roemin around

Kite flying in Yorkshire was not a great success (see below) but Saturday was nice and breezy back home in Leicestershire, so my birthday kite had its real maiden flight from the top of Croft Hill. There are some more photos of the whole Yorkshire break here on Picasaweb. A lot of running about - but not much flying

A vintage Morgan The fine weather was coming to an end and Mike had exhausted his CPD supplies so it was time to set off for home. We drove back along the Thirsk road stopping off in the small market town of Helmsley for an hour to have a look around. The ladies went to a craft fair while 'the blokes' checked out some the vintage cars in the market square. This seems to be a popular 'half way halt' judging by the number of bikes and bikers in the square. Beningbrough Hall We then drove south avoiding the steep hill at Sutton Bank to spend a few hours and have a late lunch at the NT property of Beningbrough Hall and gardens, just off the A19 near York. The hall is mostly used to display a large portrait exhibition in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery. Mike and Margaret headed home, closely followed by ourselves after a short excursion to the adjacent farm shop.

It was another sunny day so I tried to fly my new pocket kite on the site, but there was not enough wind and too many trees. We took the bus into the popular tourist spot of Thornton-le-Dale and walked the half mile out of the village beside the brook to the Overbrook caravan park. This was a very nice site which explained why it was full when we had tried to book a pitch on two occasions. We walked back thru the woods and found a cafe with a sunny courtyard for lunch time snack. Afterwards we took a circular walk around the village while Mike and Margaret went back into Pickering to meet an old friend who does voluntary work on the NYMR. We met them, one hour and one bus later, to return to site. We all walked over to the Black Bull pub opposite the site entrance in the evening where we dined on enormous home-made steak and mushroom pies before staggering back to the vans.

Its a long haul up to Goathland It was my birthday on this day, so after opening the cards and enjoying a full English breakfast we caught the bus into Pickering and then spent the afternoon on the North Yorkshire Moors steam railway. We stopped first at Grosmont and had a rather large 'snack' lunch in the railway cafe while waiting for the return train to take us to Goathland. This picturesque moorland village is also famous as Aidensfield in the TV series Heartbeat. Hogsmeade Station? We walked up into the village, browsed the Heartbeat influenced gift shops and had an ice cream to pass the time, until our return steam train into Pickering. The station and railway at Goathland have featured in many films and TV programs, most famously now in the first Harry Potter film as Hogsmeade station - more here. . We arrived back just after the shops had closed! After another tiring day and lunch out we decided to put off my birthday dinner until the following day.

Mike and Margaret at Haven site  We moved on Sunday to Pickering to be close to the North Yorkshire railway and the moorland villages. We stopped on route to check out a CL at a rather bizarre craft centre before going on to our next site opposite the Black Bull inn a mile south of Pickering. A very nice commercial site with mostly long term caravans and hard standings for tourers like us. We will miss the hog roast later in the week - wrong timing again!

Scarborough beach and harbour We only pre-booked the first site for this trip and I was surprised to find that most of sites around here were full, so we ended up at a cheap and cheerful Haven Holiday camping field between Filey and Scarborough for the weekend. The field rapidly filled with week enders many with enormous tents. Mike and I took pity on a couple by helping them put up the awning on their recently acquired old caravan. An inflatable in Funworks We used our fun pass to have a drink in the 'Funworks' on Friday evening - and that was enough fun. However it was very convenient for the bus routes and we spent Saturday walking down to the harbour, where we indulged in a 'compulsory' fish and chip lunch, then walking along the sea front to the imposing old Grand Hotel. We came to the hotel many years ago with Mike and Margaret for a jazz weekend. The site was very close to the Cleveland Way and a short walk along the cliff path took me to a high...

Mike and I went back into York and walked down to the railway museum while the ladies had a bit of retail therapy at the outlet centre close to the caravan site. Many old locomotives from around the world to browse around, the bullet train brought back memories of business trips to Japan for both of us. We took the little petrol train back up the hill with a couple of Canadian tourists who had escaped from Popes visit to Edinburgh. The ladies joined us with surprising little shopping and we had a good tapas lunch at La Tasca restaurant before returning to site again.

Took the bus, from just outside the park entrance, into York for a site seeing day with bus pass at the ready! Walked around the Shambles and old market area and had a quick look in the Cathedral. After a late lunch in the courtyard of the old 1331 pub we went on to visit the Jorvik viking museum before returning late afternoon to Naburn. Mike and I watched Arsenal thrash another team 6-0 on TV, while Rosemary and Margaret watched a program on how to stay young.

Set off on a very blustery day for a short break in Yorkshire with Mike and Margaret. Rendezvoused at Naburn Lock caravan park which is just outside York and close to a picturesque lock that bypasses a weir on the river Ouse. The river is tidal beyond this point and is the terminus for a river boat trip to the centre of York when it sails on summer weekends. Its also handy for buses into York and the outlet shopping centre.

After a very stormy night, Wednesday started surprisingly sunny and we enjoyed a nice run down to Okehampton to see Barbara and John and an equally pleasant onward journey. So pleasant in fact that we decided to stop off in Exeter to see the Cathedral and the old quay area whilst buying a replacement mini Wok from Lakeland. Judging by the number of people shopping in the High street and queueing to pay £2.35 for a Costa coffee, there is not much of a credit crunch in Exeter! Booked the Haven site at Burnham on Sea (£5.60 a night !!!) and headed back to the windy Devon coast for the night. Rosemary 'thru together' a meal of fresh Mackeral fillets from Oakhamton, with Goan masala paste from Rick Steins deli and leftover pillau rice (plus added peas and peppers), with a bottle of Pinot Grigio. So pleased with the result it has even made the blog! We were awoken at 4.00am by a loud clap of thunder, which shook the van, followed by hours of rain and hail !!!

We headed back along the north coast and by the time we got to Padstow the weather was not bad at all, so we parked right on the side of the quay, much to Rosemary's horror, for a couple of hours. Enough time in fact for Rosemary to find a weird fish rucksack and a take away form Rick Steins fish and chippie. It was actually local caught squid, which we ate in the van and was delicious. Next stop Port Isacc, which is too narrow even for us to attempt, so we parked up on the cliff car park and walked round the coastal path and down to the harbour. Very exposed and blowing a gale on the headland! We browsed the gallery, found Doc Martins cottage, had a cappuccino and retreated back up the path. Bude looked a good place to stop the night so I looked for sites while Rosemary did a bit of shopping. Passed 6 big TV crew caravans by the beach. If they were filming rough seas it was perfect - waves crashing onto the shore. Eventually found a cheap £9 site just out of Bude for the night...

After 14 dry and sunny days the forecasters were predicting a period of wind and rain so we decided it was time to turn around, but not until after a flying visit to Newquay. We parked near the front with good views over the sea and had a traditional fish and chip lunch overlooking the beach. The wind was starting to pick up and we found a rather windswept 'night halt' on the Hedre holiday park just outside Newquay. As they wanted to charge £4.95 for electricity we decided to be 'unplugged'. It was a very blustery night and we had our first rain for 15 days. Mike and Margaret decided they would head straight back and we would call on Barbara, as promised, after another night further up the coast. The sensitive plant needs to be cushioned in towels to save it from total collapse when travelling!

For our fourth and final day day at Pentewan we went to find the lost gardens of Heligan - not very difficult as it turned out. Getting in was a bargain as we were caravan club members and qualified for a BOGOF (thanks to ticket office for telling us). The gardens were every bit as good as the Eden project, even the jungle walk was pretty authentic. We took tea and cakes on the lawn and then spent some time in the bird hides. The farm shop provided some good food for a barbeque which we took back to site and managed to finish just as the sun went down behind the hills. Days were warm and sunny but the evenings cool.

Arrived at Pentewan Sands site, just outside St Austell, in time for the weekend. Friday was sunny but rather windy so after fighting with wind breaks and awnings for a while we settled down to chilling out in the sun followed by a breezy late afternoon barbeque. Had a paddle and a stroll to the small village of Pentewan during the day. Saturday we all went out in Mikes van again and enjoyed a return visit to the Eden project including lunch in the cafe. Its still a very interesting place and well worth going again. Rosemary bought a 'sensitive plant' which collapses when touched or disturbed, riding in the van should be an interesting experience for it. Decided to stay at Pentewan for another night.

Intended to stop for a night in Plymouth but the only convenient site would not let us on to the grass pitches which were still soft from the summer rains. Stayed instead on the caravan club site at Looe for two nights during which we all walked down into Looe via the steep footpath, had a nice fish lunch and good wander round the old quayside village then took the taxi back up to the site. Rosemary found something to buy in the sales. Lots of rabbits on the site. Left Looe for the St Austell area and spent most of the day en route at the NT trust house at Lanhydrock. Very large victorian house with a church adjacent and extensive grounds. Margaret took a ride in the old 'jalopy' down the long drive to the house from the car parking area. We 'picniced' in the car park before leaving for St Austell area stopping at the Tesco for provisions.

We had to visit the nearby Blackpool sands beach but a little too far/steep to walk so we all took to Mikes van and combined a Sainburys shop with an afternoon on the beach. It was the first time that Mike had carried passengers - but not the last! I found a nice pink hat in the beach shop and Rosemary forced me to have some trousers, fortunately they were not pink. Ice creams on the beach - birthday just goes on and on!

We are now just outside Dartmouth and its my birthday weekend. Opened my cards and pressies including a bag of jelly atrics from Katie. We caught the bus to Dartmouth (bus pass again) and had a fish and chip lunch and a bit of browsing - rather cold easterly wind and a long wait for the bus back. Half of the bus got off at the camp site and all on bus passes (ie 'jellied atrics'). Rosemary made us a birthday tea with sandwiches, jelly and cake with musical candle, followed by a glass of champagne!!!! Sunday was a rest day apart from a walk down to the village of Stoke Fleming about 1/2 mile away. There was a nice breeze for kites, so I amused the rest of the gang by flying my old spiderman kite. Mike captured my kiting skills and crashes on Margaret's new video camera. It was very pleasant behind the wind break, its still warm in the sun and forecast to remain so. Happy days.

After Charmouth we travelled to Exmouth via Beer and Branscombe down some very narrow and steep roads before emerging again at the Donkey sanctuary - as there was nowhere else to stop. We stayed at Haven's Devon Hills resort for a couple of nights. The touring area is very cheap, £6.50, for a premier pitch cos you are supposed to spend lots in the entertainment complex! We had two brand new pitches with a sea view (just) but a long way down to the sandy bay. We had a lunch time BBQ and even made it down to the beach for a paddle. Went clubbing to the sounds of Popcorn in the evening and the ladies spent a few pennies in the arcade.

Its Monday 15th September and here we are at Charmouth by the world famous Dorset fossil beaches - feeling really at home :-) Stayed overnight near Bridgewater on the way down where we met up with Mike and Margaret. Now we are here for 2 or 3 nights and have already been into Lyme Regis using the local bus with our bus passes (along with 90% of the other passengers). Weather has been dry and was even sunny on Monday, but a bit cool today. We saw a kingfisher on the beach at Lyme Regis, thanks to another eagle eyed visitor who pointed it out to us and had the first crab sandwich of the holiday - wow this is living !!!! Cream tea tomorrow maybe.

We are off to south Wales the first week in August to meet Jean and family for a few days of camping near Carmarthen. On the way back we pass Brecon so planning on stopping off to see a bit of the Jazz festival. Hope its as sunny in Brecon as it was in Abersoch back in June. But just in case, we have bought a small Sunncamp caravan awning which gives Monica a new 'back porch' to give us a bit more covered area and drying space.