Frosty morning

It was a very cold night and frosty morning.

We are leaving Wales this morning, Saturday,  to go home.

Winters Wales

Jeans house when the lights went out.

Having three days in Wales to see Jean and family.

Traveled down on Wednesday afternoon stopping near Cardiff overnight. This gives Rosemary time to visit the Outlet Centre near Bridge End on Thursday morning before we go to Pembrey CC site for another 2 nights.

Golden Wedding

We stopped for one night at the Toft Hotel CL near Bourne for Mike and Margaret's wedding anniversary meal with their family and friends.

Worcestershire

Well it did rain a little overnight but it was clear blue skies for us to travel home. We saw some signs to Worcester Pottery on the motorway and diverted off to pay a visit only to find that the pottery closed two years ago leaving just the museum and a trendy building development.

We did have a coffee from the machine but in pretty china cups and picked up leaflet for the Elgar birthplace museum.

This was almost on our way home and was a very interesting old cottage in rural Worcestershire. Apart from writing music I discovered that Elgar was a keen chemist and has several inventions to his name.

I picked up a CD and Rosemary found some more Christmas presents, it starts earlier every year.      

Hereford Fishing

We had earned a free day fishing at the C&CC site at Hereford from previous visits so this was a good opportunity to use it.

It was a generally overcast day, but not cold, good for a days fishing in fact. The big carp had other ideas unfortunately, so we found ourselves catching the smaller silver fish. Roach and bream 'gave themselves up' in enough numbers to keep us busy all afternoon.

Rosemary caught a small perch, much to her delight as it was a first and I finished the day with a really nice golden carp that had come round the margins to collect the bait that frustrated fishermen throw in when they are packing up.

Not such a bad day after all, but it was getting distinctly autumnal by dusk and rain was forecast overnight.

Ludlow Festival

We left mid-morning for the 10 miles drive north to Ludlow and put the van in the festival park and ride.

The market square and surrounding buildings were largely devoted to the show and Rosemary found a couple of early Christmas presents in an associated craft fair.

The main event took place in the Castle ruins, where there was a huge marquee for the smaller stalls, with individual stalls scattered around the castle grounds for bigger exhibitors. As usual there were lots of samples and choice of lunch from the hog roast to paella. We had a plate of meat and apple sauce from hog roast with a rustic roll from one of the bakers stands.

Rosemary bought some really fresh butter, which I had seen being churned on the Victorian farm stall just an hour before, while I found a nice piece of Shropshire Blue cheese. It was a really nice warm day in very pleasant surroundings and we stayed until almost closing time at 4 o'clock before driving down to Hereford.

Food Festival Season

We decided to go to the Food Festival at Ludlow in Shropshire this year and set off on Saturday to stay-over at Leominster as this is the closest we could get at the last minute. It was a lovely CL, with hookups, good hard standings and fine views over the Clent hills to the north west.
Our two neighbours also had the same objective having been to the festival on Friday and Saturday - its a big event in Ludlow.

Home again

Packed up and left Cherry Hinton around 12.30 stopping off at Lyveden New Bield, a national trust property near Oundle. It's "a nice location for a picnic" according to the handbook and that is its best feature.
I suppose the half completed building was quite interesting and it would be a good backdrop for the outdoor performance of Macbeth which takes place in September.

Cambridge shopping again

We went into Cambridge and I had a wander around while Rosemary shopped. We met for a sandwich at Marks and then caught the bus back. Rosemary alighted at Addenbrooks to visit Margaret again and I went back to site to help Mike unpack and set up when he arrived back from home with his caravan.

It was a very hot day.

We had very chatty posh neighbours attending a wedding. Their son was the best man.

The wait is over

Margaret had the transplant call the weekend before we went to Weymouth. The operation was successful and we are on our way to visit her. We left early and put the van on the same pitch, beside the Buddliea hedge that we occupied on our last stay here, before catching the bus into Addenbrooks for the afternoon.

Margaret is recovering nicely and we enjoyed a chat and a Costa coffee together.  

Salisbury and Burford

The C&CC site at Salisbury is just north of the town and has a fine view of the ancient hill fort at Old Sarum. We visited the old castle and cathedral ruins, now under the care of English Heritage and enjoyed the views back over the campsite and further still to the new Salisbury cathedral, before heading home via the Fosse way. We had a nice pub lunch and browse around Burford in the sunshine and then stopped at Stow on the Wolds to shop for our streets Olympic barbeque in the evening. Just made it home in time at 6:30.

PS The postponed 470 races finally took place on Friday and GB held on to a silver medal in both.

Weymouth Becalmed

big screens on the beach

We should have been heading home today but as it was a really nice sunny day decided to visit Weymouth again to see the final mens 470 race where GB were to win either gold or silver. The site was fully booked but we were able to get in at Salisbury and leave the van in the Moreton site until the evening. As we approached Weymouth the guard informed us that sailing had been postponed for an hour due to lack of wind.

We bought some sandwiches and made our way to the viewing area that we had found before.

coastguard rescue at Nothe fort

There were lots of people again but not a breath of wind and not a boat in sight. After further delays the racing was abandoned for the day. The only excitement was the coast guard helicopter rescuing 2 elderly gentlemen who had been injured falling onto the rocks from the spectator area - and we thought it was just to entertain the crowd! We wandered back to the harbour, took the ferry across to the other side and after a nice cold shandy caught the train back to Moreton and drove on to Salisbury.

As racing was abandoned on Thursday we had not seen a single Olympic sailing dinghy - just windsurfers on Tuesday despite being in Weymouth for 3 days :- (

Dorchester photo opportunity

Not much to see at Weymouth today so we decided to take the train into the historic market town of Dorchester for a bit of sight seeing and lunch. Wandered around the market and bought a couple of plants before strolling into town to find something to eat. After lunch we stumbled upon one of the Olympic torch bearers in the High street, complete with torch, collecting £2 for charity in exchange for photo opportunity. So Rosemary had a photo with a torch bearer before we returned to site!

Weymouth surfing

spectators on the shore

After a twenty minute journey on South Western trains we were delivered into the centre of Weymouth just a couple of minutes from the sea front. Then we were directed by pink uniformed 'games makers' a further 30-45 min walk to where the Olympic action was taking place. First there were the giant TV screens on the beach, with free entry, then further on the sailing viewing areas. The official ticketed spectator area was on the Nothe Fort headland, but over the headland there was a promenade and public park around Newtons Cove. It all sounds perfect - pity about the weather which was rather dull, not much wind and with occasional showers.

Bryony and Gold medalist round 1st mark 

The main events of the day were the two RS-X windsurfer medal races. The start and finish line was in front of the official spectator area and only just in view from our vantage point. However the windward leg and mark on the course was in front of us in Newtons Cove. Despite the gloomy weather there were plenty of supporters from all nations and we enjoyed cheering on Nick Dempsey with the rest of the crowd as he won a silver medal in his race, but Bryony Shaw only managed sixth place. I took plenty of photos of the races in less that ideal conditions.

We both had mackerel butties on the quay before taking the train back to Moreton.

Olympic Odyssey

I made a last minute decision to try and join in the Olympic euphoria by going to see some of the second week of sailing events at Weymouth. Found there was a pitch on the C&CC site at Moreton near Dorchester in Dorset, which is very conveniently located on the London to Weymouth railway line.

Arrived late Monday and sure enough the site is within 50yds of the station. We are reminded about this at least once an hour by the trains sounding their hooter at the level crossing!

Returning Home

Margaret called to say that she can be discharged and stay in the caravan at Cherry Hinton while she is waiting for a transplant. Mike was going to pick her up in the afternoon.

We had to leave to meet family over the weekend and the site is fully booked again.

A waiting game?

We went into Cambridge on the bus, I bought a lens for my camera and we visited Margaret on the way back to site. It may now be possible for Margaret to leave hospital and stay in the caravan at Cambridge so that she can go back for blood tests 3 times a week. Waiting for confirmation.

Cambridge Again

Another 2 day visit to Cambridge to see Mike and Margaret.
Mike is almost a resident at Cherry Hinton site as Addenbrooks seem to want Margaret want to stay in under observation almost indefinitely.  

Murray time

We packed up early and headed for home to watch Andy Murray play Federer in Wimbledon final. A lot of big puddles to avoid on the roads between Walton and the M25. We arrived back at 2:30pm  - Andy had lost by 5:30 pm!

We really must return to Kingston to go for a trip on the Thames and to see Hampton Court Palace later in the year. Maybe after the Olympics have been and gone.

Hampton Court

Packed the brollies and we walked the 10 mins down the lane to catch the bus into Hampton Court where we met Katie to  visit the flower show. We had an afternoon ticket, which was enough for us to see the show.
It was huge and would have needed two days to really do it justice. Bought a stone cat and a ladybird poppy plant  to commemorate the visit. We were sitting in a coffee shop waiting to order a coffee, or two, and happened to notice that the last bus back to our site was in 20 minutes. We made the bus in time - just as it started to rain. It was really pouring by the time we reached the lane, but we were 'saved' by a fellow camper who gave us lift back down the lane.

The rain was torrential for about 3 hours during the night.

Kingston on Thames

Katie came to meet us on the site in the morning so that we could give her the stuff we bought from home and take it to her new flat. Later we walked into Kingston to do the shops and the Thames river front. Rosemary liked the shops, I liked the Thames and we both liked Katie's flat. We took some tapas type food from Waitrose back to site and just managed to eat it 'al fresco' before the sun went behind the trees and the cool breeze kicked in. Summer weather - must be joking.

Walton on Thames

Sitting in the rain (again) at a camping and caravan club site in Surrey. We have come here to see Katie and go to nearby Hampton Court where the RHS flower show is taking place. Katie has recently moved to a flat in Kingston on Thames, so the main reason for being here is to return some of the things she left with us during her move.

Time to Go Home

It was time for us to go home as the site was full again over the weekend. Mike managed to arrange to stay a few more nights as Margaret was still in hospital. We helped him move from the disabled pitch to the pitch we vacated before we left.

Not a very nice day again, so we drove straight home.

Raining Again

More rain overnight, Mike was visiting Margaret so we set off to go to Cambridge on the bus just as the heavens opened. We scurried back for shelter and to get a bigger umbrella! Slow journey into town with all the roadworks, did a bit of shopping and used the discount card to have lunch at Prezzo.  Watched a bit of punting, makes a change from football. Equally slow journey back. Watched more football.

Botanic Gardens

Wednesday should have been the best day of the week, it started sunny and we had breakfast outside, but it soon clouded over. We moved pitch to be closer to M&M and then we all went to visit the Botanic Gardens in Cambridge. Very nicely set out in different areas with typical plants for that area and a good cafe. Rosemary bought a plant for the dry area under our willow tree. Margaret had a call to say she had to go back to Addenbrooks, so we returned to site for Margaret to pick up an overnight bag.

A few days in Cambridge

Went to spend a few days in Cambridge at Cherry Hinton CC site with Mike and Margaret. Stopped at a Little Chef for a snack and coffee. Arrived late afternoon after taking a few diversions (ie going the wrong way) thru Mkt Harborough and Theddingworth.  M&M arrived a day earlier for Margaret to go for checks at Addenbrooks.

We had the last empty pitch on the site under the limestone wall, in the shade. We watched England beat Ukraine in the evening to top their Euro 2012 group and reach the quarter finals.    

Henley on Thames

Thames at Henley

Four Oaks site (could only see one oak worth mentioning) is close to the town, so an easy walk, or in our case a short drive to find somewhere to park on the way home. The Thames river front is quite smart but most of the rowing action is across river from the main town where there are lots of marquees ready for Regatta week in July. Plenty of bunting and road closures over the weekend so I guess Henley will be celebrating the Jubilee in style. Judging by the fancy boutiques and bistro's they can afford a bit of a splash. Very high prices in the charity shops Rosemary noticed! We found a small Greek restaurant with 'a yard' to have a economical lunch before we drove home.

Saw lots of birds of prey, mostly red kites, on the drive between Henley and the M40. RSPB do say they are increasing in numbers - this could be one of the areas.

Petworth House

The french style house

Henley on Thames looked to be about half way on our journey home and as we have never been before we booked into Henley Four Oaks CC site. On the way we passed Petworth House, a NT property, at around lunch time so we stopped in the wooded car park to make a sandwich and a drink. It looked worth a short visit so having listened to the introductory talk and we had a look round. The main rooms are just full of paintings by famous artists, lots of Van Dyke, so unless you are an art buff it was rather wasted. The old kitchens linked to the house by an underground service tunnel were much more interesting. There were some spectacular azaleas in the grounds.

It took longer than I expected to get around London in the rush hour so we did not arrive at Henley until around 7o'clock, but had a nice sunny pitch non-the-less.

Arundel

Arundel Castle

Another glorious day so we decided to go out for Sunday lunch in Arundel. Its an attractive town with a cathedral, castle and lots of nice pubs and eating places. The pub lunch of seafood linguine and fish cakes washed down with a glass of pinot grigio and a pint of shandy  pub respectively were excellent. The castle offered lots of visiting options, must be confusing for foreign tourist, we just went for the seniors gold option (keep, main rooms and gardens). This was more than enough as the castle, belonging to the Duke of Norfolk, is very big with plenty to see. We successfully bused it back home, making use of the bus timetable 'app' on the android phone, now we understand the Coast Hopper 700 routes. We are on our way back home tomorrow with one stop en-route - still TBD.

Littlehampton Beach

After a lazy start we took the bus into Littlehampton for a couple of hours and walked along the harbour as far as the beach. It was the first hot weekend for a while so there were plenty of families on the beach, although its not very sandy for the kids. The ice cream kiosks were doing a roaring trade.

Picked up a few bits in Waitrose while waiting for the bus. The wind had now dropped and we had our first barbeque of the holiday and the year!

Wedding Anniversary

Boat at Bognor Regis

Another hot sunny day with a nice breeze to walk into Littlehampton, about a mile away. Pleasant small seaside town with a harbour along the river Arun before it flows into the sea. The harbour side is recently refurbished with apartments and a paved river/harbour front walk. Stopped at one of the restaurants for a bit of lunch. A party  of French ladies who lunch, mussels and chips (moules/frites) and with a view of yachts in the harbour - we could have been in Brittany.
Rosemary found some jubilee windmills to take home for the garden party and we took the bus back to site - eventually. There was a choice of 3 buses with the same number, coast hopper 700 and it was a case of "3rd time lucky" before we got the right one. It took almost 3hrs to go 1 mile - but we had a tour of the coast with a short break in Bognor Regis.

It was too windy for a barbeque so the "Jamie" was fired up again to cook the lamb steaks to accompany a nice bottle of anniversary wine.

Chartwell House

After a bit of slipping and sliding on the wet grass we made it out of the CL and went to nearby Chartwell the family home of Winston Churchill. A very interesting NT day out with plenty of information and exhibits from eventful life and times. The house itself is not huge but has big grounds with lake, swimming pool and working garden and is in a superb position with uninterupted views over the Weald of Kent. Winston loved the place, writing his memorable speeches and painting in the garden studio. He said that 'a day away from Chartwell is a day wasted'  - think he had a point. One of Rosemary's favourite NT houses.

After two days of history and culture we decided to spend the weekend at the coast and  drove the 50 miles down to the CC site at Littlehampton where we had a enormous grassy pitch. Sunny and with a hedge for protection from the strong easterly breeze it was very warm.

Leeds Castle

After a one night stay at Hythe we joined the M20 motorway for a quick drive towards Maidstone and Leeds Castle. English Heritage operated (ie expensive) but very interesting with plenty to see in well maintained grounds, walks, picnic areas and the castle itself. Not such an imposing castle as some, it was mostly designed as a residence, but in a very nice island setting. The castle has hosted some memorable parties in its past, Sinatra sang here and the grounds are the setting for summer concerts. With its grand setting and easy access from London and the continent the fine meeting rooms are still used for high level diplomatic meetings (eg the Camp David series). The tickets are valid for a year - so we could come back again I guess.

Drove part of the Kent tourist trail via Tonbridge and past many more stately homes before finding a CL for the night near Chartwell. Another warm sunny day - has summer arrived at last?

Mini Cruise to France

Pole position on the car deck 

It only cost £12 for both of us to board the Dover-Calais ferry and spend the day cruising the English channel -  provided we did not get off. The cunning plan is for you to fill your car/van/boots with booze - but we do not have the space to do that, so it was just a cheap day out and it felt like we had been abroad! I drove the van round the car deck in Calais and we were in pole position leading the lorries off the boat when we got back to Dover.

Murky day at sea but the weather forecast is 'fine and sunny' tomorrow. When we arrived in Hythe for an overnight stay the sky was clear, the sun was out and so were my shorts, for the first time this year. Its about 20 degrees warmer - unbelievable.

We tried to have a Skype video call to Mark in Dubia in the evening. We could talk and see him OK, but the up-link speed from our campsite in the marshes was not good enough for two way video.

PS We did actually buy one box of wine and a bottle of gin on the boat.

Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs.

Yarrow building in broadstairs

Having never been to the Kent resorts we paid them a visit starting with Margate. The weather was not ideal for checking out seaside resorts but Margate seemed like a rather run down depressing place and we left it quickly behind. Broadstairs, smaller, had a bit more character but having picked up a parking ticket, while we having a quick lunch, it did not leave a favourable impression. We stopped to take some photos of a victorian Yarrow building which was used as hostel and Rosemary's brother Jeff came here with with school outing or holiday in the 50's.  Ramsgate looked a bit more refined but having seen them all now I don't think we have missed much.

Spray on the prom 

We carried on to the CC site at Folkestone where we had a pitch in the later arrivals, early ferry starters area.  This is when we decided we to go to France for the day and booked the tickets on line!

Rosemary will also remember this site cos she lost her favourite bucket here.

Canterbury

Sunday - Brighter but still cool today. Rosemary went back to town shopping, leading a party of Germans from the site! I stayed on site, downloaded some photos and updated the blog. Rosemary came back with some bargains from M&S - what a surprise!

Canterbury

Saturday started quite sunny for a change so after breakfasting outside, for the first time this holiday, we went into Canterbury for some sight seeing around the city. Very busy with tourist and shoppers and queues for the cathedral

Lunched on tapas at a Cuban restaurant/bar and then wandered around the impressively large cathedral and surrounding lanes. Returned on the bus and it was a pleasant enough evening (just) to cook and eat outside again.

Caught the end of the Chelsea champions league match. Mark called from Dubai from his luxury appartment and it rained overnight.

Rye and the Marshes

Friday started dry and bright and we returned to look at Rye which is one of the ancient Cinque Ports established to defend us from French invasions. The old part is at the top of the hill, it has a castle overlooking the now receded coastline and an imposing church. The surrounding cobbled streets are lined with attractive old cottages and listed buildings and descend steeply to the river and small harbour below. Rye appears to attract lots of French and Dutch tourists.

The afternoon became very murky with drizzle which seemed quite approriate for the tour of the Romney Marshes. We gave up and headed north towards Canterbury to find a farmers market, which Rosemary had heard about from a rare breeds farmer in a shop! It was at Challock close to the very attractive Kings Wood nature reserve, which was absolutely full of bluebells. We stopped briefly for coffee break in a leafy lay-by, just a shame the sun was not shining to complete the scene.    

We arrived in Canterbury late afternoon and booked in to the C&CC site for a three night weekend. It has a regular bus service into town right outside the entrance.

Hastings and Bodiam Castle

Fisherman's cabin at Hastings

After a lazy start we headed back to the coast to Bexhill, Hastings and Rye. Bexhill did not look very inviting, although Duane Eddy was appearing in concert that day, so we continued along the coast to Hastings and stopped in the old waterfront area.  Hastings has a small boat fishing community and the Fishermans museum and Shipwreck museum provided a good (free) historical background.  Rosemary purchased some plaice from one of the many quayside stalls which she cooked later for supper.

Medieval Bodiam Castle 

We decided to stop the night near Rye, but before finding the CL we shopped in Rye and then we visited the NT Bodiam Castle about 10 miles inland. Although the inside is a ruin the exterior is in excellent condition and looks just like a medieval castle should. The wide moat was full of huge carp, including some colourful koi, which gathered by the bridge to be fed by the visitors. In bygone times the castle protected the river trade and provided a spectacular home for a succession of dukes.    

The CL was located at the old dairy just outside Rye. There was a little rain in the evening and its cold.

Battle of Hastings

The battle field

Wednesday was forecast to be the best day of the week so we spent it "doing" the battle of Hastings, starting at Pevensey Castle. William of Normandy landed there in 1066 and set up camp before marching east to do battle with Alfred. The castle is now a few miles inland but once guarded a harbour and our last site at Normans Bay would have been in harbour 1000 years ago, until it silted up in the 1700's. A knowledgeable volunteer in the Old Court House briefed us (a half hour history lesson) before we made our escape.

Monument from people of Normandy

After laying waste to a few villages enroute, the famous battle actually took place about 15m north of Hastings on the hill site which is now occupied by Battle Abbey. This was built by William in 1069 to try to atone for the slaughter that took place and is now partly in ruins and part occupied by a private school. It is looked after today by English Heritage but the purchase was largely funded by a group of Americans!              

We walked the walk round the site and visited the museum, then strolled up the High St. lined with the inevitable Abbey cafe and Battle tea rooms etc. Bought some Battle Bangers (recommended by Gordon Ramsey!) from the Battle butcher to have with diner and they were actually rather good.

A secluded pitch

We stopped the night at Battle Caravan Club site. A very smart site in the terraced grounds of an old victorian mansion complete with some spendid old trees, rhododendron bushes and bluebells. It did not rain all day!

Beachy Head

Beachy Head Lighthouse

Tuesday promised us sunshine and showers and it started with a shower.
The nearest bus stop and railway station were about 3/4m away so we used the van to avoid getting soaked. Went back to the country park that is Beachy Head and walked up to the edge of the cliffs. Elf and safety seemed to have not been here as the 165 metre drop is largely unfenced. We enjoyed one of the sunny periods although there was a very cold wind on the cliffs. Retreated to the visitor centre to miss a heavy shower while we had a hot bar lunch and then to the NT property by Seven Sisters cliffs for a coffee.

We just managed to miss another good downpour and arrived back for a sunny evening on the site and a short stroll along the beach.

Brighton and Eastbourne

Next stop the Sussex coast from Eastbourne to Hastings, two nights this time at another C&CC site at Normans Bay. We drove down to Brighton, for Rosemary's nostalgia trip, then along the coast to Eastbourne and walked along the pier. The Victorian Tea Rooms served a rather nice coffee and an egg and cress sandwich! Then off to the site which is right next to a windy, shingle beach. We arrived just as it started to rain.

A rather wet evening, not as windy as promised but its cold.