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Market Rasen Racecourse, Affilliated Caravan Club Site (continued).
Tuesday, the plan is to walk into Market Rasen, visit the market (what joy), and then catch the bus to Lincoln.
The market is a disappointment, even to me. There is a burger van, a stall selling plants and a stall selling various secondhand stuff, which frankly was only fit to be thrown away.
Having exhausted the possibilities of the market, in about five minutes, we now had 55 minutes to wait for the bus. But much to our surprise a bus arrives almost immediately, indeed we have to hurry across the road to catch it.
There are four possibilities, the bus is very late, it is very early, our timetable is wrong, it is a different bus. No matter, we are on our way.
Lincoln is a pleasant surprise, a sort of smaller and hilly version of York.
This is the centre piece of the shopping centre, the River Witham, and more swans than I even remember seeing in one place.
A quick coffee, and in my case a slice of carrot and walnut cake to revive us, and we set off to see the cathedral.
Given thant Lincolnshire is such a flat place, it is surprising to find that the the Castle and Cathedral in Lincoln are at the top of a hill. Indeed the road leading up to the Cathedral is imaginatively called "Steep Hill".
We stop off part way up the hill, partly for a rest and partly for a bit of culture at the Usher Gallery, the rest is the main factor.
It is a very impressive Cathedral, vast inside, and light and cheerful.
The weather is pleasant and we wander the grounds of the Cathedral and Castle until thirst drives us to a rather nice pub on Steep Hill.
Then on further down the hill, to eat an allday breakfast in a small cafe next door to the Jews Court. Excellent sausage and black pudding!, not health food, but very nice.
Now a period of shopping, quite why women wish to visit Marks & Spencer in (say) Lincoln, when we have a perfectly good Marks & Spencer in Newcastle, selling exactly the same things, is beyond me, but in the interests of peace and harmony, we stroll around the shops.
Wednesday, the plan is to do a walk featured in the May 2009 edition of Practical Motorhome.
The walk is supposed to be 7.5 miles long, it begins from Willingham Woods car park, about 1.5 miles from the racecourse where we are staying.
We reach find the carpark, and the path leading into the woods. At this point I switch on the Runkeeper software on my iPhone, to track how far we walk.
We soon find that the instructions are inadequate, even although we have the relevant OS map with us. The walk through the woods with the trees all in their autumn colours is beautiful, but we have to back track and improvise to keep heading in the intended direction.
Eventually we emerge from the woods onto the B1203, Tealby Road, and turn left as directed. We then come to "The Populars", farm and tea room. At this point we have walked 6 miles, the total walk is only supposed to be 7.5 miles and we have not even come to the second of six "points of interest" yet!
We pause at the tea room for refreshments, and to reconsider our plan.
Instead of following the instructions we use the OS Map to guide us through the next wooded area, to emerge on the A46, and then make our way back to Market Rasen. A pause at the pub, and then back to the campsite.
We have done 11.5 miles excluding the walk to the start point!
Thursday, is my birthday. I am instructed by kathleen to lie in bed, whilst she makes breakfast. Perhaps this is going to be a good day?
After a late breakfast we take the bus to Lincoln. It has become a tradition that on my birthday, Kathleen treats herself to something or other, usually new clothes. But today, try as she might she cannot find anything she likes. Eventually, we return to the pub we visited on Tuesday, "Widow Cullens Well", on Steep Hill, and have a very enjoyable lunch, with copious amounts of wine.
Friday, the weather is becomming more "seasonal", ie it is bright and sunny, but definately cool. In the morning we take the OS map and do a 5 mile walk through the Lincolnshire countryside. After lunch, we cycle for 6 miles. It is necessary to do some exercise to work off the excesses of yesterday.
In the evening, Kathleen gets very artistic with the sunset.
We have never been TV watchers during our campervan trips, partly because we do take a TV with us in the van.
But I did "invest" in a USB Digital TV Receiver, which with the aid of a £6 ariel (from Wilkinsons) we find converts the laptop into a very acceptable TV. So Friday evening will be home from home for kathleen at least, ie an evening of TV watching!
Saturday, home again.
Market Rasen Racecourse, Affilliated Caravan Club Site.
It is my birthday this week, that plus the excellent weather we have been having, has decided us that we will have another outing in the campervan.
Lincolnshire has been selected on the basis that it should be good cycling country, since it is flat!
Sunday morning, as we are due to leave, it has been glorious sunshine for the past week, this morning it is raining!, but as we head south, it clears and by the time we arrive at Market Rasen, shortly after lunch, it is another beautiful day.
We spend the remainder of the afternoon exploring Market Rasen, looking for good pub(s), and/or places to eat. This is not exactly successful.
Monday
Armed with our OS Map of the area, we set off on a cycle ride. The plan is to cycle to Horlton-cum-Beckering.
From the beginning almost, things do not go smoothly.
According to the map there is a "byeway", which will save us from cycling along the road.
Initially, due to my poor map reading skills, we cycle past it and have to retrace our steps.
We do not know it at the time, but cycling back to find it was not really a good idea. It starts well, but soon becomes this rough overgrown track.
It is impossible to cycle much of the time, because the surface alternates between deep ruts, and large irregular stones.
Kathleen plods on, with no complaints, this is ominous, she is not normally so cooperative.
Eventually we emerge from the overgrown byeway, at a small village called Linwood.
Here we see, there is a perfectly good cycle track, all nicely signposted and surfaced, which we could have taken from Market Rasen.
Still Kathleen is calm about it, no recriminations, what can the problem be?
We cycle on, following the cycle route signs, until we come to Wickernby.
By now, it is nearing times for elevenses, or at least a coffee. So far we have not even seen a shop, nevermind a pub or cafe. At Wickernby, we stop for a rest and a drink of water (this being all that is on offer). We notice a group of people outside the church, they dressed as if they have been attending some function, but are having a picnic, we will soon find out why.
We continue on our way, soon we come to Wickerby Airport, don't get carried away, it is not exactly Heathrow. It is a former WW2 RAF airfield, now used by light aircraft and helicopters, plus there are a few factory units.
Most interesting of all, there is (according to a sign) a cafe in the former control tower, we make our way there. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The place is like a scene form the film "Battle of Britain", ie a few empty chairs and a bowl of water for the dog, but no coffee or tea, I had even hoped for a bacon sandwich.
We pause and watch this helicopter take off, I have never been this close to a helicopter taking off before.
We now reason, if this was a former RAF airfield, there MUST be a pub nearby, I mean, in all of the best WW2 films, the pilots return from an "op" and go straight to the pub. We cycle on to Holton-cum-Beckering.
There is a pub, the "White Hart" we peddle to it briskly, "closed on Mondays", the sign says. Who ever heard of a pub which was closed on Mondays? Perhaps there is another pub in the village, but no, we cycle right through the place and emerge from the other side, no pub, no cafe.
We decide we will head back toward Market Rasen, before we die of dehydration, we can see from the map, we can return via a place called Lissington, it looks to be a reasonable size, perhaps....
that is right, no pub or cafe in Lissington.
On to Middle Rasen, here there is a fine church.
There is also a Bowls Club, a shop and a post office.
It even has a map and information board, showing "places of interest", nothing that interests us, no food, no refreshments.
Until now, we have been lighthearted about this, having a laugh as we pedalled along, the joke is beginning to wear thin.
Soon we are back in Market Rasen, where we quickly find the Aston Arms and order ourselves pint shandies.
Refreshed, we return to the racecourse and caravan site.
We have cycled 21 miles this morning, after lunch, we spend the afternoon soaking up the sunshine.
Hargill House Caravan Club Site, Richmond (continued)
As so often happens, that last day is the best weather!
At least this means a pleasant journey home, followed by a little gardening when we arrive home.
Hargill House Caravan Club Site, Richmond (continued)
The plan today was to go into Richmond, only about 3.5 miles away, but the wind is so fierce, we have stayed in the van and read books!
Just to cheer me up, I spot that we have a puncture!, the rear passenger side van tyre is flat. There is no way I am going to attempt to jack the van up and change a wheel in this wind. We are not planning on going anywhere, so it can wait. We are having a run of bad luck with punctures, this is the second one this year!
Tuesday. The wind has dropped, and it is dry.
After breakfast, I change the wheel. There is a nail in the punctured tyre, so that will have to be fixed when we get home. In true cravan site style, our next door neighbour begins talking to me whilst I am working at changing the wheel. Another of life's coincidences is revealed, when I find that he used to visit Pyrotenax (where I once worked), and knew several people who I remembered from there. Most notably, Carol and Brian Burnett. Carol, is the cousin of my sister-in-law, Linda. Small world and all that.
We decide to take the bus to Richmond.
There is no visible bus-stop, but we are assured, by the site warden, that if we wait near the telephone box, the bus will stop for us (unofficially).
As we wait, it begins to rain, so Kathleen uses the telephone box as a bus shelter.
The bus arrives, a little late, but better late than never, and sure enough the driver stops and picks us up. There are already three people on the bus, plus a bus company employee, whose role, other than being part of the conversation, is unclear. It is clearly a very friendly bus route, each passemger who is picked up is addressed by their first name, and they in turn all know the driver's name. The route appears to be somewhat fluid as people are picked up and dropped off as required, rather than at set bus stops.
Richmond is pleasant place.
We amuse ourselves with a wandered around the town, visiting the occasional shop.
A walk around the castle. A stop for coffee and cream scones, plus a visit to the pub.
There is a market here, but not today, what a shame.
The weather is not brilliant, with showers, but, by luck we contrive to be indoors during each downpour.
The journey back on the bus is same informal affair we experienced on the way here. The departure from Richmond is even slightly delayed to wait for someone who is joining from another bus, which is running late.
We even meet the two old ladies who were on the bus when we joined it this morning, and are greeted like old friends!
Wednesday, the wind has dropped, the sun is out, the sky is blue.
We catch the bus to Richmond again, with the intention of taking a walk along the river, and treating ourselves to lunch.
The bus is almost full!
There is a company employee on board doing a survey on how frequently used the service is, and how happy (or otherwise), passengers are with it. I think the jungle drums must have alerted everyone to travel today, on the basis of "use it or lose it".
We find the walk along the river, it is a sort of circular walk.
It begins easily enough, along the river bank, but at the point where it turns to make the return, there are 231 steps up the steep valley side. Good exercise for the thighs and knees!
The return is along a ridge at the top of the gorge formed by the river.
I forgot to switch on my "Runkeeper" software, so I am not sure how far we walked, judging from the time taken, (ie 2 hours), I would estimate 6 miles.
Back in Richmond we seek out the "Bishop Blaise" pub, at the market square and have a very enjoyable lunch. We both choose Steak and Ale Pie. Mine is absolutely fine, but Kathleen complains that hers had a shortage of Steak. The manager gives us a dessert each to compensate.
We have a little time left before we catch the bus, Kathleen cannot resist a trip into the Alladins Cave which is the Yorkshire trading Company Shop, a sort of inexpensive Lakeland.
I resist this treat and buy a newspaper, plus checking out the offerings of various bakery shops.
When we board the bus, we find one of the elderly ladies from yesterday is onboard. We are greeted like long lost friends. We learn she had to return to Richmond to visit the dentist, since the crown on one of her teeth had come off.
What a friendly place this is!
Hargill House Caravan Club Site, Richmond
Since we returned from our annual trip to Europe, I have been engaged in learning to ride a motorcycle (don't ask, another one of my mad ideas). I have not been doing that 24/7 of course, but a weekly lesson together with other domestic chores was enough to prevent us from "getting away", in the campervan.
Today, we made the short journey (only about 50 miles) to Hargill House Caravan Club Site, near Richmond in North Yorkshire.
The site is the usual high standard we expect of the Caravan Club. It is located just off the A66, about 1 mile from the village of Gilling West.
Today being Sunday, we walked into Gilling West, and enjoyed a fabulous Sunday Lunch in "The White Swan" pub. It is an easy walk there, down a long hill, but of course that means up hill on the way back. A combination of a substantial Sunday Lunch, plus copious amounts of wine, and the walk up the hill, means that the rest of the afternoon was spent in a haze, dozing in the van. How decadent.
The weather is how can I say, doubtful.
The UK is in the path of the death throes of the recent hurricane which swept north up the coast of the USA, and is now blowing itself out as it tracks west across the Atlantic, so we have a windy day, with the odd shower.
My camera and photographic skills fail to show it adequately, but the wild clouds are quite fitting for the Yorkshire landscape. Hopefully we will be bathed in sunshine tomorrow, fitting or not!
Henley-on-Thames, Caravan Club - Four Oaks Site, Continued
Saturday we have to collect our hire car.
The hire company have sent a taxi to collect us, at their expense. I am only paying £45 to hire the car for 2 days, and they pay for a taxi to come 8 miles to pick us up. I am not sure I understand the economics of that!
The taxi is alarmingly late. It turns out, the taxi driver, is a law student, working as a taxi driver to pay his way through college. He is most apologetic for being late, and tells us this is his first pick up in Henley, and he had gone to the wrong caravan site.
He is thoroughly entertaining, and my concern at being late soon evaporates.
We collect the car no problem. But finding our way out of reading with no sat-nav is not easy. How on earth we will find our way back to hand the car in, remains to me seen!
We spend the evening with Gary, Susana, Gabriel, the god parents, and family.
Our return journey is somewhat fraught.
It took us 30 minutes to get to Windsor.
On the return trip, they have closed the A404M for overnight roadworks.
Kathleen has to read the map in the dark. We have a one hour tour of the countryside (in the dark) around Henley, but eventually we find the site.
Sunday, it is back to Windsor for the Christening.
Although the weather is not kind, we have a thoroughly enjoyable day.
Gabriel and the other children there, are impeccably behaved, and all goes smoothly.
Gabriel's Mexican godparents execute their role perfectly, even being called upon to do the readings in English, does not put them off their stride.
It is a barbeque afterwards at Windsor racecourse, thankfully, given that it rains none stop, they are prepared for the British weather, and the proceedings are in a Marquee, out of the rain.
We had intended to stay at Henley-on-Thames until Tuesday morning, but Monday dawns grey and wet. So we decide that after returning the hire car, we will go home.
Our concern at finding our way through the traffic snarled Reading prove groundless, with the help of Google Maps, we get there with only one minor hiccup, (for the record, I was right, it was the first exit off A329M to Oxford Road, not the second).
If you want to hire a car, based on this experience, I can recommend Enterprise Car Hire, only £45 for two days, including damage waiver, and they picked us up and dropped us off, back at the site, all included in the £45!
So back home again, where to next time?
Neufchatel-en-Bray, Camping Sainte Claire, ASCI2011-974 continued
Forgot to say, in my last post, I have had some adverse comments about the font size. Some people wanting me to pay for new glasses for them. So, I have reverted to the "normal" size font!
Hope that is better for you all.
Despite her concerns for her waistline, I convince Kathleen we should buy an apple pie from Le Clerc. They are on offer, are rather large, and look very appertising!
We buy a can of disappearing cream, to go with it.
I call it disappearing cream, because after you squirt it on your plate, it disappears faster than you can eat it!
Sunset at camping Sainte Claire.
As I have said before, this site is in within 2 – 3 hours driving distance from the ferry at Calais or Dunkirk.
However, our ferry is at 08:00 in the morning, and check in time is 07:00. This would mean leaving here at no later than 05:00 in the morning, which is not possible (Gates are closed overnight, 23:00 – 07:00).
Instead we leave just before 12:00, do some last minute wine shopping at the supermarket, and then rejoin the A16 toward Abbeville, stopping for lunch on the way.
We plan to check out upto four aires, from the All the Aires – France book, (Hondschoote, Gravelines and, Bergues, Petit Fort Phillippe) and choose the best one.
As it turned out, Gravelines is the first one we come to and it is perfectly acceptable, so we park there.
Beware if trying to find it, they have built an new roundabout on the D940, which is not mentioned in the directions, but if you keep your eyes open, you can see the campervans lined up on the quayside, so just head for them. You need to be on the East side of the small river.
Gravelines, All the Aires – France Page 450, N50 59.310’ E002 07.363’
As you can see, we are not alone, I have not counted them, but there must be at least fifty vans here, presumably all waiting to go to the ferry terminal.
We have actually overflowed the 'official' parking area. We, along with three others, are parked in an area marked "no parking camping cars". The painted lettering is faded, and hardly ledgible.
Two passing Frenchmen point out to us that we should not be parked there. One is grumpy about it, the other, on hearing we plan to be gone by 06:30 in the morning, is more amenable about it.
We get a spot overlooking the habour, this is the view from our back window.
Actually manoevering into place caused a bit of a problem.
My reversing camera (Kathleen) took fright as we approached the edge of the dock backwards.
There was a mutiny and she deserted her post, continuing the directions from outside the van, just incase I went into the dock.
We have a metre to spare, no problem.
Once we had finished parking, and Kathleen had composed herself, we discovered we had parked next to someone from Seaham, who just happened to be a patient at the surgery where Dana used to work!, small world and all that.
Sunset at Gravelines.
The evening passes without any excitement, except that, even more vans arrive.
After a quiet night, and therefore a good nights sleep, we are up at 6:00 and on our way by 06:30, to check in for the ferry.
Despite eating my usual breakfast of Cereal and fruit, while we sat in the queue waiting to board, we avail ourselves of a full English Breakfast on the boat.
The usual nightmare journey, on the M25, and we arrive at Henley-on-Thames.
Henley-on-Thames, Caravan Club - Four Oaks Site.
As is always with the Caravan Club sites, it is spot on.
The afternoon is spent in arranging a hire car, so we can travel to Windsor tomorrow and Sunday.
