Journey out - Learning to fly or Team me'n'she go to Austria
Olly Betts
(to 9/7/90)
Sorry about the delay - Claire asked me if I'd done it - I said no, you can if you like - she said she would - and seems to have forgotten!
Start of on the Friday evening with a lift by boss to Cambridge seemingly involving a tour of all country lanes between Hertford & C'bridge. Knock on 60 Sedgewick St. door & woman answers and yells "He's here". Shovel stuff into Waddersmobile and stand in living room looking at strange furniture & lots and lots and lots of computers. Set off after c.5min and Wadders tries hard to just miss every car on the road. Stopped for chips & Wadders had to leave engine running "'cos it sometimes doesn't start when warm". Reached Grassington late & found I had to share a tent (rigged upside down) with Tim. After little sleep got up to find Berk's Fell abandoned due to too much water & much dithering so get lift to station, wait for 3½ hours & get train to Leeds & bus with Claire to Ponty (oh yeah, rang her earlier) & stayed night there. After major packing sesh in a.m. we're off to Manchester airport after lunch & find plane delayed by 1 hr. Enough to miss tight connection with train in Salzburg, hence have to wander round Salzburg from 7pm 'til 4am. Then go by train to B.A., via Bischopshofen & Staudich Immermann (or something similar) since earliest train on Sunday goes that way. Claire buys tickets via Bad Ischl, but flattering eyelashes solves a problem with ticket collector (number 37, I think). After repeated dozing on train, reach B.A. Claire asks for directions to Hilda's & we set off into B.A. only to be stopped by the woman Claire asked directions from, offering a lift (even though she wasn't going that way). Claire chats to her during journey and I get about one word in ten. Get to Hilda's & Hilda tells us the cavers aren't coming for a week. Pointedly discuss fate of Wookey's genitalia. Hilda says we can stay the night in the Lager hut. Doze under a tree 'til it gets hot & then move to lager hut. Awoken by Adam later on to be informed that Rover had arrived - Reprieve for Wookey's genitalia! Ten minutes later it starts to piss down, after glorious sunshine all day, so the expedition had clearly begun!