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