admin – Page 9 – The Sumpners Again

September 24, 2014Uncategorized

Cropredy 7-10 Aug

We were up very early this morning having hooked up last night (all except the electrics) so that we could get away quietly with minimum disruption for our neighbours. We finally slipped off the drive about 6.40, with a plan to have a coffee (gasp!) and brekker at Sutton Scotney services. It was a pleasant morning to be on the road and although we did not entirely escape the rush-hour build up we soon made it to Sutton Scotney where we broke our fast. After breakfast, we hit the road again and noted on Twitter that, due to a build up of traffic, they had opened the camspites an hour earlier than anticipated. Note that I say campsites plural. We were off to Cropredy!

Cropredy is a pretty village five miles north of Banbury in Oxfordshire. Every August since the 1970s, its inhabitants “welcome” an ever-increasing invasion of up to 20,000 music-lovers for Fairport’s Cropredy Convention. The event is held over the second full weekend of August, from Thursday afternoon to midnight on Saturday. The last time I visited was in the late 70s, when – from memory, it was just a one-day event so this was going to be exciting. All the more so, since we were meeting up with the chaps I used to be in a band with around that time (see pics below). They were leaving later than us, but we hoped to camp on the same field – 7b in the map below.

ORION - an attempt at spelling our name! — ORION – an attempt at spelling our name!

Sadly, that was not to be. We were told that our rig was too big for that field and directed into 7a. Again – note the use of the world field. It was just that – complete with furrows, cow-pats and thistles. We were packed in like sardines, too. It took a while to get level, as you might imagine, but we were soon settled. Coffee and a wait for the boys to arrive ensued. And the cars and vans poured in. An inexorable stream of campers.

We were in touch with the boys by text but sadly they were not able to join us in field 7a and they ended up in field 7b. A look at the aerial pic below shows the sheer scale of it all. We ended up roughly where the red dot is and the boys were roughly where the purple dot is. Not ideal but thank goodness for mobiles – although the signal wasn’t brilliant!

Barry popped over to see us and it took around 30 minutes to walk from theirs and find us – again using mobiles. We agreed a plan to meet at the “The Bridge” at 4 pm ready for the kick off. The bridge is over the Oxford Canal.which we have cruised many times. We always planned to come to Cropredy by boat, someday, but I think you’d haver to arrive at Easter to get anywhere near the site!!

We queued pretty much all the way from the bridge to the Arena field and then we queued again to get our wristbands. Once that was done, we rushed in to get ourselves settled. All this had taken some time and the show had already started by the time we eventually got seated

The actual bridge — The Bridge – our rendezvous place

It was a beautiful evening and there was an amazing sunset, but the highlight of that evening for me was Steve Hackett and a rendition of “Supper’s Ready” in its entirety. Poor Paul – not a big Genesis fan. 🙂 The funniest quote of the evening was from a bunch of middle-aged guys behind us. When they heard the opening chords from Steve Hackett, one of them asked if anyone had any drugs. Another replied that he had some statins. A measure of the age we have all attained!

We stumbled off to bed some 7 hours after we had arrived at the arena, stopping for coffee on the way back. After a great night’s sleep, we had breakfast and then prepared some grub to take with us (I had baked some Banana bread and we cooked some sausages in the van). It was quite a stomp to the field, with a lot to carry – may take a trolley if we come again! We met up and found a good location from whence to watch the day’s proceedings. It was a lovely day again and we had a great time. High points were Benjamin Folke Thomas, Churchfitters and the headliners, The Australian Pink Floyd.

Towards the late afternoon. though, the clouds began to bubble up and it started to rain. And then it rained and rained. I have never been so wet whilst fully dressed. Even with wet weather gear and a brolley we were soaked! It was actually quite funny rather than the miserable experience you might have imagined it to be. We laughed through Chas & Dave but by the time we got to the final act of the evening – The Australian Pink Floyd – our teeth were starting to chatter- although the lasers were certainly enhanced by the raindrops!

Chris Nash enjoying the weather

Julie in the rain — Julie Kadleck also enjoying the weather.

After the APF set, we made our way damply back to the van. We hung all our wet stuff up in the shower to drip and spared a thought for our friends who were tent camping. We went straight to bed to warm up and quickly dropped off after a long and happy day. Then disaster struck. At around 3 o’clock I awoke to extreme feelings of nausea and spent the rest of the night alternating between vomiting and – ahem – the other end. I felt awful and a caravan is not the best place for such activities. We hung around for a bit the next day in the hope that I would be feeling better, but eventually decided to go home to a house with proper plumbing. I was gutted to have to go and felt more than a bit cheated that we could not see out our Cropredy experience. We thoroughly enjoyed what we did have, though and will look back on the weekend largely with fondness. The festival is really well organised and everything has been thought of. They even make Cropredy village one-way only for the weekend. The villagers must love that, although some must make money on it to be sure. Some even let their drives for parking and the local school does breakfasts for school funds. Enterprising.

A full list of who we saw and what we missed can be found here.

July 17, 2014Uncategorized

Penmarlam 5-13 July

Friday 4th July

Left home around 3.30 in blazing sunshine and 24C. By the time we got to Chideock, the temperature had dropped by 10 degrees and visibility was down to about 100 feet! Nice start to a holiday. As we arrived at our night stop near Honiton, the weather improved a bit. We were staying at the Sundial Garden Centre and it turned out we had the place to ourselves. It was straight off the A35 and reached down a very grassy and narrow track. It was sufficiently far off the road to be nice and quiet. As we wanted a quick getaway in the morning, we decided not to fully set up and used a 5 litre bottle of water and a bucket rather than the Aquaroll and Wastemaster. We might almost be the unit in the picture below.

I had pre-booked a dog-friendly pub nearby and once we had got settled, we set off again in search of it. The pub was in Weston and was by the river (the Otter). It was called the Otter Inn and was quite a bustling and clearly quite popular pub. The food was average pub grub – acceptable but nothing special. Soon it was home for coffee and an early night. I dropped off to sleep to the hooting of an owl. Lovely.

Saturday 5th July

We left at 9.30 sharp and paid for our overnight pitch – the princely sum of £12. Very good value and we’d certainly use it again. After a quick coffee stop, we crossed the Tamar and arrived on site in Bodinnick just before midday. We liked what we saw and with a fully serviced pitch for the week, life looked good. Penmarlam is a multi-award winning site with 63 pitches in two distinct areas. In the upper field, where we chose to pitch, the pitches are separated by hedges and it is very nicely laid out. Chickens wander freely throughout the site, which is charming – for them and for us. The site also has two lovely dogs – Border Terriers! Perfect.

We set up and unpacked and then drove to St Austell via the ferry to Fowey, which is at the foot of the (very steep) hill leading from the campsite. It’s brilliant. £4 each way, though, so soon gets expensive. We stopped for our first pasty of the week. The shop was called Niles (7) and seems to be a small chain. This was the only pasty all week to have flaky pastry. A pasty survey is at the foot of this post. After buying a few provisions, we came back to the van for a kip.

After a luscious dinner ( Salmon and Prawn salad with new potatoes) we decided to pop out for a drink. It was a lovely evening and we drove to Polruan. In common with many Cornish towns and villages, you park at the top and walk down the steep and narrow streets. We sat on the harbour wall with drinks from The Lugger. Paul’s bitter was a Causeway (5) and he was not keen as it was VERY bitter. A beer survey is at the foot of this post. Back to the van and bed.

Sunday 6th July

We decided to go Eastwards up the coast. First port of call was Polperro. Here they have a tram service to take you up and down to/from the port. This was very welcome as it was a fair step from the car park. Polperro is beautiful (you can pretty much take that as read for everywhere we visited!). We wandered through the streets and stopped for a drink in the The Three Sardines. (Dartmoor – 7). There were boat trips – up the coast. Had to be done and it was fab. Very bouncy. Arch wasn’t so keen – you don’t get too much bounce on a canal! He coped well though and we were very glad we had done it. We grabbed a pasty on the way back to the car. This time it was a Wrights (8). We rounded off the day with a visit to Looe and an ice cream. Back home for a kip and a light supper.

West Looe - St George's Island — West Looe – St George’s Island

As it was another nice evening we decided to go upriver to Lerryn. This pretty village is on the River Lerryn, which is a tributary of the River Fowey and which is only navigable to at the highest of high tides. I had a gorgeous Pimms with all the trimmings at The Ship Inn, which slipped down a treat. Paul had an Otter beer (7) and then it was home to bed.

Monday 7th July

Today, we decided to head Westwards. It was a bit rainy, sadly and at out first port (literally!) of call, which was Charlestown, there was a complete cloudburst. Storms drains were overflowing and the force of water even lifted the lid of one drain, which turned out to be a sewer (judging by its contents). Eeeew! You can see the effects in the pictures below:

Rainwater flowing into the inner harbour

As you can imagine, it was not the best day for sightseeing but we went as far West as Porthluney and Caerhayes Castle and will always remember one incredibly narrow road as “The One That Nearly Broke Paul”. Our next stop after Charlestown was Carlyon Bay, which is a beautiful beach – but in the sunshine it would be better! We then popped into a cafe (The Cove) in Pentewan Sands for a coffee and a pasty (home made 8.5) it being lunch time. Next stop was Mevagissey and then Gorran and finally to Porthluney -the beach nearest the beautiful Caerhayes Castle (designed by John Nash). It was still raining but we got out and had a paddle and threw a ball for Archie, who had a lovely time. We were all soaked but very happy. Sadly, we did not really do justice to any of these places on account of the weather but we still had a great day.

Tuesday 8th July

Off to Falmouth today via the ferry at St Mawes. Much nicer day today although there was a possibility of showers. We were lucky to get a parking space right on the quay at St Mawes and only had a short wait for the next ferry. It’s a pleasant trip and much nicer to arrive in Falmouth by boat than by car, I think? On the way we passed both St Mawes Castle and its opposite number, Pendennis Castle – both built by Henry VIII in the 16th century to guard the mouth of the Fal from potential attack by France or Spain.

We had a wander round the bustling streets of Falmouth and stopped to buy a pasty in Rowes (8.5) which had been recommended to us. More wandering and then we stopped for a drink at The Grapes which has views over the harbour. We then wandered back to the ferry and had a little time to kill, so we bought more drinks. It was looking a bit dark and threatening and we wondered whether we might get a wetting on the crossing back and indeed we did. We could see it coming from up river. It was short and sharp, but enough to give us a good spritzing! Back in St Mawes we had our first cream tea. Lush.

As we had bashed down the main roads to get there, we went back along the coast, calling in at Portscatho and Porthcurnick. We decided to eat in Fowey before going back to the van and had a very nice meal at The Bistro. Then it was back home on the ferry.

Wednesday 9th July

Excitement! Today was the day we had booked a boat for the day to potter about on the River Fowey. The man had agreed to deliver the boat to the pontoon at Penmarlam, right next door to the campsite, which made life easy. We arrived in good time (down the very step hill) and grabbed a coffee from the very good cafe on the quay. The boat soon arrived and our first task was to drop the man back to Albert Quay in Fowey. This we achieved in style, despite the brisk wind, and the man complimented Paul on his boat-handling skills. He completed the safety briefing and explained where we could and could not go and the tides and we were off. We puttered around the harbour, calling in at Polruan to post a card and then up to the harbour mouth ( we weren’t allowed outside). We saw Dawn French’s little “hideaway”. It was a beautiful day and bliss being on a boat although I found it quite hard to drink my coffee without spilling it – as can be seen from the picture below.

Dawn French's house - Fowey harbour — Dawn French’s house – Fowey harbour

We pootled back to Albert Quay to do some victualling. Well – Paul bought some Pasty Pronto pasties (8) for lunch. And more coffee. Albert Quay is so named because Victoria and Albert visited Fowey in 1846. There is a plaque commemorating it on the Harbour Master’s Office.

Archie waiting for Paul to return from the pasty shop

By now, the tide was high enough to enable us to plough on up river but the breeze had really stiffened by now. We made our way up to Golant and it was really rough – Archie did not care for it at all and it acrtually wasn’t very comfortable, so we abandoned attempts to get further up river and came back to Penmarlam for a cuppa. While we were there, we had the excitement of seeing one of the big ships that comes up the Fowey to collect a load of china clay being towed in by a tug. It was quite a sight.

We pottered around some more and then handed the boat back. We had an amazing day and would highly recommend it. Archie found it all a bit tiring though……………….

Thursday 10th July

Bodmin Moor Day! To be honest we found the Moor to be a little disappointing. We were expecting Dartmoor/Exmoor type landscapes and it is generally more gentle, like the New Forest. It was great seeing all the engine houses of the abandoned tin mines though and I was transported back to Poldark – probably my favourite TV series of yesteryear. The one we stopped at was near Minions and was called South Phoenix. We toured around and stopped in Camelford for the, by now, mandatory pasty from Cornish Maid (9).

On the way back we stopped at a river and gave Archie a swim. He loved it. Kept wanting to do it again and again. And then he had a really good rolling session. And we drove home with the smell of damp dog. Nice!

We were chatting as we drove home and came to a decision. We were scheduled to make the trip home in one hit but decided that we would leave Penmarlam a day earlier (Saturday rather than Sunday) and stop somewhere “on the way” on Saturday night. So we did some research and found 4 possibilities. First job for the next day was to ring round and check availability. We decided to go to Looe and grab some fish and chips this evening. And wow! We researched and found good reviews for a place called “The Coddy Shack” in St Martins, just above Looe. It was a good choice. Unbelievably good chips and succulent fish. Amazing. We took them down by the river in Looe and ate them there. It was a lovely evening and we drove up to look over the harbour for the last time (this visit).

Friday 11th July

We phoned around and managed to get ourselves booked in on a site near Martock, of which more later. SO – today we had decide to head East towards Rame Head, hugging the coast as far as possible and dropping in on as many villages as we could. Our ultimate goal was Cawsands, where we planned to catch the ferry to Plymouth.

We made our first stop in Seaton, where we grabbed a coffee from the beach cafe. We then drove through Downderry, Whitsands Bay and on to Rame Head, where we visited the NCI Surveillance point and had a chat with the guys on duty. They do an amazing job and have an amazing view out over Plymouth harbour one way, out to the Eddystone Lighthouse and westwards up the coast towards Seaton and beyond.

Next we drove down to Kingsand, where you may recall scenes of storms in February of this year and damage, which is currently being repaired. We planned to walk to its twin, Cawsand and catch the ferry to Plymouth. Sadly, there is a lull of of 2.5 hours after the 12.30 boat. You can guess what time we arrived? A lesson in checking timetables. Gutted. So we had lunch instead. Flying in the face of tradition we did not have pasties. We went to the Rock Salt Cafe/Brasserie which was a delight. They make their own bread and it was fantastic and highly recommended. After lunch we walked to Cawsand and had a look at the beach. Very cute.

We then drove to Cremyll, home to the beautiful Mount Edgecombe stately home. We sat on the dock of the bay and watched all the boats coming in and out but couldn’t stay long as parking was an issue. We did see a naval vessel performing an interesting manoeuvre. which was a bonus. Afterwards, we had a quick flip round Saltash and a visit to Waitrose (yay!) and then home to start packing up.

Saturday 12th July

Having done most of the packing last night, we had an unhurried start to our day – we didn’t feel too guilty as we had paid to stay until tomorrow. That said – we were still away before 12, with sandwiches and other sundries for the journey to Martock. We were staying at the Southfork (no – not that one) Caravan Park. We arrived about 2-ish and once again went for the 5 gallon drum and bucket set up rather than fully set up. It is a lovely little site and once again very peaceful.

It’s located right by the historic Parret Works on the River Parret. The works has been a variety of things – I quote “An Iron Works was founded here in 1855, on the site of a former snuff mill. It included a foundry, with a prominent chimney, a ropewalk, workshops and several smaller workshops and cottages. The sluice, which powered the waterwheel, and sluice keeper’s cottage still exist.” Very elegant set of buildings, made of ham stone.

We had a lazy afternoon and then got showered and dressed for our last night’s meal out at the very tricky to find Mason’s Arms, Odcombe. Paul pronounced their Roly Poly bitter (they have a micro brewery) to be the best of the holiday (8) but the search for the perfect 10 continues. We had discovered after we had booked Southfork that this pub had a campsite but it looked pretty full that night. Some other time? We had a lovely meal and then it was home to bed and then off the next morning. What a great week.

PASTY SURVEY

We gave each pasty a score based on the pastry and filling quality

Niles (St Austell) – 7/10 – flaky pastry, pleasnat filling. Not too peppery
Wrights (Polperro) – 8/10 – shortcrust- light and well filled. Tasty
Home Made (Cove Cafe, Pentewan) 8.5/10 – well seasoned. Nice pastry
Rowes (Falmouth) – 8.5/10 – quite peppery, good chunky filling
Pasty Pronto (Fowey) 8/10 – tasty, well filled
Cornwall Maid (Camelford) 9/10 – Excellent. Nice pastry and good savoury filling.

So – well done Cornish Maid. You were our favourite.

BEER SURVEY

Causeway 5 /10- very bitter
Dartmoor 7/10 – pleasant
Otter – 7
Wottershot 7.5/10
Proper Job 7.5/10 – quite hoppy
Roly Poly 8/10

So – none of the Cornwall beers impressed as much as a Somerset beer. Go Masons Arms!

June 18, 2014Uncategorized

Sumners Ponds Horsham 14 June

We were originally to have spent two nights here but had double booked ourselves on the Friday night and so we set off mid morning on Saturday for the journey to the campsite near Barns Green, just outside Horsham. Mum has been staying in the caravan for a few days while Uncle D is on holiday and so we thought a night away might be nice for her. The trip took just over an hour and we received a very cheery and swift check-in.

We had booked pitch 82 (see map) which was next to a camping pod and very near the Cafe by the Lake. We did wonder if this might be noisy but need not have worried. It was a very pleasant outlook and Paul swung the van round to make the most of the view. We set up and grabbed some coffees from the Cafe – which was doing a good trade – and then sat and relaxed for a while. The rain came and went but was not too bothersome.

The site has a total of 91 pitches but does not feel crowded. It is quite family orientated, with a good play area and a cute little train for little’uns. We’d definitely bring our two (Lenny & Evie) . Think they’d love it. It is also quite fishing orientated. Having said all that, I’d be glad to return – even though it is not our usual sort of site.

At around 2, we set out for Horsham, where we were scheduled to see a show that evening. We did a little shopping, including some nice new boots for Mr S from a nice little (independent?) shop called Moshulu – the tan ones in this link – and had a cuppa. We had a table booked at Bill’s at 5 pm and by the time we had finished shopping it was time to find Bill’s and get parked. As Mum was with us, we had her blue badge, which makes parking a simpler matter than usual.

We got settled in Bill’s and placed our orders. The service was very good and we had a very nice meal – although possibly a little over-priced? It was not busy and so we finished earlier than anticipated. Also – at the time of booking our table, I had not realised that the show had an 8 o’clock start, so we had a little time to kill. We drove around for a while and then made our way to the Capitol Theatre, the venue for the show. The theatre (formerly known as Horsham Arts Centre) is located in an old cinema and has recently been refurbished. We have been to the theatre many times, as an old friend was the Box Office manager there for many years.

This same old friend, Michael Gattrell, was actually appearing there tonight as part of “The Bersted Boys” – a male singing trio. It was a great evening and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. It was good to see Michael in action. We stayed behind for a chat and then made our way back to the cam[site. It was the first World Cup England game and a crowd of people were watching it on a tablet outside the cafe (good free wifi) but they weren’t too noisy. We were relegated to the dinette bed as Mum was in the fixed, but Paul soon had it made up and we had a quiet night’s sleep. The Cafe does breakfasts and it was tempting, but I had brought duck eggs with us and so we all had a good breakfast anyway. We read and chatted for a while and fed the numerous ducks/geese and then it was time to pack up and leave. Just as we were leaving a chap caught a really big carp which was quite exciting! We had a very pleasant- if brief – stay and we’d certainly return without any question. This time with the dog, who got left behind with George on this occasion (because of the theatre visit) .

The one that didn't get away — The one that didn’t get away

June 11, 2014Uncategorized

Return to Horsley – 6-8 Jun

It had been nearly two years since our last visit to this lovely site, which is in the centre of a triangle formed by Guildford, Dorking & Cobham. It’s prime commuterville and yet still quite rural. We were meeting friends for a trip on the River Wey navigation. Last time we were here, our van was pristine and now he (Mr Munsch – Eddy to his friends) is almost 2 years old. Still looking good though.

We set off at around 4pm for the approximately one hour journey to the site and arrived to find we had – as we hoped – a pitch next door to our friends, Bob & Barb – the Shorters. Regular readers will recall that we met them on our Canada trip (the subject of a separate blog – see here) and have met up with them and camped with them on quite a few occasions now. It was lovely to see them and Barb soon had the kettle on. We had an initial catch-up and then it was time to set off for our dinner venue.

The Shorter's Hymer — The Shorter’s Hymer

We had two dogs with us – Archie and his brother Freddie – and I had booked a dog-friendly pub (very near where we bought Mr Munsch) called the Gomshall Mill. And very nice it was, too. Some nice beers and some Westons “Old Rosie” cider – which slipped down a treat. The food was good and the chat flowed freely, as did the beers for those who were not the nominated driver (me, as usual!). Around 9 o’clock, they dim the lights in the pub and put large candles on each of the tables. I though that was a nice touch and made it very cosy. I would definitely return. We left around 9.30 and the Shorters came to our van for a coffee and then it was off to bed in readiness for our early start the next morning.

It was an earlier than planned start, as around 05.45 there was an enormous clap of thunder and the rain started. It poured and it poured. Didn’t really get much sleep before the alarm went off what with the noise of the rain and the jackdaws tap-dancing on our roof when it wasn’t raining! We left at 08.30 for the short journey to Farncombe, which is on the outskirts of Godalming – the head of the navigation. Our boat – Saxon was waiting for us and we loaded up in the dry and had our briefing in the dry. But it wasn’t looking good. There were some amazing and very unusual looking clouds which I think were “Mammatus” clouds – certainly the atmospheric conditions were right for them. There was also a jet black one heading our way and just as the briefing finished and we slipped our mooring, the first couple of drops hit us. And then the skies really opened. We got a proper soaking! I was wet from head to toe. Luckily, the cloudburst was not protracted and the sun eventually struggled out and then stayed with us all day.

We passed through Guildford and its many gongoozlers (canal-speak for those who stand and gawp) and got to the Rowbarge (the limit of our permitted navigation in the Day Boat) in plenty of time for lunch, which we had on board accompanied by beers from the pub. The Rowbarge has recently re-opened after a period of closure and serves real ales – thank goodness, as Bob is a keen real-ale man. Our lunch was a veritable feast and we could barely move as we set off for the return leg of our trip!

On the way back, we stopped at Dapdune Wharf to have a quick look at the Visitor Centre there, which explains the history of the navigation and has a couple of the only remaining traditional Wey barges , which are pretty big, as one of the picture on the above Wey barges link shows! We also had a stop out in the countryside for a cream tea – which we just about had room for. Bob had turned out to be a natural at the helm and Barb proved her worth as a rope handler. We had a great day and all felt relaxed and tired as we piled back into the car and back to the campsite.

We spent the evening chatting and had a reprise of lunch – well you don’t want to risk hunger pangs in the night, do you? This time it was accompanied by gin and tonics. We sat out in the warm evening air until it was too dark to see each other and then went our separate ways. The dogs had not moved all evening – they, too, were tired after their exertions. A lovely day was had by all and we’d thoroughly recommend a hiring from the very friendly people at Farncombe Boat House.

We slept like logs and woke up to find that Sunday morning was sunny and we did more sitting and chatting and then it was time for us to quickly pack up and leave. We were very envious of of Bob & Barb. who both being retired were staying another night. SO – next? A trip to Horsham with Mum, who will be staying in the caravan for the next week and a half while my Uncle has a well-deserved break.. We’re off to see an old friend and his mates singing at Horsham’s Capitol Theatre and will be staying over night in the van at Sumner’s Ponds campsite. We’ve decide to take a Sharpie and amend all the signs we can find!

May 29, 2014Uncategorized

Bristol/Bryncrach – 21-26 May

Another bank holiday weekend, another few days away in the caravan. This time, as Paul had to visit his HQ near Bristol, we decided to leave on Wednesday afternoon and stay in Bristol for two nights, at the brilliant Baltic Wharf Caravan Club site.

We arrived after the reception had closed and found our details, as had been promised, pinned to the notice board. We pitched in the space allotted to us and were soon all set up. As it was a lovely evening, we decided to go out for a quick explore. This culminated in an unplanned trip to the highly acclaimed Clifton Village Fish Bar. It is very popular and there was quite a wait to be served but it was well worth the wait. We took our feast up onto the downs and ate them overlooking the gorge as the sun began to set. Bliss! Marco’s home made tartare sauce was to die for!! Then we drove back to the van and eventually to bed.

The site is quite central and has a ferry stop right outside its back gate and a bus stop for the Bristol Sight Seeing bus right outside its front gate. It is also adjacent to Portsmouth-born Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s great ship, the SS Great Britain, In 1843 she was the largest ship in the world. She was also the first screw-propelled, ocean-going, iron-hulled steam ship. Pictured below

Paul was up and away early to Failand Farm, the HQ of Digital Yacht, which was about a 15 minute drive away. I had a more leisurely start to my day and a plan to meet my cousin Alice, who lives and works in Bristol. I planned to catch the bus and hop off at Cabot Circus, which is closest to her workplace. The route pretty much retraced our steps from last night but being on top of an open top bus in the slightly drizzly day gave it added charm. If you click on the route link I have supplied, you can see that I got on at stop 4 and off at stop 16. Alice and I stayed in contact by text as it was difficult to predict the exact time I would arrive. This worked well and she was waiting for me as I alighted. As you can see from the pics, it was not the brightest of days but I never got more than a little “spritzed”!

We had a nice long, chatty lunch and then Alice had to go back to work. I had a little light retail therapy in mind, and we parted, vowing not to leave it so long until we next meet. I had a mooch round the shops, bought a pair of sandals and then hopped back on the bus to complete the tour. It was very good value for money and I would highly recommend it if you are ever in the vicinity. I learnt a lot abot the City and its history. Loved the fact that the Downs has 32 football pitches and on winter Saturdays, over 600 people can be found playing the beautiful game. They even have their own league and games are played simultaneously. Top facts!

I read for a while and somehow fell asleep and then it was soon time for Paul’s return from work. We were booked into the Pump House for dinner and what a find! 67 varieties of gin and great food. What’s not to like? A hearty recommend. They even have a selection of tonics – such as the one on my picture below. This one – No 6 – and its fellow gin is made locally (in Thornbury) and would make a pleasant non-alcoholic drink on its own or with grapefruit juice.

We had a great stay at the surprisingly peaceful Baltic Wharf site and are aghast at the thought of its closure later this year. I’d urge you to sign the petition if you wouldn’t mind as it would be a great shame yp lose such a great resource. The plan is to build a school and it seems a very odd place to do so but what do I know?

Up smartly the next morning and off by 10 0’clock. Popped in to say goodbye and thank you to the lovely wardens. They actually remembered my name. That is good customer relations right there!

It was not a very pleasant day as we crossed over the bridge into grey and drizzly Wales and that kind of set the tone for the whole weekend – in terms of weather at least. We arrived mid-afternoon and got set up. Lovely site with great views – usually! It is a working sheep farm and we had no neighbours either side – just empty vans and fields of sheep. Fantastic. We decided on a quick trip to Llandrindod Wells for a flip round Tesco (forgotten dog food – not my department of course!). We also had an little explore as we’ve only ever by-passed it on other trips to Wales. It is a nice little town with a station and all services. It has an attractive lake with a very impressive dragon water feature. It is a spa town, as the name suggests, and there are records of people “taking the waters” as early as the 17th century.

There was no TV signal on site so we played a few hands of cards (our current favourite game is called Pitch) and watched a bit of DVD to entertain ourselves before bed once again hollered at us. It was not a peaceful night. The rain hammered o the roof and were glad that we were on a hard-standing rather than grass. Saturday dawned and we could not see the hills any more. It rained and then it rained and so we decided to stay in the warm and dry, reading and idling away the hours. I believe they call it relaxing? Whatever – we enjoyed. Rather than waste the whole day in this manner, though, we eventually ventured out to Built Wells. Builth was full of bikers on a rally – except not actually rallying, just gathering, because of the appalling weather. Fair weather bikers? We had lunch there in a cafe called The Cwtch (Welsh for a cross between a hug and a place of safety). It was somewhat haphazard as I think they were overwhelmed with customers sheltering from the rain and eating to assuage their hangovers! It was too wet to properly explore without getting soaked, sadly, but we did buy a cute keyring made of slate emblazoned with the word “Carafan” (Welsh for – well I expect you’ve guessed!).

We took the scenic route home – armed with our trusty OS map. I always look for roads with at least one < and preferably <<! It was a nice route and we eventually arrived back to greet our neighbours. Who’d be a sheep in that rain?

Sunday had been forecast to be the best day of the weekend so we set off for the Elan Valley – beautiful in any weather but views can be quite spoilt by mist. The day was much better than Saturday had been and we set off in good spirits. We once again resorted to OS maps for pour route rather than GPS, which always imagines you want the fastest route from A to B – which very often you do, but not in this countryside. We saw some lovely sights – especially this bluebell carpet. Wouldn’t want to have missed that, hurtling along on some A road! That said the term A road has a slightly different meaning than it does darn sarf. 🙂

The Elan Valley is very special to me as it was often visited in my childhood and I have made sure that first Paul and then George and as many other friends as possible have all experienced its beauty and yes, its grandeur. We started at this time at Claerwen Dam (there are six) and ended at Craig Goch. See the map here. Since our last visit a few years ago with Sue & Paul Rogers, a new tea room has opened – Penbont House. Very enterprising. They should do a roaring trade – particularly in summer. We lunched there and had the Cheese on a Slate – 3 Welsh cheeses with Damson Cheese. Luscious although a tad dear we thought (£13.75 each!!!). They are dog friendly and have a very tame bantam and a sweet old dog. Wild birds are also very tame and alight on your table if allowed. Reminded me of the Caribbean. We were outdoors by the way! Have posted quite a few pics to give a good flavour of the area. The reservoirs created by the dams serve Birmingham with it’s fresh water and are currently as full as I have ever seen them, I think?

Our trip led us back through Rhayader but by then, the rain had set in again and we did not stop to explore, sadly. We arrived back in the rain but it eventually cleared and I took a picture in roughly the same location as I had on the day we arrived in the murk. What a contrast !

Monday was a beautifully sunny day – typical as we were leaving! We were on the road just after 10. Sad to leave Bryncrach. The owners are lovely and very friendly and seem keen to upgrade the site. I love it as it is, but the addition of a spanking new facilities block would be advantageous. We hope to return some day, as this is an ideal base for exploring all the beauty that mid-Wales has to offer. If only it were closer. The owners have promised us better weather next time. As we drove further and further South, the weather worsened and we arrived home in rain. Next trip is a canal based one, so we hope for better weather. Watch this space.

May 29, 2014Uncategorized

Newbury 2-4 May

Less than a week before this weekend, we were let down by our chosen site due to waterlogging. A slight panic ensued as this was a bank holiday weekend, but we eventually found a site – not quite as close – but pretty near Kintbury, where we had an early start on the Saturday. The site – Oakley Farm – was easy to find being just off the A34. It was not full and we had a warm welcome to a nice pitch. It’s a small site and the facilities could probably do with updating but it does have a certain charm. It is also quiet, despite its location. Also handy for amenities – chippy, Chinese and a large Tesco all nearby. We’d certainly return.

After an early night (also quite chilly) we arose early to make sandwiches and pack for our day on the narrowboat Cygnet. The day was to be spent with my brother Bruce, Mel and the kids and Peta and Steve Reading and their son Teddy. It was a beautiful morning and we – having the shortest journey – were naturally first to arrive. The Carters and Readings turned up shortly after.

Cygnet is perhaps not the smartest boat on the waterways but she handles well and is more than fit for purpose. We like her and you may recall reading about our previous trip on her in June last year? She must have a hard life as a dayboat, often being crewed by novices.

We went through several locks and through Hungerford and turned round after our lunch stop just above Little Bedwyn. On the return journey, we were behind a slow and wide boat, which meant that we had to wait at every lock while they went through and then refill the lock, enter and re-empty it. This slowed down our passage considerably and it soon became evident that we would be late back. A quick phone call to the very friendly guy from the boat company (Kennet Horse Boat) and all was well. We had laughed, sung and gorged our way through another lovely day on the canal and discovered that Steve Reading had a natural talent for steering the boat. The weather had been amazing and everyone was a little frazzled by the sun by the end of the day. Also tired, but very happy.

After we had returned the boat, we went to a nice pub just down the road in Marsh Benham – the Red House. It was a very nice meal. and then it was off to their hotel for those with kids and home to the van for us. All that fresh air and the early start meant an early night!

The next morning was also lovely and the Carter/Reading crew went off to a farm which had a lambing event for the kids. As we had the dog, this ruled us out, so we went off and explored near Inkpen, up on the downs and thence to Bagnor. This is the home of the rather wonderful Watermill Theatre, which we plan to visit soon. We stopped here, at The Blackbird for refreshments and polished off the remainder of the sandwiches from the previous day. These had matured well!

We met up with the others near Newbury town, at the Nature Discovery Centre. This is a great place to go with kids. I know I’d be there very weekend if I lived nearby and had little ones. There is plenty for them to do and there is a beautiful lake, where we sat and had a cuppa and fell upon the remains of the cake I had made for the boat trip. Everyone still looked very rosy from the day before. More sunscreen next time!

As the sun began to lose its heat, we parted, having had a lovely weekend. It was back to the van for us and away home quite early on Monday to avoid any bank-holiday traffic build up. Looking forward to the next Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May, when we are off to Wales – via Bristol.

May 28, 2014Uncategorized

Isle of Wight – Easter 2014 (17-22 Apr)

So for our Easter break this year, we chose the Isle of Wight as neither of has spent more than a day there and we wanted to explore more fully. It was also an opportunity to meet with my dear old school chum Julia and meet her husband. We have recently become re-acquainted through Facebook after a gap of 40 years or so. Bizarrely, and also quite annoyingly, it was actually far cheaper to catch a Red Funnel ferry from Southampton to the Island than from Portsmouth, so we set off and arrived in plenty of time for our sailing, despite dire warnings of hold-ups caused by roadworks in Southampton. It was quite exciting – almost as exciting as going to France and the weather was kind-ish.

"Our" ferry approaching — “Our” ferry approaching

We had a pleasant crossing and were out on deck for the entire journey. It was only a couple of weeks earlier that I had passed that way aboard the Azura on a short cruise to Belgium with my dear old ma. There are some lovely sights along the way. You can see from the photos below that the weather was not quite perfect but bearable.

We drove the short distance to our campsite just outside Ryde. The campsite, Whitefield Forest Touring Park, had been well chosen. It was, as the name suggests, set in woodland and there was plenty of wildlife in evidence and the promise, too, of red squirrels.

Julia and Nigel were expected for dinner and I had made a curry before we left home. We were just getting ready for their arrival when disaster struck. We noticed that we had a leak under the sink. This meant that we could not pour any liquid down there. Lots of stuff had also got wet so we were in uproar when they arrived. Notwithstanding, we had a pleasant evening and eventually did the washing up in the sinks provided by the site. Very handy.

The next day (Friday) was quite pleasant and we set off to explore. Our first port of call was Seaview and we loved it there. It was quite a clear day and we were able to get some good views of the Solentforts from the other side than we usually see them.

From Seaview we went to Ryde and found Hursts – a brilliant hardware store, where we bought the stuff needed to effect a repair on the leaky sink. While Paul was deep in conversation with one of their advisers, I took the opportunity to have a good rummage round. I ended up buying – a bucket! As were returning to the car, we saw a bridal party in horse and cart.

Our next port of call was The IOW Garlic Farm, where we had been charged with obtaining some – yes you’ve guessed it- GARLIC. We were in luck. There was garlic and garlic products galore here and we bought some for family and friends – including some amazing smoked garlic. Our car reeked for several days after it had been removed! We lunched here and then had a look at some birds of prey. Also spotted the local peacock.

Then it was off to Fort Victoria for a quick look round and some more views across to amazing Hurst Castle and Lymington.

Finally we went home via Yarmouth. A very full days exploring.

On the next day (Saturday) , we had arranged to meet Julia again at Carisbrooke Castle – where she works from time to time. The last time either Paul or I visited here we were both in junior school so we were pretty excited. We were not disappointed either. We had a great time exploring the battlements, seeing the famous donkeys and so on. We also learnt quite a bit about its history. I was clearly not paying attention on that school trip. What’s new?

We’d highly recommend a visit. Feeling a bit peckish after our exertions on the battlements, we made our way to Bembridge for a crab sandwich at the Crab & Lobster Inn. Perfection – and a lovely view from our table.

Post lunch, we had a stroll on the beach and then eventually home by working our way along the North-east coast. After a snooze, Paul took the dog for a quick walk, for the first time minus his camera. As he left he said “I’ll probably see a red squirrel now!” He never said a truer word and was soon back to grab the camera.

After dinner, the evening was still quite pleasant so we decided to go out in search of ice-cream. And boy did we find it! Toppings in Shanklin. Outside of Italy I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many different flavours plus 4 flavours of Mr Whippy style! I had a banana split to go. Fab. We ate them overlooking the sea. We called in at Yaverland beach on the way back. Lovely.

Easter Sunday and of course eggs for breakfast. Duck eggs. Lovely, a slow start today as we were meeting Julia for lunch up on Culver Down. Prior to this, we popped back to Yaverland to have a walk on the beach. Really love this beach.

Lunch was a pleasant affair and afterwards we went for a stroll round the battery. Amazing views were hampered by a sea mist, sadly although it did eventually lift a bit.

Apart from the journey home, on Tuesday, that pretty much wraps up our IOW vacation. We thoroughly enjoyed it and vowed to return. We’d certainly be glad to stay at Whitefield Forestagain. Lovely location, peaceful and well laid out and with good amenities. It richly deserves its awards.

March 25, 2014Uncategorized

Return to Daisy Bank (again) 13-16th March

This was the first trip where we planned for Paul to work whilst I “swanned” about. The main purpose of the visit was to see my Aunt, who is my dad’s only surviving sister. She has not been so well lately and has just had her 88th birthday. She has also moved out of her home county (Herefordshire) to Powys and I wanted to see her in her new house.

We left, as planned, around 10 am (after Paul had completed a last few pressing work tasks). He was available by phone on the journey up and was able to field all the usual tech support calls. With stops, the journey to Snead (pronounced like shed, not seed, I am reliably informed) took around 5 hours and we quickly got checked in and set up on our favourite pitch. Yes – we have been there quite a few times and favour K2. The pitches are fully serviced and thus Paul was plugged into the free internet by 4 and hard at it, work-wise. Hardly a disruption in service.

I popped off to the local branch of Harry Tuffin’s in Church Stoke for some dog food and came back with so much more. It’s that kind of shop. Also had a chat with the parrot (a blue and gold macaw) in the vestibule. Sweet – although I am not a fan of a caged bird. I feel they should be flying free (unless its a conservation issue). I returned heavily laden, lighter in purse and exhausted from my retail exertions. Snooze time. I dozed as Paul tapped away at the keyboard. Bliss. For me anyway.

We had a table booked for dinner at our usual haunt in Bishop’s Castle – The Three Tuns. It’s dog-friendly, has good food and is home of the Three Tuns brewery est. 1642. We probably should try others but as this is always so good, why would we? Paul made light work of their IPA and pronounced it delicious. Home to a DVD – great film. Sightseers. Funny but more than a tad “noire” and odd to be watching it in a caravan!

Friday dawned sunny and warm. Very springlike and Paul was at the keyboard by 0800. I had a leisurely shower in one of the award winning (deservedly so) wet rooms that Daisy Bank is renowned for and left at around 10.30 for the short journey to Aunty V’s new house, which is a converted barn in the grounds of my Cousin’s house just outside Kerry. Foolishly and annoyingly, I did not take any photos of the entire day. Something which I regret, although I do have the “movie in my mind”. Miss Saigon anyone?

I left Paul hunched over the keyboard with instructions for his lunch (soup) and ventured out into the beautiful countryside. The road runs parallel to the Kerry Ridgeway – and ancient path that leads from Bishop’s Castle to Kerry. I called in to Tuffin’s on the way for some flowers (tulips) and another quick chat with the parrot, but was at my destination by 11, as arranged. My step-mother Lynne (known to all and sundry as “Nanny Lynne” ) was joining us for lunch from her home just outside Oswestry and she arrived shortly after me. The house is lovely and has everything you could wish for including lovely views of the surrounding countryside. My poor Aunt has osteoporosis and her knees and hips cause much and excessive pain, poor dear. But she makes little of it, which is her way. Moving around is quite a trial for her and she now uses a wheelchair when out and about.

As it had recently been her birthday, lunch out was in order and we went to Coed-y-Dinas garden centre (known as Charlies) just near Welshpool (where Wales begins, they say). It’s a hee-uge garden centre and I’d be interested to know what it doesn’t actually sell It’s also very wheelchair friendly. The restaurant there is very good and we had a lovely ladies lunch. My Cousin Sarah had also joined us and we had loads to chat about. After lunch it was back to Aunty Vera’s, where I stayed until around 5.30. I had to rush off as we were scheduled to be at my Cousin Andrews in Leominster at 7. This meant leaving Snead at 6 or shortly thereafter.

As I suspected, Paul was still hard at it so I shoo’ed him off to shower and we set off down “Pheasant Alley”. to Leominster. So many dead ones and so many with a death wish. Badgers, too. Very sad. Had a very pleasant evening and a very scrummy Chinese with Andrew and Pam. Always lovely to see them and never often enough. We got home about 1.30 (dirty stopouts) and tiptoed to bed.

Saturday was another lovely day and we planned to go to Bridgnorth, as Paul had never been. We couldn’t resist taking our usual trip across Long Mynd though. The road over the top has an “abandon hope all who enter” feel to it (see below) but we love it.

Hmm - glad it's not winter! — Hmm – glad it’s not winter!

It was very breezy on top and there were some great views – as usual. The gliding club there is very popular – for obvious reasons.

Frostbite setting in after a very short exposure.

We drove on to lovely Church Stretton and thence to Bridgnorth, via Much Wenlock which, as you may recall, was the home of the chap who conceived of modern Olympics. You might also remember Wenlock the mascot? Clearly a mistake to attempt to visit Bridgnorth. I had fond memories of the town, both High and Low, joined by the Cliff railway, but perhaps we didn’t go on a Saturday? It was utter pandemonium and parking seemed to be pretty much unobtainable. After queuing for 2 separate car parks for ages and not finding any spaces we reluctantly gave up. We’ll go on another less busy day some other time. How cute are the cars on the Cliff Railway. though? These ones were built in 1955, so I’ve definitely ridden them, in the past.

We drove home via the Ludlow Food Centre (a foodies paradise) and bought some fresh Mushroom Soup and a lovely freshly baked Fougasse. Lush. A very late lunch – sorted. After a busy morning it was snooze time again and we awoke to witness a beautiful sunset.

All too soon it was morning and time to pack up for the trip home. We managed another 10 0’clock departure and ensured that we arrived home in plenty of time to unpack in daylight and mow the lawn!! Until the next time Daisy Bank (our most visited campsite). And roll on Easter when we are off to the Isle of Wight.

January 8, 2014Uncategorized

Meriden – Dec 29th to Jan 1st

Another first for us! Spending New Year’s Eve in the Caravan. Sounded like a nice idea and so we looked for somewhere nice to stay. Being child-free, we are big fans of adult only parks and in particular this group of 32 quality child-free sites throughout England & Wales. We have visited several near(ish)by and decided to try a little further afield. Somers Wood looked very nice and seemed well-placed for a spot of exploring and so we booked for a 3 night stay. We set off at around 10 am on a beautiful day (especially in comparison to the hideous pre-Xmas weather) and had a stress free journey to Meriden, home of the Triumph motor-cycle factory until the early 80’s. There was a friendly welcome and a swift check in and we soon got set up in the attractive woodland setting on our fully-serviced pitch. Archie was particularly interested in the many squirrels – he has an ambition to catch one but never will!

In complete contrast to the day before, the next day started off horrendously. Blowing a hooly and lashing with rain. We thus had a slow start and enjoyed the lack of urgency to get out. By late morning, the squall had passed and we set off towards our destination – Royal Leamington Spa. As is our wont, we took a circuitous route, via Kenilworth to have a quick squizz at the castle. We were impressed.

After a short wander (it was VERY muddy under foot) we retired to the local hostelry, the Queen & Castle, for a spot of lunch. A very nice pub with tasteful décor and even tastier food. Would recommend.

Lunch devoured, we resumed our journey to Leamington. This a a pleasant, leafy town with wide boulevards and some beautiful Edwardian and Georgian houses. We toured the town, which was bustling with post-Christmas sale shoppers first by car and then parked near the Pump Rooms and took Archie for a stroll round Jephson Gardens. More squirrel action here for Archie. He was very excited indeed and actually wrneched his lead out of my grasp in his futile efforts to catch a squirrel.

Archie not wanting to leave the squirrels of Jephson Gdns

Much more rain has fallen since we were there a week ago and the river is very high, as can be seen in this link. A terrible start to 2014 for so many people.

As Warwick is almost touching Leamington, we had a quick visit although the daylight was on the wane and we have visited before. I can confirm it is a still beautiful.

We also stopped on the way home at Hatton Yard – mid-point of the infamous (to me!) Hatton Flight of 21 locks, which raises the Grand Union a mere 45 metres for a very great deal of effort. Those who know us will be aware of our love of canals but Hatton is our most detested flight on the whole system. Here is an aerial view of the yard:

It still made me feel very nostalgic though. I miss the canal so much.

We passed a quiet night at the lovely wooded site, Although it is only a short hop to the motorway it is very quiet and there seems to be little in the way of traffic passing the site. All we could hear was owls, which we love.

Raining again in the morning (which was New Year’s Eve) and thus another slow start. In fact we went straight out for lunch. This time to the Orange Tree in Chadwick End. Once again, great décor and great food and another recommend.

After lunch we bashed our way down to Stratford-upon Avon. Stratford was absolutely HEAVING, as it probably always is. But parking was a bit of an issue., We ended up parking on the other side of the river and walking back across the river to the town. The last time we came to Stratford was by boat. It was an amazing experience, coming down the 13 mile long South Stratford Canal, with its 35 locks, and out into the basin via the very low bridge which can be seen in the 1st picture below. It’s so low that you basically have to aim the boat through the bridgehole and then crouch down and hope for the best. We emerged from the bridge and what seemed like a thousand Japanese camera, toted by a thousand Japanese tourist went off! It was like (I imagine!) being papped! A never-to-be-forgotten experience.

There has been extensive redevelopment of the basin since our last visit and we enjoyed a wander. One of the trees has been designated a Remembrance tree and has loads of crocheted squares hung on it. Quite a sight and much photographed, not only by us!

As you can see, the light was again fading fast so we made our way home, nipping quickly over to Wilmcote to see one of the South Stratford locks (there’s a short flight of, I think, 12 locks here) – nostalgia again – and them home to the van. We were hoping for a peaceful firework free night for Archie, but no such luck. As midnight struck it sounded like a bad night on the Gaza Strip! Luckily, it was short-lived and pretty much all over by 12.30. Upon which we retired.

Guess what? Yep. Rain again the next morning and poor Paul got pretty drenched doing all the outside jobs, while I pottered around doing those essential indoor jobs and kept nice and dry. It was a pretty beastly, gusty, squally journey home. But – would we do it again? Hell yeah! We had a great time and this may become a regular date in our caravan calendar – although we’ll go somewhere different every year. Somers Wood is highly recommended and we’d definitely be regulars if it were closer.

December 20, 2013Uncategorized

Aye caramba! It’s Wrapping Weekend! 13-15 December

It’s been a long, long time but we finally upped steadies and went away for our annual (apart from last year because of Paul’s back) wrapping weekend! Our chosen location for this year was Salisbury and a welcome return to the Coombe Caravan Park, just by the racecourse and last visited in Nov 2012.

Now please don’t think we have been sitting around doing nothing with ourselves since August – far from it. Among other places, we’ve been to Scotland to visit Paul’s Mum and stepdad. Had a great time and here are a few pics to prove it. They live way up North in a little fishing village called Portknockie, which is famous for the Bowfiddle Rock, which you can see in the first picture. We flew to Aberdeen and then drove on up – just over an hour, to Portknockie.

Now

We went to Aviemore by steam train, saw the spectacle that is Thunder in the Glens – a procession of hundreds and hundreds (if not thousands) of Harleys, the noise of which is really something to hear! We went to some Highland Games in Grantown on Spey and finally out from Findhorn on a rib, which was BRILLIANT fun. We went with a company called North 58, which we would highly recommend. We were also thrilled to see the seals at low tide just up the coast past Findochty (pronounced Finechty for some reason!). Popped back every evening to see them and it was a bit of a wrench to leave them.

After Scotland, we had a few glorious days on the Broads. A first for us and most enjoyable – although I could not do it as often as the canal. I love the interruption offered by the locks and it was so odd not to have a towpath. We picked our boat up at the top end of the Broads, in Stalham. The boat was from Richardsons and was what you might call vintage – very 70s as can been seen below. We had amazing weather and a really lovely relaxing time.

We couldn’t have had better weather, and if you like boating, as we do, I’d highly recommend a trip on the Broads, but not in the height of summer. It was pretty busy in early October! On the way back, we called in to see my Cousin Angela and family near Bury St Edmunds and it was so lovely to see them. They gave us a lovely lunch and a break from the road. Thanks Cuz!

We also had a week in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula at an amazing hotel just South of Cancun. Much relaxation, cocktails and good food. The highlight of the trip was a speedboat day out but we’ve – er – he’s “temporarily mislaid” the camera that has those pics on. 🙁

Anyway – back to the story. Wrapping Weekend. This is where we take all the presents we need to wrap and have a weekend in the ‘van – with the aid of a little Bailey’s. Lovely. We arrived in the dark and soon got sorted We had borrowed Archie’s brother Fred for the weekend and we had a comfy night. The next morning, it was off to Salisbury to visit the Christmas Market, listen to the choir , drink a mulled cider and scoff a lovely Bratwurst. This made us feel proper Christmassy and after a quick to trip to guess where? Yep – Waitrose – we returned to the van to commence the whole point of the weekend. Four hours later, some mulled apple juice and then some of the obligatory Baileys on ice and we were done. Something that is a bit of chore (if I’m honest) made more bearable by making it into a little adventure. Long may Wrapping Weekend reign!

As it was a quick visit and we had been there before there weren’t many pictures but here are a few:

We shall be sleeping on the van over Christmas as we have family staying and then we are off on 29th Dec to see in the New Year in the van. Larks!