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15th BIRTHDAY TREAT THROUGH THE EYES OF THE 15 YEAR OLD!

Mercedes World in Brooklands is not only a Mercedes car showroom, but also a race and off-road track where you can have a go.

I arrived there with my friend at about 10am and spent about two hours looking around the showroom which houses some of the newest, best Mercedes cars ever made.  Not only do you get to just see them, some are even unlocked so you get to sit inside and play!!  I spent at least half of my time in the showroom, in a car.  Unfortunately there were no keys, but I could still fiddle with chair settings (surprisingly fun) and the music (staff less impressed)!

When my friend and I were finished we returned to the foyer and took a seat; we had booked a turn round the off road track.  We were then promptly met by the a man who introduced himself as our instructor, we followed him round to the 4 wheel drive car (Mercedes M-class) and he drove us to the starting point.  We swopped seats placing me in the driver’s seat. Firstly, we went over the basics, accelerator, brakes, steering and so on.  I then got to do something I have always wanted to do: start the engine!  It roared into life and I looked back toward my friend, who was seated in the passenger section, with both the feeling of excitement and fear.  I hit the accelerator (sounds more manly than “nudged”) and we were off.

The car, clearly more confident than I, made mole hills out of mountains and did bigger stunts than in the movies. I did almost crash into a boulder, but luckily the instructor had his own set of brakes.  I had never had so much fun, even when my turn was over, and I was in the passenger seat and my mate was driving it was still a fantastic time.

The instructor was great, nothing like your old French teacher, he was informative and fun and felt safe in the  knowledge that he knew what he was doing even if I didn’t. At the end we were chauffeured back to the centre and I thanked the instructor profoundly.  Definitely a brilliant experience, and just as definite that I would never forget it.

Just across a little river is the old Brooklands Race Course, despite being disused now as regards to racing, it is still a hive of activity as it has been converted into a museum.  Cars live there that are older than any living person can remember. There are also bicycles, motorbikes and many planes. Even a real Concorde.  It is amazing to see the insides of some of the planes that were not used all that long ago but seem so dated to us now!  We browsed the cars and planes for a couple of hours,and then went for a bite to eat at an onsite cafe.  The food was fantastic and the portions were huge.  The meal was cheap; what more could you want ? We then wandered around the plane hangar, it was incredible and fascinating.

Both Brooklands Race Course and Mercedes World were mind blowing, definitely worthwhile. I highly recommend it for a day with your mates or a day out with your family.

Notes from the Mother: Family tickets for Brooklands Museum for 2 adults and 3 children is £27.50. There is a small discount if you buy your ticket at Mercedes-World. It is open 10 - 4 in the winter and 10-5 in the summer (except  Christmas.)

The Kids 4 x4 Driving Experience costs £90 for 60 minutes and £50 for 30 minutes.  We spilt the hour between two teenagers and they were also passengers when the other was driving, which worked really well and kept the cost down a bit.  There are also all sorts of other driving experiences for adults and children all at different prices.  Although it seems a bit pricey it was well worth it and an experience to remember.

Brooklands Museum, Brooklands Road,

Weybridge, KT13 0QN

Tel: 01932 857381  www.brooklandsmuseum.com  

Mercedes-Benz World, (address as above) KT13 0SL

Tel: 0870 4004000 www.mercedes-benzworld.co.uk

Rugby, family entertainment - ready for the next season!

St Patrick’s Day London Irish Match Vs Exeter.

For the second year running we decided to have a family day out to support London Irish on their St Patrick’s Day game.  It is possible to drive but parking is not easy so it is much easier to catch the train from Sandhurst or Wokingham to Reading.  There are many buses laid on to transport fans directly to the Madejski Stadium.  The journey gets you in the party mood as most of the other passengers are fellow fans wearing the London Irish colours. Kick off was 3.30pm but we arrived an hour or so early to enjoy the party that is laid on outside the stadium – bouncy castles, food stalls, free London Irish flags being handed out and live  music.

We had bought unreserved seating tickets in the south stand which is cheaper, but the seats were excellent and London Irish scored a dramatic try under our noses within the first 3 minutes of play!  It was a fabulous game as Exeter almost drew at half time but London Irish fought back to a resounding victory.

We tend to buy drinks and lunch when at the St Patrick’s Day game which can prove quite expensive on top of the tickets, but for a normal game just bring your own snacks and drinks and it does not have to be a costly day.  The St Patrick’s Day game is a really good family day out with lots of entertainment laid on and all the fans are there for a good time and not trouble.  Even the journey home becomes part of the day as your fellow travellers will mainly be fans still in a party mood!  The season has now finished but before you know it the summer days will be closing in (sorry!) and the new season will be upon us!.  No need to wait until the next St Patrick’s Day match as the normal matches are just as fun for a family day out.

Details regarding the dates and prices can be found on www.london-irish.com and you can sign up to get email alerts for all the latest club news.

Holiday Review by the Editor

We are a family of 2 adults with a daughter (16) and son (14).  Choosing a summer holiday to minimise the opportunity for arguments seems to have become more difficult. So what with the recession an’ all, we decided to spend our holidays camping in Devon; Lobb Fields Camp Site in Braunton near Barnstable to be precise. The main reason for this decision was that it is a short car journey to the most majestic and long beach of Saunton Sands, see below. I admit that I was not convinced.

But I am surprised to announce that we had a great time! The weather was indeed unpredictable. I became that manic mother who fussed about taking waterproofs with us at all times (with good reason). We did, however, come back with great suntans having spent the whole of the 2 weeks outdoors, so there must have been some sun.

Lobb Fields (www.lobbfields.com) is a family orientated camp site with play areas and playparks but there are quiet places to hide if you not so keen !You can also take dogs which seems to be a popular option. The pitches are large and we were able to set up home with room to spare. Windbreaks all over the campsite serve as demarcation lines for temporary ‘castle’ boundaries as well as offering protection from the sea breeze. If you don’t feel like cooking, there is the small , efficient ‘Sub Shack’ where Alan

provides hot/cold drinks and great breakfasts or suppers.

The camp site is well run with reasonable prices. For the 4 of us  on a ‘prime’ pitch with electricity (I need my hair straighteners!) was £36 per night. The loo/shower blocks are warm and cleaned regularly but I did get irritated with the 20 sec water flow button in the showers. I became adept at leaning on it to get a continuous flow and was told by the rest of my family that I was just being old and grumpy. Hurrrumph!

Tell you what though, if you ever feel like nipping down there without all the paraphanalia, a guy called Vaughan who operates a wetsuit and surf board hire business on the site (£18 for 24 hours; www.northdevonsurfhire.com) has set up a fabulous ‘glamping’ option. The 2 tents that he offers, one romantic and one for  families come fully equipped and he will put them up at different sites. I thought the tents looked fabulous and are a very fuss free, and therefore attractive, option.

But what we really loved were the activities. Apart from fantastic cliff walks my husband and children really took to surfing at Saunton Sands. Having never done it before, they booked surf lessons with Sarah from Walking On Waves (www.walkingonwaves.co.uk). She is a former British and

European champion sand gives tip top instruction. She charges £35 for 2 hours and continually monitors and advises. Her enthusiasm for the sport is infectious and following that first lesson all were standing and were hooked!

But the other gem of the hols was the brand new ‘Wipe  Out’ in Bideford. It is probably better if you have a group of you -a hen night followed after us–but the children loved it so much that they have vowed to go back to do a faster circuit time. The charge of £25 for exclusive use of the course seemed expensive (but not for a group) but despite that well worth it. We are now booking for next half term!

20 YEARS YOUNG

Yateley Offshore Sailing Club celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Situated 50 miles from the nearest coast we meet weekly in the Sandhurst Social Club. Yes, we are an offshore group with some 85 members who have about 40 plus privately owned boats between them, predominately sail, and mostly moored in the  Solent area. The Club was originally formed in 1991 by students of the Navigation class at  Yateley’s School and has developed from there, going from strength to strength over the years. Club activities take place on the water throughout the summer sailing season with group visits to many South Coast venues and the occasional longer trip across the Channel. This year’s Summer Cruise was over two weeks and visited ports in Normandy, including Honfleur, Deauville, the Caen Canal and several others, dropping into the old wartime Mulberry Harbour at   Arromanche was one of the highlights. Group dinners are popular during events and often arranged in local yacht clubs if possible but sometimes in local restaurants.  Pre dinner drinks invitations frequently take place on one of the participating yachts.

Most boats are family owned and crewed but several are jointly owned. Shares in these occasionally become available which is an attractive way of keeping the costs down whilst still enjoying the pleasure of owning your own boat and regularly taking part in a hobby second to none. Crewing is always a possibility with several skippers regularly offering places to new and inexperienced club members. All our skippers and most crew have many years experience under their belts and are only too pleased to introduce the novice sailor to the excitement of a good bash to windward on a breezy day in the Solent. So come along and join us and give it a try. There is no substitute for seeing it yourself first hand.

All are welcome at the Sandhurst Social Club. Just turn up, ring the bell and ask for YOSC (couldn’t be easier) where you will be introduced to the dozen or so regulars who will immediately make you feel at home.  Meetings usually start around  9.00pm and finish at 11.00pm. However, on the first Monday of the month we start earlier as we invite a guest speaker. Talks have included subjects such as Historical Sailing and Wrecks, Trinity House and junk rig sailing, but we also include other subjects, one of which involved owls flying around the room! Just to make it more perfect, there is a well stocked bar with very good real ale and all at attractive prices. Speaker nights are very popular with a high turn out of members which offers a good opportunity to circulate, meet and be introduced to skippers who, at sometime, may be looking for crew.

For the  anniversary, our celebrations took place in the The Royal Maritime Club in Portsmouth in October . It was  a splendid evening with places going fast, snapped up by members old and new. Yateley Offshore  SC is currently being run by an enthusiastic commodore, Sara Smith, who, incidentally, is taking part in next year’s Round The World Clipper Race, and a committee ambitious for the next 20 years to be even better than those already enjoyed by the current membership. So come along and see for yourself what an attractive proposition we offer. The club has a monthly  newsletter which sets out the sailing programme, social programme, reports on events and a host of other interesting tidbits.  We also have a website showing all our activities, so have a look at www.yosc.org.uk

Sandhurst Social Club is situated at 33/35 Wellington Road, Sandhurst, Berks.

YOSC membership secretary is Ian Skinner Tel 0127631241,  email membership@yosc.org.uk