Cali has stayed in Cornwall

Steve went to Bodmin on a two day training course and rather than drive home he booked a pitch at the Mena Caravan and Camping Park, about five miles from Bodmin.  The site sounded very good, AA 4 star, but sadly didn't live up to expectations.

Cali pitched next to facilities block

Although the site was in a lovely location, the facilities weren't brilliant.  Two toilets and showers for the whole site (in the shed behind Cali) and they were grubby and mouldy. As Steve was the only person staying on site the lack of facilities wasn't an issue, although he did find it a bit spooky with no other people on site.  It's not a site to add to our list of places to stay.

As it was raining overnight and Steve was only staying one night, he didn't open the roof and used the Brandrup Airscreen so he could open the window for some fresh air.  It was a great success as it kept the wind and rain out whilst allowing plenty of fresh air overnight.

15 May 2017

Cali has been to Woolacombe

We decided to visit North Devon over the weekend and stayed at the Willingcott Caravan and Motorhome Club Site for one night, a drive of just under two hours,   We used to use this site when we had our caravan so, like all C&MC sites, we knew the facilities would be good. Maybe it was because the weather forecast was for a wet weekend, but there were only a handful of caravans and motorhomes on the site so we had plenty of choice.   It's a very windy site so we pitched at the bottom of the site to get some shelter and decided not to wind out the awning.

Pitch 16, Willingcott

The site is very well maintained and the facilities were spotless, but there's not too much walking from the site.  It's probably a site we would use for a one night stay if we're in the area, but not one for a longer stay as we would need to keep driving off site.

We enjoyed our overnight stay and even when it was pouring with rain, we felt very cosy inside Cali. After our stay at Dulverton we had had bought some jute bags for books, magazines and bottles and had stored those behind the turned front seats, which made the front a lot tidier.  One other thing for our shopping list is a couple of small torches as it was very dark walking to and from the facilities.

13 May 2017

Cali has been to Budleigh Salterton

The forecast for today was good, so we called at the local shop for the Sunday paper and some pastries before heading off to Budleigh Salterton.  Although it's only about four miles from home, we knew the view from the car park would be a great place for breakfast.

View from car park over River Otter estuary

After breakfast we read the papers for a while, before putting the chairs away and going for a walk. It was great to return to Cali and pop the kettle on for more mugs of tea.

We later drove home through East Budleigh and across Woodbury Common - a fabulous 'Cali day out'.

7 May 2017

Cali has been to Exmoor House, Dulverton

For our first weekend away in Cali we've gone to Exmoor House Caravan and Motorhome Club Site, which is only about an hour's drive from home. Steve met me when I finished work on Friday and we drove to Dulverton.  The site was fully booked for the weekend and the warden asked if we would consider having pitch 23, which is a smaller pitch backing onto the river. We were happy to take the pitch and joined a row of campervans. The only downside is that the pitches are in the shadow of trees, so won't get too much sun. It's probably not a pitch we would choose again - although it's not been a problem this weekend as there has been more rain than sun!

Pitch 23 - Exmoor House

On Saturday we did the Dulverton circular walk, which went along the river, through Brushford and back over the hill into Dulverton. We visited The Bridge Inn in the evening, just a short walk from the site, for a meal and a couple of drinks.

River Barle, near Dulverton

The forecast for Sunday was rain, so we popped the Cali topper on and wound the awning in before going to bed.  So glad we did as Sunday was very wet. We had a short walk around Dulverton and headed back to Cali when it started to rain quite heavy. We had often wondered how we would get wet clothes dry in such a small space, but it wasn't a problem.  Wet boots were put on newspaper on the floor behind the nearside seat, trousers were hung over a cord fixed between two hooks in the roof area at the front and wet coats hung over the seat headrests and dripped onto newspaper.

The K9 tent has also stayed dry and is great for storage - it raised a few smiles on the site when people asked us what sort of dog we have!

We had a lazy start to the Bank Holiday Monday morning and then decided to head home and get everything dry. We've had a great first weekend away and have made a list of a few things we want to get before our next trip - mainly a few bags to keep things tidy.

The site was lovely with friendly wardens and excellent facilities.  There's lots of walking in the area and also local buses that go through the town, although not too many each day. I'm sure this will become one of our weekend sites.

28 April-1st May 2017

Cali has been to Parke, Haytor and Knightshayes

We've had a couple of day trips this weekend to get used to driving Cali and enjoy her as a day vehicle.  It also gave us a chance to see what we need before our first camping trip next weekend.

Yesterday we visited Parke, a National Trust parkland near Bovey Tracy, with lovely river walks. There was quite a lot of parking (free for NT members) and it was great to have Cali as a walking base and return to pop the kettle on for a cup of tea.  After lunch we decided to drive over Dartmoor and went to Haytor.

Cali on Haytor Car Park

The weather was fabulous and we walked up to the rock and took this photograph to show Cali on the car park.  There are several car parks along the road with good access - although there is a lot of discussion whether these should now become 'pay and display' car parks.

Haytor before we took the chairs out to enjoy the views

Today we've visited Knightshayes, a National Trust house, gardens and parkland near Tiverton. There was lots of parking (free for NT members). Unfortunately I've hurt my back so couldn't do too much walking in the woods, but we did have a lovely stroll around the gardens.

22-23 April 2017

Cali is home!

We collected Cali this from the dealer this afternoon and had one small hitch during the handover - the registration number given to me last week was different to the one on the vehicle!  I borrowed the dealer's computer and phone to contact the C&MC insurance department who were very helpful,. They changed the details on the policy documents and emailed me a new Certificate of Insurance straight away.  The rest of the handover went without a hitch and we brought her home - she's fabulous!

We've spent a few hours 'playing' this afternoon and giving guided tours to the neighbours!

19 April 2017

Cali is in Exeter

We've had an email from the dealer to say Cali has arrived in Exeter this morning - she's all in one piece and is to the correct specification (which is great news!).

The workshop are working on her this afternoon and the valeting department will polish her on Tuesday - ready for us to collect on Wednesday afternoon.  Six more sleeps.