This article is published as a password-protected entry for the benefit of London Scottie Club Members and Honorary Members only. Please do not share the password.
The past week has been hectic for the London Scottie Club. In addition to running trials of the new Member Tags we have been working hard to arrange the next Walkabout, which you may already know from the calendar on the website takes place on Saturday September 11 from 11am.
It is the most ambitious Walkabout so far! It involves two locations as we salute summer’s last gasps and max our time together following the most recent lockdowns in the UK. We will also continue filming for the promotional video LSC is making. After this, filming is done! So if you missed the Epping Epic this is your last chance for a sequel !
The event will take place in Sussex and here is the plan. We also need you to vote in a survey so that we know the numbers to expect at each venue. More about that later. Read the details below before responding. Please note that these plans are indicative and subject to change.
Brighton
Weather permitting, we will start off in Brighton at 11am. This involves parking along the promenade in the direction of the defunct West Pier and meeting at the entrance to the main Brighton Pier. So park as close to Brighton Pier as you can – at 11am. Early birds have the parking advantage. As Brighton Pier is not dog-friendly we will then walk to the Aquarium Station to board the dog friendly Volk’s Electric Railway. Built in 1883 it is the world’s oldest constantly running electric railway. The carriages are Victorian too. Scottie fan Queen Victoria would have been amused! We don’t book in advance but a group of 10 or more will get a discount from the usual fiver it costs to do a return journey. We will plan to board the train at around 1130 and plan to get back to Aquarium Station after midday. It’s a 12-minute ride each way. We will then walk westwards along the seafront and do some seaside filming. After that it is back to the cars! As some of you will end up nearer West Pier anyway you will probably not have far to walk. The Brighton trip is the main Walkabout part of the day.
Bateman’s
After you return to your cars, we will drive inland and eastward to Bateman’s the home of famous author Rudyard Kipling who was a Scottie fan. The drive takes one hour and we are expected at the house at around 230pm. So we should aim to leave Brighton soon after 1pm. At Bateman’s we will be greeted by representatives of the National Trust who maintain the property and garden. If you are a NT member you can park and access the house free of charge. If not, NT have promised us a group price to enter. That is £11.40 for Adults and £5.70 for Children. NT will then offer a Scottie-relevant talk in the grounds. Scotties are not allowed inside the Jacobean house. NT will also show us where Kipling’s Scotties rest in the garden and without whom I doubt any of us would know where to look! We will run a quiz related to Kipling and Scotties and there will be prizes!
If NT permit we may film parts of the event too. Once the NT tour concludes you are welcome to relax and enjoy the grounds which close at 5pm.
Online poll
For this to be a success, we need to know how many of you will attend one or both parts of the day. Please only commit if you are certain you can make it. We hope for a big turnout and for a lot of fun! Please complete the short poll here by Monday 30 August. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you!
What an amazing day out this sounds! Thanks to all you have worked to set it up. I’ll need to discuss with my Scotties’ fellow Dad if we can make it. Hope so!