Hosts: Members:
Visitors:
Easter Meet at Broadway, Worcestershire,
Thursday 18th – Monday 22nd April, 2019
Geoff and Davey.
Alli and Rache with Bella, David and Brian with Daisy, Ian and Stewart with Woof-Baa, Matt and Lee with Rita & Roxy, Neil and David with Rosie, Peter, Sally and Carol with Misty & Jessie, Steve and John.
Matthew and Shaun.
At last, it really did look as though summer was on it’s way and, since we had the opportunity, Davey and I decided to book an extra night at the Broadway Caravan and Motorhome site arriving about 3:15 Wednesday, 17th April.
After looking at a few pitch options we opted for pitch 52, adjacent to a service point and with a lot of space behind and to the side to minimise noise disturbance to future neighbours.
It did not take long to put up the gazebo and unload chairs and tables etc. and then text our location to those attending.
Thursday dawned bright and sunny and after a leisurely breakfast we put up the light poles and more lights around the gazebo. By early afternoon we had met with Peter, Neil and David, Alli and Rache, Steve and John arriving in the early evening.
Later, Carol and Sally joined the group in the gazebo for celebration drinks and Birthday cake for Davey’s birthday.
Having arranged a gathering for the following morning for ‘seasonal nibbles and coffee’ at eleven, we made our excuses and left the group chatting in the gazebo to head in to Broadway for a birthday dinner. Friday morning and the weather was holding, we moved the chairs into the sun and welcomed many of the group for Hot Cross Buns and coffee or tea.
A lot of chat centred on alternative routes for walking the dogs including a long one suggested by Alli and Rache to Broadway Tower, though their departure was delayed by a hitch with the door lock for their caravan – it seemed to be jammed. Many suggestions were made to fix the problem including the help of some bikers who managed to free the jammed parts, though Alli was still concerned that the unit would break if they forced the latch.
Their walk with Bella took a shorter route than first planned, though it did give Bella the chance to go swimming !
Later, we took Lily (our holiday dog) for a shopping trip into Broadway.
Some of the group met for pre-dinner drinks in the evening.
Saturday saw great weather – clear sky, full sun, rising temperatures and most of the group meeting for coffee and biscuits, spreading across the front of the gazebo and motorhome.
Plans for the day included taking the recently restored train route from the rebuilt Broadway Station to Cheltenham race track, a visit to Batsford Arboretum near Moreton in Marsh and Alli and Rache were trying to find a supplier to replace their lock.
Unfortunately our plans to visit Batsford didn’t come about – the motor home would not start.
Despite having replaced the battery and alternator, and a long run, the battery was flat.
Another camper offered to help with his ‘re-start power pack’ to no effect other than draining the unit. Davey fitted the battery charger and we took another walk in to Broadway, giving us the opportunity to try the Horse and Hound for the first time.
Others in the group reported visiting the Swan or the Crown and Trumpet for essential refreshment. Returning to site a few of us gathered for pre-dinner drinks.
After dinner, most of us met in the gazebo for a lot of chat and (not a few) drinks. We also welcomed Matthew and Shaun who were ‘testing’ a motorhome for the first time to compare with their caravan. It was late in the evening when people began to depart.
Easter Sunday and great weather again. Almost all of the group including Matthew and Shaun gathered about eleven o’clock for coffees and chat.
Meanwhile, the Easter chicken had landed and left gifts attached to strings for everyone to draw out of the ‘nest’ – a ( very, very hard ) sugared chocolate egg or a small bag of mini-Easter eggs. After a lot of chat and ( frequent ) use of a hammer to break in to the sugared eggs many of the group left for walks in the surrounding countryside, though Alli and Rache intended to set off in search of a new lock from a supplier nearby.
We gathered again in the early evening for pre-dinner drinks and reports of afternoon activities.
The dog walkers had had a good afternoon out.
My brother and his partner visited us for an Easter lunch in the Swan and Alli and Rache drove to the caravan dealer’s but they still needed to replace the malfunctioning lock.
Unfortunately they were victims of the Sunday Trading Act 1994.
The Act limits shop opening hours by the size of the premises:
Small shops (under 280 sq m/3,000 sq ft) – no restrictions on opening.
Large shops (over 280 sq m/3,000 sq ft) – Monday to Saturday – no restrictions; Sunday – Opening for 6 continual hours only, between 10am and 6pm; Easter Sunday – closed !!
From personal knowledge, the retail horticulture industry has been campaigning for an exemption ever since the Act applied – do you know of a Garden Centre less than 3,000sq ft ??
However, they did have the chance to walk to a nearby village with a welcoming hostelry.
Monday – another great day, very warm and sunny. As we were leaving that day there was no gathering for coffee, Matthew and Shaun left early from their pitch nearby. A few members were staying until Tuesday though we were busy collapsing the gazebo and the light poles, clearing the ‘stores’ pop-up tent and getting everything loaded in to the motor home.
Davey had checked that the motorhome would start and all was o.k.
All completed and checked just after midday so it was a brief round of farewells to Peter, Alli and Rache, Neil and David and Matt ( Lee was out with the dogs ).
In brief, in spite of the hitch on Saturday we enjoyed our trip to Broadway, it was great to meet so many members of both clubs, the site is great – very helpful wardens, very good facilities, lots of things to do nearby and a short walk to the village and local hostelries.
Many thanks to all those who helped with the starting problem, especially Neil who used his former AA skills to check the charging system.
Many thanks also to all who joined us for a very sunny, very warm Easter 2019. (Compare to last year!!) We enjoyed hosting the meet and look forward to seeing many other members at future events.
Look out for something different in Brighton in August !!!
Greetings to all, Geoff and Davey
p.s. Whoaaaa!! I forgot something, who said that they never got round to ‘putting the world to rights’ at the gatherings – oh yes we did, just ask Neil about HS2 – – – (chuckle). Geoff ‘n Davey.
left to right –
Steve and John, Carol and Sally with Misty & Jessie, David and Brian with Daisy,
Alli and Rache with Bella
Ian and Stewart with Woof-Baa,
Davey and Geoff, David and Neil with Rosie
and Peter
[ not pictured –
Matt and Lee and Matthew and Shaun ]