We head for old friends Ant and Ali in a small village in the Vale of Evesham. Lovely little cottage there. Ant has just finished a five-day fishing competition (he’s a former English national angling champion) so he doesn’t want to do any more fishing for a while. English fishing is all about what weight of fish you can haul out and stuff in your keep net over a certain time. You get them weighed and then chuck them all back in the river for next time. Except if you are an Eastern European immigrant, when, according to rumour, you proceed (much to the horror and angler anger of the local fisher folk) to eat everything you catch.
Ant takes us to Kidderminster for a trip on the Severn Valley Railway, a rail service run by volunteers who have assembled and restored an amazing collection of steam locomotives and carriages. Approaching the locomotive, the smell of burning coal and hot oil and the hiss of escaping steam transports me back to childhood journeys by train. The engines and rolling stock are in wonderful condition. We pay an extra £3 each (on top of the £13.50 seniors fare) to travel First Class. The interiors are beautiful – varnished woodwork, brass screws, a broad leather strap to raise and lower the window and prints of British holiday destinations above the seats. Best of all – you can get beer in the buffet car! You can also have a three-course meal in the splendidly turned out dining car if you book ahead. We settle for cheese and onion crisps. We travel through the Severn Valley High Town Low Town Britain Kidderminster station where you can climb into a signal box and work the levers.
Golf. Ant organises golf at a nearby course. We play best ball and I partner Ant’s friend, Simon, and he partners Jan. Lots of fun but cool and windy. Jan ends up dressed in her rainproof jacket and wearing Ant’s spare golfing beanie. Damn, I didn’t have my camera with me.
Being Britain England Midlands . Drier weather is forecast for later in the week, thank goodness.
