Cali has been to Wareham

We had planned on going to the Camping and Caravan Show at the NEC but as we've already ordered Cali 2 we had a change of plan.  We've been keeping an eye on the weather forecast to see where the best weather was likely to be and opted to stop at Hunter's Moon Caravan Club Site at Wareham.

Pitch 64 Hunter's Moon

We had just finished pitching on Thursday afternoon when it started to rain heavy and then rained on and off all night.  Luckily our pitch was near to the amenities block, so we didn't get too wet.  As strong winds were also forecast, we didn't raise the roof for the weekend.

On Friday we woke to a windy but dry morning and decided to go walking for the day.  The only downside to the site is there is no bus service nearby, so we drove Cali off site and went to Swanage.  We walked to Durlston Country Park in the morning, into Swanage for lunch at the Love Cake cafe and then a walk along the seafront in the afternoon.  By late afternoon it had started to cloud over so we returned to site.

Old Harry Rocks & Swanage Pier

Friday night was very windy - even with the roof down we could feel the wind blowing Cali.  Neither of us had much sleep.  On Saturday we woke to a damp, drizzly morning so drove to the National Trust car park at Studland Bay.  By the time we had read the paper and had a coffee, the rain had stopped and the sun came out. 

Studland Beach

We walked along the beach to the Shell Bay Bistro for lunch and then back to Cali returning to the site late afternoon.

Saturday was another wet and windy night.  Sunday morning was also wet so after breakfast we decided to head home.  Despite the weather it was a lovely weekend and we made the best of the dry spells to go walking.

20-23 February 2020

Cali 2 - Confirmation of Order

After several emails between us, Highbridge Motorhomes and Hymer in Germany, it's now all arranged that Highbridge can change one of their existing stock orders to our specification.  This means we should have delivery mid-May rather than mid-July if they had placed a new order.

Mid-May works well for us as we'll be able to have a few weekends away before we travel to Kent at the end of June.

12 February 2020

Cali 2 is on order!

Well, we've done it - we've placed an order for Cali 2!  Our new campervan will be a Hymer Ayres Rock.  We'll both be sad to sell Cali, but the new campervan is full height, has a fixed bed and shower/toilet and is only half a metre longer than Cali.  The compromise is that it has a smaller living area, but that's fine for us.

We're buying Cali 2 from Highbridge who were at the Motorhome Show at Westpoint this weekend, so we got a free pass from the dealer to attend the show and place our order.  He's got to check on delivery time, but we expect it to arrive around May or June

25 January 2020

Cali has been to Bath Chew

On Saturday we went to Paignton and viewed a Knaus Boxstar and then travelled to Highbridge to see a Hymer Ayres Rock.  We've narrowed our choice down to these two vehicles so also obtained prices from the dealers.  

As the forecast for the weekend was good we had booked Saturday night at Bath Chew Caravan Park.  We'd visited the site many years ago when we had our caravan, but couldn't remember how much walking we would be able to do from the site.  We had booked a standard hardstanding pitch but as the site was fairly quiet they upgraded us to a Fully Serviced Pitch, at no extra cost.  

It was getting dark when we arrived so after showers we had our meal and settled down for the evening.  Thankfully we had taken our thermal covers as we woke to a heavy frost.  The temperature inside Cali was 2 degrees, but I had left the heater remote control by the bed so I could turn it on for a while before we got up.

Pitch 41 Bath Chew

The site was lovely and just how we remembered it, it's like camping in a large garden.  The site has individual shower/toilet rooms, which is a nice idea but mops would have been good so the floor could be dried as they soon got very wet and muddy.  

We left the site on Sunday morning and visited another dealer to look at a Boxstar and then returned to Highbridge to refresh our memory on the Ayres Rock.  Which one will it be?

18 January 2020 

Cali has been to Wareham and Hayling Island

It's been over two months since we camped in Cali and have really missed our time away, so were itching to get away again. The weather forecast was slightly better this weekend so we booked two nights at Hunters Moon Caravan Club Site at Wareham as we wanted to visit Hayling Island to view some campervans.  

We arrived on site late afternoon on Friday and set up on a pitch near the facilities as it was very windy and starting to rain - again!  As we were heading off early the next morning we hadn't taken the thermal pop-up cover so left the roof down overnight.  

It didn't take long to get on the road on Saturday and we drove across to Hayling Island.  We saw several VanTourer campervans and have now crossed them off our list as we felt the living area was cramped.  After leaving the dealer we headed to the seafront and had lunch at the Inn on the Beach.  It was very windy and bitterly cold, so we only had a short walk along the beach - looking across to Portsmouth.

Hayling Island Seafront towards Portsmouth

We had a short drive around Hayling Island and decided we'll return one day to camp and have a walk around the island.  It was dark when we got back to site but we still got pitched in about ten minutes.  There was another awful storm overnight with very strong winds and torrential rain, so it was a lovely surprise to wake on Sunday to blue sky and sun.

Pitch 62 Hunter's Moon

After breakfast we packed up and drove to Lyme Regis for a walk along the seafront.  The day was glorious and we walked several miles around the Cobb and the Langmoor Gardens.

Langmoor Gardens towards Charmouth

We had a lovely weekend and realise how much we have missed going away.  Hopefully the weather will start to improve so we can get away for more weekends.

10-12 January 2020

Cali has been to Chesil Beach

It's ages since we've been away in Cali - or even had any day trips.  Most weekends have been wet and those that have been dry we had already arranged visits to families, theatre or other things that couldn't be changed.  We had booked to go away over Christmas again, but changed our mind because of the weather.  We cancelled our booking and planned lots of walks from home instead.

We decided we needed a Cali day out over the holiday and went to Chesil Beach.  There were a lot of flooded roads on the way over and many of the fields looked like lakes.  We arrived at Chesil Beach quite early so got a lovely parking spot overlooking the beach for breakfast in Cali.

Breakfast at Chesil Beach

After breakfast we walked the coast path to Bowlease beach and on the way back we stopped at the Ship Inn at Weymouth harbour for lunch.  The day was very cold and overcast and we were glad to get back to Cali just before it started to rain again.

29 December 2019

Cali has been to Chapel Lane, the NEC, Moreton-in-Marsh and Tewkesbury

We decided to visit the The National Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC as VW were exhibiting for the first time and we wanted to see the Grand California.  We also wanted to look around a few other campervans that were going to be at the show as we're considering changing when Steve finishes full-time work and we do more touring.

We were both on leave on Friday so drove up to Chapel Lane Caravan Club Site on Friday as it's close to the NEC.  We were glad we arrived early afternoon as we had a good choice of pitches, but the site was full by early evening. 

Pitch 47 Chapel Lane

The weather was awful overnight with torrential rain.  It not only kept us both awake but we had the covers were also wet when we packed them away - luckily we had decided not to take the roof cover so we were able to pack away quickly.  We left the site early on Saturday to drive to the NEC for the day.  The show was great - we both dislike the Grand California but fell in love with the Knauss, Burstner and Hymer campervans and their continental layout.  There's a lot more research to do, but we plan on changing in a year or so as they all had fixed beds at the rear, washrooms and a high level roof - all that and they are only half a metre longer.

After the show we drove to the Moreton-in-Marsh Caravan Club Site for Saturday night.  We arrived later than planned and the site was almost full with a limited choice of pitches but as we were only staying for one night the wardens suggested we stay on the reserved pitch near the toilet block.  We were both really tired and I think that spurred us on to get set up as we were finished within ten minutes.

Pitch 46 Moreton-in-Marsh

On Sunday morning we packed up after breakfast and walked into Moreton-in-Marsh for a look around the village and a coffee.  There's plenty of walking from the site, so this is definitely a site we'll return to in the future.  After returning to the site we drove across to Tewkesbury Abbey Caravan Club Site for the final two nights.

We had booked a multi surface pitch - something new to the Club.  Basically it's a block paved area for caravan/car or motorhome and a grassed area for awnings.  We were surprised to see that some of the grass pitches were still in use and so pleased we hadn't booked one as the ground was very muddy. 

Pitch 106 Tewkesbury Abbey

The site is lovely and surprisingly quiet considering it's so near to the town - although the Abbey bells ring every quarter of an hour!  We were both feeling rather tired after our busy few days so stayed on site on Sunday.

On Monday we walked into Tewkesbury and had a look around the town as well as lunch at Rosado Lounge and a visit to the Abbey.  The Abbey is beautiful, especially the amazing gold and green colours in The Denny Windows.

The Denny Windows, Tewkesbury Abbey

We visited Tourist Information to pick up some walk leaflets as we hope to return next year.  There are plenty of walks along both the Rivers Avon and Severn as well as various town trails.  

After breakfast on Tuesday it was time to head home.  As we plan on returning to the Caravan and Motorhome Show next year we've already booked the Chapel Lane site, but having learned from this visit we've booked it for both the Friday and Saturday nights as it will be easier to return to a site we've already booked into if we're late back from the show.

18-22 October 2019