Horsley 14-17 Sep 12

Happy anniversary Tom!

It's hard to believe that it was the first anniversary of us taking command of Tom on 15 Sep. Where has the time gone? It was also time for his annual checkup at Marquis so a full service and habitation check was carried out on Tues 11, necessitating me spending a day in Northampton. The less said about suffering a day in Northampton the better, although the shoe museum was quite interesting.

Anyway - on Fri 14th I drove down to Horsley C&CC site in Surrey. I have heard that one should never revisit places with so many happy childhood memories, but I did want to go back, albeit in the luxurious comfort of a fully equipped motorhome rather than a small tent. I arrives at about 1300hrs and instantly recognised the old place, but so much had changed. There is a road all around the lake and the C&CC have vandalised the site by ripping out half of the woods and also building a storage park where the toilet block used to be and a monstrous new toilet block in the middle field. Somehow the site appeared a lot smaller, but I suppose I was a lot smaller then. To think that we used to swim in that lake!

The Lake

..and in 1976, being drained
 

A beer or two later I walked to the village to have a mooch around and then meet Debs from the train. We walked back to the site and she must have been sick and tired of the stories of childhood exploits I regaled her with on the way back.  Dinner and wine and an early night ended Friday.

Glorous woodland chopped down by the "We care for the environment" Camping and Caravanning Club vandals.
 



The old Youth Field now.....

 

 

..and in 1976

On Saturday it was up early, train to Surbiton, lunch in Kingston and met Sharon, James and Chris, plus a couple of Sale Sharks supporters, in the Barmy Arms in Twickenham. After watching yet another glorious Harlequins win against Sale, we had a few more beers, admired Rob & Sally's new motorhome, had a Chinese meal in Surbiton (not brilliant) and then caught a train back to Horsley to be in bed before lights out.

The Barley Mow, West Horsley

Sunday was a slow start and a long walk to the National Trust property, Hatchlands. Whilst listening to the saxophone quartet in the grounds, we realised that the Tour of Britain was passing outside. We quickly sprinted through the woods, scrambled over a barbed wire fence and burst through the hedge to watch the cyclists speed by. Back by the same route, grubby and scratched, we enjoyed a cream tea then a tour of the house, before heading back across the park to West Horsley, stopping at the Barley Mow for a few pints of Doom Bar! Total walking distance - about 8 miles, which was so nice to do after losing the use of our legs during a recent driving tour of Ireland.


Hatchlands

 

On Monday, Debs had to go to work, so it was up early and a walk to the station for her to catch the 7.30 train. I had a wander through the old Pine Woods on the way back and decided that I should really buy a dog as an alibi for these early morning expeditions!

Packing up and forcing the miserable old git from the Royal Bank of Scotland Caravan Club to say "Good Morning", I had a leisurely drive back to be be home by lunchtime.

Horsley - nice to go back, but disappointed by what the Camping Club have done to the place and how they charge so much for such poor facilities. The toilet block is in need of some urgent upgrade.



We were tough back then