26 June 2016 - Chertsey Club Site, Surrey

Our departure from Knight’s Folly Farm was uneventful, despite the soft ground of our camp. We travelled north east on roads travelled when we visited Dyrham Park a few days ago, joining the M4 a little to the north of that park, then proceeded eastwards as far as Reading where we intended to pull into the Motorway Service Centre to pass some time and lunch before entering the outer reaches of London and arriving at our next camp after midday. 

Alas we overshot the entry to the caravan parking space and found ourselves heading even further east on the motorway, not having had the opportunity to answer the calls of nature or anything else. This was a major dilemna for a number of reasons, not least the call of nature for The Chauffeur, whose health and comfort should always be paramount, when on the road, that is. Fortunately I had a rescue plan; we exited via the next junction, just less than a couple of miles away, turned back the way we had come and pulled into the Service Centre on the other side of the motorway from that called into too briefly. Needs were duly met, the newspaper scanned and lunch consumed, then we resumed the route heading back toward South Wales, exiting at the next junction, again less than two miles on, and turned again to resume the eastward journey. Crisis over and no more was said.

Historical Chertsey Bridge viewed from camp

All I can say is that it was very fortunate that Reading had three junctions to the south that allowed for such navigational faults. One can travel on the M4 for many many miles before an opportunity to exit.

We turned south on to the A322 skirting Bracknell, then east again on the M3 on to the M25, where we found ourselves in the thick of slow Sunday traffic. Fortunately we turned again after a mere two miles eastwards to Chertsey, soon finding our Camping & Caravan Club camp on the banks of the River Thames.

After dealing with a week or more’s laundry, we headed to the Information room, and here learned little as regards how to travel by public transport to the destinations we have lined up for the four touring days we have here. Signing off here tonight, I must immediately apply myself to the internet in an attempt to solve this problem, and try to contact my mother whose eighty fifth birthday it is today. June is quite a month for us; it was our middle grand-daughter's seventh birthday yesterday, actually it still is today British time.