’ sake don’t book a flight where you have to change, there’s no need.
And don’t forget - we can take care of your car while you’re away for next to nothing. At the time of writing, prices for eight days’ parking start at just £26.95 at Airparks Manchester Ringway, £39.50 at Airparks Newcastle Bellair, £49.95 at Airparks Gatwick, and £56.80 at Heathrow Courtlands and Heathrow Economy Parking.
We can also sort you out a hotel for the night before your flight if you don’t want to have to rush to the airport in the morning. Prices start from £39 at the Heathrow Comfort Hotel, £39 at the Gatwick Europa, £42 at the Britannia Manchester Airport, and £55 at the Erskine Bridge near Glasgow airport.
A woman of principle? Not me
by Sarah Jane
How far would you go to help out your boss? Do you begrudge even making them a cup of tea? Or would you sacrifice your principles to give them a hand?
Unfortunately, in my case, I’ve discovered it’s the latter. When my boss let slip he was standing for Kent County Council, I found myself offering to help with his campaign, even though he was standing for a party I’d sworn never to vote for at county level.
And congratulations to him - he won by a landslide, and is now one of two councillors proudly representing Swale Central at County Hall.
He was surprised at my offer, to say the least. “Most people hate their boss,” he pointed out drily. “They don’t want to give up their Saturday morning to help them deliver leaflets. Are you sure you don’t mind?” But I knew it would be fun as well as worthwhile … and that fresh air was bound to be preferable to Saturday morning TV.
“Just one piece of advice,” he warned me. “If you wear rings, take them off. I’ve known people who’ve got their rings caught in letterboxes and the next thing they know there’s a dog nibbling their fingers on the other side.”
I gulped. I’m terrified of dogs and practically go into meltdown if one comes within ten feet of me. The idea of one nibbling my fingers made me feel faint. So as I trundled over to Sittingbourne the following Saturday, carrying a box of leaflets that weighed almost as much as I did, I was decidedly jewellery-free.
The cutest dog in Sittingbourne
Now I learned a few things about leaflet-dropping that morning. The first is that it’s hard work. What looks like a few little cul-de-sacs on the map turns out to be a sprawling estate, and opening gates, walking up and down drives and fighting with letterboxes makes the whole process slower than you expect. When two of us had only done half of one street after an hour, I began to panic. Basic maths told me that if we continued at this rate and didn’t stop to eat or sleep, we’d be finished by approximately 8pm the following Tuesday.
The second is that 99.9 per cent of households in Sittingbourne own at least one Staffordshire bull terrier. Or at least it felt that way. I’ve always known that as a non-dog-lover I’m in a minority, but suddenly every house seemed to be emblazoned with ‘Beware of the dog!’ ‘Beware of the Staffordshire bull terrier!’ ‘Enter at your own risk!’ signs. I’d have thought it was a wind-up, except I could hear the creatures barking madly as I walked up each drive, hurling themselves against the door in a bid to break through and sink their teeth into my leg. I swear one house actually had a wolf. At several homes terror had me hurriedly shoving the leaflet through the door in a crumpled ball, then fleeing down the path - and I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise to the people whose house bore the sign, ‘Please shut gate - Dogs loose!’ You never got your leaflet because I was way too scared to even come onto your property.
And did I mention the letterboxes? They are so difficult to open. I don’t know how postmen do it. Nine out of ten were stiff, heavy contraptions seemingly designed more to keep mail out than to let it in. That’s if you can find them in the first place - I expected the flap to be in the centre of the front door most times, but people seem to put them just about anywhere, bar the roof. On some homes we couldn’t find them at all. It made getting into Fort Knox look easy.
But the third thing I learned was that leaflet-dropping is indeed really good fun if you like meeting people and chatting to random strangers, which I do. Though it helps if they can hear you. I smiled brightly at the first man I came across, offered him a leaflet and gave him a spiel about why he should vote for my boss. He looked at me in confusion, jabbed at his ear, where I suddenly noticed an enormous hearing aid, and barked, ‘What’s that, love? I’m deaf!’
After that, though, I had more success. Most people were pleasant and friendly, and took the leaflet with a smile or a jokey remark (’What are his expenses?’ one man quipped). And there were those who were kind when they didn’t have to be. After one too many vicious letterboxes, I cut my hand, but didn’t realise until I saw the leaflet I was about to put through someone’s door was covered in blood. Horrified, I found a clean one and was struggling to push it through the letterbox without soiling it as well when the owner of the house appeared.
I expected her to send me packing - a stranger bleeding on your doorstep isn’t exactly a vote winner. But without further ado she dashed into her kitchen and got me a plaster before taking the leaflet with a smile.
Then there was the elderly gentleman standing outside his front door who watched me come up the road with amusement in his eyes. “Get so much per mile, do you?” he inquired as I came up.
We started chatting and he chuckled as he said, “I saw you struggling with my neighbour’s letterbox back there.” This was an understatement - I’d practically had to get an armoured vehicle to force the thing open. “Does the guy not want to receive his mail?” I asked him in bemusement.
The old man laughed again before telling me, “Well, if you feel like a cup of tea or anything, just drop in any time - this door will be open.”
There were the voters who unloaded all their dissatisfaction with the local authorities, reeling off such tales of woe that I half expected them to ask Mike for help with their insomnia or love life. And then there were the grumpy ones who handed the leaflet back, grim-faced, growling, “It’ll only go in the bin anyway. They’re all a bunch of fiddlers.” One elderly man told us gruffly, “I don’t bother - I’ve voted once in the last 50 years.” It always saddens me to hear people say this when so many people in the world aren’t lucky enough to live in a democracy, and I began trying to talk him round until my boss dragged me away, telling me when we were out of earshot: “He’s not voted in half a century - you’re not going to change his mind now.”
But the strangest response of all came from the man in the blue shirt. As I walked up his drive, he came out of the door so I gave him a leaflet, adding as a joke: “I see you’re wearing the party colours!”
He gave me a look which can only be described as withering, before replying stonily: “Well, I’m gay, but that doesn’t mean I have to wear pink!”
For once, I just didn’t know how to reply. “Right. Nice talking to you,” I mumbled, before heading back down the path, reminding myself that humour was a very subjective thing.
By mid-afternoon it was all over - we’d managed to speed up - and I was a little bit tired, but happy. The experience had brought back my days as a reporter, where every day I met all sorts of people, from the difficult to the delightful. It reminded me that much as people like to slate human nature, there are plenty of lovely people out there who are happy to brighten up a stranger’s day with a friendly chat or a kind act. And I was a little sad, too. How many more people are there like that elderly man, who are either so disaffected or so apathetic that they’ve opted out of helping to choose the people who govern almost every aspect of their lives?
I also knew I could never be a postwoman. It’s not the letterboxes, it’s not the dogs, it’s both together - they’re just too much. If I ever fancy a career change, that’s one option I won’t be considering.
What would you have said to the blue-shirted man? Come up with the wittiest reply and I’ll give you a box of chocolates.
What it feels like for a girl
It’s always gratifying to know that other people think you’re right.
So when Glamour magazine included Holiday Extras in its list of the UK’s top 50 companies to work for if you’re a woman, I was delighted, though not surprised.
There’s not much anyone can tell me about what a great company Holiday Extras is to work for. This is the company that, six months ago, gave me a job when I’d been made redundant, and where my two lovely bosses have helped rebuild some of the confidence that you inevitably lose when you’re effectively told your employer doesn’t need you anymore.
I’d never heard of HX, as we tend to call it, before I applied for a job as a copywriter, but I seemed to be the only person in the area who hadn’t - and the universal verdict was, ‘They’re supposed to be really good employers.’
The Holiday Extras building in Newingreen, Hythe
If you look at the benefits on paper, Holiday Extras certainly does well. Staff can get discounts on hotels, flights, West End musicals and gym membership, to name but a few. The profit share scheme means a bonus on top of your wages every three months, and after four years’ service you can get free private health insurance, annual health checks and five extra days’ holiday.
The social club is incredibly active, organising everything from go-karting evenings and discounted concert tickets to cross-Channel outings and a New Year skiing trip to France. The biggest Billy No-Mates in the world could come here, join the club and find himself with a ready-made social life to rival Paris Hilton’s.
The article also mentioned that staff get nutritional and exercise advice, which was news to me - the closest I’ve ever come to nutritional advice has been my boss offering me chocolate cake. But I discovered that the company runs a health week every October, when healthy eating advice, massages and relaxation classes are on offer - and we all also get a flu jab every year.
But lots of companies offer their staff benefits. For me, there are two things which set Holiday Extras apart and make it a special place to work.
We do dress down, but not usually this much
The first is our enormous sense of fun. This is a company which doesn’t just pay lip service to making sure its staff enjoy coming to work. The managers and the people team (HR to the rest of the world) are constantly organising different events and making an effort to brighten up the working day. I’ve never seen anything like it. Today we’ve got a barbecue, ice creams and a rounders tournament, and in the time I’ve been here we’ve had a Christmas meal, a Christmas party, a music quiz, sausage and mash on the house, and more trips to the pub than Amy Winehouse. On the Thursday before Easter we had egg-decorating, egg-rolling and paper plane competitions - and one of the directors came round handing out chocolate eggs to everyone. It summed up Holiday Extras’ combination of generosity and randomness (come on, a paper plane contest?) pretty well. In a world where for many companies, fun is a chat by the water cooler, and generosity means they pay you on time, HX stands out as somewhere unique.
The second is harder to put your finger on. It comes from something more than the relaxed, dressed-down vibe (’We have dress-up Fridays,’ my boss-to-be joked in my interview as he munched his way through the biscuits he’d brought), the constant supply of cakes, the extra day off on Christmas Eve, the preference for promoting internally rather than recruiting from outside so staff have every opportunity to develop their careers. It comes from the people who work here, without whom all the official fun would be meaningless. It’s those moments when my colleagues have me in fits of laughter; when I have to go to the doctor’s and my boss insists that I go the next day without worrying about missing work; when if one of us looks stressed, others are offering to help straightaway. It’s the knowledge that I can ask my boss for help with the same thing 999 times and she’ll never lose patience with me - and will probably still be full of praise, not criticism, when it eventually manages to sink in on the 1,000th attempt.
Which is why, delighted as I was that Glamour included us in its list, I felt it had kind of missed the point. Far from the company being particularly good to work for if you’re a woman, I’ve never felt it mattered whether I was 18 or 118, whether I was a man, a woman, or Dave on weekdays and Danielle in a blonde wig at the weekends. I just feel valued as an employee and lucky to be here - this is a great place to work whoever you are. Now my ice-cream’s melted while I’ve been writing this. Better go and get another one …
Airport parking: A sore subject
Ouch. Maybe the headline on the www.mirror.co.uk story was a reference to the very real pain experienced by someone who’s paid too much for their airport parking.
More likely the person who wrote ‘Airport parking cost sore again’ needs to brush up on his spelling and grammar - though if he really did fork out the amounts quoted in the article, it’s no wonder he can’t afford a dictionary.
The article, which was published on Sunday, lays bare the high cost of parking at UK airports if you don’t book in advance.
It makes dismal reading - partly because people obviously still believe, quite wrongly, that there’s no alternative to paying these prices, and partly because it doesn’t really do much about telling them otherwise.
Yes, if you turn up on the day you probably will pay an arm and a leg. The reporter quotes a price of £228 for two weeks’ parking at Heathrow - that’s actually quite good. Wander into one of the airport’s more expensive car parks - probably quite easy to do if you haven’t booked, don’t really know where you’re going and are in a rush - and you could end up paying nearly £400. Suddenly parking your car while you’re away has cost you more than your actual holiday.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. There’s just no need at all to pay these prices if you book in advance. We can save you hundreds - literally. At the time of writing, our prices for two weeks’ parking at Heathrow start from £85.95. Our price for a fortnight in Park 1 - that car park where you’d pay £388 on the day - is £133.50.
It’s the same at all the other airports, too. The reporter quotes prices of £142.50 for Luton parking, £135 for Gatwick parking and Stansted parking - although actually I make it £129.30 at Gatwick - and £95.80 for Glasgow parking. Our prices start at £80.50 at Luton, £85.10 at Gatwick, £68.90 at Stansted and £59.95 at Glasgow. In other words, paying the gate price is like walking into a shoe shop, seeing a pair of high heels on sale for £30, and telling the assistant, ‘Hey, I’ll give you £50 for them.’ You wouldn’t do it - so why would you pay more for your airport parking?
A-ha, you’re thinking, but if I book in advance, I can’t change my mind? Well, as a woman, that’s something I’d know all about, and it’s fine. 
With some of our lowest prices - where, let’s face it, you’re getting a really great deal anyway - you can’t get your money back. But with everything else, just pay an extra 99p and you can change your mind, for whatever reason, and get your money back right up to 24 hours before you go.
There’s no catch - it’s just a question of being a little bit organised. It takes just a few minutes to book online at www.holidayextras.co.uk or via our friendly call centre. Probably about as long it takes to read through an article and cheque - sorry, check - your spellings.
They survived - but don’t ask me how
by Sarah Jane
There weren’t any broken bones … although as they careered round the track at up to 85mph there probably should have been.
But the 22 go-karters escaped almost unscathed from Friday’s chaotic competition - apart from poor Jon Vickery, who was left with painful torn cartilage after a collision on the track.
His luck had obviously all gone to Steve Hill, last year’s HX winner, whose determined efforts saw him storm into the lead yards from the finish to be crowned overall winner this time.
He faced tough competition not only from David Lewis and Sean Hagger, who came second and third, but also Ryan Charlwood, who as a professional sidecar racing driver was a rival the wildest boy racer would have been pushed to beat.
Ryan and Steve achieved the fastest qualifying laps and went on to win the first of the two 30-minute races, meaning they started at the back of the grid for the second race.
But the unstoppable Steve fought his way through the drivers and was crowned the winner after overtaking David Lewis on the last corner of the last lap.
Unfortunately for him, however, he had to make do with a trophy after this year’s cash prize fell victim to the credit crunch.
Normally everyone puts in £5 for the person who achieves the fastest lap - but since, er, no-one got around to organising it this time, the £110 Steve could have put towards his new motorbike engine never came his way.
Still, it’s the glory of winning that’s the real reward, right Steve?
“In the second race, Ryan and I had 34 laps to make our way through 22 people,” the seriously bruised winner told the Holiday Extras blog.
“It was a tough race. Everyone wanted to win this one. It was dark and the floodlights came on.
“There was a massive pile-up on the first lap on the third corner - 22 karts heading into one corner was a bit of a tight squeeze to say the least.
“On the last lap Dave was winning and I was having a scrap for third place with Sean Hagger, but on the last corner I managed to steal first position off Dave and grab victory and the fastest lap.”
If you see this man on the road, do not try to overtake him.
2 minute video about Holiday Extras
Watch out Lewis Hamilton - here comes Holiday Extras
by Sarah Jane
Boy racers, a lot of testosterone and adrenalin, winners, losers and quite possibly a few injuries.
Maybe this sounds like a typical night out, depending on where you come from. But for 21 lads and one girl from Holiday Extras, tonight is the night they’ve been looking forward to for months - the chance to go karting at Buckmore Park.
The 1,200 metre kart circuit near Chatham is the UK’s busiest and the place where Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button learned their craft.
Cocooned in race suits, the HX adrenalin junkies will tear around the track at speeds of up to 80mph in brand new RX7 Pro Sport karts.
A lap takes about 50 seconds for an experienced driver, but in bad conditions can take more than a minute - and there’s been one heavy rain shower already this morning.
Event organiser David Lewis, the company’s business development manager, has already warned the participants that they will need “balls of steel”.
The daring drivers are booked to arrive at the circuit just after 6.30pm and will have a lengthy safety briefing before their timed qualifying lap.
They will then push themselves to the limit in two 30-minute endurance races before the winners are presented with their prizes at 10pm.
The one to watch is Ryan Charlwood, by day a junior account manager in the sales department, by night a professional sidecar racing driver who was the youngest person in history to compete in the British and world championships at the age of just 16.
He and his triplet brothers Grant and Jimmy are the sons of a professional touring car driver - and with all three brothers competing, along with last year’s HX winner Steve Hill, the race is anyone’s.
The event is being filmed for Holiday Extras TV by Becky Brown and also by Steve, whose head cam will give those not taking part a driver’s eye view.
Competitor Jon Vickery, who has been karting since he was 11, predicted: “The racing will be tough with many experienced karters going head to head.
“I will be gunning for victory like everyone else and am looking to get near the front for the first race as Buckmore Park is rather difficult to overtake on.”
All we here at the Holiday Extras blog can say is … stay out of their way.
For a flying lap guide to Buckmore Park, see below.
A flying lap guide to Buckmore Park
By Jon Vickery
Buckmore Park is a challenging circuit with little rest for the drivers due to the lack of straights. This also makes overtaking difficult with drivers often forced to spend many laps stuck behind karts that they are faster than simply because an overtaking opportunity does not present itself.
A typical lap around the Buckmore Park karting circuit takes around 50 to 51 seconds, with the lap record just a tad over 49 seconds. If you are in the 49s you are quick - very quick. Let’s take a look at a flying lap of Buckmore Park.
Starting on the start/finish straight you approach the first two corners, which basically blend into one named Conways. You will need to turn into Conways from the far left of the circuit, using the marshal post as a guide. If you are skilled enough you should be able to take the first part of Conways flat out. But you must ensure you do not let the kart slide as this will cost you speed.
The entry to this corner is very high grip, so assuming you are on the correct line it should be possible to take it flat. Once you have clipped the first apex of Conways keep tight to the right for the second apex. It will approach you very quickly so you need to be ready. A slight dab of the brakes in a straight line between the two apexes of Conways could allow you to control the kart a little more easily, but it really is your decision, depending on what you are comfortable with.
From Conways you will arrive on the short backstraight and the hardest braking point on the circuit: Hairpin One. Your kart only has rear brakes so braking too hard will lock the rear wheels and send you into a spin. You will need to strike a balance between effective braking but with as little force as possible. Ensure that on the approach to Hairpin One you are on the far left of the circuit. You should be approaching Hairpin One on a diagonal line from the apex of Conways. Turn in and feed in the power to the rear wheels while taking a late apex. Ensure that you take the kart right out to the rumble strip on the exit to maximise exit speed.
From the exit of Hairpin One take a diagonal line to the entry for Hairpin Two. Turn in late for Hairpin Two and clip the second apex on the corner to give yourself more speed for the following short straight and Esses section.
As you exit Hairpin Two keep right until you approach the high speed Esses and clip each apex as you pass through. If you have kept on the correct line the Esses can be taken easily flat out as your speed increases into the downhill section named Symes Sweep. Keep to the left on the approach to Symes Sweep and turn in, just brushing the apex. If you approach on the correct line you should be able to take Symes Sweep flat out.
Immediately upon exiting Symes Sweep you will be faced with the relatively tight left hand corner named Pullmans. Your approach to this corner will be defined by the line you have taken through Symes Sweep. Attempt to keep the kart as close to the apex of Pullmans as possible ready for the heavy braking into Paddock.
Paddock is a fairly tight right hand corner. You must ensure that on approach you only brake in a straight line. The kart will only be straight at the last moment as you approach this corner so be ready and don’t brake too hard or you will lock the rear wheels and spin at high speed - possibly into the tyre barrier. There is a large kerb on the exit from Pullmans and if you have taken the correct line you should just brush it as you begin the uphill climb on Damon Hill, which leads into one of the most critical corners on the circuit - Garda.
Garda is a challenging corner and critical as it defines your speed on the following uphill section. If you get it wrong you will be a sitting duck for anyone behind you who has taken the correct line. Garda is the corner that most drivers with limited experience get wrong, which is unfortunate as it is one of the most important sections of the circuit. As you approach Garda do not turn in as soon as you see the kerb on the right. Although this looks like the correct line it will hamper you considerably. The correct way to approach Garda is to leave turning in until late, just clipping the apex. This will then line you up perfectly with the following Senna Chicane and allow you to effectively straight-line it. If you get this correct you will be able to carry speed all the way up the hill into Conways. If not it will cost you time - and lots of it.
As you travel through the Senna Chicane you will arrive quickly at Cafe Curve. Ensure that you turn in for Cafe Curve when you reach an arc-shaped rumble strip on the right of the circuit. This corner can be easily taken flat out but holds one major hazard. It is not uncommon to encounter spinners on the exit from this corner, which can be difficult as the entrance is blind. Keep your eyes peeled for a spinner to avoid a high speed incident. Once you have passed through this corner you will arrive at Sisley Straight.
Keep a lookout for any karts exiting the pits on the left. If none are evident then move your kart to the left ready for the entrance to Conways and the start of another lap.