Views news and coffee



Views across Surrey

For many, many years I have been driving along the A31 just South of Guildford, this is known locally as the Hogs back.   The Hogs Back is a ridge of high ground with panoramic views across Surrey and Hampshire, it is quite difficult to drive along without getting distracted by the wonderful views.   At the Farnham end there is a Hotel that I have always fancied, it used to be called the "Hogs Back Hotel" as with everything else it has gone global and is now the Ramada Farnham, I preferred the old name.   For the 20 odd years my parents lived in Hampshire I would pass this hotel once or twice every month, before that and since then it is less often that I get down that way.

The Hogs Back Hotel

On Monday morning as I was coming back from Cardiff the M4 got really snarled up, so I pulled off around Reading and headed across country aiming for the M3, as I approached Basingstoke I changed my mind and decided to stay on the A and B roads, much more fun.   I had got up early and had been on the road for a few hours, so I was beginning to want a coffee, and need a pee.   I knew there were some basic services just at the beginning of the Hogs Back so pulled off the main road to make use of them, realising that this was really just a petrol station with a coffee machine I made a quick decision to pass it by and go into the hotel.  

I was welcomed with friendly courtesy, directed to a lounge where I was served a pretty good latte.   So the coffee was nice, the environment smart, comfortable and clean, and the loos a pleasure to use.   It may have helped that I was dressed appropriately for that sort of envirionment with a smart grey pin stripe skirt suit (I took the photo on the left when I got home in my messy bedroom & yes those are my teddy bears) Everyone I encountered here was polite and charming, I would have liked to stay a bit longer.   I had a book with me that I am reading, but it would have been so much nicer to have shared the experience with someone else.

I will be adding this hotel to my (vertual) list of trans friendly, friendly places to visit