Outing News
Outing News October 2019
The weather for our September outing to Beaulieu was somewhat overcast but this did not spoil a really good day. Well done to Pat Micklewright and Sandra Chandnani who organised this super trip. (See below under Outing reports for account of the day and photos)
As previously mentioned we do not have a day trip this month as Sandra McDonald is leading a group of members on a three day short break to Bath and Bristol, which I am sure will be both very enjoyable and interesting.
Our next outing arranged by Linda Trowell and Jenny Jessup, is on 20th November, an early evening visit to Kew to see the garden and lights to get us all into the Christmas spirit, this trip is now full with a waiting list.
At the end of the October newsletter, there will be an application form for our Ballet outing in February to see Swan Lake . Performed by the Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia, a Raymond Gubbay presentation, at the Marlowe theatre Canterbury. We are thankful for Sandra Chandnani organising this trip with Rosemary Rees. Please note we have to confirm tickets to the box office at the Marlowe by the 15th December , so we need your applications with your cheques ASAP once you receive the October newsletter.
I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Sandra and Rosemary for the embarrassment cased by my error in the September newsletter stating that the Ballet would be performed by the Bolshoi company, after all their hard work arranging this show I stated the wrong Ballet company.
Next month I will announce our programme for next years day trips , so that if members would like to book these trips they can put a reminder in their diaries to look out for the application forms , which are normally in the newsletter 2 months before the event.
Finally we have a vacancy for at least two new members and maybe up to four , so
If you would like to join our very friendly Outings committee, please telephone me on 01892 546687 or 0750 491 9081. Or by email Joan Young
Outing Reports
On 11th September we had an outing to Beaulieu, arranged by Pat Micklewright and Sandra Chandnani.
WOW what a great day we had. Such a pity the coach was not full as members really missed a treat. The mile long monorail gave a wonderful aerial view of Beaulieu even passing right through the roof of the National Motor Museum! There is something for everyone. Who knew one could be so interested in cars? BUT from the moment on entering the motor museum with over 250 vehicles on display there were SO many to impress. Here we found beautiful early Bugattis and Daimlers to the less glamorous Ford Anglias and a Morris Minor. Even the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and onto the incredible Land Speed Record cars which were so long it was hard to take photos! One cannot imagine how Donald Campbell broke the land speed record at 400mph in the space age looking Bluebird CN7.
But tearing ourselves away there was so much more to see. Beaulieu has been home to the Montague family since 1538. Remodelled in the 1800s the house is a fine Victorian example. Some rested their legs and boarded the 1912 replica London double decker open topped bus to arrive at the historic house. This passed the beautiful medieval ruined abbey where one could walk in the cloistered garden and up to the Domus, where the monks lived, to see the beautiful wall hangings which Belinda, Lord Montague’s mother, took 7 years to complete. Also on route was the top secret exhibition showing how Beaulieu trained over 300 special agents in WW2. Many died and their stories are very moving.
Outside people wandered through the fruit and veg garden with its pumpkins, the Rose Garden and the Victorian Flower Garden where the Dahlia displays were lovely.
One quirky feature was the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party themed topiary. The real Alice was invited here in 1887 for guess what? Yes, a tea party!
Dragging ourselves away we headed off and although home was 100 miles away we had a great drive back with no holdups!!
Sandra McDonald, photos by Stella Westrup
On 6th August we left Tunbridge Wells in sunshine and had a good journey down to Manston. On arrival at the Hurricane and Spitfire Museum, we were greeted by Matt and given a very informative talk on the Spitfire and the many other exhibits on display, allowing time to revisit the exhibition at our leisure and have lunch. Then over to RAF Manston History Museum, the displays included a number of aircraft, biplanes, jets and helicopters, along with many exhibits showing how Manston operated from 1916 up to the closure of the RAF base in 1996. On our journey home, a visit was very kindly arranged by Rosemary to Reculver, this is the area used in the testing of WW2 bouncing bombs. Along the shore are the ruins of a 12th century church, its two towers dominating he skyline. Our thanks to Stella, Rosemary and Pat for arranging a very pleasant and informative day out and to our driver Mark, who had to negotiate several unexpected detours on the journey. Report by Val Apps and photos by Stella Westrup and Colin West.
In July we had our trip to Hatfield House, which was another beautiful house, the childhood home of Elizabeth 1st , the weather was good and the smooth coach journey there and back was unusual for the M25 , arriving both early and arriving back earlier than expected. Well done Sheila Austin and Sylvia Joyce who organised this super outing. A full report and photos will be in the August newsletter.
In June we had our trip to Polesden Lacey, which was absolutely delightful with lots of Royal Connections from abroad and this country. Many thanks to Robby Holmes and Lynne Monckton who arranged the visit to this gem of a house and garden. Our journey was smooth thanks to bus driver Paul and we arrived exactly at 10.45 am as planned! There were two guided tours of the beautiful house and both guides were excellent and amusing. The weather was perfect after the previous day being very wet and we were able to explore the immaculate gardens with an optional guided walk in the afternoon. Once again, the garden guides were informative and interesting with stories about the family and their ‘celebrity’ guests. There was plenty of free time to look around the rest of the house, have coffee and lunch before catching the bus home.
These are some photos from the outings to Beaulieu, Manston, Polesden Lacey, Windsor, Bletchley Park, Saint Hill.
The weather for our September outing to Beaulieu was somewhat overcast but this did not spoil a really good day. Well done to Pat Micklewright and Sandra Chandnani who organised this super trip. (See below under Outing reports for account of the day and photos)
As previously mentioned we do not have a day trip this month as Sandra McDonald is leading a group of members on a three day short break to Bath and Bristol, which I am sure will be both very enjoyable and interesting.
Our next outing arranged by Linda Trowell and Jenny Jessup, is on 20th November, an early evening visit to Kew to see the garden and lights to get us all into the Christmas spirit, this trip is now full with a waiting list.
At the end of the October newsletter, there will be an application form for our Ballet outing in February to see Swan Lake . Performed by the Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia, a Raymond Gubbay presentation, at the Marlowe theatre Canterbury. We are thankful for Sandra Chandnani organising this trip with Rosemary Rees. Please note we have to confirm tickets to the box office at the Marlowe by the 15th December , so we need your applications with your cheques ASAP once you receive the October newsletter.
I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Sandra and Rosemary for the embarrassment cased by my error in the September newsletter stating that the Ballet would be performed by the Bolshoi company, after all their hard work arranging this show I stated the wrong Ballet company.
Next month I will announce our programme for next years day trips , so that if members would like to book these trips they can put a reminder in their diaries to look out for the application forms , which are normally in the newsletter 2 months before the event.
Finally we have a vacancy for at least two new members and maybe up to four , so
If you would like to join our very friendly Outings committee, please telephone me on 01892 546687 or 0750 491 9081. Or by email Joan Young
Outing Reports
On 11th September we had an outing to Beaulieu, arranged by Pat Micklewright and Sandra Chandnani.
WOW what a great day we had. Such a pity the coach was not full as members really missed a treat. The mile long monorail gave a wonderful aerial view of Beaulieu even passing right through the roof of the National Motor Museum! There is something for everyone. Who knew one could be so interested in cars? BUT from the moment on entering the motor museum with over 250 vehicles on display there were SO many to impress. Here we found beautiful early Bugattis and Daimlers to the less glamorous Ford Anglias and a Morris Minor. Even the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and onto the incredible Land Speed Record cars which were so long it was hard to take photos! One cannot imagine how Donald Campbell broke the land speed record at 400mph in the space age looking Bluebird CN7.
But tearing ourselves away there was so much more to see. Beaulieu has been home to the Montague family since 1538. Remodelled in the 1800s the house is a fine Victorian example. Some rested their legs and boarded the 1912 replica London double decker open topped bus to arrive at the historic house. This passed the beautiful medieval ruined abbey where one could walk in the cloistered garden and up to the Domus, where the monks lived, to see the beautiful wall hangings which Belinda, Lord Montague’s mother, took 7 years to complete. Also on route was the top secret exhibition showing how Beaulieu trained over 300 special agents in WW2. Many died and their stories are very moving.
Outside people wandered through the fruit and veg garden with its pumpkins, the Rose Garden and the Victorian Flower Garden where the Dahlia displays were lovely.
One quirky feature was the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party themed topiary. The real Alice was invited here in 1887 for guess what? Yes, a tea party!
Dragging ourselves away we headed off and although home was 100 miles away we had a great drive back with no holdups!!
Sandra McDonald, photos by Stella Westrup
On 6th August we left Tunbridge Wells in sunshine and had a good journey down to Manston. On arrival at the Hurricane and Spitfire Museum, we were greeted by Matt and given a very informative talk on the Spitfire and the many other exhibits on display, allowing time to revisit the exhibition at our leisure and have lunch. Then over to RAF Manston History Museum, the displays included a number of aircraft, biplanes, jets and helicopters, along with many exhibits showing how Manston operated from 1916 up to the closure of the RAF base in 1996. On our journey home, a visit was very kindly arranged by Rosemary to Reculver, this is the area used in the testing of WW2 bouncing bombs. Along the shore are the ruins of a 12th century church, its two towers dominating he skyline. Our thanks to Stella, Rosemary and Pat for arranging a very pleasant and informative day out and to our driver Mark, who had to negotiate several unexpected detours on the journey. Report by Val Apps and photos by Stella Westrup and Colin West.
In July we had our trip to Hatfield House, which was another beautiful house, the childhood home of Elizabeth 1st , the weather was good and the smooth coach journey there and back was unusual for the M25 , arriving both early and arriving back earlier than expected. Well done Sheila Austin and Sylvia Joyce who organised this super outing. A full report and photos will be in the August newsletter.
In June we had our trip to Polesden Lacey, which was absolutely delightful with lots of Royal Connections from abroad and this country. Many thanks to Robby Holmes and Lynne Monckton who arranged the visit to this gem of a house and garden. Our journey was smooth thanks to bus driver Paul and we arrived exactly at 10.45 am as planned! There were two guided tours of the beautiful house and both guides were excellent and amusing. The weather was perfect after the previous day being very wet and we were able to explore the immaculate gardens with an optional guided walk in the afternoon. Once again, the garden guides were informative and interesting with stories about the family and their ‘celebrity’ guests. There was plenty of free time to look around the rest of the house, have coffee and lunch before catching the bus home.
These are some photos from the outings to Beaulieu, Manston, Polesden Lacey, Windsor, Bletchley Park, Saint Hill.
