So, being a good citizen, I thought I would take a look at the official website at reference 1. Which did not seem to be all that much better, despite some whizzy modelling. I learned that it was proposed to spend around £200m to take an average of 10 minutes off the journey time through this particular junction. Which did not strike me as a very good buy, but then I have no idea how they do these sorts of sums and I do not propose to take the quality time needed to find out. Then there was the argument that this junction was something of a blot on the landscape of the national network. Which clearly needed a nice new flyover and the A3 widening between around 5 miles north of the junction and around 5 miles south, that is to say including the stretch alongside Wisley and the junction from which one gets to Wisley from inside the M25. I think all sides are agreed that access to Wisley from the A3 is bad and needs to be improved. But again, I fail to find any comparison of the eastern and western options for widening the A3.
Next step, go to Wisley and take a look at the tent which they have no doubt devoted to killing off the western option. On the way, we peered out at both sides, at both areas under threat, but it all seemed to be trees and we were not any the wiser. Get there, to find that they had no such tent. They did have a tent about moving the main building up the hill, but that is not quite the same thing. Still not any the wiser. So no further action, no signing of petitions.
However, having got there, we thought we would take a walk around. Wisley is always good for something, however many people there might seem to be there from the huge and often full car parks.
First stop, the temporary library where we inquired about yew trees. It turned out that the serious books about yew trees were held in the library at Vincent Square near Victoria, but they were able to offer a book about yew in the Reaktion series about interesting plants, more of which in due course.
Wandered through the rose gardens, past their best, but still offering lots of splendid blooms (and smells). And lots of bees and similar.
Wandered up through the terraced herbaceous borders, also past their best, but still looking good.
Lots of ornamental grasses to be seen. Some of which might have looked like grass but not actually been grass. But plants for which I have always had a soft spot. From where I associate to the grass garden I kept for a year or two during my adolescence. Very Victorian I was told at the time.
Lay underneath a black walnut tree and gazed up through the branches and foliage, while BH picked up black walnuts from round about. Quite like ordinary walnuts in appearance and most of them eaten by bugs, in the way of the nuts noticed at reference 2. But I do now have one sitting on the study table.
An exotics garden which rather reminded me of the whimsical garden at Arundel, noticed at reference 3. Not without interest, but not something Wisley should have too much of. Far too much like those silly temporary gardens gardening celebrities put up for the Chelsea Flower Show.
Lunch in the main canteen where I hesitated between something described as a Cumberland sausage and half a small chicken, with the latter looking like rather a lot to eat in one sitting, albeit much better value. Settled for the sausage, which was satisfactory. We wondered whether the catering contractor was obliged to take any or all of the produce from the various fruit and vegetable gardens dotted around the place, a taking which I imagine would be a bit of a pain from both the catering and accounting points of view.
Rounded out the visit with a stroll through part of the pinetum, always a favourite with me.
Pity about all the building works, noise, tents, outdoor sculptures and so on and so forth. A pity that Wisley can't remain the rather sleepy, if rather splendid, botanical garden that it once was. But I suppose I do have to allow that they do now provide a lot of pleasure for a lot more people than used to go through the place in the olden days. Perhaps it is all part of the consolidation and biggest-is-best which seems to have got a grip on everything else - just like in the worlds, to take three examples, of online services, hospitals and universities.
Reference 1: http://roads.highways.gov.uk/projects/m25-junction-10-to-a3-wisley-interchange/.
Reference 2: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/final-report.html.
Reference 3: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/bognor-three.html.
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