On the first day of June's heatwave, seven of us used the businessmen's minibus for the first time for a day out to Parham House and Gardens.
The minibus can take 16 passengers so the turnout for the visit was disappointing.
We found the minibus very comfortable, especially once we had sorted out the air conditioning! Juliana, our driver, declared it a good vehicle to drive.
We arrived at lunchtime so found some shade in which to eat our sandwiches. We all went into the house which had the advantage of being cooler than the world outside, and which dates from Elizabethan times. Several rooms have been rebuilt in the style of a particular era and feature paintings and furniture from that time. Each of the bigger rooms had a guide who was valuable in answering our questions.
There was a particularly English view from one of the windows, over a cricket match which was in progress in the grounds.
We came out and had time to explore the delightful and thoughtfully planted gardens then take more refreshment before the drive home.
We look forward to using the businessmen's minibus again in the future. If we can get a dozen passengers or more, we are confident that we can drive to a venue up to an hour away and only charge £10 a head for the coach. In contrast, when we get a quote from Powell's or Laguna for a 50-seater coach to go even a short distance, the coach cost is more than double that.