I never thought I would enjoy a trip to Stamford so much.

Last year, working in the town, the 20-mile commute from Grantham seemed such a chore. The A1 would often be bumper-to-bumper and most weeks there would often be a crash and you could be stuck in it for quite some time. The town, as always, would be a congested mess as let's be honest, this historic lovely isn't exactly built for the automobile. But after weeks in lockdown, where I have reported how Grantham is faring, what about Stamford? Now, I had thought of paying a visit last Friday, to enjoy Stamford's thriving market and the delights of Waitrose, something Grantham lacks, and then report back. But if I was stopped, what would the police say? Grantham is tops in the county for receiving Covid-19 breach tickets, while in Stamford, the police have yet to issue any. A niece is a police officer up north and said I would never be able to convince them a trip to Stamford is an 'essential' journey as I could do such shopping in Grantham, she said. Then, a colleague remined me, journalists are classed by the government as key workers and are allowed to travel as part of their work. Think about it, how else do we get to see the various stories on the news each night. If journalists were unable to travel, then the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg would most definitely be a repeat offender. But just in case I was stopped, I printed off an email from the boss and emails from the press offices of both Leicestershire and Lincolnshire police forces just to confirm who I am. So, off I went at mid-morning, and bar two trips for a Sunday lunch take-away from a nearby country pub, this was my first trip out of Grantham since early-March. What a contrast, through living on a housing estate, as I left Grantham the first thing I noticed was the countryside's burst of green and blossom, which certainly adds to the delight of late spring and early summer. The A1 was not exactly empty, but it was quieter than normal. There were far fewer cars, but this made the number of lorries and vans appear all the more dominant. Turning off at Great Casterton, I passed the Crown Inn at Great Casterton, where someone was giving it a fresh coat of white paint. Entering Stamford, I noticed many walkers and joggers and closer to town, many walkers were carrying bags of shopping. I parked by the river and for once, rather than be full, the car park had many empty spaces. The riverside park wasn't busy either. Walking into the town centre, I noticed the Golden Fleece Pub was advertising it is now a shop. There was a table of goods outside, including flour, which according to Facebook, is in great demand. I then headed past a quiet Red Lion Square, down St Mary's Street, passing many empty shops. One had a closure sign, which spoke of how they have 'sobbed and sobbed' over their friends and their business. Another over the road reminded you could still buy their wares online. The Stamford Cheese Shop was open though, and then it was up Maiden Lane, passing the Kings Head, which had many 'rainbow' pictures everywhere to mark the pandemic. There were small queues outside Marks & Spencer and even longer queues outside Wilko and Tesco. The market seemed popular. But despite what you might read elsewhere, people seemed to be practicing social distancing and the council seemed to have staff on hand to ensure this. Stalls would also have signs warning customers to keep their distance. There were plenty of fruit and veg, meat, fish, cheese, olives, even cruelty-free milk. Sadly, the van that makes a lovely flat white coffee could not be seen. Nearby, Broad Street, which is usually packed with stalls, kept its traditional use for parking. Nelson's the Butcher had some tempting sirloin steaks on offer. It was lunchtime and for old time's sake, I had the usual sausage and pasty from the Grasmere Butcher. Only two people were allowed in at a time and the young lad washed his hands before serving me. I then paid contactless by card and left. Then, I walked down High Street and I saw one of the local councillors wearing a facemask. Normally, we would have shook hands as he's a touchy-feely guy, but we didn't this time. We caught up on gossip and he told me Stamford wasn't suffering too badly from the virus, but he was aware two residents had died. He was on his way to see a woman who had now got it. Further down High Street, I passed more closed shops. Holland & Barrett was open but WH Smith's wasn't. There were long queues outside Lloyds Bank, where a member of its staff kept the line in order. Then, it was back to the car and I passed the Jolly Brewer pub. Where it would usually list its real ales on offer, it now said it had become the 'Jolly Offie' with beers to take home. But what about Waitrose? There it was with a long queue outside it. Normally, I would have given such a queue a miss, but no, I must broaden my diet. In recent weeks I have avoided the busy Asda and Morrisons for two other well-known supermarkets, which I won't reveal as I want them to remain quiet and safe. So popping into Waitrose would make a lovely change. It meant waiting 20 minutes or so, with the queue well-spaced and orderly. Inside, it was quiet. The store seemed to be discounting the food with today's date on earlier than normal. Over a Tannoy people were asked politely to hurry up so other shoppers could enter and shop. I bought enough to last at least four days, including a few treats to keep spirits high. A mate had asked for some gin getting, so altogether I blew off over £100! I then reached the tills, whipped out my cards and filled the two bags I had brought and one given away free. Moments later, I perused the newspapers, realising I had forgotten my free paper because I had spent more than a tenner. Obviously, it was such a long time since my last visit, I had got out of the habit. Still, it had been a most excellent few hours out of the flat. I drove back up the A1, which was getting busy, though still a long way off what it usually is like on a Friday afternoon.