h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The jellyfish tank at London Aquarium

Or

Oxshot woods (near Esher) sandpit




I went to the sandpit at Oxshot when in 1979. I didn't return until 2002. Has anyone else found it a strange experience visiting something you went to as a kid? It's hard to explain but it's a bit like visiting a dream.

Where's the sandpit in Oxshot woods? I drive through the area occasionally as H w*rks in the general direction of Oxshot.

I have been back to some places I knew as a child, we moved a lot and had spells living overseas.

The A3 now goes straight through one of our favourite play areas at Longmoor Camp and I always feel nostalgic driving down/up it.

Once I left school in Bath, I swore I would never go back, but have been many times (to the city not the school) as I love the area.

I would love to go back to Singapore, we lived for 3 years getting on for 40 years ago , but just looking at the traffic cams on earthcam.com tells me it has changed for out of all recognition. I won't get started on Pangkot Laut, that was in idyllic deserted tropical island where we would picninc and paly Robinson Crusoe .

Off the M25 onto the A3

Then leave at A244 turning right.

The sandpit is on your right in no time.





At the time (1979) it seemed huge and I was convinced they'd used it in Doctor Who. But now it doesn't seem so large. It's still impressive though. I remember Lady Linda by the Beach Boys was in the charts at the time becuase my neighbour (who was taking me with his children) was singing it all the way there.

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?X=525000&Y=175000&width=500&height=300&client=public&gride=&gridn=&srec=0&coordsys=gb&addr1=&addr2=&addr3=&pc=&scale=500000&advanced=&lang=&multimap.x=169&multimap.y=241

'Tis the very road I go down when meeting H at The Bear for lunch or taking the shortcut to Epsom, never noticed a sandpit but will look out for it next time.

"The escalators going down to the basement section of Tesco Metro in central Manchester".

On the corner of Market Street and Spring Gardens?

Yup - been there.

Descending the escalator with Herself, planning our quick shop on the way home, and wondering why everything seemed so oddly laid out in comparison with other supermarkets. (Still can't figure it)

She picked up was was odd about the place compared to other Tescos we have known. There were no "Value" products on sale anywhere - the dirt-cheap "Basic" range in the red and blue striped wrapping. We speculated on why this should be so, and concluded it was dead obvious. of course, if central Manchester is being repopulated by people with enough disposable income to think £300,000 is cheap for a two bedroom flat, of course their local supermarket is going to want a slice of the action (ie, nothing but premium-price goods on sale everywhere).

We were also followed around by a member of staff who wasn't being exactly subtle about it.

It's the only time I can recall being clocked by a store detective, or person acting in that capacity.

Maybe we didn't look like rich city-centre flat-dwellers, or our conversation about "Why no Value range?" had marked us as suspicious - too poor to be in there.

Anyway, this guy followed us everywhere in the downstairs Tesco. We tried to make (loud and obvious) jokes about it - well, ONE of us has picked up a stalker, fame at last! Basically to embarrass the nosy git in front of other customers.

But this person kept on following us, only us, at a close distance, until Herself let the old Irish temper rip, and informed him that if he didn't stop intruding, we were going to hand him the basket of groceries we were carrying (I liked the "we"), as he evidently had nothing better to do with his time, he could put them back on the shelves, we would walk out without buying a thing, and your store loses a sale, is that what you want? And by the way, she resented his evident assumption that one of us was up to criminal activity and if he didn't stop persisting in implying that by HIS behaviour, she was going to demand a word with the store manager, pretty damn pronto.

Exit one mumbling red-faced wreck in the face of the wrath, we paid up and left, and that's what happened to us in the Manchester Tesco Metro.


My place of choice: Rhosneigr, Angelsey.

The alley in Brighton made famous by the film Quadrophenia, anyone?

No, how about the burger van in the car park, next to the Abbey in Whitby?

Junction 12, M40, Gaydon, Warwickshire

nope...

how about a mug of tea and a sticky bun from one of the 'desert rat' wagons at The Surprise above Hathersage in Derbyshire??

alec.

Kilsney Crag trout farm, Kilsney, Yorkshire Dales as a child and adult.

Editorial Note: This conversation has been moved from 'Ask the h2g2 Community' to 'Games Room'.

Under the 'O' of the HOLLYWOOD sign in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California.

Surprise at the layers of graffiti on the back of it, some of which required some amazing vertical climbing. Exhaustion from being right in the middle of the inversion layer of the basin's smog. Fear of being filmed by the spy cameras there (since you have to climb over or under a private fence to get there). Shyness, wondering whether to kiss the guy I was with.

"The alley in Brighton made famous by the film Quadrophenia, anyone?"

Yip! but it has lost it's charm since they've painted all the graffitti out. The first post in this thread suggests that I recount my experiences in said place, they are not as exciting as those enjoyed by Leslie and Danny, I'm afraid....and, having looked at the first thread; I can also say YES to the bench at the top of Primrose Hill, where I sat and enjoyed a London sunset.


How about,
---The taxi rank at York railway station.--- I was tired but happy after a long trip (from Brighton) for a very short (half an hour) meeting.

Nope.

The toilets at Hastings cave?

(I doubt if there's a more interesting loo in the UK!)