More travel woes... Drowning while standing?

[Nick]

You know, just once in a while I’d like a trip to go smoothly… just once. It’s not much to ask, is it? To not nearly die of exposure trying to get to a venue to a see a new game in development? Well, that’s what nearly happened when I was invited up to Knutsford, Cheshire to see The Chronicles Of Narnia, developed by Travellers Tales.

The train journey itself was uneventful, apart from bumping into Bit-Tech’s Will Harris, bored out of his mind after a 4 hour stop at Chester. We travelled the last leg together to Knutsford and set off looking for a cab… which, in Knutsford, is obviously something people just don’t do on a Sunday evening.

After having hiked half a mile into town, we stopped at a local hostelry for a livener and to ask just where in the hell you can get a cab in this town. Our lovely barmaid, with a cleavage you could park a Harley in, gave us couple of numbers to try and, to our astonishment, we were told that one firm could do us a cab next week as all their drivers were on holiday, and the other said they had nothing until 9pm!

When we told the barmaid where we were headed, The Cotton Hotel and Spa, she told us that it was within easy walking distance, just 5 or 10 minutes up the road. Finishing our drinks, Will and I loaded up and set off.

As we headed off up the road, a light drizzle set in… not a problem, so we thought, as we’d been walking a few minutes so the hotel wouldn’t be far off. Then it started to rain… I wasn’t too worried as I had a jacket on, but Will was in trouble wearing just a shirt… and still no sign of the hotel!

But then the rain turned into a downpour of near biblical proportions. The view ahead was reduced to just a few yards as we walked through a near solid wall of water… I was the lucky one of the pair even though my denim jacket was soaked and I was hoping like crazy my backpack was waterproof or my lappy would short out. Will was looking like some nightmarish page three girl in a now very wet shirt … his transparent cotton shirt leaving nothing to the imagination and an impressive pair of nipples on display… No offence Will, but that’s a sight I don’t really wish to experience again.

By now we had walked right to the edge of Knutsford and were seriously worried about a) drowning whilst standing up or b) dying of exposure as there was now a wicked cold wind blowing across the fields…. Time to ring the hotel. The receptionist, upon hearing our predicament, was extremely sympathetic and assured us, between fits of laughter, that we were indeed on the right road but we were a mile or so away. Already soaked and with further to go back than onwards, we plodded on.

At last, just as the rain stopped, we arrived at the hotels, to meet the grinning receptionist, Claire, who dutifully checked us in. Will was sorted and off he went to his, but Clair had a special surprise in store for me.

She gave me my room key and sent me off on my way, along the corridor, through the doors, up the stairs, along to the left, turn right at the end, along to the left again, then right and right again… I swear I was waiting to encounter the Minotaur of Labarynthine myth…

I get to my room to find that my wonderful electronic passkey won’t open my door. I tyr everything I can think of… leaving the card in, pulling it out slowly, a quick in/out, a grab the handle and wiggle it furiously but nothing, nothing works… So I begin the long trudge back to reception and explain the problem.

Claire can tell from my face that asking me if I was using the card properly is not a good survival move and dutifully resets the card… off I trudge again, back to the room and get the door open first time. I pile in, grateful to abel to get out of my wringing wet clothes and sort myself out.

I dump my bag down and look around… hang on, the bed hasn’t been made… Oh no, the room hasn’t been serviced since the last occupant was in it! Thinking that this is unreal, I head for the phone to tell the lovely Claire, who, I’m beginning to think, has it in for me… I notice something odd… There’s a jacket hanging over the chair… With dawning realisation and horror, I then see the suitcase… Someone else is already checked in the room!

I lunge for the phone and as I dial reception my eye picks out another fine detail that put a very definite nail in my coffin of horror… I spot the underwear… Not manly boxer shorts or y-fronts… and no bloke ever needed anything underwired, in diaphanous black and embroidered with little pink flowers… oh no… I’m standing in a female guest’s room.

I forget about ringing and get the hell out, practically sprinting through the door and back down to the ever smiling Claire. I explain the situation and she double checks the bookings. Sure enough, I WAS booked into room 138, but there had been a last minute change and now Neena from Bastion, the organiser of the whole preview event was in there. Damn good thing for both of us that I had walked from the station as she’d been in bed asleep 30 minutes earlier… If I’d turned up then I’d have thought it was one hell of a good service Bastion and the hotel were providing!

[poolking]

Oh dear.

So have you finally got a room?

[Nick]

Oh yeah, I got a room sorted and am back home now... There was no way I was posting on here from the hotel, not with a connection costing £5 an hour!

[Lee @ SCAN]

Nice to see that you now have seen the severe weather us Northerners have to put up with all the time

[Grey M@a]

difference is, we call a downpour a drizzle and typical weather

[Lee @ SCAN]

Originally Posted by Grey M@a

difference is, we call a downpour a drizzle and typical weather

Yeah... and you Geordies all walk round in snowstorms with shortsleeved shirts on !!!!

I dunno - these southerners hey, they see a little water and complain that the heavens opened and that they nearly drowned. I bet the locals all laughed at these 2 walking up the road.

[Nick]

No, they had all pulled over and were blowing up their dinghies...

[Steve]

Hang on a sec, this isn't right. I sit here getting e-mails from the likes of Bastion, occasionally speaking to PR folk on the phone, rarely getting the chance to actually meet any of these people... and you walk into one of their hotel rooms?

HULL, ENGLAND 16th June - Steve Kerrison, HEXUS.net News Editor, announces his wishes to replace Nick as Gaming Editor...

How about that for a press release?

[Grey M@a]

Nothing wrong with a T-Shirt in a snowstorm The way we see it is that you are going to get cold anyway so why not get it over and done with

[poolking]

Originally Posted by Nick

Oh yeah, I got a room sorted and am back home now... There was no way I was posting on here from the hotel, not with a connection costing £5 an hour!

So much for opening broadband to the masses with prices like that.

[Kaine (AoD)]

Originally Posted by Nick

I forget about ringing and get the hell out, practically sprinting through the door and back down to the ever smiling Claire. I explain the situation and she double checks the bookings. Sure enough, I WAS booked into room 138, but there had been a last minute change and now Neena from Bastion, the organiser of the whole preview event was in there. Damn good thing for both of us that I had walked from the station as she’d been in bed asleep 30 minutes earlier… If I’d turned up then I’d have thought it was one hell of a good service Bastion and the hotel were providing!

Originally Posted by Nick

Oh yeah, I got a room sorted and am back home now... There was no way I was posting on here from the hotel, not with a connection costing £5 an hour!

;D should have kept the keycard and used her room for connection !!

[Honoop]

Originally Posted by AoD

;D should have kept the keycard and used her room for connection !!

Spoken like a true geek!!

[Flibb]

Have this image of him hiding under the bed with his laptop.

[Nick]

lol, or sitting in it wearing nothing but a Centrino chip and smile?

[Merlin4458]

lol, enjoyed the read thanks nick. I personally woulda waited in there and then acted as if id jsut got in. One things leads to another and awaaaaaaaaaaay u go . thats if shes hot or not. If not then i like ur plan

[Matt1eD]

Kez, I'll take your job then