2geonomads

Friday 18th & Saturday 19th September 2015.

On the road again so Craig takes us to Perth Airport for our 10.35 pm flight to Dohar with Qatar Airways.

Leave on time on a 777-300 Dreamliner and although the seats seem to be hard at first they turn out to be very comfortable as do the flat-beds. First World Problems I can here you all saying!

The food as usual is of the highest order and both Gail and I soon get off to sleep after dinner. With the flight being close to 11 hours we both manage to get a good sleep with some help from Mr Termazapam.

There is some fairly constant turbulence especially over Sri Lanka but nothing of real consequence.

Our two hour stopover in Dohar is a real eye-opener as since our last transit through the airport Qatar has opened a new lounge which has set a new standard in luxury. To use the term state-of -the art does not do justice to the opulence of the lounge and the quality and range of food on offer. Sadly we have already been treated royally on the flight so we aren’t able to gorge ourselves on more food. However, most of the tables in the numerous different lounges seem to be pretty full so I don’t know how they are managing to put away so much tucker.

It’s an A380 from Dohar to Heathrow and again the flight, staff and catering are all that one could wish for.

We both watch a remake of Far From The Madding Crowd which is a beautifully made film although the actor playing the part taken by Terence Stamp in the original suffers from comparison with the roguish Mr Stamp.

After a very smooth flight we arrive on time at LHR and pick up our rented Hyundai for the drive to Bath, a city which I visited with Craig in 1997 but which G has never been to.

Our accommodation for the next three nights is De Montalt Wood in Combe Down just a short distance outside of Bath.

This is a superb house on 17 acres and is owned by Charles and Ann Kent.

Charles greets us at the door and he certainly fits the image conjured up by his emails to Gail. In short he is a very charming former lawyer who has previously owned a telecom company and  a hotel in Bath. He now contents himself with offering accommodation in two of their rooms overlooking the most glorious gardens.

It’s not overstating it to say that he is urbane,a touch eccentric and more than capable of being very self-denigrating. He is not at all interested in rugby but his wife Ann is an avid follower.

Charles has kindly booked a table for us at the local Wheelwright Arms in Monkton Combe and we decide to take up Charles’s suggestion and walk along the country lanes to this pub. We take the wrong walking track up a very steep hill but eventually find the correct road and meet Charles taking his dog out in his car for his daily walk. Strolling down to Monkton Combe we follow Charles’s advice and stop at a wooden seat to take in the very picturesque view of the valley below. A young ,very polite fellow in his school uniform gives us gives us a moment that would not be out of place in the film ‘Goodbye Mr Chips’ when we find him already on the seat with a Latin Primer in his hand. Apparently not his favourite subject!

The Wheelwright Arms turns out to be a delightful English Inn offering fine food, atmosphere and as a bonus a  TV showing Japan beating the Springboks in extra time. The Rugby World Cup is off to a flyer!

It’s fairly dark by the time we set off back to the B & B although Charles has loaned us a torch to stop us from being run over on the very narrow lanes.

He should have thrown in an iron lung and defibrillator as Gail almost goes into cardiac arrest during the decidedly steep trek back.

By now we are both well and truly knackered and so it’s Melatonin for G and Termazapam for the old blogger.

All in all a good first day in the Old Dart.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret