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It has not been the greatest journey. Although, Praise be! It is almost at an end.
Although Burton Dasset has given up train-spotting for Lent, he has convinced himself that travelling by train does not, of itself, count as train spotting. And so, faithful brethren, we see the way in which the carnal mind, allied to the legalistic attitude of an accountant, leads to sophistry and cant.

Burton assured me that he had an exciting route planned for us, and it started with the 17.04 from Ridgmont. Just half an hour later we had reached Bedford. We had half an hour "to kill" as Burton put it - but time is a precious gift from the Giver! Not a victim to be killed! And so I spent the time in condemning the people of Bedford for their savage treatment of John Bunyan.

By 7.30pm we were in Nottingham. And in was here that I discovered the low cunning that is sometimes so evident in Burton. For truly, truly, I believed that Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem must be a museum of the last weeks of the pre-Resurrection life of Our Lord. I was expecting something instructive, uplifting and yet chastening. I did not expect a pub carved into a hill. But Burton was adamant that he must visit.
Would you believe that there is a ship in a box in the Old Trip, which it is claimed is dogged by a curse? Surely I read the label on the ship, and was going to defy the curse and clean the cobwebs - until I found myself being dragged backwards down the stairs by Burton on the grounds that "we don't want any trouble".

After a few hours in the lower bar Burton told me that it was time to go back to the station - "we don't want to miss the train".
Beloved friends, have you ever spent 5 hours on Nottingham station?
It is, beyond doubt, a depressing experience. Especially when Burton insists on singing his raunchy accountancy songs all night. But eventually we made our escape and finally, finally, we arrived in Skegness. Now, just an hour later, we have walked to the Butlins camp. We are all ready to join in Godly fun and teaching, In three hours, when we are allowed in. Truly it is like knocking at heaven's door.