The Welsh Marches (1)

 Sep 5 - 7

The Village Green Preservation Society

We set off late morning of 5 September and had thought of stopping off at NT Berrington Hall near Leominster on the way. However, heavy traffic around Worcester extended the travelling time so we decided to go straight to the Moorhampton Caravan and Motorhome Club site as we had read that it was an elongated site and that the later you arrived, the more likely it was that you would be a long way from the facilities.

The reviews we had read of the site were not promising – apparently the facilities were outdated and the site generally needed an injection of cash.  Unfortunately, this all turned out to be true, and the site is heavily shaded.  However, one plus point is that it is really, really quiet, so on arrival we got out the chairs and put our feet up for the rest of the afternoon, enjoying the good weather and actually welcoming the shade from the trees.  Unusually for us we had our meal outside.

The main purpose of the stay at Moorhampton was to visit some of the black and white villages in the area.  We thought we would visit seven of the villages in total, targeting five of those on the Monday.  However, in the morning we only got as far as Weobley, where we slowly followed a trail of buildings, taking plenty of photographs before deciding an early lunch was in order.  The Green Bean Café proved to be an excellent choice.

Weobley

Broad Street, Weobley

Dilwyn

Dilwyn proved to be less interesting (Weobley was a hard act to follow) and didn’t occupy us for long.  We overshot the turning to Pembridge but knew there was a Cheese Dairy further up the road at Monkland (we had thought that might be a lunch stop) so went on to that.  We had expected something a little grander, but we bought a couple of portions of cheese and enjoyed an ice cream in the garden.  The Green Bean Café had definitely been a better stop for lunch.

From the dairy we went on to Kingsland, which again was less interesting than Weobley but this was compensated by the friendliness of the locals.  We had parked on the side of the road and a couple approached us and began a conversation about motorhomes, having one themselves.  (I actually thought the lady had come out of the house in front of which we had parked and was going to ask us to move!)  Before leaving Kingsland we drove up a side road, parked and headed towards the church.  However, it was cloaked in scaffolding and it didn’t look as though we would be able to go in, so we turned on our heels to go back to the van.  A gentleman enquired “were you hoping to look at our church?” and went on to explain that hundreds of thousands of pounds were being spent on it and that the congregation was currently meeting elsewhere.  How did he know all this?  He was the organist and choirmaster.

It had been another hot day so we decided that three villages were perhaps the limit and headed back to the site for a bit more relaxation and another meal outside, courtesy of John and the Cadac.

Our neighbours on the site had enjoyed a visit to Berrington Hall (NT) so we decided to pay a visit on Tuesday, another glorious day. You actually arrive at the overflow car park before the main one and it would have been better to have parked there as it offered more shade and was grassy.  However, we continued to the main car park and pulled up alongside another motorcaravan.  We like to stick together!  First stop was of course the café, where we were unfortunately plagued by wasps, followed by a circular walk to the man-made lake and then back to the house (I beg its pardon, the mansion!).

Berrington Gardens..

...and Hall

Capablility Brown and his son in law, Henry Holland were commissioned by Thomas Harley, a London banker to create his retirement estate in the late 1700s.  This was the final landscape created by Capability Brown (the first being Croome Park near Worcester).  Thomas Harley was a Lord Mayor of London and Harley Street is named after him.  Before going into the house we were fascinated by the house martins swarming around the roof; we were told that their activity was to ward off a predatory hawk. 

The mansion itself was impressive and there was an interesting display of clothing of the time featuring the mantua, ‘A dress fit for a King’.  We were less impressed by the contemporary art exhibition, whose works were dotted around the mansion and which did not sit well in the environment of the mansion (in my opinion).  The walled garden was huge, but did not excite.

We could have visited another black and white village on the way back from Berrington but the heat had sapped our energy and we needed a few bits from the supermarket (Morrisons on the edge of Leominster) so Eardisland and Pembridge were missed in favour of more relaxation at the site.  After dinner the neighbours previously mentioned (Ann and Martin from Bridlington) hopped across to our pitch for a drink and a chat, a rather longer chat that we had intended.  However, it was good to socialise for a change.

Devon and Cornwall - 3

 Jul 1 - 5 2021

 In an English Country Garden 

Having watched a number of Julia Bradbury’s walks on TV, we had filed away Porthcurno for a visit. Accordingly, on Thursday morning we took the Coastler in the opposite direction, past Land’s End, and on to Porthcurno. Our walk took us inland from the village, across fields to the pretty church of St Levan, before the path gradually edged closer to the coast, climbing up to Gwenapp Head. We sat by the Coastwatch station, having a picnic and admiring the views along the coast. Now back on the South West Coast Path, we headed back to Porthcurno, the path rising and falling steeply around the beaches at Porthgwarra and Porthchapel.

Towards the end of our walk, we passed the famous clifftop theatre at Minack, which we had hoped to visit. Sadly, this was not to be, as a production was in progress. We consoled ourselves with an ice-cream at the beach café in Porthcurno, until it was time to catch the bus.

Our last day at Sennen; another bus ride and another walk. This time we took the bus to Land’s End, and, dodging the crowd heading into the “Landmark attraction”, we made straight for the coast path. Walking past the First and Last House, we came to Mayon Cliff, looking down at the remains of the RMS Mulheim, wrecked on a foggy morning in 2003. We continued around the headland, passing a group of male cyclists, who had abandoned their cycles and were taking a break to admire the view. Then down into Sennen Cove to once again catch the bus back to our site.

The remains of the "Mulheim"

The Longships

En route to our next destination, we found yet another NT house and garden to visit – this time at Trerice. More modest than Lanhydrock, this is a solid Elizabethan manor house, with compact but interesting gardens. Continuing the garden theme of the trip, we then headed for our campsite at Heligan Woods, adjacent to the Lost Gardens. On arrival, the lady in reception told me that we were on a “self-levelling pitch”. Somewhat confused, we headed to our designated spot, to find that the hardstanding had a gentle concave shape, meaning that the van could be rolled back and forth until level, without need for blocks. Simple but ingenious!

The self-levelling pitch

Elsewhere on the site, the modern facilities block was amazing, with spotlessly clean and heated individual bathrooms. By way of contrast to St Ives, the nightly fee was only slightly more than a club site.

Once again, a bus stop was close to hand; after early morning rain on Sunday, we caught the bus down into Mevagissey. Our only previous visit here was 39 years ago, with our one year old son in his buggy. It was damp weather then, too…

We walked around the harbour and up to the cliff to the south; the showery weather was not conducive to lengthy exploring. 

Monday saw us walking the couple of hundred yards to the Lost Gardens. The story of their recovery from dereliction is a tale of devotion and hard labour; the result makes for a fascinating day out. We covered a goodly portion (but not all) of the site, from kitchen gardens to jungle walks and the suspension bridge. Even a non-gardener like John found it enjoyable.

 

And so, time to return; a busy summer ahead, but hopefully a short trip will be possible in September.

Devon and Cornwall - 2

 Jun 25 - 30 2021

 Art for Art’s sake

 On our way to St Ives, our next stop, we broke the journey at the National Trust Lanhydrock House and Gardens. Built in the 17^th century, but restored in the Victorian era, this mansion is noted for its gardens and woodlands. Our limited time precluded woodland walks, but we enjoyed exploring the house and gardens. Pressing on, we arrived at Ayr Holiday Park, on the outskirts of St Ives, early in the evening. 

Lanhydrock Gardens

House and chapel

Saturday morning was dull and grey as we walked down the steep road to Porthmeor beach, to the west of St Ives. We then picked up the South West Coast Path again, following it west, round the delightfully named Clodgy Point towards the Merry Harvesters, a stone circle of dubious authenticity. Porthkervis Bay made a suitable picnic stop before heading back along the path to the campsite.

Porthmeor beach and St Ives

The forecast for Sunday was for heavy rain all day, so we had booked tickets for the Tate St Ives. Donning our waterproofs, we trudged down into town, arriving at the gallery in a rather soggy condition. It made for an interesting morning; we liked a fair few of the exhibits, but some of the installations and artworks left us scratching our heads. A cup of coffee in the café fortified us for the walk back in the rain.

Thankfully the next day was dry, so we set off again on the coast path, this time heading east. The path rises steeply as it heads round Porthminster Point, before arriving in Carbis Bay (no doubt still recovering from the G7 summit a couple of weeks ago). The path was wet from Sundays’ rain as we continued; we were glad of our walking boots, unlike some folks who were wearing sandals or flip-flops. Emerging from the damp woodland, we walked amongst grasses and dunes by Porth Kidney Sands, before reaching Lelant. After a picnic on the rocks by the bay, we walked to the nearby station and caught a train back to St Ives.

St Ives

Porth Kidney Sands

 Time to move on again, towards Land’s End. We weren’t sorry to leave Ayr Holiday Park; although we had seen it recommended, we felt that the facilities did not live up to the price. It was by far the most expensive site we have stayed on in the UK or Europe (including Switzerland!).

Our route took us round Penzance, which gave us the opportunity to visit more National Trust gardens, this time at Trengwainton. These gardens contain a wide variety of exotic species that thrive in the mild climate of this part of the country. Although overcast, it made for a pleasant couple of hours wandering around the 25-acre estate.

 Our destination was the Camping and Caravanning Club site at Sennen, north of Land’s End, which we reached in the late afternoon. After settling in, we went for a walk over the fields to Gwynver Beach, about 40 minutes away. The Longships rocks and lighthouse, off Land’s End, were visible in the hazy evening light.

 A real bonus of the Sennen site is the proximity of the bus service, the Land’s End Coaster, which we used on every day of our stay.

 Botallack was our destination the following day and we arrived at the village in warm sunshine. A short walk from Botallack leads to the famous Crown Mines, with their old headframes and ruined engine houses perched on the cliffs. These relics of Cornwall’s once flourishing tin industry will be familiar to the legions of Poldark fans, as the area was a filming location for both productions. I was thinking of the lines from the Show of Hands song “Cousin Jack”, about displaced Cornish tin miners:

“Where the copper, the clay and the arsenic and tin

run in your blood and get under your skin”

 

After a couple of hours exploring and taking lots of photographs, we headed back to the village. A glass of local cider in the Queens Arms proved a good way to while away the time until the bus arrived. Back at the site, we planned the next day’s trip…

Devon and Cornwall - 1

 Jun 21 – 24 2021

 Stairway to Devon

 This was the trip we should have made in June 2020; when lockdown happened, we just rolled forward all the site bookings by a year. It was a good feeling to be loading up the van for a “proper” trip at last.

 After the usual erratic journey on the M5, we arrived at the Camping and Caravanning Club site at Lynton on a sunny Monday afternoon. We were soon settled on a pitch with a view over the fields toward the distant Bristol Channel and planning the next couple of days. The following morning we walked along the lane outside the site, over a hill and down the steep descent to Lynton. A short walk then took us to the top of the Cliff Railway. Before travelling, however, we couldn’t resist the scones, cream and jam on offer at the Clifftop Café; they were delicious.

Looking down the Cliff Railway

Lynmouth Bay

 Dating from 1890, the water and gravity powered railway is a marvel of Victorian engineering, and unique in the UK. At the bottom, we wandered around the harbour town of Lynmouth, and headed along the seafront to Blacklands Beach for a late lunch. Our next stop was Glen Lyn Gorge, home to a hydro-electric turbine providing power for the National Grid, and a lot of information about water and conservation matters, as well as moving tales from the terrible 1952 flood. 

Glen Lyn

After some more exploring of the town, we cheated and caught a taxi back to the campsite (justifying the cost to ourselves by the fact that the ride was only slightly more expensive than the return on the Cliff Railway).

 The next day we caught an early bus from the stop on the main road, a walk of about half a mile. Our destination was Woody Bay, home of the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway, and John’s reason for wanting to come to this area. After a life of only 37 years, this narrow-gauge railway was closed in 1935, to the sorrow of many. The day after closure a wreath appeared at Barnstaple station bearing the words “Perchance it is not dead, but sleepeth”. A dedicated band of volunteers is trying to awaken it; only a mile of track exists at present, but the next few years should see much more progress. On a lovely sunny day, with views across the rolling hills of Exmoor to the Bristol Channel, it was a delightful ride.

 Catching the bus from outside the station, we returned to Lynton. The queue for the Cliff Railway was long, so we decided to take the steep path down to Lynmouth. We bought fish and chips from the Esplanade Fish Bar, and enjoyed them sitting by the harbour in the warm sunshine, under the watchful eye of a hungry seagull. We then walked along the East Lyn River towards Watersmeet, but a recent landslip meant we had to curtail our walk. Heading back into town, we decided to return to Lynton up the path we had descended, before catching the bus back to the site for a well-earned (we thought) glass of beer.

East Lyn River

On Thursday we again caught the bus into Lynton, this time with the objective of taking a circular walk along part of the South West coast path, to the Valley of the Rocks, then towards Lee Bay and back to the campsite. Once again the sun shone as we headed along the cliffs, then up amongst the prehistoric rock formations that give the area its name. After eating our lunch up amongst the rocks we descended to Mother Meldrums’ Tea Rooms for a drink before carrying on. 

Valley of the Rocks...

...and inhabitants

The area is home to wild goats, which were numerous as we headed towards the Christian retreat of Lee Abbey. There the path turned uphill amongst pleasant woodland, before leading us back to the site.

Through the woods

Time to move on, but we really enjoyed our taste of the area, which has been added to our ever-lengthening list of “places we’d like to go back to”.

Southport

 

May 11 – 14 2021

 Seaside Shuffle

 Post from John

The Covid regulations having eased enough to allow us to visit Scotland, we headed off to see Louise and family. The van (now formally named Esme) would be our base; however, so as to make a bit of a holiday of the trip, we had booked a few nights at Southport on the way up.

After a straightforward run up the M6 and M58, we arrived at the Southport Caravan and Motorhome Club site in the early afternoon. The site is well situated, being only a short walk from the town, with Victoria Park on one side, and a small nature reserve on the other. Later in the afternoon we walked across the nature reserve, onto Marine Drive and headed for the pier.

We soon passed the marker for the Trans Pennine Trail, showing the start (or end!) of a 207-mile trail ending in the East Riding of Yorkshire at Hornsea.

The impressive pier (the second longest in Britain) drew closer; unfortunately, behind us some ominous looking clouds were also coming nearer. Walking up onto the Grade 2 listed pier, we hesitated a moment – should we risk a walk to the end? Let’s go for it, we said. By the time we reached the small café at the end of the pier, the thunder and lightning were crashing and flashing to the south of us, whilst to the north we could see Blackpool Tower still bathed in sunshine. Then the rain hit us, and we scurried back down the length of the pier, only just getting off before the gates were locked. We arrived back at the van somewhat damp!

The pier

The storm approaches...

The next morning, we walked into Southport and onto Lord Street, the main shopping street. Wide, lined with trees, full of Victorian buildings with grand frontages and wrought iron canopies, this was the elegant heart of the town. However, with its’ (possibly Covid-induced) empty shops and blank windows, it now had a sad air of faded splendour. After a coffee on one of the wooded squares, we headed to the Wayfarers Arcade, to find it had become an almost empty shell. With many vacant premises, and no-one else there, it had a slightly eerie feeling.

Wayfarers Arcade

After lunch we drove down to Crosby beach; my main reason for wanting to come to Southport had been to visit Another Place, Antony Gormley’s famous artwork. Parking in the small car park close to the installation (longer vans might have a problem here) we grabbed our cameras and walked down to the sunlit beach.  The 100 figures along the beach are fascinating; now heavily weathered, some covered in barnacles (and the occasional traffic cone) the “iron men” stare enigmatically out to sea.

Thursday morning we set off again, this time to the National Trust site at Formby Dunes. Parking just behind the Dunes, we walked back through the woods to the start of the Red Squirrel walk. The boardwalk led round a small enclosed area of the woods; we peered all around, not expecting to see any of the elusive creatures. Much to our surprise, we saw three of them scuttling around. Photographing the little fellas, however, was a different matter….

Gotcha!

After lunch in the van, we walked up over the dunes to the beach. By now the clouds had closed in and rain arrived, so we didn’t linger.

Friday saw us back on the M6, heading for the family members we hadn’t seen for 8 months.

 

Cambridgeshire

 

April 14 - 20 2021

 Get Back

 Post from John

 “Get back to where you once belonged” So sang the Beatles, and for our first trip of the year, that is precisely what we did. We headed off in the Silver Machine for Cambridge and St. Neots to catch up with old friends, whom we hadn’t been able to see for a while.

Our first destination was the Camping & Caravanning Club site at Great Shelford, on the edge of Cambridge. On the way we stopped at the NT Wimpole Hall estate, to rendezvous with our friends and motorhoming buddies Barbara and Clive. After a pleasant afternoon strolling around the extensive grounds and chatting, we headed for the site.

The next day was a real nostalgia trip, as we caught the bus from just outside the site to take us into Cambridge. Having grabbed a coffee, we avoided the centre of the city, heading across Christs’ Pieces to Midsummer Common and the banks of the Cam. Seeing all the college boathouses was a reminder of the time I spent learning to row with the U3A 10 years or so ago. We walked along the riverbank, stopping to eat our sandwiches on the edge of Jesus Green, another of the open spaces by the colleges. A walk along Trinity Street took us to the Backs, opposite Kings and other colleges.

The Mathematical Bridge at Queens College

The Backs

Cambridge means punts...

...and bikes

 We decided not to catch the return bus, but walked the 3 ½ miles back to the site to round off a good day.

The next day was sunny and warm, which was just as well, as we spent it in various gardens, being kindly fed and watered by friends John and Sylvia, then Gordon and Diane, followed by former neighbours Gary and Linda.

On Saturday we moved to the C&CC site at St. Neots, which is in located on the banks of the river Ouse. On the way we called in to see John and Jane, old friends and our travelling companions on our New Zealand trip. Another sunny afternoon drinking tea and having a good natter.

Sunday morning we drove the van to Graffham Water, parking on the south side (no height barriers) and catching up with more friends, Hazel and Rick. It was a glorious warm day, ideal for a wander alongside the lake, watching the boats from the sailing club drifting in the light airs 

The Silver Machine at Graffham Water

A lovely morning by the lake

Then back to see John and Jane, who had generously offered to cook a meal before we headed back to the site.

Monday was a low-key day, venturing out in the van to a nearby village churchyard, as part of Ruth’s research into family history. Then a walk alongside the Ouse in the evening sunshine rounded off an excellent few days.

Riverside walk in St. Neots

First impressions of the van? Very favourable – we found adapting to the smaller living space easy, and driving was much more enjoyable.

Back to the future

April 2021 

Post from John 

 As mentioned in the last post, lockdown has been a time for evaluating things, which included not just plans for future trips, but also the van itself…. 

When we decided to move on from our first van, we had a clear set of criteria; single beds, a larger washroom and a full cooker. Spreadsheets were produced, websites studied, and a whole day spent climbing over vans at the NEC show in October 2016. We came to the conclusion that, to meet our criteria, we needed to move to a coachbuilt unit rather than a van conversion. All very rational and logical (as you would expect from an accountant and a data analyst). A decision made by the head, not the heart. 

Except – we were van conversion people at heart. The interior space in Amelia was great, although not always best utilised. Of course, large internal volume = large external volume. Whilst we had test driven the van, we ultimately never really felt comfortable driving with the extra width & height. Plus, we hardly ever used the on-board shower, as we mostly stayed on campsites. So, we should have listened to our heart. 

We started thinking about changing the van in autumn last year, but not much happened until February this year, when I was phoning dealers to see how much we would get for Amelia as a cash sale. Whilst talking with Fuller Leisure, near Nottingham, not only did they offer a very good price on our van, but we realised that they had a van which met most of our requirements. As we were still in lockdown, several conversations and a live video tour later, we agreed on our largest-ever piece of internet shopping. Once we could travel, we headed off to Fullers to complete the deal. After a thorough handover procedure, we became the owners of an Auto-trail V-Line 635SE. As yet not formally named, it is referred to as the Silver Machine*. 

We spent a happy(?) day or so working out where the heck we would put all the stuff we used to pack into Amelia (and jettisoned some). We’ll probably have a better idea after our first trip. 

Roll on campsites re-opening! 

 * For fellow ageing hippies, unlike the Hawkwind 1972 single, this particular Silver Machine does not “fly sideways through time”. 

At least, not that we’ve discovered yet..