JEC / Jaguar World 13th London to Brighton Run 2010

Day 1

The Kettering to London leg. A good clear run down the A14 and A1(M) was encouraging; the sun was shining, the air con cool and thankfully not too many comfort breaks (with a 3 year in tow with potty training; this is always a challenge!). It was a refreshing change to be chaffeured for the first leg down to Potters Bar services.

A quick change-over at the services and yours truly was in the drivers’ seat. In a moment of madness; a flash decision leads us onto the A1 in an attempt to cut across London to Canary Wharf (our overnight stop was at West India Quay) against the better more sensible advice from my better half. We paid the price by getting caught-up with "football traffic".

Finally, we arrived at our hotel and were greeted by a very enthusiastic concierge who offered to park the Jag for nothing. Well, there's no such thing as a free lunch and it did not really take much to work out the guy's true motivations! Anyone remember the valet parking scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day off (1986)?

Day 2

A really early start since our hotel was very close to the London marathon route.  We arrived at Hall Place, Bexley in plenty of time so I took the opportunity to inspect the impressive array of cars arriving at the car park whilst Sue and Joe decided that the perimeter playing fields were definately the most interesting option!

Amidst heavy rain, we were off! A proper send-off by a guy dressed in a dapper (but very wet) suite with an official flag.

A two hour drive through Kent and Sussex saw the rain ease and hopes were rising in anticipation of a warm and sunny coastal destination. The directions provided were extremely well-written and we couldn’t help thinking that some ex-military folks had been involved with the planning and routing.   Despite this, the convoy of Jags that had been following us from the off slowly whittled-down to just one hard-core follower; it was apparent that some folks were obviously focusing on the en-route quiz rather than the directions! Fail...

Finally, we reached the major stop of the day; Parham House in West Sussex (http://www.parhaminsussex.co.uk/). The house had opened early for the event and the kitchen was geared-up to offer refreshments to the 250+ cars that had descended upon them. Whilst the Gardens were out-of-season (with the exception of some established trees in full bloom), the House was very impressive. I have never seen such a fine collection of furniture and art-work held in a private collection outside of a museum.

Some hours later we were back on the road suitably refreshed heading towards Brighton seafront for the finish line. By now it really was quite warm, so expectations were running high that at least Joe would be able to go paddling in the sea (a rare treat when you live in the middle of England!). 

Approaching the finish line on Madeira Drive was almost like the Whacky Races with an unexpected interview as we crossed the line. Fortunately, this was not caught on camera, but we did film the guy in front.

The rest of the day was spent wondering around the Pier (for Joe’s benefit obviously) and the Lanes (http://www.visitbrighton.com/site/shopping/the-lanes)  for some shopping, food and a chance to catch-up with some old friends local to the area. Eventually, we departed for our overnight stay somewhere near Balcombe. 

Day 3

The final leg back home. Nothing really to write home about apart from the annoying road works on the M25 and M1. Though there was an opportunity for some spirited acceleration on a slip road :>)