A wise man once said...

..."Even the longest journey begins with just one step".

What he didn't go on to say was that it would be followed by 14 and a half hours on the M6/M5. Forced to abandon the journey yesterday because of the blistering heat and my knees about to explode after stop/start pedal action in the car for several long painful hours. Roadworks, breakdowns, busiest travel weekend of the year etc etc.

So today, the M5. IT WAS WORSE! We should have arrived at 1pm, nearly 5pm by the time we did arrive. I think I followed the same lorry from Birmingham to Bristol. Anyway got there in the end after a frustrating satnav surprise tour along 4 miles of single track road.

Cold beer? But no, we had challenges to be met, we had to book into our room at one part of this sprawling campus, then we had only 15 minutes to find the dining room reception and book our table. Then get to the theatre and book our table for the 'turns', the entertainment. Then back to register our wines for the evening (tastings required). What a faff, I reckon it was a challenge set by the hotel to assess the abilities of the oldies booked into the home hotel. I have never been on such an organised holiday before - lesson to be learned, don't see and advert on the telly after a bottle of wine and go..."Oh that looks nice, where's my ipad?" They promised an adults only break, "Aye Aye, nudge nudge!". Turns out they just don't allow weans.

Early days, open mind. Staff are great, loads off stuff to do. You can go shooting, and there is line dancing classes....if only I could come up with a satisfactory solution to both.

If you are old enough to remember a TV comedy with Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles  "To the Manor Born" (and believe me the fellow guests here are old enough) then the hotel was the manor house and I suspect the lodge may well also have been used.