Easter Tour 2010 - West Sussex, 15th-18th April
The Easter tour 2010 to West Sussex did not start in the most conventional of manners. The tour was centred in Bosham, a lovely (though very long) village and caused more than a little tension in terms of pronunciation, the local insisting on Bozzam but the Cardiffians insisting on Boshhambles. There were few in the pub, there were few drinking ale, there was a large submarine door keeping the floodwater out of the pub and anxious drivers kept popping their heads out to make sure that their cars weren’t getting carried away with the tide, although the rest of us were admiring the photos of some unfortunate cars that had. However all ringers and cars made it to the hall intact.
The hall was large, warm and reasonably comfortable, although a distinct lack of mirrors left some members feeling a little uneasy. As per usual, we congregated in the kitchen and discussed the ways of the world and specifically how we as ringers would defend ourselves in the event of a zombie plague during a tour, concluding that we’d act according to “Shaun of the Dead” and all go to the pub. The kitchen itself was remarkable, not only a halogen hob with six rings but also an industrial dishwasher meaning that none of us had fairy-soft-skin to ring up at the early towers. Some of us found a traditional patch on the floor for airbeds, others nested on the stage and an unfortunate snorer was banished to a side room, but a good night’s kip was had.
The morning of Friday 16th April was begun by the new catering officers nudging us awake with promises of tea and bacon. For their first official attempt at breakfast, the recently elected catering officers did a remarkable job with scarcely any burning and a proud number of whole-yolks. The day began early, though not unreasonably so, ringing at St Thomas a’Becket, a recently refurbished (and very shinyley so) church with a tower of 6 with distinctly yellow sallies, a yellow that seemed to be quite trendy in a number of the towers. The Murrell Arms in Barnham was the venue of choice for lunch, chosen neither for the quality of the food nor the quality of cleanliness but instead was selected due to its enormous assortment of antique nic-nacs and retro magazines under the beer-barrel tables. The change-counting abilities of the bar staff gave us plenty of time to enjoy the dusty ambience of the dimly lit venue. Lunch service was prompt and consisted largely of chicken chunks (quite literally) and cheese ploughman’s that simply involved a lump of cheese and lump of bread. The afternoon consisted most interestingly by the flat-tyre woes of Soo Rainsbury, but thanks to Martyn Owen’s tyre-pumpy-thing and ignoring it, the tour continued on (though the tyre was rectified that evening and no-one was hurt). The evening activities involved an assortment of far too much Indian takeaway and, of course, the pub, but the evening was not a long one and most ringers were kipping soundly far earlier than in usual Welsh Colleges tradition.
The second full day brought us to Holy Trinity Church in Chichester with it’s particularly ridiculously long draft and plenty of scaffolding piled up, but they rung like a slightly heavy charm. The glorious sunshine made all the ringers smile as we rang on throughout the towers leading us to lunch at the Barley Mow, Walderton, with its pleasant beer garden, gentle babbling stream and the enormous septic tank gently wafting its whiff across the garden. With the exception of Rhiannon Meridith’s gammon (the last one and significantly burned), lunch was excellent though the number of tourer’s left the pub a little short of desserts, though the ice cream was very good. The generous lunch break gave the smaller ringers-to-be a chance to nearly fall into the stream and the rest of us a good drinking opportunity. The afternoon towers were all very good rings including Bosham’s own, although the sun and the day invited many ringers to a pre-dinner pub or an ice cream by the harbour rather than ringing, although everyone had a good ring before dispersing. The afternoon towers revealed that method boards in the towers were numerous and always exactly 6 letters long (CMBRDG, YRKSHR etc), at least until we saw Kent. Dinner was wonderfully prepared by the Catering Officers consisting of own-brand frozen “white fish” bits (a fishy first in the memory of the attendees) wrapped in bacon, potatoes and even veg followed by fruit salad, all-in-all a very pleasant and healthy dinner. The dishwasher was greatly appreciated again following this magnificent supper.
The two technological highlights of the tour was firstly the use of a clever touch screen internet-come-phone thing where we all watched Teddy Edwards go bell ringing with the kind assistance of Simon Farrar, and secondly on the same phone, the playing of a game called Angry Birds. The premise of this game is unclear to me, but apparently involves throwing birds into objects. Throughout the tour there was an intermittent squawk followed by a splat or thump, not what you want to hear when stood at the back of a church.
Methods of interest included Double Norwich, consistently reputed through the tour as “once you start its easy”, which proved to be very true. Similarly, ringing Single Oxford proved also straightforward and well struck, although the classic saying “third one’s the charm” seemed just as relevant.
The final day of the tour was the standard melancholy affair of not enough sleep and knowing that we won’t be gathering again for months, although after a slap-up breakfast of extra crispy bacon (that seemed to get crispier on each morning of the tour) and sautéed potatoes plus a bit of service ringing we all cheered up to our usual chirpy selves. A trip to the House of Fudge and craft centre gave us all a chance to buy some sweets for the trip back home and some nic-nacs of our own to forever remember this downright well-organised and enjoyable tour.
Long live Welsh Colleges!!!
- Bob McIntyre
