You Can't Get There From Here

I remember a bit they did on Candid Camera when I was a kid. They set up a roadblock and told motorists who approached and stopped that New Jersey was closed. I remember one guy told them "You can't close New Jersey! My wife and kids are in there!"

So last Thursday when we approached the barricade on Frinton Road on our way to see Mark's step mother and they told us that Holland-on-Sea was closed, I started looking for the hidden cameras. But of course there were none. Only official barricades and police officers.

Normally we don't take Frinton Road but we knew that King's Parade along the seafront was closed for a bicycle race. But when I asked how to get to Fleetwood Avenue, I was told you can't get there because the roads are closed until 2:30 pm. ALL of the roads into town were closed for a bicycle race. I asked what they would do if anyone needed an ambulance. "I don't know" was the reply. No point talking to anyone - this is just the kind of thing they do in England.

We parked the car and set off on foot. It took us about 40 minutes to get to her house. (We were warned that it was a long walk.) We'd planned to take her out for lunch but that wasn't going to be possible without a car. You can't expect someone in their late 80s to hike much past the end of their drive.

Along the way we talked with a few of the residents. Most of them were unhappy. One was trying to get to a doctor's appointment and had to abandon her car and attempt to get there on foot. Two had gone in to do some shopping and then found that they couldn't leave. A couple more were just unhappy that they wouldn't be able to go out and do anything until after the race was over and they were concerned that traffic would be backed up then because of all the people who were stuck. All in all, we talked to one old man who was quite happy with it. "What's the big deal? It's once a year and it's only for five hours." Our best guess is that he is on the Tendring District Council, the governing body that authorized closing down the town. We suspect they were probably paid handsomely for the privilege.

There are times at home when streets get closed down for races and other civic events, but I have yet to see an occasion when EVERY street going into a town is closed. It just wouldn't happen. You might have to drive a block or two out of your way, but you would be able to get in and out.

So in this particular instance, I'm glad we didn't stay at the Legacy Kingscliff. We would have been trapped in the town with no way out until after 2:30 and we had aimed to be in Hatfield about that time. I am often amazed at what the British are willing to put up with.