It is Monday August 19th 2013 and I am slow getting going after another memorable cricket travel to the midlands at Derby and Birmingham to watch another successive disastrous Durham County Cricket club performance, this time in the 40 40 competition followed by an excellent day, despite the rain at the 20 20 Final’s day before another getting lost in a city, this time fortunately I was in my car.
Although I was away only for three nights there is that feeling of being away a long time, in part because over this and next month I am in fact away from the house for more time than I at home.
I set off on Thursday morning early having packed well the day before but failed to get a haircut. There was an amusing moment of a kind on the Wednesday when I went to the Morrison’s garage at Seaburn and put in £32 pounds plus of petrol then could not to find my credit cards but fortunately I had just the right amount of cash to hand. It was on returning home that I realised that I did have the cards with me, in the pocket of my shirt! I went out immediately to Morrison’s for two small salami sausages, some milk and more soft liquorice at £1a packet, some tomatoes and a small pack of raspberries. I resisted the sprats and will continue to do so unless I am prepared to eat without the bead crumbs and batter and grill or bake rather than swamp in oil.
I went to Lidl’s for some breakfast cereal and for a haircut but the barber was closed - Wednesday afternoonitis. I could not resist purchasing two bars of nougat having also purchased a pack of salted peanuts at Morrisons. I had half the peanuts and one of the nougat during the evening and the rest when I returned Sunday, Both indulgences require punishment. I stopped at Seaburn on the way home yesterday afternoon for more petrol but found I had left the points credit receipt at home so will top up on my way Scarborough in ten or so days time, I bought milk and tomatoes again and some grapes, two packs for £3, and resisted the sprats and peanuts. I am yet to weigh myself but will do before lunching. I did find one barber’s open but there appeared to be half a dozen customers waiting as I drove past and on.
I decided to stop for a coffee after I set off at the McDonalds just before reach the Boro overpass and then continued until making a short stop to advise of my lunch companions for the expected time fo arrival. I was early and had to wait half an hour enjoying a lemonade which I topped up when the party arrived, and read some Montalbano while waiting. I enjoyed a chicken and bacon salad for my meal. I then made my way to Derby and a travel lodge located at Chaddesden. The residential village is to be found just before the city centre off the A52 which is known to everyone locally and further affield as the Brian Clough Way joining the Cities of Derby and Nottingham when here and a brilliant career with Derby County and Notts Forest.
Without Sat Navigation and relying on brief notes and a sense of direction I took the wrong turn at a roundabout and ended up back on the A 52 into city. This was a master stroke because as the road ended at a major roundabout I spotted the sign to Chaddesden and moreover the entrance to Derbyshire Cricket ground just along this road- truly amazing, with the Travel Lodge next to a Toby Inn along the road about a mile further,
The following morning I commenced to write having just eaten a ginormous consolation breakfast comprising two heaped plates with a total of four sausages, six pieces of bacon, three fried eggs, some scrambled eggs and slices of season tomatoes plus a refreshing large glass of delicious orange fruit juice with a little ice at the Toby Carvery all you can eat breakfast for £3.99 plus the cost of the fruit juice. All that salty bacon was to create a great thirst which led to a an enjoyable break at Sutton Coldfield in the day. More on this in the second piece.
The Chaddesden Travel Lodge is among the best I have stayed with a comfortable room fitting into my needs including four large pillows, usually three thinner ones, good power points and a large flat screen TV which I can connect my lap top if needed plus the full range of digital and radio TV channels. Unfortunately with only a one night stay I was unable to take full advantage of the quite residential location and a small shopping community which includes two mini supermarkets and a local Tesco’s. I am staying at the Day’s Inn just by the ground when I visit again in September otherwise I would have returned to Chaddesden.
Overnight I reflected night on the number and range of Travel Lodges I have stayed at commencing with the Greater London area, Croydon Central (1) a dozen time or more, (2) South Croydon(when another chain controlled but staying and this September) and (3) Caterham-Whyteleaf plus (4) Maldon Surrey with (5) Kings Cross in central for general visits to the capital and cricket at Surrey C C and Middx County Cricket and Lords On other visits primarily to watch Cricket, stays have been at Brighton sea front (6) Brighton and Worthing for Sussex CC (7) and where I will be going back to both in September. I think it was at Eastleigh (8) I stayed for the 20 20 Finals Day at Hampshire CC and I stayed at Leeds Bradford Airport (9) for Yorkshire CC.I am staying at Scarborough for another Yorks game (10) having gone to the ground earlier this year a one day game by coach and back in a day. I booked but did not stay at Trafford Park and Manchester Sports City for a game at Old Trafford cricket Ground Lancashire, although I have visited the ground before staying at the M62 Birch Services site (11), as I have for visits to both Manchester United and Manchester City Football. I did stay Liverpool Aigburth (12) to watch Lancs CC at the ground across the road and had booked to stay at Warrington Lymm, but decided to comeback straight home. Only earlier this week I made my first visit to Northampton central for Durham V Northamptonshire CC (13) and yesterday to Derby Chaddesden (14) for Derbyshire CC V Durham. I think it was the Birmingham Bromsgrove (15) to watch Worcestershire V Durham and I am now back in Birmingham North Perry Barr (16 )because of ease of parking and cost for the 20 20 Finals day tomorrow although the ground is situated in the southern half of the city. I have stayed at least twice at Nottingham Riverside (17) for Nottingham CC v Durham but also stayed at Nottingham Donnington Park (18), Nottingham Trowell (19) and Mansfield (20) for games of cricket.
I cannot remember the location of all the Travel Lodge sites where I have stayed in transit and nto as the main place of stay for a particular visit and this includes Scotch Corner (21), A1/M62 Pontefract(22), A1 Blyth (23), A1 Newark North Musk ham (24), Retford Markham Moor (25), Grantham Noteworthy (26) and Grantham South Witham (28). There are also two others, one on the a road between the A1 and M1 29 and the other to the East of the A1l (30) and then at the end of the AI and the M25(31) although this and that at the first service area from London on the M1 (32) are no longer shown. On the M1 I have stayed at Teddington (33) and I think at Watford gap (34) for Silverstone. There is also Bedford Marston Moretaine (35) and at Wakefield (36).Other transit stays remembered included Portsmouth (37) for the Island of Wight and Littlehampton (38) and Burford Oxfordshire to collect my car broken down when going to 20 20 Finals Day at The Rosebowl Hants.
I now come to Travel Lodges not already mentioned for visits places other than for cricket and which includes Hull, South Cave (39) and Hull central (40) Wirral Eastham (41) for Chester and Bromborough, Chippenham both sides of M4 for visits to Calne( 42 and 43) and also for a football visit to Cardiff. Keighley (44) for Bronte Country, Newport (45 for Isle of Wight). Bicester Cherwell valley for Oxford (46) and Penrith M6 for Northern Lakes (47) just remembered another Transit stay on M 23 Gatwick Airport for Gibraltar (48). The list does not included Premier Lodges at Croydon(Waddon) Hull Bridge or Innkeeper Inns Hull Willerby or what used to be South Croydon now taken over by Travel Lodge. Sometime I must do I piece on all the lodges encoding the photos when I remember to take them.
No comments:
Post a Comment