London and Midlands

Rob and sue in full flight
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1 April

We got on and it flew!! It was a good flight on the A380 to Heathrow arriving around 7.00am. You guessed it, it was raining and cold.

Business class on the A380 was ‘real business class’. There was heaps of room and the beds were comfortable and dead flat. Food and drinks were excellent.

No personal training today except I think even Rob was tricked as we walked briskly around London and explored Kensington. Used the tube and went to a couple of pubs for lunch and then tea. That amounts to a couple of pints, an Old Speckled Hen and a London Pride, for me. The others were more reserved and health aware drinking mineral water, Pepsi light and cider for Rob.

Anne without broomstick
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The pub we are staying at for a couple of days in the middle of Kensington and handy to the tube. Weather fined up later in the day and we dropped into Harrods strictly for a browse and to visit the shrine.

3 & 4 April

Its now time to look for vans / cars.

Picked up a rental car and drove to Reading. It is a Vauxhall Zafira (Opel). A small wagon but with a bit of pushing we have got our bags in, as well as the frog TV.

On the way
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Visited several caravan places and there should be no problem with a lot of options from purchase to hiring all within the expected budget.

The best part is we have tried quite a few more pubs and seen a lot of the quaint villages around Reading and Oxford. Rob is checking out the ciders and I am trying the ales. Sue and Anne they have been very good and with Anne on mineral water while Sue has weakened and had a few beers and a wine. I did the chivalrous thing and helped her with the wine.

Getting closer
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Rob’s new Tom Tom navigator has been great, except for our trip out of London when Rob had it set for walking and it took us down the narrowest and longest streets and tried to take us down some pedestrian malls!

Temperatures have been between 7 and 16 during the day but I the night temperatures have eluded us due to the positive medicinal affect of the beer and wine.

School holidays started 4 April so we expect to see more people on the road.

5 April

Lots of room in 2 seats
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Went to Bristol to look at vans, it was an eventful day;

A truck rolled on the M4 and we were in a traffic jam for 2 ½ hrs

Got to Bristol sampled local pub and went to cider factory

No vans but new campervans are cheap (thinking about possible next time).

Us and our luggage at heathrow
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Went to ‘The Car Shop” in Swindon and bought two 2004 diesel Mondeo station wagons, too easy with 1000 cars all under cover.

Snowed at the car dealer, the girls went a bit silly but it was fun, the car dealer thought we were a bit strange. Not very good ambassadors.

Got back to Reading at 9.00pm and had fish and chips.