On Saturday we had planned to see our former Home Group Leader and his wife, who moved away to central England to be closer to their family. So on Friday night after putting the seat back in the car, I noticed that the off-side rear tyre was almost flat. I had only pumped it up the previous Sunday. So Saturday morning started in a rush - off to the tyre shop for a repair. I arrived at opening time and was already in a queue. About half an hour latter Queens Park Tyres had completed the repair. We filled the car with people, and the seven of us started our 130ish mile journey.
The sat-nav took us on real roads for some of the journey, a much more interesting route than sticking to the motorways, it avoided several delays and even with a road closure right near the end still arrived at the estimated time of noon.
Our hosts had prepared a snack lunch for us. We ate as we caught up on the news. After some discussion we decided to visit Hatton Locks on the Grand Union Canal. There is an excellent series of pictures here, they are rather autumnal, but remember it was a bright and warm September day. So much so that I needed to wear my hat. As we walked and talked, and watched people go through the locks, we began to appreciate how fortunate we all are. England, especially this part of it, is a beautiful country, and it is a privilege to be able to wander through it with our friends on such a lovely day.
Soon we walked back up the hill, drove the short distance into Warwick, and had tea in the Castle. Take a look at the link. Do you, like me, wonder what the owners and builders of the castle in previous centuries would make of our use of it today?
Then it was on to ASK for a meal before the long drive home. What an interesting time that turned out to be. One of our number ordered a red wine and received a white wine. No problem, they happily changed it. When it was finished there was a dead fly in the bottom - YUK! They took the wine and the price of the sweet off the bill. So they responded well, but the second issue should not have happened.
Despite receiving directions, I decided to follow the sat-nav on the way home. It took us down the M1. That was not a problem, but the state of the signage on the M1 was appalling. There was a large notice telling us that the motorway was closed between junction 14 and 13. One of my passengers checked the map, and decided that the best thing was to follow the diversion. Junction 14 came and went , so did junction 13, with no closure in sight. Then we were warned of lane closures - none were found. Later we were warned of workers in the road, in the outside lane, this time there were workers, but only on the hard shoulder. I have long mistrusted signs on Motorways as they frequently prove incorrect, but that journey was the worst I have seen.
A very good and enjoyable day.
Showing posts with label Motorway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motorway. Show all posts
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
A Drive and a Walk
Saturday morning saw me facing the perils of the M25 as I acted as stand in chauffeur for Mike and Amy. They were on their way to Turkey for a week's holiday. The thing about going somewhere when it is not me that is going - is the waiting. Like a good chauffeur, I was ready well before my customers. Unlike a good chauffeur, I was not waiting patiently. I was frustrated at the amount of time they took to get ready. The journey time (according to Google) is a little over an hour. This being the first Saturday of the holiday season, I had left a little over two hours. Call it experience. Our little island has suffered under-investment in transport infrastructure for over ten years. While car sales are important for the government, roads for them to drive on are not. Expect delays.
We were not disappointed. The Dartford Crossing was the first delay, this was expected. The toll booths can never cope at peak times. The next delay was at the point where the M25 and A21 part company, but by then we had not got up to cruising speed for more than a few minutes. Then there was a quick comfort break for the driver at the services, at which point one passenger decided he was hungry and left to find food. We travelled slowly on the remainder of the M25. The M23 was OK, and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time. They expected a three-hour wait at the airport, but their flight was delayed for 4 hours.
I was home by the time I heard this. Having sat in even longer jams on the way back. These though were unnecessary, being caused by people on my side of the road trying to see what had happened to a very minor accident on the other side (about 20 minutes of delay!).
Towards the late afternoon, with threats that the weekend would see the end of the good weather for a while, Jo and I decided to take a walk in the country. We picked up one of our books, drove to Galleywood and set off on the walk. We started from the car park for the common, and traced the walk to its starting point at the Horse and Groom. We had a map, but no compass (forgetful me!), so followed the directions across the Essex countryside. I'd like to say how peaceful it was, but the roar of traffic from the A12 Chelmsford bypass was almost constant. Galleywood is unique in the UK in that there was once a racecourse around its church. You can see the outline of the course in the map below. The church is in the upper right of the loop of the course.
View Larger Map
The walk started on the remains of the racecourse, but soon struck out from the village into the countryside. We passed a field of ripe rape seed, the pods popping open at the slightest touch. We passed fields of ripe wheat, all ready for harvest. The longest day is now long gone and summer is coming to an end. The final field we crossed was already harvested. Going through one farm, the turkeys looked nearly ready for Christmas, but the ones in the next shed were much younger. Here the roar of traffic had ceased, but the machinery to keep the sheds supplied (food, water, light, air?) interrupted the expected quiet. Further away, the expected countryside peace arrived, but it was not long before we were once again near the roadside.
Back across the bypass and back to the car park. We then drove on to the Horse and Groom for tea. It looks like a lovely village pub, which it most probably is, but tonight there were various local celebrations going on, and it felt very much like gate crashing someone else's party.
We were not disappointed. The Dartford Crossing was the first delay, this was expected. The toll booths can never cope at peak times. The next delay was at the point where the M25 and A21 part company, but by then we had not got up to cruising speed for more than a few minutes. Then there was a quick comfort break for the driver at the services, at which point one passenger decided he was hungry and left to find food. We travelled slowly on the remainder of the M25. The M23 was OK, and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time. They expected a three-hour wait at the airport, but their flight was delayed for 4 hours.
I was home by the time I heard this. Having sat in even longer jams on the way back. These though were unnecessary, being caused by people on my side of the road trying to see what had happened to a very minor accident on the other side (about 20 minutes of delay!).
Towards the late afternoon, with threats that the weekend would see the end of the good weather for a while, Jo and I decided to take a walk in the country. We picked up one of our books, drove to Galleywood and set off on the walk. We started from the car park for the common, and traced the walk to its starting point at the Horse and Groom. We had a map, but no compass (forgetful me!), so followed the directions across the Essex countryside. I'd like to say how peaceful it was, but the roar of traffic from the A12 Chelmsford bypass was almost constant. Galleywood is unique in the UK in that there was once a racecourse around its church. You can see the outline of the course in the map below. The church is in the upper right of the loop of the course.
View Larger Map
The walk started on the remains of the racecourse, but soon struck out from the village into the countryside. We passed a field of ripe rape seed, the pods popping open at the slightest touch. We passed fields of ripe wheat, all ready for harvest. The longest day is now long gone and summer is coming to an end. The final field we crossed was already harvested. Going through one farm, the turkeys looked nearly ready for Christmas, but the ones in the next shed were much younger. Here the roar of traffic had ceased, but the machinery to keep the sheds supplied (food, water, light, air?) interrupted the expected quiet. Further away, the expected countryside peace arrived, but it was not long before we were once again near the roadside.
Back across the bypass and back to the car park. We then drove on to the Horse and Groom for tea. It looks like a lovely village pub, which it most probably is, but tonight there were various local celebrations going on, and it felt very much like gate crashing someone else's party.
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