Each year in mid-September the PROBUS club I am a member of, organises a short 5 days holiday usually in UK.

This year (2018) was no exception and the coach trip with about 40 members took us from Sutton Coldfield to Portsmouth situated on the South coast of England. It was a good and enjoyable trip.

This was my third PROBUS holiday the previous two were to Scotland and Yorkshire.

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On Monday the 17th September I got to my pre-appointed pickup point on Jockey Road, a less than 5-minute drive from home at 8:15 am with my suitcase and rucksack. A couple of other members arrived almost at the same time. We didn’t have to wait long for the coach to arrive. Paul our popular and expert driver who has done nearly all the Probus trips in the past was greeted with cheery ‘hellos’ & good morning.  Mine was the second pickup point so some members were already on board. We slowly meandered through morning traffic to get to the third pick up point where the rest of the members came on board. While our driver stored the cases in the belly of the coach the members climbed aboard and there was cheery hellos and good mornings, some banter and funny remarks to produce laughter all round. Once settled our organiser made a few welcoming remarks and then the microphone was passed over to Paul our coach driver who made the mandatory announcements about Safety on the coach and pointing out that we must wear our safety belts and that it is the passenger’s responsibility. And then we were off.

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We were not making a bee-line for Portsmouth – a distance of approximately 130 miles from Sutton Coldfield – but were going to make a stop at a Mottisfont, a grand house, gallery and lavish riverside lawns and gardens. This is a ‘National Trust’ property near a place called Romsey in Hampshire. We were expected by the NT officials to arrive at 12:30, which we did.

It is perhaps worth pointing out that all of UK is dotted with mansions/property/grounds of usually of historic importance, which is looked after and maintained for the nation by ‘National Trust’. For an annual fee of about £70 one can be a member of NT whereby you can enter any NT property anywhere in the country free. Majority of the members on the coach were members of NT. I am not and there were perhaps another couple who too were not members so we paid £10 each to enter the house and grounds.

Mottisfont was a medieval priory set in beautifully laid gardens before 1934 when an aristocratic lady called Maud Russel came across it and wanted to make it her life-long country home. So, she bought it and converted the priory into a living home for herself as a retreat and a place of creativity and a playground. There is an art gallery, lovely large rooms beautifully decorated with the best and more importantly for us not very young travellers, there were two cafes for tea/coffee and cakes, sandwiches and even a hot meal if you preferred. After a leisurely stroll through the house, the garden, riverside walks – river is called “TEST” - taking pictures with one’s phone, we were suitably refuelled and having used the facilities we were off on our journey to Portsmouth.

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We reached our hotel, Holiday Inn, by about 5 pm. While our driver brought out the luggage from the belly of the coach we formed an orderly queue at the reception desk to be given the key to our rooms. Unfortunately, we were being processed by only one member of staff so it took a while to go through 40 guests. At the desk we were asked to decide what we would like for dinner this evening from a set menu with limited choice. The dinner would be at 7:30 pm we were told so that gave us enough time to unwind, relax, and change for the evening. Our suitcases would be delivered to our doors in due course. Not having the case it would be difficult to change for the evening so I kept checking at the door to see if it had been left outside it hadn’t. I sat on the comfortable chair and had a doze when the knock at the door woke me up. The suitcase was delivered by the hotel porter to the door and gave me plenty of time to spread the clothes at least some of them in the wardrobes and get changed after a wash to join others at dinner. People had arrived at the dinning area early and acquired their favourite drink at the bar and then gravitated towards their chosen table usually guided by familiar faces or waving of arms to call you over to a certain table. Engulfed in the pleasant noise of chatter and laughter we all waited for the first course to arrive. When it did arrive, we had to try and remember what we ordered. That always produced a lot of amusement to the chagrin of the serving waiters who are carrying two or three dishes and trying to get the right one to the right guest still wearing a smile.! Whatever the dish you are having the meal becomes enjoyable with happy company and there was so much to talk about of our journey so far.  Most of us retired to the comfort of our rooms soon after a drink or two while some, made of sterner stuff, stayed on till late.

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In the morning on Tuesday 18th September after breakfast we were off at about 9:30 am to go to Salisbury. In the light of the recent factual political intrigue (could have been right out of a espionage thriller novel), in Salisbury there was inevitable comments with laughter and sniggers “don’t go about buying perfume in Salisbury, people can die…” As the coach approached the parking area Paul told us briefly about the sights to see and instruction to get back to the coach by 4:30pm if I am not mistaken. We had a good 4 hours to spend here so everyone did what they pleased. Some stopped for coffee some went to the market (we had been told that it was ‘market day’ today), some went straight for the famous Salisbury Cathedral. What a magnificent sight it was too. So, imposing, so elegant reaching for the sky as if wanting to touch God. It was a beautiful sunny day so we just sauntered towards the Cathedral in a leisurely fashion taking in the grounds surrounding it. I had been to the Cathedral with my wife about 3 decades ago and beside the tall spire the one thing I remembered was the inner quadrangle surrounded on all four sides by the architecturally simple but impressive cloisters. I seem to remember that the tall mature trees in the quadrangle were present then, 30 years ago. The cloisters were not bare. There were chairs and tables for visitors to have refreshments together with some gentle amusement for the tourists by displaying couple of medieval ‘Stocks’ where you could get ‘punished’ for your crimes and be photographed by friends. Quite amusing.

The ‘Chapter House’ off one of the cloisters was a sight to behold. Circular it was very well lit and right in the centre within a protective tent was the display of “The Magna Charter”. There were some other displays as well; I cannot recall what these were. There were guides demystifying the displays and of course the Magna Charter.

By now we were all a little hungry so we went into the Cathedral Café situated in the shadows of the Cathedral with an awe-inspiring view of the Cathedral through the glass roof of the Café – I had to take a picture. The ‘tourist trap’ was laid out for us at the far end of the café. It was a well-stocked Cathedral shop with an assortment of attractive items and I succumbed to it. It was time to move on. We went to the ‘market’ and saw various stalls with stall holders pedalling their wares – clothes, hardware, cheeses, chocolates etc – in a full-throated voice. On our way back to the coach stand we stopped for an afternoon cuppa, which was welcome. Soon everyone arrived in pairs or groups to board the coach well on time. Graham our organiser did a count and looked concerned for two or three passengers were missing. He got off the coach and straining his neck and eyes was the anxious lookout. Soon the missing guests were spotted, as they boarded there were a few comments from friends and then we were off.

The coach left the coach park and we at a slow pace to start with headed back to the hotel in Portsmouth. So, I thought. But Paul our driver announced that we are not going directly to Portsmouth but will go through New Forest. I had heard about New Forest in Hampshire but never had any occasion to visit it in the past and I hadn’t paid much attention to it even though I had heard praise for it both verbal and in the media. As we got to the edge of it and Paul started to give us a brief history and some vital statistics about New Forest, that made me sit up. I became alert staring out of the window with eagerness. The road we were travelling on went right through the forest with thick growth of mature trees on one side with the other side being like pasture, closer to the road with trees getting denser further away from the road. And there were horses and ponies grazing along with some cattle. To the eyes it looked like any other forest in UK except it was expansive occupying a staggering area of 150 square miles. It’s the history and the numbers which came as a complete surprise to me. In 1079 William the Conqueror decreed it as the Royal Forest. It is even now an unenclosed pasture-land, heathland and forest. 90% of the forest is owned by The Crown and looked after by the Forestry Commission. It is a habitat for rare birds and mammals. There are ponies, cattle, deer, pigs and even donkeys. The numbers I am told are in hundreds if not thousands. The animals are free to roam and graze. The forest is surrounded by three main villages which have become popular holiday resorts for indigenous population as well as tourists – usually taking the form of long walks, hiking and I believe camping in the forest with the surrounding villages as base I imagine. As our coach passed through the forest we saw ponies, donkeys and cattle happily grazing. It sure was an interesting sight-seeing trip- new view for me.

We reached our Hotel in Portsmouth about 6 pm. It was case of getting back to our rooms, rest, wash and get changed for the bar and dinner.

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Wednesday 19th September was promising to be an exciting day for we will be heading for Isle of Wight. It was going to be an early breakfast for we were to board the ferry before 9:00am. Amazingly we all managed to be on our coach on time with no stragglers. The hotel was less than a couple of miles from the ferry point so we were perfectly on time. Soon we were rolling along and our coach seemingly quite effortlessly glided onto the ferry along with cars, vans and lorries. It was such a surprise that so many vehicles of various sizes just packed themselves next to each other on the ferry. We all had to leave the coach and go up the stairs to the deck remembering our exit point. The deck was a magnificent lounge with comfortable chairs placed in such a way that most allowed a panoramic view from large curved windows of the sea. I hardly noticed that we were on the move till well into it; It was so smooth. It was cloudy but despite that the view of the sea was enchanting. I later on discovered that our ferry was the latest model and I think it was all electric or could have been a hybrid? Soon we reached Isle of Wight and we got our orders to get to the coach through the exit we came up. There was no rushing and soon we were all seated in the coach. Along with other vehicles our coach smoothly left the ferry and we travelled through the residential areas on a blowy and rainy day to the Isle of Wight Steam Train, a very touristy thing to do. Steam trains are such fun and nostalgic. The train was not quite ready for us so we listened to the chief guard of the Station give us a brief history of the Railway – run and maintained entirely by volunteers - and gave us information about the timings of the train and some safety tips. Most of us went to the Station café for a hot drink and a snack and some of us went to the museum and the inevitable souvenir shop. The train was announced and we all piled into our reserved coaches. The furnishings and fittings were dated; it was like stepping back in time. The windows in the door operated vertically with the help of a strong leather strap and one had to be careful in using the strap. It was a tight squeeze on the two berths, opposite to each other in the compartment but we managed giving way to giggles and laughter. The train jerked and we were off. It was an hour long journey a sedate pace with the nostalgic sounds of clickity-clack and the smell of smoke seeping through the gaps in the door and windows. Every lurch during the journey produced laughter and giggles and it was jolly and fun. The train first went one way then there was a pause while the locomotive was detached and attached to the other end of the train producing more mirth among the passengers in the compartment and then we were off in the opposite direction. The process of detaching and attaching was done one more time and we chugged our way back to the main station where our journey had started. The to-and-fro journey took us an hour. We disembarked with all wearing smiles on their faces.

Back to the coach for we were now heading to Osbourne House for lunch and visit. Osbourne House was the sea-side resort for Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children. Osbourne House is a very impressive looking building situated in its own vast grounds beautifully maintained by English Heritage. Once there we all did our own thing. Some went to the House to view the Royal rooms, the paintings and the Indian Gallery while others walked the lavish grounds and yet some took the transport to the beach where there was a café where one could buy sandwiches and a hot drink. There was more to see but we had to get back to the coach on time to meet our return Ferry back to Portsmouth. It was a good trip to Isle of Wight and Osborne House.

Thursday 20th September was promising to be another exciting day. After breakfast we were going to visit Portsmouth Naval Dock Yards, where we will see The Mary Rose Museum, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the National Museum Royal Navy. The coach dropped us at the Dock Yards entrance, which was a less than 10-minute journey from our hotel by coach. Once the group passes were obtained, we all entered the dock yards. I was astonished to see the vast expanse of the area with ships and buildings located seemingly not far but the walks to them was not short. We were free to visit all or any of the sites. Most of us wanted to see the Mary Rose Museum first so we did. In the 70s I had seen the Mary Rose when it had just been set up in a roofed dock as large as the biggest hangar to start the process of saving the timbers and everything else about the pride of King Henry the VIII. All you saw then was the keel and the broken decks leaning on huge supports with water being constantly sprayed on the timbers. Even then it was an awe-inspiring sight. Today going to the Mary Rose Museum was a super awe-inspiring vision. In the 40 years the simple covered dock has been transformed into a world class museum where one saw Mary Rose as it was supposed to be. The artefacts, the several levels of decks, the equipment, the guns, the kitchen, the doctors place, the armoury, the sleeping quarters, the storage area, the massive ropes and the sheer mind-boggling size of the ship was jaw dropping. No wonder Mary Rose was pride and joy for King Henry the VIII. My hats off, many times, to the designers, architects, engineers and the skilled craftsmen who put this Museum together for the public to see every aspect of the ship and life in it, laid out in such thoughtful and creative manner for ease of viewing coupled with well-placed information about the exhibits, for the visitor. For me it was a thrilling and a wonderful experience to see Mary Rose after nearly 40 years when it was first placed in the dock as time-eroded collection of shaped timber. What a transformation!

The amount of walking – the length and breath – we had done to view Mary Rose had generated an appetite and the strong desire to take the weight off the legs so we headed for a café. It was good to sit down and have a bite to eat and a hot drink; one needed a drink after all that walking and it was very windy in the open Yards.  

After being fed and rested, the small group I was with decided to walk down to see the Nelson’s ship HMS Victory.

We walked to see HMS Victory and when we got closer to the warship it was truly a jaw dropping sight! I just kept taking pictures on my phone at every turn. We were ushered on the dock where we were handed over the ‘audio guide’. This audio-guide was a great help in appreciating the enormity of not only the ship’s size but also the role she played in all the battles and in particular the Battle of Trafalgar. Walking the decks and looking at all the guns, the and all the paraphernalia that goes with keeping the Guns operational gave a real sense of the men who sailed and died with Nelson of Trafalgar.

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From Wikipedia: HMS Victory is a104-gun first-rate ship of the Royal Navy, ordered in 1758, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She was Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.

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We also took a tour of the warship HMS Warrior and it was amazing to see all the arms it carried and the full complement of guns. We are told that it was the world’s first iron-hulled warship launched in 1860 and ‘never fired a shot in anger’ and yet changed naval warfare for ever.

By now we were quite tired and the legs were starting to protest but then Spinnekar was sighted; the adrenalin kicked in we all four of us eagerly traversed the unknown path to get to the Spinnekar, which is an edifice in the shape of a sail and we had to get there to see the view from the top. We got there paid for our tickets and happily settled down in the café with a view and the much needed drinks. It was worth it!

By now of course we were hours behind time and there was no chance of being taken to the hotel by our coach so the intrepid 4 decided to walk feeling sure that our instinct for the right direction will get us to our hotel – no problem! Famous last word. We pointed ourselves what looked like the correct direction but then roads in a busy metropolis do strange things like change direction. So, we crossed roads, we came to T-junctions, we asked people and were led in different directions. My legs were not happy and we had been walking what felt like hours. I even attempted to use my phone to orient ourselves having never used the facility before but it was not a great use; then we came across some young folks who looked like students and we soon found the right road and were elated to see the sign Holiday Inn. It was a long day but a wonderful and enjoyable day. So, to our rooms, a quick shower changes of clothes and to dinner with our fellow travellers.

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Friday 21st September – Last day of our holiday so, the cases were packed and brought to the reception area, where our coach driver Paul was loading into the coach in the correct sequence with first-in would be last-out. After a good breakfast we departed on time with a short stopover at National Trust place called Hinton Ampner an elegant country house with distinctive gardens. The brochure says ‘One man’s vision for a Georgian country estate’. We saw the gardens, visited the interior of the house, went to the walled garden etc. It was interesting and quite relaxing. I cannot remember whether we had our lunch there; we must have. Then onward on the motorways to head for Sutton Coldfield. It was after 6 pm we got to our pickup points and then home. Reflecting on the holiday I would say it was a very good holiday, plenty to see and good company and not the least, well organised by The Russells!

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                    Ajai Kapur   (Holiday Script Writer extraordinaire)    Sept 2018.