2011 GBBF trip..the last time at Earl's Court

Ok,  it starts at stupid o'clock, as usual, on the first Thursday of August and this year only Jackie and I are able to make the trip. Jim is brave enough to take us to the airport at an ungodly hour and the online check in means we don't have a long queue. All aboard and off a few minutes earlier than the scheduled 7.00am.  We arrive at the farest flung outpost gate at Gatwick and after a long walk are in the terminal..Woo hoo..time for a breakfast beer...   But wait!!! what has happened..no signs saying "Gatwick Village" any more and when we go upstairs there is no longer a Wetherspoons landside!!!!  In fact there is very little up there now. We are forced to have a bacon baguette and coffee!!!

At about 8.45 we go down to the station hoping the trains are now on time after a landslip a couple of days earlier. We buy tickets to West Brompton via Clapham Junction having researched the route and found it much cheaper than going into Victoria.  Down to the platform, the 9.07 arrives on time, we get seats, we go to CJ, we change platforms, we board another train on time and again get seats, we get off at West Brompton 50 mins after leaving Gatwick.  A short walk to the hotel and we even get our 12th floor room 2 hours early!!  Shame this is the last year at Earl's Court.

Unpack and settle in and then the gentle stroll down to the front door of Earl's Court, buy water and then join queue. Good banter in the queue is part of the experience. Eventually we are let into the bowels of Earl's Court and the snake of people winds down to a door ..we wait to the accompaniment of rumbling tube trains nearby. At 12 noon we head upstairs and we are in, through the turnstiles, wave card to get programme, hand over £3 for pint and then head rapidly to the Brains stand with Twitter print outs to get free tee shirts. We like Free :-) . We had planned our seat, near the stage, a ladies loo and for Jackie, smoking area. We set up camp there and set off one at a time to get first beers.

We had a succession of table mates over the next 10 hours and some are recorded below.  We had  different methods of choosing beers. Jackie had a carefully researched list,  I had a random " go to a bar, read what was on there and get one" technique. Both worked pretty well. 

 No Brewery Bar for Liberation this year but the Ale was on, sadly Blonde was off.  Usual food range and I started with a pastie, moved on to a Big Bubba baguette and in the evening some firey chicken wings.  The entertainment was good, Peggy & PJ in the afternoon and the Chris Jagger Band in the evening.  Jackie managed to get some beer tokens on a tombola and also by accosting Marc Holmes and those beers we shared. It meant I had about 11 half pints during the day.  We left at closing time, strolled back to the hotel, had a cuppa and turned in about 11.00pm

This chap was our "Father Jack" lookalike	He was with his Dad
These lovely lads were a pleasure to meet and were on a 20th birthday outing for the lad sat 3rd from left.

Up and out around 9.00am, drizzly and dank with fears of travel problems. The trains back again were easy, we stood for the first part but could have sat. Arrived back at Gatwick by 10.30 and had coffee and croissant before going to check in. We were told things were improving in Guernsey weatherwise. The fact that half the old village is now departures meant the long queues have gone because the flow area is bigger. Computerised gates scan your boarding card and cameras photograph you before hand luggage scan. We then had a couple of hours to wait before we had a half hour delay shown. Went to the gate, got on the plane and then- I can't put it better than to quote Jackie- 

"1,000 curses on Mr Twine. Mr Twine made our already delayed flight miss its take off slot. Mr Twine had to leave the flight just as the safety talk had started because he had to identify his luggage amongst all the bags that were being removed. Mr Twine had to do this because he had packed a GAS CANISTER IN HIS SUITCASE. Thank you Mr Twine...."

A lift home from the airport and all over for another year...and as the Olympics are in London and GBBF will be at Olympia for one year next year, all change...