Carol is really determined to get out as much as possible. Considering that she's been off work since August last year and has been stuck indoors for most of this time. except for hospital and doctor's appointments, who can blame her? We search on Google for somewhere suitable to visit, and as a result came across Bekonscot Model Village in Beaconsfield. I'd heard of this place, but had never visited. We took the satnav, which has been sitting on the shelf in the lounge unused for some time now. I was hoping we might be able to use the satnav which is in the Renault, but for some reason we just can't manage to operate it. So we set up the Garmin and then found that the part that fits on the back and allows it to stick to the inside of the windscreen was missing. So I had to have the thing on my knee as we went along with Carol driving.
We drove out towards Aylesbury as we knew that Bekonscot isn't much further from the route we know reasonably well, particularly going to such places as West Wycombe, a National Trust property, as well as the hill that over-looks the village as well as Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
We arrived in Beaconsfield and it was only by chance that we saw a sign for Bekonscot, otherwise I doubt we'd have found it. I was somewhat surprised that it was in a rather affluent-looking housing estate, putting me very much in mind of Frinton-On-Sea, where my family used to go on summer holidays when I was a child. It has that 1920s-1930s sort of feel about it, vaguely Art Deco designed houses, and all quite large. Fortunately we could park the car opposite the model village, in a church carpark.
Having paid our entrance fees we went into the model village. First we had something to eat, buying drinks and paninis from the café and sitting at one of the tables outside. It was good to see so many families with children enjoying the sunshine. Then we began our walk around the model village, along the paths between the exhibits. Some truly amazing models, with so much detail. Again, a sort of 1930s feel, almost like going back in time to a period of seaside holidays with Punch and Judy on the beach, cricket on the village green, horses and carts instead of lorries and vintage-looking cars. How on earth they manage to keep the place in such good order is quite amazing. Some of the exhibits have moving parts, such as a coal mine with coal being loaded onto a train. Yes, and throughout the whole garden, a fantastic railway with trains moving about. And on the lake in the middle, an area to represent a harbour, and little yachts sailing across the water as well as other types of boat and ship. Someone had a real sense of humour with the names of businesses, the shop fronts bearing all sorts of names, puns almost. Several churches, one which you can see inside in, with the choir and a tiny vicar, another model of a circus, again, you can view inside, with acrobats and horses revolving as if in a circus ring. Further over, a farm with a threshing machine, probably a bit out of days by today's farming standards, but all working and to minute scaled detail.
Carol was keen to have some ice-cream. Being on chemotherapy, anything cold, such as ice-cream, would be impossible to eat, so we went to the ice-cream stand and she tried a small spoonful. It seemed fine, no reaction, so we both ordered some for ourselves, two scoops each. Very delicious. We sat at a café table. Then we went towards the exit and had a browse in the obligatory gift shop, but bought nothing and then made our way out and back to the car and home.
We were surprised how many families there were in the model village. Also, how few people taking 'selfies'. For some reason it seemed that nobody was busy with such crazy things, more interested in what they'd obviously come to look at. No smartphones much in evidence at all, apart from a few people taking photographs with their phones of the model buildings on display and a young boy who was with his dad who had a Canon camera (a more advance and probably far more expensive model than one, which I took photos of the buildings with). He was taking similar photos, but was being quite clever and experimental they way he was lining up shots, no doubt influenced by his dad.
So, we drove home, quite happy with our day out.
We drove out towards Aylesbury as we knew that Bekonscot isn't much further from the route we know reasonably well, particularly going to such places as West Wycombe, a National Trust property, as well as the hill that over-looks the village as well as Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
We arrived in Beaconsfield and it was only by chance that we saw a sign for Bekonscot, otherwise I doubt we'd have found it. I was somewhat surprised that it was in a rather affluent-looking housing estate, putting me very much in mind of Frinton-On-Sea, where my family used to go on summer holidays when I was a child. It has that 1920s-1930s sort of feel about it, vaguely Art Deco designed houses, and all quite large. Fortunately we could park the car opposite the model village, in a church carpark.
Having paid our entrance fees we went into the model village. First we had something to eat, buying drinks and paninis from the café and sitting at one of the tables outside. It was good to see so many families with children enjoying the sunshine. Then we began our walk around the model village, along the paths between the exhibits. Some truly amazing models, with so much detail. Again, a sort of 1930s feel, almost like going back in time to a period of seaside holidays with Punch and Judy on the beach, cricket on the village green, horses and carts instead of lorries and vintage-looking cars. How on earth they manage to keep the place in such good order is quite amazing. Some of the exhibits have moving parts, such as a coal mine with coal being loaded onto a train. Yes, and throughout the whole garden, a fantastic railway with trains moving about. And on the lake in the middle, an area to represent a harbour, and little yachts sailing across the water as well as other types of boat and ship. Someone had a real sense of humour with the names of businesses, the shop fronts bearing all sorts of names, puns almost. Several churches, one which you can see inside in, with the choir and a tiny vicar, another model of a circus, again, you can view inside, with acrobats and horses revolving as if in a circus ring. Further over, a farm with a threshing machine, probably a bit out of days by today's farming standards, but all working and to minute scaled detail.
Carol was keen to have some ice-cream. Being on chemotherapy, anything cold, such as ice-cream, would be impossible to eat, so we went to the ice-cream stand and she tried a small spoonful. It seemed fine, no reaction, so we both ordered some for ourselves, two scoops each. Very delicious. We sat at a café table. Then we went towards the exit and had a browse in the obligatory gift shop, but bought nothing and then made our way out and back to the car and home.
We were surprised how many families there were in the model village. Also, how few people taking 'selfies'. For some reason it seemed that nobody was busy with such crazy things, more interested in what they'd obviously come to look at. No smartphones much in evidence at all, apart from a few people taking photographs with their phones of the model buildings on display and a young boy who was with his dad who had a Canon camera (a more advance and probably far more expensive model than one, which I took photos of the buildings with). He was taking similar photos, but was being quite clever and experimental they way he was lining up shots, no doubt influenced by his dad.
So, we drove home, quite happy with our day out.
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