Day 1 – a night with ‘Danny’.
At the start of this year Emma approached Hector in the staffroom and said: ‘We need another staff trip.’
We compared diaries and the St Andrew’s Day holiday Monday weekend was free. I had a look at all possible destinations from Scotland to Germany, nothing was on. I could get us back from München for a modest sum, but it took me a couple of weeks to stumble upon the indirect route. A Friday night in Crawley would enable is to catch the 06.25 flight from Gatwick, sorted.
We were a party of eight, including Winnie whose retirement trip to München some three years ago, was our last mass movement.
We had all checked in to the George Hotel on the Crawley High Street by 21.30. There was no time for a superb Crawley Curry, instead we had a Bier Rendezvous with Olive and Maggie at The Swan.
This is Clive’s local. The pump clips of what has been cover the walls and the ceiling. Tonight the choice was not that outstanding. The Dark Star (Partridge Green, West Sussex) Winter Meltdown at 5% satisfied abv requirements, but after a couple of pints of this Hector was making enquiries about the Cider. Niall, a friend of Clive, had already gone down this road. There was a choice of two, let’s be sensible, sleep will be at a premium tonight…
Gwynnt Y DDraig’s Fiery Fox at 6.5% Llest Farm, Pontypridd, RCT, CF38 2PW) was apparently a Welsh Cider. I don’t know what gave this away. We all know what Robin thinks about Welsh Ale, one suspects he may make the same conclusion about the Cider. This was not particularly wonderful. Niall was waving this glass of cloudy something under my nose. It could have passed for a perfect Weizen Hell. It was Weston’s (Ledbury, Herefordshire) Old Rosie at 7.3%. This Cider hit the spot.
The party was well underway, so Emma and Eleanor departed, something about an early rise. The rest of us sat at the big table with Clive, Maggie and Niall and the party took care of itself. Marg, Winnie and Jo retired, Al went too. This left Dom and Hector to stay until the bitter end. Dom had Kebab #1 of the trip, it was Curry!
The Pub visited today
The Swan – 1 Horsham Road West Green, West Sussex, Crawley RH11 7AY