A large new Asda's store has opened in a nearby town. Before it did, the nearest branch was about 18 miles away. The new store has just about emptied the local supermarkets of SOmerfield, Co-op, ALdi and Lidl, and closed down a very good and obliging local greengrocer, garden and pet store.

Today I made my third trip to Asda's since it opened and guess what? I still haven't managed to get in the store. The car park (no buses go near the place, and if they did I couldn't manage to carry the shopping on one)is so badly designed with narrow 'roads' between the rows of cars, ambiguous areas where double parking appears to be positively encouraged, and extremely narrow parking spaces. In order to have enough room for my passengers to alight, I simply cannot open my door.

All this on a Friday afternoon - hardly the rush hour!

I think three tries is quite enough (the old saying goes 'Three tries for a Welshman.') Asda's appears to be modelled on the Gates of Hades, and unless or until it actually manages to develop a decent car park (Asda's at Aberdare is well laid out by comparison) I shall stay away.

So that's Tesco's out and now Asda's.... not many left to go, really!