Our Journey Home

We had four lovely nights in the little shepherd's hut in Hampshire, during which Hanley Bear never once managed to win a Peril of the Pole game, but then it was time to come home.  

We were sad, but Polar said we would take an interesting route back, avoiding the motorways, so we helped to pack then jumped into our basket ready for the journey.

Our first stop was the Mid-Hants Railway and the pretty little station at Ropley.  Although we stayed in our bag for the visit and there were no trains running that day, we thought it looked a super place for small bears to visit.

As well as the station, which has pretty gardens and a new waiting room on the 'up' platform that looks just like a proper Victorian station building, it's where the engine sheds and carriage works are. 

 

Here are pictures of Grizzly and Polar with some very smart steam engines - a 'Schools' class locomotive called Cheltenham and Standard Class 4 76017, which Polar's dad's friend Ralph used to drive, so it's always called 'Ralph's engine' by Polar and Grizzly.  Grandad Polar's regular loco at the same time was 76019 ('Pat's engine'), but unfortunately, no-one preserved that one.

Since Polar and Grizzly's last visit, the Mid-Hants has gained a footbridge to its carriage works, which used to be at King's Cross station in London.  As you can see, it is quite famous!

Of course Hanley Bear wanted to get out and explore the workshop, but we had to be good bears and stay in our bag, as there were other human visitors, all doing 'social distancing'.

Our human guardians had lunch with some lovely friends at the Watership Down pub, sitting outside under a big tent.  The pub is near where the famous adventure story about a group of brave rabbits is set, so there is a big picture of a rabbit on the wall.

 

While we nibbled some cereal bar, I told the smaller bears some of the story, but then decided that we would rather wait until we got home and ask Polar to read it to us as our bedtime story.

 

It was rainy for most of the afternoon.  Endon and I napped in our basket but Hanley was keen to be the first one to see a sign for Staffordshire so, once we were on the A5, Polar let him sit on the dashboard on the passenger side.

Hanley got to cheer several times as our journey along the A5, A444, A511 and A50 went in and out of Staffordshire and Derbyshire, but at last he saw the bottle kiln sculptures and road signs with his name on, and he knew he was nearly home.

 

Of course he saved his loudest cheers for when we passed Stoke City's stadium.

'It'll be the new season soon!' he said.  'I hope Grizzly and I can start going to matches again.'

But I think they may have to wait for a long time yet, to be safe.