World Toilet Day Post Script

So where was I on World Toilet Day?

On my hands and knees in our rental property filling up a hole.

I was preparing to decorate the smallest room in the house following a repair there to the floor, when I discovered another hole in the wall (you will recall my bad hair day when this happened in the kitchen). Once again it was the result of a bathroom leak that the last tenants had seemingly failed to notice. So fittingly I spent most of the afternoon next to the loo re-rendering part of the wall ready for a plaster finish. Oh the joys of owning an old property 120 miles distant.

Whilst I was waiting for it to dry, I had a catch-up online and was pleased to see that one of my fellow retirement bloggers, Maddie in Australia, did a special entry on her blog to mark the Day and which you can find here.

World Toilet Day 2016

Today is World Toilet Day, which seeks to raise awareness and motivate action towards meeting the Sustainable Development goal to ensure that everywhere has access to toilets by 2030.

Did you know that one in ten people in the world today still has to defecate in the open? The video above was made for World Toilet Day in 2013 on this point.

Hats off therefore to 105 year old Kunwar Bai Yadav who sold her goats in order to pay for a toilet for her village in the Indian state of  Dhamtari. It was only a year before that she had even heard about toilets after spending over a century visiting the woods in order to defecate. As a result fellow villagers have now built toilets too on the basis that if Kunwar Bai Yadav could do it they could too. India's aim is to eliminate open defecation by 2nd October 2019.

 

 

Even where there is access to a toilet, poor sanitation can spread diseases.This is the World Toilet Day 2016 video made to illustrate that fact. It is estimated that globally 17% of workplace deaths are attributable to disease transmission at work, mostly caused by poor hygiene or sanitation.

"Toilets save lives, increase productivity, create jobs and grow economies. Toilets work." (Toast to Toilets by the World Toilet Day Administrative Team.)

In a Land of Invention and Cleanliness

Whilst in the USA as one might imagine I had to use the restrooms (well we were there a month). 

It seemed that for the first three weeks of our trip all moving parts were automated: the flush, soap, taps and dryer or hand towel dispenser. I guess it's a partial advance towards complete sanitisation although someone evidently forgot that we still have to touch the door handles. It also leads to a dread of shuffling during a performance, just in case the flushing starts prematurely and don't start me off on the hand flapping that goes on in an effort to trigger a trickle of soap or even water. It all gets dreadfully complicated especially when you fail to realise that you are actually waving at a bolt on the splashback rather than the magic eye itself.

In any event I had just got the hang of distinguishing sensors from nuts, bolts and blemishes when we landed in California and a much more laid back approach sent us back to a land of pressing, pushing and twisting. Regrettably I repeatedly found myself mechanically moving first one then both hands to and fro in the forlorn expecation that a conventional tap might suddenly produce a stream of water. Oh well at least it provided me with amusement; there is after all nothing better than laughing at one's own inadequacies (again and again, because some people just don't learn).

I must however praise the Americans for not only providing copious numbers of restrooms (their description, not mine) but also without charge and with only rare exception generally of the cleanest standard. I also congratulate their innovation in the field of automation  and where those conveniences found on garage forecourts in the UK may not be the most inviting I could not resist snapping this wash basin found at a service area in South Carolina. Note how spotless and polished it is.

The item on the right of the synthetic resin basin is not a baby changing mat but instead an ultra violet hand dryer. As you can imagine I had copious fun with that, working out firstly what it was and then secondly how to operate it.

Gretna

 

On our way up to Troon last week we stopped at Gretna Services, a typical Welcome Break motorway service area on the A74(M), just over the border into Scotland. The ladies washroom area was unique in its colour scheme with a range of greens ranging from a very definite slime green colour through to a more subtle greege. I confess to being mesmerised and then I realised: of course, we were at Gretna Green!

Gurkha Express

Gurkha Express is the name of an excellent Nepalese restaurant on the High Road in Beeston, Nottingham. I can honestly say that eating there last week I enjoyed one of the best Indian meals I have tasted outside of India itself.

The restaurant is plainly decorated and the washroom is white and basic. It contrasted dramatically with the matching soap and Instruction Notice; I found the effect stark yet aesthetically pleasing. 

Down on the Farm

One of the quality stopping places when traversing the country on the A66 is Cross Lanes Organic Farm situated approximately 12 miles west of Scotch Corner, with a coffee shop and restaurant serving freshly cooked organic produce. In nice weather there is a sheltered patio area for imbibing outside and of course the brilliant organic farm shop for browsing and buying. 

The building itself is eco friendly as the sedum covered roof and solar panels in the photo above demonstrate. Indeed when driving past it is not unusual to see goats grazing up there.

Deservedly, the business has won numerous awards. I'm not sure that any have been for its toilets although these too embrace the green and sustainable commitment with the use of rainwater to flush them. Best of all however has to be the design on the doors; reminiscent of a marbled cheese and somewhat eye-catching.

In the Back Row

The Station Cinema at Richmond (North Yorkshire) is our favourite cinema. As its name suggests it is inside the old Victorian station now managed by the Richmond Preservation Society and with an exhibition gallery, artisan shops (my favourite is the ice cream parlour), a bistro and educational talks and activities, it attracts visitors with wares other than its films.

The building has been preserved on the outside and inside too where many of the original features and furnishings remain.

  

The toilets however are modern. Their most striking feature has to be the contrast of colours: dark blue, grey, orange and white. They stretch to the very limit the design concept that a room should be based around no more than 3 colours in addition to white. It works; they complement each other, except for one thing: the pink soap!

In the Pub

On the opposite side of the road to the public conveniences at Chapel Stile and just a few yards further along the road is Wainwright's, with its stone floor and beamed ceiling. Ever since we started to stay on the Langdale Estate, we have been frequent visitors during our times there. The food is substantial, it's a great place for a drink after a thirsty day on the fells and it is conveniently placed for another before or after dinner. It also hosts a weekly pub quiz which I hasten to add we are yet to win.

It's proven an adventurous destination for us too, walking there through a snowstorm one winter's evening to warm up in front of its open fire.

Moreover its toilets have recently undergone an impressive yet traditional makeover with high toilet cisterns. Chains and wooden handles are out though and instead there are much more modern shining chrome cords and handles, all set off by an interesting shade of green paint and white tiles. I loved the effect; so much so I had to check on it every time we called. It's good to have an excuse to pay a visit.

Slated

Built in natural Lakeland slate mined in the local quarries, the public conveniences on the edge of Chapel Stile are open daily from Easter to the end of October. A welcome sight for those descending the Langdale valley after a long day in the hills and perhaps also a stop for a drink at The Stickle Barn or hotel bar at the head of the valley. Not so useful in winter, possibly explaining some of the jokes about yellow snow.

So the best aspects of these facilities? The setting of course, opening out onto a field with views of the fells above; secondly the building materials; thirdly there is no charge to use them, yes I repeat: they are free!

The downside? Well they are still a decent walk away from Dungeon Ghyll and there's only a cold water supply to the sink. But they are the height of luxury for walkers and we all carry hand sanitiser these days anyway.

In the Beginning

Toilets come in various forms and one of the delights of global travel is to experience just how different the lavatory experience can be. In the west we are now used to flushing toilets with seats to sit on. Yet it wasn't so long ago that a visit to France or Spain involved the fascinations of the "squat and drop" model, now more prevalent in Asia, whilst in central Africa pit latrines are that continent's version of our old earth closet.

Poor sanitation can be responsible for the spread of cholera and dysentry and the progress of civilisation has gone hand in hand with the development of sewers. 

There was a time when public lavatories in the UK inevitably had overhead cisterns, a vague whiff of disinfectant (as well as other less attractive odours), doors with brass locks operated by the insertion of a penny and invariably only a sink with cold water to wash your hands. These days, however, the public convenience experience differs from place to place and when you step back and look, those differences can be fascinating.

Obviously any visit is always subject first to the cleanliness scrutiny, but this blog will seek to take that as assured (I haven't gone down with cholera yet) and highlight other features.

In the meantime all of the photographs here were taken whilst travelling in India - do any surprise?