Times Out Trip Reports - 2023
Times Out Skittles Evening at the Binfield Club
Thursday 9th November

On the 9th November 24 of us participated in a skittles evening at the Binfield Club.


We had time for 5 rounds including bowling with usual hand, opposite hand and both hands. It was clear that little skill and lots of luck was the order of the evening.


We paused half way through the evening for a buffet supper and we finished the evening at about 9:45.


Everyone said they enjoyed the evening very much.


This was the first skittles evening that Times Out have held and was very succesful.
Times Out Visit to Chatham Historic Dockyard
Wednesday 11th October

On Wednesday 11th October 11 of our members visited Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent.

We first watched a video presentation about the history of the site and was told that Nelson’s ship HMS Victory was built there.

There were many different areas to see including an R.N.L.I. museum, the Smithery, the Ropery, a submarine, a gunship, a clipper and many other smaller areas.

We booked on a couple of guided tours the first being the Ropery which was housed in a long narrow building over ¼ mile in length. The guide showed us examples of different ropes and explained how they were made and then we saw a length of 30mm rope being made. In the Ropery they make ropes from 30 mm to 300 mm in diameter, smaller ropes are made in another building.

Next we were booked on the guided tour of the submarine ‘Ocelot’ which was decommissioned in the early 1990’s. We went down into the sub. and saw what it would have been like to live for 6 weeks in a sardine tin; no baths or showers for 6 weeks but everyone smelt the same. It was quite difficult moving through the small openings to go from section to section.

As a lot of the outside scenes of the TV series “Call the Midwife” were filmed here there was a 1½ hour “Call the Midwife” tour but it had to be booked in advance and was £35 per person. Despite the price it is booked out until March 2024!

Because of the length of the journey (about 1½ hours) we only spent 4½ hours there but were still able to see the majority of areas open to us but did not see everything, however, the ticket lasts for a year so we may visit again sometime next year.

Altogether a very interesting and enjoyable trip, one we would recommend.
Times Out Visit to Kintbury Horse-drawn Barge
Thursday 7th September

On Thursday 7th September 25 of our members went down to Kintbury near Hungerford to take a trip on a horse-drawn barge down the Kennet and Avon canal.

We booked the two hour trip for the morning and shared the barge with 25 other people.

One horse called Monty, a cross-breed between a shire and a Welsh cob, lead us along the towpath for 45 minutes until we reached a lock.

Some of us got out at the lock whilst others stayed on board. The barge was manoeuvred through the lock which was manually operated, turned around and back through the lock. We watched all the manoeuvring from the bridge right next to the lock before re-boarding.

A fresh horse was attached to the barge which hauled us back to the starting point.

The trip was very calming and the weather was perfect.
When we returned, most of us went for lunch in the pub next to the canal.

A trip we can well recommend.
Times Out Visit to Leonardslee Gardens and Lakes
Tuesday 15th August

On Tuesday 15th August 13 of our members visited Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens near Horsham, Sussex.

There were different walks around the grounds and lakes, some a bit steep, but with beautiful views across the lakes. Lots of interesting trees, lovely hydrangeas and wild flowers.
There is a deer park at the top of the gardens and a Victorian rock garden near the exit.

There are a colony of wallabies which started in the late 1800’s with some rare white ones included. Some of us watched them being fed and listened to the keeper give a talk about them.

At the moment there is a sculpture trail around the grounds organised by the Surrey Sculpture society. It was interesting but quite expensive or very expensive with pieces ranging from £250 to £39,000.

There is a Dolls House Museum near the café and the museum is called ‘Beyond the Dolls House’ and when we went in and looked at the exhibits we were amazed by the detail in the little shops, the country gardens, houses and farms – a definite must see.

We all met up for lunch at the café and afterwards finished some of the areas and sculptures we had not seen earlier.

A trip that we can well recommend.
Times Out Visit and Tour of The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Monday 24th July

On Monday 24th July 13 of our members visited the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (ALTEC), Wimbledon for a tour of the grounds.

Major Walter Wingfield introduced the game of tennis to the All England Croquet Club in 1873 where one lawn was set aside for tennis. The first gentlemen’s championship was held in 1877. The ground was originally sited at Warpole Road , about 2½miles away, but there was no room for expansion so moved to its current site in 1922.

The game was derived from Real Tennis which started in the 16th century.

We got to ALTEC with time to spare so we had some refreshment in the main restaurant which was named after Wingfield and then spent some time in the tennis museum. The museum is extremely informative and shows the history of tennis from its inception to the recent tournament.

Our tour started at 12:00 and our wonderful guide spent 1½ hours taking us round to all the most popular parts of the grounds (see photos) and to some areas that the public would not normally see.

We had our photos taken at the press interview desk in the enormous media/press room.
After lunch we finished looking round the museum and then made our way home by bus and train; luckily there was no train strike that day and no rain whilst we were walking round.

Whether a tennis fan or not we would thoroughly recommend this tour.
Times Out Hidden London Walk
Tuesday 4th July

On Tuesday 4th July 18 of our members went on our annual Hidden London Walk.
After travelling to Waterloo we split into 2 groups, one led by Alan and Pauline Buckingham and the other by Tony and Brenda Bolt.
We crossed Waterloo bridge and went down the steps to the Embankment and visited Cleopatra’s Needle where we were told some of it’s history. Then we went into Embankment Gardens, through the gardens, on to Villiers Street and The Arches and on to Trafalgar Square.
At Trafalgar Square we saw the smallest police station, the official imperial standard measurements for yards, feet, inches, poles, links, chains etc. and learnt about Charles I statue.
Next we went back along The Strand learning about Charing Cross monument, South Africa House, Zimbabwe House, Coutts Bank and ending up at Somerset House after which we stopped for lunch.
After lunch we walked through Covent Garden and visited St. Paul's church often known as The Actors church where there are remembrance plaques for a great many actors. Onwards to Bow Street magistrates court, Neal’s Yard and Denmark Street (used to be the heart of the music scene from the 50’s through to the 70’s) now full of music shops. Down Denmark Street we discovered a passageway that leads towards Centre Point which has the most amazing light show complete with soothing music; you could stand there for a long time watching the changing lights.
Walking down Charing Cross road then passed the Phoenix theatre to Phoenix Gardens which is a wonderfully surprising and relaxing garden in central London, close to Seven Dials which was our next stop. Onwards to return to the Covent Garden area finishing at Rules, reputably the oldest restaurant in London.
Back to Waterloo, coffee and train home.
Many quirky and interesting facts were read out along the walk. Weather was cloudy at first and then a touch of light rain for about 20 minutes then drizzle but it didn’t ruin the walk.
Times Out Trip to Hever Castle and Gardens
Wednesday 21st June

On Wednesday 21st June 8 of our members visited Hever Castle and Gardens the childhood home of Anne Boleyn near Edenbridge, Kent. The castle was built in the 13th century and is double moated.

Members first visited the castle which was most impressive with beautifully maintained rooms and a lot of historical facts to be learnt.



After the castle we ate our lunch sitting in the grounds then split up and walked around the grounds. The grounds contain a large lake, beautiful rose garden, Italian garden, water maze, yew maze, lawns, ponds with water lilies and some wild flower meadows.


On the day we were there they were filming the TV show “Landscape Artist of the Year” and we were able to walk around the contestants and view their work.




Finally we all met at the Rose Garden for a guided tour by an excellent, down to earth guide where we all learnt quite a lot about roses and growing them.



Weather was perfect for this visit.
Times Out Trip to the Weald and Downland Museum
Thursday 25th May

On Thursday 25thMay 8 of our members visited the Weald and Downland Museum near Chichester.

There were a lot of replica buildings on site dating from 950AD to the 19th Century. The types of buildings included farmhouses, stables, workshops, a church, a school, a watermill still in use grinding flour, a dairy and a bakehouse where you could purchase a cake or bread made with flour from the watermill.

Building styles included Anglo-Saxon, Tudor and Victorian. All houses were surrounded by gardens growing plants, herbs and vegetables of the time.

We attended an interesting talk and tour of the Downland Gridshell which is a uniquely constructed building where restoration work is carried out on the main floor and many, in fact thousands, of artefacts are stored in the lower level.

One of the main attractions on site is the Repair Shop barn, out-buildings and forge where they film the T.V. series. Unfortunately they were filming on the day so we could not get very close but we did see a few of the people who work on the show and spoke to the blacksmith.

The weather was perfect for the visit and on-site facilities were good including a very informative museum and a lovely cafe overlooking the lake.

Altogether a very interesting place to visit.




Times Out Trip to the Play "Flare Path" at Wokingham Theatre
Wednesday 26th April

On the evening of 26th April 18 of our members attended the charity evening in support of the Samaritans at the Wokingham Theatre to see “Flare Path” by Terrance Rattigan. The play was written in 1941 and is set in a hotel near an RAF bomber airbase during the second world war.

The story involves a love triangle between a bomber pilot, his actress wife and a famous film star. There was a bit of comedy included and the actors were very good.

A very enjoyable evening which concluded with a few raffle wins by some of our members.

This now seems to be an annual event for Times Out.
Times Out Trip to Post Office Museum and Mail Rail Train
Wednesday 15th March

On Wednesday 15th March 10 of our members visited the Postal Museum and Mail Rail Train at Mount Pleasant, London.


First, and most important, refreshment at the cafe.


After refreshments all visited the postal museum and spent about an hour looking at the various interesting exhibits.


After lunch all managed to book on the same train ride which used to go underground to the main sorting offices around central London. There was an excellent narration along the route explaining how the train used to operate.


A very enjoyable and interesting visit.
Times Out Trip to Weford Park Snowdrops
Friday 10th February

On Friday 10th February 10 of our members visited Welford Park (the home of The Great British Bake Off) near Newbury to see the annual display of snowdrops.

There was a walkway around the grounds and woodland areas to see the different species of snowdrop, it was a spectacular sight and a great photo opportunity.

After seeing the snowdrops we paid a short visit to the parish church which was right next to the manor house, dedicated to St. Gregory and dating back to Norman times, it has a round tower which is extremely rare for this part of the country.

Finally some of us stayed for a spot of lunchtime refreshment in the large and quite crowded tea tent.


We were lucky with the weather as it was a beautiful, bright winter’s day.
Our thanks to Debbie Walker for suggesting this visit.
Times Out Mill at Sonning Theatre Trip
Thursday2nd February

On the evening of 2nd February 21 of our members went to see the comedy play “We’ll Always Have Paris” at the Mill Theatre, Sonning.

This was a play with only 5 actors and was set in a small, 6th floor Paris apartment where the main character, Nancy, was living.


Nancy invited an old school friend over from England to stay for a few days. Also in the same apartment building lived another old school friend.


The story is about how their lives had evolved since the early days.


The other characters were a French plumber and the apartment’s landlady.


Comedy was good and interspersed with some French music and the acting was excellent.


As usual the pre-theatre food was excellent with a good choice.