Pompey Puddleducks Sunday Valentine Outing
23rd February 2020
Report by Peter Mitchell, Pompey Puddleducks
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Photos courtesy: Peter Mitchell, Ryan Smart & Fran Cullen
Pompey Puddleducks Sunday Valentine Outing
We have been doing an excursion on the nearest Sunday to Valentine’s Day for over twenty years, going back to when the “Downland Dromedary’s” stopped doing it.
We always meet at the Churchillian public house on top of Portsdown Hill and do a scenic route to somewhere interesting, followed by a meal. This year we decided to start and finish at the pub.
Unfortunately, along came Storm Dennis so we had to re-schedule from the 16th to the 23rd February. The weather was forecast to be marginally better than the Sunday before but, in fact, turned out to be considerably better.
Either by chance or design the car park has a 2’ high ridge of grassed earth running along the South side. This is similar to some gardens on the south side of the Isle of Wight and venturis on the front of ships bridge wings and shoots the wind up over your head if you stand in the right place.
Surprisingly, and to their credit given the forecast, fourteen cars turned up to receive their route maps, everlasting roses, short lasting biscuits and Carol’s individual hearts. Sean took our food orders to the pub before we set off down the back of the hill for a 26 mile foray along narrow lanes, some containing mud and puddles, some walkers, some cyclists, some walkers herding dogs, and the odd large shiny 4 x 4 heading for Sunday lunch at their local.
Twelve minutes took us to the ‘comfort’ stop where there just happened to be the exact number of parking spaces for us to park in a line. There is a new sign at the entrance saying ‘P Free’. Not sure if that refers to the parking or the toilet but it works for both.
We then went on through more narrow lanes and a few villages, to stop and re-group in a village car park where the locals had the cheek to have filled it with their own cars. Luckily there was another one just along the road but, as it happened, we were all still ‘grouped’ so just drove in and out again.
Only a couple of roads had water right across and there was a tanker pumping out one area, otherwise it was all good and the sun even made an appearance.
We arrived back at the pub about two hours after leaving, to find that they had laid up a long row of tables for us. Knowing it was a busy pub I was a bit dubious about the service time but, once we all had drinks and got seated, the food arrived, nice and hot, in a continuous procession and all was well in the world.
Another good day out, thanks to everyone for joining us, especially several we met for the first time, and we now have four new members as well.
Peter
We have been doing an excursion on the nearest Sunday to Valentine’s Day for over twenty years, going back to when the “Downland Dromedary’s” stopped doing it.
We always meet at the Churchillian public house on top of Portsdown Hill and do a scenic route to somewhere interesting, followed by a meal. This year we decided to start and finish at the pub.
Unfortunately, along came Storm Dennis so we had to re-schedule from the 16th to the 23rd February. The weather was forecast to be marginally better than the Sunday before but, in fact, turned out to be considerably better.
Either by chance or design the car park has a 2’ high ridge of grassed earth running along the South side. This is similar to some gardens on the south side of the Isle of Wight and venturis on the front of ships bridge wings and shoots the wind up over your head if you stand in the right place.
Surprisingly, and to their credit given the forecast, fourteen cars turned up to receive their route maps, everlasting roses, short lasting biscuits and Carol’s individual hearts. Sean took our food orders to the pub before we set off down the back of the hill for a 26 mile foray along narrow lanes, some containing mud and puddles, some walkers, some cyclists, some walkers herding dogs, and the odd large shiny 4 x 4 heading for Sunday lunch at their local.
Twelve minutes took us to the ‘comfort’ stop where there just happened to be the exact number of parking spaces for us to park in a line. There is a new sign at the entrance saying ‘P Free’. Not sure if that refers to the parking or the toilet but it works for both.
We then went on through more narrow lanes and a few villages, to stop and re-group in a village car park where the locals had the cheek to have filled it with their own cars. Luckily there was another one just along the road but, as it happened, we were all still ‘grouped’ so just drove in and out again.
Only a couple of roads had water right across and there was a tanker pumping out one area, otherwise it was all good and the sun even made an appearance.
We arrived back at the pub about two hours after leaving, to find that they had laid up a long row of tables for us. Knowing it was a busy pub I was a bit dubious about the service time but, once we all had drinks and got seated, the food arrived, nice and hot, in a continuous procession and all was well in the world.
Another good day out, thanks to everyone for joining us, especially several we met for the first time, and we now have four new members as well.
Peter
Photos courtesy: Peter Mitchell
Photos courtesy: Ryan Smart
Photos courtesy: Fran Cullen
