Phab holidays
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Friday 23rd – travelling
We spent most of the day traveling, and settling into our tents, and then enjoying an evening meal, with chances to get to know people, followed by the Welcome Evening and some Line Dancing and Disco.
On Friday the second of November 2001 a group of intrepid Oxford PHAB club members set off on the long trek up the A34, M42, M5 and M6 to Blackpool. We drove our own minibus, and were accompanied by a Social Services minibus and driver.
Blackpool seafront at night from the pier.
This is the view of our minibus from the Social Service bus as we drive in convoy along the Promenade.
After spending Saturday visiting the attractions we returned to Oxford on Sunday 4th
We enjoyed our holiday at The Stackpole Centre in 1997 so much that we returned to Pembrokeshire in 1998 – with far better weather this time.
Birthday celebrations !!
Climbing back after abseiling.
Many of us abseiled.
At the beach in Tenby.
The Stackpole Centre in Pembrokeshire has accessible accommodation, including a swimming pool with a hoist, and a big group kitchen.
Our holiday started out rather wet.
This did not prevent us from having a good time. We had a trip to St Govans Head, in the rain.
We could still see some of the dramatic coastline, and noone was blown off a cliff.
We had several day trips; one to St Davids, where we visited the Marine Life centre and the Cathedral and the Archbishops Palace.
At the Archbishops palace – before the downpour which sent us back to the Minibus.
We also did various outdoor activities.
Returning from ‘sailing’ in a flat calm and pouring rain.
We enjoyed it so much that we returned to Stackpole in 1998.
Phab South East Region have organised a youth weekend, aimed at young people from 16 to 26 approximately. This is your chance to meet other Phab members from the South East, have your say in the future of the organisation and generally have an enjoyable weekend.
John Kelly
Kingfisher Barn, Abingdon Oxfordshire
Transport from Oxford bus and railway stations will be available – please arrange it when you book
From 10:00 am Saturday April 12th until 4:00 pm on Sunday April 13th
£10 including accommodation and meals
We had a club holiday in Holland from April 18th to 26th 1992.
We hired an accessible coach, which took us from Oxford to Harwich on the 18th. A little group of us went to the Captain’s Bar, where there was a good live group. We then boarded the ferry, travelling overnight to Hook of Holland.
We awoke on the ferry at about 6am, got up and had breakfast (bacon and eggs, for those who wanted). When to ferry arrived we left the ferry, boarded our coach and headed for Zoetermeer. There we were lucky enough to see the Floriade – an exhibition and garden festival which is only held every ten years, in a different location each time. The 1992 Floriade was on a huge site, large enough for us to lose some members, in those pre-mobile phone days, and then to lose the search party.
There were massive displays of tulips and pansies, as well as exhibits from many countries and a tram to get us around.
Once we were all assembled our coach took us to Egmond aan Zee, where we unloaded outside Ten Anker.
Ten Anker – where we stayed. It has been rebuilt, as you can see from Streetview, but the street is still there.
Unfortunately Ten Anker, the house we were staying at, was – to put it mildly – not very clean. We were also late in the day, so we rushed to the restaurant at the Lido, where we paid 50 Guilders per person for a 2 course meal, for example soup and schnitzel with paprika (Zigeunerschnitzel). We then returned to Ten Anker to clean thoroughly, before finally turning in for the night.
Reg, our coach driver had a rest day, after all the driving he had been doing, so we explored Egmond aan Zee,
John, Ann and Julie by the seaside in Holland.
We took the coach to Madurodam, where we spent the day, returning to eat cauliflower cheese.
We had a little trouble parking in Amsterdam, but succeeded, and visited the Vincent Van Gogh Museum, walked to Leidseplein, and went on a boat trip on the canals.
As we were in Holland we had to see Windmills and Zaanse Schans is the place to do it.
Another Dutch speciality is cheese, and the best place to experience this is the cheese market at Alkmaar. I think we then visited Spaarndam and saw the statue of the of the boy plugging the dike with his finger. In the evening we went bowling, followed by a disco.
We visited the Aquarium at Bergen aan Zee, then returned to Egmond, to go into town and have real Dutch pancakes. We then did some tiding and had a party.
We made sure Ten Anker was spick and span before we left, had breakfast in town, and drove to Hook of Holland. We returned on the Stena Line MV Koningin Beatrix to Harwich, and finally back to Oxford.
We assembled at the car park of the Jack Russel Pub, Mortimer Drive, Old Marston at 9:45, leaving at 10:30 – just across the road from the home of Mark Steadman, our chairman at the time.
Our programme was as follows
Leave – 10:30am from the Jack Russel Pub. Stop at Service Station at 12:00pm, leave at 1:00pm. Arrive at Butlins at 3:00pm (approx.) Shopping expedition to be arranged at Butlins. Meet at 6:30pm at the Plaza for evening meal.
Free day to explore Butlins and Bognor Regis (Make your own sandwiches from lunch if you wish). Meet at 6:00pm for evening meal at a chalet to be arranged.
Day trip to Portsmouth, leave at 11:00am. (Make your own sandwiches for lunch).
Morning – visit to HMS Victory or the Marie Rose.
Afternoon – visit to the Isle of Wight (optional), Leave at 5pm, evening in the Manhatten Restaurant at Butlins at 8:00pm
Free morning for swimming (optional)
At 2:00pm leave for Chichester for the afternoon.
At 6:30pm evening meal to be arranged.
Day trip to Brighton – leave Butlins at 10:00am.
Evening meal – fish and chips on the way back to Butlins
Day trip to Arundel (Optional) – leave at 11:30am
11:30 leave for a trip to Goodwood, in the afternoon free time around Bognor Regis.
7:00pm evening meal, yes you’re right – a Chinese meal in Bognor Regis. (we had finished several previous Phab holidays with Chinese meals)