Friday 13 July 2012
Friday the 13th!! I wonder what today will bring!
I am off to Northumberland today with the Liss Horticultural Society or as Bob, the chairman, announced, the Liss Hysterical Society!
My first pick up is at 07:30 in Liss but am in by 06:15 as I need to top the fuel up for today’s long journey. I would have done this last night but if I stopped at the nearby garage I would then have to take a 45 minute break before returning to the yard so decided to get back to base to clean the coach and fuel this morning.
Am a little tired as I didn’t finish cleaning until 21:00 last night after a long day out to Rye.
My three pick-ups in Liss, Petersfield Festival Hall and Petersfield Station all go on time and we are away up the A3 before 08:00.
A bit of traffic on the M25 doesn’t inconvenience too much as we arrive ready for our 20 minute stop at South Mimms.
From hear it is straight up the A1 to Grantham and the lovely National Trust property of Belton House.
I have been here once before and remember walking around the gorgeous gardens but I don’t think I will be doing that today in the rain.
We arrive on time at midday and usually there is someone to meet and greet the group but today they are nowhere to be seen. We later learn that the meeter and greeter is on holiday this week.
I stop at the place where I dropped off before and Joy (the organiser) and Bob (chairman) go off in search of the entrance and collection of tickets. They reappear having not found anybody but we soon see a lady walking purposefully towards the bus with a bunch of leaflets in her hand.
We are soon welcomed and the tickets given out with strict instructions to be back in the same spot for a 14:00 departure.
We are away by 14:05 and continue on our journey to Morpeth via the A1M, a vastly improved road that is more motorway than A road and a better proposition than the M1.
By the time we reach Scotch Corner it is time for another comfort stop before the last leg of our drive.
I called the hotel to say we shall arrive by about 18:00 but by the time we have navigated the traffic around Newcastle and through Morpeth it is 18:30 when we arrive.
The hotel, Longhirst Hall, is located a couple of miles outside of Morpeth and is set in its own lovely grounds that include a golf course and cricket pitch. A little bit isolated but with lovely grounds to walk around.
Dinner is at 19:00 so it is a little bit of a rush for everybody and by the time I have unloaded folk and luggage and cleaned the inside it is just past seven.
I will not eat with the group tonight but will have a meal in the bar a little later after unpacking and showering.
My room is okay with everything you would need but the internet connection is by cable and the socket in the wall is broken so I cannot go on-line. Also, unusually, there is absolutely no mobile phone signal in the hotel, only outside.
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