There’s something beguiling about the idea of having the afternoon off while other people are still at work. However, on a grey January afternoon, the enchantment doesn’t last long. Once spring arrives I will probably feel different.
Of course, once spring arrives, I will retire, and every afternoon will be free.
Duck – Arnot Hill Park
I thought of where I could go, but so many places are now closed to me. We were unhappy with Clumber Park the last few times we visited – what seemed like deliberately poor service in the cafe several times, then a somewhat overbearing attendant (not for the first time at a National Trust property) – so after lockdown we decided not to renew. It will therefore cost me £5 to visit. It’s not really worth it for the limited use I can make out of it. Seems to me to be discriminatory – free to pedestrians and cyclists but £5 to a man with bad knees who needs to use a car. It would be £10 if Julia was with me. If we ever go again, I may make her get out and walk.
The same goes for other places – paying where car parking used to be free, and in one case, demolition of the car park to allow for the building of a new, less convenient, visitor centre. I realise that things are never really “free” but it’s discouraging when you re looking for somewhere to go. If I could still spend an hour or two walking it would be OK, but for the distance I can now do, it doesn’t seem like good value.
Mandarin Duck – Arnot Hill Park
When you also add my disinclination to mingle with people, it’s all very discouraging.