The Buckleberry community gathered at the community hall for their monthly meeting. As always, coffee, tea and biscuits were available. Just Joan had brought along homemade marshmallow biscuits, Baker Bunty added sausage rolls to the table and Mrs Cotswold had baked a blackcurrant pie for everyone to eat. The hall was full of chatter and laughter. Mayor George entered the hall and called everyone to take a seat.

Mayor George welcomed everyone to the meeting. Secretary Stella set up her laptop so she could take minutes of the meeting, and she let everyone know that they would be placed on the website once the meeting was closed. People wondered what was on the agenda and whether the meeting would be long or short. Mrs Pepperpot always gets restless and called for the meeting to move along. She never wanted to listen to the “boring stuff.” She only wanted to hear about the fun things that would take place in Buckleberry. Mayor George grunted as he knew what she was up to.

Mayor George went through the “boring stuff,” and then went to call the meeting closed. Mrs Pepperpot was very unhappy. “Is that it then?” she said loudly. Mayor George tried to remain calm and said, “I call the meeting closed!” “You can’t do that!” shouted Just Joan. Mayor George was shocked. Tall Tony stood up calmly and said, “Mayor George, I think we need to do something for the Buckleberry people to lift their spirits.” Everyone agreed. It seemed like everyone had been working so hard that there had been no fun things for people to do. Mayor George agreed to keep the meeting open to try to decide what Buckleberry could do for fun. Mayor George looked at Tall Tony as if to say please help!

Tall Tony asked people to form groups. He gave each group a piece of paper and then asked the group to brainstorm ideas for fun activities. The hall started to buzz with excitement. Groups debated what could be done and what would be fun. Tall Tony then asked for groups to select their best idea to present to the rest of the people. Some of the ideas were not possible like painting all the doors in the village red. Another group suggested that a fireworks night be held. The farmers said that even though they liked the idea, the animals would become frightened, especially the sheep!

Babysitter Mary decided to speak for her group and said, "What about using the Buckleberry Butter Box?" Her group thought that the bus is available to use and can carry many people. It would be fun to go on a day adventure together. Everyone laughed at the idea at first and then they all gave it a second thought. Matilda said, “I think it is a good idea, but we need to ask Mr Fitzgibbons his thoughts.”

Mr Fitzgibbons agreed to the idea if only Tall Tony and Babysitter Mary were involved with the planning. He thought they knew more about taking a “mystery tour” than he did. Tall Tony and Babysitter Mary agreed. Mayor George selected a date and said he would create invitations. He informed everyone that information would be posted on the BCC website for all to see. Tall Tony collected the brainstorming papers for future planning ideas. Everyone was happy with the outcome especially Just Joan and Mrs Pepperpot. Excitement started to brew as people speculated where the “mystery tour” would take them. People waved goodbye and looked forward to meeting again on the day of the “mystery tour.”

Mr Fitzgibbons drove the Buckleberry Butter Box in and around Buckleberry. Whenever people would board the bus, they would ask for a hint of where the “mystery tour’ was going. Some people would make suggestions of where they wanted to go. Some wanted to go to the mountains and lakes and others wanted to see the sea. Mr Fitzgibbons would just smile.

People approached Tall Tony and Babysitter Mary asking them what clothes they should wear to go on the tour. They thought this would provide a hint of their destination. Tall Tony and Babysitter Mary would be asked questions like, “Would you rather go to the beach or a lake?” Tall Tony and Babysitter Mary would just laugh.

Mr Fitzgibbons, Tall Tony, and Babysitter Mary met in the coffee shop that belongs to Baker Bunty. Bunty provided lots of hot coffee and croissants as she could see they were deep in discussion and planning. What she did not know was that they had no idea where to take people. They felt all the ideas they had would disappoint someone. Curator Charlie happened to be sitting nearby and could hear the dilemma. He asked if he could join them as he had an idea. Tall Tony pulled another chair to the table and Curator Charlie joined the planning committee.

Curator Charlie had heard that there had been a new historic finding in Pontypie Gorge. It seemed near the gorge, rock art had been discovered. He said that the site would be listed for historical significance. People do not need to walk far in the gorge to see the rock art, explore the caves and be able to swim in a thermal pool. He thought that the destiny would tick many of the things that people wanted to experience. Tall Tony confirmed the site and said, “It is seeing something new, being able to walk and explore, in a mountainous area, but also people can swim!” It was decided that the Pontypie Gorge would be the destination.

Pleased with the planning, Tall Tony and Babysitter Mary created a checklist of things to take and wear. Curator Charlie created a schedule for the day. Mr Fitzgibbons checked the maps to see which route was the best for the bus. Baker Bunty asked if she could help with catering. Orders for sausage rolls, pasties and cream buns were placed. Farmer Ted was asked to supply milk for the tea and coffee, and Mayor George took care of any other items needed. The date was set, final invitations were sent and replies quickly returned.

On the day of the trip, Mr Fitzgibbons greeted everyone in Market Square at 9.00am. Olly and Verity were terribly excited as it was their first long trip on the Buckleberry Butter Box. People dressed in adventure clothing with sturdy shoes. Small backpacks contained clean clothing, a towel and swimsuit. When you looked at the group of people, you could see a wide assortment of colours and clothing. People dressed in their favourite clothing more than dressed for an adventure. It was easy to spot Mrs Cotswold as she had a new floral scarf on, her bright red lipstick and a hole in her shoe for her big toe to poke out! She brought joy to the group with her extremely big smile and friendly nature.

Nonna Nina and Nonno Nico got up early to be the first to get the best seats on the bus. When Mr Fitzgibbons slowly opened the bus door, people excitedly boarded the Buckleberry Butter Box for their adventure. They waited for Butcher Barry; he was running late as he had received a last-minute delivery order. Once he arrived, Tall Tony did a head count, and the bus was ready to leave. As the bus left Buckleberry, people gave one last glance at Market Square and looked forward to their day. The bus was full of chatter, singing, telling jokes and people sleeping. Tall Tony of course had his headphones on to listen to music. Every seat on the bus was full. It was the first time a community trip had taken place. Tall Tony and Babysitter Mary hoped it would be a success.

The Buckleberry Butter Box travelled through smaller villages and larger towns and then fields and farms. The vegetation started to change, and people realized that they were heading towards the mountains. The roads became bumpy and dusty, and the bus started to cough and splutter. Mr Fitzgibbons spoke gently to the bus to get it through the difficult patches. It then found a way on to a road that led to the gorge.

Mr Fitzgibbons parked the bus in the carpark and people were glad to get off the bus. Before they could get off, Tall Tony explained the schedule for the day and the activities. People had a choice of what they could do but lunch would be together. Nonno Nico said in a loud voice, “We came together so let’s stay together!” everyone agreed.

As people stepped off the bus, they could smell the fresh air. They all followed the track to the gorge caves. On one side was the thermal pool for swimming and the other was the entrance to the cave. Everyone decided to place their bags around a picnic table, and they all walked into the caves. The caves were cool and the smell of limestone filled the air.