We've had an update from Southdown Motorhomes and our new van, Martha, is being built and should be with them in a few weeks' time. Hopefully the long wait is nearly over!
We've chosen Martha for the van as when we were at Hurn Lane last month we saw a campervan with a large sticker 'Martha and the Van Dwellers', which made us smile every time we walked past their pitch.
05.06.2023
It's time for the first of our longer 'adventures' this year, a total of 19 nights.
We started our trip at Hurn Lane Club Campsite near Burnham-on-Sea. We visited this site in 2020 but didn't manage to do much walking as I had injured my foot.
We set off mid morning on Thursday after our class at the gym, arriving on site just after lunch. After getting pitched on site we had a walk to the beach, returning when it started to rain. We were both feeling tired so had an early night ready for a longer walk the next day.
More rain was forecast on Friday and we had a wet start to the day so we stayed on site. When it stopped raining we headed to the beach for a short walk towards Burnham, heading back to the site when it started to rain again!
We had torrential rain overnight and woke to a wet morning on Saturday so stayed on site. The rain cleared in the afternoon so we headed back to the beach and walked to Brean Cove. We had hoped to walk over Brean Down, but by the time we got to the Cove it was late afternoon so we had tea and cake at the National Trust cafe before walking back to site.
Our next site was Wells Touring Park, a private site within walking distance of Wells. We set off after breakfast on Sunday, stopping at the supermarket to top up with groceries. The Wells site is adults only and had been recommended to us - our pitch wasn't the best on the site, but neither was it the worst. After setting up we walked to Wells and had a potter to get our bearings. We sat in the sun for a while when we returned to site before having showers and something to eat.
We had torrential rain overnight and it rained on and off most of Monday (typical Bank Holiday weather) so we stayed on site all day.
On Tuesday we walked into Wells and spent the day walking around some local trails, including Vicar's Close which is said to be the oldest residential street in Europe. We also had a lovely lunch at The Crown before heading back to site when we could hear thunder in the distance, returning to site before the storm .
Wednesday was our day to drive to our next site, Salisbury Camping and Caravanning Club Site. We were given a choice of pitches and chose one on the edge of the site adjacent to Hudson's Field. After setting up we had lunch and walked into Salisbury for a coffee.
We had a dry start to Thursday so walked into Salisbury, arriving as it started to rain so we popped into a cafe for a coffee until the rain passed. We then spent the day pottering around some of the landmarks as well as popping into a few shops. We walked back to site mid afternoon and sat outside as it had turned into a hot sunny day.
Friday was forecast as a fine morning and a wet afternoon so we decided to walk to Old Sarem (the main reason we wanted to visit this site) just a short walk from the site. We walked around Old Sarem site and then took the track to Devenish Country Park. After a short walk around the woods we walked back to site mid afternoon just as it started to rain again.
On Saturday we walked to Salisbury as we wanted to visit the Community Garden and Arundel Gardens as well as walking a few of the town trails.
On Sunday we travelled to our next site, Black Knowl Club Campsite near Brockenhurst in the New Forest. We visited last year and not only enjoyed the site but felt there was such a lot more walking for us that we've returned for five nights. We found a lovely pitch in the corner of the site and after setting up we spent the as afternoon on site - the forecast was looking good for the week so we spent the afternoon planning our walks.
We woke to a lovely sunny morning on Monday and walked to Brockenhurst and started the day with a coffee at The Buttery before doing a circular walk to Roydon Woods Nature Reserve. It was a long walk, but we enjoyed it as it was an area we hadn't previously visited.
Tuesday started as another glorious sunny day, so we walked to the Tall Trees Trail. Although we had walked this trail on our last visit we found it very different to walk in the Spring rather than the Autumn. We had hoped to walk to the Arboretum, but unfortunately it was closed, so we walked a different trail back to the site.
We had another lovely sunny morning on Wednesday and walked to Lyndhurst. We walked via different paths to our last visit so we could see another part of the Forest.
We both felt tired on Thursday as we had done three long walks on the previous days, so decided to have an easier day with a short walk around Brockenhurst. We had intended sitting in the sun on our return but it clouded over in the afternoon so we tidied Zeb ready to move to our final site.
Our final site is one of our favourite sites Haycraft Club Campsite between Swanage and Corfe. After arriving on site we spent the afternoon sitting outside until the clouds started to get very grey and we heard thunder rumbling around. We retreated inside Zeb just as it started to rain.
We woke to a lovely sunny morning on Saturday and decided to walk to Swanage. We walked from the site to Langton Matravers, out to Dancing Ledge and along the coast path through Durlston Country Park and Swanage. After a walk around the town we caught the bus back to Haycraft Lane and walked back to the site.
Sunday was another lovely sunny day so we decided to walk to Swanage again. This time we walked from the site to Corfe Castle and across Ballard Down through Durlston and Ullwell to Swanage. As we were too early for the bus we went for a drink at Gee Whites then caught the bus to Haycraft Lane and walked back to the site.
Monday was our last day of this 'adventure' so we decided to have an easier day. We caught the bus to Swanage and had a potter around the town and along the seafront before having lunch at.The 1959 Pier Cafe and Bistro. Although it was a lovely sunny day, it was also very windy but we managed to get an outside table in a sheltered spot and sat out for our lunch.
Tuesday was our day to travel home and to reflect on the sites we visited. We will probably return to Hurn Lane, although it's not one of our favourite sites we've not been able to walk over Brean Down or see the wooden lighthouse. I'm not sure we'll return to Salisbury as we've done all the walking we wanted to do from the site and neither of us were keen on the town. The Wells site was lovely but we were unable to do many of the things we had planned due to the awful storm, so we'll be back in the future. Black Known and Haycraft remain two of our favourite sites in two of our favourite walking areas, so both will be visited again.
4-23 May 2023
We hadn't planned on going away so soon after our last trip, but the forecast showed a week of fine weather which was too good to miss so we booked a last minute break. We wanted to go somewhere we've not visited for ages and decided on Carlyon Bay, booking four nights at Carlyon Bay Camping Park.
We drove down to Cornwall on Monday and set up on site. The site is large (150-160 pitches) but there were only three other pitches occupied when we arrived. We had a look around the site, which appeared a bit shabby, before walking to the beach. There are a lot of pop-up cafes and shops on the beach and as it was a lovely sunny afternoon we sat out for a drink before heading back to site.
Tuesday was another lovely sunny morning so we caught the bus from outside the site entrance to Fowey. After a coffee at Havener's Bar we walked the coast path back to Carlyon Bay. There were a few challenging climbs on the walk so we were glad to get back to the site and sit in the sun.
After our long walk the previous day we decided to have an easier day on Wednesday and walked to Charlestown. The harbour is lovely with some good cafes and bars as well as craft shops. As it started to get quite cold in the afternoon we took a slow walk back to the site..
On Thursday we decided to visit Pinetum Gardens which was a short walk from the site. The gardens were lovely and we spent several hours walking around them - our favourite areas were the Japanese Garden and Pinetum.
On Friday it was time to return home to get ready for our next 'adventure'.
17-21 April 2023
We've been wanting to get away for a break since our family visit in February, but the weather has been awful. We've kept an eye on the forecast and when a few fine days were on the way we made a last minute booking at Tregurrian Camping and Caravanning Club Site. We've been to this site a couple of times so know there is plenty of walking from the site as well as bus stops in the village.
As it's not far to the site we went to our class at the gym on Wednesday morning before setting off for Tregurrian. We had a long journey through heavy rain, but it eases as we got to the site so we didn't get too wet setting up. The site was almost empty so we had a choice of pitches and chose one on the edge of the site. After setting up and having early showers we stayed in Zeb as it was very wet all evening and overnight.
Thursday was forecast as a dry, windy day so we walked the coast path to Porth. We had tea and cake at Gwenna Teahouse when we arrived before having a look at the holiday accommodation where my niece and her family are staying in the summer. After lunch we headed back to the site to sit in the sun and read our books.
On Friday we decided to catch the bus to Porthcothan and walk back to site. It was a challenging walk with steep climbs out of Bedruthan Steps and Mawgan Porth, but there were also cafes and places to stop on the way back. The weather turned warmer as the day progressed, which made us more tired.
After two days of walking we decided to catch the bus to Padstow on Saturday. Although it was only about ten miles, the journey took over an hour as it took several detours through the small villages. Padstow was very busy but after tea and cake at Caffe Rojano we had a potter around the town and then walked out along the headland.
On Sunday we caught the bus to Newquay, walked to Fistral Beach and then back along the coast path to the site. There was a cold wind all day, so we stopped a couple of times for tea and took our time as Steve wasn't feeling too good with the cold weather.
More rain was forecast on Monday so it was a good day to travel back home
5-10 April 2023
It's been far too long since we've been away in Zeb, although this trip was more work than pleasure.
On Tuesday we travelled to Stanmore Hall Touring Park near Bridgnorth as it's only about half an hour drive from Steve's family. We had asked for the same pitch as our first visit as it's at the back of the site where it's quieter and were pleased to see that was the pitch we had been allocated. After setting up we went for a short walk around Stanmore Country Park as we knew the next few days would be very tiring and we wouldn't get many chances to have a walk.
On Wednesday we went to see Steve's mother as we had an appointment in the morning. In the afternoon Steve's mother collected his father from the care home where he lives and we all met at Steve's brother's home for the afternoon. We returned to site late afternoon and had a restful evening as we were both very tired.
Steve and his mother had another appointment on Thursday so we drove back to his parents' home and then to Stourbridge for the meeting. In the afternoon we visited the care home where his father lives and returned to the site late afternoon. We had another restful evening as there were still more appointments the following day.
Friday was a very early start as Steve's mother had made an early appointment so it was back to his parents' home in the morning and then to Dudley for the meetings. The appointments took longer than expected so we didn't get back to the site until mid afternoon. By this time were were both feeling exhausted so we walked across to the Country Park for an hour or so before going back to site.
After three early starts and tiring days we had an easier day on Saturday and caught the bus to Bridgnorth. In the morning we had a potter around a few shops before having lunch at The Atrium. We had another potter in the afternoon and caught the bus back to site mid afternoon.
On Sunday we drove to Stable Park CL at Hopton. The site we normally stay on when visiting my mother is closed for the winter so we booked two nights at this small site. The site reviews were good so we were very disappointed to find the site bore little resemblance to the photographs, description and reviews on the website. It was poorly maintained with a grubby, mouldy facilities block. After setting up on site my niece came to visit for a couple of hours, which was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.
Monday was our day to drive to Rugeley to see my mother and sister. After spending the day with them we arrived back on site late afternoon.
On Tuesday it was finally time for us to have some 'us time' (and leave the awful CL site) and we drove to Chapel Lane Club Campsite near Birmingham We've stayed at this site many times when visiting the NEC, which was the reason for this visit. After setting up on site we walked to Becketts Farm Shop for a coffee before heading back to site to get ready for the following day.
On Wednesday we drove to the NEC for the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show. Although we enjoyed the show we were disappointed that many manufacturers weren't at the show and neither were a lot of the accessories shops. By mid afternoon we were both feeling very tired so headed back to site for our final night in Zeb.
We had a leisurely start to the day on Thursday before driving back home. We had originally thought about staying away for a few more days, but had found the trip very tiring and we were both feeling unwell so decided to head back home so Steve could carry on with the work he is doing for his mother.
14-23 February 2023
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
