York, Rowntree Park CAMC Site (N53.95066 W1.0809)

 Monday, 9th January 2023

Totally uneventful, 85 miles, light traffic, no hold-ups.

Dry and sunny, but quite cold, 6C.

York, Rowntree Park CAMC Site is very near York City Centre. Access inevitably means encountering some traffic, and, there are low bridges. Our Garmin Sat-Nav worked out a route avoiding low bridge etc, but worth reading, and taking heed of, the route advice on the CAMC website.

A short "walk about", along the banks of the River Ouse, a little ominously, the river had overflowed its banks in many places. The footpath / cycle track was flooded, in several places, and, we had to detour around

Tuesday, 10th January 2023

5c and, what my phone describes as "moderate rain", more like pouring down in my opinion.

Well, it rained, and it rained, and, guess what?

At 15:00, one of the site wardens arrived to tell us they were evacuating the site, because the Environment Agency had warned that flooding was "imminent". 

We were given the option to move to the CAMC  site at Beechwood, York, but, decided to take our refund and go home.

So, a bit of a waste of time, really.

Naburn Lock Campsite, near York

Saturday, 8th June 2019

Torrential rain for the whole journey.

Approximately 130 miles, including a quick stop at home, to drop off "wedding attire".














Sunday, 9th June 2019

Starts sunny with a little cloud, followed by lots of cloud, but, no rain!

Sunday, of course, is "Church day" for Kathleen. We cycle approximately 4 miles to York, English Martyrs Church.

After Church, we cycle into central York for a light lunch of coffee and sandwiches, after which, we find our way back to Naburn lock, via a slightly different route, which, I suppose, is a way of saying, we could not find our way back to our original route. 


Monday, 10th June 2019

Starts sunny, followed by cloud, and then, rain.

A bus ride followed by a small spending spree, at the nearby Designer Outlet Centre. A suitable indoor venue for a cloudy and cool day.

Tuesday, 11th June 2019

Dismal day, windy, cloudy, cold, and occasional showers.

A little explore of the surrounding area, on foot, of Naburn Lock, Naburn Village and York Marina.

There are lots of wild flowers, to remind us, it IS summer!

The Marina is very smart, and we linger for coffee and cake, rather expensive however, £12 for what would cost £8 at Costa or Starbucks.

There is a Caravan/Motorhome area, right by the river, with excellent views, well worth considering

Wednesday,12th June 2019

Heavy rain throughout the night. Improving to light drizzle by morning, and just cool, rather than cold. Think positive!

Kathleen suggests a trip into York, shop(!), and have lunch. As much as I hate shopping, even I have to agree that, given the weather, it is a good idea.

Thursday, 13th June 2019

Yet another night of heavy rain. This is becoming boring. Cloudy, mild, with just a hint of brightness this morning.

The weather forecast says it is not going to rain until 15:00 today, so, we set off on bicycles, to cycle to Selby, approximately 10 miles away (well, I have not actually told Kathleen this is my intention, such information is shared on a "need to know" basis). The route is rather good, mostly following some of Sustrans Route 65 (Trans-Pennine Route). 

No complaints going, Kathleen even spots a deer just off the cycle track. Coffee and cake in Selby. The weather forecast lied, rain starts at about 12:00, as we are peddling back on our return journey, so, we do get rather wet.

Friday, 14th June 2019

This is definitely becoming tedious, rain all night, and, still raining all morning! Eventually, 14:00, rain stops but still thick cloud.

Looks as if the most exciting thing today is going to be Steak and Chips for evening meal!

Saturday, 15th June 2019

Surprise, surprise, we are leaving, rain has stopped, sunny!

Home by lunch time.

 

York, Grantchester Caravan Site

York, Skelton, Thursday 31/01/2019

A planned short trip on our wedding anniversary. It so happens, we have chosen a spell of bitterly cold weather, as I  type, it is -4C outside, cosy in here of course, with the heating on.

Our "usual" York stop over of choice (CAMC Rowntree Park), is fully booked, indicating we are not the only people "out and about" in caravans/motorhomes, in this freezing weather.

Instead, we select Grantchester Caravan Site, Skelton, N53 59'53" W1 8'14", a Camping and Caravan Club Certified Site. It is just off the A19, in the village of Skelton, about three miles from the centre of York. The  site is small, but has all of the necessary amenities (ie EHU, Showers, Toilets etc). Our first time here but, it appears to be perfectly fine.

We have the place to ourselves, until about 18:00, when another Motorhome arrives.

There is a fairly frequent bus service into York, and, a choice of cycle routes, not that I expect to coax Kathleen onto a bicycle in these temperatures!

It would appear that extreme weather on our wedding anniversary is not uncommon, just 2 or 3 years ago, en-route to Spain on our wedding anniversary, we spent the night in a carpark, when we found our planned Aire stop-over was flooded. At least Kathleen appears to see the funny side (so far).

York, Skelton Friday 01/02/2019

We wake to a light covering of snow, and, a balmy 0C.

Our late arriving neighbour has left.

Fortunately, the diesel powered heating in our Chausson is efficient, so, we are nice and comfortable, as we eat our breakfast, watching the snow fall steadily, and planning what we are going to do today.

I rather suspect a day cycling is not going to fly, Marks and Spencer's beckons I think, or should that be, I fear?

So, it transpires, No 30 bus into York, and, a fruitless trawl of M&S, Next etc.

The highlight of the day is lunch in Pret-a-Manger.

When we get off the bus, after our return journey, a pint in the Blacksmiths Arms, what a friendly and welcoming pub it is.

They have a roaring coal fire going. Central heating of course has the advantage that the whole house is warm, instead of one warm room and the rest of the house arctic, as was the case in my childhood.

But, it has to be said, there is little that can compete with toasting yourself infant of the fire, on a cold winters day!

Another three vans arrive between 17:00 - 18:00, so, now we are four.

York, Skelton, Saturday, 2nd February 2019

A bright and sunny morning, although it is only 3C. Snow still on the ground, but, no more appears to have fallen. According the the news, the rest of the country is cut off and in a state of paralysis, as is usual if more than three snowflakes fall.

We eventually venture out of our toasty warm van, to explore the Cycle Route to York (on foot, too cold and icy to risk our elderly bones on a bicycle). 

Very pleasant route, away from busy road (A19), well surfaced, and reasonably flat. We will be back, in more clement weather!

During our little "explore" we discover a more flexible route to/from York, on the bus. Rawcliffe Bar Park and Ride is about 20 minutes walk away, bus into York every 10 minutes. Even those with Age Concession Pass have to pay, but, it is only £1.10 return.

York, Skelton, Sunday, 3rd February 2019

A bright and sunny morning, although it is a crisp 2C.

Very pleasant walk to Rawcliffe Bar, then a bus into York.

Kathleen "does her church thing", whilst I have a hot chocolate and read the newspaper in Costa Coffee.

Back to Rawcliffe Bar, then a walk to the Blacksmiths for Sunday lunch. 

In fact, we spend most of the afternoon there, what a friendly pub it is. 

The locals keep Kathleen entertained with their wrangling about who won the charity raffle, and we have a FaceTime call with Salma after her Party for her Third Birthday.

We return to the Campsite to find the other vans have gone, we are alone again.

York, Skelton, 4th February 2019

Heavy overnight rain, we wake up to a tropical 5C, and, all of the snow has gone.

Off home, where, the snow is still on the ground.

New Van, first outing

Tuesday, 9th January 2018

We took delivery of our new Chausson Welcome 610, December 18th, but, a combination of winter colds and Christmas has prevented us actually using it.

We plan to have a week away, to Colchester, to familiarise ourselves with the operation of the various bits and pieces, and, to check for any gremlins. There is also a need to become familiar with driving the van, it has a Fiat Comfort-matic gearbox, which is an automatic. It is simple enough really, but, fifty years of reaching for the gear-change is a difficult habit to break!

First problem, when I attempt to fill the fresh water tank with a small amount of water, to use en-route, I find that as fast as I pour water into the tank, it runs out again from a drain under the van.

Although I do not recall any hand-over information, referencing drains under the van (quite the contrary, I am sure we were told the drain mechanism was in the service hatch). After spending a fruitless hour searching for a tap, which may have been left "open'. A telephone call to the dealer is the next step. Eventually, three phone calls later, it would appear there is a part missing, the fresh water tank "drain bung".

A journey to the dealer, fifteen miles away, and, all is fixed. everything is very friendly and amicable, but, it is irritating that they do not seem to understand that these things just should not happen, clearly they need pre-delivery check list, which is actually used!

By the time we are "up and running', it is too late to make the journey to Colchester, so, we reset the sat-nav and head for York (Rowntree Park Caravan and Motorhome Club Site), roughly 80 miles away, and, "on the way" to Colchester, should we decide to go there. We know Rowntree Park is open at this time of year, but, we also know it is a very popular site, which is often full. Kathleen attempts to telephone them as we drive, but, is continually passed to an answer phone.

Eventually, we arrive, and, things are beginning to go right, they have spaces.

Next problem, Kathleen attempts to rustle up some lunch, only to find that the ignitor for the gas hob is not working. Thus far, two gremlins! Because we have Electric Hook Up, Kathleen is able to use the Electric hotplate on the hob, until we obtain some matches to allow us to use the gas hob.

Although Kathleen, efficient as ever, has a meal "planned" for this evening, after the hassle we have had today, we decide to walk into York and eat.

Next problem (not down to the dealer this one), the TV is not yet fully installed, since I am waiting for fixings. We discover the portable arial, which works fine at home, does not work in York, so, Kathleen is reduced to watching a film on DVD.

It is January, in the UK, so, you cannot expect too much of the weather. We are not disappointed, rain none stop all night, and freezing cold. Actually, we have been to York several times in January, and, there was a period when I was working at an Crown Prosecution Service office in York. Come to think of it, for some reason, in winter, it does seem to be a very cold place, makes you wonder why the Saxons, Romans and Vikings settled here? 

I suppose, as new Motorhome experiences go, today has been moderately successful, one fault fixed, and a second which, although annoying, is not a "show stopper".

Certainly, with this van, as compared to the Autotrail Apache 632 (which was also a Fiat Ducato base vehicle), the driving experience is better. This van has the Fiat lowered chassis and wider track, specifically meant for Motorhomes, and, it feels much move "poised" and "steady", at motorway speeds. Still cannot quite get used to the van deciding when it will change gear, rather than me, but, it will come, i am sure, at which point, I will probably forget to change gear when driving the car!.




Wednesday, 10th January 2018

We return to the original plan, ie, Colchester.

It is a dismal drive of 211 miles, pouring rain, for most of the way, but, as we approach Colchester, the rain stops and, there is even a patch or two of blue sky.

The "good" weather does not last, by 16:30 it is raining steadily.

The campsite is from the 2018 ACSI book, Colchester Holiday Park, Cymbeline Way, CO3 4AG, (N51 53' 32" E0 51'42"). At £18/night, it is reasonably priced. Until very recently, there were very few ACSI affiliated sites in the UK, this appears to be changing, with approximately 40 sites listed in the 2018 ACSI Book.



We are still experimenting with the various cupboards and storage spaces in our new van, so, it comes as little surprise when Kathleen cannot find the book she is reading. This causes me great amusement, since Kathleen prides herself on being "tidy", whilst berating me for being "untidy". The book is eventually found, in the same storage slot as my book. I manage to hide my amusement!

Beechwood Grange Caravan Club Site, York

Sunday, January 10th 2016

The pending arrival of a new Grand-daughter, this month, means we are not heading for the Spain and the sunshine, this month.

However, since we are both suffering from "campervan withdrawal" symptoms, we decided on a few days away in the UK.

Our initial thoughts were either Keswick or York.

Unfortunately, December 2015 has been exceptionally, wet and TV coverage  has painted a picture of flooding and devastation in both places, indeed, Rowntree Park, the Caravan Club site near York Centre is closed due to flooding, and most of the roads in Cumbria appear to be impassable.

A brief respite in the continual rainfall, for all of one day, convinces us to "go for it" and we head York, Beechwood Grange Caravan Club Site.

Monday, January 11th 2016

Second, or is it third day, without rain, but, it is freezing cold. You cannot have everything, I suppose.

We decide to visit York.

There is a "Park and Ride" at Monks Cross, but, it is decided it is too far to walk to. Technology comes to the rescue, and, Google informs me we can catch a bus from a Hopgrove to York. 

Quite why there would be a bus-stop at this location is a mystery, it is a good ten minutes walk outside of the village, with just four houses nearby.

But, Google knows best, and a number 843 bus for Leeds, via York arrives, spot on 10:29, just as Google said it would.

At this stage, we do not know it, but, we have walked at least as far to this bus stop as we would have to Monks Cross Park and Ride and Shopping Park, since the major part of our time in York is to be spent "in the shops", one may ask, why not just go to Monks Cross? But, I have more sense than to ask such questions.

If anything, it is even colder in York City Centre than it is "out in the countryside".

After a brief stroll through The Shambles taking in The Shambles Market, we decide on a bit of culture, ie a visit to York Minister, thankfully, it is heated!

We obtain our Concession entry tickets for a paltry £18, the bonus is, they are valid for a year, as many visits as we like.

To be fair, there is a lot to see in this magnificent building, and, soon, we find we are running out of time, lunch beckons.
A pleasant Tea Room, in The Shambles, provides a very pleasant lunch.

Pleasantries over, we hit the shops, as usual, I fail to understand the female mind, we have exactly the same stores in Newcastle, selling exactly the same things, so, why visit the York branches of the same stores?

Tuesday, 12th January 2016

A visit to Monks Cross Retail Park, more shops!

Kathleen finds more things should would like for her birthday, while I join the other husbands "parked" outside of the Changing Rooms, whilst potential purchases are "tried on".

Lunch, then home.

Despite the media coverage, we see no sign of the floods, not so much as a discarded sandbag.