Go West

It looked promising. We had woken to a dry and fairly bright morning (but that, as the forecast promised, can be deceiving). We finished packing and loaded the car, bit by bit. Everything was squared away, we locked up and set the security system and were on the road before nine o’clock.

The Gorse Fox had debated with himself and Google Maps regarding the route. He decided that the “Jurassic” route along the south coast was likely to be slow, given the weather forecast (heavy rain). Another route cut through Salisbury and up to the A303 west of Stonehenge, but that meant getting round Salisbury. The final choice, a few miles longer, nipped up the M3 to Winchester, along the A34, and onto the A303 east of Andover. This final route was chosen. What a good decision that proved to be.

Including a brief comfort break, our journey took 4 hours and 40 minutes. The Gorse Fox was able to sit at the speed limit the whole way down (and thanks to the Adaptive Cruise Control hardly had to touch the pedals at all). It was a very comfortable journey and the forecast rain didn’t actually start until the last 20 miles. That did mean, however, that we arrived in an absolute monsoon. We parked the car and left all the luggage to collect when the rain eased off.

We settled down in the bar for a cup of tea and a sandwich, while waiting for our room (and a break in the weather). When the room was available, the Gorse Fox went and got the luggage - the rain had not relented, he was soaked. He had to change and his trousers were at the bottom of his case. He stripped ti pant and started to unpack. Just as he dragged on another pair of trousers, there was a knock at the door. It was Becky.

The Silver Vixen’s niece has been down in Cornwall for the past couple of weeks and we had suggested she come and meet with us and have dinner. She had checked in to another hotel, in Charlestown, down the hill. We had a lovely afternoon and evening, catching up on all her news and the family gossip. She has been down as an experiment to see if she could relocate here yet still do her job effectively. Was the WiFi good enough? Is the train journey to London manageable? Can she live on her own? Where would she like to settle, and where did she feel wasn’t right? Her checklist was extensive, but the results were looking positive. She’s headed back home to Clapham tomorrow… and then has some decisions to make.

We had dinner in the Spa Bar and Restaurant. This is a less formal dining room than the main restaurant. As expected, the food was excellent. We all started with a chicken and bacon roulade with salad; for the main dish the Silver Vixen had confit duck, Beck had a beef dish, and the Gorse Fox had monkfish. As we were looking at the sweets menu, J&T arrived. They, like us, had had a very good run down from Wokingham. We continued to sit and chat for the rest of the evening.

Becky said her goodbyes and headed back down the hill (texting her safe arrival). J&T went to stretch their legs, and the Gorse Fox and Silver Vixen headed up to bed. It had been a ver good day.