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Short Break to Lytham St Anne’s on Sea – October 2004We awoke to a dry sunny morning; well not really because it was wet and windy. In spite of traffic difficulties for some, we were ready to depart at 9:45 a.m. as scheduled. This was our first holiday using Rover Euro Travel of Horsley near Stroud so we were introduced to Carole our steward and Trevor our driver prior to heading for the M5. Before long the wind and rain were left behind and we enjoyed a bright and dry journey north. Carole served coffee/tea en-route and we stopped for lunch at a Garden Centre After lunch we visited Rufford Old Hall near Ormskirk. It is somewhat smaller than most N. T. properties which added to its interest because it was possible to feel “at home”. Everyone appeared to enjoy the visit. We arrived at the Glendower Hotel in St Anne’s on Sea at about 5:30 p.m. Dinner was served at 7:00 p.m. and we all appreciated the choices offered in the 4 course menu, followed by coffee in the lounge. The day was a good start to what promised to be an interesting short break. |
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Tuesday’s weather was quite acceptable. In the morning we went
to Accrington, home of one of the founder members of the football
league - Accrington Stanley (they now play in the Nationwide Conference
– the same league as Forest Green Rovers). There was a market hall
ion Accrington which we were able to compare with Oswoldthistle
Mill which we patronised mainly because they provided a guide for
a tour of Pendle Witch Country during the afternoon. The guide was
both knowledgeable and humorous and made the trip most enjoyable.
He told us we would visit Chatburn where most of the TV series “Born
and Bred” is filmed. As we approached the Village “The law” stepped
in front of the coach to inform us that filming was in progress
and we wouldn’t be able to enter the village. We did get a glimpse
of the activity but didn’t recognise any of the actors (except for
a vintage Austin 7). Another excellent meal brought the day to a
close. Our visit to Bowness on Windermere was made in typical Lake District weather – rain and more rain. However it didn’t completely dampen our spirits – indeed some people braved the elements and went on a short cruise on the lake. Others visited the Beatrix Potter exhibition. En-route to Bowness we diverted to Bolton-le-Sands to pick up Ken Mills and his wife to join the group for the day. Ken usually manages to get to our A.G.M’s and he appreciated being able to join us without having to travel to Bristol Thursday’s excursions were “close to home”. In the morning we had a “must have” tram ride from Blackpool to Fleetwood. Most of us braved a visit to the famous Fleetwood Market to see what bargains we cold find.
The 3 musketeers, Dave Curtis, Fred Smith and his pal Dave Pople didn’t follow the crowd but returned to Blackpool and enjoyed some of the delights of the Blackpool Tower, particularly the organ. After an early evening meal we set off to drive thro’ the miles of Blackpool’s lights. The 2 million light bulbs in the various displays were indeed spectacular.
On Friday we had to make the return trip to Bristol. We broke the journey in Eccleston to visit “Bygone Days”. This consisted of 3 long ex-warehouses now housing a most varied collection from the past; most of which you could purchase if you felt so inclined – I don’t think there were many that did so!
Everyone appears to have voted the short break a success; Hotel, Courier, Driver, Fellow Passengers, relaxed trips and 10:00 a.m. start each day. Trevor’s excellent driving and Carole’s friendly approach contributed to a successful short break. As you will recall; we had to revise this year’s short break, and we have to say a big thank you to those non-members who joined us, because they made the whole occasion viable. In particular one of our recently bereaved passengers expressed the opinion that the short break had greatly helped him over a difficult period. Perhaps there are others who might like to join us next year – if we get enough support to organise a break; more information at the Christmas Lunch. David Welsford |
We then rejoined the coach for the final stage of the journey.
The anticipated hold-ups on the Manchester – Birmingham stretch
did not materialise but we did have a few problems on the M5 especially
at the Almondsbury Interchange area. We arrived home at about 6:99
p.m., some half hour behind schedule.