Flugtag

Had a weekend away. Nicola came on the train to Birmingham, where we made time for a quick Nando's, before hitting the road to Oxford. We stayed the night at Simon's house in Abingdon, before we all set off on Saturday morning to go to Longleat, for the Red Bull Air Race.

It is 90 miles from Abingdon to Longleat, so we left at about 9.45am, with the hope of getting there for about 12 midday, giving us enough time to park up, have our picnic and enjoy some of the pre-race spectacles, with the race itself due to start at 2pm.

We encountered loads of traffic. As in, with 36 miles to Longleat, the traffic stopped. And yes, it was the end of the queue! At 1.30ish, we gave up and joined the many people turning around - there was no way we would get there in time, even though we had tried many different routes, and got within 9 miles of the venue.

We went for a windswept picnic at Stonehenge, before refusing to pay £6 each to view the stones. Instead, we stood outside the wire fence, where Sarah and Simon2 took their photos. You cannot get near to the stones even if you pay the money, so we were all of about 50 yards further away, having paid nothing!

Eventually, we got home in time for myself, Simon and Simon2 to watch the second half of the England match. Although Simon has a decent sized car, which can actually fit three adults in relative comfort, it is slightly less comfortable after sitting in the same place for three and a half hours!

Click here for a report on the cancellation of the event.