Reunion 2018

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Mrs Philippa Thorniley (aunt to Richard Thorniley and cousin to Jilly Coulson)
Richard Welbury
John Sayer
Mrs Alvis Sayer
Margaret Baxter (ex Staff).
Edward Bunting was unable to attend at the last minute due to severe back problems.

Saturday 13th October.

The plan was to meet up at Ted, Jilly and Philippa’s flat at Huyton Hill, look around the grounds and then go for a walk and lunch. However, the weather was so bad, the Thorniley’s, and Edward Gorton, and ourselves had a quick look around the immediate grounds in the downpour, dried off, and then joined Stewart and Maureen Sutcliffe for a sandwich lunch at the Salutation Hotel in Ambleside (which was overrun by a Wedding Party). The Sutcliffe’s kindly invited us back to their delightful home in Grasmere, in the woods above Dove Cottage. We were treated to a splendid tea, and Stewart showed us some of his HH photos on the TV. We were also thrilled to watch the red squirrels feeding so close to the house. A rare treat for those of us who are overrun with Greys.

Stewart and Maureen really saved the day, and to give you some idea of the weather, we had to return through two areas of police controlled flooded roads.

On Saturday evening, 10 of us met for a Thai meal in a private upstairs room of a restaurant in Bowness.

Sadly Chris Wright was unable to make it due to local flooding in his area, and many had harrowing travel tales to tell.

Sunday 14th October.

Richard Thorniley, Mike Cheetham, Pete Willey, Gordon Dyer, Ted Coulson and Edward Gorton met up near the Miller Howe Hotel and walked up to the spectacular view point at Orrest Head which is above Windermere. The views take in all of Windermere Lake and the Langdales. The short, steep walk was just enough to build up an appetite, and be back in time to change for lunch.

Richard Thorniley gave a special grace for the occasion which got lunch off to a good start.

The Hotel conservatory and dinning room overlooks the lake, and Sunday being a much better day than Saturday, we were blessed with a good view of the Langdales in their Autumn colours.

It was a particular pleasure to meet Margaret Baxter who managed to join us at short notice all the way from Penrith.

I understand there was a get together in a pub in Windermere on Sunday evening!

Monday 15th October.

A bright and crisp blue sky day.

At Huyton Hill, We were joined by Stewart and Maureen Sutcliffe, Edward Gorton and Peter Fielding for a re-run of the abandoned Saturday plans. We had a drink in the HH flat and walked around the immediate grounds to the house, the boat house, tennis courts, the maze, past what used to be Tarzan in my elder brothers time, (an area of Rhododendrons near the Giant Redwood, where there was a tree house and rope swings etc) and the dam stream.

We then joined the ladies for a walk along the new footpath from HH drive through Wray fields, around the back of Blelham Tarn, to the Outgate Inn where we had an excellent lunch. By the way, if anyone is in that area, its a great pub just off the tourist trail. Jilly had a bad back, so on the return, I joined Jilly and some of the ladies and returned by the same way. The others returned by another cross country route ending up on the HH to Drunken Duck road, and would you believe it, we all met up on the School drive.