Last Trip of the Year. North Devon

Well for the last trip of the year we headed for North Devon. Our first stop  was  Uplands CL at Chittlehamholt so that we could visit Jade, James, Jack and Josie. We had a good run down and were soon set up on Pitch 5, which is the most well protected pitch, which in view of the weather was a sensible decision. We were the only outfit at the CL, although the following day two motor homes turned up.

Set up on pitch 5 Angled to protect us from the wind.

For the next 4 days we duly went down to the J's home to see them, and also we collected Jack from school each day.

The view from the caravan was quite grey most of the time as it seemed to rain most of the time.

Looking south from the caravan.

On the Friday we moved some 30 miles to Exmoor House CC site at Dulverton. At this time of year we always book a fully serviced pitch if we can, as it saves having to go out in the cold and wet to fill water barrels and empty the waste.
Exmoor House is right in the middle of Dulverton, a lovely little town!  No need to cook on our first night as there is an excellent fish and chip shop only a five minute walk from the caravan.
On the Saturday I was up early and I drove over Exmoor to shop in Minehead. It really is a lovely drive over the top!  I did stop to take the photograph

The site filled up on the Saturday as a lot of people had come for Dulverton by Starlight on the Sunday.

We decided that as it was the now the 1st of December that we would put our Christmas lights up!

Unfortunately Sunday started with a gentle drizzle! I went up to church at 8.00am, and was greeted by several people that I had met on previous visits.
As I walked back to the caravan Dulverton had come to life with many stalls and a stage being erected in the town square. The whole thing started at 2.00 pm, so despite the persistent drizzle Lizzie and I braved the town. I am afraid that in view of the weather we went up the stalls and then headed to the Lion Hotel, for some respite from the weather and a glass of wine. We then headed back down the town, stopping at a few stalls. The rain was now getting serious so we called in at the Bridge in for some more wine.
Then it was straight back to the caravan for roast chicken!
There was a short break in the weather so the fireworks went ahead as planned.

On the Monday the site began to empty as many people went home. This meant that the local wild life could return!

          I spent the rest of the day getting the Christmas cards done, and then wandered up to the Post Office, still in the rain, before wandering round the little shops.

On the Wednesday , after very heavy overnight rain we went up on to Dunkery Beacon. It had actually stopped raining so we could actually see something. The Exmoor Stag hounds were out and about, as we could hear them, although we only say the occasional rider! The views from the top are quite stunning.

Looking north west from Dunkery Beacon.

Whilst in Dulverton I did take some pictures of the remains of the old railway that once ran through the area from Tiverton to Barnstaple!  It shut around 1964.

Finally we cleared up on the Saturday morning and set off for home.

An excellent last trip of the year.

Rainham and Littlehampton

Well having not seen my cousin Lee since 2016 we decide to head for Overshore CS, Rainham , Kent. We were booked in for four nights so time to see Lee and look round some of our old haunts.
Lee now keeps her Shetland pony's on this site, so we saw her each morning as she came down to let her 'boys' out.

Our view from the caravan. Digby in the distance

On the Tuesday we had a run down the coast to Herne Bay, Westgate and Margate. We enjoyed that run as the weather was good. Lizzie used to work in Herne Bay, and I spent a few holidays at Westgate.

The end of Herne Bay pier

Westgate!

Margate, from the Tate!

On the Thursday we cleared up and set off  for Littlehampton CC site. We had a good drive down, avoiding motorways. In view of a very windy weather forecast we set ourselves up on a pitch that had high hedges to the south and the west so we were really well protected.
This is an area neither of us knew so we did two road trips out, one to the east and the other to the west.
Our first trip out was to the east. We took the A27 to Eastbourne and then then headed for Beachy head! That was impressive!

Beachy Head

We then came back along the coast road through Seaford, Newhaven, Brighton and finally back to Littlehampton. It was a really good dive, where we saw some lovely places and some that were not too lovely!

The next day we popped down to Selsey Bill, but there is little access to the beach. We drove round to the very impressive new lifeboat station, and I looked at the nice new Lifeboat!

When then left to drive back. We headed down a pebbly road which then turned into a full off-roading experience! Too narrow to turn round so we had to keep going! Some of the water was very deep! Soon we were onto the main road and off home.

Back at the site the railway passed very close, with the Level Crossing opening every 5 minutes in the morning rush hour. As you can expect I took a few photos.

After a couple more lazy days we cleared up and set off for home, determined to come back in the future to this coast!

Winchester and Bury

Well after a couple of days we were off again. This time we headed for Morn Hill CC site just outside Winchester. My Sister in Law, Kim, has become a licensed lay minister, and on the Saturday there was a very special service at Winchester Cathedral and I was going to attend the service.

Now I spent 3 years, 1968-71 doing my training in Winchester, so I enjoyed looking round the city on the Friday. It brought back many happy memories.

I traveled in on the bus on Saturday morning and attended a truly memorable service at the cathedral.

In all their finery!  Kim is third from the left!

Now Morn Hill site is just up the road from Alresford, where the watercress line is based, so on the Sunday morning I went to ride the trains there.
I traveled down to Alton behind a steam engine, and then came back from Alton  in a Diesel Electrical Multiple Unit 'Thumper.  That was quite an experience as I had forgotten how noisy they were. Great fun though!

My transport to Alton

Thumper!

On the Tuesday we packed up and headed for Chapel Lane CC site for a one night stop before we moved on to Bury!  We had opted to break our journey halfway as otherwise we would have been facing some seven hours driving!  Too much in the UK.

We moved on the next day and reached Burrs Country Park some five hours later!  Roadworks and accidents!  We rolled on to the site and our corner pitch, that gives clear views of the railway was clear.

On our Pitch.

On the Thursday night we went to the Brown Cow with Ethan and Zak as Robert and Cathy were away on holiday in Scotland. We had a really lovely evening!

We were soon set up and enjoyed watching the trains. The Autumn steam Gala started on the Friday, so traffic on the railway got really busy. I had opted to spend Saturday riding the rails, and had great fun going up and down.

City of Wells

Duchess of Sutherland. Running the wrong way round

2857 passing the caravan!

Robert and Cathy returned from  holiday and came down to see us on Sunday afternoon. They also came down on the Monday to join us for evening Dinner.

We left for home on Tuesday morning and had a relatively trouble free run home despite being diverted off the motorway at one point due to an incident.

The caravan behaved well and we are really pleased with our purchase!

Our new Caravan. The first trip!

Well our Bailey Pursuit was delivered to Chipping Sodbury Caravans for them to transfer the motor mover over, as well as the battery.

On Tuesday the 2nd of October we then went round to Chipping Sodbury Caravans at 1.00 for the hand over of our new Bailey Platinum 640, which is a dealer special  based on the Bailey Phoenix 640. The hand over took about 90 minutes, during which time every single thing on it was checked very carefully. The new caravan is a rear Island bed, with a central shower and loo/bathroom. The front lounge/kitchen is much larger with two single beds. The cooker is also a full size one with three gas rings and an electric ring, as well as a separate grill and full size oven. Also nearly all the cupboards are lockable so they don't have to be emptied every time that we travel.

We brought it home and popped it on the drive. We slept in it over the next two night whilst we also put all our bits and pieces back in it!

On the Thursday we set of to Hurn Lane CC site at Burnham for three nights to give it a good test before we set off on our next long trip.

All went well and we had a good time. Everything worked well and the caravan towed extremely well.

We came home for a couple of nights before setting off on our next trip!

Our new set up!

It's Show time!

Well after a week at home it was time to be off again. We were heading across the country to the Peterborough area, as we were attending the Land Rover Show on the East of England Showground.
First though we were staying at D
Ferry Meadows, a CC site.
After a three and a half hour run we arrived! This is a huge site, but is cleverly divided into small areas, so there was no sense of being crowded in.

The next day, Wednesday, I went for a ride on the Nene Valley railway, that was adjacent to the site. I had a good day out , traveling the whole length of the line. One of the highlights being that I saw Tornado at the Engine shed! (Tornado, is a new build engine).

The train that I traveled on.

Tornado receiving attention on the Nene Valley Railway

I had discovered that a Fish and Chip van called at the site between 5.00 and 7.00pm, so we had the luxury of Fish and Chips for supper.
We shopped on the Thursday and had a good look round the site.

One of the glades at Ferry Meadows

We cleared up on Friday morning and waited for Rob to arrive at the gate. As soon as he did we formed a little convoy as we headed the three miles down the road to the showground. It was a long queue to get in as there were just so many Land Rovers. However we were soon in and set up! The LRO show Peterborough is where Robert and I first met  some 8 years ago, and we had not been since.

The LRO Show!

Series 1 converted for rail use!

Land Rover Fire Engine

We spent the weekend enjoying the show and meeting old friends. As it is a permanent showground there are tarmac paths everywhere, so Lizzie was able to ride round on her scooter.
Robert left on the Sunday afternoon, and we watched a few others depart.

On the Monday morning we also left, heading for Chapel Lane CC site, which is south of Birmingham. We pulled on to the site and were greeted by grumpy wardens!  The weather forecast said wind, so careful positioning of the caravan and awning was needed. We survived though!
This site is on what was RAF Whythall, a war time barrage balloon installation.

We had an excellent day out at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon. It was a place that I had been meaning to visit for years. We will let the following photographs tell the story.

Morris Minor Fire Engine!

A bug eyed sprite! I always wanted one of these.

Hillman Imp!  I had one of these ADG493B

A convertible Austin A30

Lady Penelope's car!

We cleared up on Friday morning ready to move to the Adventure overland show. Just as we were about to leave we had a phone call to say that our nice new caravan would be ready for collection on 2nd of October, so could we deliver our caravan to the dealers so that the mover could be swapped over.  So excitedly we set for Stratford race course for the Overland Show where we would met Barry and Steve.
Well to say it was poorly organised was an understatement. It wasn't helped by the poor weather.

Steve was so disgruntled he left before Lunch on the Saturday. We sat it out until 11.00am on Sunday, when we also left along with many others.
Such a shame as the Adventure Overland show had always been so good in the past!
As we headed for home we excitedly drew up our plans for emptying, cleaning and polishing the caravan, prior to part exchanging it!

Devon Delights

After about ten days at home we were off on the road again. This time we were heading for Devon.
Our first stop was to Uplands CL at  Chittlehamholt where we were booked in for a week so that we could visit Jade, James, Josie and Jack who had now finally moved into their new home.
We had a relatively slow run down on the M5 and the Devon link road as there was so much holiday traffic.
We were soon set up on site though still in the glorious weather.
We spent quite a few days with the 4J's doing some jobs for them in their new home, as well as getting out and about with them.

After a week with them we left to go to Steamer Quay CC site in Totnes, just for one night!  This is a lovely site, right in the middle of town. It is always very busy mainly with motor homes. It was absolutely full. There are 43 pitches and only 7 were occupied by caravans.


We were booked in for three weeks at Start Bay CC site, and were given a disabled pitch next to the services.  I decided to go to Dartmouth to get the shopping, As Slapton line, the coast road, is closed due to storm damage, i set off across country. Well that was a mistake as the lanes were so busy. At one point I met a double deck bus. There was nowhere for me to go so I  turned into a field, did a quick circuit and came back out the other side of the bus.

 On Tuesday  Zoe and Mitch came down for their holiday. Lizzie and I popped home for a while.
We returned on the Sunday as Zoe, Mitch and myself were off Mackerel fishing on the Monday.
We went fishing and it was terribly rough, but we caught quite a few fish. I really do enjoy the trip down the estuary in the boat as the views are quite spectacular.

One of the houses looking out over the water

Salcombe

Wednesday was Salcombe Lifeboats open day, so I went in early and was able to visit the life boat, and some historic ones. Salcombe lifeboat really is an impressive bit of kit. Really enjoyed doing that.

Salcombe's small lifeboat

We all then went out to celebrate Zoe's birthday at 'Britannia on the beach' at Bee Sands. It is an impressive shack that serves the most amazing fish cuisine.

Fish Pie

Yummy Scallops

Zoe and Mitch then left for home and we relaxed in the sun.

We treated ourselves to Sunday lunch at Sand Pebbles Hotel,  Hope Cove. It was very quiet, but the food was good.

Angela and Alan came down from Teignmouth to see us on the Wednesday, and we all went to the Cricketers Inn at Bee Sands , and had another excellent meal. It is always good to see Angela and Alan, as we reminisce over our teaching careers and other colleagues.

During our time at Start bay, we visited many of the local villages and beaches, and all too soon it came to an end and we cleared up and set off for home!

We only popped home for five days before we were off again, down to Uplands again to see Jade and co.  We stopped for six nights before heading home

RIAT 2018

Well we got home from France on the Saturday, so it was a quick turn round and we were on our way to Fairford. Whilst we were at home we had to change over a lot of the kit as at Fairford we were going to have no electric hook up.
We arrived at Fairford and met up with Rob, and our base camp was soon established. Although it was only Tuesday the field was very full.

Early morning arrivals

Over the next few days we watched planes arriving, and we also saw all of the display teams practicing.
Chris, a friend of Rob's arrived on Thursday, ready for the show which opened on the Friday
The following afternoon I popped home to collect Izzy and Freddie.   Kathy, Ethan and Dennis Dog arrived.

Freddie and Dennis

We all settled down in the burning sunshine to watch the displays

being carried out above our heads.

Early on Sunday morning Ami arrived and then she took Izzy and Freddie into the show, and they really loved it!

After an excellent six days we cleared up on the Monday and headed for home!

Monday morning departures

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