It’s been a while since I last went somewhere for the alphabet adventure, but I had this trip in my mind for a while – it was just a matter of getting the logistics together. My P plan was either going to be in Portsmouth or Plymouth. I had wanted to go to the Historic Dockyard, but the Mary Rose still isn’t ready, and I want to go when it’s all ready. So, instead, I headed towards Plymouth and took a tour around the Plymouth Gin distillery.

Now, this is one of those things where you can’t take photographs. In fact, you have to check in your bag and phone so that you don’t create a spark and set the whole place alight. I’m usually against things where you’re not allowed to take photos, but in these circumstances, it seems fair enough.

So, the only real picture I got was this one.

When I got inside, I had to wait around for a while as the people at the shop desk were helping a gentleman with a question about vodka or something. That seemed slightly odd in a gin distillery, but eventually they took my booking information and directed me to the waiting room. For a worrying few minutes, I thought I was going to be the only one on the tour, but thankfully an Australian couple arrived just as the tour guide walked in too.

First we went into a room with a timeline around the wall, and the guide gave us a detailed history of the company – from family firm to subsidiary of the massive drinks companies. Then we went through to the room with giant vats, and got a talk on how the gin is created. The final room was about the specific ingredients that make the gin taste as it does.

This was the most interesting part, as the two rooms before were more static and just involved looking and listening. This final room we got little pots of the ingredients – cardomom and orange peels – and got to sniff, and then taste the gin to try and see if we could identify any of the ingredients in the drink itself.

So, overall, the tour was good, insightful with a great tour guide and a great finish, but it felt quite short and I was surprised when it was over. It’s not massively costly, and there would be more to see if they still bottled the drink there, but that went a long while ago and makes it feel like something is missing. It’s a nice tour if you’re in the area and need something to do for an hour, but I wouldn’t say it was worth seeking out specifically.

I had planned to stay out in Plymouth for a bit and take some pictures of the sea, but the weather took a serious turn for the worse.

It was definitely time to bring this edition of the adventure to a close and wait for the weather to get better again.

It seems that O is a letter that is destined to cause me trouble. After the thwarted attempt to visit a previous O-shaped destination, I selected another. This did not go completely smoothly either, but I’m going with it, because I am running out of Os (and I want to get to P!).

During our recent heatwave in the UK, I took a day off work and opted to head outside. It was somewhat impromptu, because I wanted to make the most of the nice weather and the free time. I’d only discovered Osterley Park a week or so before, and realised it would make a good replacement O. The house and park is a National Trust property, situated just off the M4, right by Heathrow.

I drove, I parked, I walked up to the house. You get some good views of the lake, the trees and the house as you approach.

Walking all the way round the lake was nice and relaxing, a few planes went overhead, people were walking, cycling and jogging in the sunshine. Then the big house comes into view.

I had to wait for a while to be able to snap the above picture, as a gaggle of children were on a school trip and gathered for their own photograph on the stairs. Those school children were faffing around so much, that I couldn’t deal with getting through the official entrance. I probably wouldn’t have gone into the house anyway, as they rarely let you take pictures in there. I was interested in the gardens, but the kids were going to take so long to get sorted that I walked in the other direction.

To the right of the house is an outbuilding for National Trust gift shops and cafés. I bought a sandwich and sat, soaking up the sunshine, watching the planes go overhead.

Then I decided that it would not be a truly wasted trip. There was a walk through the trees and round the lake that would be a perfectly fine idea on a day such as this was.

Although not officially part of the gardens, and clearly not as well kept, it was still a nice trip. You walk through the trees, which turn into more of a country lane, past a few tucked away houses, and then turn onto a longer path around the lake. This, in turn, brings you to another track that takes you back to the car park. The whole route is an extended triangle, of sorts.

Although I never actually got in to Osterley House, or viewed the gardens, I got me some sunshine and fresh air, and took some nice pictures, which is really what the alphabet adventure is all about.

Oh, did I mention there were planes by the way? We were so close to Heathrow that some of the planes went roaring through the sunshine, causing mini eclipses as they went. It was all very distracting. I knew I was going towards an airport, but I wasn’t expecting to come back with so many photos like this.

More photos, not all of planes, are available to view on my Flickr set.

The final stop on my Alphabet mini-tour (way back in May, how did that happen?) was the National Space Centre, just outside of Leicester. I’m developing an interest in all things space travel, and I was surprised that we have a space centre, given that we have very little in the way of a space programme.

The website makes it clear that this is a destination designed for kids. At the moment, on the homepage, there’s a lego space shuttle, and three pictures of kids enjoying their day out at the centre. I was anticipating this when I went, and given my lack of any real space knowledge, I figured I’d do well to start with something aimed at the children. I was to be disappointed.

There wasn’t much in the Space Centre, a few sections zoned off to separate pieces about astronauts, about the solar system, and about space travel itself. It was all centred around the cinema, which would be showing some kind of film – but I am never keen on sitting and watching these things. I don’t like having to plan a visit around a specific showing time.

There were some bits I liked, the bits about astronaut life were fascinating, and I loved the stuff about previous trips to the moon. For some reason, I have never really thought about the other people that went to the moon – more than just the giant step guy. There were great videos along the way talking to astronauts about what life is like in space. The videos were good, and although interesting, they could be a bit long. It’s awkward to stand around and watch a video, perhaps missing the beginning, or jostling for position with others coming in halfway through.

Ultimately, I was really disappointed with the centre. There wasn’t that much to do, and having the fascinating astronaut bit nearest to the door meant the rest was something of a letdown. It was one of those places where the gift shop was more interesting than the attraction itself. I left pretty early, and made my way home, a little sad that my mini-trip had such an anti-climactic ending.

A couple more photos are available on Flickr, including the nearby Pumping Station museum, which had what could be a TARDIS in disguise!