We were off again but this time for a bit of warming winter sunshine. After an early 6.10am start and thankfully, only 10 minutes into the drive to Gatwick, Ollie found himself returning us both to home as Maggie had unfortunately forgotten her Freedom Pass which, of course, she would need to use on our return journey from Gatwick to Home.

We again departed but this time through, what was by now, the mist and rain of a dismal November morning and after driving for an uneventful 45 minutes, arrived at Gatwick South Terminal. We quickly said our goodbyes, you can’t dwell there in drop off, the parking gestapo make sure of that, and took the lift, along with many other travellers, up to the Check In area. All formalities took place smoothly and we passed through baggage check without any problems.

By 7.45am we were sitting people watching and drinking tea and coffee whilst enduring the inevitable wait for our flight to be called and its Gate to be shown on each of the numerous departure screens which had been positioned around this huge waiting area whilst all the time being viewed by eagle eyed travellers.

We boarded our British Airways Airbus A320, took our seats and waited, along with numerous other aircraft at the taxi point near the end of the runway. At 10.30am, 20 minutes later than scheduled the captain opened the throttle to full and we took off. After less than a minute we were in thick cloud so no window views today and a few more minutes later appeared above the cloud bank where the sun shone so brightly and so white that it hurt our eyes. We were in that zone between the lower rain clouds and the much higher clouds.

Our route today would see us fly towards Northern Spain, across the Bay of Biscay, down the coast of Portugal and then across a small part of the Atlantic to The Canary Islands. We sat back and made every effort to enjoy our 1,820 mile 3h 50min flight to Tenerife Sur airport.

After a very relaxing flight during which we ate our ‘meal deals’ bought in Boots and I binged on the first 3 episodes of BBC ‘World on Fire,’ highly recommended, we dropped down below the, by now scattered clouds floating in a blue sky and made our approach to the Tenerife South airport passing by The Mount Teide volcano as we did so.

The ground below looked parched and we could easily see the coastline and the abundance of non descriptive hotels, apartments and villas which hugged this part of the island. At 2.15pm local time, there was no time difference here, we touched down at was what, by then, a very busy airport. As soon as we exited the plane the heat hit us and it felt immediately like we were a world away from the weather we had left behind in the U.K.

Passport control was effortless, particularly as they allowed us to form an additional shorter queue for anyone over 60 and, before we knew it, we were, along with everyone else, collecting our luggage and making our way to the taxi desk where we had been told to meet. Within 5 minutes another of our group pitched up and we were led outside where a taxi drove us the short distance to our hotel where we would be spending the night, The Royal Park Albatros, an obviously well used set of typically Spanish looking apartments which just happened to be directly under the flight path of the airport. Our apartment, room 107a  was clean and surprisingly spacious with everything that we would need. We settled in and made ourselves a welcomed cuppa.

After a rest we decided to go for a walk and and as advised by our tour guide in his notes to us, bought something for the packed lunch that we would need for tomorrow. We found a nearby supermarket, bought some rolls and cheese and then continued to stroll around the block. The buildings, although modern, were fairly unimaginative, utilitarian and vast, obviously trying to cram in as many tourists as possible so as to make them as profitable as possible. My initial thoughts were that this was not a place I would choose to spend a lot of time in.

At around 7.30pm we made our way down to the hotel reception to meet with the rest of the group and the tour leader Bert who was originally from the Netherlands. We were 10 in total which we thought was a good size for a walking group. Bert gave us a brief overview of the week ahead as well as the plan for tomorrow’s trip to La Gomera and the walk which we would be completing. At 8pm we went for dinner in the hotel ‘restaurant,’ I use the term advisedly. The service was poor, the atmosphere was non existent even though we were ‘entertained’ by a local dancer/fire juggler who, to give her her due, tried very hard to do her very best and then the food when it did finally arrive was cold and unappetising. The only thing good about the evening was that the beer was cold and the conversations enjoyable. Enough said, good night.

Day 2 Sunday 24th November (Tenerife to La Gomera)

Today was a first for both of us.

Monday 25th November (Vallehermoso to Agulo)

Today started later than usual, we’d had a good buffet breakfast and were on our way on the coach/minibus by 9 am.
Our drive today would take us across the island to its opposite side to a town called Vallehermoso (beautiful valley). The road was unbearably twisting and turning from start to finish following the contours as it did so and using sweeping bends to cover the distance, in places we went through tunnels in the rock and constantly kept either going uphill or downhill. It was hot in the coach and that certainly did not help the way some of us were feeling. Thank goodness that after about 45 minutes or so we arrived at the start of today’s walk.
Following a quick cup of tea taken in the town square and a moment’s rest to settle our tummies and get our walking legs ready for action, we set off. Our route took us up a very steep track from the get go and then on to steps and rock cut pathways and through muddy areas into and then out of trees, the views from above the town below were special and well worth expending the effort for.
We seemed to slowly make our way forever upwards and soon the muscles were aching and sweat was pouring out of every possible pore. As was usual on a hiking tour, the group was getting spread out with the fastest walkers at the front and the slower ones bringing up the rear, everybody walking at their own pace, this would prove to be a recurring theme. The sky was cloudy and overcast which we were thankful for because if the sun had been beating down upon us we would certainly have felt a lot more uncomfortable.

We continued on our way crossing a dam at the end of a large reservoir where we paused to admire the bird life.

Eventually we reached the highest point of our walk, some 600m above where we had started and a local lady appeared, the owner of the only house around these parts. She then, somewhat peculiarly, decided to open up her garage to us and made coffee for those who wanted it. We decided that here would be as good a place as any to eat our lunch so we sat by the side of the road whilst her small fluffy dog kept us entertained by rolling on its back whilst at the same time insisting we tickle its tummy.

Lunch completed we walked on for another 45 minutes and eventually arrived at the National Park Visitors’ Centre. We found this place quite interesting, there was a museum explaining how the geology of the island had formed the different scenery that we had been experiencing and there was, of course, the usual array of shops in which to buy a drink or a snack or a souvenir and finally some gardens to die for with a variety magnificent flowers in full bloom.

After spending some time here we continued our downhill walking until we arrived at a restaurant with its viewing platform on a cliff path edge high above the small town of Agulo.

I say viewing platform, but it was more than this. It was, in fact a glass pier with a glass floor which extended out from the cliff in what could only be termed a very exposed position. Some people chose not to venture onto it, we, of course were keen to experience all it had to offer.

After spending some time here we set off for the final downhill part of the walk, by far the steepest yet and in places quite difficult underfoot whilst in other places with the added concern of having a steep drop off to our right hand side. Concentration here was paramount as we each slowly and carefully picked our way down the track, there was little margin for error and really not much time to look up and enjoy the view as every footfall required a stable and secure place on which to land. After much sweating and huffing and puffing and I’m sure a little quiet cursing and little if any chat amongst the group and after what seemed an age we finally arrived at the road that we had seen from way above, at last!
After only another 5 minutes walking into the town of Agulo we were sat drinking a very cold and very welcomed beer in the knowledge that we had completed one of the hardest walks of the week.
We’d hiked a distance of 10.04 miles today.
After a much more pleasant and shorter drive back to the hotel we spent some time freshening up before meeting again for our evening meal which was taken in a busy restaurant over the road and again, very close by. The food this evening was faultless, let’s hope it continues in this way.

To view stats and a map of the walk please click the link below:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4284010736

Day 4 Tuesday 26th November (Garajonay National Park – World Heritage Site)

After yet another pleasant and unhurried breakfast we left the hotel at 9am for our 40 minute drive upwards through the mist and clouds to be dropped off at the start of the steep upward path which led to our highest point of the day and, in fact, the highest point on the island, The Alto de Garajonay (1482m). Thankfully it was perfectly clear, something which we were told was not always the case here, and the 360 degrees panoramic view was spectacular. We could see, some 25 miles in front of us, the island of Tenerife and the El Teide volcano towering above it and to our left the top of the island of Las Palmas in the far distance. The sky was bright blue, the sun shone and the clouds lay as a white/grey fluffy flooring blanketing all below.
We spent some time here on the viewing platform just taking it all in, there was no rush, we had it almost all to ourselves and it felt like one of those moments in life which was a simple pleasure just asking to be experienced.

After we’d all had our fill we walked back down to the road using a different path, crossed over and immediately entered the Cloud Forest, a complete contrast from what we had experienced 15 minutes earlier but nevertheless still a magical and mysterious place in which to be walking. As we dropped through the misty moisty damp smelling air which we realised had been the cloud we had previously seen from above, it gave a certain type of quiet secluded grandeur to our surroundings rarely seen anywhere else in the world at this latitude. Only on Hawaii and in Borneo could you experience a similar environment.

The trees and plants dripped water and seemed to thrive in this atmosphere. The path underfoot was well trodden, rough and rocky in places, muddy in others and man made with steps in others.

We descended gradually and every now and again paused to look around and take photos. The plants here were very different and the fungi abundant in such a damp location.

After about an hour we even made time to take a break. We sat on a viewing area where we had a drink and a snack whilst feeding a female finch and taking in the scenery.
We continued along the track losing height as we did so. Although the gradient frequently changed, in places the steepness of the slope became easier to cope with as steps had been cut or rocks laid to help, however, we still spent a lot of our time looking down to check our footfall was secure and in one particular place mine, I’m afraid to say, wasn’t and I went down with a bang cutting and bruising my elbow.
We then crossed, and it would not turn out be for the first time today, the only permanently running river on the island and soon after doing so came to a small chapel named after Our Lady of Lourdes (The Chapel of Nuestra Senora de Lourdes) where we sat and had lunch whilst again feeding the birds which seemed this time keen to take crumbs from our hands.

We walked on and came out on to an open steep sided valley further below the Barranco del Cedro, fertile because of the abundance of available water from the river. The vegetation here was lush and the colour palette of greens made the area appear fresh and vibrant.

We even stopped to chat to a watercress farmer. We then took a short detour to view some waterfalls and following this were then quickly back on the track, after 30 more minutes of walking we finally arrived by the side of the main road where, literally 2 minutes later, our bus appeared ready to drive us back to our hotel.
Total distance walked today – 8.24 miles

Dinner tonight seemed to be following the pattern we had already setup on the previous 2 evenings, walk out of the hotel, cross the road and move up one restaurant each night. Tonight’s eatery, Mario’s, turned out to be quite nice with live music from 2 men singing, one playing the guitar and the other, an older man, playing a bass box, they were really entertaining. The food, following quite a wait, eventually arrived at our table in dribs and drabs and was good. The beer was cold and came in glasses which had been kept in the freezer, each therefore had beer icebergs floating just below the surface! Upon leaving, Mario gave me an unexpected man hug.

Day 5 Wednesday 27th November (TGI a rest day)

Today was a day when we were left to do whatever we fancied, so after a bit of a later start than we had become accustomed to we chose to take a stroll around this, what you might call, rather small town. First we walked the full length of the town beach and back again as we had planned to visit here later for a swim so like any sensible tourist we had decided to spy out the beach and sea first thing.

Next, we did a bit of window shopping, most of it tourist tat interspersed with some nicer shops selling handmade jewellery etc. and then we paid a visit to the town church and the Christopher Columbus house/museum both of which were very pleasant and close by to each other. It was here, from La Gomera that Christopher Columbus set off on his voyage of discovery to find America.

Following this we decided to take a walk along the steep winding road up to the Hotel Parador where Bert had told us there were some pretty gardens and good views of the town, harbour and a more secluded bay nearby.

When we got to the gate, we strolled in as casually as you like and no one batted an eyelid even though this was definitely and by its grandiose appearance, a guest only hotel and very swish at that. Indeed, the views must have been some of the best in town and as there really weren’t that many people around we took every opportunity to stroll around and take full advantage of the place. From here, El Teide looked as though it was floating in the sky, amazing.

On looking down we also noticed something else very interesting. As this island is for many the official starting point for Trans Atlantic rowers, there were at least 22 boats in the car park below us designed for just such an epic voyage. In 1492 Columbus set sail from here and still to this day rowers, not sailors, follow in his footsteps.
After spending some time here we walked back down to the town via a shortcut, using some steps in one place, and found ourselves in the town square where we spotted a restaurant and had our light lunch simply sitting in the sun and watching the world go by whilst trying to remember after all that this was November 27th, a far cry from the weather conditions everybody was experiencing back at home.

Lunch over we walked the short distance back to the hotel, this time via the park where we watched 2 Monarch butterflies soaring and gliding around in the sunshine.

Upon returning to the hotel we got changed into our swimmers and after a little while returned to the town beach for what some would refer to as a somewhat refreshing swim, we did this along with 2 or 3 other like minded people, it wasn’t what you would call busy.
Still in our wet swimmers we then walked to the next bay to check out a restaurant that Bert had mentioned previously to us as being a more up market option, unfortunately it appeared to have closed down.
We strolled back to the hotel and got showered and changed.

This evening’s meal was not a group one so we were left to our own devices. We decided to visit a pizzeria where we sat outside and ate a really nice meal accompanied with a large beer for each of us. After our dinner we strolled further down the road to The Blue Marlin cocktail bar, a place frequented by many a transatlantic rower prior to their departure from La Gomera to the Caribbean. There was all sorts of rowing paraphernalia decorating every part of this place and the walls were covered in writing completed by the people past and present who had taken on this challenge.

Following our drinks we were ready for bed by around 10pm although I did first pop out and take a couple of photos of night scenes in the town.

Day 6 Thursday 28th November (Hermigua to Playa Coleta)

Today’s walk was fairly remote, so much so we didn’t see anybody else on the trail from start to finish.
After breakfast we left the hotel at 9.30am and drove the 40 minutes to the outskirts of the coastal town of Hermigua.
As we entered the town the coach stopped, we gathered our things and were off. We hadn’t gone 10 metres when Bert stopped us to take a look in a corn mill producing gofio, the local original peasant food, corn flour, now used to produce local desserts. The whole process utilised what looked like some rather old machinery and 2 men were busy bagging up the flour ready for sale. Not the most appetising in appearance.

We walked on across the bottom of the narrow fertile valley where bananas seemed to be growing almost everywhere and then came the first ascent of the day. I found this one particularly hard.

By the time the track had levelled off everyone had warmed up nicely thankyou very much. The pattern of the day had now been set, it was what you would loosely term as undulating, thank goodness it was slightly overcast with an occasional breeze blowing. The scenery here was markedly different from what we had experienced previously but was nevertheless still interesting. The sea soon came into view but as quickly as it appeared we lost sight of it as we descended to cross yet another ravine, the first of many today.

Eventually it was lunch time and we sat on a wall atop the cliffs watching the waves do their thing below us.

After lunch we again descended and eventually came to a more major junction where some of our group including ourselves chose to branch off for an hour to walk to and back from a hidden cove along a rather exposed cliff path whilst the others continued to the end of the walk at Playa Coleta.

This cliff path had very few level sections and really did sap our strength.

Upon returning to the junction we completed our walk eventually joining the road which for an additional 20 minutes led down to the beach. Bad news followed, the bar here was SHUT!
Thankfully we only had to wait a very short time before our bus appeared, we climbed on board and were driven back to San Sebastián but not before having to get off the bus at one point in order to lighten the load as the bus’ back bumper was scraping the ground. As the driver carried on downhill and round a bend, the bus’ bodywork was still scraping along and left a white fibreglass patch on the road below. Upon returning to San Sebastián and as had become a bit of a habit, we again adjourned to the bar in town for a celebratory drink. Maggie is now a Mojito fan.
After showering and a change of clothes and an hour’s relaxation we went for our evening meal in a family run restaurant where the family were eating at the table beside us. The food was typically Canarian and very nice. What a day, we had walked 9.34 hard miles and were very tired. I for one was definitely ready for bed.

Day 7 Friday 29th November (La Gomera to Tenerife to El Teide)

Today, our last day on La Gomera was by far our latest departure from the hotel. Following a late breakfast and when we had packed our last bits and pieces into our luggage we eventually left the building at 10am to walk the 10 minutes to the ferry booking office and baggage drop. We strolled along the quayside and waited a little while for the foot passenger steps and gangway to be readied and then made our way aboard. Once again, the ship seemed half empty so this time we chose to sit inside on the more comfortable seats. After just over an hour we pulled into Tenerife tied up alongside and this time, due to unforeseen circumstances, had to make our way to the car deck at the bow of the ship where we walked off the ramp whilst the cars and vans waited for us to do so. Just like last time, we were quickly reunited with our bags, made our way to our waiting bus and began the long 1hour drive to El Teide volcano. On the winding road that eventually led to the car park at the foot of the volcano we must have passed 30 cyclists either in groups or singly trudging up this unforgiving hill with its numerous loops and bends.
When we arrived in the National Park, we quickly exited the coach and began our final walk of this holiday which turned out to be a 3.89 mile circular and reasonably flat one around the Roques de Garcia.
The landscape here was different from anything we had experienced this holiday. Here at nearly 2,000m and above the tree line the scenery was almost lunar in appearance, Bert described it like Arizona, a desert of wind cut rock formations of red, green and yellow all an initial result of catastrophic volcanic activity and wind erosion.

Some of the rock formations were like nothing we had ever seen and this all on show with a backdrop of surely what must be one of the most impressive dormant volcanoes around.

Boulders and rocks lay scattered all over the ground, some as a result of rockfalls, others evidence of eruptions long past.

The track was well defined and obviously put there to stop any unnecessary further erosion taking place due to human interference.

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The hot strong sun shone down from a bright blue sky, it was picture perfect. After about 2 hours we arrived back close to where we had started at a snack bar with a terrace. We sat down, had a coffee and tea and relaxed in absolute awe of this place as people came and went, most on foot and in cars, the rest albeit only a few, on bicycles.
Finally it was time to leave so we again climbed aboard the bus which took us downhill all the way to our hotel, the self same one we had spent a night in at the start of the holiday.
Our room or suite this time was much more to our liking and would do nicely for the next 3 days thankyou very much.
After freshening up we met in the lobby to go to the quayside for our evening meal. Bert directed us to a restaurant he had recommended and this turned out to be a very good choice. We ate outside in the open air and under a dark cloudless sky. The meal was excellent and after we had all had our fill of food and drink we paid the bill and walked back through the hotel complex where before returning to our rooms we said our goodbyes as different people would be leaving at various time throughout tomorrow so we would not be seeing some of them again.

Day 8 Saturday 30th November (San Miguel de Abona)

Today was a full on rest and relaxation day, a day to recuperate from the rigours of the previous week, a day to enjoy the sunshine and to do exactly as we pleased.
As you can imagine the day started much later than normal with breakfast taken in a sister hotel just up the road from our own and very pleasant it was too.

The buffet was the best yet with everything you could wish for and more besides. The dining hall was huge and by no means overcrowded, either people had been and gone before we had got there or the hotel’s just weren’t that full, who knows?
After breakfast we sauntered back to our room and made use of the balcony and for a while watched the aircraft coming in low over the palm trees and surrounding buildings.
Maggie read and I updated the blog and took some photos.
Needless to say we didn’t require a lunch today.
Later in the afternoon we went for a stroll along the coastal paved footpath lined in places with restaurants and hotels. Yes, there were others out walking but again it really wasn’t what you’d call busy. On the way back we stopped for an early evening (late afternoon) drink and strong they were too!
We returned to our rooms to change for our evening meal. The heat of the day was slowly dying away and a welcomed gentle breeze had picked up.
Tonight we ate at a Mexican restaurant and it was delicious.
We were in bed by 10pm.

Day 9 Sunday 1st December (El Teide Sunset & Stars)

This morning and for the first time this holiday we woke to the sound of a strong wind blowing in the palm trees under a rather cloudy sky which thankfully soon cleared as the temperature once again rose into the 20s.
Another late start to our day saw us being some of the last people to arrive for breakfast. No problem though as dining here ended at 10.30am and I can safely say that we made the cut off time.
Breakfast over, we popped into the nearby supermarket and bought some things for our picnic that we would eat later on the mountain.
Our pick up today was at 2.30pm from the hotel so we spent the next few hours taking it easy in the apartment.
Our bus arrived slightly early but we were all ready with long trousers and walking shoes/boots firmly on and our sacks full of warm clothing, hats, gloves, buffs etc as we knew that the evening was going to be a cold one. We were the first of 20 to be picked up so even before we started on the switchback road to El Teide National Park we spent some considerable time stopping at various locations to pick up our fellow travellers. Finally we were going upwards then after stopping to pick up our final 2 passengers in Vilaflor, the highest settlement in these parts, we followed the road we had driven on 2 days previously until we again reached the floor of the caldera below the imposing volcano of El Teide. We stopped to take a photo of the 2 volcanoes, Pico Viejo and Pico Teide, and their lava flows before continuing on past the Parador where we’d previously had a coffee after completing our hike and then up to the cable car station from where we would travel to near the summit of the volcano.

When our guides were ready, one for English, one for Spanish and one for German speakers we were called to our cablecar and began to ascend to the top station at 3,500m.

As soon as we exited the car we felt the biting cold wind. The air was clean and fresh and, as we were now well above the clouds, we could see for miles in most directions. The peak of the volcano at 3,718m stood behind us whilst casting a giant shadow to our left, forever getting longer as the bright orange ball which was the sun continued to set to the west over the islands of La Gomera and El Hierro.

We followed our guide along a rocky track to various viewing points and then as far as we could go, to the final platform where the views were incredible, we could even see the island of Las Palmas peaking above the clouds.

The sun was dropping rapidly now so we back tracked and sat on some rocks whilst it disappeared from sight leaving a hazy glow as it did so. Then as it became darker so began our quick walk back to the cable car station which for me at least felt like a bit of a struggle having ascended to this height so quickly from sea level made me short of breath. No sooner had we reached the station than we got on board and began our descent. Once again at the bottom of the cable car we sat inside and whilst eating our sandwiches warmed up with a hot chocolate bought from the cafeteria whilst our guides set up telescopes in the area outside.
After about 40 minutes we were called out in our various groups and as the lights around were turned off and our eyes slowly became accustomed to the dark a myriad of stars began to appeared and then more and more until the whole sky was full of them, wherever you looked you could see single stars, clusters, large bright stars and smaller twinkling ones, it was like nothing I had ever witnessed, just blackness with bright white crystal specks sprinkled everywhere.

We even glimpsed streaking shooting stars and a satellite making its way from right to left. Now it was time for our guide to talk to us about the night sky and what we were seeing. He pointed out the Pole Star, the four stars which go to make Auriga or The Chariot, the Pleiades cluster, Taurus, Orion’s Belt and so much more. Next we looked through some telescopes and had amazing views of Saturn, we could even see its rings, a globular cluster of stars, an even greater cluster and finally an amazing close up view of the moon showing its craters in great detail. We had a fantastic time so much so that the hour seemed to fly by.
It was then time to leave and return via the dreaded winding road back to our hotel but, unfortunate for us, not before first dropping off everybody else.
We got to bed around midnight, an evening not to forget eh?

Day 10 Monday 2nd December (Miguel de Abona)

Today was another lazy day considering we didn’t get to bed until late last night. Suffice to say though that we made the cut off time for breakfast. The rest of the day was simply spent relaxing. This place isn’t the greatest for views or walks or anything remotely like that, lots of concrete everywhere although surprisingly few people. Today was windy, cloudier than we’d become used to and a bit cooler. We noticed that the aircraft had changed their landing and taking off direction meaning that the wind had changed hence the change in weather.
During the afternoon whilst I checked in online for tomorrow’s flight, Maggie popped down to Reception to book a taxi to take us to the airport.
We didn’t have lunch but when early evening came we put on some warmer clothes and visited the restaurant that we had liked 2 days previously. The food was good and the cocktails better.
We were both in bed by 10am and quickly fell asleep.

Day 11 Tuesday 3rd December (Tenerife to Bexleyheath)

Today was our last of this holiday and a good one it has been.
We had an earlier breakfast today as we had to vacate our room by 11am. The day was very cloudy by Canary Islands standards and noticeably cooler but nothing like we were to experience back at home in the U.K.
We’d finished the last of our packing by 10.30am and then decided to make our way to Reception to wait for our taxi to the airport. We had only just sat down when said taxi arrived, a, by all accounts, new, very plush and sizeable minibus. It took only 15 minutes to drive to the airport where we joined hundreds of other tourists, just like us, at the start of their journey home. We found our check in desk and joined the inevitable queue. Check in was quite a slow affair but we dropped our bags, collected our boarding passes and joined yet another queue to pass through security, Maggie had a problem here. The 2 jars of Mojo she had bought on La Gomera were confiscated as they exceeded the 100ml limit allowed in cabin baggage, oh well, you live and learn.
It was getting close to boarding time so we each bought the Canarian equivalent to a ‘meal deal’ and waited at the Gate to board our BA Airbus 319.
The gate opened and we were called forward. We showed our passports one last time and walked down the stairs where our coach waited to take us the couple of hundred metres to the stand where our aircraft was waiting. For the one and only time that I can remember we were the very first passengers into the cabin. We took our seats in row 20 and made ourselves comfortable.
The plane took off at 2.02pm, a few minutes later than scheduled with an estimated flight time of 4h 15mins. The flight went without a hitch and we landed at 6.10pm we passed through a virtually empty e-passport control and collected our luggage very shortly afterwards, it was some of the first to come through on the carousel.
We walked through the concourse to platform 2 where a fast train to London Bridge was waiting. This train had very few passengers so we sat and passed rapidly through all the stations to London Bridge without stopping at a single one. Upon our arrival we changed platforms and immediately boarded the train to Bexleyheath which was, at this time of the evening, quite full. When we arrived at Bexleyheath Ollie was waiting there to give us a lift home.