This began as a nostalgic trip to the Chichester Festival Theatre after some 50 years! It began on a wet, cold Saturday and the Anchor Bleu pub on the water’s edge at Bosham seemed like a welcoming place to begin. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, the menu was excellent – including a treacle tart with custard to die for! On the way back to the city, we stopped at the Fishbourne Roman Palace, remembered as a newsworthy 1960’s discovery and it was a real treat to find this is now a top-class indoor visitor centre with a great story to tell and an entertaining guided tour to tell it. After settling in to Crouchers Restaurant and Hotel, a couple of mile outside the city, it was off to the theatre to see Alan Bennett’s “Single Spies”, with a first-rate cast and consisting of two stories from the Guy Burgess/Anthony Blunt era. It was good to see how this regional theatre, which featured Sir Laurence Olivier at its opening, is still thriving with an excellent programme through the year. But note that while the main theatre restaurant is being renovated, the catering choices are limited and finding it difficult to meet the needs of a full house. The overnight B&B at Crouchers Hotel was excellent – and they coped well (for a Sunday morning) with the consequences of a plumbing problem which cut off hot water to our room! Never mind, it was a beautiful sunny winter’s day and perfect for a drive down to West Wittering for a long walk along the miles long beach (with a break for hot chocolate) before returning to see Chichester Cathedral, with its Marc Chagall window, and an afternoon at the shops, all open and very busy. Altogether a full weekend to mark St. Valentine’s Day, which exceeded expectations.
