VISIT TO HIGHGROVE HOUSE GARDEN 2009
After a wait
of 3 years we finally received a date to visit Highgrove Garden. We were limited
to 25 in number and Alan Neale, our organiser, received a very precise list of
do’s and don’ts. We were not to arrive more than 10 minutes before our allotted
time of 12.20pm; everyone must have photographic identity, no cameras or
binoculars allowed etc.
Monday, 20th
April 2009 dawned bright and clear, a beautiful spring day and we set of from
Tolworth at 8.45am in the Epsom Coach driven by John. Our starting time proved
to be ample for the journey. We stopped for almost an hour at Membury Services
on the M4 and still arrived at our destination in good time.
On our
arrival we were first checked at the gate by a uniformed policeman and then
followed the drive and arrived at the Orchard Room to be again checked, everyone
having to show their photographic identification. On entering the Orchard Room
we were shown a short video of Prince Charles who explained his hopes and
ambitions for the garden and emphasising that it was very strictly an organic
garden.
We were
introduced to our guide David and commenced the tour. This took two hours and
covered all the different aspects. The daffodils were mostly over but we saw a
great variety of trees, shrubs, fountains, works of art etc. but no roses or
rhododendrons. Lots of redundant ecclesiastical stonework was built into walls
and rockeries. We had been warned that some of the paths were uneven and that
very few seats were available, and so it proved.
After the
tour we returned to the Orchard Room and were served a much appreciated cup of
tea and shortcake biscuit. After a quick visit to the shop we left the estate at
3pm and made the short journey to Tetbury for a look around and refreshments.
We commenced
our return journey and with one more comfort break on the M4 arrived back at
Tolworth at 6.45pm.
We were very
fortunate with the weather and everyone seems to have enjoyed the day out.
Alan Neale
Late
Spring Weekend Break 2009
Day trip 2009 to
Wilton House- pictures by John Rowe
and John Balcomb with thanks are
here.
2008 Longleat Safari Park
Day trip 2008 to Longleat
- pictures by John Rowe with thanks
Longleat
Lion ready for the Probus visit
Keepers at Longleat Safari Park are delighted to confirm that at long
last, their trio of Amur tigers have turned their attention to their new
outdoor pool!
The new pool, which was completed back in June, has sadly not really
inspired the tigers to any serious water play to date. Turn on the hot
weather though and it’s a completely different story.
“Tigers are great water lovers,” explained head warden Keith Harris.
“And, it’s been part of our plans since they arrived last year to put in
a new pool for them to generally mess around in. We’ve been pretty
disappointed up to now however to find that they’ve pretty much ignored
it!
“This recent hot weather seems to have really changed their attitude
however and they are now having a ball diving in and generally getting
as wet as possible.”
“Of the three Soundari is definitely the most confident and she’s
usually the first to take the plunge. We’ve been throwing the odd bit of
meat into the pool though and all three are now leaping in and out
having a whale of a time” he added.
The Amur Tiger is the largest of all the big cats and is named after a
river which flows through their native territory in the far east of
Russia.
In the 1940s they had nearly died out, with only around 40 tigers left
in the wild. Although they are still listed as critically endangered,
wildlife experts believe the current population of around 500
individuals is the highest for a century.
Fully grown females can weigh up to 160kg (350lb) and measure more than
two metres in length.
The
Treasurer enjoying a well earned break at Longleat !
The
Longleat Triplets
Longleat
Station
In
1966, Longleat caused a revolution in the world of zoological
collections by becoming the first location outside Africa to open a
drive-through Safari Park.
Despite the understandable initial concerns of locals with regard to the
introduction of lions to Wiltshire, the Safari Park concept has been a
great success and Longleat’s ground-breaking innovation has been
repeated at wildlife collections all over the world.
Some 40 years later this unique way of showing animals in their natural
surroundings still delights and amazes hundreds of thousands of visitors
to Longleat each year.
Probus pub lunch
at the Queen Adelaide, Kingston Road, Ewell - August 2007
Short tour of Norwich and surrounds - April
2007
More.........................here.
Visits &
Outings
These
have included visits to Buckingham Palace, the Thames
Barrier, Portsmouth Dockyard, The Royal Hospital Chelsea,
Windsor Castle and the Cabinet War Rooms.
Buckingham Palace State Room
Thames Barrier
Cabinet War Rooms Entrance
These are the highlight of our year; members and their partners
and guests travel by coach and enjoy a relaxing 3 or 4 night stay in a good
quality hotel. We meet for breakfast and dinner – the rest of the day is yours
to explore local amenities and/or join organised visits to places of interest in
the area.
Club Short Break Holiday in Bruges
September 2003
The Probus Club of Surbiton –
TRIP TO NORTHUMBRIA 2008
Thursday 4th
September to Monday 8th September 2008..........report
is here
Norwich April 2007
SPRING 2007 NORFOLK OUTING
The 2007 Surbiton Club Spring tour
was to Norfolk and ran from the 19th to the 23rd
of April, based at Norwich. The organisation and the basic
arrangements followed those of recent years with finances managed by
Alan, our Treasurer. We were again fortunate that the coach was
driven by Paul but sadly “The Chief” his famous decorated York’s
coach was unavailable!
In Tolworth on Thursday the majority
of the party of 33 were waiting well before the required time as
usual at the 265 bus stop in the intersection between King Charles
and Ewell roads opposite the Red Lion pub. Lunch after a comfort
stop at Bishops Stortford was at Newmarket, a very pleasant area for
sitting and walking in good weather: could it continue? We arrived
at the Ramada Jarvis hotel in good time for tea and a break after
the early, for some, start before gathering for dinner. The hotel is
some way out of town.
Norwich Market
Place April 2007
On Friday the party were dropped for
the morning beneath the Castle to explore, discover and lunch. We,
on our first visit, found Norwich a remarkable and interesting
compact city. The journey in showed regular views of significant
City Walls and Towers interrupted by the modern problems of
vehicular access. However the multitude and nearness of churches
indicated the economic significance of the area and of wool in its
history. We closed our morning in the welcoming and busy Cathedral
before driving on to the well-known village of Wroxham for our 2
hour boat trip on the Norfolk Broads. Returning there after many
years proved to be successful as the mostly newcomers seemed quite
delighted with the experience. I was impressed with the waterways
development and was pleased when our guide pointed out my first
Marsh Harrier!
On Saturday we set-off towards the
north coast of the county popular with naturalists and
ornithologists. We stopped for coffee and a walk in the Georgian
town of Holt (go back another time especially at Christmas) before
arriving at our time in Sandringham. As ever one finds the
unexpected! I had been fascinated by the BBC programme of the lost
prince, the hidden son of King George V. My first discovery was the
grave of Prince John at the church! Somehow the house was less grand
than expected but very pleasant inside and within the gardens before
Paul drove us back along the north coast road to Sherringham for
ices and pleased the train buffs by passing under the
Holt/Sherringham line bridge as the (steam) train passed over us!! A
taste of the day to-come!
Sunday was the visit to the
Bressingham Steam Museum and Gardens which coincided with the
Eastern MG Car Club visit. Information suggested aspects of typical
historic Fair Ground entertainments maybe for grandchildren etc. but
I was surprised by the range of steam hauled trains on site. Three
narrow gauge and limited standard with day long free travel which
was well used. The gardens in more good weather made one envious of
the enormous area of the business. Afternoon tea etc. was taken
somewhat late in Thetford which was memorable for recent centre
redevelopment requiring more exercise to find ices by the river.
Sunday night dinner was linked to
the Probus Club gathering in the convenient lounge with wine and the
opportunity for discussions on the way ahead for Surbiton.
Monday on the way home with three
hours for lunch and the Duxford Imperial War Museum, conveniently
replacing previous committee attempts for a visit to the RAF Museum
at Hendon. We found this sufficiently absorbing to end the tour and
I could not even visit Hanger 1 missing Concorde and everything else
there.
David and Janet Ashen
See a selection of pictures by Jimmy
Hitchcock...................here.
2006
Trip to Malvern
