Wealden Wheels News... ... ...
 Take a look at our recent newsletters to see the kind of journeys we have taken our members on over the last couple of months.
The next couple of months look set to be busy & fun too, with families and groups hiring the minibuses to take them out to a wide variety of destinations nearby and also further afield -  including the local gliding club, Kingswood, to play in a local football final, Tenterden Garden Centre, to a day at The Races, to the coast at Herne Bay, Hythe and also to Brighton, to Bedgebury Pinetum, Tunbridge Wells,Herstmonceaux, Chatham Dockyard, Walmer Castle and Wisley and even as far afield as Ypres for a few days. What a relief to be able to get out and about in our lovely county now that the weather has improved!
How about hiring one of our minibuses with your family or a group of friends and taking advantage of some of the great locations within easy reach of us? Here are some ideas to tempt you:
- Sissinghurst gardens are coming alive with a beautiful show of blooms, and you can get a delicious lunch or afternoon tea in their Granary restaurant. A round trip of 30 miles would cost just £30 self-drive or £45 with one of our drivers, which works out at just £2.50 per head or £3.75 per head respectively if you take a group of 12 passengers.
- Leeds Castle has a Home & Garden event in mid May, a jousting event at the beginning of June, an open-air production of Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice” in mid June and their annual open-air concert in early July – plenty to suit a wide range of tastes. A round trip from Pluckley to Leeds Castle would be roughly 30 miles, so would carry the same sort of hire charges as a trip to Sissinghurst (above).
- Pashley Manor will be hosting a sculpture exhibition in its lovely gardens from 22-31 May and special rose and kitchen-garden weekends in the second half of June. A likely round trip of 50 miles would cost just £50 self drive or £75 with a driver – a little over £4 each for 12 passengers self-drive or £6.50 with a driver.
- Stuck for birthday party ideas? How about hiring one of our bigger buses for a birthday outing to one of the many local venues? “Diggerland” near Strood or the Ice Bowl at Gillingham (both about 26 miles from Pluckley) provide active fun for a wide range of ages or, for a quieter celebration, perhaps one of our local cinemas or pottery painting at Hawkhurst Fish Farm (16 miles from Pluckley) would provide a good venue. Taking the minibus avoids the need for lots of parents and multiple vehicles to get the children there and back again.
- Or you could take a group in a minibus and venture further afield for thrills and excitement, with both “Chessington World of Adventures” (about 60 miles from Pluckley) and “Thorpe Park” (about 70 miles from Pluckley) within easy reach via the M25.
- Or for the more active amongst you, how about putting a group together, finding your walking boots and your backpack and trying out one of the “explore Kent” walks featured in their “Walking Festival”, going on now and until the end of July – see www.kent.gov.uk/explorekent for details.
 We were sorry to bid goodbye to Sue Baker, one of our much-valued office volunteers and would like to thank her for her work on our behalf.
Talking of Volunteers …………………..please come and join the team here either in the office or especially out driving the minibuses – we really do need more helpers, particularly to drive the minibuses. They are not hard to drive and any time you can give would be much valued, no matter how infrequently you might be available.
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