Kent and Chertsey

 August 11-18 2020

 Everything Changes

 Post from John

 A couple of posts ago I said that trips this year would probably be at short notice. It soon became apparent that late booking was not going to be an option; a combination of more people staying in the UK and having to go away in school holidays. So, we managed to stitch together an itinerary for an August trip to the Yorkshire Dales, based on what sites had spaces. Then family matters intervened again, and we found ourselves instead having to head in the opposite direction, back to Kent to see Ruth’s mum. But to add a bit of “holiday” to the “duty”, we booked a few days at the C&CC site at Chertsey to follow on from Kent.

Rather than stay at Bearsted again, we opted for the CMC site at Hythe. Unsurprisingly, it was pretty full when we arrived on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. According to the wardens, it had been near- or fully-booked since it re-opened. We managed a couple of outings in between spending time with Mum; firstly, a cycle ride along the Royal Military canal into Hythe.

This canal was constructed during the Napoleonic Wars as a defence against French invasion. It runs in an arc around Romney Marsh from Cliff End near Hastings, to Seabrook near Folkestone. It made a pleasant ride in the late afternoon sunshine, with an ice-cream from the tea room at the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch’s station at Hythe an enjoyable treat.

We also decided to head down to Dungeness early one morning; sadly, when we arrived the weather was somewhat damp and murky. The new lighthouse was just about visible through the gloom.

On Saturday we headed over to Chertsey, through a thunderstorm, torrential rain, and long queues on the M20. We assume the atmospheric conditions affected the satnav, as it occasionally lost our location, the map on the screen rotated a few times, then she shouted at us that we were driving on the wrong carriageway of the motorway. This was all while we were stationary in a queue…

The C&CC site at Chertsey is right beside the Thames, but it didn’t “grab” us the way some sites do. It seemed a little tired and crowded in comparison to the normal high standards of club sites.

On Sunday we unstrapped the bikes again, and headed off along the Thames Path towards Hampton Court. A lovely ride, watching the coming and goings on the river, and admiring the elegant houses along the banks. The Boathouse Café at Walton Marina made an excellent refuelling stop.

The next day we opted for a walk in the other direction along the Thames Path. The weather didn’t look promising, and sure enough, as we neared Laleham, a thunderstorm approached from the west. We took shelter in Cavo’s Coffee shop, on the pavilion at Laleham’s sports field.

Chertsey site from the Thames Path

Before we left home, we had booked tickets for the RHS gardens at Wisley. So, on Tuesday we drove the short distance to the gardens; I had called ahead to check about motorhome parking, and was told to head for the bottom of car park 3. Sure enough, there were larger spaces for vans.

We had only been able to get tickets for the afternoon, entering at 1.30pm. As it turned out, we felt that 3 hours in the garden was sufficient; we were at risk of becoming “flowered-out”. We explored all the main areas, and very impressive they were too, even to a non-gardener like me. Ruth spent a long time in the fruit and vegetable gardens, coming away with a number of ideas for our (somewhat smaller) garden.

We had an uneventful journey home the next day; hopefully (Covid permitting) it won’t be too long before we get away again.