After arriving back in the UK from our family Belgian beer tour the group spent the evening in Chelmsford then took a morning train into London. We breakfasted at ‘Hamilton Hall’, a J.D.Wetherspoon pub at Liverpool Station then rode the Underground to Heathrow where I bid goodbye to Ryan, Mary, and the Missouri Smiths.
Kevin and I had agreed to meet at the Green Motion rental agency lot just off the airport grounds and did so after some luggage and shuttle challenges. Driving near Heathrow is a combat sport. We had a slight altercation with a local soccer hooligan disguised as a garbage truck driver at one of the roundabouts.
Our drive to Porthcawl, Brigend in Wales was an easy 3-hours on the M4. Porthcawl is a famous holiday resort town, known for its beaches and golf. We stayed in what’s called the dormy at the Royal Porthcawl course having secured one of the 3 twin rooms. It’s quite a beautiful location as the clubhouse and dormy overlook Rest Bay and the Bristol Channel.
Wales has a zero tolerance wrt alcohol and driving so we took a taxi to the historic ‘Rose & Crown’ village pub in ‘Heol Y apel, Nottage, Porthcawl’. Gotta love the village names! Chicken & Mash pie for me, Steak & Ale pie for Kevin, along with a few cask ales.
