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

Zebedee has been to Slimbridge and Cirencester

We should have gone to Slimbridge in February, on our way to visit families and the NEC, but cancelled our booking due to Storm Eunice.  The site were very helpful and allowed us to move our booking to a new date and we also added a few extra days to make a week long 'adventure'.

On Tuesday we set off to Tudor Caravan Park - we like the area where we have previously pitched so paid an extra fee to choose our pitch.  After setting up on site we had a short walk along the canal before returning to the Tudor Arms for a drink.

Pitch 23 Tudor Caravan Park

We had a cool start to the day on Wednesday and decided to walk along the canal beyond Saul Junction.  By mid morning the sun was out and we had a lovely sunny day, although it was probably too hot for a 12 mile walk in our thicker clothes.  We also stopped at The Stables Cafe for a pot of tea on our return to the site.

On Thursday we spent the day at Slimbridge Wetlands Centre, which is a short walk from the site.  There was an Easter duck hunt for the children which, of course, we had to join in and found all 14 ducks!

Steve and Easter Duck

On Friday we left Slimbridge and travelled to Cirencester Park Caravan Club Site.  We set up on site and walked into the town for a potter around the shops and tea and cake at Heather's Cafe.

Pitch 130 Cirencester Park

We had a lazy start to the day on Saturday morning and then walked into town to buy a newspaper and have a coffee before returning to the site for lunch.  In the afternoon we walked the 'Field and Woodland' walk around the Bathurst Estate.

Sunday was another lovely hot, sunny day and we decided to walk through the park to Sapperton.  There were signs for a motorcycle competition which was being held along the paths through the woods so in places we had to walk along the adjacent track.  Although it was a bit noisy, it was interesting to watch and also interesting when we had to wait for a gap in the motorcyclists to cross the race track.

Bathurst Estate

We decided to spend the day in town on Monday.  We walked the Whereat Trail which took us out to the Roman Amphitheatre and Querns Wood - parts of the town we've not previously visited.

Tuesday was our day to travel home.  After unpacking Zeb and giving him a quick clean we took him back to storage for a week before our next adventure.

19-26 April 2022

Zebedee has been to Arlington, Dorchester, Fareham and Wareham

We had planned a few days in Zeb on sites in North Devon and Exmoor before we had a change of plan. 

We left home on Friday for our first site at Hallsdown Farm a private site near Arlington.  We had seen the site advertised in Campervan magazine and liked the look of it - it was an adults only site with no dogs allowed as it was on a sheep farm.  We set off late morning and arrived on site in glorious sunshine.  After setting up we walked up the lane to the Farm Shop before returning to the site to enjoy the sun.

Pitch 8 Hallsdown Farm

On Saturday we walked a couple of miles to Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum, We spent the day walking around the grounds and visiting the carriage museum before returning to site to enjoy more glorious sunshine.

We walked to Wistlandpound Reservoir on Sunday and followed the trails around the reservoir before returning to Arlington Court for a cup of tea and a slice of cake.  The weather was still glorious so we returned to the site to sit in the sun again.

Wistlandpound Reservoir

We had originally planned on going to Woolacombe for a few days, but decided to head across to Southdown Motorhomes at Portsmouth to discuss our new campervan.  Steve had been speaking to the sales advisor over the phone, but we decided it would be good to meet and discuss everything.  As the next two sites we had booked were C&MC sites we were able to cancel the bookings and transfer to new sites.  So on Monday we left Devon to head over to Portsmouth - as it was a long journey we stopped at Crossways Caravan Club Site near Dorchester.  The site is set in woodland which was full of deer and unusually they didn't run off when spotted - instead they stood at the side of the road and watched us walk past them!

Pitch 78 Crossways

Most of the pitches were grass but we found a lovely hardstanding pitch in the centre of the site.  After walking around the site in the afternoon we went to the nearby Frampton Arms for a meal before returning to the site early evening.

Neither of us slept well on Monday night as we had heavy rain overnight and as our pitch was under trees the noise of the rain on the roof lights kept us awake.  We set off late morning on Tuesday to drive to Rookesbury Park Caravan Club Site near Fareham and set up on site quickly as it was still raining.  We stayed on site all afternoon, walking around the site when the rain eased late afternoon.

Pitch 30 Rookesbury Park

On Wednesday we drove to Southdown Motorhomes to discuss our new campervan and completed our order.  We returned to the site in the afternoon and walked to Wickham where we had a walk around the village and a couple of celebratory drinks at the King's Head before returning to site.

The following day we drove to Hunter's Moon Caravan Club Site.  The weather had totally changed from the warm sunny days at the start of our trip and it was now bitterly cold.  After setting up we had a walk around the site, had early showers and settled down for the evening.

Pitch 72 Hunter's Moon

On Friday we woke to a cold frosty start to the day.  We walked the Sika Trail through Wareham Forest and although we enjoyed the walk it was very windy and bitterly cold all day so we returned to site mid afternoon.

We had another frosty start to the day on Saturday and walked to Wareham.  By mid morning the sun was out and although it was still very cold it was a lovely sunny day.  We pottered around the town and had a pot of tea before walking back to the site through the forest in a hail storm.  After returning to the site we had early showers to warm us up and spent the evening tucked up in Zeb.

Sunday was also a cold frosty day and we walked back to Wareham through the forest.  When the sun came out late morning it was a lovely day and we sat by the river for our lunch before having a pot of tea and returning to the site. 

Morden Bog, Wareham Forest

We returned home on Monday to get ready for a busy week at home and plan for our next 'adventure'.

We enjoyed our trip, even though it wasn't the one we had originally planned.  Hallsdown Farm was a lovely site and one of our favourite sites we've ever visited - we'll definitely return.  Crossways was another lovely site and I'm sure we'll return there again.  Rookesbury Park is convenient for visiting Southdown Motorhomes although it closes in the autumn so we won't be able to stay there when we collect our new campervan late 2022/early 2023.  Hunter's Moon is one of our regular sites, especially for out of season breaks as it's open all year.

25 March-3 April 2022

Zebedee has been to Birmingham, Malvern and Minehead

After far too long we've had another adventure in Zeb.  We had planned on starting our journey on Friday with two days at Slimbridge, but cancelled our booking due to Storm Eunice.  Our intention was to go to a CL at Stafford on Sunday so we could see my niece and her family, but the site cancelled our booking as they were flooded.  We had already booked two nights at Chapel Lane Caravan Club Site after the Stafford site so we could visit the Camping, Caravan and Motorhome Show at the NEC, and managed to get another couple of nights at Chapel Lane.

We travelled to Birmingham on Sunday and after a blustery journey we arrived on site to hear that the Met Office had now named this weather front Storm Franklin.  We managed to find a fairly sheltered pitch and stayed on site for the rest of the day and Monday morning whilst the storm passed.  The weather was a little calmer on Monday afternoon so we had a short walk to Beckett's Farm Shop.

Pitch 47 Chapel Lane

We should have visited my mother and sister on Monday, but delayed our visit until Tuesday after the storm had passed.  We drove to Rugeley and spent the day with them before heading back to the site mid afternoon.

On Wednesday we went to the NEC and had a good day at the show.  We were both surprised at how busy it was at the show - there were no ticket sales on the door and we were told that 19,000 tickets had been sold for the day.  Even though it was busy most people were keeping their distance and masks were worn inside the vehicles.

On Thursday we left Chapel Lane to visit Steve's parents in Gornall.  After spending the day with them we drove to Blackmore Camping and Caravan Site near Malvern.  We arrived late afternoon and set up quickly on a lovely pitch near to the facilities block.  It had been a bitterly cold day, so after hot showers we settled down for the evening and went to bed early as Steve wasn't feeling too good due to the cold weather.

Pitch 6 Blackmore

We had only booked one night at Malvern so on Friday we drove to Minehead Caravan Club Site for the weekend.  After setting up on site we walked to Minehead and had a drink at The Quay Inn before returning to site.

Pitch 36 Minehead

Saturday was a cold, but sunny day so we walked from site to the coast path and then to Dunster beach.  We sat for a short while whilst having lunch, but it was too cold to stay long so we walked back to Minehead harbour and then to the site.

On Sunday we walked to Dunster village and Dunster Castle and Watermill.  We spent the day walking around the Castle and grounds and admiring the stunning views from the Castle grounds.  We returned to Dunster beach and walked back to Minehead along the coast path so we could have a circular walk.

Dunster Castle Keep towards Coast

We would have liked to stay longer at Minehead, but as we'd got a busy week at home we headed back on Monday.  After cleaning and emptying Zeb we took him back to the storage site on Tuesday afternoon.

Chapel Lane is a lovely site and perfect for visits to the NEC.  It was our first visit to Blackmore but we liked the site and I'm sure will return again.  Minehead is one of our favourite sites as there is so much walking from the site and it's not too far from home - the site is also open all year.

20-28 February 2022

Zebedee has been to Slimbridge, Cannock Chase and Wolverley

We had planned to visit our families in October, but had to postpone our trip due to Steve's heart attack.  Although he's making a very good recovery he gets very tired so we extended our trip to include rest days.

On Tuesday we travelled to Slimbridge to visit the Wetlands Centre.  It was a cold, dull day but we still enjoyed spending a few hours at the Centre before going to Tudor Caravan Park to stay overnight.  

Pitch 25 Tudor Caravan Park

The following day we packed up and travelled to Cannock Chase Camping and Caravanning Site.  We had a lovely pitch on the edge of the site and after setting up enjoyed a short walk on the paths around the site.    

Pitch 13 Cannock Chase

On Thursday we walked from the site to Marquis Drive Visitor Centre and along the side of Fair Oak Pools to the Birches Valley Visitor Centre before returning to the site late afternoon.

Fair Oak Pools

On Friday we drove from the site to visit my mother and sister, returning to the site late afternoon to set up before it was too dark.  

Saturday was our travel day and we moved to Wolverley Camping and Caravanning Site as this site isn't too far from Steve's parents.  After setting up we went for a walk along the canal before having a hot chocolate at a nearby café and returning to the site for the evening.

Pitch 43 Wolverley

On Sunday we visited Steve's parents and, again, returned to site late afternoon to set up before it went too dark.

We had planned an extra day at Wolverley before travelling home so walked along the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal to Kidderminster.  There wasn't too much to see in the town so we walked a little further along the canal to the Watermill Pub for lunch.  It was a cold but sunny day - perfect for a canal walk.

Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal

Monday was our day to return home.

We've stayed at Tudor Caravan Park before and weren't too keen on the site, but it was definitely better out of season and we will return again when visiting Slimbridge.  We loved the Cannock Chase site.  It's a small site set on the outskirts of the Forest with lots of walking nearby - it's also only about a 15 minute drive to my mother's house.  The Wolverley site is okay, not as friendly as the Cannock Chase site but, again, it's handy for visiting Steve's family.  

17-23 November