Martha has been to Bransgore, Wickham, Chichester and Linwood

After our last trip to North Devon we had a short hotel holiday to celebrate my 'big birthday' and then spent the rest of August working on the flat.  We decided we needed a break so had a trip along the south coast to visit some new sites.  

On Sunday (6 September) we drove to New Forest Centenary Club Campsite near Bransgore. This is a site we've wanted to visit for a while as it's part of the New Forest we've not previously visited.  On arriving on site we quickly set up and then spent the rest of the day relaxing on site.

New Forest Centenary 133

We woke on Monday to a lovely sunny morning. We walked through Holmsley and Wilverley inclosures, stopping at the Old Station Tearoom for a pot of tea before retracing our steps back to the site.  After the lovely warm morning it turned a lot cooler in the afternoon, so we stayed inside for the rest of the day.

We had a lot of rain overnight and it continued to rain heavily on Tuesday morning, so we stayed on site.  The rain eased early afternoon so we had a short walk through Holmsley Inclosure to make the most of the dry afternoon.

Wednesday was another sunny morning so we walked through the woodland tracks to Burley. We both found the village to be disappointing - far too many tacky gift shops - so we had lunch in the park and a cup of tea at the Shappen Cafe before returning through the forest to site. It had remained dry all day but had turned a lot cooler by late afternoon.

View from Shappen Hill

We enjoyed staying at this site, but walking was limited and there was no public transport nearby so it's not one we would visit again.

On Thursday (10 September) we drove to Rookesbury Park Club Campsite near Wickham.  We've previously stayed on this site when we visited Southdown Motorhomes, but thought we would have a few days to explore a little more of the local area. The journey went well until the road leading to the site was closed and we had a long diversion. When we eventually arrived on site, we set up quickly and had a short walk through the wods before returning to site for a lazy evening.

Rookesbury Park 11

We had a lot of rain overnight and Friday morning started very damp. We walked from the site to Wickham and after looking around the village and eating our lunch we walked along the old railway line and through the woods back to the site. The sun came out in the afternoon so we sat outside until it started to get cool when we retreated inside the van.

Saturday was a lovely dry day so we walked from the site and through the woods to the old railway line and returned to the site for lunch.  In the afternoon we walked to Wickham, had a pot of tea at the Wickham Coffee House before returning to the site.

We both enjoy staying on this site and will revisit in the future - it's also a good stop-over if we're travelling along the south coast.

On Sunday (13 September) we drove to Chichester Camping and Caravanning Club Site.  We were able to choose a pitch near the back of the site which was away from the busy road.  After setting up on site we walked to Southbourne village to check the location of the bus stop and then walked to Nutbourne to see where some other footpaths started.  We returned to site to settle down for the evening.

Chichester 44

Monday was a lovely sunny day and we caught the bus to Chichester before walking around the old city walls.  After a quick look around the city centre we walked out to the canal basin and walked along the canal to Hunston Junction before returning to Chichester and catching a bus back to the site.  

Tuesday started fine and dry and we decided to walk from the site around Thorney Island.  We had walked part of the coast path and were about to enter the MOD land when we noticed the advancing rain so retreated to Thornham Marina for a mug of tea at The Huts whilst waiting for the rain to pass.  When the rain eased we changed our plans and walked along the coast path to Emsworth.  By the time we were in the town the sun was out and it was a lovely day to walk around the town and marina.  We walked back to the site and sat outside for a while until it got cool.

Wednesday started fine and dry so we caught the bus to Chichester and walked out to the Canal Basin before walking along the canal to Chichester Marina.  The Marina was huge and we spent time walking around the many paths and seeing where the canal entered the marina.  We then walked back along the canal towpath to Chichester for our bus back to the site.

Chichester Canal from Hunston Junction

After our busy few days walking we decided to have an easier day on Thursday, especially as we woke to a very wet morning.  We caught the bus to Chichester and had a look around some of the shops before having lunch at ASK Italian.  The afternoon was lovely and sunny and had became very warm so we caught an early bus back to site to sit in the sun before settling down for the evening.

We both enjoyed Chichester and Emsworth, although we didn't like the site.  It was surprisingly quiet as it's on a busy road and is surrounded by houses but the facilities weren't too good and they could have done with a good clean!

On Friday (18 September) we drove to our final site - Red Shoot Camping Park near Linwood.  After setting up we had a short walk around the local area to get our bearings and see where some of the walks started before returning to the site for the evening.

Red Shoot 88

Saturday was another lovely sunny morning so we walked from the site towards Linford Bottom, through the Roe Inclosure to Aimes and then back to the site for lunch.  As the morning walk had been quite long we had a shorter walk in the afternoon and took a different path to High Corner Inn before returning to the site.

On Sunday we walked from the site towards Alice Lisle and then to Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve.  We walked several paths around the nature reserve but were a little disappointed that they weren't close to the edge of the lakes.  The only lake we walked around was Blashford Lane, which was beautiful.   After having our lunch at the visitor centre we returned by the same path to the site.

Blashford Lane

Monday was another dry day so we had our final walk of the holiday.  We had planned on a longer walk but we were both feeling tired so walked some of the local paths that we had previously walked and then returned to the site for lunch.  In the afternoon we stayed on site and got the van ready for returning home.

We enjoyed the walking from this site although it's not a site we would visit again.  It was very expensive and certainly not good value for money.  

We returned home on Tuesday (22 September) to get ready for a trip to see our mothers and then another trip with Martha in October.

6-22 September 2026

Martha is Three Today

It's now three years since we collected Martha from the dealer. Over the past twelve months we've driven 2,248 miles and spent 53 nights at sites in Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Somerset and Staffordshire.  We've not been away as many nights this year as we've had a lot of work carried out at home, so have had a few shorter breaks instead of a long road trip.

We've already got more trips planned this year and a longer trip next summer, so hopefully there will be more nights away over the next twelve months.

4 September 2026

Martha has been to Porlock, Combe Martin, Woolacombe and Dulverton

We've had more work carried out on the flat and after finishing cleaning and tidying up it's time for another trip - this time we're going to Somerset and North Devon.

On Thursday (2 July) we drove to our first site at Burrowhayes Farm near Porlock, an area we don't know too well.  The first pitch we had been allocated wasn't too good so we were moved to another pitch in the middle of the site which was lovely.  We were both feeling tired after a busy time before getting away so after setting up we walked into Porlock, had a cup of tea and slice of cake at the Whortleberry Tea Room and then walked back to site.  It was a lovely evening - the start of the next heatweave - so we sat outside until late.

Burrowhayes Farm

Friday was another lovely sunny day and we walked through Horner to Dunkery Beacon - the highest point on Exmoor.  Although it was a hot day a lot of the walk was in the woods and then there was a slight breeze near the summit of the Beacon.  We walked back to the site via a different path to make is a circular walk and stopped at the Horner Tea Garden for tea and cake.  After such a hot day the evening was cool and windy so we didn't sit out for long.

Dunkery Beacon towards Porlock

We had another warm start to the day on Saturday and walked down to Porlock and then to Porlock Weir, walking back to Porlock through the Saltmarsh.  It was another very sunny day but there was a cool wind from the sea so we returned to site early afternoon.

After two long walks on the previous days we decided to have an easier day on Sunday.  We walked through Horner Woods, following Granny’s Ride down to the river and then back to Horner for another visit to the Horner Tea Garden before heading back to the site.  It had been another hot day so we were glad to get back to site to get the temperature down inside the van.

On Monday (6 July) we stopped in Porlock to pick up some groceries before driving to Newberry Valley Park near Combe Martin.  After driving up the infamous Porlock Hill we stopped for a while the Rambler's Rest Tea Room near Lynton for tea and cake, before driving to the site.  We were both glad to arrive at the site as it had been a very hilly, narrow road.  We had a lovely pitch – one of the biggest we have ever had on a site – and after setting up we walked into Coombe Martin.  We returned to the site mid afternoon to sit out and then had our evening meal at the picnic bench on our pitch.

Newberry Valley Park Pitch Ash 8

On Tuesday we walked from the site to the coast path and then to Little Hangman where there were lovely views back to Coombe Martin.  We continued along the coast path to Great Hangman – the highest point on the South West coast path – although the views weren't as good.  We took an inland path through a farm and walked through Coombe Martin to the site.  We sat outside in the shade for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Wednesday was forecast as another hot day. In the morning we walked to Coombe Martin and caught the bus to Ilfracombe.  We had a pot of tea at the Landmark Theatre before walking the coast path back to Coombe Martin, stopping at Hele beach to eat our lunch.  It was a difficult walk as much of the path was very overgrown and there was little shade so we were glad to return to the site and seek some shade for the rest of the day.

Coast Path towards Hele Beach

After our long walks on the previous days we decided to have an easier day on Thursday  We walked into Coombe Martin to pick up some shopping and had a drink at the Harbour Café before returning to the site.  There’s a large fishing lake at the bottom of the site so we walked around the lake and then went to see the alpacas on site before returning to our pitch.  We spent the rest of the day catching up with a few jobs and getting ready to move to our next site.

On Friday (10 July) we drove to Willingcott Club Campsite - this is a site we've visited many times but we like the walking in the area.  It was another very hot day and we were glad to arrive on site and found a pitch in our preferred area on the site.  We set up the van with both the awning and sun blocker before having a short walk along the cycle track.  We returned to site and sat out until late.

Willingcott Pitch 94

On Saturday we got up early so we could go for a walk before it got too hot.  We walked along the cycle track to Ilfracombe which was lovely and cool as there are trees on both sides of the track. We had a walk around the town before returning to the site along the cycle trail.  It was very hot on our return walk as we didn't get much shade from the trees, so we were glad to get back to the site.  It became very windy in the afternoon so we removed the sun blocker and wound the awning in.  Unfortunately that meant there was no shade outside the van door, so we turned round on the pitch to get some shade inside the van.

Sunday was another hot and windy day and we were both feeling tired after the long walk the previous day.  We walked from the site towards Mortehoe and then along a few small paths to Woolacombe.  The town was very busy so we walked up to Porthole Café, had an ice cream, and walked back to Woolacombe along the beach before catching the bus back to site.  We sat outside all afternoon, although it was hot there was still a lovely breeze which kept the temperature down.

Porthole Cafe towards Woolacombe

Monday started a little cooler and we caught an early bus to Barnstaple.  We had breakfast at The Boston Tea Party before doing some shopping in the morning and then having lunch at The Tarko Lounge.  Unfortunately we weren’t aware there were no direct buses back to Woolacombe in the afternoon, so we caught a bus to Ilfracombe and then another one to Woolacombe.  When we got back to site we sat out all afternoon and into the evening.

Tuesday was another warm day and we walked from the site to Mortehoe and then to Morte Point before walking the coast path back to Woolacombe,.  After having a cold drink at the Drift Café we caught the bus back to the site and sat out all afternoon.  It wasn’t as windy as the previous day but was still very warm.

On Wednesday (15 July) we drove to our final site - Exmoor House Club Campsite at Dulverton. This is one of our favourite sites as there are many lovely walks in the area and it's on our way back home from North Devon.  It was very hot when we arrived and set up, but there was a little bit of wind too,  After setting up we walked into Dulverton for shopping before returning to site.  It was a very hot evening and we sat outside as it was cooler than being in the van.

Exmoor House Pitch 14

Thursday was another very hot day and the previous day we had found that our sunblocker shade didn’t stop the sun from getting into the van door.  Another pitch with some shade became available so we swapped pitches before heading out for a walk.  We walked along the river which was lovely as it was shaded by trees for most of the walk.  We stopped at Castle Bridge to eat our lunch and then returned to site early afternoon to start and cool the van as it was 41.8 degrees on our return.  We sat outside reading under the awning light until late when the van had finally cooled down for us to go to bed.

Exmoor House Pitch 11

On Friday we had a shorter walk along the river path to Marsh Bridge before walking back into Dulverton to pick up some shopping.  We had lunch when we returned to the site and sat in the shade in the afternoon as it was too hot to go for a walk.

Saturday was another hot day so we walked along the river to Castle Bridge again.  Although we had done the same walk a couple of days earlier, it was an easy walk and was cool walking through the trees.  We returned to the site early afternoon and sat out until late.

Castle Bridge

On Sunday it was time to return home.  We enjoyed the trip, although we didn't do as much walking as planned as it was far too hot.  Our favourite site was Burrowhayes Farm and we plan on returning next year as there is so much more walking we can do from the site.  

2-19 July 2026

Martha has been to Tintagel, Sennen Cove, Falmouth and Lydford

We're not planning any long road trips this year as we're having a lot of jobs done at home.  Instead we're having several shorter trips and this is the first one.  

We left home on Thursday (7 May) to visit Trewethett Farm Club Campsite near Tintagel.  We have visited this site before but our previous visit was several years ago so it was time to revisit.  We were pleased to get a pitch on the front row of the site which had stunning views overlooking the coast path and sea.  After pitching we had a lazy afternoon on site and sat out until late as it was lovely and warm.  

Pitch 23 Trewethett Farm

Friday started warm and dry so we walked the coast path to Tintagel.  Although it's only two miles it is a challenging walk so we stopped for a pot of tea at the Castle tearoom before walking across the bridge to Tintagel Castle.  As this was our first visit we spent a while walking around the island before returning to the coast path to walk to the Youth Hostel where we sat and had our lunch.  We then retraced our steps back to the site to sit in the sun as it was another lovely afternoon.  

After our challenging walk to Tintagel we decided to have an easier walk on Saturday and visited St Nectan's Glen.  We didn't visit the waterfall as it was expensive so spent our time walking around the lovely nature and sculpture trails.  We returned to the site for lunch and stayed on site in the afternoon.

Many Mushrooms, St Nectan's Glen

Sunday was another sunny day but was very windy for our walk along the coast path to Boscastle. It's not as challenging as the path to Tintagel but as it was our third walking day we both felt tired. On arriving at Boscastle we had a pot of tea at the National Trust cafe and a potter around the village before sitting on the harbour wall to eat our lunch. We walked back to site and sat outside for a while until the wind got too cold and we went inside for the rest of the evening.  

We both enjoyed our time at Trewethett Farm and would like to return as there are plenty more walks we would like to do in the area. 

On Monday (11 May) we drove to Sennen Cove Camping & Caravanning Club Campsite. We previously visited this site in 2020 but as I had hurt my foot we didn't do much walking. After stopping in Penzance for food shopping we arrived on site early afternoon and set up quickly. It was very windy so we reversed onto the pitch to give us shelter when we opened the sliding door. We had a short walk to check out some footpaths ready for our walk the following day but stayed inside when we returned to site as it was very cool. 

Pitch 21 Sennen Cove

On Tuesday we walked from the site to the coast path at Gwynver beach and then to Lands End. Although we enjoyed the walk we didn't stay long at Lands End as it was far too busy. There was a bitterly cold wind on our return walk so we were glad to get back to the site.

Escalls Cliff towards Gwynver Beach

Neither of us slept well overnight due to the wind which rattled the roof lights and blinds.  It was very windy when we woke on Wednesday and we turned the van around on the pitch so some of the wind was deflected over the front.  We had already decided to have an easier day and caught the bus to Penzance as we hadn't visited for many years. We enjoyed the bus journey as it goes through lots of small villages and very narrow lanes.  We had a walk around the town when we first arrived but found it to be quite run down, so we walked along the coast path to Long Rock where we found a sheltered bench for our lunch.  We returned to the town and walked along the coast path in the opposite direction before catching our bus back to the site.  When we got back to the site it was still very cold and windy we so stayed inside Martha for the rest of the day.

It was another very windy night with lots of rain and the forecast was for heavy showers on Thursday so we stayed on site and caught up with a few jobs in the van and enjoyed a lazy day.  

We enjoyed our time at Sennen Cove but probably won't return for a while as we've done most of the local walks and unfortunately one of the main bus services up the coast has now been withdrawn.

On Friday (15 May) we drove to Menehay Farm Touring Park near Falmouth, a site we've wanted to visit for a while..  After setting up we walked to Swanpool and along the coast path to Falmouth before returning the quicker, but less scenic, footpath through a housing estate.

Basset Field 9 Menehay Farm

We woke to a dull morning on Saturday, but at least it was dry.  We walked along the coast path through Swanpool and Falmouth to Pendennis Castle. This was our first visit to the castle so we spent several hours there as there is so much to see.  We returned to the site along the coast path managing to take shelter each time it rained.

Pendennis Castle

The forecast on Sunday was for another showery day and we walked through Swanpool and along the coast path to Maenporth beach. We didn't walk much further than the beach as the sky started to get very dark and we decided rain wasn't too far away. We returned to Swanpool and ate our lunch before having a cup of tea at the beach cafe and heading back to the site early afternoon, just before we had a heavy downpour.

On Monday we woke to a wet start to the day so we caught the bus to Falmouth and spent the day walking around the town, popping into shops when it started to rain. It dried up in the afternoon so we walked back to the site along the coast path and spent the evening getting ready to move to our final site the next day.

We enjoyed staying on this site, the facilities were a little basic but the location is very good and there's lots more for us to do on a future visit.

On Tuesday we drove to our final site Lydford Caravan and Camping Park. We've been wanting to visit this site for a while so we can visit Lydford Gorge. We were able to choose our pitch and settled for one in Tavy Field with lovely views towards the Tors.  After setting up we walked towards the Gorge for a cup of tea at the National Trust café before returning to the site.

Tavy Field 43 Lydford

We had a lot more rain overnight and woke to a wet start to the day on Wednesday. We stayed on site in the morning, but the afternoon was drier so we walked around Ingo Brake, stopping at the National Trust café for a drink before returning to the site.

Thursday was forecast as the start of a mini heatwave and we had planned on walking from the site to Lydford Gorge.  Unfortunately my mother had been admitted to hospital the previous day so we cut short our stay at this lovely site to return home for a quick change over before driving up to the Midlands to see my mother.  

We plan on returning to this site later in the year to visit Lydford Gorge and the site staff have kindly held our unused site fees on account towards payment for a future visit.

7-23 May 2026

Martha has been to Bridgnorth, Stafford and Cirencester

It's time for a trip to see our mothers.  On Wednesday (22 April) we drove to Stanmore Hall Touring Park arriving mid afternoon.  It had been a long journey as the traffic was heavy and there were lots of roadworks so we decided to stay on site rather than walk across to the Country Park.  We were both feeling tired so had a short walk around the site before setting down with our books and a chill afternoon.

Pitch 102 Stanmore Hall

On Thursday we left the site in the morning and visited Steve's mother. returning to the site late afternoon.

On Friday (24 April) we left the site after breakfast to drive to Spring Paddock Caravan Park arriving early afternoon as friends were visiting us for a late lunch and to spend the afternoon on the site.  It was a glorious sunny afternoon so we all sat outside until they left early evening.

Pitch 5 Spring Paddock

On Saturday we visited my mother and my niece also joined us for lunch.  We returned to the site late afternoon and got ready for moving to our final site.  We have decided that in future we will visit the mothers in the car and not our van as it's getting increasingly difficult to park near to their homes.  With the increasing cost of diesel it will also be cheaper than travelling in Martha.

On Sunday (26 April) we drove to Cirencester Park Club Campsite, for a few days to enjoy a few days walking before returning home.

Pitch 131 Cirrencester Park

Monday was a lovely sunny day and we walked around some of the paths on the Bathurst Estate before going into town to have a browse around the shops and do some food shopping for the rest of our stay.

We woke on Tuesday to a grey, windy morning - very different from the previous day.  We walked from the site to the woodlands on the edge of the Estate but the day got colder and we also had rain so we didn't linger too long and returned to the site mid afternoon.  

We returned home on Wednesday to start and get ready for our next adventure.  

11-29 April 2026

Martha has been to Totnes

We've finally managed to get away for a few days in Martha after a winter of awful weather, ongoing work on our flat and a family bereavement.  As we didn't want to travel too far we decided to return to Steamer Quay Club Campsite at Totnes for a few days.

On Sunday (29 March) we fetched Martha from storage in the morning to load the final few items before heading off to the site. It took us a bit longer to set up as the electric wasn't working on our pitch, so we moved to the adjacent pitch.  After lunch we had a walk around Totnes before returning to the site late afternoon and having a relaxing evening in the van.

Pitch 8 Steamer Quay

Monday was lovely and sunny so we walked along the river to the Dartington Estate.  Although we've visited Dartington many times we've never taken the riverside path.  We walked down to the Cider Press Centre to eat our lunch, although the Centre was a little disappointing as it's currently being refurbished so not many of the lovely shops were open.  After lunch we took a different path back to Totnes and returned to the site. 

We had found a leaflet in the Information Centre on site which showed the Animal Sculptures in Bridgetown (which is the area of Totnes where our site was situated).  We've walked, and enjoyed, many town trails so decided to do this one on Tuesday.  It wasn't quite what we expected, but it was fun trying to find the paper mache animals lurking in the gardens!  After returning to Totnes we walked along the river before returning to the site.

Wednesday was another fine day so we walked back to the Dartington Estate and chose a different path along the river and around the Estate.  After lunch we returned to Totnes to visit Totnes Castle.  Although there are few castle remains the view across Totnes towards the river and our site was lovely.  We then retraced our steps back to site for our final evening.

Totnes Castle

It was time to return home on Thursday.  We both like this site and will probably return later in the year as there is a lot more walking for us and it's not too far from home for a short visit.

29 March-2 April

Martha has been to Cirencester

We had planned to go away in early September, but it's been so wet we decided to stay at home until the weather improved.    We initially booked a week at Cirencester Park Club Campsite, but then extended the trip to 11 days as the weather was looking good.

On Sunday 21 September we arrived on site and were able to find a pitch in our preferred area of the site.  It was a lovely sunny afternoon so after setting up we had a short walk through the Bathurst Estate to Cirencester before returning to sit in the sun for a while.

Pitch 129 Cirencester Park

We had a lovely sunny morning on Monday and spent the day walking various trails through the Bathurst Estate, many of which we had not previously walked.  We returned to site mid afternoon to sit in the sun until it dropped behind the trees and it started to get a lot cooler.

On Tuesday we went back into the Bathurst Estate and walked more trails around the edge of the Park where it was quieter.

On Wednesday we decided to catch the bus to Swindon, somewhere we've never previously visited.  The town centre was very run down, probably due to the large retail outlet centre on the edge of the town.  We walked through the old railway buildings to the retail outlet and after looking around some of the shops we had lunch before returning to town to catch the bus back to site.

Thursday was another lovely day so we walked through the Park to Stratton and then back to Cirencester, stopping to get some shopping on the way back to the site.

Friday was a warm day and we spent the whole day walking through the Park,.  We spent some time watching everything being set up for the Cotswold Cup event which was being held over the weekend.

On Saturday we went into the Park and watched some of the equestrian events before heading to Cirencester for shopping and then returning to site.

The Cotswold Cup - Bathurst Estate

We had some rain overnight, but Sunday morning was fine so we returned to the Park to watch more events as it was Finals Day.  We returned to site mid afternoon to sit outside in the sun.

On Monday we decided to have another day out and caught the bus to Cheltenham.  We both liked the town and treated ourselves to lunch at The Cosy Club.

Tuesday started fine and dry so we spent the day walking some of the paths around the edge of the Bahturst estate.  We walked to Abbey Gardens where we sat and had our lunch before returning to the site as it was another very warm afternoon.

We had rain overnight and a cloudy start to the day on Wednesday.  We walked some more of the outer paths around the park before returning to site.  We sat outside for a while before tidying the van ready for our journey home.

Thursday started very misty but was still warm.  We packed the van and headed back home arriving early afternoon to unpack and take the van back to the storage site.

21 September-2 October 2025