Zebedee has been to Bridgnorth, Stafford, Birmingham and Cirencester

It's time for the Caravan and Motorhome Show at the NEC, so we decided to visit our families whilst in the Midlands.

On Thursday we left home and drove to Stanmore Hall Touring Park near Bridgnorth.  We had stayed at this site earlier in the year and liked it so decided to return for four nights whilst visiting Steve's family.  After we set up we sat out for a while and also walked around the site watching the peacocks.

Pitch 130 Stanmore Hall

On Friday we drove off site to visit Steve's parents.  We saw his mother in the morning and left Zeb at the house before we all went to the hospital to see his father in the afternoon.  We left hospital late afternoon and got a taxi to his parent's home to collect Zeb and drive back to the site.  

Friday had been a long tiring day, so we decided to have an easier day on Saturday and caught the bus to Bridgnorth.  We had a walk around the town trails, popped into a few shops and had a lovely lunch at Coffee at Darcy's.  In the afternoon we went for a short walk along the Severn Trail before catching an early bus back to the site when it started to rain.  

On Sunday we returned to Steve's parents' house, seeing his mother and brother in the morning and visiting the hospital in the afternoon to see his father.  We left the hospital a little earlier than on our previous visit so we could get an earlier taxi to collect Zeb.  After returning to the site we had a lazy evening to get ready to move to our next site the following day.

On Monday we moved to Spring Paddock Caravan & Motorhome Park near Brocton.  This small CL is only a short drive from my mother, so it's a perfect base for us.  We arrived on site in the early afternoon and after setting up caught the bus into Stafford.  We both used to work and live in Stafford and remember it as a lovely town so were both shocked to see so many shops were closed and how run down it has become. We didn't stay as long as planned as we found the town quite depressing, so caught the bus back to the site.  After getting showered we walked to the Chetwynd Arms to see my niece and her sons for a meal.  Emma kindly gave us a lift back to site so we didn't have to walk back along the main road in the dark!

Pitch 3 Spring Paddock

We woke to a heavy frost on Tuesday, although it was a lovely sunny morning.  We drove off site to visit my mother and sister, leaving early afternoon to return to the site.

On Wednesday it was time to head to our next site - Chapel Lane Club Campsite.  It didn't take us long to get set up so we walked to Beckett's Farm for a pot of tea and slice of cake.  After looking around the farm shop we walked back to site to prepare for the Show.

Pitch 46 Chapel Lane

Thursday was our day to visit the NEC so we set off early to park and walk across to the Halls.  We had received an email from Malibu with details of the models they were exhibiting and we were pleased to see the model we've ordered was going to be on display - it would be the first time we had seen the actual model.  We joined the queue early and were first into the Hall so we could spend some time looking at the Malibu before it got too busy.  We were over the moon with the layout and know it's going to be the right one for us - when it eventually arrives!.  As always, the Show was excellent, but very tiring.  

Friday was our day to move to our final site.  After visiting families and the NEC, we knew we would be tired so booked a few nights at Cirencester Club Campsite.  We have visited this site many times as it's in an area that we both enjoy visiting - the walks around the Bathurst Estate are stunning and we also like the town.

Pitch 120 Cirencester Park

We had a lot of rain overnight but woke to a dry morning on Saturday so we walked into town to collect the paper and have a coffee.  We walked back to the site through the Park for lunch and then had a short walk around the Park trails in the afternoon, returning to site when it started to rain.

After more heavy rain overnight we woke to a very wet morning on Sunday so stayed on site, catching up with a few jobs and reading our books.  After the wet start to the day the afternoon was lovely and sunny so we had another walk around the Park keeping to the main paths as everywhere was very muddy.

On Monday we decided to have the day in Cirencester.  We had coffee at Keith's in the morning and then decided to return for lunch.  As well as walking around the shops we meandered around some of the lanes on part of the Town Trail.  We returned to site late afternoon for a lazy evening on site.

Tuesday was our day to return home and, for the first time, we were both glad to return from our Zeb trip as it had been a very tiring trip with the extended family visit and the NEC.  Zeb is now away on the storage site until Christmas.

13-25 October 2022

Zebedee has been to Brockenhurst, Littlehampton, Battle, Pett, Brighton, Fareham and Weymouth

Our final big adventure of the year is along the south coast, visiting some new sites and revisiting a few others.

On Wednesday we travelled to Black Knowl Club Campsite in the New Forest.  We had a good journey with little traffic and arrived early afternoon.  After setting up on a sunny pitch at the edge of the site we walked to Brockenhurst village, which is a couple of miles from the site.  We had a potter around the village and found where to catch the bus to Lymington before having a drink at the Forester's Arms and then returning to the site.

Pitch 25 Black Knowl

On Thursday we did a circular walk through the forest, walking through both Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst.  This was a long walk on cycle trails through the forest so we stopped at The Greenwood Tree Cafe in Lyndhurst for a pot of tea and a fabulous blueberry scone!  The day was hot and sunny so we headed back to site to sit in the sun with a G&T until early evening

Friday was another lovely sunny day.  We walked back to Brockenhurst to catch the bus to Lymington.  After having a look around the town we walked a few trails around the Nature Reserve before heading back to catch our bus to Brockenhurst and walk back to the site.

On Saturday morning we walked to Brockenhurst to fetch a paper and a few groceries.  By now we had started to find a few short cuts back to the site along different paths, cutting the two mile walk to just over a mile.  After lunch outside Zeb we walked the forest trails to the Tall Trees Trail and Arboretum - both of which were lovely walks.

Giant Sequoia, Tall Trees Trail

We decided to have a rest day on Sunday as we had walked over fifty miles over the past four days.  We spent the time catching up with a few jobs, planning what we wanted to do at our next site and sitting outside Zeb in the sun.

On Monday we moved to Litltehampton Club Campsite after stopping at a local supermarket to top up on supplies.  As we were a few minutes before the 1.00pm arrival time we stopped on the road outside the site before checking in - only to receive a grumpy reception by the site staff who complained about us parking outside the site.  Needless to say, the first impression of the site wasn't a good one.  After setting up we walked into Littlehampton which we found to be a very run down town and the only place we found open for a coffee was Costa.  We had a short walk along the seafront before returning to the site.

Pitch 12 Littlehampton

We had a thunderstorm overnight and the forecast for Tuesday was for more heavy rain in the afternoon.  We decided to catch the bus to Arundel so we could pop into shops when the rain arrived later in the day.  After getting off the bus we had a coffee at The Edible Sandwich and looked around the town before having lunch at Pizza Express.  The rain never arrived so in the afternoon we walked along the river and through Arundel Park before catching the bus back to site.

Arundel Park

Wednesday was forecast as another wet day, although it started bright.  We walked back to Littlehampton but avoided the town and went for a coffee at the Harbour Lights Cafe before having a walk along the seafront and around the marina.  We headed back to site for lunch and then sat outside Zeb during the afternoon as the forecast rain didn't arrive.

On Thursday we moved to Battle Normanhurst Court Club Campsite.  We had previously visited this site when we had our caravan, but thought we would like to revisit the area with Zeb.  We had torrential rain for most of the journey which continued as we arrived on site.  We found a lovely large corner pitch in Bunny Plains and set up quickly.  We managed a quick walk around the site between showers and then settled down for the evening to read our books.  

Pitch 108 Battle Normanhurst Court

We had more torrential rain overnight but woke to a dry morning on Friday.  We did a short walk from a leaflet in the site office – the Freckley Hollow Walk and extended it to walk to Catsfield along the 1066 trail to see where the path led to Battle.  There was another torrential downpour when were were in Catsfield so we headed to the White Hart Inn for a coffee until the rain passed.  We returned to the site for lunch and stayed on site in the afternoon.

On Saturday we walked from the site along the 1066 Trail to Battle.  After looking around the town and having a pot of tea and scone at the Bluebells Tearoom we walked back to the site, making a slight detour around part of the Sculpture Trail.

Window Sculpture, 1066 Sculpture Trail

On Sunday we moved to Fairlight Wood Club Campsite - a small site set in a wood.  Although it was busy we managed to find a good pitch on the edge of the site.  We had a walk around the site in the afternoon and spent time planning our walks for the next few days.

Pitch 12 Fairlight Wood

The forecast was for a dry day on Monday so we walked from the site to Pett Beach.  We then walked to Winchelsea Beach, Winchelsea and back to Pett along the Military Canal.  It was a long walk and as the weather was a lot hotter than forecast we wished we had walked along the Military Canal first and returned along the coast as it would have been cooler.

From Strand Tower, Winchelsea towards Dungeness

After rain overnight we woke to more rain on Tuesday morning so decided to have a day on site.  We were also half way through this adventure so spent some time cleaning Zeb and changing the bedding.  When the rain eased to went for a few walks around the site.

We had torrential rain overnight and it rained heavily until mid afternoon on Wednesday so we stayed on site.  When it finally stopped raining we went for a short walk along some of the lanes.  We have enjoyed this site but unfortunately the bad weather meant we didn’t do some of the walks we had planned.

On Thursday we moved to Brighton Club Campsite – a site we had previously visited in 2017 with Cali.  We set ourselves up on a pitch on the upper level and went for a walk to the Marina.  We were disappointed to see that many of the shops and restaurants were closed and the area looked very tired.  After a drink at the Master Mariner we headed back to site.

Pitch 108 Brighton

Friday saw a lovely sunny but cool start to the day so we walked along the seafront.  There's a lot of work taking place around Black Rock and along the seafront and unfortunately I was paying too much attention to the Marina Walk development and walked in front of Steve, tripping over his foot and falling heavily onto the pavement.  After cleaning up grazed knees and elbows, as well as getting my breath back, we carried on with our walk to Hove Lagoon.  We had one short shower when we were walking on the pier, but were able to take shelter before walking back to the site for showers and tea.

On Saturday we walked into Brighton for the day, pottering around The Lanes, lunch at Pizza Express and a walk back to the site in the afternoon.

Sunday was another lovely day so we walked from the site through Woodingdean to the edge of the South Downs National Park.  We walked through the edge of the park to Rottingdean, stopping at Shane’s Kitchen for a pot of tea before walking back along the Undercliffe to the Marina and then back to site.

South Downs near Rottingdean

On Monday we moved to Rookesbury Park Club Campsite.  We enjoyed this site when we visited earlier in the year and were pleased to see we could have the same pitch as our last visit.  After setting up on site we sat outside Zeb for the afternoon and had an early night.

Pitch 30 Rookesbury Park

We decided to have a day in Portsmouth on Tuesday.  We had already contacted Southdown Motorhomes (where we're buying our new campervan) to ask about the best motorhome parking and they kindly allowed us to leave Zeb in their compound.  We also had an update on our order for the new van and the provisional build date is still July/August 2023. We caught the train to Portsmouth Harbour and started the day with breakfast at The Cosy Club which was near the Spinnaker Tower.  After breakfast we walked aound Gunwharf Quay and Old Portsmouth before walking along the Millenium Walk to the edge of Southsea.  We then made our way back to the station to return to Zeb and drive back to the site.

Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth

On Wednesday we spent the day walking through the various paths and trails through Hundred Acres Wood.  It was a warm day, although at times it was cool in the woods.

Thursday was another fine day so we walked to Wickham, having a pot of tea at the Wickham Coffeehouse before making our way to the start of the Meon Valley Trail and walking towards Sowerton.  After eating our lunch we walked back to the site to enjoy sitting in the afternoon sun.

On Friday we moved to East Fleet Farm near Weymouth - a site that has been recommended to us.  Our first impressions of the site were that it was rather scruffy, although in its favour it was right on the coast path.  Pitches are allocated on this site and we had a narrow one backing onto other vehicles – certainly not a pitch we would have chosen ourselves.  We had a walk around the site and a stroll to the Fleet Lagoon before settling down for the rest of the evening.

Pitch 140 East Fleet Farm

Saturday was a lovely sunny day so we walked from the site along the coast path towards Portland.  The coast path was busy with runners taking part in the Jurassic Ultra Marathon. We ate our lunch by the Chesil Beach Visitor Centre before having a pot of  tea and slice of cake at the Taste Cafe.  We then returned to site along the same stretch of the coast path.

Fleet Lagoon

On Sunday we caught the bus to Abbotsbury and after a pot of tea at The Old Schoolhouse Tea Rooms we walked back along the coast path to the site.  The coast path was mainly inland through farm fields, which we didn't really make it feel like a coastal walk.  We enjoyed the walk, other than being chased by a herd of cows in one of the fields - luckily we made it to the gate before they did!

Monday was our final day of the south coast 'adventure' so we caught the bus to Weymouth.  We walked around the harbour and along the seafront as well as looking around the town and having lunch at Prezzo.  We caught the bus back to site mid afternoon to have our final evening in Zeb.

On Tuesday it was time to travel home to get ready for our next trip to the Midlands in October.

We both enjoyed the Black Knowl site and loved the New Forest walks - we have booked this site again next year as part of another adventure.  After our bad reception at Littlehampton we both took a dislike to the site and it's not one we would use again.. We enjoyed the Battle site and would like to have stayed longer but when we booked it we were unsure how much walking we could do from the site - we will definitely return to the site when we’re on our next adventure in the area.  Fairlight Wood was a little run down but there is such a lot of walking in the area which we didn't do because of the weather - we hope to return one day.  We enjoyed our return trip to Brighton and on our next visit would like to do more walking on the South Downs.   Rookesbury Park is a lovely site and we hope to be back next year in March to collect our new campervan.  East Fleet was a big disappointment and certainly didn't match the recommendations we had been given. 

31 August-27 September 2022

Zeb is Two Today

We've had Zeb for two years.  We were in lockdown for a lot of the first year so didn't have too many nights away.  We made up for it last summer and then everything slowed down again after Steve's heart attack.  Thankfully we've now been able to get away for more adventures over the last year.

We're currently at the start of our South Coast 'adventure' and are staying on a lovely site in the New Forest.  Over the last year we've driven 4,382 miles and have spent 130 nights at sites in Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

We love Zeb and have several more trips planned until we have our new campervan - hopefully in March next year.

4 September 2022

Zebedee has been to Bridgnorth, Stafford, Carsington, Buxton, Chatsworth, Leek and Tewkesbury

For our next campervan adventure we decided to visit The Peak District and see our families on the way.

On Wednesday we travelled to Stanmore Hall Touring Park in Bridgnorth for a few days as we thought we would try a new site before visiting Steve's family.    It was a very hot day for travelling so we were glad to arrive on site.  We were allocated a pitch on the edge of the site away from the road, which also had some shade from nearby trees.  After setting up we had a walk around the site, which is lovely with a large lake in the centre and a couple of peacocks walking amongst the pitches before returning to Zeb to sit outside for a while.

Pitch 106 Stanmore Hall

Thursday started cloudy but warm and we decided to visit Bridgnorth.  After having a look around High Town we walked to Low Town to have our lunch by the river and walked through the park to back to High Town.  We caught the bus to the site mid afternoon as the day was getting hotter which was making us feel tired.

On Friday we walked from the site to Stanmore Country Park in the morning.  The country park is on the site of the former RAF Bridgnorth and there were several information boards around the trails which were very interesting.  After exploring the various paths around the park we went back to Zeb for lunch and then walked to Quatford in the afternoon, returning to the site when it started to get too hot.

War Memorial (former cookhouse chimney) Stanford Country Park

On Saturday we saw Steve's family before travelling to Spring Paddock Caravan and Motorhome Park near Stafford. We should have visited this site earlier in the year but our booking was cancelled as the site was flooded. The site is lovely with five spacious pitches and excellent facilities as well as a small shop with an honesty box.

Pitch 5 Spring Paddock

We travelled to Rugeley on Sunday to see my mother and sister and spent some time with them.  We  returned to the site early afternoon as my niece and great-nephews were coming to see us.  It was another hot day and we were all glad to find some shade outside Zeb.

Monday was our travel day and we drove to Carsington Water Club Campsite. The temperatures were forecast as being very high so I had contacted the site the previous day to see if we could arrive early and sit in the shade on their car park until it was time to check in. It was the first time Steve had experienced extremely high temperatures and we were both being careful. The Site Manager was happy for us to use their car park so we arrived late morning and waited until we could check in before setting up on site amongst the pine trees. It was far too hot to walk in the afternoon so we sat in the shade for the rest of the day.

Pitch 56 Carsington Water

The temperatures on Tuesday were forecast as being even higher than the previous few days.  After breakfast we had a short walk around the site and then sat outside Zeb - moving around the van during the day to try and get some shade. The temperature increased all day and we found it difficult to cool Zeb – it was still in the early 30s when it was time for bed.

Thankfully the temperatures cooled a little on Wednesday and we were able to go for a walk. We walked from the site to Carsington Water – the ninth largest reservoir in the country.  We walked the trail around the reservoir making a slight detour to Carsington village where we had our lunch and a pot of tea at The Miners Arms.  The water level was very low in the reservoir but we enjoyed the trail and the Visitor's Centre.  Rain was forecast overnight so we wound the sun canopy in and put a few things away before settling down for the evening.

Carsington Water

On Thursday we travelled to Buxton Club Campsite, stopping at Asbhourne on the way to pick up some shopping and have a look around the town.  We were surprised how many shops had closed as we remembered it as a thriving town from our previous visits.  The site's location is lovely as it's set in an old quarry - we chose a pitch on the outside of the lower section of the site.

Pitch 23 Buxton

The weather turned very wet on Friday and we stayed in Zeb for most of the day going for a walk around the site when the rain eased.  We made good use of the time in planning three more 'adventures' - one for October and two for next Spring.

After a lot of overnight rain Saturday saw a dry start to the day so we walked to Buxton through the Country Park.  After a visit to Charlotte's Chocolates for one of the best hot chocolate drinks we've ever had, we walked around the town.  Like Ashbourne, Buxton had a lot of empty shops and we were disappointed to see that it looked quite run down..  After lunch we walked through the Pavilion Gardens where there was a Festival taking place, before returning to the site in the afternoon.  We sat outside Zeb for a while before the rain returned and we headed inside.

On Sunday we walked around the Country Park to Solomon's Temple.  We had hoped to walk a few more trails through the park but as it started raining again we headed back to the site.  We enjoyed the Buxton site and were disappointed the weather had stopped us from doing some of the walks we had planned around the area.

From Solomon's Temple towards Buxton

On Monday we travelled to Chatsworth Park Club Campsite - this site is the most expensive one we have booked this year and it is very hard to get pitches so we had high hopes of a stunning site.  It was very busy when we arrived and we set up on the best pitch that was available.  Our first impression of the site, and one that didn't change whilst we were there, was that it was very cramped and nothing special to justify the high cost - other than it is at Chatsworth!  In the afternoon we walked through the back gate of the site into the parklands and walked towards the house, returning to site when it started to rain.

Pitch 64 Chatsworth Park

Tuesday saw a bright start to the day so we walked around the parklands to see the Radical Horizons: The Art of Burning Man sculptures. They were all very good, but our favourites were the bears with pennies to simulate fur and the amazing mermaid which was made from upcycled bits 'n' bobs.  We visited the exhibition hub and were told that the Wings of Glory automaton was set alight on Thursday afternoons, so we made a note to ensure we saw it.  We returned to site for lunch and then walked through the park to the hunting lodge in the afternoon.

On Wednesday we walked to Bakewell for the day.  The town was as we remembered it and seemed to be thriving well and popular with both locals and tourists.  We sat by the river for our lunch and, of course, a Bakewell Pudding from the The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop.

We had a lot of rain overnight but Thursday morning was dry to we walked through Stand Wood in the morning, returning to Zeb for lunch.  In the afternoon we headed back into the parklands for a river walk, returning to the House to see the Wings of Glory automaton set alight.

Wings of Glory Automaton

On Friday we travelled to Blackshaw Moor Club Campsite - this used to be our regular weekend site when we lived in Staffordshire and is still a lovely site.  We arrived before the weekend rush so were able to get a pitch on our favourite part of the site.

Pitch 78 Blackshaw Moor

After setting up we walked to Tittesworth Reservoir and walked a couple of the reservoir trails as well as looking to see how low the water level was in the reservoir - 52% on the day we visited.

Tittesworth Reservoir towards The Roaches

There are no buses in the area at the weekends, but there is an excellent Community Bus Service which we booked on Saturday to take us from the site into Leek.  We used to know the town well and I worked there for a while.  It had changed a lot although from our previous visits but it was still a busy town and there were only a few empty shops.  We had a lovely lunch at DuckGoose before getting the bus back to the site.

We had more heavy rain overnight and Sunday morning was very wet so we decided to stay on site and plan our trip for next June/July when we're heading back to Yorkshire.  The rain stopped early afternoon and the sun came out so we had a few short walks around the site.

On Monday we travelled to our final site Tewkesbury Abbey Club Site for one night to break the journey home.  The site was very busy but we found a good pitch on the edge of the site and set ourselves up quickly.

Pitch 29 Tewkesbury Abbey

In the afternoon we had a walk into Tewkesbury and a pot of tea at The Abbey Tea Room before returning to site to sit outside Zeb for a while on our final day of the adventure.

We enjoyed our visit to Stanmore Hall and Spring Paddock and will definitely return to the sites in the future.  Carsington Water was a lovely site set amongst pine trees, but we probably wouldn't return as there's not much more walking we want to do the in the area.  The Buxton and Leek sites are lovely - definitely ones we would return to the in the future.  Tewkesbury is another site we would like to revisit - staying for longer next time to do more walking in the area.  The only site that was a real disappointment was Chatsworth - very overpriced for an average site.  If we do return to the area we would look for another site.

15 July-2 August 2022

Zebedee has been to Birmingham, Cannock Chase, Blackpool, The Lake District, Knutsford and Broadway

For our first long adventure of the year we planned a month in The Lake District.  We visited The Lakes many times when we lived in Staffordshire but hadn't visited for over 20 years since moving to Devon.

We decided to have an early start on Saturday to visit Slimbridge Wetlands Centre to see if we could see the kingfishers.  On our last visit we were told that May would be a good time to see them so we headed for the Kingfisher Hide.  We didn't see any in the morning but went back to the Hide before leaving in the afternoon and were so pleased to see two kingfishers.  After leaving Slimbridge we went to Chapel Lane Club Campsite and set up on site for our overnight stay.

Pitch 30 Chapel Lane

The following day we visited Steve's family and then drove to Cannock Chase Camping & Caravanning Club Site, intending to stay for three nights.  The site was very busy and noisy, very different from the last time we visited in November.  We had a pitch near to the children’s play area which was okay as it had some grass around the pitch.

Pitch 11 Cannock Chase

On Monday we visited my family and were shocked when we returned to the site to see a large tent squeezed into the space behind Zeb.  My niece and her new partner visited for a few hours in the evening which was a lovely end to the day.

As we weren't enjoying staying on the site we decided to leave a day early and have a stop on the way to the Lake District.  We booked a pitch at Blackpool South Club Campsite on Tuesday night.  We had a horrid journey as the traffic was heavy on the motorway and we also had torrential rain.  By the time we reached the site the sun had come out so after pitching we sat out in the sun for a while before showers and tea. It felt like our adventure was about to start.

Pitch 33 Blackpool South

On Wednesday we left Blackpool and travelled to Ravenglass Camping & Caravanning Club Site, stopping for shopping on the way.  It was a long journey and we were glad we hadn’t travelled all the way from Cannock.  Our first impression of the site was good - it's set amongst trees and we were given a choice of pitches.  After setting up we had a walk to the seafront and then to the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway to buy our tickets for the following day.  We then returned to site to sit in the sun with a G&T.

Pitch 30 Ravenglass

Thursday was a lovely sunny day - perfect for our trip on the railway.  We travelled in an open carriage all the way to Dalegarth, which is the end of the line.  After a cup of tea we started to walk to Dalegarth Falls, which looked lovely in the leaflets.  Unfortunately Storm Arwen had caused a lot of damage to the side of the ghyll and the path was blocked from the middle bridge.  We retraced our steps past Gill Force and St Catherine’s Church before returning to Dalegarth Station.  After lunch we followed the Eskdale Trail back to the site.  

Storm damage at Dalegarth Falls

We had a lot of rain overnight and it rained on and off all Friday morning so we stayed in Zeb and did some planning for the following days of our adventure.  In the afternoon we visited the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Museum and had a short walk along the coast path.

On Saturday we visited Muncaster Castle to visit the gardens and see the bird displays.  The gardens are lovely and there are many footpaths and trails around the site. We watched the Owl Display, which was very good, but our favourite was the Birds of Prey Display.  The day ended with us watching the wild herons being fed before walking back to site.

On Sunday we travelled to Coniston Park Coppice Club Site which is a very large site set amongst woodlands.  We found a pitch in one of the small clearings which wasn't under lots of trees as rain was forecast mid week.  After setting up we walked from the site into Coniston for a drink at the Yewdale Inn before returning to site.

Pitch 230 Coniston Park Coppice

Monday saw a cool start to the day, with sun forecast later in the day.  We walked along the edge of the lake to Coniston and then took the path towards Torver before returning to the site by the path along the old railway line.

On Tuesday we did our big challenge - walking to the summit of The Old Man of Coniston.  This was a challenge Steve had set himself after his heart attack.  The day was forecast as being dry but cool, perfect for the climb.  It turned out to be a hot and sunny day with very little cloud, which made the walk more challenging.  Steve was fine with the walk, although I struggled towards the summit, but the views were amazing.  After returning to site we had showers before fetching a pizza from the van on site.

Summit of The Old Man of Coniston

We had torrential rain overnight and into Wednesday morning.  This was fine as we had always said it would be our rest day after the challenging walk the previous day.  We stayed in Zeb in the morning and when the rain cleared went for a few short walks around the site to stretch our tired legs.

Thursday was Steve's birthday so after a lazy start to the day with him opening his cards and presents we walked into Coniston.  We had a pot of tea at the Bluebird Cafe which is on the edge of Coniston Water and then a potter around the shops before lunch at the Yewdale Inn.  We walked back to site in the afternoon arriving just before it started to pour with rain again.

On Friday we travelled to Meathop Fell Club Campsite stopping at Ulverston to top up on shopping and also have a walk around the town.  After arriving on site we set up on a sunny pitch at the bottom of the site and spend the rest of the day sitting out in the sun.

Pitch 30 Meathop Fell

Saturday started with a sunny morning so we walked from the site to Grange-over-Sands.  As we had not previously visited the town we had a walk around some of the shops and a coffee at Thyme Out before sitting on the promenade for our lunch.  We walked back to the site mid afternoon when it started to get very windy and a lot cooler.

We had a lot more rain overnight, but Sunday saw another sunny start to the day so walked from site to the estuary.  We had intended to walk to a nearby nature reserve but it started to rain so we headed back to site for our mid-adventure clean of Zeb.  We had heavy rain on and off for the rest of the day and evening so stayed in Zeb.

Meathop Estuary towards Arnside

On Monday we travelled to Braithwaite Village Camping & Caravanning Club Site.  We were allocated a pitch next to the barrier by the entrance – not one that we would have chosen but we were able to pitch looking away from the entrance, which was fine.  After setting up we had a walk to the village and looked around the site.  Whilst our pitch wasn't the best one on the site, it wasn't the worse either.

Pitch 21 Braithwaite Village

We had a cool start to the day on Tuesday and caught the bus to Whinlatter Forest.  After a cup of tea we walked the trail to Lord’s Seat and another trail to the Seat How viewpoint.  The sun came out mid morning and it became a lovely warm day, except when were on the summit of Lord’s Seat as there was a cold wind.  We caught the mid afternoon bus back to the site and enjoyed sitting in the afternoon sun with a G&T.

Seat How towards Keswick

On Wednesday we walked from the site to Force Crag mine and then continued on the path to High Force to see the disused dam and more derelict mine workings.  It was a very hot day so we stopped at the village shop on our way back to the site to pick up some cold drinks for our return.

Thursday started very warm and sunny so we sat outside Zeb for breakfast.  The site staff told us there was a power cut - it was restored quickly so we thought it was just the site without power.  On leaving the site we drove to Keswick to do our shopping only to find the power cut had affected the whole area and all the shops were closed.  Time for Plan B, so we drove to Penrith for our shopping and then arrived at Troutbeck Head Club Campsite.  Most of the pitches seemed to be cramped and overlooked but we found a pitch on Lower Beck with a lovely view across the fields.  We had a walk around the site to see where the footpath led to the forest and then spent the afternoon outside Zeb.

Pitch 45 Troutbeck Head

The forecast on Friday was for a dry morning but rain due in the afternoon.  We decided to walk through the forest trails to Dockray and after a pot of tea at the Royal Hotel we returned to the site arriving just as it started to rain.  It rained on and off all afternoon and evening so we stayed on site.

On Saturday we had a cloudy day with a cold wind, but at least it was dry.  We walked to Aira Force and then to the pier on the edge of Ullswater.  It was very cold by the water as there was a strong wind so we returned to the Force hoping to get some good views of the waterfalls.  Unfortunately the viewing platforms were closed as there were several trees down, but we walked the paths on both sides of the water to try and get a good view before returning to Zeb late afternoon.

Aira Force

After the previous day’s long walk we decided to walk the forest trails from the site on Sunday.  There were a few paths, but all were dead ends - the only one that led out of the forest was the one to Dockray which we had already walked twice so we returned to site for the rest of the day.

On Monday we travelled to Derwentwater Camping & Caravanning Club Site - our final Lakeland site.  We stopped for our food shopping in Keswick and walked to the site to see the access before our arrival time.  We had a warm welcome on site and were allocated a lovely pitch in the centre of the site.  After setting up and checking the facilities we walked to Keswick to look at the walking shops and have a drink at the Dog & Gun  We sat out until early evening when the sun set behind the trees and it started to get cooler.

Pitch 36 Derwentwater

The forecast for Tuesday looked good so we bought 'Hop On & Off' tickets for the Keswick Launch.  We got off at Hawse End landing stage so we could walk across Catbells - it was a busy path as several other walkers were doing the same walk.  The path was quite steep in places with a scramble near the summit but the views were stunning.  After lunch near the summit we walked back to Hawse End for the ferry back to Keswick.

Catbells to Bassenthwaite

On Wednesday we walked around Derwentwater.  It's a ten mile walk on a level path, but we made a couple of detours to Ashness Bridge and Surprise View as well as the Loder Falls.  Although it had been an easy walk, it was a very hot day so we were glad to get back to site.

After our two walking days we decided to have an easier day on Thursday.  We spent the morning pottering around Keswick before having a pub lunch at The Wainwright and then going to the Theatre by the Lake to see 'The Climbers'.  We both love going to the theatre and the production was very good.  After returning to site we sat out for a while to enjoy our last evening in The Lakes.

On Friday we started to make our way home and stopped for one night at Royal Vale Caravan Park at Knutsford, a private site that's affiliated to the C&MC.  We both hated the site and were glad we were only there for one night. Our pitch was next to the entrance, between the carpark and a part of the site that was being developed and resembled a building site. 

Pitch 1 Royal Vale

On Saturday we got up early to leave the Knutsford site and travelled further south to Broadway Club Site, stopping for breakfast on our journey.  We like this site and despite arriving on a Saturday we found a lovely sunny pitch.  After setting up we walked into Broadway for a drink at Number 32 and then walked back to site for the evening.

Pitch 34 Broadway

We woke to a cloudy start on Sunday and walked to Broadway Tower and Snowshill Manor - a walk we've previously done but one we enjoy.  We had a few short showers during the day but were able to take shelter.  We returned to site late afternoon and sat outside Zeb for a G&T before having showers and our final evening meal

On Monday is was time to travel back home.

Over the month we stopped at 11 sites - our favourite was Derwentwater and we plan to return for at least a week on our next trip to the Lakes.  We also liked Ravenglass and would like another visit as there is still a lot we want to do in the area.  Troutbeck Head would be a good site if we needed an overnight stop on a journey as it's not too far from the M6, but there's no good walking in the area.  We also liked Meathop Fell site but have walked all the paths that are near to the site.  The only site we hated was Royal Vale - it's certainly nothing like its description on its website and it's definitely not one to use again.

28 May-27 June 2022

Zebedee has been to Godrevy, Perranporth and Tregurrian

We've not been to Godrevy Park Club Campsite site for a while, so decided to start our Cornwall 'adventure' with four nights at one of our favourite sites.

We travelled on Wednesday and set up in an area of the site we've not previously visited - a lovely pitch backing onto fields.  In the afternoon we had a short walk to the Sunset Surf Cafe for a drink before returning to site.

Pitch 30 Godrevy Park

On Thursday we walked from the site to Hayle along the coast path and across the dunes.  We spent some time walking around Hayle and visited the ruins of the rope works and the Millpond.  It turned into a very hot day which made it more tiring as we walked back to the site along the beach.

After our long walk the previous day, we had an easier day on Friday as we were both tired.  We tried to find a footpath towards the Red River for the following day's walk but it was very overgrown so changed our mind and walked to the Godrevy Cafe for a drink before returning to site for a lazy afternoon.  

On Saturday we walked from site to Tehidy Country Park.  The first part of the walk was along country lanes until we reached the Red River Walk to the Country Park.  We walked a couple of tracks which were so pretty as there were still a lot of bluebells in the woods.  After a pot of tea at the Tehidy Country Park Cafe we walked back along the coast path.  There was a lot of sea mist which didn't clear all day so it was cool all day, which was good as the walk was almost 16 miles.

Tehidy Country Park

On Sunday we travelled to Treamble Valley Club Campsite - this is a lovely site set in a valley with public footpaths crossing the site - and no mobile phone signal!  We were both feeling tired after the long walk the previous day so after setting up and walking to the site entrance (where there is a phone signal) to let our families know we had arrived, we stayed on site for the afternoon and sat outside Zeb reading our books.

Pitch 84 Treamble Valley

Monday was a cloudy but warm day so we walked to Perranporth via the dunes and then back to the site across the golf course.  It was another long walk but very enjoyable

We would normally have had an easier day on Tuesday after our long walk the previous day, but as rain was forecast for the following day we decided to walk to Crantock Bay.  It's a lovely walk that we did last year and we knew we would be able to stop for a drink at the Bowgie Inn at West Pentire, above Crantock Bay.

Porth Joke

As forecast, we had torrential rain on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning so we stayed on site all day.  The rain eased in the afternoon so we had a couple of short walks around the site and tidied Zeb ready to move to our final site.

On Thursday we travelled to our final Cornish site - Tregurrian Camping and Caravanning Club Site.  After setting up on site we had a short walk to Watergate Bay and a drink at The Beach Hut before walking back to Zeb to plan our walks for the next few days.

Pitch 23 Tregurrian

On Friday we caught to the bus to Porthcatho Bay and walked back to Tregurrian along the coast path.  In places the walk was quite challenging, but we were able to take our time as the weather was gloriously warm and sunny.

We had more fine weather on Saturday so caught the bus to Newquay and walked to East Pentire to look back across the estuary towards West Pentire where we had walked a few days earlier.  After eating our lunch at Fistral Beach we walked back along the coast path to the site. 

On Sunday we had a lovely sunny start to the day and walked from the site to St Mawgan as we wanted to visit The Japanese Garden.  The gardens were beautiful and we enjoyed our visit before walking back towards Mawgan Porth.  We stopped for a drink at the Off The Path Cafe, by which time the sun had disappeared behind clouds and it started to get a lot cooler.  There were a few spots of rain when we reached Mawgan Porth and it began to get very windy to we headed back along the coast path to the site.  Our timing was perfect as we had just got back to Zeb as the torrential rain started.  

Japanese Garden

Monday was our day to travel back home and start to plan for our next adventure in The Lake District.

We had previously visited all three sites and enjoyed our visits this time.  We're planning a month in Cornwall next year and these may be sites we'll visit again as there is so much more walking for us to do from each site.

4-16 May 2022