Slip Slidin' Away ...

Paul Simon’s song seems quite appropriate for the latter part of 2015 – our trips in Theodora have sort of fizzled out.

Ruth has already mentioned her knee problem, which was a major factor in aborting our week in Pembrokeshire (see last post). We had also planned a trip away in late October, taking in our annual trip to the big NEC motorhome show, and one in late November. Neither of these materialised, largely due to impending major upheavals chez Roach.

I will be retiring in 2016 and we plan to move to Stratford upon Avon.  So the whole house sale/purchase process is underway, and has somewhat eaten into available time. When a house viewing involves a round trip of 200 + miles, it does tend to wipe out a whole day.

We did manage to get to the NEC show just for a day, and came away with some treats for Theodora, (tyre covers to protect the wheels while in storage) and for me (a small CADAC gas barbeque to take away with us).

Hopefully 2016 will bring more trips in the van than previous years – otherwise what was the point of retiring?

Tredegar House, Newport

17 to 21 September

Hymns and Arias

I have been hankering to go to Pembrokeshire for some time and with the help of some interesting articles in MMM I managed to win John over.  With the dates set but the itinerary vague, but to include walking and cycling, John was then lucky enough to secure four tickets for the Wales – Uruguay World Cup Rugby Match on 20 September at the Millenium Stadium Cardiff for ourselves and friends Barbara and Clive.  We booked two pitches at the Caravan Club Site at Tredegar House near Newport for the weekend and began to get excited.  In the meantime, I managed to twist my knee!

We arrived at Tredegar House on Thursday evening and decided to spend Friday in Cardiff, giving us an opportunity to try out the bus route in readiness for the match on Sunday.  Although the site is close to the main road, just the other side of a high brick wall, it's a circuitous 15-20 minute walk to the bus stop. The bus arrived per timetable (£3.50 per person for a dayrider) but due to heavy traffic the journey took 50 minutes rather than the scheduled 35.  We had an enjoyable walk past the Millenium Centre to the Waterfront and had lunch outside one of the restaurants to make the most of the warm sunshine.  (There was also a very heavy rain shower, but we were largely protected by the sun canopy!)  We walked further to the BBC Studio where they film Dr Who and John was fleetingly tempted to go into The World of Boats museum.  However, we had noticed that the Cardiff Photography Club had its annual exhibition at The Pierhead, the old harbour offices, so decided to take a look at that instead.

Millenium Centre

The Pierhead

We then popped into the Norwegian Church, to look at an art exhibition and to have a cup of tea in the cafe.

Norwegian Church

This building, constructed in 1868 to cater for the many Norwegian sailors arriving on the vessels using the port, is modelled on a traditional Norwegian Church.  It was in use as a church until 1974, when a preservation society under the presidency of Roald Dahl (who had been christened here) restored and renovated the building.  Outside is a striking modern memorial to Captain Robert Scott and his colleagues, whose ill-fated 1912 Antarctic expedition made their last port of call in Cardiff.

Memorial to Capt Robert Scott

Barbara and Clive arrived midday on Saturday and we spent an enjoyable afternoon at Tredegar House.  It was so nice to have an attraction on the doorstep.  The 17^th century house was home to the Morgan family and is reckoned to be one of the finest examples of a Restoration mansion in Britain.  We explored the grand stable block, which now houses an unexpected lodger. 

Stable Block

Unexpected lodger

We wandered around the formal gardens in the sunshine and had some interesting talks from the volunteers on life below stairs in the Victorian kitchens.

Sunday was the highlight of the weekend and we caught an early bus into Cardiff, giving us time to savour the atmosphere in the city before making our way to the stadium.  Clive (a Welshman) had kindly loaned John and me Wales shirts in return for switching our allegiance from England for the day.  We even went as far as buying a Welsh flag and took a few photos to record the day.

The match result made us happy (particularly Clive) although we all felt that there had been very little atmosphere in the stadium.

Close to Tredegar House bus stop there is a pub (The Dragonfly) and we celebrated the win over a meal and glass (or two) before making our way back to the site.

Sunday had been another warm day, but Monday was forecast to be very wet, with rain continuing for the next few days.  In view of the fact that walking had been difficult for me over the past few days plus the not-so-exciting weather, we decided to turn tail and head home and fulfill the Pembrokeshire plans another time.

Salisbury

21 - 24 August 2015

Take a chance on me

The weather for this particular weekend was forecast to be typical for August in GB – changeable with heavy rain somewhere along the way (moan, moan, moan …) but we had booked our site so set off regardless.

However, the weekend started well, with a stop en route to Salisbury at the National Trust Property, The Vyne, near Basingstoke.  The 500 year old Tudor house is in need of repair, to the tune of a staggering £2.3 million, and conservation work will start in 2016.  The extensive grounds include a sweeping lawn for lakeside picnicking

 and a bird hide overlooking the water meadows.  Our knowledge of all things ornithological is limited to say the least, but eager to learn, I started talking to the man already in the hide; he had an enormous lens on his camera, so he had to know more than I did!  I was reliably informed that the two birds near the bank were green sandpipers and the ones further in the water were lapwing.  I feel the need for an I-spy book!

One other interesting snippet about The Vyne is that when it became clear in May 1940 that the German bombing of Britain would resume, the headmaster of Tormore Prep School in Upper Deal, Kent packed up his school, consisting 60 boys and staff, and came to stay here (at the invitation of the owner, I hasten to add!).  There is currently an exhibition in the house and gardens to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of their departure at the end of the Easter Term 1945.

A summerhouse dating from around 1632 is likely to have been used initially as a Banqueting House (the banquet being the final course of the meal, served in a separate room or building).  The shape of the adjacent flower beds reflect the shape of the summer house.

By the time we arrived at the Camping and Caravanning Club Site in Salisbury in the late afternoon, our pitch was about the only one left!  The first surprise of the weekend was that the Salisbury Summer Spectacular would be taking place next day (Saturday) on the adjacent field, complete with funfair, live music and fireworks.  Was this good or bad? 

From the site it's a 30-40 minute pleasant walk, by the river in places, to town and a quick visit to the tourist info gave us some ideas for the day.  The area around the Cathedral (The Close) is pleasant and Arundells, home of the late Edward Heath is located there as well as a couple of museums.  To escape the scorching sunshine (second surprise!), we went into the Salisbury and South Wilts Museum, where there was an extensive exhibition of Turner paintings, and then had a tasty lunch in The King's House tearoom housed in the same building.  Further along The Close is the National Trust property, Mompesson House, which was one of the locations used for the film “Sense and Sensibility”.  Photographs of the filming and some of the costumes worn were on display.

Finally we walked out of town along the Town Path, admiring the view of the cathedral across the water meadows,as painted by Turner.

Back at the campsite the music was belting out, the instrumentals somewhat better than the vocals.  However, the acts seem to improve as the evening wore on and culminated in an Abba tribute band, which was pretty good and tempted us to sing along!  The weather had turned showery during the evening but turned to heavy rain just before the firework finale took place, and we wimped out of going outside to take some photographs.

Apparently the clearing up process started immediately after the fireworks and went on into the small hours – some complaints were lodged with the site wardens – but we were blissfully unaware; our walking had obviously tired us out.

Sunday lived up to the forecast of heavy rain all morning, so we had a relaxing few hours in the 'van, remarking on how quiet the site normally is.  After lunch the rain clouds rolled away and we had an enjoyable walk to the remains of Old Sarum, which was the site of the original town of Salisbury.

Old Sarum from the campsite

“Climb the mighty ramparts for views over the Wiltshire plains and imagine the once thriving town of Old Sarum. Stand in the footprint of Salisbury's original cathedral, conquer the royal castle which stood high on the motte, and discover the awe-inspiring Iron Age hill fort where it all began. Unearth over 2,000 years of history and find out how the Romans, Normans and Saxons have all left their mark on this impressive landscape.”

Footprint of original cathedral

Very impressive and well worth a visit.

Looking back from Old Sarum towards Salisbury and the campsite

And tomorrow, Monday, promises persistent rain all day, both here and at home, so it looks as though we shall be getting wet at both ends of the journey!

Weybourne, Norfolk

25 to 28 July

Fields of Gold

On 25 July our friends, Gavin and Terry, celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary and we were not only invited to the party, but encouraged to stay the night in the motorcaravan, parked in their daughter's field!  Despite the fact that the weather had been unseasonal during the preceding days and that the marquee had disappeared up the road during the night in the high wind, it was a splendid occasion with around ninety guests, including family from all corners of the globe, sailing buddies and ex-Philips colleagues.  Even the weather relented, and the clouds gave way to a lovely sunny evening.

So having brought the 'van to the Fakenham area, it seemed only sensible to tack on a couple of days and I suggested it would be “fun” to walk part of the Norfolk Coastal Path.

On Sunday morning we moved the 'van to a pleasant campsite, Foxhills Camping, with a Caravan Club CL in a separate field, located on the edge of Weybourne, next to the Muckleburgh Collection, the UK's largest privately owned military museum.  We hastily packed a picnic lunch and set off on our first walk of about four miles, hoping that the rain, forecast to start at 1 pm, would not materialise.  From the site it takes about 20-25 minutes to get to the Norfolk Coast Path via Muckleburgh Hill, from which you get a good view of the coast, and we then headed west towards Cley.   

View from Muckleburgh Hill

This section of the path follows a shingle ridge, which is quite tiring to walk on, but there are lovely views of the coast and marshes.  As forecast, the heavens opened at around 1 pm and we were rather sodden by the time we reached the National Wildlife Trust information centre for some welcome refreshment.  Then it was back to Weybourne courtesy of the Coasthopper bus, which provides a regular service between Wells and Cromer seven days a week.

On Monday we decided to raise the bar, and set off in the opposite direction towards Sheringham and Cromer.  Turning left from the site, you come into Weybourne where there is a small shop, tea room, pub (The Ship Inn) and hotel (The Maltings Hotel), which also has a small site for five units on the other side of the road.  A left turn into Beach Road leads you to (you've guessed!) the beach,  where there is a car park (no height barrier, but overnight parking prohibited).    From here we headed east.

Weybourne Windmill

Cliffs near Weybourne

The coastline is dramatically different here, with the path meandering along the top of the crumbling cliffs.  The constant erosion means that the path has had to be re-routed, for example to the landward side of one house, which is now precariously perched on the cliff edge.

On the edge

Along the final stretch into Sheringham the North Norfolk Railway runs close to the path and you get good views of the steam engines working hard up the gradient out of Sheringham.

Before setting out we had purchased a copy of “Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path” by Alexander Stewart and although the path is well marked, it proved an invaluable source of local information.

After 3.5 miles we reached Sheringham, and came across a tea room “Copper Whelks” on the edge of town where we had a tasty lunch.  We had been caught in heavy rain a second time, but thankfully the tables and chairs were wooden, not upholstered, so we didn't feel too bad about going in.  Then off towards Cromer. Soon after Sheringham you pass Beeston Bump Y-station, which was the site of a top-secret military listening post during World War II.

Beeston Bump Y-station

After that I was disappointed to find that our Norfolk Coast Path book directed us away from the coast through countryside to get to Cromer and I felt a little cheated that this part of the coastal path wasn't coastal and, to add insult to injury, en route we had to climb up to the highest point in Norfolk, Beacon Hill, admittedly only 338 feet!  A bit more research shows that it is possible to carry on along the coast, except for a detour around East Runton.

Never mind.  We reached Cromer without mishap, a distance of about 8.5 miles, with time to spare for a coffee before catching the Coasthopper back to Weybourne.

On the way home on Tuesday we paid a quick visit to the remains of the motte and bailey castle at Castle Acre, which was interesting, and free!  But beware, the access road is very narrow and the car park small.  Anything longer than 6 metres would find probably find it difficult.  We didn't have time to venture to the Priory; always good to have something in reserve for next time!

Truma, Madly, Deeply

Derbyshire 1-2 July

Post from John

Home, one day at work then off again.

Late last year our Truma Combi unit (heating and hot water) stopped working on electricity, although it was still fine on gas. When we had Theodora serviced early this year, the dealer said it needed a new PCB; having installed it (and relieved us of a fair chunk of cash) they pronounced it fixed.

Errrrm – no.

As we discovered in Spain, things were better in the sense that power was actually getting to the unit, but nothing was coming out. Back in the UK, we phoned the dealer, who said it could be one of several different problems, and they would have to take out the unit and send it off to Truma’s UK headquarters. Ruth phoned Truma to ask their opinion; they promptly said “Why don’t you bring it directly to us?” As they are not impossibly far away from us (Foston, near Derby), we booked Theodora in for the morning of Thursday 2^nd.

We stayed the night before at a Caravan Club CL about 4 miles away; The Boars Head Hotel, near Draycott-in-the-Clay. This turned out to be a good choice; a decent sized, fairly level, field behind the hotel, with electricity provided, for £13 per night. We ate a tasty stir-fry in the hotel bar, with the added bonus that Ruth could watch Wimbledon on the big TV.

We arrived at Truma at 8.00am next morning and drove into their workshop bay; having parked the van, we were shown to the staff restaurant, where we could sit and enjoy a tasty bacon cob and coffee whilst the work was carried out. Two and a half hours later we were on our way, having had new heater elements fitted for (we thought) a reasonable price. We were extremely impressed with Truma; helpful over the phone, and knowledgeable and efficient at the workshop. We’d certainly recommend dealing with them direct if you have problems with your heating unit.

Calke Hall (NT) was the venue for a lunch stop and short wander, then back home ready to go back to work on the Friday.

Phew.

Here, There and Everywhere

Warwickshire and Oxfordshire 25th – 29th June

Post from John

Within the space of 14 days we have travelled to Edinburgh, Warwick, Banbury and Derbyshire. Whilst the trip to Edinburgh is technically outside the scope of this blog (we didn’t go in Theodora), I think it deserves a mention.

After all, it’s not every day that one’s daughter gets married…..

By way of recovering from the big event, we’d planned a short break in the motorcaravan. So two days after getting home from Edinburgh, we were trundling off along the A14, our destination being the Caravan Club site at Warwick Racecourse. It seems a bit odd weaving between the grandstands and over the course itself, but as usual, the club site was very good. Small, but the normal spotless facilities and just a 5-10 minute walk from the town centre. Also inside the racecourse are St Mary’s Lands, with a conservation area and lots of dog walks.

We spent Thursday afternoon in the Georgian surrounds of Leamington Spa, just a couple of miles to the east. The parks and gardens alongside the river Leam are an extremely pleasant spot to while away a sunny afternoon. Friday morning saw us taking the short walk into Warwick, where the Tudor heritage is a marked contrast to its younger neighbour down the road.  Half-timbered buildings, plenty of individual shops and cafes and the St Nicholas Park by the river Avon make for an enjoyable visit. We didn’t go to the magnificent castle, as we’d visited on a previous occasion.

Before moving on to Banbury, we visited Hill Close gardens. This little gem, located only a few hundred yards from the site, is a group of gardens dating back to the Victorian era, when they were used by the traders living in the town as a place to relax in. The gardens were saved from complete dereliction and redevelopment by Warwick council, and are now looked after by volunteers.

Moving down to Banbury, we stayed at a small private site, Barnstones Camping, a few miles outside the town. Although the pitches were somewhat smaller than club sites, it was nevertheless perfectly fine for a couple of nights. Heading in to Banbury on the Saturday afternoon, we assumed that the town was glad to see us, as they had laid on a welcoming parade….

…. then we realised that it was actually part of Armed Forces day.

A rather grey Sunday saw us heading off to Upton House (National Trust) a few miles west of Banbury. The property is the former home of Lord Bairsted, heir to the Shell Oil fortune and, more pertinent to the display, Chairman of Samuels Merchant Bank. At the outbreak of WW2, he moved the staff of the bank (about two dozen) out of London to live and work in Upton House. The interior of the house recreates this period, full of fascinating detail.

The view from the house is just the lawns and the distant fields:

 Walk across the lawn, however, and the hidden garden appears:

With the theme of “A Bank at War”, Upton House was certainly one of the more unusual NT properties we have visited, and we would certainly recommend it if you are in the area.

Monday saw us heading home in the warm sunshine, to catch our breath before setting off again.

Word of Mouth

Post from John

Ruth has made passing reference in past blog entries to the wealth of information available to motorhomers. For any new or would-be motorhomers browsing this blog, herewith links to some useful sites:

Blogs:

For information about sites and general areas, my favourite is Carol and Anthony Kubicki’s blog, detailing their travels around the UK and Europe (including a “mid-life gap-year”):

http://www.candakubicki.blogspot.co.uk/

"The World is our Lobster" details the travels of Catherine and Chris, who visited all 47 countries in Europe in a 3 year trip; whilst there is less specific information, it reads more like a good travel book:

http://www.theworldisourlobster.com/

Adam and Sophie have travelled widely, and their site has a lot of helpful hints about touring (especially Europe), and also on electronics (they now run a business called Motorhome WiFi; we bought an antenna and booster from them at the NEC show last year):

http://www.europebycamper.com/

Travel & General:

A useful source of information on driving in France

http://about-france.com/travel.htm#tolls

For continental site and travel guides:

http://www.vicariousbooks.co.uk/

Discounted maps and charts to Caravan Club members

http://dash4it.co.uk/

The Caravan Club:

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/

The Camping and Caravanning Club:

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/

The most popular motorhoming magazine is Motorcaravan and Motorhome Monthly (usually known just as MMM):

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Motorhomes/Motorcaravan-Motorhome-Monthly-Magazine/_ch1_mg4

If all other sources fail, somebody on Motorhome Facts forum will know the answer to just about any query. They have been a great source of help, particularly on overseas travel:

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/index.php

Downbound Train

Shropshire 15-18 May 2015

Having been home from our Spanish trip for 5 weeks, it's time to get away again!

A forecast of good weather encouraged us to set off bright and early, which also gave us time to  have Theodora weighed on the weighbridge at the local recycling centre, something we had been meaning to do for some time.  The weight was recorded at 3400 kg but that included full water and fuel tanks so there is sufficient capacity for the bikes, carrier and increased quantities of food and clothes for longer trips.

The weather was indeed good, sunny and warm, which prompted a lunch stop at the National Trust  property, Wightwick Manor, southwest of Woverhampton.

This property was given to the National Trust by Sir Geoffrey Mander (MP and part of the Mander family – owners of the paint firm of the same name) and it was his wish that his home did not become a museum.  This has certainly been achieved; it felt as if someone from the time would appear at any moment.  The gardens are quite informal but beautiful nonetheless and we were delighted to see a pair of Canada Geese with their young brood nibbling at the grass.

Our destination for three nights was Woodcock Lodge Farm, a Caravan Club Certified Location at Hampton Loade, south of Bridgnorth.  This is a level and very peaceful site, with lovely views towards the River Severn and Severn Valley Railway.

It's just five minutes walk to the station at Hampton Loade, where we joined the train on which Chris, Marie and Ben had travelled up from Kidderminster, to take us all to Bridgnorth.  Bridgnorth, dating back to 912AD, is a market town with many historic buildings. It straddles the River Severn and comprises the Low and High Towns, linked by steps, a cliff railway or a meandering street and is well worth a visit.

After lunch we travelled down to Kidderminster together, said our goodbyes and John and I completed the round trip to Hampton Loade.  The railway journey is very interesting; we picked up a copy of “From the Window”, which details everything you can see along the line and suggests things to do either at or near to the various stations.  An added bonus was seeing the arrival of a luxurious Pullman train from London, being hauled by one of the Severn Valley Railway's locomotives, Taw Valley, fresh from a nine-year overhaul.

 

The Jack Mytton Way, Shropshire's long distance bridleway, is not far from the site and the next day we had a pleasant walk (just over an hour each way) past Chelmarsh Reservoir through fields to The Bull's Head at Chelmarsh, which provided a welcome refreshment stop before returning to the 'van.

We left the following day, in the rain, but this is certainly another area and site we would like to return to.

France and Spain - Trip Summary

Route	Miles	Tolls (Euro)	Aire / Campsite
Calais to Nonancourt	190	15	Aire at Nonancourt, free of charge and has spaces for six motorcaravans and a disposal point for grey and chemical waster.  Note that the water supply is turned off between 1 October and 31 March.  Quiet location. Five minute walk into small town Bus stop indicated service to Dreux
Nonancourt to Orcet, south of Clermont Ferrand	273	46	Camping Le Clos Auroy, Euro 25 + Euro 3 for WiFi Good night halt
Orcet to Roquefort-sur-Soulzon (via Millau)	154	Nil (did not go over viaduct)	Aire at Rocquefort next to Tourist Information Office, 10 spaces, toilets (at your peril!), grey waste disposal, WiFi within close proximity of Tourist Info.  Water supply turned off until 1 April, but another tap in toilet area
Roquefort to l'Estartit	197	22	Camping Les Medes, L'Estartit.  Excellent site.  Some facilities not available until 1 April.  Euro 18 per night inc electricity with ACSI card
L'Estartit to Blanes (via Pals, Begur, Palamos)	66		Camping Blanes.  Facilities rather dated and some not available until 1 April. Site located under pine trees.  Euro 16 inc electricity; ACSI not accepted, nor credit cards.
Blanes to Ametlla de Mar	142	19	Camping Ametlla Village Platja.  Excellent site.  Euro 15 per night inc electricity with ACSI.
Amettla de Mar to Peniscola	54	8	Camping El Eden.  Large site split into two halves; hedged pitches.  Excellent facilities – not all available before Easter. Located 100 m from supermarket and beach.  Additional site supermarket in high season. Euro 18 per night (with ACSI card) inc electricity.
Peniscola to Morella	53		Aire, free of charge.  Quiet location – 25 min walk to town.  Water and waste facilities.
Morella to Haro	242	20	Camping de Haro.  Large site with high proportion of statics. Excellent facilities; ten minute walk to town centre.  £18 per night (pre-booked through Caravan Club) inc electricity
Haro to Santillana del Mar	135	11	Camping Altamira.  Sloping site and tight access onto some pitches. Facilities dated but clean.  Euro 20.50 per night inc electricity
Santillana del Mar to Santander	24