The Intrepid Explorers have decided to go to Lundy which is an island  2 hours by ferry from Ilfracombe in Devon for a weeks holiday. We are taking risks as it is half term and the end of May Bank Holiday, we are also going with some friends this time and this includes 2 children - are we mad? Most of our trips are by ourselves so this is a big change for us.

Our friends included are Nina, Jenny and their children Tobias and Jack, Jennifer who is Jenny's partner, Nick and Bernie who is friend to all aforementioned but not someone that Andrew and I know as yet. Nick like Andrew and I lives in Milton Keynes, the others all live in Cambridge.

Jenny has just flown back from a business trip to Peru so Jennifer and Nina will have to collect her from Heathrow airport at 6p.m. first, then drive to the Imperial Hotel in Ilfracombe where we are all staying overnight before catching the ferry in the morning. Andrew is working today and will have to be met at Taunton as he can  catch the train this far from London. A day full of added complications or what?!

Nick is driving me down there and picking up Andrew en route. I arrived at his house to discover that Bernie is bringing the children over here to travel in convoy. Is this just a ploy to swap passengers so that he can travel with the boys, who are on his own wave length and into the South Park CD being played incessantly? The journey down the motorway is a nightmare, we stopped at the services for coffee, sure enough the kids settle in Nick's car and I travel on with Bernie, who is very nice - we should know each other better by the end of this journey. Bernie and I decided to leave the crowded motorway early and go for the scenic route, we reached Andrew first, picked him up and travelled on to Ilfracombe. Nick opted to carry on down the motorway so we didn't meet up till we all reached the hotel at 11p.m, where Nick told us that as all petrol stations in Devon are shut he is on fumes having not filled up whilst on the motorway! The hotel restaurant was closed, so we went out to find food, a kebab shop was all that was still open on a Friday night here - so not much choice! And so to bed as we have a ferry to catch in the morning. The Jennies and Nina didn't arrive till 2a.m. poor loves!