Derbyshire

27 September – 2 October 2018

Happy Trails

Post from John

The summer sort of ran away from us….

As mentioned in the last blog, we had another chunk of house rebuilding coming up (new kitchen). Add to that moving mother-in-law from Bedfordshire to Kent, and it was all a bit much. Anyway, by mid-September we were in in a “Dammit, we’re going to get away for a few days” frame of mind. A spell of good weather was forecast for the end of the month, so we hitched the bikes to the back of Amelia, and headed off to Derbyshire.

Our base was Beech Croft Farm, a campsite a few miles east of Buxton. This proved to be a lovely site, built on terraces in the side of a hill. 

On our first day, we headed off on the bikes to the Monsal Trail. The first half mile or so from the site was along a bridleway and then down a steep hill – not ideal for bikes. However, once on the trail (the track-bed of an old railway) the going was fine. The route took us over the Millers Dale and Monsal viaducts, both very impressive.

We cycled about 7 miles along the trail to the old Hassop Station, where we had lunch in the popular café there. Suitably fortified, we retraced our steps along the trail.

On Saturday we took the bus into the pretty market town of Bakewell. We walked around in the sunshine, along the riverbank with its’ historic bridge and up to the church, passing the old alms houses along the way.

The weather was a bit less promising on Sunday, so we opted to walk over the nearby hill to Chelmorton, where the Church Inn has a good reputation for food. It was rather more exertion than a typical stroll for Sunday lunch, but thankfully the Inn’s reputation proved well deserved.

Another day, another old railway to cycle. We left Beech Croft farm, and parked the van at Parsley Hay, on the Tissington Trail. We cycled off in the direction of Ashbourne, but our objective was Tissington itself, about 10 miles away. Once again we felt we’d earned lunch, so after some tasty soup at the rather nice Herbert’s Tea Rooms, we headed back to the van.

We had phoned ahead and booked a pitch at the Camping and Caravan Club site at Ashbourne (where we stayed back in 2012 on our first trip in a motorhome). It was clearly near the end of the season, as there were only four other units on site! So, a very quiet night before driving back home the next morning.

And that concludes our trips in Amelia for the year - only 18 nights away, the fewest since we started. However, we are determined to rectify that in 2019…

Pembrokeshire

14 - 24 July 2018

We’ll keep a welcome in the hillsides

Post from John

The required rest (see last blog entry) did not materialise. The end of May saw the arrival of our granddaughter Jocelyn, so June and early July meant that we (particularly Ruth) made several trips up to Scotland to be with Louise and the baby, especially when Steve’s paternity leave finished. Therefore it wasn’t until late July that we were able to load up Amelia for another trip.

Keen readers of this blog (you all are, aren’t you???) will remember that we aborted a trip to Pembrokeshire in 2015. With the forecast looking good, and now living 2 hours nearer, we decided to give it another try. We left in the middle of the heatwave, but arriving in St Davids we found the temperature to be several degrees cooler. Still nicely warm and sunny, though.

Our base was the Caravan and Motorhome Club site at Lleithyr Meadow, a few miles outside St Davids. The site is on the route of the Celtic Coaster bus, which, over the next four days, we used frequently. We spent one cloudy and slightly damp day in St Davids, the smallest city in the UK. The beautiful cathedral is the main draw, but it is discretely tucked in a hollow on the edge of town, not dominating the skyline.

The warm and sunny weather returned, and we enjoyed several walks along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. We walked from the site out to Saint Davids Head, then back to Whitesands bay. We took the bus out to the lifeboat station, and walked round the coast to arrive back at Whitesands from the other direction. Finally we took the bus out to Porthclais, then walked along the coast, past St Nons Chapel, to Caerfai Bay, and back to St Davids.

 

Saint Davids Head

Whitesands Bay

Having explored that area, it was time to move on to the southern part of Pembrokeshire. For the next three days we stayed at Tudor Lodge campsite, at Jameston, between Tenby and Pembroke. Whilst a pleasant enough site, we are rather spoiled by the high-quality facilities at Club sites.

Our first trip was to Pembroke, where after a pleasant wander along Main Street, we walked back alongside the Mill pond for a delicious meal in the Watermans Arms. After lunch we headed for the main attraction – Pembroke Castle. Birthplace of Henry Tudor, later Henry VII, the castle has a turbulent history, from Norman times to the Civil War. Plenty of displays and guided tours made for an enjoyable and informative visit.

The next day we took the bus in the opposite direction, to Tenby. The NT owned Tudor Merchants House was an interesting insight into life in Tudor times, but otherwise we walked around the town and the promenade, watching the influx of visitors (first day of the school holidays).

On Sunday we put our walking boots on again, heading southwest from the site, through the fields to Swanlake beach, then along the coast path to Manorbier. Refreshments in the tea room in the village were most welcome, before we headed back to the site.

 

Swanlake Beach

Monday morning we moved on, heading towards home, but breaking our journey first at Aberdulais, where the old tin works and waterfalls are now NT owned. Once again, films and displays educated us, this time in the making of tinplate, a hard and sometimes dangerous task in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

We finally moved on to the Caravan and Motorhome Club site at Pandy, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National park. Sadly, this was just an overnight stop, but Brecon is on our “to visit” list for another time.

Tuesday saw us heading home, ready to start the next of the major house projects.

Devizes

May 1 - 4 2018

On the waterfront

As a result of our long trip down under from end January to mid March, followed by building work at home, this year's motorcaravanning season has only just started. But it was a good start. Our friends Barbara and Clive had been visiting family in Wiltshire so it was agreed we would meet up at the Caravan and Camping Club site at Devizes. But before getting to the site we spent an enjoyable afternoon at Lacock Abbey (NT) which is only 7 miles from the site

 Rain was forecast for the next day so we travelled into Devizes by bus - the stop is only 5 minutes walk from the site and buses run approximately every hour. Once there we had a wander and found a pleasant park high above the town and a medieval trail.

We didn't manage to find everything as the Tourist Office could not provide a map. The rain held off and after lunch we strolled back to the campsite beside the Kennett and Avon Canal, passing the impressive Caen Hill flight of locks.  

This was very pleasant and took about an hour and a quarter, rather longer than the nine minute bus journey.

Good weather on Thursday enabled us to get the bikes off the back of the 'van and cycle along the canal in the opposite direction. There is a conveniently located pub, The Somerset Arms, at Semington, which is open all day and provided a pit stop. 

Our destination was Bradford upon Avon where we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sunshine and Ruth, in benevolent mood, signed up as a friend of the Canals and Waterways Trust, which is doing a wonderful job to restore and maintain the canals for the benefit of both humans and wildlife.

Despite the tired limbs there was 9 miles to cycle back, stopping off once again at The Somerset Arms. As if we had not had enough exercise for one day, in the evening we walked along the canal to The Barge Inn (about 30 minutes) where there is a friendly atmosphere, outside seating by the canal and delicious, reasonably priced food.  All in all, an excellent short break, but I think we now need a rest!

The Big Trip 9 – Hong Kong

12 - 15 March 2018

Hong Kong Garden

We flew to Hong Kong next day and were incredibly weary on arrival at 11 pm local time and 4 am by our body clocks. The city was much as we expected it to be; an exceptionally hectic place with dilapidated housing among new high-rise buildings and a heavy focus on shopping. During our stay we went across the harbour to Kowloon on one of the Star ferries where Kowloon Park provided a peaceful spot away from the bustle. 

Kowloon Park

For the second morning we had pre-booked an island tour which covered the south of the island, taking in the funicular railway to Victoria Peak, Aberdeen harbour where we had a ride in a sampan, Stanley and Repulse Bay. Sadly, the day was grey and drizzly, so we missed out on the views from the peak.  

That evening we went across to Kowloon on the ferry for a second time in order to see the light show. We thought this was a bit disappointing, although the illuminated buildings themselves were spectacular. 

Our flight didn't leave until 23.30 so we had a third day; in the morning we had a look at the Times Square building, which took us through the busy food market, and ventured onto the tram system in the afternoon to travel as far as Hong Kong garden, an absolute haven completely surrounded by spangly high rise towers. Interesting fact: apparently there are 16,000 species of butterfly in the world. 1300 of those are found in China, 235 on the island of Hong Kong and 48 in the parks in Hong Kong.  We spotted just one!

Happy travellers

So time to go home.  We have certainly had a wonderful trip.  We both loved New Zealand and I had underestimated its appeal - scenery, wildlife, Maori culture and history, geology .... And I doubt we would have visited Singapore, Sydney and Hong Kong except in conjunction with New Zealand.  So, all in all, a great adventure.

The Big Trip 8 – North Island (Auckland)

8 - 11 March 2018

There and back again

We now feel really included in New Zealand. I forgot to mention in the last entry that it was census day in NZ on 6 March and on arrival at the Waitangi site, we were required to complete forms. Needless to say it was not too onerous - answers to a few basic questions, skip the rest as non NZ residents and sign. But nice to know we are in the numbers!

On the last day in Waitangi we spent several hours at the Treaty Ground to hear lots of NZ history especially surrounding the signing of the treaty between the British government and the Maori chiefs in 1840.

By then we were really coming to the end of the motorhome trip and headed south again to Auckland.  We stayed at Takapuna Beach for the last night which, on paper, was reasonably close to where we needed to return the motorhome. However, the satnav was having one of its unhelpful days and we found ourselves driving through central Auckland instead of bypassing it on the motorway.

Having returned the 'van (we travelled 2305 miles in total) we then spent two nights in Auckland. While walking along The Quay, where all the old wharves have been transformed into shops and eateries, we came to an area where a local radio station was doing a live broadcast on some yacht racing out in the harbour. Much to John's delight the Volvo Ocean (round the world) Race was between legs and the boats were doing some match racing. 

There was also a full-sized cutaway model of the type of boat to clamber over. Apart from that, sorry Auckland, but you did not inspire us. But going out to Devonport on the ferry, walking to the top of Mt Victoria and North Head for splendid views over the harbour and visiting the Naval Museum filled one of our days admirably.

On the second evening we met up with Hazel and Rick, friends from Cambridgeshire, who coincidentally were in Auckland for a family wedding.

The Big Trip 7 – North Island (North)

2 - 7 March 2018

Concerning Hobbits

While in Rotorua at the request of the Lord of the Rings fans (John R and Jane) we visited the Hobbiton film set at Matamata. We walked around the lovingly constructed part of The Shire with its many Hobbit holes created in fine detail, ending with a tankard of ale (or cider or ginger beer) in The Green Dragon.

On the final day in Rotorua after a quick dip in the thermal pool we left the site and then drove into town and parked by the lake for a late breakfast. We walked to Kurai Park where there are more thermal pools and conveniently passed an "artisan bakery" to grab a baguette and enormous chocolate eclair for lunch. We also found a wonderful handicrafts shop, where I was able to get supplies for a knitting project.

After that it was on to Waitomo, where we were booked into one of the best sites of the trip (good facilities, lovely quiet location, small pool). Next morning we had a visit to the Waitomo Glow-worm cave - the limestone formations were impressive and the boat trip under the clusters of glow-worms on the roof was amazing. Back at the site we decided to chill out for the rest of the day and enjoy the glorious weather.

The next part of the journey took us towards Auckland, but as we haven't done many miles (ha ha) we took a diversion to Kawhia and Ocean Beach. They were well off the beaten track and although a nice contrast to tourist hotspots, in the words of the Michelin guides it did not 'mérite le détour'!

A one-night halt at Orewa Beach followed. We knew that the site was close to the beach but hadn't quite expected to be almost parked ON the beach! It was delightful and before breakfast next morning John and I had a paddle in the sea.

The next stage took us to Waitangi, through some delightful scenery often as high as the top of the pine forests, overlooking first one side of the island, then the other. This is the furthest north we shall stay.

Live from 90-mile beach towards Cape Reinga!

We are just having the most surreal experience, driving along 90-mile beach in a normal coach at approx. 60 mph with the sea 20 metres to our left and sand dunes a similar distance to our right. We shall be making a stop but not just yet as apparently the tide is coming in so we need to be at the far end of the beach in readiness for a hasty departure. The driver is occasionally using the horn, not because of other traffic, but to scare birds out of the way. We have seen one or two other vehicles.

We have just negotiated a bluff necessitating driving into the lapping water to avoid soft sand! The strip of sand between sea and dunes has visibly narrowed. Apparently 90-mile beach (originally unreliably measured by how long it took a horse to walk it - 3 days) is actually about 75 miles in length.  We have stopped for a paddle, to photograph the Hole in the Rock or just to wonder at the huge expanse of sand.

The highspot was a second stop at ginormous sand dunes where about a third of the passengers tried sandboarding. John and I bottled out of that but John N represented England very well. 

We exited the beach in dramatic fashion, splashing along a shallow stream which flowed into the sea. Poor coach! It seems rather boring to be back on the road.

Cape Reinga, not the most northerly point of the North Island (that is North Cape), is the point where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean collide and is a very spiritual place for the Maori. 

We walked to the lighthouse and took plenty of photos of the spectacular scenery. On the return journey we stopped at Puketi Forest, where there are Kauri trees over 1000 years old. We shall visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds before moving on.

The Big Trip 6 – North Island (Southern half)

21 Feb – 1 March 2018

Many meetings

From Hanmer Springs our journey took us through Lewis Pass and then through the vineyards of the Marlborough region bringing us to Picton. A pleasant town with harbour and ferry terminal from which there are a few walks along the headland, eg. to Bob's Bay. 

We left Picton next day in glorious sunshine, admiring and photographing the scenery. The water was reasonably calm as we crossed Cook Strait.

The campsite at Wellington was supposedly the closest to the city and we were advised (erroneously) by reception that large motorcaravans were not allowed in the city centre. So we took the bus in (45 mins) and the first thing we found was a car park containing several large motorcaravans! Although we only had a few hours in the city we managed a walk along the waterfront, a ride on the cable car, a walk past the Beehive (parliament building) to Old St Paul's, the earlier cathedral, a beautiful wooden structure, coffee and lunch stops.

The same evening we drove out to Tawa to the home of John Robinson and family. He and our John have been corresponding on a garden railway forum for around 6 years. John R and his family were very welcoming and provided a bbq. Our John was delighted to see the railway and spectacular model of a sawmill in the flesh, previously only seen in photographs.

On the following day, we had a relatively short drive to Palmerston North calling in for lunch with Rebekah (one time colleague of Ruth) and family. It was a relaxing day and nice to appreciate for the second time New Zealand home life, getting us out of tourist mode for a few hours.

The campsite at Palmerston North backs onto the Victoria Esplanade which provided a pleasant walk in the evening sunshine. Next morning John visited the Rugby Museum before we headed off to Lake Taupo. It was a tedious drive with dreary weather, a bleak landscape through what is called Desert Road which is volcanic rather than desert, hardly anywhere to stop and numerous road works. 

Lake Taupo is New Zealand's largest lake and offers a myriad of adventure activities. John and I settled for bike hire and did an 18 km ride along the lakeside, which was very pleasant, apart from the steep hill back up to the campsite.

On our way out of Taupo we stopped at Huka Falls, where the river is squeezed through a narrow gap in the rocks resulting in a most dramatic waterfall.

Towards Rotorua we were in the geothermal area and stopped at Wairakei Thermal Valley for a walk among the steaming vents. Once in Rotorua, with its pungent sulphur smell, we briefly explored the area south east of the town where there are several lakes and a Redwood forest. We have spent this morning at Te Puia, a geothermal site with Maori history which was really interesting. 

This evening was spent at Tamakai Maori Village for a slice of Maori culture (including an attempt at the Haka by the male visitors!) and finishing with dinner cooked in the Maori way (Hangi). One more day here before next leg.

Only (!) 9 days left before we return the motorhomes ....

The Big Trip 5 – Dunedin and the east coast

16 - 21 Feb 2018

A hard rain’s a-gonna fall

Dunedin was founded by Scottish settlers in 1848 who wanted to create an Edinburgh of the south. And rather appropriately on the day we were there, there was a bagpipe band competition which was entertaining ... and loud! 

We had taken the local bus into town and first port of call was the railway station which is a very ornate building, with mosaic tiles on the walls and floors. 

There was time for a quick visit to the Otago Settlers Museum and lunch before joining a wildlife tour by minibus across the Otago Peninsula. The highspots were the Albatross Centre where we saw albatross chicks and eventually one or two birds in flight and yellow eyed penguins making their way from the sea to their territory. Fur seals and a solitary sea lion also featured along with a huge variety of wading birds during the outward journey.

Before leaving Dunedin next day we visited the Botanical Gardens and took a look at Baldwin Street, supposedly the steepest street in the world. 

The next stop was Oamaru and on the way there we stopped to look at the Moeraki Boulders on the beach. Amazing. And glorious sunshine too.

Oamaru was a one-night halt but we did manage an evening walk into town in the hope of seeing some Little Blue Penguins coming ashore; the tour was unfortunately full. No luck with that one but the town itself was quirky with Victorian buildings now being used as galleries, shops etc.

On the way to Akaroa we had an interesting experience while driving along SH1 at a good pace when a small lorry approaching in the other direction caught our attention by waving a red stop sign out of the driver's window. We slowed down not seeing anything untoward for a minute, then there appeared a low loader carrying a pre-constructed house bearing down on us at a fair rate, accompanied by a couple of pilot vehicles, the first of which told us to pull over onto the grass verge "we need the room, mate". The house-carrying lorry fairly flew through leaving us gob-smacked. We thought that in the UK the road would have been closed for at least part of the day!

Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula south of Christchurch sounded lovely in the guidebook and probably is, in good weather. However, it was a slow, winding, mountainous journey to get here and we fortunately arrived just before Tropical Cyclone Gita did. 

Strong winds and heavy rain were forecast for a 24-hour period. But the site management did not seem unduly concerned so we spent an afternoon in the van, having walked into town in the morning for a coffee and supermarket trip.

Fortunately, we didn't get hit by the worst of the weather, but it was very windy with torrential non-stop rain for 12 hours. Having checked weather and travel websites this morning, we decided it was safe to travel to Hanmer Springs, a change of plan as the road to Kaikoura is closed. On the journey we crossed some very swollen and mud coloured rivers and although it was dry for some of the time, it is raining in Hanmer Springs, but at least we got here safely.