We had time to publish blogs and repack then chat before we went out for lunch. Jenny and Peter (Margaret's daughter and son in law) met us at a pub by the Thames. The river was very low so didn’t look as attractive as it might have but the pub was lovely. We sat by the window and could see the boats upon the river. There was not a lot of traffic on the river but there was a rowing eight that went past twice and also one of the small sort of punts that one person stands on and looks very insecure.

The food was very good with a big choice and we happily stayed there for 2 hours enjoying lamb shanks (John) and pork belly (me) . We then fare welled everyone and headed for the motorway.

The drive went smoothly enough and we arrived at Great Baddow at the right time. Great Baddow is a village just outside Chelmsford so just the right sort of place for our trip. We parked outside the house and Len came to greet us. We sat down for a cuppa and talked about travel. Len and Wendy have done a lot of exchanges, both home exchanges and hospitality, including a number in NZ. In fact they have seen much more of NZ than almost anyone we have met, including a stay on Stewart Island. They have just sold their house but assured us it was no problem as they are having packers in next Friday. In fact their main issue is that they are renovating their new house and not moving in until it is done so they will be homeless for about 3 months. They are using part of that time to visit Switzerland.

While we were there their daughter (who had been in France) rang to say that the Eurotunnel had had delays, the M25 was very busy and could she pick up her dog (Morgan) next morning . The dog had greeted us with suspicion but was soon very friendly, especially when he thought we might feed him. It sounded as though we had made the trip at the right time as we had had no problems on the M25.

After we moved in our luggage, Len took us for a drive. We went first into Chelmsford, which he said is now more like a dormitory suburb of London. The train takes about 30 minutes to get to the centre of London. The city has a cathedral and also the University of East Anglia, built on the site of a ball bearing factory that was destroyed by a bomb in WW2. We drove over the 2 rivers in the city, the Cam and the Chelmer as well as some attractive canals. The prison is notable for being the place where Porridge (the TV series) was set. Of course John was interested in seeing the country cricket ground. Len told us the museum has a good display of Roman England but otherwise the city is really known for its shopping. It is also referred to as the birthplace of radio because Marconi established the first radio factory in the world in the city in 1898.

We then drove along some narrow lanes and very attractive avenues in the country area very close to the city. One large area was Danbury country park, with lakes, woodlands, deer and picnic areas. There were lots of attractive villages, with lovely looking country pubs. We even went through a ford, which had nearly 12 inches of water in it. It was as attractive as any countryside we have seen. We went to the highest point in Essex, which is a very flat county so it was not that high but you could still see a fair way.

We returned for a drink and I tried a Pimms which was very refreshing. After tea Len and Wendy gave us a number of pamphlets about local attractions. On Wednesday we are going to a concert with them in Suffolk so we planned a trip for tomorrow that kept to the south of there with other possible places also for Tuesday.