Hello UK

Travelling to and from Bodrum is so easy these days, especially now the eponymous orange liveried jets fly in and out so regularly.  It wasn't always so.  Our only route used to be via the military airport North of Izmir with TKH,  (Turkish Cyprus Airlines).  Seasoned travellers would always make a point of visiting the loo a couple of times at Heathrow knowing that the facilities at the other end were only for dire emergencies or for those equipped with a peg for the nose and rubber overshoes for the feet.  Very strong bladder control was needed for these trips; a 4 hour flight and then 5 or 6 hours on the road. Before I put everyone off visiting Turkey, I should point out that things have changed.  Bodrum airport's toilets are immaculate, worthy of a 5 star hotel if a little too high tech for me.  The machine that delivers the paper towels is motion operated so I find myself doing a lot of waving under, beside and in front of the machine. My hands are pretty much dry by the time a towel whirs out.  

Thirty odd years on, the tables seem to have turned.  After a long wait at passport control at Gatwick, I decided a trip to the ladies would be opportune before collecting my suitcase as I had a long train journey ahead. I wish I hadn't.  Long queues, cubicles that hadn't seen disinfectant for a long while, no loo paper.  I felt embarrassed that this was a visitor's first impression of Great Britain.  Come on Gatwick airport - surely you can do better than this.