England
Sunday 31st January 2010
Batch Nurseries Certificated Site, Lympsham, Near Weston-Super- Mare, 51 17 33 N, 02 58 11 W, (154 mile). After dropping the car off at our Son Michael’s house in Fradley, at last we are on our nomadic trip again! Due to a set of circumstances we were at Kingsbury Water Park longer than we anticipated (almost 10½ weeks), however we have now (hopefully) planned the next few months travelling and looking forward to it. We are at a small campsite about 5 mile from “West Country Motor Homes” and tomorrow we will be taking the motorhome for its annual habitation check, a “short” service and a couple of warranty repairs. Actually it is not due for its checks until the middle of March, but we want to be “on the road” before then so we have brought them forward. Whilst the motorhome is away we will be staying at our daughter Rhiain’s for a few day’s, good news “free board”, bad news looks like I shall be doing some decorating!
Friday 5th February 2010
Collected motorhome and will stay until Sunday at Batch Nurseries.
Sunday 7th February 2010
Tudor Caravan Park, Slimbridge, 51 44 11 N, 02 23 89 W, ( 53 Mile).
Rhiain collected Jenny this morning to “re-provision” at Tesco, I stayed at the caravan site to fit the extra swivel lamp we got from WCMH, we had a “black spot” in the lounge as the light from the fitted lamp is obstructed when the television is in position. Rhiain’s friend Ian staying with me for a chat whilst they were away. We left at lunch time for Slimbridge a short drive up the M5 to a campsite we had stopped at before, hopefully tomorrow we will visit the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge although the weather forecast is not good.
Monday 8th February 2010
The weather, unfortunately, was not conducive to walking around Slimbridge, especially as I wanted to take some photographs and I needed some decent light. Drizzle and snow flurries changed our plans for the day and we spent the time reading and listening to music. This is the second time we have been here (the last time in August) and both times the weather as prevented us doing what we wanted, maybe next time!
Tuesday 9th February 2010
Blackmoor Caravan and Camping Club Site, Near Great Malvern, 52 05 82, 02 16 51 W (42 Mile). The weather still wasn’t very promising for today so we (as originally planned) have moved on. We had a small de-tour to Attwoolls an outdoor store, just to “window shop” although we did purchase an European road map (for the future). First time at this camp site, although we do know the site managers Jo and Alan as they were the assistant managers at Kingsbury Water Park C&CC last year. Nice campsite with fine views up to the Malvern Hills.
Wednesday 10th February 2010
A relaxing day? Well yes, although we did clean inside the motorhome, (too cold to do the outside) and Jenny did the laundry, well at least put the coins in the slot of the washing machine and dryer!
Thursday 11th February 2010
Made the most of our “senior citizens” bus passes today, the bus stop very handy, literally just outside the camp site entrance and we spent the day in Worcester.
Friday 12th February 2010
The Paddocks CL, Holme Lacey, Near Hereford, 52 00 63 N, 02 40 23 W, (40 Mile). After a 5 mile de-tour to Morrison’s Supermarket at Great Malvern to “top-up” with food we (after negotiating various road works on the way) reached the little CL (certified location) camp site near Holme Lacey. Nobody in so we made ourselves comfortable on one of the 5 hardstanding sites, no amenities block, but water and power at obviously a lower cost than on a “full on” camp site. Jenny did see the father of the owner of the site to pay this evening, however he suggested that we pay his son tomorrow, she did ask where the nearest Newsagent was to get our (usual) Saturday newspapers and he gave her directions and a distance of approx’ 2 miles!
Saturday 13th February 2010
After getting used to the noise of the motorway near Kingsbury Water Park, the railway close by at Batch nurseries and a small amount of traffic noise at Blackmore, last night was so quiet it was almost too quiet to get to sleep! We are located down a lane, well off a small “B” road and a long way from a major road, bliss. We left the site this morning to walk the 2 mile to the Co-operative Store to get the newspapers, 2 mile (we were told) Jenny and I normally walk (like most people) at 4 mile per hour. A 4 mile round trip therefore should have taken approximately 1 hour, 1½ hours and about 6 mile later we reached the store! We had already asked a postman “how far?” to which he raised his eyes and then told us about 1½ mile (to a petrol station were he thought they sold newspapers), they didn’t and explained the store was further, we went a lot further and asked another lady who said (when we explained how far we had come) “2 mile equals 12 in the country” but the newsagents was still a bit further, we walked on! Jenny had commented “it was a good job she had already baked the bread for lunch” I said, “by the time we get back it would be stale”. However finally we reached the store, bought the newspapers, a drink (we were thirsty by now) and 2 “Snicker” bars, ( should not have changed the name we were definitely on a “Marathon”.) We had walked back about a mile when a car pulled up along side us, it was the lady we had asked directions from earlier and she very kindly offered to drive us back to the camp site, Thank you Valerie a true Samaritan, a Arsenal supporter to!
Sunday 14th February 2010
A relaxed day, although I did clean all the windows of the motorhome, anybody know how to get smears off a windscreen, I cleaned it twice?
Monday 15th February 2010
A pleasant morning so we decided to have a short walk along the lane. We haven’t brought our Ordnance Survey Map of the area, pity, we would have taken one of the many public footpaths and done a circular walk, however, we will definitely return, stay longer and explore further.
Tuesday 16th February 2010
Cuckoo’s Corner Caravan Park, Moreton-On-Lugg, 52 06 36 N, 02 43 82 W, (11 Mile). A short drive to Cuckoo’s Corner, would have been shorter still if I hadn’t taken a wrong turning in Hereford, although it did take us past a PC World where we purchased some software. Last Saturday on our “marathon” walk we past a Public Weigh Bridge, I thought it would be a good idea to have Jenny weighed, she has put on some weight lately, only kidding, we have been trying to get the motorhome weighed ever since we purchased it, but never seem to find an opportunity to have it done, we weighed in at 4025 kilo’, just 15 kilo’ overweight however we were full of fuel and fresh water (instead of at 90%) so we are about right, I had a big breakfast too! Good job it wasn’t after lunch, Moreton-On-Lugg boasts the “top” Fish & Chip shop for the last 3 years in Herefordshire and just a short 10 minute walk from the camp site, well we had to didn’t we? They were delicious. Good snowstorm this afternoon.
Wednesday 17th February 2010
Rain, Sleet and Snow, needless to say we didn’t go far.
Thursday 18th February 2010
Cathedral Grange Caravan Park, Lichfield, 52 41 82 N, 01 50 52 W (73 Mile). We were going to stay another day, however the weather forecast is for heavy snow so we have decided to go to Lichfield a day early.
Friday 19th February 2010
Just as well we left Herefordshire yesterday, as promised a good layer of snow this morning.
Sunday 20th February 2010
Kingsbury C & CC, Kingsbury, 52 34 14 N, 01 42 21 W, (15 Mile). Touch and go whether we would be able to move today as there was even more snow on the ground this morning. However, by mid-morning it had melted enough for us to move, helped by the site owner’s son using a “Bobcat” dozer as a snow plough and clearing a path to the main road.
Wednesday 24th February 2010
Boat & Caravan Show today, (includes of course Motorhomes too). But first of all back to yesterday when we had an email from Leslie and Jeff a couple from Dunstable who have followed our travels from conception and whom we were hoping to meet up with in Australia as they were driving around there in their motorhome although starting off a little later than us, alas we were never in the same place at the same time (well it is a big place). Anyway, they have bought a motorhome in the UK and I suggested that if they were going to the show that maybe they could “pop in” to visit us. We didn’t switch the laptop on this morning so we didn’t know there was a reply. However, when we were walking around the show in the afternoon a lady said to Jenny, “ are you going to just walk past me Jenny?”, it was Leslie with her husband Jeff, she had recognised Jenny from the photo’s on the web site! We had a great chat with them over a cup of tea at the café, a lovely couple who we hope to meet again on our travels. Did we buy anything at the show? Yes, screens for the outside of the front windscreen and cab side windows, a windblocker/sunshade (perhaps just windblocker) for the awning and some loo cleaner!
Thursday 25th February 2010
A short drive to Norris Brothers the Fiat Dealership in Tamworth, for a modified scuttle panel to be fitted, also to check the electric window on the drivers door which is not working, on which they report a new mechanism requires fitting. Then a visit to the hearing centre for my ears also to have a new mechanism fitted, pardon?
Friday 26th February 2010
One of my old work mates “Tote” = John Walpole= totem pole= tall and thin, get it?) came to see us at the camp site with his lady friend Wendy, they are caravanner's so we had a great talk on the subject of camping, also giving us some names of good place to stay, great to see him once again, we reminisced on some of the things we got up to and great laughs we had, when work was “fun”
Saturday 27th February 2010
Once again at the Boat & Caravan Show to see the things we missed on Wednesday didn’t buy anything this time though, spending time looking at the 2010 motorhomes. We obviously chose carefully over the 3-4 years we were looking at them, not seeing anything we liked better than our own Autocruise Starblazer.
Sunday 28th February 2010
* * * Happy Birthday and much love to our Son Michael * * *
Monday 1st March 2010 – Friday 5th March 2010
Just managed to say cheerio to Ian & Jenny this morning, they were driving out as we were returning, they have been at Kingsbury Water Park about the same length of time as us and we have had some interesting chats over a cup of tea, perhaps see you in Norway, Ian! The rest of the week? Appointments .
Friday 12th March 2010
Cathedral Grange Caravan Park, Lichfield, 52 41 82 N, 01 50 52 W. (11 Mile)
We have moved today to Lichfield as the caravan park as been taken over by dogs, Crufts weekend at the NEC and there are people at the camp site with as many as 6 dogs! We like dogs, but!!!!!!
Saturday 13th March 2010
At last, the F1 Grand Prix season starts this weekend in Bahrain, I was starting to suffer definite withdrawal symptoms, so spent late morning watching the practice before taking the Fiesta back to Michaels at Fradley, we will be leaving the area tomorrow so we will not be wanting to use it. After saying our farewells to Michael, Sharon and of course Charlie, we got the bus back to Lichfield then walked back to Cathedral Grange camp site from the city centre, long walk in the cold wind though!
Sunday 14th March 2010
Conkers C & CC Site, Moira, 52 44 39 N, 01 33 00 W, (26 Mile). Watched the Grand Prix this morning, before leaving the camp site, hope the rest of them are a bit more exciting. Just one stop at Tesco to refuel, (had a .5p off a litre voucher so used it) and we were at Conkers at about 3:30 pm, would have been quicker (yes I know you have heard this before), if Jenny and Betty (for those of you who have not read the web site in the last 2 years, Betty is the SatNav) hadn’t sent me past the turning, AGAIN!
Monday 15th March 2010
Decided today to get the bus into Burton upon Trent, the bus stop being a 10 minute pleasant walk towards Moira. Reason for going? We bought a new printer last week and we thought we had a USB cable with us, wrong, obviously the manufactures (Canon) don’t think it necessary to supply one with it, it being more important to produce a safety booklet telling me how to put a electrical plug in a socket in 17 different languages! What’s equally annoying we must have at least 2 cables in our storage unit. I was a bit worried when we got back to the bus station, woman driver, will we get back to Moira or end up in Morecambe? Phew, she must have been this way before and we returned safely to the camp site.
Tuesday 16th March 2010
Decided to stay an additional 2 days, Jenny went to pay, how long did it take to pay for the extra days? I washed and dried the breakfast dishes, etc, at the washing-up room, shaved, brushed my teeth and tidied up before she eventually arrived back, not that I would dare to suggest she was gossiping! After sorting out a few plans for the next few weeks we walked into Moira for a newspaper, wish we had gone this way yesterday when we went to the bus stop, we walked along the old Ashby canal to the village. We have been pleasantly surprised at how nice this area is, as it is mostly land reclaimed from a disused coalfield
Moira is a former mining village in North West Leicestershire, England, lying on the border with Derbyshire. It derives its name from the Irish earldom of Moira, one of the titles of the Hastings family, whose castle was in nearby Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The former local colliery, Rawdon Colliery, also bore a Hastings family name.
For centuries North West Leicestershire has been quarried and mined for coal, limestone, granite and brick clay, and its environmental damage was one of the reasons that it was chosen as the site for the National Forest, which is part of a Government-funded programme to create more woodland.
Decided this afternoon to start preparing the motorhome for the summer with a nice coat of polish, first task therefore was wash the roof, obviously the most difficult to do, especially as it is difficult to reach to the very front. Undaunted, I fill the bucket with hot water and went up the ladder, was making a good job of it to, until the “Fuehrer” (the camp site manageress) walked over and told me “van washing is not allowed on the site” another petty rule by the Camping and Caravan Club, “The Friendly Club”!
Wednesday 17th March 2010
A good walk this morning to purchase a newspaper, like yesterday a surprise at how pleasant the walks are in the area and we went much further along the trails before reaching the post office/newsagents. First time I have ever seen a pair of Green Woodpeckers which was nice, Jenny missed them. On the return walk we thought we would take a look at the Moira Furnace and Museum (the museum being closed), a very interesting old building (and if you know me I don’t “do” old buildings), however Moira Furnace is one of the best examples of an early 19th Century iron-making blast furnace anywhere in Europe and with the canal, bridge loft and building itself, made for a decent photograph. We had refreshments in the little tea shop before walking back to the caravan site Tea & Cake x 2 = £4 which we thought was very reasonable.
We will certainly be returning here again and next time bring the bikes with us (we have decided to leave them at Michaels this trip), those Scottish roads and trails being rather steep for our aging legs!
Thursday 18th March 2010
Pikes Oak Farm Nurseries CS, Widmerpool. 52 50 53 N, 01 03 58 W, (36 Mile). Very handy this morning that both Tesco and a LPG filling station (BP) were on our way to the CS (certificated site) at Widmerpool, so after “topping up” with food we stopped at Donnington Park Services just off the M1 to fill our gas bottles with LPG (the first fill since early February). Good job a good Samaritan was there to help us because unusually there were no instructions for filling and I had forgotten I also needed to tighten the gas lever down as well as twist it, must remember that next time. 15 litres filled it up for £10.30, we are much better informed now that we have gauges on both bottles since having the extra one fitted at West Country Motorhomes in February. We arrived at Pikes Oak at lunch time and the owner suggested we walk around the small lake before finding a nice level hardstanding position in the car park, the pool looks particularly inviting (for fishing not swimming) and after lunch I found a comfortable “peg” close to the motorhome to begin fishing. I did have a nice chat with another fisherman there and when he had finished fishing he kindly left me with some maggots for bait. Not that I used them today persevering with sweet corn and bread with no success, rain and wind meant I beat a hasty retreat back to the warmth of the motorhome after about a hour.
Friday 19th March 2010
After a very peaceful night, we decided to walk into the local town/village of Keyworth this morning for a newspaper, a return walk of about 2 hours, we could have caught a local bus but we wanted???? the exercise. Spent the rest of the time fishing which was very successful with a good “bag” of Rudd, Roach and a couple of small (very small) Carp, Jenny bringing me cups of tea several times during the day, (what a star) made for a very pleasant and relaxing day.
Saturday 20th March 2010
Again a walk into Keyworth for newspapers, resisting once more the local bus, hope it makes a difference to my waistline! We found a haberdashery so Jenny was able to purchase our elastic to use in the making of “pouch’s” for our “bits n pieces” in our bedroom, as we have no shelf in there, I (in mine) will be able to put my watch, glasses, ipod and headphones all in separate little compartments, don’t ask what Jenny will be putting in hers, suffice to say it will probably need to be twice the size! The rest of the day was back to our Saturday ritual of reading the newspapers, doing the crosswords, sudoku, etc.
Sunday 21st March 2010
After my aborted attempt early last week to wash the motorhome, today was more successful (and warmer), I therefore spent most of the day cleaning the outside of the motorhome, especially the roof which gets particularly dirty it will now enable me (weather permitting) to put a coat of wax on it. Jenny meanwhile made my “pouch” using mine as a “test bed” before making her own, very successful it was to, may patent the idea! Forgot to mention our bird feeder we have put up here, for the first time we have seen a Reed Bunting close up, in total we have counted 19 different species of bird in and around the campsite and pool, very pleasing.
Monday 22nd March 2010
Terversal C & CC, Near Mansfield, 53 08 91 N, 01 17 85 W, (37 Mile). Arriving lunchtime after a stop at the Tesco in Mansfield for a “top up” (again) of food. We are stopping here for a few days before moving on to Newark for the Motorhome Show next weekend. Wow, the amenities are as people have said, like a “5 star” hotel with separate bathrooms and everything working by infra-red sensors. i.e. walk into the shower and it turns on automatically, the under-floor heating is also excellent. All very nice but perhaps a bit OTT for a campsite, won’t complain though!
Tuesday 23rd March 2010
A very wet day, enough said!
Wednesday 24th March 2010
Quite a relaxing day, other than having a pleasant walk up to “The highest point in Nottinghamshire”, Silverhill Wood, like Moira last week a reclamation project of the old Silverhill colliery (1875-1992), trees are still far from maturity, however a fine walk nevertheless to a statue on the top depicting an old miner and a plaque showing all of the mines that were in the area with the opening and closing dates. Got back just in time before it started to rain, again!
Thursday 25th March 2010
We thought that it would be a simple job, finding a campsite in the Yorkshire Dales for Easter, wrong, we seem to have spent most of the day “surfing the web” for campsites and then phoning to see if there is a vacancy. Last year (in the South) we never had a problem, in fact we never pre-booked and just turned up. We have had to compromise, booking 2 separate camp sites before Easter and driving further than we intended on the Thursday prior (the 1st April), oh dear, just realised what day that is!
Friday 26th March 2010
Milestone Caravan Park, Cromwell, Near Newark-On-Trent, 53 09 02 N, 00 48 48 W, (31 Mile). Mentioned in the last few days that the trees in the area need a few years to mature, however it didn’t stop a Tawny Owl sitting in one of them and “hooo-hoo-hooo” in the middle of the night, obviously proclaiming his territory and doing a spot of courting! Remember, I also said about the infra-red sensors which turns the water on automatically in the amenities? Jenny was having a shower, when there was a loud “$&*”@~!”%” expletive from one of the other showers, evidently (from a conversation Jenny overheard with the ladies friend in the adjacent shower room) a lady had draped some of her clothes over the basin, you can guess the rest, he he! Arrived here at lunchtime, after a short stop at Tesco, would have been quicker (yes, I know it’s getting boring now), but Jenny (who must take full responsibility) put the incorrect “Tesco” into Betty, before we realised we were going through the centre of Mansfield, still we got there (to the correct one) in the end……….eventually. Nice site with a picturesque fishing lake at one end, pity this weekend I will not have time to use it as we are at the Motorhome show at Newark Showground tomorrow and we will be leaving on Sunday, That’s it for now got to get my “beauty sleep” and I shall be up before 5:00 am to watch the Australian FI Grand Prix practice, come on Jenson!
Saturday 27th March 2010
The bus stop is right outside the camp site so a very short walk, just as well, still tired from getting up so early. Unfortunately the lady at reception gave us incorrect information as to the bus stop for the Newark Showground (the location of the motorhome show) and the bus did not go anywhere near it, we therefore arrived at the bus station and sort out the information board for the bus times to the showground, a hour wait! We therefore decided to use a taxi instead as there was a taxi-rank adjacent and we were at the show ground (about 4 mile from the town centre) in about 10 minutes. First task at the show was to find the location of “Stitch and Fix” the people we had bought the wind breaks from at the NEC, long story, but we had bought the wrong ones, the awning we have fitted to the motorhome being of the latest design and both longer and deeper than the one we thought (and the lady at Stitch and Fix), after leaving with them the incorrect ones, we continued looking around the show, leaving our new one’s with them to collect later, (save carrying them around) and spent a pleasant afternoon perusing all the stalls. We thought we would again get a taxi for the journey back, but found out there was a shuttle bus to the town centre and we caught that instead (free), why this was not advertised in any of the magazines etc, we don’t know, it would have saved us the taxi fare, but the service was primarily to take people from the showground to Newark and not the other way around????? We walked the short distance to the bus station and missed the bus by about 2 minutes! The next one left in over a hour so we opted to have a look around the shops and have a drink, Newark is a nice town, with history and we shall probably return at some later date.
Sunday 28th March 2010
Strid Wood CC, Bolton Abbey, Near Somewhereclose, 54 00 21 N, 01 54 52 W (96 mile). After a quiet drive up the A1 and M1. leaving the cruise control on for most of the way and maintaining a constant 56 mph we drove through the outskirts of Harrogate joining the A59 for the 13 miles to Bolton Abbey, negotiating the very narrow archway before arriving at Strid wood CC which is on part of the Bolton Abbey Estate. Set in an open glade surrounded by woodland and the glorious Yorkshire Dales. We stopped in a lay-by for lunch so we could time our arrival just after the designated time of 1:00pm, the site managers told us they did have room on Tuesday after all so we will not have to move on to Grassington as we thought, so we will now stay until Thursday which we are pleased about.
Monday 29th March 2010
For the first time for what seems ages we have no “traffic” noise at night, (M42 at Kingsbury, M1 at Terversal, aircraft noise at Pikes Oak Farm and the A1 and railway at Milestone). However what we have got is the “hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo”,and “kor-ork, -ok –ok –ok” of a Long-eared Owl and Pheasant respectively, the drumming of a Greater –spotted Woodpecker and the bleat of the new-born lambs, still we really don’t mind them! Just a 5 minute walk downhill through Strid Wood is the River Wharfe and the very picturesque walk downstream to Bolton Abbey Village, photo opportunities abound, especially of “The Strid” a very deep, narrow chasm through which the river tumbles, just a pity the weather is so poor. We walked through the grounds of the ruins of the 12th century Bolton Priory eventually reaching the village and post office and purchased a newspaper, we were also able to make a couple of phone calls from there, (no mobile phone signal at the site). The rain got worse as we walked back along the river, luckily, there was the “Cavendish Pavilion” where we stopped for Hot Chocolate (with marshmallows) and a Baked Potato and salad lunch before continuing, the rain having stopped whilst we were in the café, we had a much dryer walk back to the camp site.
Tuesday 30th March 2010
After Jenny had finished knitting a Jumper and Hat for Sharon, a Hat for Michael and a Jumper for Charlie, now its my turn, Ilkley (the Ilkley of “Ilkley Moor by Tat”, wherever “Tat” is),was our destination today in the hopes of finding a wool shop. Again the bus-stop was conveniently placed just outside the camp site and the local bus arrived on time at 11:06 am for the 20 minute drive. After being given directions to a haberdashery (coincidently in the same “Palm Court Arcade” as a tea room that had been recommended to us by a lady on the bus), we perused (or Jenny did) the wools and patterns, however although Jenny found a pattern, the colour 4ply wool I chose wasn’t in sufficient stock for the jumper, not being prepared to have sleeves half way up my arm, the bottom up by my arm pits, a small hole for my neck or loose weight, it was back to the drawing board, OR in this case over to the tea-room opposite for tea and toasted tea-cake! Back to the wool shop and with help again from the very helpful assistant we purchased Olive Green and Cream wool, not the Blue that I originally wanted, but what the heck, I’ve only got to wear it. After a bit of window shopping and a coffee while we waited for the bus we left Ilkley and returned to Strid Wood. Then after a late lunch Jenny started my jumper while I walked down to the river to take some photographs of the old aqueduct that carried water over the River Wharfe from Nidderdale to Bradford (dry now, just as well I walked across it) and then I walked further upstream to the ruin of a building called (I have since learnt) “Barden Tower”, not a easy walk once I left the track, uphill through a very boggy wood, the place looked kind of spooky in the late afternoon light, so I didn’t stay long, I would like to find out the history of it though!
Wednesday 31st March 2010
Snow on the tops of the hills this morning, I thought we had seen the last of it this year, although I am hoping there is still plenty on the mountains in Scotland when we arrive there next month, always makes for a decent photograph. Have a relaxing day as it is colder than of late and showery, reading and listening to Classic FM on the radio the only decent signal we can get, Jenny’s knitting my jumper, told her I want it for the end of the week. A first today a cock Pheasant that is partial to Jenny’s Ginger Cake, bet if I caught it and cooked it, it would taste nice!
