Woking Bikeathon

Sunday 10^th May.  I grace the annual Woking Bikeathon with my presence, and  the DG comes along with me. Not having attended this event before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, in terms of numbers attending, or the extent of the organisation.  Since taking up office as Consort to the District Governor I have attended a number of events organised by clubs around the District, and have been surprised and impressed in equal measure at just what great events Rotary Clubs can organise. Highlights to date have been Kingston’s Dragon Boat Race and Chertsey’s Black Cherry Fair, so how would today’s event, organised by Woking Rotary Club, compare in such company?

My question was partly answered as we headed over to Woking. We aimed to arrive half an hour before the start of the Bikeathon, and as we drove along the road from Chertsey to Woking we passed increasing numbers of cyclists wearing orange hi-viz tabards with ‘Woking Bikeathon’ emblazoned across them. They were obviously heading for the start line and I couldn’t help thinking that they should be resting in the comfort of a car as they headed for the start, rather than tiring themselves before they even got there. Obviously cyclists are made of stern stuff.

As we arrived at Woking Park, I noticed good signage and several stewards directing traffic to the car park, a good indication of a well-organised event, I thought. We parked up and walked over to the start line. It was still over 20 minutes to the start, and there were cyclists already queueing up at the start line, with the line of riders going so far back I couldn’t see the end of the line. There was the answer to my question – this is a very big event indeed. We met Terry Smith the Rotary organiser, who said that over 900 riders had registered for the event, and £47,000 was being raised for the event’s preferred charities, which included Woking and Sam Beare Hospices and the Woking Mayor’s Charities.  They had road closures agreed, two checkpoints on the route, and stewards along the length of the course.

                                                        Ready to go

Clearly a lot of manpower was needed for the event and the Rotary club just doesn’t have enough members to do everything themselves. So, like other clubs which run successful large events, they enlisted help wherever they could find it. There were, for instance a group of youngsters helping to marshal riders at the start. I assumed, incorrectly as it turned out, that they were Rotaractors, but in fact the young lady I spoke to, was the daughter of a Woking Rotarian, and she had come along to help with some of her university friends.

                                                       The DG and Daisy meet some stewards

Riders had a choice of a 28 mile course or a 13 mile course, and Terry was at pains to point out to all riders that it was not a race. All he wanted was for everyone to get around safely. He had enlisted some big name celebrities to help at the start, one of whom was the mayor of Woking, Tony Branagan, and then there was me. And of course the DG.  All riders were wearing the orange hi-viz tabards we had seen as we drove in. We were told that they all get one of these to keep. Every single one had ‘Rotary Club of Woking’ written across the back, with ‘Woking Bikeathon’ written below. What great marketing  that was, with 900 people cycling around the surrounding area for the next couple of hours, all advertising the Rotary Club! How impressive is that?

                                          The mayor helps organise riders

Before the ride got under way, I went for a stroll around the site with Daisy. There was an excellent steel band playing on a small bandstand, and I went over to get a better view. To my surprise the musicians were all youngsters, aged around 13 to 16 in my estimation. They were all from Bishop David Brown School in Woking, and seemed to have a teacher in evidence, probably needed to drive the minibus, which was parked nearby. I gritted my teeth and visited the portaloos, only to be amazed to find the cleanest portable toilets I have ever made use of. They were spotless, sweet-smelling and well supplied with soap and towels. Clearly they have a better class of portaloo in Woking.

                                                       The excellent steel band from Bishop David Brown school

                                               terrific toilets

I got back to the DG just in time for the grand start of the Bikeathon. Giving last minute instructions to the cyclists to keep in single file and watch out for horses and riders around Chobham was a gentleman whose name I didn’t get, but I understand he works for Honda, who sponsor the event, and he has done this for over twenty years. Obviously practice makes perfect, as he did a very good job. 

                                          The man from Honda gives final instructions

However, to my surprise, there wasn’t a mass start, with 900 cyclists sweeping across the start line on their way towards the leafy lanes of Surrey. In fact the cyclists went off in groups of 30, with about one minute between each group. On reflection, it is obviously sensible to avoid a quarter-mile long pelaton moving slowly away from Woking Park, causing disruption to local traffic. The man from Honda, therefore, had to repeat his pep talk about 30 times before everyone finally went on their way.

                                          The first group get under way, watched by the DG and Daisy

                                                     The DG applauds a group of riders as Terry Smith looks on

After the main Bikeathon were all off, it was time for the Kids Bikeathon, which also attracted 50 to 60 entries. This was for very small children and the event comprised laps of the track around the Park. The children could complete as many laps as they wanted before coming down the finishing straight and collecting their medals. It was quite fun to watch the varied cycling skills of the youngsters, some of whom had stabilisers and others just propelled themselves along using their feet on the ground. They wore small versions of the hi viz tabards that the adult riders had, but even these were too big for some kids, and were dragged along the ground.

                                          A tiny tot races along the finishing straight

The fun of the Kids Bikeathon was hardly over before riders in the main event started arriving back at the Finish line. Some were very competitive, and sprinted to the line, which proved a bit dangerous, as there were people standing there trying to hand out medals to everyone as they finished. The mayor of Woking had enlisted two of his grandchildren to help hand out medals, and they had a few near misses, as fast-finishing cyclists came past. The danger was alleviated when Terry walked a few yards down the road and exhorted riders to slow down. Terry has an imposing presence, and when he says ‘slow down’ you slow down.

                                          The DG chats to Rotarians at the Control Tent

The DG was called into action in handing out medals to the finishers, who soon started to arrive in large numbers. One chap caused a lot of amusement when he crossed the line with a tiny child on the back of his bike, who was fast asleep, entirely oblivious to all the commotion. So there you have it, the perfect way to get a child to sleep, put him on the back of your bike and ride 28 miles.

                                          Plenty of helpers to hand out medals

We had another engagement to attend in the afternoon, so took our leave of the organisers, whilst Terry was busy on his walkie-talkie sorting out problems along the route as they occurred. It had been another great example of how a single Rotary Club can run a major local event, not just once but year after year.

The DG is kept busy

80 Years of Rotary in Carshalton

Friday 8^th May. I am invited to attend  the glittering occasion of the 80^th anniversary of Carshalton Rotary Club’s Charter, and I bring the DG with me.  The event was held at Hartsfield Manor in Betchworth, a superb Country House which I have not been to before, and a very suitable venue for such a prestigious occasion. Betchworth is between Dorking and Reigate, and the Sat Nav took us along some rural roads I have never been on before. It is easy to assume that Surrey is a concrete jungle, but there is some superb open countryside which would rival many other counties in the UK.

                                                           Hartsfield Manor

Parking near the front door to Hartsfield Manor was easy, and we headed in to the bar, where I was able to catch up with a number of old friends. District Treasurer Andy Barnard is a member here, as is District Training Officer Peter Dancy and Alan Lewis, chairman of our Conference in Bristol last October. I remember Carshalton’s President, Philip Hewitt very well from my official club visit some months ago when we sat together. His chain of office looks exceptionally heavy, probably because it carries metal plaques for each President who went before him. It seems that Carshalton club will not be celebrating very many more anniversaries in its current form, as I heard this evening that discussions are taking place with the nearby Carshalton Beeches club to merge the two clubs.

                                                                 Dining Room at Hartsfield Manor

 I offered to buy Peter and his glamorous wife Toni a drink at the bar, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that beers and soft drinks were not being charged, presumably because the Rotary Club had come to an arrangement with the Hotel to cover these costs. Emboldened by this knowledge, I offered to get drinks for all and sundry. People must have thought me a very generous fellow indeed. I only came unstuck when a group of people (who shall be nameless) asked for gin and tonics, the price of which was not covered.

Gin and Tonic

Carshalton are ‘twinned’ with a Dutch club, Appeldoorn Nord, and several members of their club had come over for the weekend to join in the celebrations. Similarly to my visit to Ewell last week, the Dutch club had brought with them a Rotary Exchange Student, a young lady from Argentina who had been staying with the family of one of their members.  The Dutch visitors seemed quite young for Rotarians, I would guess their average age to be under 50. Or maybe they just seemed younger because they were pretty lively. Weekend visits between Carshalton and Appeldoorn Noord are exchanged every year and members of the two clubs seem to know each other very well.

                                                  Hotel Keizerskroon in Appeldoorn, where the Dutch club meet

In my own club, Shepperton Aurora we have a twin club in Port Elizabeth West, South Africa. This came about as a result of one of our members emigrating to South Africa and joining that club. Whilst we have collaborated on a couple of projects, it seems unlikely that visits between the clubs will ever take place, due to the large distances involved and corresponding cost of flights. We would like to have a partner club on the near-Continent, within a couple of hour’s drive from the Channel ports, and we have gone so far as to approach clubs in Germany, Belgium and, I think, France, but our advances so far have been turned down. We should continue to try, as I’m sure our members would enjoy having an International aspect to their Rotary involvement.

                                                                        Port Elizabeth - we really should visit

When the time came to sit down to dinner, I found myself on the top table, as I have come to expect, sitting directly next to President Phil Hewitt and his wife Sabine. Also on our table were RIBI President Peter King and his wife Di, who we will be spending the weekend with next week in Alcester.  Next to Di was the President Elect of Carshalton, Vince Aulett and his wife Bianca. Next to them were the president of the Appeldoorn Nord club, Dirk Speelman and his wife Yvonne.

                                                                             The DG in deep discussion with Dirk

It was interesting to speak to Dirk (whose English was superb) about Rotary in Holland. His club is a similar age to ours, about 15 years old, but has considerably more members. I think he said there were 54 members, a large proportion of whom are very active in Rotary work. Dirk mentioned that his club is also twinned with a German club, and he pointed out how much easier it was to visit their German twins, who are just 2 hours drive away. Visiting their UK twins is more of an operation, with a two hour drive to the Channel Port, followed by a ferry crossing and then a one and a half hour drive to Carshalton. The advantage of coming here, though, is that they have a weekend away, staying with fellow Rotarians, and get taken out to places of interest. Tomorrow they are going for a visit to Brighton.

The DG has the floor

Phil Hewitt, as I discovered when we met some months ago, has had a very interesting life, and he kept me entertained with stories about his career. The last time we met he told me about his dramatic escape to Sweden during the war, from where he eventually made it across to the UK. He got into retail sales at a young age, and worked for some leading Department stores. On one occasion, he was working at a Department Store at the time of the Brixton riots, and hid in a lift suspended between two floors , whilst the store was being looted. Eventually he joined  Barnados,  the leading childrens charity, where he was in charge of their Charity shops for many years.

                                                      Dirk Speelman speaks, watched by the DG and Phil Hewitt

I noticed that Phil was being stage managed by Sabine, who made sure that he did the right things at the right moment, whether that was the Loyal Toast, Introducing speakers, or welcoming VIP guests like me. After dinner, which included undercooked lamb (It seems fashionable these days to serve lamb pink, I blame Masterchef where it  appears to be a crime to cook anything properly) our first speaker was RIBI president Peter King, who gave an excellent and thankfully brief speech in his usual assured and laid back style. Next to sing for her supper was the DG, who was eloquent and even briefer, in congratulating the club on this memorable anniversary.

                                                               Phil is delighted to receive a banner from Peter King

Dirk Speelman, President of the Dutch club Appeldoorn-Noord was next to speak, in fluent English. After he finished he presented a cheque for 1,000 Euros to Carshalton Rotary club, presumably for their Charity account. Next up to speak was Phil himself, under the watchful eye of Sabine, and I think she must have been very satisfied with the content and delivery of his speech.  Phil introduced a special speaker arranged for tonight, a gentleman called Mel Rees, who spoke entertainingly about his life. A trained architect, he worked for a while in the charity sector, where he rescued a number of charities from closure. However following bouts of depression, he underwent therapy which he says changed his life, and he is now an accomplished author and public speaker.

                                                             Mel Rees enjoys applause after his speech

As the evening drew to a close I found myself speaking to Di King. We are meeting up at Alcester again next week, and we discussed how the assembled consortium might entertain ourselves whilst the DGs are engaged in General Council. I fancy a visit to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford on Avon, but I think I may be in the minority.  When it was time to make our farewells, the DG drove us home as I had partaken of a couple of glasses of wine. Unfortunately she missed a turning on the way, and as a consequence a 20 mile journey became more like 30 miles. Not that I noticed, I was asleep.

                                              A dazzling line up - Dirk Speelman, DG, Phil Hewitt and Peter King

Nigel Wilson PHF

Saturday 2^nd May. I join members of Shepperton Aurora on a visit to the new home of Nigel and Mary Wilson, who left Shepperton 6 months ago and moved to the village of Mere, in Wiltshire to bring them closer to family members. Mere is only about 1.5 hours down the M3 and A303 from Shepperton, but is worlds apart in terms of its rural location and quaint village feel. The Wilsons were expecting to downsize, but their beautiful old house (parts of it date back to the 17^th century) is actually about 30% bigger than their previous one! The garden seems enormous, and they are still finding out what’s in it, as different plants grow.

                                                         Nigel and Mary outside their new house

The visit was originally intended to be part of a longer weekend away for the club, but there was insufficient support for that, so 16 of us went along today to have lunch with Nigel and Mary and spend the afternoon with them. The DG and I hitched a lift with Doreen and Tony in their very roomy VW Touran, and their Sat Nav cleverly guided us around a notorious trouble spot on the A303 which would have held us up for 15 minutes. We were very smug when listening to fellow travellers talk about the hold up near Stonehenge. It is a well known bottleneck which may be sorted out if and when the proposed tunnel is built which will leave the ancient monument  in the kind of landscape it might have been in centuries ago, with no traffic noise.

                                                               Stonehenge

Mere is very beautiful, I’m not sure whether to call it a small town or a large village, as it is well supplied with independent shops, has at least two pubs and three churches. Nigel and Mary’s house is at the end of a lane, opposite a fine 15^th century Anglican Church, St Michael’s, which has one of the largest yew trees I have ever seen in its churchyard. The tree must be several centuries old. Other trees in the church grounds have been trimmed into some fine topiary shapes.  It looks a very well kept church. As he is a Catholic, Nigel attends St Mary’s church, which has  less architectural merit, being situated in a converted wartime Nissan hut.

                                                                              The house appears to have a steeple

We did have a hidden agenda for this visit which was not revealed until we had all arrived. The club wanted to reward Nigel for many years selfless service in his community and to the Rotary Club by presenting him with a Paul Harris Fellowship. A Paul Harris Award is the highest honour that a club Rotarian can aspire to, and in RIBI they are not given out lightly. To qualify for a PHF a Rotarian would need to embody the Rotary principle of Service Above Self to a very high degree, and there is no doubt that Nigel has done so.

                                                        Enjoying the sunshine

 He is a founder member of Aurora, a Past President of the club, and someone who has quietly supported the work of the Rotary Club with good humour and common sense, never seeking the limelight, and never causing controversy. A deserved recipient, then, and I was sure that as Consort to the District Governor, I would be called upon to make the presentation, thus lending my innate gravitas to the occasion. I had prepared a few words (no more than 20 minutes) during which I intended congratulating him on receiving this honour, and how I felt that the position of Consort should be developed so that I could present more of these awards.

                                                       Nigel realises the award is for him

To my surprise, Pauline Hedges took it upon herself to present the award, even though she is only a President. The thought briefly occurred to me that I should have grabbed the certificate and medal, thus ensuring that I got to present them, but I didn’t want to cause an unseemly fracas on this auspicious occasion, so I maintained a dignified silence. When  Pauline gathered us all in Nigel’s garden for a ceremony, I don’t think Nigel had any idea about what was coming, he probably thought we had brought a house-warming gift or something. However, as Pauline spoke, it gradually dawned on him that not only was a Paul Harris about to be awarded, but he was to be the recipient. He took it very calmly, in his usual manner, although I think Mary was probably more emotional when she realised what was being awarded.

                                                        Proud Rotarian

A super lunch then followed, with chicken casserole being followed by a range of desserts, and an enormous cheeseboard, on which I noticed a slab of my favourite cheese, Dolcelatte.  Some so-called friends unkindly suggested I had too much of the cheese, but I only took one piece, admittedly quite a large one.

                                                            Not much food left

 After lunch a few of us went for a trek up the hill behind their house, on top of which there was once a castle. It was decommissioned in the 14^th century and there is now nothing of it to be seen above ground. It is rumoured that many fine old buildings in the village are built with stone robbed from the castle. There is a good pathway up the hill, and in 10 minutes we had reached the top, from which there are superb panoramic views in all directions. There is also a monument at the top, dedicated to all ranks of the 43^rd  (Wessex) Division who lost their lives in the Second World War.

                                                          We made it to the top

                                                         Nigel gets to grips with his house

 Interestingly, the busy A303 passes close to the other side of the hill, but most of the traffic noise is blocked by it. Before this road was built, the main road to the South West must have passed through Mere’s narrow streets.  On the way down from the hill we passed a small herd of goats, including several youngsters, and a young woman was feeding them carrots, which they clearly were enjoying. They seemed very tame and approachable.

                                                        Feeding the goats

At around 5.30 most of us said our farewells, and The DG and I headed off with Doreen and Tony.  The Wilsons extended an invitation to any of us who wanted to come and stay with them for a weekend (provided we don’t all come at once). Staying with Nigel and Mary would probably be difficult for us, as the house isn’t very accessible for wheelchairs, but they made clear that we were welcome to visit whenever we are in the area. Traffic on the way home was light, and we made good time. It had been a very enjoyable day, full of laughs and good fellowship.

Don't step back Tony!

60 years of Rotary in Ewell

Saturday 25^th April. I am invited to attend a celebratory dinner in recognition of the 60^th anniversary of Ewell Rotary Club’s charter, and I brought the DG with me.  We rarely attend Rotary functions on Saturday evenings so this visit was something of a novelty for us. We set off in good time because we had to first drop Daisy off at Linda’s who is to look after her for the evening.  Linda has been so good to us in taking Daisy when we are out, that this evening I brought her a bribe.  Knowing that she likes rhubarb, I picked a load of rhubarb from the garden and presented it to her, together with a jar of rhubarb and ginger jam, made with my own fair hands.

                                                        Linda's bribe

We had to get to the smart Antoinette Hotel in Kingston for 7 p.m. and the last time I tried to drive in that direction there was a half hour delay getting past the road works in Hampton. Fortunately, the roadworks appear to be finished and we sailed through, arriving early at the Hotel. There were no disabled parking spaces available in the Car park, so the DG suggested we park astride two parking bays so that she could get out comfortably. I looked around furtively as we got out of the car, but I think my transgression went unnoticed by fellow guests.

                                                                 The Antoinette Hotel Kingston

Ewell Rotary club have a French contact club, from Condé / St Amand in Northern France, and several of their members were visiting this weekend to join in the anniversary celebrations. Many Rotary clubs have ‘twins’ in other countries, which is an excellent way of fostering International friendship and understanding, a Rotary ideal. Ewell club members visit their French counterparts on alternate years, staying in the homes of Rotarians for a weekend where they are entertained with excursions and fellowship by their hosts. They then return the hospitality the following year. This weekend was the occasion of one of these annual visits by the French club.

                                                        St Amand

When I left school, I could speak French pretty well, which was a great advantage when crossing the Channel.  I have always found it to be a charming language when you can express yourself. The problem is that if you don’t go there for several years, as in my case, you get a bit rusty. The vocabulary is all there somewhere, but can be difficult to remember in the middle of a conversation. Therefore, during our drive to Kingston, I rehearsed some French phrases in the car which might stand me in good stead when I meet the French Rotarians.  Sadly, my knowledge of the French language is more Del Boy than Charles Asnavour these days, although I believe that if I spent a few weeks in France, it would all come back to me.

                                                                         'Mange tout, Rodney'

As we entered the Hotel, we were greeted by Ewell Rotary Club’s President Michael Shone, and I recognised a few people from the club who I have met before. Andrew Ford worked with me on the 2014 Conference Committee, and I knew Peter  Yeates  from my days at Brooklands College, as he did a similar job at Nescot in Epsom, and we would meet up occasionally. John Brewer is also a member at Ewell, and he would be providing one of his excellent discos later in the evening. The DG knows far more people than I do at these events, or perhaps I should say they know her. If she can’t remember anyone’s name she just calls them ‘darling’ and always gets away with that.

                                                        The DG chats with John and Jackie Brewer

Soon it was time to take our seats, and I was gratified to find myself on the top table, in very august company. As well as Michael Shone and his lovely wife Sue, there was the mayor of Epsom and Ewell, councillor Robert Foote and Mayoress Rosemary. Also on our table was the president of Conde / St Amand Rotary Club Hubert Trannoy, who introduced his charming wife Veronique to me.  ’Enchanté,’ I said, thus getting off to a very good start with our French visitors. I couldn’t think of anything to say by way of continuing the conversation in French, so reverted to English, and was relieved to find that most of our table companions understood it. There was one exception, a lady called Martine, who spoke no English, so I started rehearsing a few French phrases to say to her. This is, of course a dangerous strategy, as the other person may say something in reply, then I will be stuck.

                                                        The dining room is ready

The French group had brought with them a Mexican girl, Gabi, who was a Rotary Exchange student, staying for 12 months with a French family, whilst attending a local College. What an amazing experience that  must be for her. Youth Exchange is an International Rotary scheme which Di King, wife of the RIBI President Peter King is particularly passionate about. Our own club has never yet sponsored an exchange student, and I started thinking that it’s about time we did. Although the family Gabi was staying with had not come over this weekend, they thought it would be a good experience for Gabi to come to England for the weekend with the French Rotarians. She speaks several languages, including Spanish (of course) French, English and a couple of others too, but I can’t remember what they are.

                                                         Martine (left) with Gabi

The mayor proved to be very entertaining company. An aircraft mechanic by profession, he told us about  his hobby of restoring vintage motor cycles, and is currently working on a 1950’s Arial motorbike.  He is a dog lover, but as Rosemary wasn’t very fond of dogs he didn’t actually own one. Naturally the DG showed him photos of Daisy, and he said that Golden Retrievers were his favourite dog, and if we ever needed a dog sitter we should call him. The two of them spent the rest of the evening comparing notes on the triumphs and the tribulations of holding high office, the respective weight of their chains of office, and how to keep smiling whenever a camera is pointed at them. I gave them an opportunity to put this into practice.

                                                         The DG with mayor Robert Foote

As you would expect, there were a few speeches on this auspicious occasion, and Michael Shone spoke about the history of Ewell Rotary club, the activities they have been involved in, and also paid tribute to their French guests. His speech was delivered in short segments, which were then translated into French by Peter Yeates. I was most impressed with Peter’s command of French, and how he spoke it like a native. On behalf of  his club, Hubert then delivered a speech in French, which was translated into English  by Peter. Hubert then presented Michael with a gift from his compatriots, which was a beautiful book containing prints of paintings by a French painter, it might have been Monet.

                                                        Michael Shone (left) receives a gift from Hubert Trannoy

Greetings were also brought from Waterlooville Rotary Club, who had a representative at the dinner, and a banner from them was formally handed over. To my surprise, there were also greetings from Buckingham Palace. Apparently Tom Drake, on behalf of the club, had written to the Queen to send the club’s greetings to her on the occasion of the 60^th anniversary of their Charter. An official at Buckingham Palace, on behalf of the Queen, wrote back to congratulate the club on its’ anniversary, and wishing them well. This seems an excellent idea for getting Royal recognition of a special occasion, and I must bear that in mind for the next significant anniversary of our club.

                                                        The DG with mayoress Rosemary Foote

It was a very enjoyable evening, the food was excellent  with smoked salmon followed by roast beef, then sticky toffee pudding. What is there not to like about that? I actually got two starters as the DG didn’t fancy her smoked salmon, and the wine certainly flowed. Andrew Ford, who is a professional photographer, took an official portrait of us after dinner. As dancing to the John Brewer Sound got under way we took our leave and headed home, with the DG driving this time. 

Out and About in Northern Ireland

Monday 13^th April. Having been to Belfast for the RIBI 2015 Conference, the DG and I decided to spend a few extra days exploring Northern Ireland, somewhere that neither of us had been to before. We had treated ourselves to a luxurious hotel, the Roe Park Resort in Limavady, and had a superb room, with sitting room as well as a four poster bed, and windows on two sides. The Hotel was only 10 minutes  drive from the Giants Causeway, one of the major attractions in Northern Ireland (or Norn Iron as the locals pronounce it), and about 20 minutes from the city of Londonderry. However this morning hadn’t got off to a very good start, as we needed to drive all the way back to Belfast to collect my laptop, which had been left behind at the Hilton Hotel in Belfast.

                                                        Roe Park Resort

So, just after breakfast we drove the hour and twenty minute journey back to the Hilton (we had already phoned and they confirmed the laptop had been found).  As I pulled up outside the Hotel, I noticed a designated disabled parking space outside. The thought occurred to me that I could probably have left my car there during our 4 day stay in Belfast, rather than the £60 we were charged for the car park. I nipped in to the foyer to collect the laptop, and kept bumping in to Rotarian friends who hadn’t checked out yet. Jenny Muir was just checking out, and Tim and Linda Cowling were in the foyer.  Tim reminded me about his Rotaract sub-committee which I seem to have found myself on.

                                                            State-of-the-art Visitor centre at the Giants Causeway

A few minutes later, I was back in the car and we were heading North again, going the direct route this time rather than the scenic route we took yesterday. We drove straight to the Giants Causeway, which I was delighted to discover was a National Trust property, and we had our membership cards with us. After stopping for lunch in their excellent café, we had a quick look around the visitor centre, before heading off to see the Causeway. There was a half mile walk downhill to the site, so we took advantage of the bus, which took us all the way down. And there it was! One of the most famous landmarks in Britain, and we had finally made it here.

                                                         The Causeway

The Giants Causeway is an area of shoreline covering several acres, made up of six-sided basalt columns of varying sizes which appear to march into the sea. It really is extraordinary to see them close up. These columns are so precisely created, and fit together so exactly, that it seems impossible for them to have been created naturally. I strolled along a cliff path to a place where there were tall columns in front of a cave, or so it appeared. When I got there I realised that there was no cave, it was just a series of light and dark pillars, referred to locally as the organ.

                                                          Like a giant jigsaw puzzle

On the way back, I was amazed to see Doug and Rosemary Price walking towards me. It seems that DGs who stayed behind in Belfast had decided on getting a bus trip to the Giants Causeway, at the very time we had arrived there. What are the odds of that happening, I wonder? Following them were Stan and Sheila Keller and several other Rotarians, including one chap who was a keen photographer of birds, and showed me some super pictures he had taken of gannets and rock pipits. He was devastated when I told him about the black guillemots outside the Hilton Hotel in Belfast, which he had missed.

                                                         The place was full of Rotarians

The DG and I spent some time at the Causeway, soaking up the atmosphere of the place. We were both very glad we had made the effort to get there. At one point I went for a clamber among the columns of rock as they disappeared under the waves. I wondered how far out to sea they went, and whether they would be fully revealed at low tide. I didn’t find any information to tell me that.

                                                          The Causeway disappears under the waves

The following day was the DG’s birthday, and at last I had an opportunity to give her presents and cards that had been hidden in the car ever since we left home almost a week ago. She had chosen to celebrate her birthday by visiting Londonderry, just a few miles along the north coast. So off we went about mid-morning, following signs to the city. The DG decided to use the Sat Nav to make sure we got parked at or near a shop she particularly wanted to look at (you will surmise from this that it wasn’t a purely sightseeing trip today). We were just driving across a new-looking bridge sweeping majestically over the river Foyle, which is very wide just here, towards the city on the other bank,  when the co-ordinates were put in to the Sat Nav. Sean immediately took control of the situation, made me go right round the roundabout ahead, and soon had us heading back across the bridge we had just been on, and seemingly away from the city.

                                                        The pedestrian Peace Bridge curves across the Foyle

I thought that maybe the shop was in an out of town mall, but no, we were taken to a modern housing estate, in the middle of which Sean declared that we had arrived at our destination.  So having been just about to enter  Londonderry, we were now several miles away, and lost. We thought we would give Sean one last chance to redeem himself and tried again with some co-ordinates to the City Centre. This time he directed us faultlessly into the centre of town, across another bridge further upstream . We parked near the Peace Bridge over the river Foyle and quickly located the shops the DG was looking for. Londonderry is a fairly compact city and nothing is very far away. It is, however quite hilly, and one or two roads were a bit of a challenge for us to walk up.

                                                        The DG on the Peace bridge

After the birthday girl had indulged her retail therapy habit it was time for a little tourism. We walked across the Peace Bridge, a beautiful newly built pedestrian bridge, which curved across the river to Ebrington, where there is a huge open space on the site of the parade ground of the former Ebrington Barracks, and a lot of modern sculpture. We had lunch in this pleasant area  served from a mobile café overlooking the Ebrington Clock Tower. Nearby, on the bank of the river, was a famous art installation, called Mute Meadow, which comprises 40 pairs of narrow columns. These are lit up at night, with accompanying sounds. I’m sure it is very impressive after dark, but it didn’t do much for me in daylight.

                                                        Ebrington Clock Tower

                                                         Sign of the times - Rotary Foyle food bank

A notable period in the history of the city is the siege of 1688 – 1689, when a few apprentice boys shut the gates to the city, saving it from being entered by an invading Jacobite army, who then laid siege to the city. The apprentice siege heroes are commemorated throughout the city, and there is a memorial hall and Museum dedicated to their memory. One of Londonderry’s claims to fame is that it’s the only city in the British Isles with an unbroken City Wall, which survives today, subject to a few minor alterations to allow traffic to flow through. The wall was accessible to us from St Columbs Cathedral, and so we made our way there up some pretty steep roads.

                                                      St Columbs cathedral

St Columbs is a beautiful cathedral and well worth the effort getting there. The Cathedral was built in 1633, and was fully restored a few years ago. It boasts some fine stained glass, and some very old regimental flags hanging near the Chancel. The very helpful volunteers there told us a lot of the history of the building, and also showed us how we could get on to a section of the City walls via a ramp from the cathedral grounds. Some of the cannons used to defend the city during the 17^th century siege can still be seen on the walls. One of the most famous, called ‘Roaring Meg’ is just outside the Cathedral.

                                                        Roaring Meg

Our short time in the City was coming to a close, and we decided to be very brave and drive through the Bogside area of the city, which became famous (or infamous) during the Troubles as a hotbed of Republicanism. A week ago I wouldn’t have considered such an undertaking, but we had come to feel very comfortable in Ulster, where we had encountered nothing but kindness and friendliness from local people.  The Bogside was surprisingly difficult to find, as the City is full of narrow one-way streets which kept taking us back to where we started, but eventually we hit on the right road. The Irish flags of green, white and orange flapping in the breeze indicated that we had found the right place. Admittedly, I was driving and watching the road ahead most of the time, but apart from a few murals, there wasn’t much sign of the Troubles on the roads we drove along, and we didn’t find the atmosphere intimidating at all.

                                                        Free Derry corner - Bogside

As we headed back to our Hotel for a slap-up birthday dinner we reflected on our Northern Ireland adventure, which had been hugely enjoyable. We had seen some wonderful sights and spent several days in the company of good friends. Tomorrow we would be heading South West, to Sligo, where I would be going back to my roots, in the care of my cousin Padraig and his lovely wife Margaret.

                                                         Ebrington sculpture