Cali has been to Chesil Beach

It's ages since we've been away in Cali - or even had any day trips.  Most weekends have been wet and those that have been dry we had already arranged visits to families, theatre or other things that couldn't be changed.  We had booked to go away over Christmas again, but changed our mind because of the weather.  We cancelled our booking and planned lots of walks from home instead.

We decided we needed a Cali day out over the holiday and went to Chesil Beach.  There were a lot of flooded roads on the way over and many of the fields looked like lakes.  We arrived at Chesil Beach quite early so got a lovely parking spot overlooking the beach for breakfast in Cali.

Breakfast at Chesil Beach

After breakfast we walked the coast path to Bowlease beach and on the way back we stopped at the Ship Inn at Weymouth harbour for lunch.  The day was very cold and overcast and we were glad to get back to Cali just before it started to rain again.

29 December 2019

Cali has been to Chapel Lane, the NEC, Moreton-in-Marsh and Tewkesbury

We decided to visit the The National Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC as VW were exhibiting for the first time and we wanted to see the Grand California.  We also wanted to look around a few other campervans that were going to be at the show as we're considering changing when Steve finishes full-time work and we do more touring.

We were both on leave on Friday so drove up to Chapel Lane Caravan Club Site on Friday as it's close to the NEC.  We were glad we arrived early afternoon as we had a good choice of pitches, but the site was full by early evening. 

Pitch 47 Chapel Lane

The weather was awful overnight with torrential rain.  It not only kept us both awake but we had the covers were also wet when we packed them away - luckily we had decided not to take the roof cover so we were able to pack away quickly.  We left the site early on Saturday to drive to the NEC for the day.  The show was great - we both dislike the Grand California but fell in love with the Knauss, Burstner and Hymer campervans and their continental layout.  There's a lot more research to do, but we plan on changing in a year or so as they all had fixed beds at the rear, washrooms and a high level roof - all that and they are only half a metre longer.

After the show we drove to the Moreton-in-Marsh Caravan Club Site for Saturday night.  We arrived later than planned and the site was almost full with a limited choice of pitches but as we were only staying for one night the wardens suggested we stay on the reserved pitch near the toilet block.  We were both really tired and I think that spurred us on to get set up as we were finished within ten minutes.

Pitch 46 Moreton-in-Marsh

On Sunday morning we packed up after breakfast and walked into Moreton-in-Marsh for a look around the village and a coffee.  There's plenty of walking from the site, so this is definitely a site we'll return to in the future.  After returning to the site we drove across to Tewkesbury Abbey Caravan Club Site for the final two nights.

We had booked a multi surface pitch - something new to the Club.  Basically it's a block paved area for caravan/car or motorhome and a grassed area for awnings.  We were surprised to see that some of the grass pitches were still in use and so pleased we hadn't booked one as the ground was very muddy. 

Pitch 106 Tewkesbury Abbey

The site is lovely and surprisingly quiet considering it's so near to the town - although the Abbey bells ring every quarter of an hour!  We were both feeling rather tired after our busy few days so stayed on site on Sunday.

On Monday we walked into Tewkesbury and had a look around the town as well as lunch at Rosado Lounge and a visit to the Abbey.  The Abbey is beautiful, especially the amazing gold and green colours in The Denny Windows.

The Denny Windows, Tewkesbury Abbey

We visited Tourist Information to pick up some walk leaflets as we hope to return next year.  There are plenty of walks along both the Rivers Avon and Severn as well as various town trails.  

After breakfast on Tuesday it was time to head home.  As we plan on returning to the Caravan and Motorhome Show next year we've already booked the Chapel Lane site, but having learned from this visit we've booked it for both the Friday and Saturday nights as it will be easier to return to a site we've already booked into if we're late back from the show.

18-22 October 2019

Cali has been to St Ives

We both wanted to visit the St Ives Festival so booked three nights at Trevalgan Touring Park, a private site a couple of miles outside of St Ives.  As it was a private site we had to pay for the pitch in full prior to our arrival so even though the weather forecast was grim for the weekend - we still went away.

We were both on holiday on Friday so had an early start.  We drove to Long Rock car park and walked into Marazion for a look around the craft shops and walk around the village.  Although it was a lovely sunny day it was very windy but we found a lovely sheltered spot to eat our lunch overlooking the beach and St Michael's Mount.

Marazion towards St Michael's Mount

After lunch we walked back to Cali to drive to the site.  We both liked the site as soon as we arrived - it's very we maintained and the staff were all very friendly.  The facilities block was excellent and even had underfloor heating in the showers!  We had booked a hardstanding super pitch which was sheltered by hedges on three sides but it was still so windy we decided to leave the roof down.  We sat outside for a while and retreated indoors when it began to get cool.

 Pitch 9 Trevalgan Touring Park

After a very blustery night we woke to a very cloudy sky but as it was dry we decided to walk into St Ives.  There were a lot of footpaths from site, the one to St Ives was initially across fields and then the coast path - it was a lovely walk and well marked.

Approaching St Ives

We had just arrived at St Ives when it started to rain so we took shelter in a cafe for a while.  It rained on and off for most of the day so we pottered around the town and had a look in a few of the shops.  Sadly due to the weather there were very few street entertainers for the Festival, so we caught the bus back to the site.   A lot of the entertainment was in the evening but as it was so wet we decided to stay on site and not go back into town.

It poured with rain all night and was still raining when we got up on Sunday so we caught the bus into St Ives again.  Once we got to the town the sun came out and it was a glorious sunny day so we walked to Carbis Bay.

Carbis Bay from Coast Path

It started to cloud over by early afternoon so we had a quick walk back to St Ives and managed to beat the rain.  We caught the bus back to the site again and stayed in Cali all evening.

This is a lovely site and we will definitely return again but probably not for the Festival again.

20-23 September 2019

Cali has been to Bude

Another good forecast and another weekend away in Cali.  We chose Wooda Farm Holiday Park which is a site that's affiliated to the C&MC, situated just outside of Bude.  We don't normally book large parks, but thought we would try this site as it's out of season and hopefully wouldn't be too busy.

After arriving on Friday we were both unsure of the site as it was so large with holiday chalets, static caravans as well as the touring pitches.  The site also had a shop, restaurant, take-away, cocktail bar, sports hall and nature trails.  Pitches are allocated and ours was fine, probably not the location we would have chosen but it was sheltered.

The weather was glorious on Saturday so we walked to Bude.  Sadly there wasn't a footpath across the fields, but the lanes weren't too busy to walk along.  We pottered around the town and visited the Jaunty Seagull shop where my cousin sells her stunning jewellery - KC Jewellery.  We then went for a walk along the canal where there are lots of cafes and craft shops.

Bude Canal - Cafes and Craft Shops

We retraced our steps back to the site and went to the bar for a drink before returning to Cali to sit outside until late evening.

Pitch E8 Wooda Farm

Sunday was a lot cloudier but it was dry.  We decided to go to the sports hall for a game of badminton, which was great fun.  We also had a walk around the fishing lake and the nature trail, spotting all the little pixies that had been put into the trees.  There were dozens of them and we were like two kids trying to spot them all!

A Wooda Pixie

After quick showers we headed to the restaurant for a meal in the evening.  It rained overnight and as we had to leave our pitch by 10.30am we packed up and left after breakfast coming back home as we both had a lot to do at home.

We will return to the site out of season, but would avoid it during the main summer months as I can image it would get very busy.  We also spotted some pitches we would have preferred and although actual pitches can't be requested they will try to allocate in the same area if at all possible.

13-16 September 2019

Cali has been to Woolacombe

We have had another last minute booking as the forecast for the weekend was good again.  As Steve still can't wear his walking boots, we booked the Willingcott Caravan Club Site so we could walk the cycle track into Ilfracombe which is an easy walk for him.

On Saturday we walked to Ilfracombe as planned and spent the day around the town and harbour, visiting St Nicholas Chapel where we had a good view of Damien Hirst's Verity whilst eating our lunch.

Verity

After lunch we walked back to the site, noting all the footpaths we can walk on our next visit.  Once on site, it was shoes off to enjoy the sun outside of Cali.  As this can be a windy site we had found a lovely sheltered pitch behind a Devon Bank so it was very warm to sit out for the afternoon and early evening.

Pitch 39 Willingcott

The weather was glorious on Sunday morning, so we packed up after breakfast and drove down to Woolacombe for a short walk towards Combesgate Beach before heading back to Cali and returning home.

Woolacombe Beach

We both love North Devon, so this is definitely a site for us to return to next year.

6-8 September 2019

Cali has been to Devizes

We hadn't got anywhere booked for this weekend, but when we checked the forecast it was for a fine weekend so we made a last minute booking at the Camping and Caravan Club Devizes Site.  As Steve was working all day on Friday we booked Saturday to Monday for this weekend.

After an early start on Saturday we visited Stourhead again to see the gardens in a different season and to have an easy walk as Steve was still having problems with his foot.

 Stourhead

We arrived at the site early afternoon and were met with a very warm welcome by the Site Managers.  We had a choice of pitches and settled on one that was sheltered by hedges and wasn't too far from the facilities block.

 Pitch 69 Devizes

The site is close to the Kennet and Avon Canal so we walked the tow path, past the Caen Locks to Devizes.  This was another easy walk, but not so easy for those on the canal to get through 29 locks which have a rise of 237 feet over two miles!

Rowde looking up Caen Locks

All too soon the weekend was over and it was time to return home on Monday.  This is definitely a site to return to as there are plenty of other footpaths near the site, not just the canal tow path.

31 August-2 September 2019

Cali has been to Tintagel

We decided to go to the Trewethett Farm Caravan Club Site at Tintagel for the Bank Holiday weekend.  We stayed there nine years ago when we had our caravan, but this is the first time we'e visited with Cali.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon and as it was Bank Holiday weekend there were very few pitches left, but we found a lovely sheltered pitch on a grassed area at the edge of the site.  The site is on top of the cliff and we remembered from our caravan visit that it can get very windy, so we were glad to have some shelter from a hedge.  After setting up we sat out to enjoy the glorious sunshine.

Pitch 14 Trewethett Farm

Unfortunately Steve has had problems with his foot so we didn't do as much walking as we had planned, but on Saturday he was able to walk the coast path to Tintagel.  The coast path passes the edge of the site and it a lovely, and challenging, two mile walk into the village.

From Willapark looking back towards Trewethett Farm

Tintagel isn't one of our favourite villages.  It was very crowded and there are too many tacky gift shops - it's also very overpriced.  It was interesting to see the new £4m bridge that links the castle to the mainland - there were so many people walking across the bridge it looked like a line of ants!

 

Tintagel Bridges

The day got much hotter in the afternoon, so we were glad to get back to Cali mid afternoon.  We sat outside for a while until it got too windy and we retreated inside Cali.

On Sunday we walked in the other direction to Boscastle, which is a village we both like.  The weather was completely different from the previous day - very cloudy and a lot cooler which was much better for walking.  Although Boscastle was busy (as expected on a Bank Holiday weekend) it wasn't as crowded as Tintagel had been on the previous day.

Boscastle Harbour

It's hard to believe that it's fifteen years since the Boscastle Floods - hopefully that's an event that won't be repeated. After lunch we had a potter around a few shops, a pot of tea and cake and enjoyed all the activities that were taking place on the quay. Again, we walked back mid afternoon so Steve could rest his foot.

On Monday we had a lazy morning on site before heading back early afternoon.  This is a lovely site in a fabulous location, but there does need to be some upgrading of facilities.  It was one of the most expensive sites we have visited this year but had some of the worst facilities.  Hopefully there will be some upgrading work before we return.

23-26 August 2019

Cali has been to Cheddar

As it was my birthday last weekend, I got to choose where we went for the weekend and chose Cheddar Caravan Club Site.  We had never visited this site before although it had been on our 'places to stay' list.  After a long journey on Friday - the M5 is always very slow on a Friday afternoon - we arrived at the site and set ourselves up on a lovely sunny pitch.

Pitch 57 Cheddar Club Site

On Saturday morning I opened my cards and presents whilst still in bed.  After breakfast we headed out for a circular walk called 'The Other Side of Cheddar'.  We walked from the site to the Gorge (about 20 minutes), climbed to the top and walked the path along the one side for some stunning views.

 Halfway along the Gorge towards the reservoir ...

... and in the opposite direction

After walking down to the car park we crossed to the other side and walked through the Nature Reserve and along the valley at the bottom of the other side of the Gorge.  Unfortunately it poured with rain on our return journey so we didn't get the camera out of our bag to take views of the other side of the Gorge - we'll leave that until our next visit.  We had a treacherous descent as the rocks were so slippy so we headed to Cafe Gorge for a pot of tea and cake.  By the time we had returned to the site we had dried out, the sun was shining and it was a glorious evening to sit outside Cali.

After our challenging walk on Saturday we had an easier day on Sunday.  In the morning we pottered around a local car boot sale and then walked into Cheddar to look around some of the shops.  The afternoon was spent on site and as we had booked a three night stay, we had another night in Cali before returning home on Monday morning.

Another lovely Cali weekend and a beautiful site - definitely one to return to in the future.

2-5 August 2019

Cali has been to Northumberland

We visited Northumberland a few years ago before we had Cali and loved the area, so decided to return this year, stopping at five different sites over 16 nights.

After a long journey on Friday, our first site was the Haltwhistle Camping and Caravan Club Site.  This was a pretty site on the bank of the River Tyne and we had a lovely sheltered pitch with the river behind us. There were also plenty of footpaths from the site to explore the local area.

Pitch 11 Haltwhistle Club Si9te

On the first day we walked from the site to Haltwhistle (the Centre of Britain) and had a walk around the town before heading for Hadrian's Wall.  We walked along part of the Wall to Milecastle 42 at Cawfield Crags before heading back to Haltwhilstle and our site.

Hadrian's Wall from Milecastle 42

As the previous day's walk had been quite challenging, we decided to have an easier walk on our second day, especially as rain was forecast in the afternoon.  We walked from the site along the South Tyne Way (an old railway line) to Lambley Viaduct for some stunning views.  It was only when we returned to the site we regretted not walking down to take a photograph of the viaduct, but we'll do that on our next visit to Northumberland.

View from Lambley Viaduct

On Monday we travelled across to the Old Hartley Caravan Club Site at Whitley Bay for another three nights.  We knew this would be a windy site as it's on the top of the cliff and even with a sheltered pitch we didn't put the roof up for the first night.  We also left it down when we went out the following day - better to be safe than sorry! Our first day's walk was along the Coast Path past St Mary's Lighthouse, through Whitley Bay to Tynemouth.  This wasn't our normal coast path walking as most of it was along footpaths, but we enjoyed spotting locations from 'Vera'.

St Mary's Lighthouse on the way out ...

... and on the way back

When we returned to the site the wind had dropped to a slight breeze, so we were able to put the roof up and sit outside.

Pitch 55 Old Hartley Site

On our second day we walked the coast path in the opposite direction to Seaton Sluice and the Port of Blyth.  As with the previous day's walk, most of the coast path was along footpaths by the side of the road, but there were plenty of interesting places to visit.

Seaton Sluice towards Blyth

Our next site was at Spittal where we stayed at Berwick Seaview Caravan Club Site for four nights.  This is another exposed site but we found a lovely pitch on the lower level - we didn't have a sea view (like most of the pitches) but it was sheltered.

The first day's walk was following the Lowrie Trail through Spittal, Tweedmouth and Berwick and also the Castle Walk in Berwick.

 View from Meg's Mount over Berwick

One of the reasons to spend and extra day at Berwick was to visit Edinburgh, a city neither of us had previously visited.  On Saturday we caught the train to Edinburgh and initially walked through Leigh to Ocean Terminal to visit the Royal Yacht Britannia.  We couldn't get a good view from the outside but took the self guided tour which was interesting and not too expensive for the time we spent on the yacht.

In the afternoon we walked to along the Royal Mile between Holyrood Palace and Edinburgh Castle, although we didn't go into either - that will be for our next visit.

Holyrood Palace

Edinburgh Castle

On returning to Berwick we went for a meal at Foxtons Wine Bar before walking back to the site.

After our busy day in Edinburgh we had an easy day on Sunday.  In the morning we walked the Castle Parks Trail in Berwick before returning to the site and spending the afternoon at Cali.

Coronation Park towards River Tweed

Pitch 22 Berwick Seaview

Our next site was the River Breamish Caravan Club Site at Powburn.  This was a fabulous site and one of the best sites we've ever visited.  The pitches were spacious and there were plenty of walks around the site and nearby nature reserve.  The weather was glorious on the day we arrived so we made the most of it as the forecast wasn't good for the following day.

Pitch 50 River Breamish Site

Sadly the forecast was right and it was very wet on our first day.  We spent the day on site, sheltering in Cali when the rain was torrential and going for short walks around the site when it eased.  Luckily the weather was better on our second day and we had a lovely walk through the Brandon Nature Reserve and Ingham Valley to Brough Law, part of the Hillforts trail.

View from Brough Law down Ingram Valley

Our final site was the Dunstan Hill Camping and Caravan Club Site.  Although our travel day started wet and we packed up in the rain, it soon changed to a hot and sunny day.  On arrival we had a choice of pitches and chose one at the edge of the site.  After setting up we took the woodland path from the site to the nearby golf course for a drink before returning to the site.  When we returned the site had got much busier, thankfully we had chosen a pitch on the edge of the site as the middle section was very crowded - definitely one our least favourite sites but it was in a good location.

On our first day we combined two of the Northumberland trail walks.  We walked inland to Craster and then to Howick before returning to the along the coast path.  On the way back we visited Dunstanburgh Castle, although it's an English Heritage site members of the National Trust also get free entry.  One of the towers has had some conservation work done so we could climb to the top for some photos.

From top of Dunstanburgh Castle

Pitch 7 Dunstan Hill Site

On our second day we caught the bus to Bamburgh and had breakfast at The Victoria Hotel before meeting my nephew and his family who were on holiday at Seahouses.  As they live in Scotland and we live in Devon it's been ten years since we last saw my nephew and his wife and this was the first time we had seen their children.

After a couple of hours playing on the beach we walked along the coast path back to our site - a lovely end to the holiday.

It's been a lovely holiday staying on five different sites (River Breamish was our favourite and Dunstan Hill our least favourite) and plenty of different places visited.  After 16 nights in Cali it was time for the long journey home but we'll definitely return to Northumberland again.

28 June-14 July 2019

Cali has been to the Malverns

Steve's aunt and cousins were visiting his parents and wanted to meet us.  As they weren't arriving in the in the country until Saturday we decided to visit on Sunday.  It was also a good opportunity to have another couple of nights in Cali and we booked two nights at the Malvern Hills Caravan Club Site.

On Friday we had a phone call from the site staff to say that they had closed all the grass pitches due to the heavy rain and had had to cancel a lot of bookings.  Fortunately our booking was okay although we had been moved to a smaller pitch.  We travelled up on Saturday, driving through both torrential rain and lovely sunny weather.  Our pitch was tucked away in the corner of the site, but it was very sheltered - we also pitched with the rear facing the direction of the wind.

Pitch 168 Malvern Hills

It only took about 15 minutes to pack away on Sunday morning and drive across to see the family.  After a tiring visit we we glad to return to our pitch and another overnight stay before travelling home on Monday.

15-17 June 2019

Cali has been to Hereford

It was Steve's birthday on Sunday - so he got to choose where we went for the weekend!  He chose Lucksall Caravan and Camping Park near Hereford.  This is a private site that's affiliated to the Caravan & Motorhome Club and not one we've visited before.

The weather on Friday was awful, very windy and heavy rain so we didn't have the best of journeys.  Pitches are allocated, but ours was a lovely spacious pitch in The Oaks, near to one of the toilet blocks.  After setting up in the rain, which only takes about 15 minutes, the sun came out so we could dry everything.

On Saturday the forecast was for more showers and as we didn't want a wet walk we caught the bus into Hereford.  After a potter around a few walking shops and lunch at The Cosy Club we caught the bus back to the site to enjoy the afternoon sun.

Pitch 114 Lucksall

On Sunday the forecast was a dry morning and heavy rain in the afternoon so we set off in the morning for a walk to Fownhope.  About a mile into the walk we were caught in a heavy storm and got soaked so decided to retrace our steps back to the site to dry out.  By mid afternoon the sun came out (not the weather that had been forecast) and we managed to get everything dry.  As everywhere was so muddy after the storm we decided to go to the cafe/bar on site to sit by the river with a drink rather than attempt another walk.

On Monday we had to be off the site by 11.00am so had a lazy start to the day before packing away and travelling home.

7-10 June 2019

Cali has been to St Mawes

Last weekend we returned to Merrose Farm Caravan Club Site at St Mawes.  We arrived on Friday afternoon and although it was Bank Holday weekend and the start of half term the site was only about a third full.  After a couple of laps of the site we decided to stay on the same pitch as we used last year as it wasn't too far from the facilities block and was also quite sheltered if it became windy.

The weather forecast for Saturday was cloudy but warm, so we headed off towards the coast path turning towards Pendower Beach and took the footpatch to Milinsey Mill where we stopped for a pot of tea.  We then walked to Veryan and towards Portloe for lunch.

Portloe from our picnic spot

From Portloe we walked along the coast path back towards Pendower beach - this was a stretch we hadn't walked before and was quite challenging.  It was also very interesting to see the World War 2 decoy bunker and early-warning Royal Observer Core Observation Post at Nare Head.  The weather was far hotter than forecast and we had an amazing walk before heading back to site and enjoying sitting outside Cali.

Pitch 34 Merrose Farm

After our long walk on Saturday we decided to have an easier day on Sunday and catch the bus to St Mawes.  The bus stops at the site entrance and there are regular buses between Truro and St Mawes - perfect for a day out without moving Cali from site.  The day was totally different from the previous one with cloud and some drizzle.  We had a short walk to the Castle and a potter around the shops before heading to The Rising Sun pub for a G&T whilst waiting for our return bus.

St Mawes

We had a lazy morning on site on Monday before heading back home just before mid-day.  Another lovely long weekend in Cornwall.

24-27 May 2019

Cali has been to Blackshaw Moor and Broadway

After visiting our families we headed to Blackshaw Moor Caravan Club Site for three nights.  When we lived in Newcastle-under-Lyme this used to be our weekend site, but we've not visited for over 20 years.  Other than the trees are a lot more mature, the site was just how we remembered it.

After arriving and having a walk around the site, we had a lazy Sunday afternoon with the papers.  On Monday morning we walked from the site to Tittesworth Reservoir and took the smaller of the circular walks.

Tittesworth Reservoir

We only had a short walk as we visited the Three Horseshoes to meet friends for a couple of drinks before all heading back to Cali for the afternoon.

Pitch 79 Blackshaw Moor

On Tuesday we did one of our favourite walks - walking from the site across The Roaches to Lud's Church.  The walk was just as we remembered it, and the views were just as spectacular, but it was awful to see the blackened ground on The Roaches after last August's huge fire.

From Roaches towards Tittesworth Reservoir

Lud's Church

On Wednesday we packed up at Blackshaw Moor in torrential rain and headed for the Broadway Caravan Club Site in the Cotswolds.  This was another site we visited when we had our first caravan - about 25 years ago.

The weather was still very wet on Thursday so we bought two Day Rover tickets for the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway.  The first train from Broadway was a diesel railcar which we took to Toddington.  After looking around the exhibitions and having some lunch we caught the steam train to Cheltenham Racecourse (currently the end of the line) and once they had got steam up, we took the same train back to Winchcombe.  We then caught the railcar back to Broadway - the last train of the day.  It was a lovely day out and highly recommended too.

35006 'Peninsular & Oriental S.N. Co'

Class 117 Diesel Railcar

The sun finally tried to come out on Friday so we did a circular walk from the site to Broadway Tower and then to Snowshill Manor.  Snowshill Manor is a National Trust house and garden and although we didn't visit either on this occasion we did have a pot of tea (using our discount voucher for not taking a car to the venue) before returning to Broadway.

From top of Broadway Tower looking South West

On Saturday we spent the morning walking around the shops in Broadway and then back to the site to enjoy the afternoon sun.  The sun finally came out on Sunday morning so we sat outside Cali before packing up at lunchtime to return home as Steve was at work on Monday.

Pitch 48 Broadway

A lovely week in Cali visiting two sites in beautiful walking country.  Both are sites we want to return to next year.

5-12 May 2019