Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Free Mystery Tour Was a Hit Once Again

The Free Mystery Tour took place again recently. This annual event, which I have been running since 1995, is organised to celebrate International Year of the Tourist Guide, which aims to show that, wherever you go, you are always better off to be shown around by a Blue Badge Guide.

Some Guides organise Free Guided Walks, but all my career I have tended to do things a little differently, and what I organise is a Free Coach Tour.

As always, the coach left St. Margarets Bus Station in Leicester with lots of people on board. We travelled Southwards, skirting Lutterworth and Hinckley, and made our coffee stop at Cattows Farm at Heather, which boasts a farm shop and fine tea room.

We returned to Leicester by way of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Charnwood Forest.

My Visitors` Book attracted comments such as "very interesting tour of Leicestershire", "I`ll look forward to next trip", "most enjoyable and informative", "must check diary and book more trips" and "very enjoyable day - very pleasant stop".

Posted by colin on Tuesday 9th March, 2010 at 1:00pm

Top Twenty Visits of 2009

As a Blue Badge Guide, I visit lots of places. A year ago, it occurred to me that it might be fun to rate the places I had been to during the previous year.

So I compiled a list of the Top Twenty. I deliberately left out places in Leicestershire and Rutland, and the surrounding area, as this is where I operate normally anyway, so visits there wouldn`t be "visits" in quite the same way.

Here is the list of the Top Twenty for 2009. It`s not compiled in any scientific way, but inclusion means that the visit was enjoyable, useful, interesting or successful.

1. Winchester. This was the destination for one of my Coach Trips, and as always it was very successful. It was the third time I had taken a party here, and as previously I incorporated my Guided Walk. I attended a Travel Fair in Winchester Cathedral.

2. Norwich. Another very successful Coach Trip, incorporating my Guided Walk. It was the second time I had taken a group here.

3. Colchester. The oldest town in the country, this is one of the places visited on one of the familiarisation days organised by Carol Jolly of Essex Tourism Association. A local Blue Badge Guide gave us a quick tour of Colchester Castle.

4. Liverpool. My wife Anne and I visited here on a Mystery Weekend run by Woods Coaches of Leicester. A local Blue Badge Guide took us on the memorable Magical Mystery Tour around places associated with the Beatles. Afterwards we visted the Tate Liverpool and the new Slavery Museum.

5. Bath. This was the destination for another very successful Coach Trip, with my Guided Walk. It was the third time I had taken a party here.

6. Southend. My home town. I visited here several times to see my mother, and my eldest daughter Theresa and her family, as well as distributing posters and leaflets. I also led my "Southend High Street" Guided Walk. Southend was also featured in another of the Essex Tourism Association`s familiarisation days, when we visited Adventure Island and the Sea Life Adventure, and had fish and chips at the Three Shells restaurant.

7. Shrewsbury. Another of my successful Coach Trips. This was the third time I had taken a group here, and as always it included my Guided Walk.

8. Cambridge. I visited this great University city as a passenger on one of Woods Coaches` trips.

9. Durham. My visit here was as a passenger, as part of a tour organised by Woods Coaches. I paid another visit to Durham Cathedral.

10. London. Several visits, including leading a number of my Guided Walks, "Royal London", "Crime and Punishment", "London`s Lost Riverside" and "Alleyways of London". I also went to several Trade Shows, and paid a quick visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

11. Chester. Anne and I visited here briefly as part of a Woods Coaches` Mystery Weekend. We visited the impressive St. Johns Church.

12. Lavenham. Anne and spent two nights at the Swan Inn in this wonderful old town. We visited the Guildhall and St. Peter and St. Paul Church.

13. Southwold. I took a Coach Trip to this fine seaside town, incorporating my Guided Walk. It was the third time I had taken a party there.

14. Torquay. Anne and I spent two nights here at the TLH resort. We visited Torre Abbey and followed the Agatha Christie trail along the seafront.

15. Llangollen. Anne and I spent two nights here at the Wild Pheasant Hotel on the edge of the town. We visited Plas Newydd, and had a ride on the steam railway, as well as a boat trip over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and a gentle horse drawn canal boat trip.

16. Aldeburgh. Anne and I had a two night stay here, at the Brudenell Hotel, with a room overlooking the sea.

17. Morecambe. Anne and I stayed for one night here, at the recently renovated Midland Hotel beside Morecambe Bay.

18. Great Yarmouth. Anne and I, and our youngest son Robin, stayed at a guest house here for three nights. We visited the impressive St. Nicholas Priory Church, where we also attended a service, and had our first taste of fish and chips at a Harry Ramsden restaurant.

19. Cheltenham. Anne and I spent three nights here, with several friends, under canvas at Cheltenham Racecourse for the excellent Green Belt Festival.

20. St. Albans. Anne and I visited St. Albans, with a group from local churches, for the annual St. Albans Festival, involving a procession and services in St. Albans Abbey.

Posted by colin on Friday 5th March, 2010 at 8:58am

An Afternoon in Cambridge

I spent the afternoon in the historic university of Cambridge recently.

How it came about was that Anne, my wife, went to visit a friend who is studying at Westcott House the day before, and spent the night at the college.

She suggested that I catch the train to Cambridge the next day, so that we could have a bit of a look round together, before she had to go back to Leicester for a meeting.

I know Cambridge quite well, but Anne had never been there before. Although she had done a bit of sightseeing the previous day, I was able to show her a fair amount more in the limited time.

And the afternoon included going to one of my favourite tea shops, Auntie`s, opposite Great St. Mary`s Church, for coffee and a scone.

Excellent.

Posted by colin on Thursday 4th March, 2010 at 3:45pm

Vista Group Hear About Church Dedications

I gave a talk recently to the Loughborough group run by Vista, who provide services to blind and visually impaired people.

I did this at short notice, when the speaker who had been originally booked had to cry off. The meeting was held at the Salvation Army in the town.

The talk I gave this time was "Dionysius, Hardulph and Egelwin", looking at the dedications of Anglican churches in Leicestershire and Rutland, and at the identities of the relevant saints, together with an explanation of what makes each one interesting.

And in case you are wondering, St. Dionysius is the parish church of Market Harborough, St. Hardulph features at Breedon-on-the-Hill (it`s St. Mary and St. Hardulph) and St. Egelwin is the parish church of Scalford.

If you would like me to give this talk (or any other, for that matter) to your group, feel free to get in touch.

Posted by colin on Wednesday 3rd March, 2010 at 9:40am

Working in Northampton

Northampton is another of the places where I worked briefly during my long career managing cinemas and theatres.

In the early 1980s, I had been out of the business for a while, and was managing a scheme to find work for unemployed people living in Rugby.

Thorn-EMI, who ran the famous ABC Cinemas, got in touch and asked if I could turn around the business for their Empire Cinema at Havant. Under normal commercial considerations, the cinema would have closed, but the company had a factory nearby and did not want to lose face with thir local employees.

The upshot was that I accepted the challenge.

However, although I had many years experience, I had not worked for that company before, so spent two or three days at the ABC at Northampton, not too far from where I was living at Rugby, getting to know the company paperwork before actually taking over at Havant.

The Northampton cinema is still there, but now operates as a church.

Posted by colin on Tuesday 2nd March, 2010 at 9:15am

St. Clare`s Children Learn About Coalville

I led a private Guided Walk recently for Year 6 pupils (9 - 10 year olds) of St. Clare`s Catholic Primary School at Coalville.

I had been asked to do this by Caroline Palmer, a teacher at the school.

The children have been learning about the history of their town, and she felt it would be helpful if they were to get out and actually see the places that they were learning about.

We met at the town`s impressive Clock Tower, and I showed and discussed various aspects of Coalville`s industrial history, with particular emphasis on coalmining and the railways.

It was a pleasure for me as well as interesting for the children and their teacher.

Any other school wishing to do something like this can get in touch with me. I will be pleased to hear from you!

Posted by colin on Sunday 28th February, 2010 at 9:59am

Travel Fair at Hall Place

I went to a travel trade fair recently at Hall Place in Bexley.

The fair was one of a number organised around the region by Travel South East, the regional tourism body.

It was held at Hall Place, a 16th century flint house with slightly later brick additions, standing in a large expanse of parkland on the outskirts of the Greater London village of Bexley, about fifteen minutes walk from the station.

Chatting to exhibitors was, as always, enjoyable, but the house and gardens themselves were a great attraction in their own right. There is a pleasant modern tea room as well.

I would not be averse to visiting Hall Place again some time.

Posted by colin on Saturday 27th February, 2010 at 9:37am

Roadside Cafes and Truckstops

"Roadside Cafes and Truckstops" is an invaluable litle book for somebody like me who organises Coach Trips.

I always make a stop in the morning, on the way to our destination, but wherever possible this is at a place which is iteresting in its own right. It can be at a garden centre, castle, farm, museum, sculpture park ....

Coming back it`s a bit more problematical, as all the interesting places have closed. That`s when the motorway services come into play, in particular those run by Road Chef, who I feel are by the most helpful.

This little book, published by the Automobile Association, gives me more options. It lists lots of cafes that are clean, friendly and offer value for money. Not all are of use to me as they close earlier (having opened early in the morning), but most give me the possibility of a good stop.

The one that we have used quite often is the excellent Farm Cafe and Bar (usually known as the Farm Stop) at Fleet Hargate near Holbeach. But I`m sure there will be more.

Posted by colin on Friday 26th February, 2010 at 4:26pm

Destinations at Earls Court

I went to another of the big trade shows in London recently.

This one was "Destinations", sponsored by The Times, and held at Earls Court.

I find it interesting to visit these shows to keep up with development in the travel business, and especially to chat with representatives of various destinations and attractions, in oher words basically to indulge in networking.

This show has a special interest because, unlike the others, it is not just aimed at trade but at the general public, which puts a different slant on proceedings.

Most of the stands relate to overseas places, but I was able to chat with people representing Colchester, the Cotswolds and the Isle of Wight.

Posted by colin on Monday 22nd February, 2010 at 8:47am

Grace Road Welcomes Graham Gooch

There was another meeting of the Leicestershire Cricket Society at Grace Road in Leicester recently, and this time the speaker was none other than Graham Gooch.

I try to get to most of these meetings, as it`s a great way of keeping in touch with cricket during the Winter months, and I certainly didn`t want to miss this one.

Graham Gooch was the captain of both Essex and England. He scored an enormous amount of runs, and is the only man in the history of cricket to score a triple century and a century in the same match, when his famous 333 against India was followed up by 123.

Not only was it great to listen to such a cricketing legend, it was a pleasure to have someone else from Essex in the room!

When it was time for questions, I said that one of the things that always endeared him to ordinary cricket lovers was that not only was he proud to play for and captain England, he was also clearly proud to play for and captain Essex, and asked if he saw any similar loyalty and local pride among today`s young cricketers.

He pointed out that it was always a pleasure, never a chore, to play for Essex, and diplomatically said, with regard to loyalty, that things have changed since his day.

Graham also reminded me that he once played for England and Essex on the same day. Knowing that England were almost certain to complete a win against Sri Lanka early in the morning, he was included in the Essex team to start a match, and they played with ten men until he arrived. The rules were changed because of that!

Graham Gooch was such a magnificent opening batsman that it is sometimes forgotten that he was a very handy bowler, with a career best of 7 - 14.

It was a most enjoyable evening, drawing a record attendance, and Graham proved to be an excellent speaker.

Posted by colin on Sunday 21st February, 2010 at 11:28am