To Windsor, and beyond, we hope!

 Claypole, near Newark, Friday, 23rd June 2023

The plan is to visit Gary and family, in Windsor, then, move on to other destinations, for a week or two.

This is dependant on Kathleen's medical appointments, we have been led to believe that nothing will happened before August.

So, the garden is left in Claire's tender care, and the daily(?) checking of the post, for possible appointments, to Phillippa.

We really are falling apart, the penalty of old. age!, I have been afflicted with what I am told is "Plantar Fasciitis", what. ever it is, it is very painful, and, appears to flair up for no apparent reason. 

Accordingly, I have an attack now.

The good news is, it doesn't hurt when I am driving the Motorhome (it is an automatic, so, no clutch, and, it is my left foot which is painful).

We decide to split the journey to Windsor, with a stop over approximately half way.

SearchforSites to the rescue, I am able to pick out a CAMC CL, not too far off our route, at approximately the halfway point.

As a result, we drive the approximately 160 miles to Little Acres CL, N53.022793 W0.744965, Claypole, near Newark.

Other than the major roadworks, near Darrington, the journey is easy going, and the approach to Little Acres CL, from the A1, simple to follow. 

For an overnight stop, with Electric, but, no toilet/shower facilities, 

Little Acres CL seems fine to me, I was even thinking that it had potential for a longer stay, on another occasion, but, Kathleen is not so keen. 

I think the grass is not neat enough for Kathleen's taste.

When we arrive, we are the only ones here, but, about an hour later, another motorhome arrives, so, it looks like two of us, this evening.

 

Tuesday 20th October 2009

Milestone Caravan Club Site (Cromwell near Newark)
The day starts exactly as forecast, high cloud with a little bit of blue sky, and cold.

After breakfast and a leisurely sit around reading the newspaper, we set off to follow the cycle ride on the second map we have been loaned, this is to take us to Newark.

The first 1.5 miles are on a cycle track alongside the A1. This is not very pleasant, while it is safe enough, the traffic noise is loud and constant. But soon we are on a small quiet road which passes through the villages of North Muskham and South Muskham, before we join another cycle track which brings us to Newark.

We park our bicycles beside the river. We notice there is a cycle ride signposted along the river at this point and decide we may follow it later (in the event this is not to be).

We visit Newark Castle, ruined when the Royalists defending it were ordered to surrender by Charles I on his capture, and the Roundheads then destroyed most of the Castle by blowing it up, (seems a bit petty). This was followed by years of the local population helping themselves to the fine stone to build their own houses, until now all that remains are the least accessible bits.

The Castle grounds also house the Tourist Information building, for those of you who may visit, there are toilets here, but Kathleen was disgusted to find they cost 20p for a p, so to speak, so be warned.


We retire to the old Buttermarket building. The building itself is quiet beautiful, but the collection of rather “twee” shops inside and the number of empty units is disappointing. There are however two highlights:

On the upper floor there is a coffee shop, selling enormous portions of excellent cake. I had warm Plum Bread and butter (two thick slices), while Kathleen had an huge piece of carrot cake which I had to help her to finish (I am all heart in that way).

There are free toilets.

When we emerge from the Buttermarket, suitably stuffed with cake, we find it has begun to rain. This puts and end to any notion of cycling along the river, so instead we cycle back to Cromwell, arriving quite damp after our 12 mile round trip.

I think this has put paid to “the nice young man in reception”, he told us, that whilst it may be overcast today, it was not going to rain. While Kathleen may forgive him for giving us yesterdays route over fields, nettles and fences, I know there is no way he will get away with causing her to get her hair wet!

Monday 19th October 2009

Milestone Caravan Club Site (Cromwell near Newark)
We leave Burford after a very enjoyable few days and head for another Caravan Club site near Newark. The bright sunny weather continues.

We arrive at about 13:00, first thing to do after plugging in etc is to have lunch.

The village of Cromwell is just off the A1, but the site is so well landscaped that you cannot see the road, and can only very occasionally hear the hum of traffic. We choose a pitch overlooking one of the fishing lakes on the site, complete with a collection of ducks swimming on it.

After lunch, Kathleen returns to reception to let them know which pitch we have chosen, and while there the “nice young man in reception” loans her two laminated OS map sections with local bicycle rides. One route heads south to Newark, the other north along the river Trent, we decide to save the Newark ride for tomorrow (weather permitting).

We set off to do the ride, which takes us along a small road with a bridge over the A1, to the River Trent at Cromwell Lock, and then follows the winding river north to Carlton-on-Trent. The distance to Carlton is about 5 miles, and it is mostly flat, but the tarmac runs out after about two miles, after that we ride through fields. At some points it is so bumpy we are forced to walk, and finally we come to a gate which is surrounded by nettles and is locked. I lift both bikes over the fence, and trample down the nettles so that Kathleen can walk to the fence and climb over it (very elegantly). We ride across another field, before emerging at the church in Carlton-on-Trent.

Regular readers may recall, that Kathleen does not like cycle rides which involve riding along rough tracks, nettles or climbing over fences, but not a word of complaint passes her lips. Now if I had selected this route there would have been none stop complaining, but because we have a map from “the nice young man in reception”, all is well.

We explore Carlton, but there is no pub, we ask directions of a group of people chatting in the main street, and are directed to “The Lord Nelson”, in Sutton-on-Trent, about 1.5miles away. We cycle along the cycle track (called Carlton Lane), and find the pub no problem.

Kathleen makes use of the toilets, (the Gents as it happens since she miss-read the signs), and then we settle down for a drink and a study of the map to find our way back without returning via the obstacle course which we followed to get here. We pick out a route via small and quiet roads which bring us in a nice little circle to return to the site after covering a nice 14 miles.