Friday, October 05, 2012

The Gripes of Wrath


The Gripes of Wrath

 
Saturday was promised to be fair and so it was.  I fancied a trip to Lyme Regis to revisit the Cobb where Meryl Streep, in billowing cloak, agonised in The French Lieutenant’s Woman.  We left our narrow lanes for the hectically busy A35.  Sadly we missed the unobtrusive turning to Lyme Ragis.  The road became quite hazardous; double white lines in the centre and speed restrictions of 30mph and 20mph which – being us - we slavishly followed. 

 
Thence began a nightmare of non stop blaring horns and bully boy tactics.  Out instinct was to get off the road as soon as, but we were trapped.  I have to confess I did feel a little wrathful myself, but commonsense prevailed and at the first opportunity we drove off the road.  I do have some sympathy with the young bloods who know exactly what they are doing, feel safe to bend the rules and are incensed by the old geezers holding them up.

 
However I must point out that if this type of driving becomes the norm we oldies may well give up the struggle to be independent and have to rely on others - which will be costly and possibly use up any inheritance you may be expecting.  I exclude our off spring who are kindness itself, and encourage us to be as independent as possible.

 
Eventually we managed to turn round and find the turning to Lyme Regis.  A friend had told me to follow the signs to the Cobb so we could get down the hills so MTL wouldn’t have to cope with climbing.  No Cobb signs were seen but we followed P signs which took us down into the harbour and then back up the other side so again we were on a hill.  We made the decision that I should ‘run‘ down to the harbour, take some photos and come back.  It was that sort of day and when I went to put money in the machine it wouldn’t work.  Back at the car MTL was parked very close to the next car and was having difficulty getting out.  Not for the first time I wished for super human powers to be able to actually lift the car.

 
Once MTL was back in the driving seat I asked him to explain why we hadn’t got a ticket and ran down the hill.  Fortuitously I bumped into the ticket inspector and he explained that new £ coins didn’t work.  One of the few times when I was rendered speechless.  It looked such fun down by the sea – hustle and bustle, lots of super eating places and a sparkling sea.  I decided the Cobb must be way further along the coast so settled for the very photogenic place I was in.

 
Back up the hill we drove on up- through Uplyme and back to our village – bloody but unbowed and discovered the joys of eating at our local - The Old Inn.
Back at the cottage we discovered a lovely painting of the Cobb over the fireplace.  So that will have to do.

 
See photos below.

15 comments:

Ms Scarlet said...

I love an outing to Lyme Regis - but so steep. I can assess my fitness level by how puffed I get on the way back to the car park.

Sx

OldLady Of The Hills said...

It sounds like driving over there is as treacherous as it is here in Los Angeles....! The atmosphere of selfishness-on-the-road is quite shocking now. The ME Generation---The I-don't-care-about-you generation makes driving harder and harder...Sad ro see, isn't it?

lom said...

It's the new coins you know, we stood on a car park for ages after putting in nearly enough money to find we were short of 10p and only had a new 10p as did most of the other people I ran after. In the end we did manage to find a old one.

Does that make any sense at all?

Pat said...

Scarlet: fortunately - as we live on a hill, I get lots of practice but find I stop occasionally for a breather.

Naomi: we are lucky locally that folk are happy not to be living in the fast lane.

LOM: cripes - all new to me:)

Anonymous said...

I knew nothing of the trials of 'new money' ... me and my mother had tremendous battles in south Devon with pay and display parking machines ... no wonder!

why oh why are these places so hung up on pay and display with no option for notes/cards or any cash conversion machines? it is so NOT welcoming for visitors and the weekly parking passes are extortionate - £33!!

Unknown said...

The graveyards are full of eejits who like to speed hen. Tis better to arrive late than never at all.

On occasion I have stopped and got out of my car when people have made rude gestures at me fae the safety of their own vehicle.

It never fails to amuse me just how quickly their anger turns to warm wee patches on the crotches of troosers.

About Last Weekend said...

Oh Lyme Regis, its probably very gentrified there now, but was quite scrappy and chip sandwich on the beahc when we visited 13 years ago and stared out to sea as la The French Leitenant's (sp!) Woman

Pat said...

Roseneath: if so seasoned a treveller as you get caught out no wonder I got in such a pickle.

Chef: ah there you are. It would have been nice to have had you around. I did fantasise about getting out of the car and standing in the middle of the road and glaring but you would have been much more effective.

ALW: one of my friends who told me to follow the Cobb signs assured me it had gone up market and in the short time I was there it did seem so. Mind you that isn't necessarily a good thing when in parts of Cornwall it attracts loutish Hooray Henrys.
There was a wartime song GI Jive and one of the lines was something about L.I.E.U.T. so I can always spell that word. My gift to you:)

rashbre said...

I seem to remember that the car park is on the edge of the town and theres a steepish slope down and then back up.

I too will pull over when someone wants to drive too close. I sometimes wonder what they will do with the extra total 20 seconds they have gained in the course of their usually familiar short distance journey.

Z said...

There are new coins? I don't think they've reached Norfolk yet.

I've just caught up on your last few posts, I'm horribly out of touch with almost everyone. They're all brilliant as always - oh, and as my beloved (I say this slightly ironically in the circs) got banned for totting up speeding points, keep following the restrictions! I do. Well, except on motorways...and then not far off.

Pat said...

Z:they - the coins, were new to me too.
Naughty Sage - but I trust he wouldn't be agressive if he was behind us. MTL told me today that in all his years of driving he has never hooted at anyone.
I once broke down at the traffic lights and was hooted by a man whilst I was staring under the bonnet. I wanted to go up to him and ask him if he would like to sort out my problem and I'd blow his horn. But I didn't.

Ms Scarlet said...

PAT!!!!!
Sx

Pat said...

Scarlet: OMG - I've just reread that.

Sharon Longworth said...

Well, I was just going to leave a comment about the lovely trip I had to Lyme Regis on Christmas Eve last year, but then I got distracted by your last comment..... and in the words of Scarlet Blue, all I can say now is PAT!!!!

Pat said...

Sharon: oh 'eck!