France 2018

Well our next trip was to France.  I will keep this piece quite short as we followed the same as last year and even stayed on the same campsites, boring I know but we just wanted to enjoy the heat and the French lifestyle.
We went down to Poole on the Tuesday evening and pitched up along with a few others in the ferry lanes. We were roused by the Brittany ferry people at 6.00 am and were soon proceeding through the booking and Passport control. Security did not bother with us as we were waved straight through. We were loaded on the ferry at 07.45 and were leaving Blighty at 08.30.

We arrived in France at 13.45 local time and straight through on our way to Camping Les Chevaliers  de Malte at Villedieu-les Poeles.  Absolutely lovely site. Up and away the following morning by 10.00  and headed for Montreuil Bellay, for another one nighter.

Our setup for a one night stop.

Then onto Camping de Montreal, at St Germain Les Belles, where we were going to base ourselves for six nights. We relaxed there for 6 nights whist I recovered from nearly 400 miles of driving.. I spent time exploring the village and the surrounding area, making good use of my bike!  A bit sore and stiff to start with, but my body soon got used to cycling again.  We used the restaurant on site a few times, as the food Hans and Leone serve is remarkably good.

Early morning at Camping de Montreal

It was soon time to move on again, and we headed down the A20 , to Camping de Montech, just north of Toulouse.The nice new Tag worked perfectly on the toll booths and we were soon using the 30 kmph booths.   Again a one nighter.  Good little site, but the internet is only on when the reception is open. Good job we carry a dongle, as I was able to download the papers in time for breakfast..

Our pitch at Camping de Montech

Then with great excitement we were up early and heading South, heading to Camping le Floride et embouchure, Le Barcares, where we have a fully serviced pitch booked for 5 weeks. We were on site by 13.00. As we arrived we were greeted by various Dutch, Belgians and Germans who like us book the pitch from year to year.
 Despite the 30 degrees of heat we were soon fully set up by 17.00, and then it was time to relax, and that we certainly did!

The beach at le Barcares

The view from our pitch

Our pitch is on the edge of the beach, so each morning I cycled up the front to Barcares to collect croissants and bread. At some time during the day we wandered, well metaphorically speaking as Lizzie went on her very posh mobility scooter and I was on my bike, to one of the local bars for coffee, wine and maybe a snack.

One of our coffee stops

Probably once a week we got the Discovery out to go shopping and also for a trip into the local area.

A trip out to  St Cyprien

We are only a couple of hundred yards from the funfair, which opens on 1st July and closes on 31st of August. We watched it being erected, and a couple of nights before we  left it opened up! Fun to watch but the din was horrific.

Five weeks of this lazy French  life soon passes and it was time to clear up for our return journey, which was identical to our journey down.

We only stopped at Camping de Montreal for three nights, as we were aiming to stay at Villedieu-les-Poeles for a couple of nights so we could get the final shopping done.

Dinner at Camping de Montreal

Severn Valley Railway

We decided to visit the Severn Valley railway, so we booked a few days at the Unicorn Inn camp site at Hampton Loade. The site was OK, but there were an awful lot of Static Caravans and seasonal caravans.  However its position is good as the trains run along the top of the site.

We decided to visit Bridgenorth for a look round on the Thursday. Quite a nice little town.

On the Friday I went on the Severn Valley Railway. My first trip and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I travelled up the line from Hampton Loade  to Bridgenorth, and then all the way down to Kidderminster, where I had a good wander round the station and the small museum. Then it was back on a different train back to Hampton Loade.

Made me smile when I saw these from the train.

Robert and Kathy arrived on the Saturday and camped at the bottom of the site.
During the afternoon Barry called into visit all of us. It was certainly good to meet up.

We cleared up on the Sunday morning and set off home after lunch, to get ready to travel to France on the Tuesday.

A good short trip 4 nights, and we will certainly visit the site again.

Class 40 Diesel Gala, East Lancs Railway, 11th to 17th April.

Well we were soon off to Burrs Country Park CMC site for the gala celebrating 60 years of the Class 60 Diesel Locomotive.
We had a good run up, this time using the M6 toll to avoid the congestion on the M5 around Birmingham.
The site was very full when we arrived, but we still managed to get a pitch on the edge of the railway.
As usual we met up with Kathy and Rob, and shared many meals with them.
This time though Robert and Kathy came down to us twice to share meals in our caravan.

On the Thursday City of Wells was running, so I took the opportunity of using one of my members tickets to travel up and down the line behind her.

On the Friday morning the Diesel Gala started and we had trains hauled by class 60's going up and down the line. Robert and I went out to play trains for the day! I can honestly say I have never seen the trains so busy!  At times we could not find a seat!

Now let the pictures do the talking!

 

 

 

They made quite an impressive display

On the Saturday we rode the trains again, with Mark joining Robert and I.
At about 5.00 pm Kathy collected Lizzie and together with Dennis they joined us at Bury Station.

Dennis did want to pose by City of Wells that was taking the dining train out on the Saturday evening.

We spent a day doing some shopping on the Monday, before Robert and Kathy came down for dinner!

We cleared up on Tuesday, and owing to a broken Jockey wheel the warden helped us hitch up. We left by 10.30 and headed home. We reached Chipping Sodbury Caravans just before 3.00, and they soon had it fixed!
A great trip away!

Uplands CL, Chittlehamholt, Umberleigh. 2nd to 4th April

 Our review says it all!

Well what an absolutely fantastic site!

Access road are narrow, but if you follow Clare and Colin’s instructions there are plenty of passing places, there instructions are better than the club instructions!

On arrival at the site we were served with tea, or coffee and biscuits, very welcome after a long bank holiday Monday drive!

Excellent welcome pack. All we needed to know!

The pitches are all large hard standings, with water and electric on each pitch. Superb views over the beautiful countryside.

As for the shower and loo, well they are better than most people have at home.

The information area contains all the leaflets for the area and a book and DVD loan area!

The pub next door is due to reopen in the next few weeks! They were taking deliveries as we left, so it cannot be far away!

Recycling on site, and a superb community shop two minutes from the site.

Once we were all set up, Clare and Colin came down to check all was well, a really nice touch.

We were only there for two nights, but are back again in July for a week!

When we left, Clare and Colin gave us instructions for the best way out of the site back to the motorway! Again superb ones!

Now for the downside ...........Nope, cannot think of anything!

We did get to see Jade, James, Josie and Jack on Monday and Tuesday, and had a lovely time.

Views over open country side!

We are at the site again in a few days so will take lots more photos!

Hurn Lane CMC site, Brean.

Well we decided that we would pop down to Brean for a week. For those who do not now about Brean, it has amazing long beaches, and it is lovely just to sit there reading and watching the sea, even if it is half a mile away.
Brean is also made up of many huge caravan sites, each with swimming pools, clubhouses, bars and restaurants.  Well Hurn Lane CMC site has just 139 pitches, mostly hard standing and a toilet block.
We pitched up opposite a line of pitches that were not in use as the electric had failed. Gave us a good view across the site though.

Empty pitches as the electric hook ups were awaiting repair.

We went into Burnham on the Friday to do the weeks shopping.

On the Saturday I drove to Wellington to collect a beer engine that Robert had bought on Ebay.
We then went to the beach and Lizzie was driving up and down. First time in two years that she had been behind the wheel. It was a nice day, albeit a trifle chilly.

Brean Beach

The Sunday was Palm Sunday so I decided to go to the 8.00am service, but could not find where the service was so I went to the 9.15 service at St Bridget's Brean, and it was a very good service. It was a really beautiful day so we ended up sitting outside the caravan for the first time in 2018.

Sitting outside the caravan in the spring sunshine.

 I then cooked a proper Sunday Dinner!

Roast Gammon with all the trimmings

We met up with Danna and Pete in Weston Super Mare on Monday at the Atlantic Fish Bar, and had some amazing Fish and Chips. It was good to see Donna and Pete as we have not seen them for a few months.

Tuesday and Wednesday were quite wet days , particularly over night! So much so that neighbouring sites were cancelling their grass pitches for the forthcoming Easter weekend.
Fortunately it dried up on Wednesday during the day and we were able to get the awning down dry.
We then left on the Thursday and had a good run home.

Tredegar House, CMC site, Newport, South Wales.

So we decided a week away would be a good idea as the weather looked fair. We have been to Tredegar House before some four years ago. What should have been a short journey of some fifty minutes, turned into a journey of over two hours as there had been an unfortunate accident on the Motorway. The journey was further complicated by massive road works as we approached the site.
Anyway on to the site and we set up at the top of the site, big mistake as  you get more road noise at the top of the site.
We set up and put the awning up. Pegging it down was really difficult as the hard standings were the hardest I have ever experienced. Many bent pegs.  The warden did say though that in October 2018 the hard standings were all being replaced, and the ablutions block was going to be replaced as it was rather tired!

Our Pitch

The view across the site

We settled down for a relaxing time, and were able to pop down to the Tredegar House Tea shop
Tredegar House is a National Trust Property. At this time of year the gardens are open, but the house is closed up.

The main entrance to Tredegar House

We went over to the St Fagans National Museum of History at St Fagans. This is an estate which was donated to Wales some seventy years ago.  When it was donated there was a Castle at the top of the site and a farm house at the bottom. Since then over forty original buildings from different historical periods have been brought from all over Wales and re-erected  on the hundred acre site.
All the buildings are open to visitors, and often craftsmen are working in them. It really is worth a visit, and it is free.
https://museum.wales/stfagans/about

The Village Stores

The working water wheel, that powers the working Flour Mill

This is the pig sty, built in a circular shape to stop pigs digging in the corner!

Inside one of the cottages

On one of my wanderings round Tredegar House I came across these film crews who were filming 'Jerusalem', a spy thriller set in the mid 1940s for channel 4.
It was really amazing just how big the film crew was and also how many takes they did for each scene.

The film crew

This was in the background of the scene being filmed. Poor chaps were going backwards and forwards with these chairs.

At the end of the week we cleared up and were home in under the hour .

2018 gets under way!

Well for our first trip of the year we decided to head for Burrs Country Park CC site in Bury, so we could see Kathy. Robert and Dennis the Dawg.
Unfortunately a couple of days before we were due to leave our Discovery Sport decided to play up. A quick phone call to Land Rover Assistance and one of their technicians duly turned up. He diagnosed a faulty Ad-Blue injector. Discovery booked into the dealer and eventually two days later,   we were supplied with a brand new only 11 miles on the clock Discovery 5. (They had difficulty sourcing a Land Rover with a tow bar).

The Discovery 5 we were loaned. £73.000 Price Tag

So the following morning we were off. As we cruised up the M5 followed by our caravan we had a phone call to say ours was ready. I explained where we were, and that I had just put £70.00 of Diesel in! OK I was told, carry on with your plans and bring it back next week!

A long run up to Bury, horrific roadworks on the M5 and M6. We arrived at the site, set up on our favourite pitch, and it was round to Roberts for Dinner.

Friday was dry so i put the awning up first thing. We then went down to the market in Bury, where new iPad cases were purchased. We then cam back to the caravan where I caught the steam train that was running. As it was half term the train was quite busy.

This was the Engine doing the half term Steam duties.

 

On Saturday Robert Kathy and I went up to Wetherspoons for breakfast. Then Kathy went home and Robert and I went off to ride the diesel trains that were running all day.

Robert in conversation with the driver

This DMU was doing the Bury Ramsbottom shuttle

Driver View from the DMU

 Later in the day Kathy collected Lizzie and we all met up for an early dinner at another Wetherspoons.
Then Robert and I went off to ride the evening trains between Bury and Heywood. These trains were double headed to start with so the engines made a real racket. The last train of the evening was single headed.

On the Sunday we spent time at the caravan watching the train go past, before going up to Roberts for an excellent Sunday Dinner.

The view of the trains from our caravan

Passing the campsite.

Monday saw me at the market first thing, before meeting up with my cousin.

We cleared up on Tuesday morning before heading home. For a change we came down the M6, M6 toll, M42 and M5. This route avoided an awful lot of the road works.

As for the Discovery 5, well it was ok, and comfortable, but no better than our Discovery Sport.
It only did 19.6 MPG, whereas ours does 31mpg towing. So we definitely made the right decision.