It didn’t quite start off as planned though. Suzie pre-booked a taxi to pick us up at 07:15 and despite repetaed phone calls we ended up in a mad cap dash in my car to get to the coach pick-up point in time leaving the car in a local (expensive) city car park – which is why we had booked a cab in the first place. Mark answered the door to the cab when it finally arrived at 08:00 some 15 minutes after the coach left Derby. So if you are looking for a reputable taxi firm in Derby then I can highly recommend that you DON’T use Swift Cabs.
On the coach we met up with the rest of our group, friends of Suzie, mostly from her work – the group comprised Suzie & I, Dave & Rona, Scot & Darren, Sharon & Laura, and last but not least Cherry & Tal. After wending our way through Heanor, Chesterfield and Sheffield we met up and swapped some passengers at Wooley Edge services on the M1 between J38 – J39. Then it was non-stop to Scarborough to be dropped off for a wander along the front, a pose by the donkeys then the speedboat ride which was voted a hit by the 8 that went onboard (Sharon & I passed on the chance). This was followed by the obligatory fish & chip lunch and some shopping for those things you never knew you wanted. Then back to the coach to be taken the short ride to the hotel.
Suzie's birthday treat"
Rooms are best described as comfortable, but not exactly modern. Quaint and traditional are also apt descriptions – the Esplanade is not decrepid but it has seen better days and would benefit from some capital expenditure. The views from the windows were fabulous and it is in a great location for those that don’t mind a short walk to get anywhere and want a nice quiet night’s sleep. Our coach provided most of the occupants of the hotel for the duration of our stay so it wasn’t exactly crowded.
The Murder Mystery was simply an aspect of the stay, and the meal around which it unravelled was good without being spectacular. In my view the MM was not that well organised and tasks sprung on us hadn’t been thought through (i.e. write a poem but no pens or paper were available).
Sunday morning started with a hearty breakfast, then the thespians wrapped up the MM without any reference to evidence, clues or tangible quotes. A sojourn along the front, then up one of the many steep walkways/streets to the church on the top of the hill, round to view the north shore, then back into the shopping centre for a light lunch before returning to the coach for the trip home. All in all – very enjoyable with a good group of folks who didn’t rub each other up the wrong way as they all set out to enjoy Suzie’s birthday weekend. Nice.
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