The end to Sue’s two week break was a trip back to Eastham Hall so we could see Blackpool Illuminations on their 100th Anniversary. Sat in my office at home writing this, I can’t believe how lucky we were with the weather as the rain lashes down on the window and the wind is blowing the first soggy autumn leaves around the garden in big swirls. As Eastham Hall is only 60 miles from our storage site, there was no rush in loading up. As we had only come back from Winchcombe four days earlier, we knew the van was in stand-by mode and all we needed to do was replenish the food boxes and a wardrobe change.

Stopping at Rivington Services (M61 N) for a coffee. All 38 foot 6 inches of outfit fitted lengthwise…..

We set off from the compound just before 10:30. The bit of light rain we had first thing by now had dissipated and it was brightening up. We hadn’t been going that long really and my caffeine levels were severely depleted and that required a quick coffee shop stop.

It has been a few years since I’d been into Rivington Services (a loo stop on the way to work I think when I was at BAE Systems). Since the services had been made famous by Peter Kay a few years back for his “That Peter Kay Thing” TV series, they have gone through a bit of a transformation… well less a transformation and more a “that’s crap, knock it down and start again” upgrade. At least this time someone at the planning stage had said “what about caravans?” Continue reading →