Chertsey

 April 24 - 27 2025

 Roses are red

Post from John

It was time for the shakedown trip, to get the van and us in shape for the coming year. Having had two trips to see Ruth’s favourite sport (tennis) over the last couple of years, I persuaded Ruth to come along to watch some Rugby (my favourite sport). I managed to get some tickets for the final match of the Women's Six Nations tournament at Twickenham, between England (the reigning champions) and their old rivals France. We would make a weekend of it and base ourselves at Chertsey Camping and Caravanning Club site.

Arriving on Thursday afternoon, we were immediately struck by changes to the site since our last visit in 2020; it looked like a fair bit of refurbishment had taken place. Settled on a pitch not far from the Thames, we bought an ice cream from reception and sat in the sunshine to plan the next couple of days.

The next morning we caught a bus from outside the site, destination Hampton Court Palace, where we arrived one hour and two buses later. We spent the day wandering around the extensive grounds, interspersed with a tour of the palace; the audio guide and information boards bringing to life the pomp, ceremony and political machinations of the court of Henry VIII.

As the match on Saturday was later in the day, we had a leisurely morning on site, before setting off to catch the train to Twickenham. We arrived in plenty of time, so we soaked up the atmosphere in the fan village outside the stadium, and kept an eye on the huge TV screens that were showing the Scotland match from Edinburgh (where Steve had taken Jocelyn for her first experience of rugby). 

Once settled in the stadium, we were treated to a classic game, with a raucous crowd of 38,000 singing and cheering the Red Roses to a narrow victory over Les Bleus, by a single point: 43 – 42.

On our way home on Sunday, we decided to break our journey at Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire. We had seen the sign for the gardens many times on our journeys up and down the M40, but had never investigated. It turned out to be an excellent find; the site had been a horticultural college in the mid-20^th century, specialising in food production. Now, though, the emphasis is on the more ornamental side, with a series of gardens, an arboretum and a riverside walk. We can also recommend the café!

A successful short break, with a mixture of history, sporting spectacle and natural beauty.