Category Archives: England

England, France

The Long Haul Completed

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Wednesday 13th December 2017

After a ‘day off’ yesterday it was time to head north again. Our target today was Camping de la Trye in Bresles, Picardy, a drive of around 230km. We set off in damp, cold, windy conditions with a forecast for more of the same. The wind was actually forecast to be 30kn gusting 55kn by early afternoon. As we proceeded the traffic grew and grew and google maps showed more and more delays so progress was slow. The gusty wind rocked the caravan a few times but not to the point of any alarm.
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England, France

A Catch Up Post

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Friday 29th September to Saturday 7th October

On our return from the drink fest that was the Devon holiday, interspersed with National Trust visits, steam train rides and longish walks, we camped on Kims’ folks lawn for two nights. I took advantage of the time to properly fit the 240v inverter & rewire the solar panel so that it charges without the caravan power having to be switched on.

On Sunday we moved on to Apple Acres Caravan & Camping Farm, near Tunbridge Wells for three nights to meet up with my folks & my brothers, Steve & Geoff.

01.10.2017 Route

Towing Kilometres – Today: 95 – Cumulative: 2,796

We have used this site before and received a warm welcome from the owners. On Monday Kim & I visited NT Sissinghurst Castle Gardens, the former home of Vita Sackville-West, poet & writer, & Sir Harold Nicolson. They had a rather interesting marriage described in her book Portrait Of A Marriage.

Sissinghurst Castle Gardens
Sissinghurst Castle Gardens

On Wednesday we packed up ready to leave at 9am for our ferry crossing from Dover to Calais.

04.09.17 Route

Towing Kilometres – Today: 331 – Cumulative: 3,127

The plan was to get to the South of France as soon as possible as the weather was good & forecasted to stay like that for at least two weeks. I suggested making a base around Avignon, as I had been there a few years earlier and knew The Pont du Gard was nearby. A stunning place to visit.

The ferry crossing courtesy of P&O was smooth & on time and we made good progress on the autoroute system down to Camping du Viviers aux Carpes, near Saint Quentin. This is a Camping Card site and cost €17 plus local taxes for the one night we stayed. We wandered around the town and found a bar then returned to the van as darkness fell.

Thursday dawned dry & a reasonable temperature and we packed up and got on the autoroute again making our way to our target that day of Macon.

05.10.17 Route

Towing Kilometres – Today: 510 – Cumulative: 3,637

We arrived in reasonable time at Macon Municipal Camping, a large site that suited us for a stopover but not sure I’d want to stay there for long. It was very noisy from very early on Friday morning.

We packed up ready to move on after breakfast to our target for a few days, Campsite Lou Vincen in Vallabrèques.

06.10.17 Route

Towing Kilometres – Today: 322 – Cumulative: 3,959

Good progress was made on the autoroute. Then, within 15 miles of the site, my sat nav guided me down the most unsuitable of roads on which to tow a caravan. A few hairy miles followed with a suitable amount of cursing on my part. On arrival we were given a warm welcome by Hèlène & Myriam. In glorious weather, we set up with the caravan windows open for a change & put up the awning without the prospect of it getting wet. As I write we have been here 6 days and the temperature in the afternoon has been above 22 degrees every day, and no rain at all. What a change from Wales & Ireland!

All set up at Lou Vincen

Saturday dawned bright and it happened to be Kims’ 60th birthday! We ventured into Avignon to try and locate a restaurant that I had visited in 2008, but couldn’t find it. The search concluded when we were ‘attacked’ from all sides by a medieval re-enactment of some sort and a fleet of noisy, horn blowing, wedding cars. At this point we headed back to the van to change for a birthday dinner at Le Vintage in Avignon. Happy Birthday Kim x

England

A Family Holiday

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Thursday 21st September 2017

Today was the last day of our tour for a while, as we are heading home for a family holiday in Salcombe, Devon. We will be parking the caravan on Kims’ folks lawn for the duration and pray that it doesn’t make two large dents in it 🙂

The trip down from Cannock Chase passed without incident in reasonable weather. No navigation problems this time as we both knew where we were going. 🙂

21.09.2017 Route

Towing Kilometres – Today: 201 – Cumulative: 2,701

We have rented a large house, which sleeps 10/12 in Kingsbridge, on Bowcombe Creek to enjoy some R&R and celebrate a couple of wedding anniversaries.

The house is owned by the employer of, Kims’ sister, Jacqui. The area looks good for walking, enjoying the scenery, and I dare say, a fair amount of drinking. 🙂 There is even a nearby steam heritage railway to ride.

The journey down was a bit protracted due to road closures but all arrived safely.

The house is a perfect spot for us all to chill for a while and we have even discovered a patio game installed consisting of a hook, a ring, and a piece of string, that has already drawn out the competitive instinct in some of us. 🙂

Holiday Home In Salcombe
Bridge Over Bowcombe Creek
Salcombe

Time to go for a beer, enjoy the family holiday, and forget about the blog for a week or so 🙂

England, Scotland

Back In England

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Wednesday 20th September 2017

We were up early and away from our stopover in Scotland to try to make the 300 or more miles down to our next stop for the night back in England.

20.09.2017 Route

Towing Kilometres – Today: 438 – Cumulative: 2,500

We headed towards Dumfries, but this also meant heading north again to take the major roads and avoid any Sat Nav mishaps. The weather was ‘dreek’. We paid a fleeting homage to Gretna Green just before we joined M6 and began our journey southwards.

One stop at Westmorland Tebay services, Cumbria and we continued on our way to meet the traffic congestion we had so not missed. Gridlock on M6 and 2 hour delays did not fill us with joy.

Sat Nav finally came good and diverted us around the ‘car crash’ and avoided most of the backlog.

We finally arrived at our last destination, Cannock Chase Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Rugeley, Staffordshire. Cannock Chase is an AONB and the campsite was perfectly situated in the forest to explore this area on foot or by bike. The campsite wardens were brilliant and made us very welcome.

That night we headed out to a local pub, The Chetwyn Arms, Upper Longdon, recommended by the wardens. The menu had various daily specials as well as the full menu and was most enjoyable.

Finally our heads hit the pillows and we were not disturbed until a few loose acorns dropped off the over handing tree, onto the caravan roof and rolled off!! It is amazing how loud these little nuts make when they land. We really must be more observant when setting up.

England

National Trust Brockhampton & Malvern Hills

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Sunday 13th August 2017

Late morning we set off to drive to National Trust Brockhampton.

The main attraction of the Brockhampton Estate is Lower Brockhampton, a timber framed manor house that dates back to the late 14th century. The manor house is surrounded by a moat and is entered by a newly restored gatehouse at the front of the house.
The house is surrounded by 1,000 acres (400 ha) of farmland, some of it parkland with fine specimen trees, and 700 acres (280 ha) of woodland.

Brockhampton Manor & Gatehouse
Manor House

On the way back to the caravan we stopped off near Great Malvern to walk to the top of Herefordshire Beacon. Excellent views in all directions although quite a strenuous climb on the route we took. Expected heart attack didn’t occur.

Stopped off for shopping on way home, and lit the BBQ for sausage and teriyaki chicken, jacket spud and salad dinner with obligatory bottle of white.