We had changed our car rental booking to a 10am Heathrow pickup when the Waxlow Hertz Depot had closed and after discussion with Margaret and Don. It cost us 1.30 pounds for the trip to Heathrow and the only problem was the lack of a car inspection form when we tried to leave with the car. After getting a new form we found the old one – I had been sitting on it!!

The forecast was for clouds all day but we still decided we would go to Brighton, where we could visit the Royal Pavilion . However, the clouds cleared as we went south and we ended up with a fine but cool day.

We used the trick of putting in smaller places to get us off the motorways once we were ready to leave the M25 and managed to spend most of the time on the 'A' roads. The only problem was the high hedge rows that did reduce the view. We were looking for a nice tearooms but as all the interesting looking places were closed so we ended up in a place closer to a ‘Greasy Spoon’. The food was cheap and I did have a nice latte so it was not all bad.

We stopped to find a couple of the church micro geocaches although they were not quite as interesting as the usual ones. All the others we have done have taken us to historic churches but these were at more modern churches. One would have given us a free cuppa if we had been there on a Wednesday.

We then headed for the Royal Pavilion in Brighton as John had remembered it was close to the pier . We parked, then Irene and John bought food from a stall and we went to eat it on the beach. It was stony but the sun was out and it was surprisingly warm. One person was even bare-chested but I was not too hot in jeans and t shirt. Unfortunately the drink John bought spilled through his bag but fortunately his phone, computer and Tom Tom were ok.

The next stop was the pier. I couldn’t get over all the game machines and then ended up playing one myself. They had a shove 2p game and we were in profit at first then I blew all our coins – so it cost us about 20p. As I didn’t really want the prizes (keyrings) or all the 2p coins I was not really unhappy.

(JB Note: I won about 20 coins before wife BLEW the lot before dipping into our life savings for another 20p. Oh she who virtuously claims she resisted all forms of gambling when in Las Vegas. I’ve since booked her into a clinic…)

The funfair at the end of the pier was basically deserted . It is rather a sad sight to see all the empty rides. They were not that cheap either although there was a deal on to get 30 tokens for 20 pound instead of 1 pound each. Most rides needed at least 2 tokens. Irene and John tried to persuade me to go on the Ghost Train but without success. Many of the attractions had one person looking after 2 or 3 and a number of the stalls looked to be closed for the season.

We then went to the Royal Pavilion but John was not feeling well so he went to the car instead while Irene and I did the tour. I had been before but they didn’t have audio guides then and I think some extra rooms have been added to the route. I am not sure about audio guides – here they detracted at times and I preferred to just look at some of the places before listening. I talked to one of the room attendants who said the job was less interesting now people didn’t ask so many questions. No photos were allowed on the tour.

We were told that the pavilion started as a simple farm house, bought by George IV as Prince of Wales at a time when he had been out of favour because of his extravagance and debts . He later employed John Nash to rebuild it as an extravagant oriental palace. He was a very generous host and wanted a place big enough to entertain lavishly. We were told that the Chinese style was very popular at the time although no one involved had actually ever been to China.

The dining room is fabulous. We were told the crystal chandelier weighs 1 tonne and is suspended from a dragon. The Great kitchen had the best technology of the day, including an automatic spit turner and a steam tray to keep food warm. Many of the famous chefs of the day cooked here and there was a copy of the menu for a special dinner on display. It included 36 main dishes as well as starters, soups, and desserts.

The music room had been restored after a fire bomb. There was a notice outside asking women to remove any stiletto shoes. The carpet is a replica of the original axminster but with a much less sumptuous pile. There was room for a 70 piece orchestra to play and some hidden doors so the players could move in and out easily. We were asked to imagine ourselves in the room as an honoured guest, dancing in pumps to the orchestra.

One room was in the process of renovation and details of the various techniques used were given. One thing that registered was that silver was replaced with titanium as it doesn’t tarnish and had also been available relatively cheaply . Parts of the wall had been exposed to show how the room had changed over time.

Various royal apartments were on display. The rooms that George IV used when he was old were on the ground floor although we were told he didn’t stay here often. The bedroom had a secret door through to a toilet and another door to a bathroom where he could bathe in hot or cool water and fresh or salt water. The palace had 30 plumbed toilets at a time when they were rare. The rooms used by his brothers were part of the tour as well.

We finished in the area used by Queen Victoria and her family. She found the building too small for her family of nine and also didn’t like not having a sea view. The bedroom area she used did seem small but there were the 2 bedrooms used by George’s brothers plus George IV’s three rooms, so she should have been able to find space. Regardless she sold the palace and the city is now the owner. Victoria took the furniture with her and much on display has been lent back.

We were going to drive along the south coast as far as Chichester but the roads were too busy. Then we went up an A road and stopped in Surrey for tea. The first pub we had a drink at because the kitchen was not open for an hour and then we drove a bit closer to London and found a very friendly pub called ‘the Waggon and Horses’. I was really cold so opted to sit in the carpeted area and then one of the men lit the fire because they heard the ladies were cold. I had asked about dessert but when the meals arrived they were huge with large pieces of very meaty pie. We enjoyed our food but couldn’t eat it all. The drive back into Acton went smoothly and we had time for a cuppa with Margaret and Don and for Irene to make some farewells as they had an early start the next day.