Review
Overall, a very good trip. Compared to our previous trip in 2010 there was not as much birding, and to some extent Cathedrals were replaced by Parish Churches. There was also a bit more 'personal background' since the areas and topics covered had connections with my past. I have tried to keep the write up of this to a responsible level and hope it won't be too boring for you!
Ratings of service providers
- Although I still believe the old "Visit Britain" approach was better, in the end Hoseasons did a pretty good job providing agency services for the accomodation.
- Both Gull Cottage and Trap Cottage were excellent places to stay and are recommended if you are in those areas.
- Europcar did what was needed in the car department.
- WRT to airlines::
- Malaysian, the carrier from Sydney to KL were OK;
- KLM flights (Kuala Lumpur to Brum to Amsterdam were all good. However their administrative and on-line systems need some looking at to make them client friendly.
- China Southern Airlines are in the "close but no cigar" category. The flights were on time and the aircraft excellently presented but the service on flights was not good.
The trip-overall awards section
- Enema tube insertion point: Worthing, East Sussex. Due to the traffic problems on the A27. Other nominations would have to include the junction of the M3 and A34, with Chichester and Shrewsbury getting mentions due to their appalling traffic signage.
- Bird of the trip: Red Kite.
- Garden of the trip: Hidcote. That is probably a lifetime award from me, and I suspect Frances has a similar view.
- Building of the trip: Worcester Cathedral, narrowly over Uppark House. The latter gets a walk on the carpet because of the associated story.
- View of the trip: Many contenders. I have ended up giving the gong to looking North from Aberystwyth, mainly because it includes both human and natural elements. The Temple of the Winds at Black Down and the view from the road over Clee Hill also needed consideration.
- Bad taste of the trip: It is impossible to go past the ceramic clogs in Schipol. Although, on further consideration, the similar establishment in Guanxhou put in claim for "rising (red) star" status with a kiddies panda suit.
- Jobsworth of the trip: Very few nominations but it wouldn't matter since the 3F in the Selsey Co-op established an unassailable lead. Again possibly a lifetime award. Apart the massive skills displayed by this player, an early contender - the Dean of the Catholic Cathedral in Brum - lost consideration when the similar place in Shrewsbury performed worse.
- Helpful dude of the trip. Quite a few nominations here,
- starting with the young bloke at the Brum Information Centre (due to the contrast with their bogan website);
- the guy in the Novtel at Brum who went to great lengths to open a bottle of beer - purchased at Waitrose - for me; and, at the other end of the trip;
- the cop in Gunagxhou airport who got us through the transfer business and thus enabled us to catch our outwards flight. He won the award due to the contrast between his actual performance and what one would expect from a person in that employment, which would normally indicate being a strong contender in the preceding category. His colleague ...
- ... the queue manger doesn't win because it was her job, but gets a walk on the carpet because of the way she;
- spotted a problem;
- jumped us in front of about 150 other punters; and
- raised the speed of action of the desk folk from 0 to Warp Factor10!
July 17 Getting going
July 18 Brum, brum ,brum
July 29 Welsh Land meets Irish Sea
July 30 The Bard and The BordersJuly 31 A typical Pommie Summer Day??
