Here we go again. School’s out – at least for those of us that work for private – sorry – independent schools. I’m sure the parents appreciate nipping down to Provence or wherever the holiday home is before the likes of sleazyjet hike the prices for the proles.
The term ended on a high for us as a department. A trip for the 4th form to Thorpe Park had been arranged, yet on 5pm the day prior we found out that the coach company had cancelled despite taking the money up front. Classy.
My colleagues and I in Transport stepped up and the department has never been so popular with senior management falling over themselves to express their gratitude. It was nice for once to be treated as an integral and valuable part of the school rather than a necessary nuisance.
On the last day I said goodbye to four of the pupils on my bus heading off to university – one hopefully to Cambridge and in the case of one, a gap year – or should I say gap yar. Must pronounce it right!
On the Sunday I visited Patsy, took her hat off, checked her tyres and nuts and loaded in the non-perishables. I’d flexed the plastic since her last outing and she’s now sporting wine coloured throws and rugs. Handy as that’s what’s likely to get spilt on them.
Monday and it was finally time to release her from her shackles. Before that though was the supposedly simple matter of a click & collect from nearby Sainsburys. Yeah right. An accident in Newhaven had blocked the south-coast road so I did a reverse ferret and headed back then up and along the A27. A considerably long detour but there was no option. Newhaven was by now solid with traffic, I was half an hour late for my slot and had no hope of getting anywhere near the store with the car. In the end I abandoned Hetty on a side street and walked the half a mile or so to collect my groceries. Fortunately, the way back out to the storage yard – and my eventual departure with her Ladyship - was clear.
With a run of about an hour and a half predicted we didn’t set sail until gone 11:30am. Traffic was reasonably kind – apart from the inevitable queue at the roadworks by the A3 – but that was where we were parting company with the M25 anyway.
Ignoring Google Maps I followed the recommended route and joined the A244 to Esher – a very uneven road – what a novelty – and I tried hard to avoid watching Patsy bounce around on the back like Zebedee.
I arrived on site at around 1:15pm and having pre-paid was offered a choice of pitches, before being led to a relatively shady one. I’d opted for a grass pitch as it was cheaper – just over 15 quid a night with leccy – and ended up in a far corner of the site with no-one to my left. Nice and quiet, lovely.
I briefly wrestled with the idea of wrestling with the canopy but lunch, a beer and nap were more important. As of Friday the canopy remains well and truly un-wrestled with, tucked up in the rear footwell of the car.
I’d done my best to empty the freezer at home and had rammed the caravan one with the results of my batch cooking. Dinner was a lovely chilli then, to walk it off I took a look at the dog walk, accessed by my corner of the site. We’re right by the River Mole here and there is access to a stretch of its banks. Across the bridge the dog walk continues and it was a bit overgrown in places, but pleasant enough.
Despite the rain I decided to set out for a walk after lunch – to the nearest shop some 10 minutes away. Supplies were needed – okay that might have included beer – but it might as well have been Dick Turpin standing behind the counter. I trudged back in the rain, wallet considerably lighter and even on what was just 20 minute round trip I was reminded that tendons around my right knee have been playing up and had stiffened considerably by the time I got back to Patsy. It was clear I was going to have to go easy.
Wednesday and with much better weather promised I had a shower, shaved the bonce, and got tarted up for a trip out. This time of year getting tarted up amounts to no more than my lightweight leather jeans and a black shirt sadly. There’s one thing keeping up appearances but there’s another in looking like a total douche bag in the sun – and melting.
I’d checked out the local buses, downloaded the app and by trial and lots of error eventually added my payment card. Day ticket duly purchased I set off for the nearest bus stop – adjacent to the shop where I had to stand and deliver yesterday.
Both the online, printed timetable and departure board on Google Maps proved to be a work of fiction but a bus did eventually turn up. It was clear lots of folk were heading to Hampton Court though I did not yet know why.
We passed the high banks of the massive Queen Elizabeth 2 storage reservoir, navigated through an uninspiring housing estate, the driver zig-zagging his way around a plethora of cars and eventually emerged by Hampton Court Bridge. The area was choked with traffic and I could soon see why – the Royal Horticultural Society Garden Festival was on at Hampton and a car park had been set up on the grass opposite which seemingly everyone was heading too.
I got off and headed for the palace – I’d been before, stayed in one of the flats on site with friends in fact – so I wasn’t about to fork out twenty-six quid to do it again. I was nice to see it again though, in all it’s splendour and great to see poppies growing amongst the wilded area off to the right.
I wandered across the bridge and back, noting that the bible bashers had craftily positioned themselves at each corner. I pondered a river trip – you could go to Kingston or Richmond – but the departure boards suggested there would be quite a wait – a boat had just left its moorings.
I could have got a Transport for London bus to my next destination – they were certainly plentiful, but having purchased a day ticket for the local bus service I wasn’t about to fork out twice and was happy to wait and watch the world go by – or at least lots of seemingly stressed out motorists anyway!
Once back on the bus we passed Bushy Park before crossing back over the Thames again via Kingston Bridge where I got off to have a mooch around.
The newer part of the town was uninspiring but the old area around the centre was nice and a vinyl record shop occupied my attention for some time – the wallet stayed shut though despite a James Brown original. The chimp bronzes around the town were fun to look at and for some reason they reminded me of work…
Some medicine was dispensed at a riverside pub during which there was a short spell of rain. Said medicine having been necked I realised I wasn’t far away from the bus stop from which I would continue my exploration.
My knee was really starting to give me jip now but at the bus stop it was clear I wasn’t yet of an age – or appearance – for someone to vacate a seat for. After ten minutes of the departure board showing ‘Due’ the bus at last appeared and I boarded, grateful that there was a seat.
I limped back to the site, stripped off the trews and applied some ibuprofen gel and took some 'medicine' - Abbot Ale if memory serves, before having a nap.
I decided to have Thursday morning off to rest the knee but after lunch fired up Hetty and headed to the Brooklands Museum near Weybridge. Whilst I knew my time walking around was limited I got to see most of the exhibits. There’s such history here and it was great to see one of the old Honda Maclaren F1 cars, along with Concorde, a Harrier jet amongst many others.
Friday and the races were on at nearby Sandown Park. The roads were busy, it was hot and humid and I decided to stay put, lounging about reading as well as completing a Site Review and arrival video.
Late afternoon when it was at it’s hottest I perversely decided to prep a sausage casserole for the slow pot, helping the temperature in the Patsy to reach thirty degrees.
It cooled a bit later on but was a muggy night. Today – Saturday it’s warm, overcast and currently raining and I have no plans to head out. Tomorrow is departure day, heading north to Kingsbury Water Park. The Silverstone Grand Prix is on so well see how the M40 or M1 behaves.
That’s it for Part 1 – look out for another riveting instalment from site number 2 soon.
Cheers
Rich