Martha has been to Stafford and Bridgnorth

Our latest trip with Martha has been a few nights to visit our families and deliver Christmas presents.

On Tuesday we drove to my mother's house in Rugeley for a quick visit before heading to Spring Paddock Caravan Site.  Although the morning had been dry, it started to rain again in the afternoon - thankfully it didn't start until we had set up.  

Pitch 5 Spring Paddock

We had a lot of rain overnight and woke to a damp morning on Wednesday.  After breakfast we drove to see my mother and sister, leaving mid afternoon and driving back to site.  Early evening my niece came to collect us from the site and we went to the Chetwynd Arms, spending the evening with my niece, her partner, youngest son and his girlfriend.  After a most enjoyable few hours we had a lift back to the site.

On Thursday we drove to Stanmore Hall Touring Park, calling at the care home where Steve's father lives to see him and Steve's mother.  We stayed longer than planned so we could see Steve's brother and didn't get to the site until late afternoon.  It was getting dark when we set up, as well as raining again so after showers we settled down for the evening.

We woke to a sunny morning on Friday and drove to see Steve's mother before returning to the care home.  As we had spent so long at the home the previous day we left at lunchtime to return to the site as we wanted to have a bit of 'us time' and a walk.

Pitch 106 Stanmore Hall

In the afternoon we walked from the site to Stanmore Country Park and spent a couple of hours walking around the tracks.  There were some new sculptures in the park - our favourite was the plane, which is appropriate at the Country Park is part of the former RAF Bridgnorth.

Stanmore Plane 

On Saturday we decided to catch the bus into Bridgnorth.  We had a potter around the town before treating ourselves to lunch at The Atrium.  We had a short walk in the afternoon but returned to the site when we started to get too cold.  

Sunday was our time to travel home.  We had planned on having a few days at another site, but as the weather forecast wasn't too good for the following week we decided to go home instead.  

7-12 November 2023

Martha has been to Fareham

After living in Martha for a few weeks, we found we had got a few small jobs that needed to be put right under warranty.  The Service Centre managed to book us into the workshop in October, before Rookesbury Park Club Campsite closed for the winter.

We drove to the site on Sunday, arriving early afternoon and set up on a lovely large sunny pitch.  We had a dry afternoon so went for a walk in Hundred Acres Wood - after all the rain we've had over the past few weeks the smaller paths were very muddy but the main track was fine.

Pitch 24 Rookesbury Park

On Monday we decided to walk to Wickham, walking through the wood and along the old railway line.  We had a potter around the shops and a coffee at Wickham Coffee House before walking back to the site.  As it had been very muddy on the side paths we walked back along the main track to the car park and then to the main entrance of the site.

We had torrential rain overnight and then an early start on Tuesday as Southdowns wanted the van as early as possible.  We were both feeling tired so after leaving the van we walked to Hilsea Station to catch the train to Portsmouth Harbour.  We treated ourselves to breakfast at the Cosy Club before having a walk around the harbour  and then visiting the shops when it started to rain.   We caught the train back to Southdowns early afternoon to collect the van and were pleased that all the small jobs had been done and there was no charge to us either.  We set up quickly when we arrived back at the site as it started to rain again and continued to rain evening.

It continued to rain overnight, but we woke on Wednesday to a lovely sunny morning.  A lot of the pitches were flooded after the previous night's rain, but our pitch had drained well.  We decided to avoid the muddy tracks through the wood so walked to the site entrance, through the car park and main tracks to the railway line and back into Wickham.  Parts of the railway line path were flooded, some we could paddle through but others we had to make a detour as the water was so deep.  After having our lunch and a pot of tea at the Wickham Coffee Shop we walked back to the site along the same route.

We drove home on Thursday and managed to get everything unpacked and Martha back to storage before the rain started again.  We enjoyed our time at the site, but it was one of the wettest trips we've had for a while.

22-26 October 2023

Martha has been to Burnham-on-Sea and Cheddar

The weather has been awful since our last trip to North Devon, so we've been watching the weather forecast to see when some drier weather was due.  The forecast looked good for a few days so we made a last minute booking.

On Monday we travelled to Hurn Lane Club Campsite.  We've previously visited this site as we want to see the wooden lighthouse on the beach at Burnham and also to walk across Brean Down to the fort - we've not managed to do either on our previous visits.  Despite the forecast showing fine weather, it rained all the way to the site, stopping just long enough for us to set up.  The rain started again after we had pitched so we stayed in Martha all afternoon.

Pitch 31 Hurn Lane

It rained heavily overnight and Tuesday morning, finally stopping late morning.  We walked along the beach to the wooden lighthouse and then to Burnham to have our lunch and a cup of tea.  Unfortunately we got caught in a heavy shower on the way back, but luckily the sun came back out and dried our clothes before we returned to site.

The Wooden Lighthouse

Wednesday was a dry day, but there was a cold wind which was fine for our walk to Brean Down.  We walked along the beach, stopping for a cup of tea at the National Trust cafe before climbing to the top of the down and walking to the fort.  We enjoyed the walk and as it was a clear day we had good views across to Wales.

On Thursday it was time to travel to Cheddar Club Campsite.  By the time we arrived on site the sun was out and we chose a lovely pitch where we could get afternoon sun.  After setting up we walked to Cheddar for a pot of tea at the Cafe Gorge and then returned to site to sit in the sun for a while.

Pitch 9 Cheddar

Friday was a lovely sunny day and we decided to do the Gorge Walk.  We had previously walked the south path but hadn't completed the circular walk along the north path.  It was a lovely walk and good to see the Gorge from both sides too.

North Path down The Gorge

Saturday was a glorious sunny day and after the climbing on the previous day's Gorge walk, we decided to have an easier day and walked along the Strawberry Line through Axbridge to Winscombe.  Unfortunately the tunnel on the route was closed so we had a detour which made the walk a little longer, but it was still very enjoyable.

We both felt tired after the previous day's long walk and decided to walk around the reservoir on Sunday.  Although this is an easy walk and not too far, we both began to feel the heat as it was a very hot day (hotter than a lot of days over the summer) so we returned to site mid afternoon to sit outside Martha.

Monday was our day to travel home.  We would have liked to stay away for longer, but both of us had appointments booked for the following week so we couldn't extend our stay.

2-9 October 2023

Martha has been to Woolacombe

We spent a few days at home making a some tweaks to Martha's living space and then decided to head off for a few days to try everything out.  We didn't want to travel too far so decided to visit Willingcott Club Camp Site in Woolacombe.

We set off from home mid morning on Tuesday and had a good journey to the site, arriving early afternoon. After setting up we decided to have an easy afternoon so had a walk around the site and along the adjacent footpath to the pub for a drink.

Pitch 100 Willingcott

We woke on Wednesday to a lovely sunny morning so walked along the old railway line from the site to Ilfracombe. We sat by the harbour for our lunch before having a look around the town and then walking back to the site. 

Thursday was supposed to be another sunny day but it was a lot cooler and very windy. After our long walk the previous day we decided to have an easier walk.  We walked from the site to Mortehoe and along the coast road to Woolacombe. After lunch at Captain Jack's we caught the bus back to the site.

Friday was a little warmer and we decided to have a longer, more challenging walk.  We walked from the site through the woods to Lee Bay, making a detour into the village for a mug of tea at The Old Schoolroom Craft Gallery.  We made our way to the coast path and walked past Bull Point Lighthouse and Morte Point before walking into Woolacombe.  We found the walk quite challenging, so after a pot of tea at The Captain's Table we caught the bus back to site.

Morte Point towards Bull Nose Lighthouse

We had a lot of heavy rain overnight and woke to a wet morning on Saturday.  By mid morning the rain had eased so we walked to a nearby caravan park to buy a newspaper before returning to site as it started to rain again.  We stayed on site all afternoon, venturing out for short walks around the site when it stopped raining.

On Sunday it was time to travel home and plan our next adventure.

12-17 September 2023

Zebedee is for sale

We sold Zeb on 4 September and Southdown Motorhomes had him listed on their website the following day - for £10,000 more than we paid for him three years ago!

I'm sure he'll go to a good home and someone will enjoy using him as much as we have.

5 September 2023

Zeb and Martha have been to Fareham

We had arranged collection of Martha on 4 September, but didn't think it would happen on that day as DVLA hadn't registered it until the last day of August.  Thankfully our collection slot had been reserved for us so we booked a few nights at Rookesbury Park Club Campsite to stay for the handover.

We loaded Zeb and drove to the site on Sunday.  After setting up on site we stayed on site as it was so hot in the afternoon.  We have loved every minute of our adventures in Zeb so were a little apprehensive about the change, especially as we had been waiting so long for our new van.

Pitch 51 Rookesbury Park

Our handover was booked for 10.00am on Monday, so we had an early start to pack the rest of our belongings into boxes and bags before driving to Southdown Motorhomes.  The handover was a bit chaotic, but we were happy with all we had been shown so drove back to the site stopping for some shopping and some diesel.   After setting up on site we unpacked some of our bags and boxes before sitting outside Martha for the rest of the afternoon.

Pitch 51 Rookesbury Park

We had decided to have another couple of nights on the site before heading back home so we could try everything in the van whilst we were still close to the dealership, just in case there were any problems.  After our hectic day on Monday we decided to go for a walk into Wickham on Tuesday - it was a very hot day but the walk through the woods was lovely and cool.  We had lunch at The King's Head before walking back through the woods to the site and sitting in the shade.

Wednesday was another very hot day so we decided to stay on site.  We spent the day sitting in the shade and trying to keep us (and Martha) cool .  We spent time making some lists of a few things we want to buy for Martha too.

Thursday was our day to travel back home.  We enjoyed our days at the site and starting to get used to our new van and know it's been the right choice for us.

3-7 September 2023

Martha has arrived in Portsmouth

Martha has arrived at the dealership in Portsmouth - so we were sent a few photographs to show us what she looks like!  The vehicle now has to be registered and duties paid, as well as having a few jobs carried out by the dealer so we have arranged collection on 4 September (which is the same date we collected Zeb three years ago).

18 July 2023

Zeb has been to Bridgnorth, Stafford, Poolsbrook, York, Dalby Forest, Pickering, Barnard Castle, Lower Wensleydale, Masham, Harrogate, Castleton & Warwick

This is our longest trip of the year, and the longest we've ever been away from home - 38 nights.

As we were travelling north we started with visits to our families.  On Thursday we travelled to Stanmore Hall Touring Park, which is the site we use when visiting Steve's family.  After setting up on site we walked around the Country Park for a couple of hours before returning to site.

Pitch 106 Stanmore Hall

It was Steve's birthday on Friday and we headed off to see his family. We went to collect his mother and drove to the nursing home where his father lives, his brother also joined us for lunch. We drove back to site late afternoon and had a long journey with the Friday evening traffic through Wolverhampton.

On Saturday we picked Steve's mother up and took her to the nursing home, staying a couple of hours before driving to Spring Paddock CL. After setting up we had a walk through the lanes to Bednall before stopping at the Chetwnd Arms for a drink and returning to the site.

Pitch 2 Spring Paddock

Sunday was our day to see my mother and sister in Rugeley.  We had a longer journey than usual as most of the roads over Cannock Chase were shut due to the Ironman challenge, so had a detour through Cannock. After our family visit we returned to the site mid afternoon to have a shower and a quick meal before my niece collected us to go to her house for the evening. We all sat in her garden until the storm started which saw us heading indoors for the rest of the evening.  My niece kindly gave us a lift back to the site when the rain eased.

On Monday we headed north and stopped at Poolsbrook Country Park Club Campsite which we had planned as a stopover for a couple of nights.  After setting up we had a short walk around the Country Park but returned to the site after a couple of miles as it was too hot to walk. We sat in the shade for a while before the storm arrived and we retreated indoors.

Pitch 23 Poolsbrook Country Park

Tuesday was another hot start to the day. We walked from the site towards, through the Country Park to the Chesterfield Canal.   We walked along the canal for a short distance before returning to Staveley and back to the site. It was even hotter by the afternoon so we stayed in the shade outside the van.

Chesterfield Canal

We enjoyed the site and as it's not too far from the motorway it's an ideal site for stopping over on long journeys, although we found the Country Park rather disappointing.

On Wednesday it was time to move to our next site - York Rowntree Park Club Campsite.  The site is only a short distance from the centre of York and is between the river and Rowntree Park. We found a lovely large pitch in the centre of the site and after setting up went for a walk to York.

Pitch 58 York Rowntree Park

We decided to have a treat on Thursday and booked breakfast at The Cosy Club.  After breakfast we visited Clifford's Tower, climbing to the top of the tower for some spectacular views.  We spent the rest of the day pottering around the city and walking along some of the city trails before returning to the site when the heat became too intense.

Friday was another hot day and we started with a walk to The Cold War Bunker as we had booked a tour. The hour long tour was very interesting and after it finished we walked back towards York, stopping at Goddards to walk around the garden and have a pot of tea.  After leaving the gardens we visited the Treasurer's House before returning to the site through Rowntree Park.

Treasurer's House, York

Saturday was our final day in York and we spent it walking around the City Walls and along the river to the Millenium Bridge before returning to site to sit in the sun with a G&T.

We both enjoyed staying at the York site and would like to have stayed longer, I'm sure we'll return in the future.

On Sunday we drove to Dalby Forest Campsite, a small farm site on the edge of Dalby Forest. After setting up on site we walked to Lower Dalby and the Visitor Centre. We walked the Ellerbeck Red Trail and part of the Dalby Beck Yellow Trail back to the site, walking further than planned but we wanted to make the most of the fine weather as rain was forecast the following day.

Pitch 5 Dalby Forest Campsite

We had a lot of rain overnight and woke to a cool, cloudy morning on Monday.  More rain was forecast early afternoon so we walked the Pexton Moor Blue Trail, not venturing too far from the site in case it started raining.  The sky seemed settled so we walked to the Visitor centre and then the Sneverdale Rigg Rabbit Run, whether there were several sculptures, before heading back to the site.  The forecast storm never arrived so we sat outside the van until early evening.

The Lumber Jills, Dalby Forest

We enjoyed walking the trails and although the site was ideally situated at the entrance to the Forest, it's too far away from the northern trails so it's unlikely we would visit again.

On Tuesday we headed to Beckside Campsite in Pickering. The weather was awful with torrential rain for our journey. We had planned on visiting somewhere on the way, but as it was raining so hard we stopped at the Cedarbarn Farm Shop for a pot of tea. It was still raining heavily when we arrived on site, which didn't help our first impression as it seemed very crowded. Fortunately the rain eased by late afternoon so we walked into Pickering before returning to site.

Pitch 6 Beckside Campsite

Wednesday was a lovely day, especially after the heavy rain the previous day. We walked to Pickering Castle and then walked through Lowther Woods before returning to site and sitting in the sun until late evening.

On Thursday we walked into Pickering to catch the bus to Whitby. The journey took about an hour as it visited several villages over the Moors, including Goathland. After visiting Whitby Abbey, having a potter around the harbour and town we had lunch at Abbey Wharf before catching the bus back to Pickering and walking back to site.

The forecast was a little mixed for Friday so we decided to catch the bus to Goathland. There were a couple of short walks we wanted to do but we decided we could also pop into a cafe if it started raining.  Our first walk was to Mallyan Spout, the walk towards the waterfall was challenging as it was a scramble over wet rocks but worth it to see the waterfall. We went back to Goathland for lunch before walking over the Moors in the afternoon and then catching the bus back to Pickering.

Mallyan Spout

Saturday was a lovely day so we caught the bus again, this time we got off at the Hole of Horcum. We did a circular walk across Levisham Moor and through the bottom of the valley.  It was one of our favourite walks as the scenery was stunning, but as it was a very hot day and we were both feeling tired we decided to catch an earlier bus back to Pickering.

Hole of Horcum

We enjoyed all the walking from this site and Pickering is also a lovely town, but the site was the worst one of our trip.  The pitches were cramped, facilities were limited and grubby - definitely not a site for us to use again.

On Sunday we moved to Teesdale Barnard Castle Club Campsite.  The site was fairly quiet so we had a good choice of pitches, choosing one on the lower section of the site as it was furthest from the road and also sheltered by a hedge.  Rain was forecast in the afternoon so we decided to stay on site.

Pitch 64 Barnard Castle

Monday was another day with a mixed weather forecast.  In the morning we walked to Barnard Castle, pottered around the shops and had a coffee at Moments Café before returning to site for lunch.  There was still no sign of the rain so we walked through the Deepdale Nature Reserve, across the aquaduct and along the river before returning to site.

River Tees from Aquaduct

The forecast was for a wet day on Tuesday and for once it was right so we stayed on site all day, just having a short walk around the site when the rain eased 

We enjoyed staying on this site and hope to return one day as there is so much more for us to see and do in the area.  

On Wednesday it was time to travel to our next site - Lower Wensleydale Club Campsite.  The site is in an old quarry with an unusual layout and we found a lovely sunny pitch on the lower section. After lunch we decided to have a walk to Leyburn, fortunately we had taken our waterproofs with us as it started to rain heavily.  We stopped at the Leyburn Station Cafe for a pot of tea and waited for the rain to stop before continuing our walk into Leyburn.

Pitch 45 Lower Wensleydale

Thursday was a fine day, but cool and windy. We walked from the site to Leyburn and then did a circular walk across the top of Leyburn Shawl.  Although the walk was lovely a lot of the trees had grown so tall that the views were obscured, but there were a few gaps in the trees to admire the views.  We made our way back to Leyburn and the site, stopping at the Inspired Chocolate factory on our way back. We sat outside for a while before it became too cold and we retreated inside.

Leyburn Shawn towards Penhill Beacon

Friday was a day with mixed weather so we had a short walk to Leyburn in the morning, returning to site when it started to rain.  In the afternoon we had another short walk to Harmby to find the start of the footpath to Middleham for our walk on Saturday.  We also had a slight detour to Harmby Waterfall, a lovely waterfall tucked behind some houses.

Saturday was forecast as being cool but dry so we walked to Middleham as we wanted to visit Middleham Castle to see the Richard III Festival. We walked the longest route on our way to Middleham to get the good views down to the village. We visited the Castle but found the Festival a bit tacky so didn't stay long and walked the quicker route back to the site.

We enjoyed staying on this site and liked it's quirky layout.  I'm not sure if we would visit the area again, but if we did we would definitely return to this site.

On Sunday we drove to Old Station Holiday Park at Masham.  We decided to visit Jervlaux Abbey on the way and although it was interesting to walk round it was very overgrown so it was difficult to see some of the ruins. We got to the site early afternoon and after setting up we had a walk into Masham.

Pitch 5 Old Station Holiday Park

Monday was forecast as another wet day so we caught the bus to Richmond. The journey took about an hour as it went through several small villages enabling us to see a lot more of the area.  We both liked the town and after pottering around the shops we walked along the river as well as visiting Richmond Castle.

Richmond Castle Keep Looking South

Whilst in Masham we decided to do a brewery tour. The town has two breweries but only Theakstons had a tour on Tuesday, so that's the one we booked. We started the day with breakfast as the The King's Head before the tour, which was very interesting and we enjoyed the samples after the tour! As the weather was fine we did a short circular walk around the town before returning to site.

On Wednesday it was time to move to our next site. We stopped in Ripon for a few hours to look around another town.  We then drove to the The Cud Life near Harrogate and were given a pitch with fabulous views across the valley. After setting up we had a lazy afternoon on site.

Pitch 2 The Cud Life

One of the main reason to stay at this site was to visit Harrogate and on Thursday we caught the bus to the town.  Our first stop was Betty's Tea Room for a pot of tea and Fat Rascal. We walked around the town before heading to Valley Gardens which are Grade II listed gardens and were one of the best gardens we've visited for a while. 

Friday was forecast as a lovely hot day so we caught the bus to Summerfield and walked to Brimham Rocks.  We spent several hours walking around the rocks and across the Moors before catching the bus back to site.  

Brimham Rocks

Saturday started fine and dry so we walked to Killinghall for the paper and some croissants for breakfast. We sat outside for breakfast, but the rain started again so we retreated inside and spent the rest of the day on site. It rained on and off all day, with an awful storm starting as we went to bed.

Although we enjoyed staying on this site, we're not sure we would return to the area.  Harrogate was disappointing (other than Betty's and Valley Gardens) and although we enjoyed the walking we did all the walks we had planned.

On Sunday it was time for our next site - Castleton Club Campsite.  We had a long journey due to roadworks on the motorway and diversions outside Chesterfield. We arrived on site mid afternoon and after setting up had a short walk to Castleton, heading back to site when the sky started to get very dark.  We timed it well as we were back before the rain started.

Pitch 78 Castleton

Monday was forecast as a dry morning and wet afternoon so we decided to walk to Blue John Cavern one of the reasons we decided to stay at the site. We walked through Castleton and up Winnatts Pass to the Caverns to meet George, our tour guide.  The Caverns were very impressive and we enjoyed the tour, although Steve was beginning to get chilled (the Caverns are a regular temperature of 6°) by the end of the tour.  After a cup of tea to warm us up when we returned to the surface we walked back to site, getting back just as it started to rain again.

Winnats Pass

Tuesday's forecast was for a dry morning and another wet afternoon. We walked from the site into Castleton and explored some of the backstreets and visited a few of the Blue John jewellery shops, before heading back to site before it started raining.

The forecast for Wednesday was similar to the previous couple of days. We walked to Hope and then Castleton before returning to site when we had another wet afternoon.

We last visited this site in 1997 when we had our caravan, so it was a trip down memory lane for us.  We enjoyed the site and the walking in the area, but it's probably not somewhere we would visit again.

On Thursday it was time to start heading home.  We stopped at Warwick Racecourse Club Campsite for a few nights.  After setting up we walked into Warwick for a walk around the town.

Pitch 13 Warwick Racecourse

Friday was a very wet day so we stayed on site until late morning when we walked to Warwick for lunch at the Tilted Wig.  After lunch we headed back to site for the afternoon as it was raining very hard.

On Saturday we walked to Warwick for breakfast at the Two Brothers Cafe before picking up the paper and heading back to site. It was still dry, but very windy, so we walked around the racecourse - the site is sited in the middle of the racecourse along with a small park and golf course. We stayed on site in the afternoon as we had another very heavy downpour.

We enjoyed staying on this site as it's the first racecourse site we've visited.  I'm not sure we would return to Warwick, but if we did then we would be happy to stay on this site agan.

On Sunday it was time for our final journey home.  Neither of us felt ready to go home but as we've a busy month ahead it was time to put our travels on hold for a few weeks.

8 June-16 July 2023

Martha is being built

We've had an update from Southdown Motorhomes and our new van, Martha, is being built and should be with them in a few weeks' time.  Hopefully the long wait is nearly over!

We've chosen Martha for the van as when we were at Hurn Lane last month we saw a campervan with a large sticker 'Martha and the Van Dwellers', which made us smile every time we walked past their pitch.

05.06.2023

Zeb has been to Burnham, Wells, Salisbury, Brockenhurst and Swanage

It's time for the first of our longer 'adventures' this year, a total of 19 nights.

We started our trip at Hurn Lane Club Campsite near Burnham-on-Sea.  We visited this site in 2020 but didn't manage to do much walking as I had injured my foot.

We set off mid morning on Thursday after our class at the gym, arriving on site just after lunch.  After getting pitched on site we had a walk to the beach, returning when it started to rain.  We were both feeling tired so had an early night ready for a longer walk the next day.

Pitch 31 Hurn Lane

More rain was forecast on Friday and we had a wet start to the day so we stayed on site. When it stopped raining we headed to the beach for a short walk towards Burnham, heading back to the site when it started to rain again!

We had torrential rain overnight and woke to a wet morning on Saturday so stayed on site. The rain cleared in the afternoon so we headed back to the beach and walked to Brean Cove. We had hoped to walk over Brean Down, but by the time we got to the Cove it was late afternoon so we had tea and cake at the National Trust cafe before walking back to site.

Brean Down

Our next site was Wells Touring Park, a private site within walking distance of Wells.  We set off after breakfast on Sunday, stopping at the supermarket to top up with groceries. The Wells site is adults only and had been recommended to us - our pitch wasn't the best on the site, but neither was it the worst. After setting up we walked to Wells and had a potter to get our bearings.  We sat in the sun for a while when we returned to site before having showers and something to eat.

Pitch 2 Wells Touring Park

We had torrential rain overnight and it rained on and off most of Monday (typical Bank Holiday weather) so we stayed on site all day.

On Tuesday we walked into Wells and spent the day walking around some local trails, including Vicar's Close which is said to be the oldest residential street in Europe.  We also had a lovely lunch at The Crown before heading back to site when we could hear thunder in the distance, returning to site before the storm .

Vicar's Close, Wells

Wednesday was our day to drive to our next site, Salisbury Camping and Caravanning Club Site.  We were given a choice of pitches and chose one on the edge of the site adjacent to Hudson's Field. After setting up we had lunch and walked into Salisbury for a coffee.

Pitch 9 Salisbury Site

We had a dry start to Thursday so walked into Salisbury, arriving as it started to rain so we popped into a cafe for a coffee until the rain passed.  We then spent the day pottering around some of the landmarks as well as popping into a few shops. We walked back to site mid afternoon and sat outside as it had turned into a hot sunny day.

Friday was forecast as a fine morning and a wet afternoon so we decided to walk to Old Sarem (the main reason we wanted to visit this site) just a short walk from the site.  We walked around Old Sarem site and then took the track to Devenish Country Park.  After a short walk around the woods we walked back to site mid afternoon just as it started to rain again.  

Hudson's Field towards Old Sarem

On Saturday we walked to Salisbury as we wanted to visit the Community Garden and Arundel Gardens as well as walking a few of the town trails.  

On Sunday we travelled to our next site, Black Knowl Club Campsite near Brockenhurst in the New Forest. We visited last year and not only enjoyed the site but felt there was such a lot more walking for us that we've returned for five nights.  We found a lovely pitch in the corner of the site and after setting up we spent the as afternoon on site - the forecast was looking good for the week so we spent the afternoon planning our walks.

Pitch 9 Black Knowl

We woke to a lovely sunny morning on Monday and walked to Brockenhurst and started the day with a coffee at The Buttery before doing a circular walk to Roydon Woods Nature Reserve.  It was a long walk, but we enjoyed it as it was an area we hadn't previously visited.

Tuesday started as another glorious sunny day, so we walked to the Tall Trees Trail.  Although we had walked this trail on our last visit we found it very different to walk in the Spring rather than the Autumn.  We had hoped to walk to the Arboretum, but unfortunately it was closed, so we walked a different trail back to the site.

We had another lovely sunny morning on Wednesday and walked to Lyndhurst.  We walked via different paths to our last visit so we could see another part of the Forest.

We both felt tired on Thursday as we had done three long walks on the previous days, so decided to have an easier day with a short walk around Brockenhurst. We had intended sitting in the sun on our return but it clouded over in the afternoon so we tidied Zeb ready to move to our final site.

Brockenhurst Common

Our final site is one of our favourite sites Haycraft Club Campsite between Swanage and Corfe.  After arriving on site we spent the afternoon sitting outside until the clouds started to get very grey and we heard thunder rumbling around. We retreated inside Zeb just as it started to rain.

Pitch 44 Haycraft

We woke to a lovely sunny morning on Saturday and decided to walk to Swanage. We walked from the site to Langton Matravers, out to Dancing Ledge and along the coast path through Durlston Country Park and Swanage. After a walk around the town we caught the bus back to Haycraft Lane and walked back to the site.

Dancing Ledge

Sunday was another lovely sunny day so we decided to walk to Swanage again. This time we walked from the site to Corfe Castle and across Ballard Down through Durlston and Ullwell to Swanage. As we were too early for the bus we went for a drink at Gee Whites then caught the bus to Haycraft Lane and walked back to the site.

Monday was our last day of this 'adventure' so we decided to have an easier day.  We caught the bus to Swanage and had a potter around the town and along the seafront before having lunch at.The 1959 Pier Cafe and Bistro.  Although it was a lovely sunny day, it was also very windy but we managed to get an outside table in a sheltered spot and sat out for our lunch.

Tuesday was our day to travel home and to reflect on the sites we visited.  We will probably return to Hurn Lane, although it's not one of our favourite sites we've not been able to walk over Brean Down or see the wooden lighthouse.  I'm not sure we'll return to Salisbury as we've done all the walking we wanted to do from the site and neither of us were keen on the town.  The Wells site was lovely but we were unable to do many of the things we had planned due to the awful storm, so we'll be back in the future.  Black Known and Haycraft remain two of our favourite sites in two of our favourite walking areas, so both will be visited again.

4-23 May 2023

Zeb has been to Carlyon Bay

We hadn't planned on going away so soon after our last trip, but the forecast showed a week of fine weather which was too good to miss so we booked a last minute break.  We wanted to go somewhere we've not visited for ages and decided on Carlyon Bay, booking four nights at Carlyon Bay Camping Park.

We drove down to Cornwall on Monday and set up on site.  The site is large (150-160 pitches) but there were only three other pitches occupied when we arrived.  We had a look around the site, which appeared a bit shabby, before walking to the beach.  There are a lot of pop-up cafes and shops on the beach and as it was a lovely sunny afternoon we sat out for a drink before heading back to site.

Tuesday was another lovely sunny morning so we caught the bus from outside the site entrance to Fowey.  After a coffee at Havener's Bar we walked the coast path back to Carlyon Bay.  There were a few challenging climbs on the walk so we were glad to get back to the site and sit in the sun.

Pitch 1 Carlyon Bay Camping Park

After our long walk the previous day we decided to have an easier day on Wednesday and walked to Charlestown.  The harbour is lovely with some good cafes and bars as well as craft shops.  As it started to get quite cold in the afternoon we took a slow walk back to the site..

On Thursday we decided to visit Pinetum Gardens which was a short walk from the site.  The gardens were lovely and we spent several hours walking around them - our favourite areas were the Japanese Garden and Pinetum.

The Japanese Garden

The Pinetum

On Friday it was time to return home to get ready for our next 'adventure'.

17-21 April 2023

Zeb has been to Tregurrian

We've been wanting to get away for a break since our family visit in February, but the weather has been awful.  We've kept an eye on the forecast and when a few fine days were on the way we made a last minute booking at Tregurrian Camping and Caravanning Club Site.  We've been to this site a couple of times so know there is plenty of walking from the site as well as bus stops in the village.

As it's not far to the site we went to our class at the gym on Wednesday morning before setting off for Tregurrian.  We had a long journey through heavy rain, but it eases as we got to the site so we didn't get too wet setting up.  The site was almost empty so we had a choice of pitches and chose one on the edge of the site.  After setting up and having early showers we stayed in Zeb as it was very wet all evening and overnight.

Thursday was forecast as a dry, windy day so we walked the coast path to Porth.  We had tea and cake at Gwenna Teahouse when we arrived before having a look at the holiday accommodation where my niece and her family are staying in the summer.  After lunch we headed back to the site to sit in the sun and read our books.

Pitch 22 Tregurrian

On Friday we decided to catch the bus to Porthcothan and walk back to site.  It was a challenging walk with steep climbs out of Bedruthan Steps and Mawgan Porth, but there were also cafes and places to stop on the way back.  The weather turned warmer as the day progressed, which made us more tired.

Mawgan Porth

After two days of walking we decided to catch the bus to Padstow on Saturday.  Although it was only about ten miles, the journey took over an hour as it took several detours through the small villages.  Padstow was very busy but after tea and cake at Caffe Rojano we had a potter around the town and then walked out along the headland.

On Sunday we caught the bus to Newquay, walked to Fistral Beach and then back along the coast path to the site.  There was a cold wind all day, so we stopped a couple of times for tea and took our time as Steve wasn't feeling too good with the cold weather.

More rain was forecast on Monday so it was a good day to travel back home

5-10 April 2023