Well I have to say that it did not get off to the best start. This trip was organised by the Peterborough Branch of the Veterans Association and the Royal Signals Association Peterborough Branch were invited to attend.
Our first impressions......well, we had ordered a luxury coach. Sadly the luxury Coach had broken down and we were greeted by a very old and well past its "sell by dates"...a double decker. To travel from Peterborough to Nottingham. About 80 miles in a double decker, (and most of us were over 70 ) and there was no toilet on board and because we were running very slowly, no comfort break.
Eventually arriving at our destination ...and bursting so to speak...we arrived at the same time as another coachload and the queues for the toilets were horrendous. Some had to wait a further 20 minutes to get in!!!! Of course the oldest were the slowest and their situation was desperate.
Not the best start. However the boat trip through Nottingham and the meal which lasted almost three hours was quite acceptable. Now time to disembark and board the double decker and make our way back to Peterborough...via the A52.It started well but just outside Grantham, everything came to a halt.Traffic ahead at a standstill.Unfortunately a three vehicle accident was ahead.The road was totally closed. Several cars were able to "do a U turn" as there was no traffic coming from the opposite direction.(Except police cars and ambulances) We were able to move forward inch by inch literally. Eventually our driver managed to turn into a farm gate and turn the bus round after a standstill of almost two hours.He took a short cut back to Grantham via farm tracks and country roads, meeting traffic coming in the other direction who had also managed to escape the closed road.(All on a single track road). It too took hours.He was a hero.
Eventually we reached the A1 and the return to Peterborough.In the car park, however there were no accaptable toilets, so it was a very fast drive home.
Sadly there were fatalities in the accident and the road remained closed for several hours so we were the lucky ones. What a day
