A light hearted and (I hope) amusing record of some of our Campervan Trips.
It is mainly intended to inform friends and family where we are, plus, to keep our children updated on what is happening to their inheritance.
I do try to include details of Camp Sites and Aires, we visit. Checkout the "labels" listed in the right margin,
Please comment if you feel inclined, at least then I know I am not talking to myself (again).
Excellent journey, traffic moving all of the way, amazingly, no road works, and, weather warm and sunny. We have been told about Canterbury, New Dover Road, Park and Ride. Amazingly for the UK, they have created a Motorhome Aire, where you can stop off, before/after taking the Ferry (or Tunnel, although it is some distance from the Tunnel). It is certainly proving popular, when we arrive, the designated area is full, and an "overflow" area is in operation (with spaces available). For once, Google let us down, the Postcode given did not take us to the correct place, Co-ordinates are N51 15'46" : E1 5' 57". It is simple to operate, on arrival, take a ticket, at the barrier. Shortly before you leave, pay using your ticket, at the pay machine. Machines take cash only (including Notes) and give change if necessary. This is not the end of the story, but, we do not know it yet, see tomorrows entry! This is I suspect the longest drive of our trip, at approximately 350 miles, with a brief stop for lunch, we arrive at about 17:00. Kathleen quickly dons her Masterchef outfit, and, with a combination of her culinary skills, and the advent of home freezer technology, has a Lamb Dinner, on the table by 18:00, as she never tires of telling me, she is a marvel. The Journey, as it unfolds.
We have not used motorcycle trailer for over a year, plus, experience so far with scooter and two full sized bicycles loaded, has not been trouble free. Trying a new method this time, making use of Thule bicycle carrier to make mounting of bicycles more secure (hopefully). We did a thirty mile trial run today (Wednesday 31st August 2016), and all appears to be well. Thursday, and it is the 1st of September, according to the BBC Weather report, this is the first day of "Meteorological Autumn", whatever that may be, at the very least, it means it is the end of Summer. It is certainly cooler in the mornings, and, the forecast suggests "unsettled weather, with showers". It is therefore necessary to get on with the final garden tidying, while the sun shines.
By Sunday, 4th September, the garden is looking a little dismal, in the steady drizzle, which has been falling for 36 hours so far, supposedly, it is going to be "brighter later!". But, the garden is tidy, if wet, and, I am sure, Claire (or someone) will ensure the grass is cut, in our absence. If it is possible, we appear to have done even less planning than usual! The "Plan", such as it is, consists of:
Travel to Canterbury, Monday, 5th September
We have been told, there are facilities to "overnight" at Canterbury Park-and-Ride, so, that is what we intend to do, we have no "just in case" plan, so, hopefully, all will be well.
Ferry, Dover -> Dunkirk, Tuesday, 6th September, 10:00am, so, that should be a leisurely start.
Drive east, towards Saverne.
whatever.........Strasbourg, Tournos have been mentioned ......
Tuesday, 28th June 2016 Another bus outing, this time to Matlock. This is slightly more adventurous, we need to take the bus to Ashbourne, then, take another bus to Matlock. It takes an hour to travel from Ashbourne to Matlock, and, small wonder, we go on a scenic tour via Carsington Water and numerous small villages, which are located along equally small roads. The bus leaves Ashbourne with four passengers, including us, one person gets off at one of the small villages. No-one gets on at any of the places we pass through, and that is it. Clearly, this is not a money making venture!
Matlock is a very pleasant surprise. A busy small town, all very neat, and with a beautifully kept park in the middle of town, South Shields Council, please take note. This brings back childhood memories of how South Shields parks USED to be. One point to note, Matlock is very hilly, it is built on the very steep valley side of the river Derwent. This becomes relevant. Having had our fill of strolling around Matlock, my thoughts turn to lunch, or, as Kathleen frequently tells me, my thoughts seldom stray too far from my stomach. A quick visit to Google turns up a pub which sounds promising, well recommended beer and pub food, the Thorntree Inn, is, according to Google, only ten minutes walk away.
What Google does not point out, is, that is ten minutes up a VERY steep hill. Fortunately, we find the pub, just before the mutterings become actual mutiny. Drinks ordered and food chosen, I wait, hoping it is not a disappointment. I can report, it is excellent, even Kathleen is impressed and says it was worth the walk (or, should that be climb?), which is high praise indeed.
Quite apart from the excellent food, the place has a friendly and comfortable pub atmosphere, and, of course, quite stunning views. Suitably refreshed, we walk back down the hill and catch the bus to Ashbourne. Whilst riding to Ashbourne, it begins to rain, very heavily, and, since we are due to return home tomorrow anyway, we decide we will leave this evening. A slight hiccup, we miss the connecting bus to the campsite from Ashbourne, and have to wait 1hr 20minutes for the next one. Coffee and cake in Dillons Tea shop, to keep out of the rain, and pass the time. This turns out to be a very pleasant experience with an unexpected reward, we are the last customers of the day, so, the waitress gives us free scones to take away with us!
Sunday, 26th June 2016 Kathleen dislikes missing Mass on a Sunday, but, there is no bus service to Ashbourne on a Sunday, and it is too far/dangerous to walk to Ashbourne. Cycling to Ashbourne is a possibility, the road should be quieter on a Sunday, there are certainly no buses running. Instead, we decide to do something which is rare for us, and take the van into town. We know there is parking alongside the start of Tissington Trail, and, that is within walking distance of the Church, plus, we can, cycle the Tissington Trail. A quick check on the all knowing Google tells us that Derbyshire County Council are far sighted enough not to have installed height barriers on their carparks, and it is possible to park the van there. So, they get a £4.50 parking fee, plus, the money we spend on drinks, snacks along the way.
I have the bikes unloaded and all ready to go for Kathleen's return from church. The Tissington Trail is an old railway line, so, the gradient is not too steep and any point, but, it is a steady up hill ride from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay, 13.5 miles later. Initially, the route is tree lined, but, there are more open stretches as we climb steadily. It is all very well done, the surface is good, firm, smooth and well drained, and, there are several picnic spots with tables and kiosks selling drinks and snacks.
At 10 miles, there are mutterings of "how much further?". Past experience tells me, this is a prelude to giving up. I need to employ some psychology to get us there. I check my watch, 12:30, we have been going at an average 9 miles per hour, according to my trusty Halfords Cyclometer.
I play my winning hand and suggest "why don't we just cycle until 13:00, and then turn around and go back?". Now, the arithmetic tells me, this is the same as saying "let us cycle for another 4.5 miles", but, it sound much less strenuous. So, we cycle on, and arrive at the end point (13.5 miles from Ashbourne) with 10 minutes to spare. My suggestion that we just cycle on for the odd 10 minutes is, not very politely, declined by Kathleen, I think "b----r off " was the exact term used. We cycle back to Ashbourne, 13.5 miles downhill, and round off with a very good "toastie" and coffee at the picnic area and cycle hire point, at the beginning of the trail
Monday, 27th June 2016 Having cycled 27 miles, yesterday, we decide on a less energetic day today. We take the Bus into Belper. Free of course for us "oldies", well, there has to be some advantage in being old! Belper is a reasonably pleasant place. It has clearly been an industrial town, but, the Mill has long since closed. It has the usual signs of decline, ie a surplus of charity shops, but, effective measures at rejuvenation appear to be bearing fruit. Overall, I would describe it as an up market South Shields, without the coast line, but, with it's building better preserved and in a better state of repair. One other point, because the bus journey takes us along A517, in the opposite direction to Ashbourne, we discover where the elusive Nags Head is. It looks to be a very pleasant pub, but, we will not be walking there!
Friday, 24th June 2016 After carefully checking Google Maps, I determine that we can cycle to the nearby Carsington Water. This is a manmade Lake or Reservoir, which, I think is about three miles away. Careful examination of Google Street Scene, suggests, it is not too hilly or busy, to cycle. I put a positive spin on the spin on the information obtained, and convince Kathleen, it a maximum of half a mile on the A517, followed by about three miles on quiet, and only slightly hilly roads. The reality is slightly different. We survive the half mile along the A517. The next road (Gorse Lane), is, almost traffic free, but, is most definitely up hill, with a short downhill stretch, so, on balance, I suppose, it is, almost, flat.
Carsington Water is a reservoir, almost a mini Kielder Water, in Northumberland, but, without midges, and in slightly less romate terrain! There is a good surfaced cycle track all the way around the lake, about seven miles of cycling, I would estimate, it is not flat by any stretch of the imagination, but, once you are half way around, it is too late to turn back. The level of complaints is acceptable. There is a good coffee and food stop, at the
sailing club, which somewhat offsets the deception of the lack of hills.
Saturday, 25th June 2016 After yesterdays exertions, and now armed with an OS map, we decide we will attempt (again) to find the path across the fields to the Nags Head. Quite apart from the possibility of a pleasant pint of beer, it may also be a suitable venue for Sunday Lunch. The venture begins with slightly more success than our previous attempt, after joining the lane at the rear of the Campsite, we turn right, and in a short distance, we find the Footpath Sign, on the left. This is the end of the "success". Once through the hedge, there is no visible sign of a footpath. Undeterred we follow our best guess, through wet knee high grass. Kathleen is not amused. My logic of "we are wet now, we may as well keep going" carries us (reluctantly) forward, through a couple more gates, a short jump over a stream, until we come to a gate with a sign advising there is a bull in the field. The sign does say, it is a friendly bull. There is also a cow and calf watching us carefully from the other side of the fence. Still no sign of a trodden footpath, wet from the knees down, and now faced with a protective "mother" cow and her calf, plus a "friendly" bull, it is decided retreat is the wisest option. The elusive Nags Head will have to wait for another day. The plans are revised, we walk to the "virtual" Bus Stop and catch the bus into Ashbourne, and spend a pleasant afternoon walking in the park and sampling some of the many pubs.
Wednesday, 22nd June 2016 June 2016 has been a major disappointment, in terms of weather, not very warm, and mostly overcast cloudy skies. With a brief window of better weather promised, and, a means to escape the wall to wall coverage of the EU Referendum, it is decided we will have a week away in the Campervan.
As usual, in the UK, the difficulty of finding somewhere to stay, at short notice, dictates where we go. First and second choice, Melrose Caravan Club Site and Norwich Caravan Club Site, are fully booked, so, we are off to Derbyshire, Ashbourne Caravan and Camping Club Site. An easy drive, mostly on motorway, the weather is dry and warm, but, hardly brilliant. We arrive shortly after lunch, the site is a little more remote than we had hoped, and the road to Ashbourne is busier than we had hoped, with no cycling provision. But, in a spirit of "making the best of it", armed with instructions from the site office, we set off to find the pub in the next village (The Nags Head). The instructions lead us out the "back" of the campsite, onto a small and quiet lane, so far so good. We are supposed to spot a footpath on our left, which we spectacularly fail to do, and after a pleasant, but fruitless (in terms of pub finding) walk, we emerge onto the busy A517, and risk life and limb walking back to the campsite.
We find we appear to be in a mobile data signal blackspot, we cannot get a data signal on "3" or Tesco/O2, how infuriating! Our friends (Bryan and Joan) who are walking along the Pyrenees in Northern Spain, appear to be able to check Facebook and update their blog, but, four miles from a Derbyshire market town, and alongside the busy A517, nothing!
Thursday, 23rd June 2016 Perhaps, after yesterdays experiences using the site provided instructions, perhaps, I should have known better, but, today it is decided we will travel the four miles into Ashbourne by bus. The "instructions" claim there is a bus stop 100 yards along the road, after turning right out of the Campsite entrance. After a short exploratory walk, I cannot find a bus stop. I do discover, later, there is one, a combination of overgrown foliage and a lack of local knowledge, for now means, I cannot find it. Instead, I walk approximately half a mile in the opposite direction, to find an alternative bus stop, this is not a pleasant experience. Later, I make the trip again, with Kathleen, who, is definitely, not amused by the traffic whizzing by, within touching distance. The bus arrives, promptly, and a very pleasant East European (from his accent) bus driver, welcomes us on board. We have a brief explore of the town, which is a very pleasant place. Thanks to a cycling book, bought for me by son Gary, some years ago, I am aware of a cycle route starting from the town, the "Tissington Way". We walk the 3-4 miles, from Ashbourne to Tissington. It is an old railway line, and easy going, so, it is decided, we will cycle it, if we can find a way to get the bicycles to Ashbourne, without risking the A517! The day is rounded off, with lunch in "The Horns", just off the Market Square. We return to the Campsite, by the bus, the same pleasant driver, who kindly points out to use, there is in fact a bus-stop closer to the campsite. It is a sort of "virtual" bus-stop, on one side of the road, toward Belper, there is a Bus Stop sign, but, it is totally obscured by rampant foliage. On the other side of the road, heading toward Ashborne, there is no Bus Stop sign, but, the driver assures us, if we wait there, the bus will stop and pick us up.
A beautiful sunny day, but, time to go home. An uneventful drive home, Windsor to Boldon Colliery, on busy motorways, but, with traffic moving at a steady pace. The next few days will be spent: - Unpacking the van - gaining control of the garden
