Martha has been to Bridgnorth, Stafford, Portmerion, Angelsey and Malvern

After three short trips in Martha to check everything was okay following our lengthy warranty work over the winter, it's time for our first long adventure of the year.

On Sunday (27 April) we drove to Stanmore Hall Touring Park. - the day had started misty with the forecast of a mini heatwave.  After setting up on site we had lunch before walking across the road to the Country Park. We returned to the site after a short walk to sit in the sun and read our books.

Stanmore Hall 102

On Monday (28 April) we went to see Steve's mother.  We stayed with her for a few hours before driving to Spring Paddock Caravan Park.  It was a lovely sunny day so after setting up we sat outside until late evening.

Spring Paddock 1

Tuesday was another hot sunny day. We drove off site to visit my mother and sister before returning to the site early afternoon. After setting up we walked to the Chetwynd Arms for a drink before returning to the site for the evening.

On Wednesday (30 April) we drove to Portmeirion Motorhome Park.  We've wanted to visit Portmeirion for a long time and as they now have a motorhome park in the village we decided to visit on our way to Anglesey.  The site was situated between the car park and delivery depot, so at times it was noisy but the facilities were clean and the site fees included unlimited access to the village.  After setting up we spent the afternoon walking around the village to get our bearings for the following day's walks.  It was very busy so we went back to the site late afternoon and then returned to the village in the evening when it was a lot quieter.

Portmeirion Motorhome Park 5

Thursday started with another very hot morning and our day began with a walk around the village before the day visitors arrived. When the village began to get busy we walked along the coast path and then spent the rest of the day walking the woodland trails where it was a little cooler.  We returned to the site mid afternoon to sit in the shade before going back to the village for another walk in the evening.

Portmeirion

On Friday (2 May) it was time to head to Anglesey and our first site Gadlys Touring Park at Cemeas Bay.  The site's in the grounds of a 4* hotel and was rather expensive so we were expecting something special.  Unfortunately the site was a disappointment as it was scruffy with grubby facilities.  After setting up we walked into Cemeas, which is a lovely village with lots of walking trails. We returned to the site late afternoon and sat outside until it got cold.

Gadlys Touring Park 14

Saturday started dry and cloudy, there was also a cool breeze as we were on the north coast. We caught the bus to Amlwch and started the day with a walk around the town and harbour. It used to be a mining town but has now seen better days, so we headed for the coast path to walk back towards Cemeas. There was a cold wind all day and the coast is very rugged which made us both feel tired. As we neared Cemeas there was a very steep section of the path that neither of us wanted to walk as it was too close to the cliffs so we backtracked and took an inland path back to the site.  We sat outside for a while but the wind was still cold we retreated inside Martha.

After our challenging walk on Saturday we decided to have an easier walk on Sunday. It was a lovely sunny morning so we walked from the site towards Cemeas and came across St Patrick's Bell, one of the Time & Tide Bells, which sounded lovely as it was ringing with the tide.  We then walked to the woodland trail and spent several hours walking through the woods before returning to the site for lunch.  In the afternoon we walked an easy section of the coast path.

St Patrick's Bell, Cemeas Beach

Monday was another bright morning and we decided to walk along the coast path to Cemlyn Bay.  It was an easier stretch of the coast path but not as scenic as it skirted the edge of the nuclear power station!  We had almost reached Cemlyn when we came across a field of cows and to continue with our walk would have meant walking through the middle of them.  After our encounter with a herd of cows last year we decided to retrace our steps and returned to the site.

On Tuesday (6 May) we drove to Rhosboeth Caravan Site at Benllech.  It was only a short journey between the sites so we stopped at Amlwych for our lunch. The site was lovely, with spacious pitches, clean facilities and a small shop and laundry with an honesty box.   After setting up on site we walked into Benllech to collect some shopping before returning to site for the evening.

Rhosboeth Caravan Site 3

Wednesday started sunny with the promise of another dry day so we caught the bus to Menai Bridge. After walking around the town and having a pot of tea at we walked across the Menai Bridge to Treborth Botanic Garden.  We spent an hour or so in the gardens before walking back across the bridge to visit Church Island.  We had a short walk along the coast path until it turned inland and then returned to the town and our bus.  When we got back to the site we sat outside for a while until it clouded over and then retreated inside Martha.

Menai Bridge 

Thursday started sunny but with a cool wind and we decided to walk along the coast path to Red Wharf Bay.  On reaching the bay we sat on a bench for our lunch, but as there was a cold wind we retraced our steps back along the coast path to Benllech. After picking up some shopping we headed back to the site. 

The wind had dropped on Friday and it was much warmer.  We walked the coast path in the opposite direction towards Moelfre and out to the lifeboat station and monuments before walking back along the coast path to the site. We sat outside for a while before heading inside the van when it started to get cooler.

Saturday (10 May) we drove to Kingsbridge Caravan Park at Beaumaris.  This isn't our normal type of site as it's very large with a lot of static and seasonal vans but it's the only one near Beaumaris. It was well maintained and also had a clean facilities block so were were happy with it.  After setting up on site we had a short walk to Llangoed before returning to site for the evening.

Kingsbridge Caravan Park 31

Sunday was a lovely sunny morning but with a cool wind. We walked from the site along the coast path to Penmon Point which overlooks Puffin Island.  Most of the coast path is inland along the road, so it wasn't one of our favourite walks.  After lunch we returned to the site on another inland path.

Penmon Point and Puffin Island

We had a lot of rain overnight but Monday started dry so we walked into Beaumaris, a lovely town but very touristy and expensive. We pottered around the town and walked along the seafront before returning to site early afternoon as rain was forecast.  Fortunately we were back at site when the rain started and we also had a thunderstorm in the evening and a lot more rain overnight.

On Tuesday (13 May) we were to move to our next site, but as it was only a short drive we parked in Beaumaris to visit the Castle before heading to Newborough Warren Holiday Park (White Lodge). We had received a text the previous evening with our pitch number and on arriving at the site were surprised to see no-one in reception or on the site, just a note of pitch numbers on the door. After setting up we walked into the village and had a look around the area.

White Lodge 10

Wednesday was a very hot day. We walked from the site to Newborough beach and had our lunch whilst we waited for the tide to go out so we could walk across to Llanddwyn Island. The walk around the island was lovely and we returned to the site on one of the forest trails that seemed endless in the heat. By the time we returned to site we had both had enough sun so stayed inside for the rest of the day..

Thursday was another sunny day but with a breeze so it didn't feel as hot. We decided to have an easier day and caught the bus to Plas Newydd, a National Trust property.  We spent time walking around the gardens and woodland as well as visiting the house. Although we don't normally visit NT houses, we were interested in seeing Whistler's mural in the dining room - which was well worth the visit. It was another lovely evening when we returned to site so we sat outside until late.

Friday was another hot and sunny day. and we walked from the site to the Red Squirrel Trail. The walk through the forest was lovely, especially as it was so cool among the trees.  We didn't see any squirrels on the trail so sat in the picnic area for our lunch and were delighted to see a red squirrel at a feeding station.  We watched the squirrel until it left the feeding station and then walked another woodland trail back to the site. We sat outside for a while but decided we'd had enough sun so had showers and stayed inside for the rest of the evening.

Newborough Red Squirrel

On Saturday (17 May) we drove to our final site - Llanfair Bach Campsite near Holyhead. The site was well laid out with large pitches but the toilet and shower facilities were some of the worst we have every seen.  After setting up we went to get our shopping and then had a walk along the seafront.  It was a hot afternoon so we to site and sat outside for a while.

Llanfair Bach Campsite 7

Sunday was another warm day although there was a cool breeze from the Irish Sea as we were back on the north coast.  We walked through Holyhead, which has seen better days, and along the coast path to the marina. On our way back to the town we had a mug of tea at Cuffed In Coffee before returning to the site mid afternoon.  Although it was very windy our pitch was behind a large hedge which made it very sheltered so we sat outside until early evening.

On Monday we walked along the coast path again, past the marina to Breakwater Country Park. The park is in an old quarry and a lot of the old buildings have been retained, which made it an interesting place to visit. Again we returned to the site mid afternoon and back to our sheltered pitch.

Marina towards Holyhead Mountain

Tuesday was another lovely morning and we walked the coast path in the opposite direction to Penhros Coastal Park., another lovely woodland on the edge of the coast.  Whilst on our walk we decided to cut short our stay at the site - originally we had booked an extra day thinking we may hire a car but we didn't have anywhere we wanted to visit that would justify the cost. We had also had enough of the site and it's awful facilities, so we decided to leave the following day.

On Wednesday (21 May) we drove to Blackmore Club Site at Malvern for an overnight stop to break the journey on our way home. We set off in glorious sunshine but drove into heavy rain near Stafford.  When we arrived on site the rain held off long enough for us to set up before another downpour. After it stopped raining we had a short walk around the site before settling down for the evening.  This is a lovely site and as it's not too far from the motorway it's also a good place to stop to break our journey on the way home.

Blackmore Club Site 46

We arrived home on Thursday to unpack and take Martha back to the storage site.  We've got just ten days to get ready for our next trip to the Lake District.

27 April-22 May

Martha has been to Woolacombe

We've had two short trips in Martha this year and after a week at home we decided to have another few days away - our last short trip before we start our summer travels.  We chose to visit Willingcott Club Campsite in Woolacombe - we've visited this site many times over the years and it's always good to visit out of season, but one to avoid in the middle of the summer as it's far too busy.

On Wednesday (9 April) we travelled to the site and were surprised to see it was very quiet and we were able to choose a pitch in our preferred area of the site.  After setting up we had a short walk before returning to site to enjoy the sun.

Pitch 97 Willingcott

Thursday was another glorious day so we walked along the Tarka Trail to Ilfracombe.  After a short walk around the town we walked along the coast path to Rapparee Cove for our lunch.  We walked back to Ilfracombe along the coast path before returning to the site along the Tarka Trail.

After our long walk to Ilfracombe the previous day we decided to catch the bus to Barnstaple on Friday.  The bus drove the scenic route through several small villages and we had lovely views across the River Taw, before it finally arrived in Barnstaple.  We had a potter around the town before walking along the path at the side of the river.  We caught the bus back to site late afternoon and as it was a lot cooler when we returned we stayed in the van all evening.

Saturday started a lot cooler with the forecast of heavy rain.  We caught the bus into Woolacombe as we didn't want to get caught in the rain whilst walking across the Downs.  The promised rain didn't arrive so we walked to Moretehoe and then back to Woolacombe along the coast path, before catching the bus back to the site mid afternoon.  We had only been back about half an hour when it poured with rain, so our timing had been perfect.  

Woolacombe Surf Reserve

We had a lot more rain overnight but were pleased to have a dry morning to pack up as we returned home on Sunday.  After arriving home we unpacked and then took Martha back to the storage site for a couple of weeks.

9-13 April 2025

Martha has been to Hillhead

We decided to have another few days away to make the best of the glorious weather and book three nights at Hillhead Club Campsite near Brixham.  It's another new site for us and one that we wouldn't choose in the busy summer months as it's a large site, but it was perfect for a few days in April.

We drove to the site on Tuesday morning and set up on a lovely pitch overlooking the sea.  We were both feeling tired so had a walk around the site and settled outside the van with a drink and our books.

Pitch 28 Hillhead

We woke on Wednesday to another warm sunny morning.  We walked from the site to Man Sands and up a verysteep section of the coast path to Berry Head and then into Brixham.  It was a tiring walk as it was a hot day and in places the coast path was quite challenging.  After arriving in Brixham we had a look around the harbour and went to wait for our bus back to the site.  We sat out for a while but the sea mist rolled in and it started to get a lot cooler to we spent the evening in the van.

Man Sands & Coast Path towards Brixham

On Thursday it was a lot cooler and the mist didn't lift all day.  After our long walk the previous day we decided to have an easier walk and went to Coleton Fishacre, which was an gentle walk along quiet lanes from the site.  We looked around the beautiful house and spent time walking around the gardens and woodland before walking back to the site.

Friday was our day to return home.  We enjoyed staying on this site and as there are plenty of local walks and a regular bus service that passes the front entrance to the site we will return - but definitely out of season.

25-28 March 2025

Martha has been to Totnes

After finally getting Martha back home we spent two days cleaning both the inside and outside as she was filthy.  We took her back to storage and waited for some fine weather as we were itching to get away again.  We saw the forecast was looking good for a few days so we booked a last minute break to Steamer Quay Club Campsite at Totnes.   Although we've been to Totnes many times we've never stayed on the site - it's recently been refurbished and is also part of a metered electricity trial, which we were keen to try.

On Tuesday (18 March) we fetched Martha from storage in the morning to load - the site is only about an hour's drive from home so we didn't need an early start.  After setting up on site we had a potter around Totnes and a drink at the Green Cafe. It turned cold so we headed back to site for showers to warm us up and settled down for the evening.

Pitch 7 Steamer Quay

We had a cold start to the day on Wednesday and it was also a little misty.  We walked the trail through the Sharpham Estate to Asprington where we found a bench to sit for lunch and then walked back to site.  It had warmed up through the day so we were able to sit outside for a while with our books and a beer.

Thursday was a lovely sunny day and very warm too.  We walked the Franklin Trail around Totnes.  The walk wasn't what we expected as a lot of it was on rough tracks and there were several climbs, but we enjoyed it and there were some beautiful views of Totnes.

Totnes from top of Franklin Trail

Rain was forecast for Friday afternoon, so we packed up early and drove back home so we could unload before it started to rain.

We really enjoyed this site and there is so much more walking we would like to do, so we will definitely return at some point.  We were also impressed with the metered electric and hope other sites will start to use the scheme.

18-21 March 2025

Martha has been to Exeter - on the back of a tow truck!

Since the summer we've had problems with the vehicle battery on Martha as it discharges too quickly and we've had to charge it every week.  On Wednesday (6 November) we fetched Martha and put her on hook up at home.  When we went to move her in the afternoon, there was no power steering as well as a number of other error codes flashing up on the dash.  Fiat Assist came to us and ran some diagnostics which showed there was low voltage to the power steering - not something they could fix for us.  So off went Martha on the back of a tow truck, initially to their compound overnight, then to be towed to Vospers (the Fiat dealership) the following morning.

Martha getting ready to be towed to Exeter

The fault was diagnosed as water in the power steering which had travelled along the main wiring loom.  Both the steering rack and wiring loom were ordered from Fiat in Italy and so the long wait began.  After 17 weeks and 2 days (7 March) we finally got a call from Vospers to say Martha was ready for collection.  

Both the steering rack and wiring looms have been replaced - this has been a common fault and we have been told the parts have been modified to ensure it will not occur again.  Martha was returned to the storage site and we plan to give a good clean and reload ready for a few, long awaited days away.

6 November 2024-7 March 2025

Martha has been to Stafford and Bridgnorth

It's time for a visit to our families and to take the Christmas presents.  We had planned on visiting them and then going to another site for a few days, but Steve's dad died a couple of weeks ago so we had a shorter family visit so we could take Martha home and ensure we were ready to return in the car for the funeral.  

On Sunday (27 October) we drove to Spring Paddock Caravan & Motorhome Park.  After setting up we had showers and then walked to the Chetwynd Arms to meet my niece and her partner for a meal and few drinks.  They kindly gave us a lift back to site as it was raining (and so they could collect their presents!).

Pitch 5 Spring Paddock

On Monday we drove to Rugeley to see my mother and sister, returning to the site early afternoon.  We had planned on going for a short walk but it started raining again, so we stayed on site for the rest of the day.

On Tuesday (29 October) we drove to Steve's mother for a few hours before driving to Stanmore Hall and setting up.  We were both feeling tired so had showers and our meal before having an early night.

Pitch 104 Stanmore Hall

We went back to Steve's mother's house on Wednesday to deal with some paperwork and we also went for a short walk to the village.  We left mid afternoon to return to site and went for a walk in Stanmore Country Park as we were both in need of some exercise and fresh air.

On Thursday we decided to have a day to ourselves and caught the bus to Bridgnorth.  We had a potter around the town and lunch at The Atrium, before catching the bus to return to site. 

We had planned on returning home on Friday, but Steve's mother had an appointment at Cannock to register his father's death.  We booked another night on site, although we had to move from our lovely quiet pitch at the back of the site to one nearer to the road, but at least they had another pitch for us.  We left Martha at Steve's mother's home and Steve drove her car to Cannock.  After registering the death we went for a quick lunch at The Hollybush Garden Centre before driving back home to complete some more paperwork and then back to the site.  We were both exhausted and as it was already getting dark on our return we had showers and an early night.

Pitch 17 Stanmore Hall

We left the site on Saturday (2 November) we had an awful journey as the M5 was closed due to a 'police incident' so had a long detour through Tewkesbury.  After getting home we unpacked Martha and returned her to the storage site ready for our next adventure, although we have nothing booked at the moment.

27 October-2 November 2024

Martha has been to Durdle Door, Back of Beyond and Bath

We returned from our last trip just in time as we had several days of very heavy rain.  The forecast then changed and looked good for a couple of weeks, so time to go away again.  After all the rain we decided to visit sites where the walking won't be too muddy and we also wanted to visit some new sites.

On Thursday (12 September) we drove to Durdle Door Holiday Park at West Lulworth.  We've visited this area before, but not for many years and it's our first time at this site.  We couldn't arrive at site until 2.00pm, so after setting up we had a walk around the site and sat in the sun.

Pitch 37 Durdle Door

On Friday we walked along the coast path to Lulworth Cove, which was lovely but far too busy for us so we walked inland to West Lulworth.  After lunch we walked back along the coast path towards the site, stopping at Durdle Door. It was a lovely afternoon so we sat outside for a few hours.

Saturday was another sunny day and we walked the coast path in the opposite direction, walking past Durdle Door towards West Bottom.  It was a challenging stretch of the coast with three steep climbs but we had stunning views at the beacon where we stopped for lunch.  In the afternoon we walked inland to an easier path back to the site.

Durdle Door

We were both glad to leave the site on Sunday (25 September) as it was quite noisy (our pitch was next to the road to the car park) and the site was quite grubby.  The walking had been lovely, but we wouldn't return to the site.  

We left the site, stopping for shopping in Poole, before driving to our next site, Back of Beyond Touring Park near Ringwood.  This is another new site for us and an adults only site that has been recommended by several people.  First impressions were good, a clean site with big pitches, lovely clean shower blocks and friendly staff. After setting up we had a short walk around a few of the woodland paths before having a drink at Monty's Bar on the site.

Pitch 50 Back of Beyond

On Monday we walked from the site to Hurn Forest, which was just across the main road.  We walked several of the main trails as well as exploring some of the smaller paths.  As it was another very hot day we were glad of the shade on the forest trails.

Tuesday was another very hot day and we decided to walk to Avon Heath Country Park, which was a little further along the main road.  The directions took us along the main road, which was a bit too busy and noisy, but the Country Park was lovely and we spent the day walking through various trails and enjoying the viewpoints.  We spoke to one of the Rangers and were given directions through the Park to a lane nearer to our site which avoided walking back along the main road.

Avon Heath from Viewpoint

On Wednesday we walked from the site to the Castleman Trailway, an old railway line, towards the Moors Valley Country Park.  It took us longer than planned to walk to the Country Park so we only walked a few of the trails, but found a quicker way to get there for our next visit.  We returned to the site mid afternoon after a long 12.5 mile walk so had another visit to Monty's Bar.

This is a lovely site, one of the best we've stayed on, and we plan on returning next year for another visit as there is so much walking we can do from the site.

On Thursday (19 September) we drove to our final site Bath Waterside & Marina Caravan Park - another new site for us.  It's been 11 years since we last visited Bath, so time to revisit and this site is only a couple of miles along the river with local buses running past the site too.  Reviews of the site were mixed, but we decided to make a booking.  We had a long journey to site as the A36 was closed and we had a long diversion, so were glad when we finally reached the site and were pitched.

Pitch 16 Bath Marina

On Friday we walked along the river into Bath.  The path was very busy with cyclists and not too scenic as it went through trading estates and back streets on the outskirts of the city.  We spent some time walking around the edge of the city and visiting The Royal Crescent.  After lunch in one of the parks we spent some time visiting shops when we had a thunderstorm.  When the rain cleared we decided to catch the bus back to site, which turned out to be the wrong decision as two buses didn't arrive and the one we caught was far too crowded.

The Royal Crescent

Saturday was forecast as a dry day so we walked back into Bath.  As the city centre had been so busy the previous day we spent some time walking around the parks and gardens.  When it was time to return to site we decided to walk rather than catching the bus again and got caught in another heavy downpour.  We managed to take shelter and once it had stopped raining we walked back to site.  Halfway back to site the sun came back out which dried our jackets and we sat outside for a while.

On Sunday we had an awful wet day so we stayed on site all morning.  There was a break in the rain during the afternoon so we had a quick walk and popped to the Boathouse for a drink before returning back to the site.

This is a site we definitely won't use again.  There was no security and we saw vans drive on when the reception was closed, stop overnight and then drive off in the morning.  The shower blocks were very grubby and the block nearest to the site entrance was also used as a public toilet.  

Monday was our time to return home and another awful journey with very heavy rain when we packed up and started our return journey.  The rain stopped by the time we reached Bridgewater, so the final part of our journey was a little better.  

12-23 September 2024