Sunday 13 December 2020

Zebedee has been to Dulverton

We had planned to stay at Exmoor House Caravan Club Site for two nights, but changed the booking to one night so we could have our flu jabs on Saturday morning.  We packed everything in Zeb, walked to the surgery for our jabs and then back home to head off to Dulverton.  We arrived at the site about 1.00pm and were set up with the kettle on by 1.15pm - it's much quicker to set up than Cali.


Pitch 66 Exmoor House

The weather wasn't brilliant so we had a walk around Dulverton and a cup of hot chocolate at The Tantivy.  We had more torrential rain and strong winds overnight and were so glad we didn't have to worry about a pop up top.  On Sunday morning we waited for a break in the rain to pack the windscreen cover away before taking a leisurely drive home. 

12 December 2020

Friday 4 December 2020

Zebedee has been to Minehead

We should have visited our families last month but had to postpone our visit due to the second lockdown - only to find that they have now moved into Tier 3 so we still can't visit.  As Steve was on leave on Friday we decided to take a last minute trip to the Minehead Caravan Club Site.

Traffic was fairly light so we reached the north coast too early to book into the site and decided to take a small detour to Dunstan Beach for lunch.  The beach was almost deserted - probably because it was bitterly cold!

The site was almost empty as there had been lots of cancellations from people who now find themselves in Tier 3.  This meant we had a good choice of pitches and chose one towards the back of the site and further away from the road which made it a lot quieter.

Pitch 27 Minehead

It didn't take long to set up so we took a walk to the front and along to the harbour before heading back to the site.

It poured with rain overnight and most of Saturday morning so we stayed on site until the rain eased.  In the afternoon we walked along the front in the opposite direction towards Butlins (thankfully closed when we were there) before having a mug of hot chocolate at the Toucan Cafe and returning to site.

Sunday morning was lovely with a bright blue sky and sunshine - what a shame it hadn't been like that on Saturday.  After a lazy morning on site we headed back home.  

We both like this site and plan to return again in the spring.  There's a lot of walking from the site, but it's definitely an area to avoid during school holidays.

4-6 December 2020

Tuesday 20 October 2020

Zebedee has been to Hurn Lane

The forecast was good for the weekend so we booked two nights at the Hurn Lane Caravan Club Site between Burnham-on-Sea and Brean - a site we've not previously visited.  When choosing our pitch we saw one side of the site is very open with commercial sites around it, but we found a lovely sunny pitch in the middle of the site with a hedge and small brook behind.  

Pitch 28 Hurn Lane

It didn't take too long to set up on site and fit our new winter screen covers, so after a quick lunch we took a walk to the beach.  The lane at the side of the site leads to Berrow Dunes where there are plenty of paths leading to the beach - less than a mile from the site.  After a short walk around the Dunes we walked back to site for showers before the facilities block got too busy.

On Saturday we again walked through the Dunes to the beach and walked to Brean Down.  We had originally hoped to walk over the Down, but decided to keep to easy beach walking and save the Down walk for another visit.  After having our lunch on the beach we headed back to the site.

Edge of Berrow Dunes to Brean Down

On Sunday we had a lazy morning on site before heading back home via Highbridge Caravans as we wanted to look in their accessories shop.  Although we didn't find what we wanted we did see Cali on the forecourt and took a peek inside.  It was interesting that when we saw her we both thought 'Been there, done that, and now enjoying our new campervan' which obviously shows we made the right decision to buy Zeb.

We enjoyed the Hurn Lane site and found it to be quiet at this time of the year, although I can imagine it would be very noisy in the summer as there are so many commercial sites surrounding it.  It's definitely a site for us to use again when we want to walk along the Down.

16-18 September 2020

Monday 28 September 2020

Zebedee has been to Cornwall

We had planned on visiting Kent for our main holiday this year, but four of the sites we should have visited were closed due to Covid-19 and the fifth has sent us a credit note we can use for a future visit.  Once sites had reopened we decided we didn't want to travel too far at the moment, so rearranged our holiday and booked sites in Cornwall.  We decided to visit four sites, each one for four nights.  This would allow time for us to walk from each site as well as having some time to see how things work in Zeb.  

Our first site was Tregurrian Camping and Caravan Club Site near Newquay - a site we have not previously visited.  The C&CC have a contactless check-in and we were offered a choice of two pitches on the Atlantic View part of the site, which had both hardstanding (which we had booked) and grass pitches - Bay View on the other side of the lane was all grass pitches.  After setting up on site we sat out to enjoy the afternoon sun.

Pitch 20 Tregurrian Site

On our first day we walked from the site to the coast path, walking towards Watergate Bay and then on to Porth Beach.  This was a lovely walk on a glorious sunny day - probably hotter than a lot of days we've had over the summer.

Watergate Bay

The following day we again walked from the site, this time in the other direction towards Mawgan Porth.  This was a shorter walk as we had walked a lot the previous day and my foot was still hurting from an injury the previous week, so we decided to take it a little easier.

Coast Path towards Mawgan Porth

On our final day at Tregurrian there was a thick sea mist so we caught the bus to Newquay.  Although it's not one of our favourite places we had a lovely walk around the harbour and then walked back to Porth Beach to catch the bus back to site.

After four nights we moved to Sennen Cove Camping and Caravan Club Site - another new site for us.  The last time we visited Sennen Cove we stayed at Trevedra Farm which is a C&MC Affilated Site.  We hadn't been too impressed with that site and on leaving the site had stopped at the C&CC site to check the facilities.  We thought the site was well laid out so decided to visit this time.  On arrival we were again given the choice of a couple of hardstanding pitches and chose one in the corner of the site with lovely views across to the coast.

Pitch 6 Sennen Cove

On our first day we walked from the site to the coast path and then to Lands End.  We didn't stay too long around Lands End as there were far too many people about and many weren't observing social distancing.  So, after a quick lunch we headed back to the site.  The following day we stayed on site - the long walk to Lands End had hurt my foot and we also decided to spend the day looking how to use more things in Zeb.

The following day we caught the bus to St Ives as we thought we could have a a potter around the town and an easy walk to Carbis Bay.  We both felt uncomfortable in St Ives as, like Lands End, there was little social distancing although the walk to Carbis Bay was fine.

Carbis Bay

Our third site was Merrose Farm Caravan Club Site at Portscatho, near St Mawes.  We've been to this site on a few previous occasions and like both the site and its location, which we thought would be perfect for the next four nights of our holiday.  The laundry was also open so it was an ideal opportunity to refresh our walking clothes when we arrived on site  The site was almost full but we settled ourselves on the best pitch we could find - unfortunately it seemed to be a short cut for some people on their way to the facilities block.  We both found it rude when people not only walked across our hardstanding pitch, but also peered into the windows as they walked past! 

Pitch 64 Merrose Farm

On our first day we walked from the site to the coast path and then to Nare's Head.  The views were stunning and we found a lovely bench for lunch on Nare's Head, but in hindsight I shouldn't have walked as far as again my foot hurt by the time we arrived back on site.

Coast Path towards Nare's Head

The following day we took the bus from outside the site to St Just in Roseland, where we stopped for a cup of tea at Miss V's Tea Room before walking along the side of the creek to St Mawes.  We have walked this path previously so we knew it would be an easier walk for me.  It started to rain as we arrived in St Mawes so we caught the bus back to site.  On our final day we caught the bus to Truro for another easy day with a riverside walk and a pot of tea at Charlotte's Tea House - this is a lovely old fashioned tea room although it was rather strange seeing the young girls wearing masks with their uniforms!

Our final site was Treamble Valley Caravan Club Site near Perranporth - another new site for us.  This is a long, narrow site in a valley with no mobile phone signal and a very patchy wifi signal - sheer bliss!  By the time we arrived it was raining hard so we were glad there was a hardstanding pitch still available and we quickly set up.

Pitch 88 Treamble Valley

Overnight we had a bad storm with very strong winds and torrential rain - we were so thankful we weren't in Cali with a pop-up roof.  By the morning it had stopped raining, although it was a lot cooler, which was perfect for walking.  A public footpath runs through the centre of the site with several footpaths leading off it, so there's plenty of walking in the area.  Unfortunately the site staff were unable to hand out copies of the walks but they had put a laminated copy in the laundry which we photographed before heading off.  On the first day we walked from the site to Holywell Bay for our lunch and then a pot of tea at Gulls Rock Bar & Coffee House.   

The following day we walked from the site in the opposite direction to Perranporth, which was very busy so after eating our lunch we walked back to the site.  On our final day we headed towards St Pirran Old Church in Penhale Sands, then to Perranporth and returned to the site through the golf course.

Perran Sands

After sixteen nights away it was time to head home.  We loved our holiday in Zeb and at no time have either of us said we wished we still had Cali.  When we had the storms at our final site it was good not to have to wonder if the roof would be okay in the high winds and not to think about packing away with a wet canvas that would need to be dried at home.  With the Covid-19 restrictions on site it was good to have our own facilities, although we did shower on site as the one in Zeb is tiny.  The bed was so comfy and we both slept well - it also helped that all the sites were very quiet at night (except for our first night at Tregurrian when a RyanAir jet landed at nearby Newquay airport!).  

Our favourite sites were Tregurrian and Treamble Valley and we're going to visit them both again next year.  Both of these sites had plenty of walks from the sites and we also liked the layout and relaxed feel of the sites.  Sennen Cove was a lovely site, albeit very windy as it's on the cliff, but walking from the site is more limited.  Although Merrose Farm was too busy for us this year, we do like the site but feel we've done most of the walks in the local area.

12-28 September 2020

Friday 11 September 2020

Cali is for sale

We were looking at Highbridge Caravans website and see they now have Cali advertised for sale - we hope she will go to a good home where she will be well looked after!

11 September 2020

Sunday 6 September 2020

Zebedee has been to Sidmouth

As we weren't able to load Zeb last night, we finished this morning before heading about 15 miles from home to stay at Putt's Corner Caravan Club Site.  We had visited this site with our caravan over twenty years ago before we moved to Devon, but it was our first time with a campervan.  We just wanted an overnight stay to see if we needed to buy anything before heading to Cornwall next weekend for our holiday.

There was plenty of choice of pitches when we arrived and we chose one not too from the facilities block.  Although we have a shower in Zeb we don't plan on using it, firstly because it's tiny and secondly we would need to ensure it was completely dry to avoid damp problems.  It's far easier to use the showers on site.  


Pitch 2 Putt's Corner

We spent time on Saturday afternoon making sure we knew how to use the heater, both for water and room temperature, as well as the gas hob and fridge.  After a long day we settled down for a quick tea of bread and cheese - with a celebratory bottle of wine too! 

It was lovely to have the fixed bed and not to have to change the van from day to night mode and then back again in the morning.  The bed was also very comfy and we slept well.  It poured with rain overnight and it was good not to have to think about returning home with a wet canvas roof and needing fine weather to dry it.

Sunday morning was spent looking where were were going to store things for our main holiday and enjoying being in our new campervan.  We had a short walk around the site as we feel we will return to the site again, especially on weekends where Steve can't take any time off for us to travel further afield.  

5-6 September 2020

Saturday 5 September 2020

Goodbye Cali and Hello Zebedee

We were both sad to say 'Goodbye' to Cali as she's been fabulous over the last three and a half years - in fact we both felt rather emotional when we left her. We've travelled 18,339 miles, stayed in her for 184 nights as well as many day trips and visits to family and friends.  We hope she will be go to someone who will enjoy her as much as we have enjoyed our travels.

As we say goodbye to Cali it's time to say 'Hello' to Zebedee, so named as the registration is ZBD.  After our handover at Highbridge Caravans, it was time to travel home and load all our stuff - as well as giving guided tours to our neighbours.

We're going to finish loading tomorrow morning before going to Sidmouth for an overnight stay to try everything.

4 September 2020

Tuesday 11 August 2020

Cali has been to Swanage

For our final weekend away in Cali we went to Haycraft Caravan Club Site at Harman's Cross near Swanage.  This is one of our favourite weekend sites, but it's quite hard to find vacancies at a weekend as it's only a small site and gets booked quickly.  

We arrived mid-afternoon after Steve finished work and were surprised to find we had a choice of pitches - we chose pitch 20 which is at the end of the pitches on the lower level.  It was a very hot afternoon so we were glad there were some clouds whilst we sat outside for the afternoon.

Pitch 20 Haycraft

On Saturday we decided to do one of our favourite walks from the site.  We walked through Langton Matravers and Worth Matravers to the coast path at East Man before walking along the coast path to Durlston Country Park.

Durlston towards East Man

From Durlston we walked into into Swanage before catching a bus back towards the site.  We usually catch the steam train, but the station nearest to the site is closed due to Covid-19, so we used the bus instead.  It was one of the hottest days of the year and, at times, the walk was quite challenging so when we got back to the site we sat in the shade for the evening.

Sunday morning was another hot day and we stayed on site before packing up late morning. We normally stop somewhere on the way home, but as everywhere was so busy we decided to head home instead.

This is a lovely site and felt very relaxed, even though there were strict Covid-19 restrictions around access to the facilities block. 

A fabulous sunny weekend for our last holiday in Cali.

7-9 August 2020

Tuesday 4 August 2020

Cali has been back to Woolacombe

We decided to go back to Willingcott Caravan Club Site in Woolacombe for my birthday weekend.  We arrived just after midday to find the C&MC had changed the arrival times at all their sites to 1.00pm to allow for extra cleaning between departures and arrivals.  As we hadn't been told of the change (it had only happened a couple of days earlier) the site staff let us on a bit earlier once they had got everything ready.

The site was almost full (the same as on our previous visit three weeks ago) but what a change we noticed with the attitude of campers.  I'm not sure if this is because there were a lot more families or if it was because a lot of the campers weren't local, but there was scant regard for Covid-19 regulations.  As far as possible we gave everyone a wide berth over the weekend.

We found ourselves a lovely sunny pitch and sat out to enjoy the hottest day of the year, only to find the sea mist rolled in and we had a cold damp afternoon and evening - unlike the rest of the country!

Pitch 107 Willingcott

We had torrential rain overnight on Friday and then a drizzly start to the day on Saturday.  We walked from the site along the lanes to Mortehoe and Bull Point.  It was still very cloudy but the sun was trying to break through.  As we walked along the coast path to Ilfracombe the sun came out and we had a very hot walk back to the site along the old railway track. 

Bull Point towards Ilfracombe

Saturday evening stayed sunny which was perfect for sitting out to eat our fish and chips - my birthday meal!

On Sunday we walked from the site again, this time we headed in the other direction.  We started off along a muddy bridleway towards Georgeham and then to Croyde.  Once we had left the bridleway we walked along the road which was slow going as it's very narrow and we had to keep stopping as vehicles passed us.  After sitting on Croyde beach for our lunch we walked towards Baggy Point just as the sky started to turn black and Lundy island disappeared.  We decided to take shelter instead of heading on to Baggy Point - a wise move as we had another torrential downpour.  After the rain had stopped we walked around Baggy Point before heading back along the coast path to Woolacombe and returning to the site by walking along the edge of the Downs.

Baggy Point towards Croyde

We had yet another downpour during Sunday night, but Monday was fine so the roof dried quickly for us to pack away.  We left mid morning to return home as Monday was my birthday and we decided to spend some time sitting on the balcony at home with a G&T (a present from my nephew and his family).

We do like this site but decided that in the future we will avoid staying there over the summer.

31 July-3 August 2020

Wednesday 29 July 2020

Cali 2 is in Somerset

We've had an email from the dealer to say that Cali2 has arrived at the dealership in Somerset - which was a lot quicker than we expected.  He has checked the specification and all is just as we ordered - he also sent us a couple of photos.



We're really pleased with the way she looks (the actual colour is probably part way between the two photos).  The dealer now has to arrange for some work to be done, mainly fitting the alarm and the paint treatment, but all will be completed in plenty of time for us to collect her in a few weeks' time.

29 July 2020

Thursday 23 July 2020

Cali 2 - Another Update

We had hoped our new campervan would be in the UK at the end of this month but our dealer has just let us know that although she has been built, she is still in Germany.  They are arranging transportation, which doesn't happen quickly, so we have arranged collection/handover for midday on Friday 4 September.

We had planned on two weeks in Cornwall at the beginning of September, but are going to rearrange this for a couple of weeks later so we can have a weekend nearer home before we head off for two weeks holiday.

23 July 2020

Monday 20 July 2020

Cali has been to Start Bay

We were away again at the weekend in Cali staying at Start Bay Caravan Club Site at Stokenham.  We previously stayed at this site in 2017 when we had an awful sloping pitch as we arrived late.  This time we made sure we arrived earlier to get a better pitch - Steve finished work at 12.00 and were were on our way ten minutes later!

There was a choice of about a dozen pitches when we arrived and we found a lovely hardstanding at the back of the site, furthest away from the road.  As the weather was glorious on Friday afternoon we decided to enjoy the sun and had a lazy afternoon on site.

Pitch 39 Start Bay

We woke on Saturday morning to thick drizzle so didn't rush off for our walk.  The sky cleared about 10.00am so we headed for the coast path and walked to Start Point for lunch and then walked back to Torpoint for a stroll around Slapton Ley.  By the afternoon it was very hot so we headed back to the site to have showers before the facilities got too busy (this site only allowed three people at any time in the toilet block).

Start Point towards Slapton

After a lovely afternoon and evening we had a torrential downpour overnight which woke us both.  The heavy rain had stopped by Sunday morning but there was still a thick drizzle so we stayed in Cali for the morning before heading home by lunchtime.

This site is in a lovely area and although it's not one of our favourite sites (when full it does feel rather cramped) we will go back again to do more walking in the area.

17-19 July 2020

Monday 13 July 2020

Cali has been to Woolacombe

At long last we've been away in Cali!  Restrictions were lifted last weekend so we went to Willingcott Caravan and Motorhome Club Site at Woolacombe on Friday for two nights.  The C&MC have worked hard to get their sites ready for opening, but we were still a little apprehensive. 

Reception is closed so check in was at the door which had a plastic screen at the top.  The toilet block was open but only five people were allowed in at any time.  We were issued with wrist bands to hang on hooks outside the door - if the five hooks were full then it was time to queue.  Only one dish washing sink was open and no sinks in the laundry - just the washing machines.   The children's play area was closed and there were signs at all the service points regarding social distancing.  The staff did two deep cleans and four surface cleans in the facilities block each day, as well as spraying outside handrails and taps several times during the day.  The site was also very quiet, despite it being almost full, as people kept to their pitches and no visitors were allowed onto site.  The weather was fabulous, we felt safe and secure, so had a brilliant weekend.

After arriving on Friday we sat outside Cali and read our books.  We've missed going away in Cali and just wanted to enjoy sitting outside and doing nothing!

Pitch 96 Willingcott

On Saturday we walked along the Tarka Trail (the back gate on site opens straight onto the trail) into Ilfracombe.  It was an easy walk into the town which was much quieter than we expected.  We then walked along the coast path to Beacon Point for some lovely views back towards Ilfracombe.

Beacon Point towards Ilfracombe

After taking some photos of the view we headed back to Ilfracombe for lunch in a small cove with views to the harbour.  As the day was getting hotter, we headed back along the Tarka Trail to the site and and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside Cali.

We had a leisurely start to the day on Sunday, reading our books outside Cali and taking a potter around the site.  We then headed back home late morning to get Cali ready for next weekend's trip.

The first time we visited this site with Cali was in May 2017 when we said it would be a great for overnight stops, but not a site to visit for longer as there was so little walking from the site.  We obviously hadn't looked at the maps properly as there are so many paths nearby, it's easy to walk to the coast path and the Downs as well as a regular bus service nearby.  Three years of Cali has certainly changed the way we look at sites and our walking.

10-12 July 2020  

Tuesday 26 May 2020

Cali 2 - Update

We've had an email from the dealer to say that as Germany was one of the first countries to relax their restrictions, building of our new campervan has progressed and we now have an anticipated delivery date of late July.  Once she arrives at the dealer there are a few things for them to do before we can collect so we're expecting collection sometime in August, which is better than we were anticipating.

Sites are hoping to open in early July, albeit with many restrictions.  We've decided not to go away for two weeks in July as we want to see how we feel about visiting sites.  We've booked several weekends over July and August, all in Devon.  If we feel comfortable with the way sites are operating we plan a fortnight in Cornwall in September or October - hopefully in our new campervan!

26 April 2020

Sunday 19 April 2020

Cali is three today!

Cali is three today and is celebrating her birthday sitting in the car park at home.  Over the last year we've driven 6,110 miles, had several day trips, spent 62 nights in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Northumberland, West Midlands, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, as well as journeys to visit friends and family.

Our last trip was to Dorset in March, a week or so before sites closed because of Covid-19.  Most sites are closed until the end of June, with further reviews so who knows when we'll be away in Cali again.   The only time she leaves the car park is when Steve drives her to work once a week.

This year we also made the decision to buy Cali 2 - a Hymer Ayres Rock.  We placed our order in January for an estimated delivery of mid-May.  We've no idea whether she's in Italy (for the base vehicle build) or Germany (for the conversion) but as the dealer is closed we're not expecting delivery for a while.  We're anticipating delivery in the Autumn when hopefully sites will be open again.

Who knows what the next year will bring!

19 April 2020

Sunday 15 March 2020

Cali has been to Poole

The forecast didn't look too bad for the weekend so we made a last minute decision to go away for the weekend.  A friend had recommended South Lytchett Manor near Poole, so we made a booking for two nights.

The site is well laid out and has lovely facilities.  Pitches are allocated depending on size of the unit but are all spacious.

Pitch 33 South Lytchett Manor

As the surrounding footpaths were very muddy due to the heavy rain over the past few weeks, we caught the bus to Poole on Saturday morning.  The bus stop is outside the site (buses between Poole and Swanage) so we didn't have to take Cali off site.

Poole towards Bournemough

We walked along the front at Poole towards Bournemouth, turning back when it started to rain.  We went back to the Quay and had lunch at the Portsmouth Hoy before a mooch around the town and catching the bus back to the site.

Sunday started dry, but it soon began to rain so we decided to head home after breakfast.  This is a lovely site and one we will return to in the future.

13-15 March 2020

Sunday 23 February 2020

Cali has been to Wareham

We had planned on going to the Camping and Caravan Show at the NEC but as we've already ordered Cali 2 we had a change of plan.  We've been keeping an eye on the weather forecast to see where the best weather was likely to be and opted to stop at Hunter's Moon Caravan Club Site at Wareham.

Pitch 64 Hunter's Moon

We had just finished pitching on Thursday afternoon when it started to rain heavy and then rained on and off all night.  Luckily our pitch was near to the amenities block, so we didn't get too wet.  As strong winds were also forecast, we didn't raise the roof for the weekend.

On Friday we woke to a windy but dry morning and decided to go walking for the day.  The only downside to the site is there is no bus service nearby, so we drove Cali off site and went to Swanage.  We walked to Durlston Country Park in the morning, into Swanage for lunch at the Love Cake cafe and then a walk along the seafront in the afternoon.  By late afternoon it had started to cloud over so we returned to site.

Old Harry Rocks & Swanage Pier

Friday night was very windy - even with the roof down we could feel the wind blowing Cali.  Neither of us had much sleep.  On Saturday we woke to a damp, drizzly morning so drove to the National Trust car park at Studland Bay.  By the time we had read the paper and had a coffee, the rain had stopped and the sun came out. 

Studland Beach

We walked along the beach to the Shell Bay Bistro for lunch and then back to Cali returning to the site late afternoon.

Saturday was another wet and windy night.  Sunday morning was also wet so after breakfast we decided to head home.  Despite the weather it was a lovely weekend and we made the best of the dry spells to go walking.

20-23 February 2020

Wednesday 12 February 2020

Cali 2 - Confirmation of Order

After several emails between us, Highbridge Motorhomes and Hymer in Germany, it's now all arranged that Highbridge can change one of their existing stock orders to our specification.  This means we should have delivery mid-May rather than mid-July if they had placed a new order.

Mid-May works well for us as we'll be able to have a few weekends away before we travel to Kent at the end of June.

12 February 2020

Saturday 25 January 2020

Cali 2 is on order!

Well, we've done it - we've placed an order for Cali 2!  Our new campervan will be a Hymer Ayres Rock.  We'll both be sad to sell Cali, but the new campervan is full height, has a fixed bed and shower/toilet and is only half a metre longer than Cali.  The compromise is that it has a smaller living area, but that's fine for us.

We're buying Cali 2 from Highbridge who were at the Motorhome Show at Westpoint this weekend, so we got a free pass from the dealer to attend the show and place our order.  He's got to check on delivery time, but we expect it to arrive around May or June

25 January 2020

Tuesday 21 January 2020

Cali has been to Bath Chew

On Saturday we went to Paignton and viewed a Knaus Boxstar and then travelled to Highbridge to see a Hymer Ayres Rock.  We've narrowed our choice down to these two vehicles so also obtained prices from the dealers.  

As the forecast for the weekend was good we had booked Saturday night at Bath Chew Caravan Park.  We'd visited the site many years ago when we had our caravan, but couldn't remember how much walking we would be able to do from the site.  We had booked a standard hardstanding pitch but as the site was fairly quiet they upgraded us to a Fully Serviced Pitch, at no extra cost.  

It was getting dark when we arrived so after showers we had our meal and settled down for the evening.  Thankfully we had taken our thermal covers as we woke to a heavy frost.  The temperature inside Cali was 2 degrees, but I had left the heater remote control by the bed so I could turn it on for a while before we got up.

Pitch 41 Bath Chew

The site was lovely and just how we remembered it, it's like camping in a large garden.  The site has individual shower/toilet rooms, which is a nice idea but mops would have been good so the floor could be dried as they soon got very wet and muddy.  

We left the site on Sunday morning and visited another dealer to look at a Boxstar and then returned to Highbridge to refresh our memory on the Ayres Rock.  Which one will it be?

18 January 2020 

Monday 13 January 2020

Cali has been to Wareham and Hayling Island

It's been over two months since we camped in Cali and have really missed our time away, so were itching to get away again. The weather forecast was slightly better this weekend so we booked two nights at Hunters Moon Caravan Club Site at Wareham as we wanted to visit Hayling Island to view some campervans.  

We arrived on site late afternoon on Friday and set up on a pitch near the facilities as it was very windy and starting to rain - again!  As we were heading off early the next morning we hadn't taken the thermal pop-up cover so left the roof down overnight.  

It didn't take long to get on the road on Saturday and we drove across to Hayling Island.  We saw several VanTourer campervans and have now crossed them off our list as we felt the living area was cramped.  After leaving the dealer we headed to the seafront and had lunch at the Inn on the Beach.  It was very windy and bitterly cold, so we only had a short walk along the beach - looking across to Portsmouth.

Hayling Island Seafront towards Portsmouth

We had a short drive around Hayling Island and decided we'll return one day to camp and have a walk around the island.  It was dark when we got back to site but we still got pitched in about ten minutes.  There was another awful storm overnight with very strong winds and torrential rain, so it was a lovely surprise to wake on Sunday to blue sky and sun.

Pitch 62 Hunter's Moon

After breakfast we packed up and drove to Lyme Regis for a walk along the seafront.  The day was glorious and we walked several miles around the Cobb and the Langmoor Gardens.

Langmoor Gardens towards Charmouth

We had a lovely weekend and realise how much we have missed going away.  Hopefully the weather will start to improve so we can get away for more weekends.

10-12 January 2020