Day 2 of the trip which has now been named “Adventure before Dementia”

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So you are probably thinking, why oh why have they renamed the trip. Well if you read day 1 of the blog you will understand and if you haven't you need to. To be honest it was Gill’s idea and it really was apt, so the road trip is now Adventure before Dementia.



Remember day 2 started in Brian & Gill’s hotel car park. You can just imagine the hotel residents waking up to see 3 bleeding great big motor homes outside their windows. They were probably thinking the gipsy’s have arrived! in Grasmere!



So in true camping style Gill arranges the kitchen of the hotel to make us bacon butties - nothing like slumming it on our road trip.



The man from the garage comes to fix Chris and Katie’s motor home so now the journey starts!



So we all get in line ready to go and, guess what, just as Brian, Gill, Mike and I are ready to pull off we hear from Chris, wait, I need to put my socks and shoes on! Now normally when you are going anywhere with Chris its wait, I need to go to the loo, so this was a new one on us. So we wait and wait and then we get the all clear and ready to go from Chris with a honk on the horn. So off we go with Brian in the lead, myself and Mike second and Chris pulling up the rear - or so we thought.



I follow Brian out of the hotel car park and, as I am going down the main road following Brian, I look in my side mirrors and then in the rear view mirror and cannot see Chris & Katie’s motorhome, no worries I think as he will catch us up. This is not the case, when we get to the first junction he is still no where to be seen - so the first phone call of the day is to Katie to say which way to turn when they get to the junction.



Anyway, Chris manages to catch us up and we are off in convoy!!



So about 2 hrs in on the motorway to Scotland we pull in to the lorry park up for medication to be taken for the journey to continue. Once we thought we are all ready to set off again we commence our journey, only once again to look into my rear view mirror to see Chris had not left the lorry park after us - I think there could be a pattern emerging here!



Again Chris manages to catch us up and the convoy continues until we get to the House of Bruar and park up the motor homes. Well park up is an understatement in my case as reversing a massive great motor home is not an easy thing for me. Whilst we were on our journey I was getting a lesson on what right hand down and left hand down meant - didn't help though as I don't know my right from my left and have to look which hand my rings are on - which doesn't help when Mike is shouting right hand down at me - full lock. Anyway I managed it, in a fashion.



So off we pop to the House of Bruar and the first thing we notice is a swarm of policemen and women, and I mean a swarm. Katie is thinking is this a really safe place to have lunch and asks a member of staff “why are there so many policemen"? to which the answer was “we are having a visit from Camilla”. Ah so now that explains it.



We all now have a nice spot of lunch with the bagpipes in the background - please note it was not for us, they were playing for Camilla! The police cordoned off a path for Camilla to enter the House of Bruar, however, once she got into the place she was just walking around with the normal shoppers. Myself and Gill practically bumped into her whilst Gill was getting mustard for Jack. Now you are probably thinking where did Jack come from. Well Jack is one of Brian and Gill’s sons - he has just completed 215 wainwright hills in 25 days and it is now a World Record holder - he has also completed a tut tut ride across India, all for Parkinson's charity.



So we decide it is time to set off for our final destination of the day, Aviemore - after a fuel stop we finally arrive at Glenmore Forest campsite.



Brian, Mike, Gill and Chris go to check us in. Brian had already reserved us places so it should have been a piece of cake - but is anything going to be a piece of cake on this road trip? Brian and Gill check in ok, then its Mike’s turn, can I have your surname, so Mike says Fairbairn and Brian shouts out “no its not its Hill, I didn't know your surname so I called you Hill” so ok we check in under Hill. Then it’s Chris’s turn “what’s your registration sir?” to which Chris replies 70 - Gill, Brian and Mike all fall into a mass of hysteria!



The ranger parks us all up in a circle so now we do look like a pack of cowboys! Its a fabulous campsite and we have a spot of tea with a few glasses of wine.



In the night Mike decides he needs to go to the loo and did not want to use the one in the motor home so I decide I will show him where the campsite ones are. Could I find the bridge to get over the stream - no I couldn't and the worse part about it was I could see the toilet block - so in true camping style I say hitch your trouser bottoms up you are going in - what, Mike says across the stream - yes I say, if you need to go to the loo you need to paddle through the stream to get there!





So back in the motor home we get and a good night’s sleep is had - awaiting what day 3 will bring us.

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