Riverside Bar, Sutton Bridge
24th September 2021
Highlight– Four car pile-up on Bridge Road!
Outcome – No drinks were spilled!
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The BW &BP Group met at the Riverside Bar & Restaurant at 3.00pm. The weather was brilliant and the group were in excellent humour, with some new faces as well as regulars.
Earlier that day, there had been an accident at the Pullover Roundabout. This, together with a shortage of bus drivers on the day, meant that at least one of the 505 buses was cancelled. But that did not stop the intrepid group members, some of whom used their cars, and what a stroke of luck that proved to be.
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We departed the bar at 5.00pm only to find that there had been a four car pile-up outside St Michael’s Church in Sutton Bridge, blocking Bridge Road and our bus route home! Those with cars (see above) quickly acquired passengers, and headed off home, abandoning Barbara, Wendy and myself (Group Leader) to fend for ourselves.
My Wendy is a cool customer. "Wait", she said, "something will happen!" Meanwhile, I am starting to think of all the people I could call on in an emergency, and mentally crossing those that had abandoned us off my Christmas card list. Who says men cannot multi-task?
Wendy was right. On schedule, the bus arrived at our stop. At that moment, my new friend, Mad Michael from Cardiff, who lives in Sutton Bridge and who had been waving down motorists from the traffic island in the middle of the road, rushed over to confront our driver. In his best English, Mad Michael told our bus driver what had happened, and directed him onto the alternative route which involved rejoining the A17 and going down Railway Lane North to rejoin Bridge Road and the route home. He who laughs last laughs longest!!
There we three were sitting on the bus, when we passed Phillip and Heather walking towards Long Sutton. They started waving to the bus driver to get him to stop, but he thinks they are just waving to friends on the bus and keeps going. To be fair, they were on the wrong side of the road. Fortunately, Phillip and Heather managed to wave down a number 50 bus which terminated at Lime Walk, and their very kind driver then gave them a lift home to Fleet Hargate in his own car. All’s well that ends well!
Chris Livesey