After a quiet year in 2006 the holidays and day trips bounced back in earnest again in 2007. There was a day trip almost every month, especially memorable were the trips to Glastonbury Abbey, Pershore Plum Fair and 'Oklahoma' at Weston Playhouse. Since we were only able to offer two holidays the previous year we were pleased to be able to offer five holidays during 2007. We tried a 'Cosy Break' in January for the first time and everyone enjoyed it so much that we booked one for the following year as soon as we arrived home. In the spring we had wonderful weather for our holiday in North Wales and were most fortunate to have a lovely week in the Cairngorms during a very wet summer in England. In September we were blessed again with glorious weather for our holiday to Scarborough - it was almost too hot the day we went to York, and then at the beginning of November we had a 'Holly & Mistletoe' break in Bournemouth which included a very pleasant day in the New Forest amidst the glorious autum colours.
A few days ago a friend called requesting information. "You have been on a number of Christchurch holidays -- Please tell me all about them. What do you do? Where do you go? Will it suit me?......"
So I decided to put pen to paper for all who might be interested.
CHRISTCHURCH HOLIDAYS: Which areas interest you? Do you wish to cross Offa’s Dyke into Owen Glendwyr’s North Wales; to Harlec or Llandudno etc? ----- Or into West Wales where like Audrey you can sit in the Queen’s chair? ------Or you may wish to cross another boundary, Hadrian’s Wall ?--------or over the Forth Bridge into the Kingdom of Fife, the Lowlands or Highlands of Scotland?------or either side of the Pennines, to York or to Scarborough; Morecambe or the Lake District? (Which colour rose do you prefer?) Then there is another barrier to cross - to Ireland and all it has to offer. Another boundary to cross: the Tamar, into the land of the Piskis, Cornwall with the Eden Project, Newquay and the other things to do and see.
So what do we do? This is where we are fortunate to have our organisers Mike and Judy.
MIKE AND JUDY: have an excellent method of selecting hotels. Our Wonderful Organisers visit each hotel and spend a few nights there getting to know the staff and services. During this stay they then visit places of interest around about. All this information is then passed on to us - the ‘Carefree Travellers’ - we are told of the best ways to shops and cafes etc.
THE COACH AND THE DRIVER The driver is with us all week. After we have settled into our allotted seats Mike will introduce him. He will make sure we have fastened our seat belts. He will then tell us all about the coach, the tea & coffee service and most of all about the ‘Mileage Competition’.
THE DAY TRIPS - these are very much to the same standards. Each one is pre-visited by our intrepid Judy - to snowdrops, bluebells, garden centres, carveries and other places of interest.
At this point Audrey and I would like, along with forty or fifty others, to express our most heartfelt thanks for the pleasure and memories that Mr and Mrs Potts have provided - whilst raising so much money for Christchurch funds.
Gavin Cooke
A Spring Holiday to Exmouth.
This was the earliest holiday that we had ever taken - it was the second week in April to be precise. I knew it wasn't going to be like our usual summer holiday, but to snow the day before, I was shocked to say the least.
We left at the allotted time and headed for Rich’s Cider Farm, near Highbridge. After a brief stop here for tea, coffee etc., we made our way to Otter Nurseries, which was not far from Ottery St Mary. It was time for lunch, stretch our legs and carry out all the essentials of a comfort stop, then onward to Exmouth.
The hotel we stayed at, so I’ve discovered, was reputed to be the oldest hotel in Exmouth that is still operating today. It was built in the early 1790’s and was originally named the Beacon Hotel, but now bears the name of the Manor Hotel. Way back in 1840, the famous composer and pianist Franz Liszt gave a concert at this very hotel.
Tuesday we awoke to clear blue skies, it had the appearance of a summers day, but don’t be misled, the rooftops were coated in frost - brrrrr! Today’s itinerary was a visit to the small town of Seaton, here we experienced a ride on one of the beautiful narrow gauge trams. Some were constructed as early as 1904 and some as late as 2006. We spent the afternoon soaking up part of our countries ancient past by walking the Jurassic coast at Sidmouth, followed by a peaceful stroll through Connaught Gardens, which enabled us to absorb the scent from a profusion of hyacinths.
Wednesday gave us the chance to visit the magnificent Exeter Cathedral and as an optional extra a guided tour was organised to compliment our visit, many of us agreed this was an opportunity not to be missed. Exeter is a city which came across as being a typical 21st century traffic nightmare, especially for a coach driver. This is where Steve (our driver) executed a neat piece of driving when a certain route proved a no go area for a coach, so it was time to select reverse gear and implement his driving skills -thank goodness, a successful result! We concluded Wednesday with an afternoon trip on the River Exe that lasted just over an hour. We embarked at Exmouth and headed north towards Exeter. For those who preferred to be warm and cosy; below deck was the best option, but being brave and in the name of film making poor Chris and myself decided to endure the elements up top - mind you the boat owners were thoughtful, supplying us with blankets, those metal seats were flipping
cold! The whole trip was covered by a very informative commentary. I didn’t realise that dolphins could be seen in the estuary, some were actually sighted that day.
After an excellent evening meal, it was time to take a stroll along the sea front. I was intrigued how the incoming tide surges at a phenomenal speed up the estuary- quite an eerie sound in the subdued evening light.
Thursday greeted us once again with glorious sunshine, great for photos and filming, though I was experiencing a problem with the video camera, now praying that it was still recording something! Today’s itinerary was a visit to Bicton Park and Botanical Gardens. It must have been at least 20 years since the last time we visited here. O look! The train, now that's a must- a ride on the train enables you see a vast majority of the Park, plus I love trains anyway. We spent the morning here then headed back to our hotel early in the afternoon, this gave us ample time to explore the shops of Exmouth. By the end of the afternoon the weather had started to deteriorate (just an April shower), as we were enjoying a rather interesting display by the local Wind Surfing Club, it was time to air out the umbrella.
Friday morning we hailed bon voyage to the friendly staff of The Manor Hotel and headed out onto the open road, well, the M5 Motorway. The return journey was interrupted with a comfort break at Burnham-on-sea. Time for lunch and if you were brave enough you could attempt a walk along the beach - it was jolly windy to say the least. TV cameras were on the seafront ready to film the news item shown on ITV the day after we returned, concerning the unexploded WWII German bomb found not far from the coastline. Sometime on Saturday afternoon it was detonated causing a massive explosion. We could almost say our holiday went like a bomb!!
David Hoare
