Moving on to Burrs Country Park

Well we headed north, in very wet weather, up the M6 toll road, then the M6 and into Bury.  When we got to Burrs Country Park CC site part of it was closed off for construction work. Completely new hardstandings were being created.  We were not able to use our usual pitch as it was fenced off. We picked a pitch opposite it and went in, using the mover,  nose first so that we had a good view of the railway.
The East Lancs Railway, www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk  were holding their three day Spring Steam Gala, so the line running past the caravan site was going to be busy.

After we arrived on the site we went up to have dinner with Kathy, Robert and the boys. It was good to see them as we had not met up since Christmas.  Dennis the dog is now almost fully grown, and after inital excitment soon calmed down.

Thursday was a shopping day, restocking the cravan, and giving it a good clean.

Train movments started early on Friday morning, and during the day we were able to watch trains passing regularly. On steam gala days, these heritage railways are far more busy than they ever were when they were operated by British Rail. We were able to sit out in the sun and watch the trains passing.

This train is unusual as the locomotive is facing the opposite way to all of the others.

On the Saturday Robert and I went up to the railway, to spend the day riding on the various trains.  Robert had studied the timetable and by getting on and off at intermediate stations we were able to travel on all of the different trains that were running.
Each time as went past the caravan site Lizzie was able to wave to us.

Now follows a collection of photos showing the various engines that were running,

Bury station looking rather busy.

Tank engine in branch line mode with just a couple of coaches

The site with Lizzie stood outside of the caravan as we pass.

Possibly my favourite train of the day. A branch line goods train.

This was the City of Wells, dressed as the Golden Arrow at Ramsbottom. The Golden Arrow was the boat train that ran from London Victoria to Dover.   When I was a little boy I used to see the Golden Arrow steam through Gillingham station.  It ceased being steam hauled in 1961, and finally ceased running altogether in September 1972.

The steam gala was not as busy as normal, probably because there were no visiting Locomotives, as The Duchess of Sutherland that had been expected to visit was suddenly cancelled five days before the event, citing lack of locomotive crew as the reason.


Sunday was another good day so we travelled a few miles along the line to Sumerseat to see the site where the pub that spanned the river  had been washed away in the Christmas floods.  We then adjourned to Kathy and Roberts for an excellent Sunday Dinner.

On the Monday we drove over the outskirts of Warrington where we met my cousin Tony and his wife. It made a change to meet up socially rather than at a funeral!  We had lunch together, having a thoroughly good time. Hopefully we will meet up again when we are next in Bury.

We cleared up on the Tuesday morning and left for home, having a good run on the motorways.

Nights spent in the caravan this year totals 20.

The Highwayman Hotel CL, Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

Well we found this CL in the Caravan Club sites book,and despite some dubious reviews decided to give it a go. It was on a small piece of grass adjacent to the hotel. In the car park of the hotel were a motor home and  a caravan.On the grass area were two more caravans, all being occupied full time. However the site was clean and tidy. The hotel had an excellent bar and served good food.  The site was bordered by a canal, a main road and a railway, so not the quietest of places. However as we were not going to be sitting outside the noise was not going to be an issue for us.
Whilst we were there the site did get delisted by the Caravan Club, due to non return of paper work regarding proof of insurance.

Don't be deceived.  This was the only good view.

Our main reason for choosing this site was that we wanted to visit Oxford, and also to pop down to Reading to see James, Jade, Jack and the new grand daughter Josephine.




When we arrived on site the heating decided it was not going to work. As it was only 1 degree outside we got our emergency fan heater out to start warming the caravan up.  I then called Chipping Sodbury Caravans as we are still under warranty.  The Lovely Heather was soon on the case and arranged for a local mobile engineer to come. He arrived after 30 minutes, and admitted that despite being a Truma Agent he had never seen our sort of heater before. He was soon on the phone to Truma and following instructions from them got it going! Faulty heater blower that had jammed.  He even explained to me how to get it going again if it stopped.  That saw me on to screwfix to purchase a set of security screwdriver bits so that I can remove the cover if I need to.

On the Friday we popped down to Reading for lunch and to see the 4 J's. Jack handed me his remote controlled Thomas engine for Pops to repair,which I dutifully did on the Saturday

We visited the Hotel for dinner on the Saturday night, and were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and the prices.The beer was also of a very good quality and was reasonably priced, so a few pints were sampled

We popped into Oxford on Sunday and parked right outside the Ashmolean.  Spent a pleasant couple of hours wandering around and also looking at various colleges.
We enjoyed visiting the Ashmolean so i have put the link here.  www.ashmolean.org   This tells you more about it than I can in my blog.

Monday entailed another trip to Reading to visit the J's and lunch out again. These Grandchildren get to be expensive!

We decided on another day in Oxford on the Tuesday and again parked very easily.We spent more time wandering around before visiting the Pitts Rivers museum.  This is a huge collection of things collected from around the world.  It is absolutely crammed with exhibits and was also full of school parties.  Again I put the web site for you.  www.prm.ox.ac.uk  Again it is free to visit and is well worth doing.

When we got back to the camp site, I decided that in view of the weather forecast that the awning was coming down.  So glad I did as we had torrential rain over night.  And I mean torrential.  When i got up the following morning their was a lake in front of the caravan that was some 2 inches deep.  I decided to visit the hotel for breakfast.  It was possibly the biggest breakfast I have ever been served with, and was really scrummy.

Notshown are the dish of Baked Beans and the rack of toast.

I returned to the caravan and Liz was up so we cleared up.  It was still raining so I set the Freelander 2 in grass mode and gingerly reversed to the caravan and hitched up. Fortunately all was well as we moved forward and making a large gentle arc drove out of the field without incident.

We left the site and headed towards our next destination.  Burrs Country Park CC site for the East Lancs Railway Steam Gala.

Thoroughly enjoyed the Highwayman hotel, and will probably return in the future.

A late start to 2016!

Well with one thing and another, including the birth of yet another Grandchild on the 12th of January we were not able to get away until the 7th of February.  Looking forward to a well needed rest we opted for a short trip to Greenacres CL in Bibury.  This is a lovely site we have visited many times before. It is only £12 per night including EHU, and has good views over the open countryside.

With the imminent arrival of storm 'Imogen' we opted for pitch 9, as a 15 foot high, thick hedge gives admirable protection from the south and west. We survived the storm with no problems,wondering what all the fuss was about.  However when I ventured out the following morning for a paper and milk there were many trees down on the roads.

On Tuesday I had to go to my opticians in Chippenham to retrieve a pair of glasses that had been in for repair.  We then popped home to check up on Zoe who had taken to her bed as she was feeling unwell.  All was well so it was back to the caravan.
Cirencester was our destination for  the Wednesday where we spent much of the day just wandering the shops.

On Thursday morning the temperature dropped to minus 3,and the water was all frozen up. Soon defrosted though when the sun came up. We then drove cross country to Gloucester Quays, where I picked up a new lightweight jacket for France.
I went to the auction at Moore, Innocent and Allen's sale rooms just outside Cirencester. It was mostly sporting goods,. fishing rods, rifles and the like. Some of the prices were amazing.

Saturday was again spent in Cirencester.  The site was now full, all caravans.

On the Sunday we cleared up and set off for home, having had a successful first week away in the caravan.

Only a short entry this time.  Longer Blogs to follow on Oxford and Bury

December, so it must be Exmoor House, Dulverton

Well, we left home at 13.30 on Thursday to travel down to Exmoor House. The route we took was across country, Keynsham, Wells, Glastonbury and Street, before joining the M5 for a short distance, which we left at junction 27  and travelled up to Tiverton, before turning north to Dulverton!  Bit of a nightmare journey, as roads were closed due to a bridge being rebuilt on the A361.

We were soon at the site after avoiding lots of 40 ton arctics that had been redirected!  Lots of bottom squeezing times as they passed us on the narrow lanes!!

We had booked on to a super pitch at Exmoor House, as we only have one good arm between us, and I did not feel like lugging water and waste around!  Extra couple of beer tokens a night and well worth it!

Site about half full, but it was hammering down from when we arrived, sounded as though the roof of the caravan was being machine gunned!

Friday dawned clear, so the awning was soon up, Christmas tree and lights also put up.  The site filled up ready for the weekend!

Caravan ready for Christmas

Last year in the Dulverton by Starlight prize draw we won an £80.00 voucher for dinner, and we were given it on the day we were leaving.  So I popped up to 'Woods Restaurant' to check if we can still use it this year! Yes they said!

Saturday was clear when we arose so Lizzie decided we were going out for the day!  For those who do not know, she had a double hernia op three weeks ago!

After she got home from hospital, we lived in the caravan for a week, bed, shower, loo and everything to hand.

Then back in home.  She has not lifted anything more than a bag of sugar or a glass of wine since, and, here I temp fate, is making excellent progress!

Anyway I digress, we drove out to Simondsbath, and then on to South Molton for a light lunch!  We so love the Exmoor scenery.  Then back to the camp site!

Dulverton by Starlight was being held on the Sunday so we spent the afternoon wandering around Dulverton, spending money on the various stalls, and buying trinkets.  At Six pm the firework display started and was enjoyed by all of us on the site.

Dulverton by Starlight Fireworks

We decided that we best go shopping on the Monday, so set off on a very circuitous but scenic route for Go Outdoors in Taunton to get some needed caravan supplies, and Lidl for supplies for the week!  The local council have obviously decided that as it is not the tourist season to undertake some massive road works, so we kept coming across road closures and diversions that the sat nav did not understand! Pleasant run across country though.

Exmoor scenery

It was a really nice day on Tuesday so we wandered around Dulverton, and spent a pleasant couple of hours in Woods Restaurant and bar, www.woodsdulverton.co.uk deciding what we would have for lunch on Wednesday!  We could have sat for hours in front of the beautiful log fire!

The Log fire in Woods

Dulverton Street

Dulverton main square

One of the scenic town paths

On Wednesday we set off for Woods, armed with our £80.00 voucher, and enjoyed a really cracking lunch! Even though it was Wednesday lunchtime the place was full!  We enjoyed baked Goats cheese on a green leaf salad with caramelised walnuts and a balsamic dressing starters, king prawns and mussels with a Pernod sauce for Lizzie, and pan fried pigs liver on a bed of creamed potatoes,black pudding and a caramelised onion sauce for me.  Finishing off with sticky toffee pudding! All washed down with an exceptionally good bottle of Muscadet!
 The whole meal was absolutely superb, as was the service. 

Lizzie looking good and enjoying lunch!

We returned to Woods again for a light snack lunch on Friday and it was equally as good.



On Saturday it was clear up time and we headed for home,stopping on the way in Wells at our favourite burger van for lunch!

A very lazy week,as it was intended to be, so that Lizzie was able to continue her recuperation!  She really is recovering well.

So ends our caravanning for 2015.

 176 nights on sites and 6 on the drive at home!  Not a bad year!

Going east for this trip!

Well we decided that our main Autumn trip would be to the homelands of our youth, namely 'The garden of England',  Kent. Both Lizzie and I spent much of our childhoods in Kent. Lizzie was brought up in Tonbridge, and I spent much time at my Nans in Gillingham, and had summer holidays in Westgate, firstly staying at Mr Porters Guest House in Westgate, and later travelling down daily on the train to Westgate from Gillingham.

Bearstead Cc site in the morning!

 We were booked in at Bearstead CC site,  which is on the A20, just East of Maidstone. The site is 151 miles from home and took us exactly three hours to get to. We were booked in here for 14 nights.
We spent Friday shopping for essential provisions, wine, and a little food! In the evening we went out for dinner with my cousin Lee, who lives in Rainham.  We went to a super pub, who's name and location escapes me but it was only a few miles away from the site in a delightful village!

We were up early for us and set off for Dungness where we we were going to spend the day riding on the narrow gauge Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.  After some difficulties as Dungness station is being rebuilt, we boarded the train and set off north across the Marsh behind Typhoon.  At New Romney the engine was changed and we were hauled by Winston Churchill as we headed north to Hythe.
The journey is not as I expected as for much of it the line runs in a narrow corridor between the ends of gardens. The engine was turned at Hythe and then we travelled back to Dungness.
a great day out, and another railway ticked off.
I must also add that it is a superb railway, well maintained and run. Definitely worth the visit if you are in the area!  www.rhdr.org.uk

Sissinghurst Castle was the place we decided on for our morning coffee on Sunday.   This is a national Trust property with lovely gardens. The weather was so good we were able to sit outside.  the gardens were well worth the visit, and must be really spectacular in late spring / early summer.

Sissinghurst Castle Gardens

As the weather was holding on the Monday we set off for the Isle of Sheppy as neither of us remember having visited there before! Well it  was very much a holiday place, designed originally for East Enders.  Some of it reminded us of Skegness.
We drove back to The Strand in Gillingham, which is the towns coastal park, and is very tidy now compared with my memories of the 50's and 60's when it was rather scruffy. Then it was on to dinner with Lee at her home in Rainham.

After a restful day on Tuesday we had a run down to Folkestone on Wednesday, where we visited the excellent 'Battle of Britain' museum, which is a memorial to the Few! The Museum was only opened this year and compliments the memorial in front of it! A really super place to visit, and make you realise just how close to France we are!  www.battleofbritainmemorial.org

One of the static exhibits

With the weather holding still on Thursday we went to Tenterden, to travel on the Kent and East Sussex Railway.  This is a truly superb railway beautifully kept with excellent engines and rolling stock. We travelled through the beautiful Kent and Sussex countryside to Bodiam. www.kesr.org.uk

Again we had a superb day out and would recommend this as an excellent place to visit.

After a restful day on the Friday with just a little shopping in Sittingbourne, we set off for on the Saturday for the 'Giants of Steam Gala', on the Bluebell line. We parked at Horsted Keynes station, and boarded a train to East Grinstead. Again the line runs through lovely countryside.  The train we boarded was really busy so Lizzie was parked in the Guards van. However when we reached Kingscote we were transferred to a first class compartment next to the guards compartment, and there we stayed. Two gentlemen who were members of the railway were in the compartment as well and they told us lots about the line. As we approached East Grinstead they explained that one of the land owners would not sell the Bluebell railway a strip of land that they needed forcing them to reroute. As soon as they had set up the new route he offered to sell them the land, which they declined leaving him with a useless strip of land.  The approach to East Grinstead is through a railway cutting,which was used as a tip after the line was closed. All the rubbish was taken away on the railway as it was excavated from the cutting.  When the station at East Grinstead opened one of the planning constraints on the railway was that no whistles would be blown!

From East Grinstead we travelled back down the line, again first class, to Sheffield Park, before being transferred to another guards van for our return to Horsted Keynes.
a brilliant day out, which we will repeat on a quieter day.  The Bluebell Railway really is a professional railway that is worth a visit!  www.bluebell-railway.com
On the way back to the caravan we went through Tonbridge to look at the house where Lizzie was brought up.

I had spotted that the Bredegar and Wormshill Light Railway was open on the Sunday and it was only just down the road.  It was very foggy but we popped down there anyway.  This railway is operated by about a dozen men who meet to play trains each week, but it is only open to the public half a doxen times a year. The gauge was 24inches I think.   There were ten steam engines, a variety of diesels running on a short track. As well as the railway there were traction engines, tractors a model railway and a tea room, so plenty to see and do. We did not stay long though as it was rather cold and damp!
www.bwlr.co.uk

Some of the engines

One of themini traction engines

A three wheeled delivery van

Part of the model railway

On the Monday we were booked to cross over to Calais from Dover on the midday ferry.  It was very foggy when we got up, so we left earlier than we intended. Three miles down the road we emerged from the fog into bright sunny weather.  This meant that we arrived at Dover ferry terminal over an hour early.  However we were lucky and were loaded straight on to an earlier ferry.  We enjoyed crossing the Oggin, although the ferry we were on was one of P & O's oldest!  Not a patch on the Brittany Ferries we usually travel on.  We were soon in France and found Carrefour so did some shopping.  We then set off in search of a large Hypermarket, and were directed down the motorway, and after a very short time realised that we were in Belgium. Whilst on the motorway we passed the cam where many of the refugees are living. It is absolutely huge.  Quick about turn and we were back in Calais, and at the Hypermarket. Lots more shopping and we then returned for our homeward bound ferry. We were told it was going to be 45 minutes lateleaving, but we  boarded and were on our way at the correct time.  The cost of our trip was £35.00.  As we bought plent of wine that was soon saved, as a box of Muscadet was only 8 euros compared to the UK where it is about £16.00.  We also filled up with diesel at E1.08.

On the Wednesday Lee called into us for morning coffee.  Then we went off to visit Faversham, Whitstable and Herne Bay.

Herne Bay pier

This was once the end of the pier

 We also visited Reculver Towers, again a place I had never been before.

Reculver Towers

The traffic as we travelled back to Bearstead was absolutely awful

We went to Hempstead Shopping centre on Thursday to get some more new clothes from M & S.  We then set off  back through Chatham and Rochester, where I wanted to see the castle, as it was aplace I remember visiting a lot when I was younger.It had certainly been tidied up since I saw it some 40 plus years ago.

Rochester Castle

We had intended to go Dog Racing at Sittingbourne on Thursday, but the restaurant was closed, so we had an evening out with Lee and some of her friends.  Good fun.  I had been looking forward to the Dog Racing as it is something I have never done before, so when we come to Kent it will be on the list of things to do1

On the Friday morning we set off for home and endured a long stop start journey caused by several accidents on the motorways.  The most frustrating one was just before junction 17 of the M4, which is our exit.  We sat for absolutely ages in view of the junction, before the motorway was reopened.

On our way back we collected Jade and Jack as we were all going to Coral's 50th birthday party the following day.

We got home, parked the caravan on the drive, as we were away again the following morning. This time we were only doing one night at Baltic Wharff CC site in the middle of Bristol so that we could go to the party.
It was considerably cheaper to stay there, and get a taxi the mile up the road than getting a taxi from home.
The party was good with plenty there and Coral was very surprised to see everyone!

Coral, Lizzie and Robyn


Well that takes us to 167 nights this year!

East Lancs Railway Steam Gala

Well it was off to Burrs Court CC site again, this time to visit the Autumn Steam Gala on the East Lancs Railway. We had our quickest run up there ever at just under three hours!
We were soon set up on pitch 68, which gives us a super view of the railway, then it was off for dinner with Kathy, Robert and Dennis the Dog.

On the Thursday it was a good day so we set off through Clitheroe, Gisburn, Long Preston, past the Ribblehead Viaduct and on to Hawes where we visited the Wensleydale Cheese factory and museum.
Here we watched cheese being made, and sampled lots of it.
www.wensleydale.co.uk

Proper Lancashire Scenery

Ribblehead Viaduct

The Yorkshire Scenery is superb

From there we went on to Asgarth, over the pass to Grassington, Skipton and home.
an excellent day out where we sawlotsof wonderful scenery.

You do noy see road blocks like this very often!

Friday was market day in Bury, so we spent some time wandering around there.
In the evening we went on the 'Red Ribbon Pullman Dining train' where we had a superb dinner. An expensive trip, but really worthwhile.

Transport to and from Bury Station

I spent Saturday wandering around Bury Station, enjoying looking at all the different engines.

Wells

I particularly enjoyed the Automatic train, which has a steam engine in between two coaches.

The Automatic Train

In the afternoon Kathy, Rob and Dennis came down for a barbecue.

We spent Sunday watching trains going upand down the line before adjourning for Sunday Dinner with Kathy and Rob.

Lizzie was in the mood for shopping on the Monday, so we spent time in the Rock shopping centre in Bury, and spent far too much on new clothes for us both.

We left on Tuesday and again were home in less than three and a half hours.

A good trip, even if it was a rather short one!