You kind of know in your heart when things are not going to go well! This weekend was just one of those times. We sort of planned not to go away because Den was in crisis at work and thought we may get the "phone calls", he was right. We decided to go anyway and try the Caravan Club Site, Cirencester Park and explore Cirencester a bit more.
So , we left in a bit of a rush, without the usual preparations and I forgot to pick up the left over curry we were going to have for tea. Fortunately, as it was a CC site, the sign by the toilet block said "Fish & Chips, from 5.30!" Nothing for it then, fish and chips. Our luck was in briefly, as we got the last two fishes from the van, they were obviously also having a bad day! The rest of the queue had to make do with anything that wasn't fish.......at least the chips were still on the menu. Disaster number 1, averted, for us!
The site was excellent, quiet and really well laid out with loads of hard standings. It was busier than we were expecting but we still had a good choice of pitches. A third of the site which were the grass pitches, were closed for re-seeding and the second toilet block was being up dated. Time for the bunnies to have a ball, but beware the bunny holes, health and safety elves at work. The existing loo block was excellent and up to the usual CC standards ( when and if,you can get a pitch on one of their sites of course.) Even the telly picked up a signal, although the phone was an issue, but more of that later.
Billie at Cirencester Park.
The walk into town takes about 20 minutes, via the scenic route through the Bath Hurst Estate Park. We put on our walking boots but there were lots of paths so shoes would have been fine.
Beware, the gates shut at 5.30pm. I wonder how many people they lock in every year?
Next time we will walk up to the monument!
Check out the park http://www.cirencesterpark.co.uk/
Saturday morning dawned as a bright dryish day. The van was really cosy as we had used the silver screens overnight. To be on the safe side, we had run the heating on low to take the chill off. The overall heating system in Billie is great and it can be used on gas or electric, 1 is fine for overnight. We decided to walk through the park into town. As we lifted the bed to get out our rucksacks, the strut holding the bed up stuck and before we realised what had happened, it damaged the laminate panel under the bed as we tried to close it. Den removed the mattress to check what had happened and climbed under the bed. Just as all this was going on the phones started ringing, it was a work problem. Getting to a phone with a sprung mattress propped up in the middle of the van was entertaining. It was then we realised that the phone signal here was very iffy, three mobiles and a signal that kept dropping out on all of them. Eventually, we had to go and use the actual "phone box", fortunately being a CC site they still had one that worked. Miracles of modern technology!!! NOT.
Finally, after a very stressful hour or so, all was calm. The work problems were solved until Monday and the bed was useable. Den removed the strut and would repair the damage when we got home. We did have a lovely walk through the park into town, lunch at a very nice pub and a stroll around the shops. We just made it back to the van before the rain came down. The X Factor on the telly and a bottle of wine, another exciting evening.
The drive home through the Cotswold was lovely with the Autumn colours just starting, an hour and we would be home. Not likely, M4 closed for an accident and an hours drive became two. Just another one of those weekends! The good news was Den repaired the strut damage and a new one is on it's way! Advantages of having a local dealer, a quick call to Chipping Sodbury Caravans and Billie will be back to normal, very soon.
Next weekend the Motor Caravan Show at the NEC Birmingham. Time to look at more extras. Tickets have been bought, the work phone can stay at home. Billie can have a weekend off, we'll take the car this time.
Of course we left it to the last moment to book! Needless to say, "there was no room at the inn. " I tried about 6 sites on a Friday morning looking for a hardstanding and had almost given up when I stumbled on Mayfield Park. With great trepidation I phoned and while waiting for rejection, was most surprised to hear they had spaces and on a hardstanding! Even more cheering was the price, £32 for the weekend!!!
By 3ish on Friday afternoon we were off. Not far we thought. Well it should have taken around an hour, it took a bit longer, but we did get a "Cotswold Grand Tour", Tom Tom never found the site, but with a trusty map and a bit of manoevering we did. The site was a bit sloping but with the chocks, we were soon installed on a flattish gravel pitch, behind some tall trees, that's put paid to the telly viewing then, back to Kindle! On the positive side the campsite was not crowded, we had water on our pitch and it was dry!
Billie enjoying a spot of morning sunshine.
The back field at Mayfield Park.
The next day dawned with a clear blue sky and the sun trying to come out. Armed with a map we set off for Cirencester via the scenic route, down the country lanes. Around an hour later we made it. Slight detour through the woods, over a few styles ( some managed better than others) and braving the local livestock in the fields, we had a great walk though some beautiful countryside. We were really pleased we were prepared with walking boots or we may not have been quite so happy, some of the fields were very muddy.We were really lucky as the sun came out and it was quite warm.
Beware the wild animals!!! Well there were a lot of sheep in this field!
We finally found our way over this stile and out of the woods. Fortunately did not encounter any livestock here.
Took a while to work out the instructions for the "walk", but we made it in the end.
On the way to Cirencester.
The end in sight, only one more field to tramp across, fortunately the cows we were expecting to find in the field were having breakfast elsewhere. Phew!!!
We whiled away a few hours exploring Cirencester, having lunch, coffee and going around the museum, well worth a visit.Those Romans were really quite clever! Cirencester actually had some great little shops, I was amazed how many tea and cake shops there were!. We bought some very nice chicken parcels from the local butcher and caught the 51 bus back to the site. In the absence of telly, it was dinner, reading ,wine and bed, all that walking had worn us out!
Certainly worth a visit, although I would be tempted to try the Caravan Club, Cirencester Park site next time. Mayfield would be a good place to go if you fancied walking as there were loads more walks we could have tried. Perhaps another weekend soon, but not in the summer the noise from the road would not make for a peaceful evening outdoors.
This weekend we decided a trip to the motorhome show at Shepton Mallet was called for. Armed with our reduced admission ticket from the Caravan Club mag ( 2 for a tenner) we set out. We decided Billie would stay at home, as we have had wet and horrible experiences at the show in the past.
In order to rest our "little grey cells" we took a shopping list.
- Find out about Wifi for Billie. We wondered if Sophie and Adam ( Motorhome Wifi) would be at the show?
- Find out about "solar panels", Vanbitz?
- Look at cab carpets.
- A new updated, colour co-ordinated easy clean tablecloth ( we can't only look at expensive things can we?)
- A new travel kettle ( possibly)
- A storage bag for the silver screens.
- Anything else "exciting."
The day was beautiful as we set off for Shepton, a good day for a motor show. As we arrived, the first thing that struck us was how quiet it all seemed. The car parking field was not as full as we have seen it. Even the camping area was not as full as usual. We quickly got into show mode, Den setting off at full speed, me lagging behind and looking at things! The sun beamed down. We looked at all the jolly campers and were glad we weren't joining them. We love going away in our motorhome, but for peace and tranquility, not display! Still, horses for courses.
As we worked our way down the first row of stalls we spotted Adam and Sophie and "Motorhome Wifi" http://www.motorhomewifi.com/ perfect! We spent a few minutes talking about our needs. We want to be able to pick up Wifi in the van usually when we are on campsites. We usually take our ipads and don't bother with the laptop as it's so big to store. We decided on the "I Boost" system with a larger booster, so we could pick up signals that were further away. Paid our money and ordered the system.
Sophie also explained about the "Fon " system so we could pick up more signals, for £36 it seemed a brilliant idea. http://www.btfon.com/ We'll update the blog with the outcomes after playing with the new setup, which hopefully will arrive later this week. First item on the list sorted!
Solar panels next. We found the "Vanbitz" stall and spent a worthwhile ten minutes going over the possibilities of "solar panels". We were given all the info we needed. The outcome is that we need to decide exactly when and how we want extra power. Solar panels will not provide unending energy for free but will supplement our existing system. All we need to do now is work out whether we want to spend the cash. The next step for us ,is to have a second battery fitted and we will probably get Chipping Sodbury Caravans to do that first. Still Vanbitz as usual were most helpful. Further developments will be reported on in due course.
Following on a liquid lunch in the local bar, well a glass of wine and half of lager, we bought the tablecloth and the bag for the silver screens. The travel kettle we decided we would buy in John Lewis. The show was still relatively quiet, our feet were killing us, so we set off for home. All in all a pleasant interlude.
Was the trip to Sheppy worthwhile? Well it passed a sunny afternoon and we got the wifi sorted. In terms of vans, lots of the bigger dealers were not around and we fancied there were fewer stalls than usual. We are still pleased with our Billie and can't see ourselves changing him for a few years. All we need to do now is get out and about in him a bit more. Job for next week, book a ferry crossing for July 2013!
Now where shall we go next week??
Just back from a great weekend in Somerset. We stayed at the Wells Holiday Park just outside the City of Wells near Wookey Hole.
Great little campsite, very well kept with super clean loos and hot showers.
http://www.wellsholidaypark.co.uk/
The journey there was slightly fraught ! Fine 'till we got through Cheddar and then the A371, was the road from hell. Billie was quite happy until the road became increasingly more bendy and narrow. It is an "A" road and we did follow the directions on the campsite website but it was tight in places. Just don't be tempted to follow the sat nav! A big "star" badge for Den, I was just glad he did the driving. The final insult, was we took the wrong turning into the site and nearly grounded Billie on the speed hump. I jumped out and held up the traffic while Den reversed back out onto the main road........ we had arrived, a large drink called for.
The campsite was in a great spot, easy to fill up the water and good access ( using the right gate). We were on a tarmac hard standing. The site was not too full but as the evening went on there were lots of new arrivals. An "adults only" site so fairly quiet. I had taken enough food for the weekend so we had a leisurely meal, a few drinks and a comfy night sleep.
The weather god was in a good mood! We took a 20 minute stroll into Wells and had a lovely morning looking around the market, which was really one of the best ones we have seen. Fabulous farmer's products, cheese, sausages and of course Somerset Cider. Wells was busy, but a great place to walk around. The cathedral is really worth a look, we didn't go round the Bishop's Palace this time, as only the grounds were open. Wells is somewhere we will be returning to again, soon.
After a leisurely drink in a local pub we strolled back to the campsite, had lunch and then walked up to Wookey Hole. Another, lovely ( if somewhat hilly) stroll about 1.5miles from the campsite, at £32 for two adult tickets, we did not bother going into the complex but enjoyed the sunshine and the stroll back. At £49 for a family ticket , we were amazed that anyone went in!! No nice pubs near Wookey Hole, so back to finish the white wine and watch the X Factor, we live life to the full!!!
In all a very (nearly) relaxing weekend break ( except for getting there,) we drove home on Sunday through Glastonbury and then the motorway, further to drive but less stressful! A place we will add to our list of favourites and visit again very soon.
Next weekend off to the Motorhome Show at Shepton Mallett, without Billie!
Just returned from a great "nearly 3 weeks" in France. Our aim was to relax, enjoy the the wine and do as little as possible. We also wanted to see how Billie Bailey performed on an extended stay and whether the money we spent on "extras" was worthwhile.
Buffed, packed and ready to roll, us and the van! We set off this year from Portsmouth to St Malo. Usually we travel on a Friday night from Dover, but this year we bit the bullet, spent the money and decided on Portsmouth, pricey but worth it! Memo for next time, spend the money on a better cabin, it was a bit basic!!
On the dock at Portsmouth ready to roll!
Travelling on a Saturday was great! Very little traffic and no M25 to crawl on first. Very soon, we were safely sitting in the restaurant and our holiday had begun. The drive to our campsite the next morning was very quiet, coming out of St Malo was simple and the drive down to the Vendee only took around 3.5 hours of empty Sunday morning roads. Billie towed like a dream and breezed over the Nante bridge. Really good idea to travel on the Sunday as there are no lorries on the road. Added bonus, the roads from St Malo to the campsite in the Vendee were toll free.
http://www.campinglefiefangibaud.com/
We arrived at the campsite to find a huge pitch in a lovely quiet field. Easy access to the campsite and good directions. There was water on the pitch, although a very long lead was required for the electric. We were told that the week before had been very wet, but we brought the sun! The following two and half weeks were almost wall to wall sunshine, we have the tans to prove it.
We put up the camp kitchen and the windbreakers. I was really pleased that in the end we did take the comfy Lafuma chairs ( so was Den!) We returned from our holiday with new comfy Lafuma chairs, having braved a trip to the French dump with the old ones which spilt in sympathy with each other. Our credit card company was happy.
This part of the Vendee, was relatively unexplored by us. Home to salt flats, oysters and lovely ( but busy) beaches. An ideal part of the country if you like all seafood, personally not too keen on oysters. Being creatures of habit, we tend to explore very locally, the nearest village St Gervais contains essentials and Beauvoir Sur Mer has everything else, including a very nice bar for coffee and a papershop.
Supermarkets were all nearby but you do need transport. This is also biker country, but we were still glad we had brought Smartie, without her we would have shortened our visit as the shops were just a little too far. As it was, we decided to stay for the whole 18 nights and our trip south was put on hold, next year perhaps.
We explored the Isle of Normoutier, very busy, St Jean D'Mont, even busier! Lots to see and do and loads of beaches, except the sand and sun was so hot we only ventured to the beach twice.
Passage du Grois.
The causeway to the Isle de Normoutier, you can drive across at low tide. Once the tide goes out the French are out in force picking the spoils of the seafood from the beach. We ate in the restaurant, 3 courses for 18 euros.
A very pleasant couple of hours eating here on the terrace overlooking the sea, followed by a couple more hours sleeping in the sun.
How did Billie perform?
Very well, no problems and everything worked. We used the facilities, as the showers were very hot and we cooked outside for most of the holiday. The bed is really comfortable and the living space makes so much difference to overall comfort. The air-con works and did lower the temperature by a few degrees. I think a slightly bigger unit would have been more effective, but it was fine for what we wanted.
Minor niggle, the TV wouldn't pick up a signal due to our pitch behind some tall trees, so we used our Kindles as usual. Missed the Olympic opening ceremony but watched it when we got back.
On the way home we went via Caen, simple easy crossing, we stayed at the Municipal in Ouistram for a night on the way home. Definitely would use this crossing again.
Our idea of a perfect holiday. Easy driving. Good clean campsite with BIG pitches and pleasant company. Things to do and places to go if you wanted to do them!!
TIP: Never park next to a coach in the customs checkout....but that's another story!!
Check out my campsite reviews in the French Campsite section.
Thinking about a brand new radio, for a brand new van is a bit extreme I admit. We pondered on this for some time before taking the plunge.
The music system that came with the van was the standard bottom end van system that came with a Peugeot cab. It looked quite neat and played OK, the controls were wired into the steering wheel, presumably so "white van man" could control things as he happily sang along to the latest hits! Peugeot, in their wisdom, had decided that "white van man" was incapable of turning his music on and off and that 20 minutes at a time was enough singing for anyone! To prevent the battery flattening and consequentially late deliveries and ( I suspect to reduce the lunch break,) when the engine was off, after 20 minutes the radio turned off too. Fine, for "white van man", highly inconvenient for owners of motorhomes. After spending the weekend jumping up and down turning the music back on, enough was enough and we decided to update.
When we were decluttering we had culled the CD collection. We then loaded all our music onto an Archos media player. We now had a whole cupboard which was bare and all our music safely on one little gadget. Infact , enough music to drive around Europe and back without changing a CD. We wanted a system that would easily let us plug the Archos in and as a bonus ( for future basing and all that!) also to use the iphone, handsfree. We wanted a radio that did not turn off after 20 minutes and we wanted the whole lot at a reasonable price, fitted this week. Not much to ask!
Using trusty old Google, we narrowed the search to Uplands Radio based in Taunton.
http://www.uplandscarradios.com/
Uplands had helped Jamie at Chipping Sodbury fix his van radio, so they knew about motorhomes. Following a few phone calls and chats to very helpful Nick at Uplands, we set a date for the fitting. Yes, they could do it this week. No travelling for Billie, Uplands provide a fitting at home service. The deed was done, the deposit was paid and the radio ordered. Friday afternoon, the rain and the Uplands man, also called Bill, arrived on time to fit the radio.
Great service and no travelling, Bill from Uplands arrived in his fully equipped van to do the job.
For the technically minded, we went for a Clarion CX501E radio with steering controls and new fascia. This would be rewired to stay switched on. We would be able to connect the Archos directly with a phono lead and use the iphone with bluetooth.
The initial system as fitted by Peugeot.
The super new system, pretty when lit up and ranges different colours through the rainbow display. Now works with the steering wheel controls. Also connects with my iphone, for hands free!
New system with the Archos connected ( that's the little square thingy in front.) The Archos will sit on the dash tray when driving.
Connection for the iphone to charge on the go, through the USB lead, neatly hidden in the dash tray.
All music systems are really "horses for courses" and a matter of personal preference! We are now very happy with our new system. Uplands did a brilliant job. Bill the fitter really gave a brilliant service, giving loads of his own time to ensure that the job was done really well and that the bluetooth connection worked! The best part of his Friday afternoon off, was taken up getting our system to work well. Many thanks!!!
Nick at the Uplands office also did a stirling job, with phone calls to all and sundry, to find the information Bill needed to get the bluetooth connected. Hope Uplands realise their employees do go the extra mile when needed!
Now Billie is all set up for his first venture to foreign parts next week and music to sing along to.
Anyone want to buy a nearly new Peugeot van radio??
A strange combination you may think and you would be right. An action packed weekend with sunshine, showers,loads of walking, piers, chips and cowboys.
We decided that with a ferry to France booked very shortly, we really needed to try out Billie and the trailer. We waited until Friday afternoon to book a pitch at our old favourite, Unity at Brean. We waited for the weather to cheer up and finally on Friday afternoon decided to go for gold! Following the school run, we knew we could not get away until around 5.30pm. So as soon as Den got home, we loaded the van and pulled out the trusty trailer. Smartie had been buffed and preened and was ready for the weekend away. Billie didn't know what was coming, but was soon ready with his towbar in place!
With Smartie safely on board we were off. Towing proved much as usual and soon we were on the M5 heading South. Billie towed smoothly with little puffing, panting and the odd sway. As long as Den watched the corners, we cruised along arriving at the campsite around 6.30pm. Safely on the pitch with Smartie unloaded and the trailer safely stowed behind us, over Fish & Chips from Alan's Take Out, we planned the weekend.
The following morning we were off for a little exploration further afield. We had driven through Burnham- On -Sea, but sadly never stopped, so now we set off to Burnham and breakfast. A nice surprise greeted us, a pretty prom and nice beach with loads of parking. We parked in Morrisons and did a bit of shopping which paid for the parking! Good tip for any visitors, motorhome parking in Morrisons car park, there is a dedicated motorhome bit, though no overnight parking! It looked like some motorhomers couldn't read.
Smartie on the prom at Burnham-on Sea. All alone.
Across the sea- front at Burnham.
The beach was deserted and the sun came out, we wished we had brought a picnic!
Following breakfast at a local cafe, brilliant value at well under a tenner, we headed back towards Brean. The sun was still out and we drove all the way out to Brean Down, parking in the National Trust car park ( that was £3.00 off our membership for this year), feeling smug, we headed to the beach. The scenery here is beautiful, we climbed the steps to the top of the downs to survey the scene and then the rain came down, hard and very wet!!
The beach at Brean.
Yes , we did climb to the top and the view was worth it!
This was just after the rain storm.
Fired off by our new expertise in mountain climbing and hill walking, we decided to go to Weston for a bit more "seaside" The drive was lovely, around 8 miles by the scenic route, we were glad we were in Smartie and not Billie. We arrived in Weston and did what all Brits do, went for a refreshing walk along the prom. We checked out the new pier inside and out, visited the marine lake and ate chips in the rain! We drew the line at paddling in the sea, going on the donkeys and making sandcastles, but loads of other vistors did just that, despite the weather.
Inside the new pier. Beautifully done and very busy.
The donkeys looked so much better fed than I remembered!
"
We will have a paddle come what may."
"What's a bit of driving rain and freezing wind? "
"We've all got our umbrellas and macs."
Weston Pier and the great British Summer.
We had a great day out and went back to the campsite for a night out. Now, most of our great nights in are usually sleeping in front of the telly, however I was determined we would take advantage of the "entertainment." At around 9pm following all that sea air, we headed for "The Tavern" and Country & Western Night. The Country & Western theme should have alerted us to what was going on, after all there was evidence around the site of cowboy & cowgirl, things happening. The queue at the bus stop left us feeling very under dressed, but we were not expecting what we found, when we got the "The Tavern". The room was packed with ( shall I say politely) people of "senior years" having a YeeHa time! The boot bill alone would have paid for a few weeks in the South of France. There were hats, tassels, waist- coats, legs, bulges and rhinestones everywhere. All shapes and sizes were squeezed into or out of, every kind of wild west outfit, complete with guns, feathers and swagger. Line dancing was the order of the day.
The question I wanted to ask was, how did they know which dance to do? The whole thing had a macabre facination about it, but everyone was having a great time and the music was good. There was a strange quasi religious moment in the middle where everyone sort of stood in a cirle around the flags, while Elvis was played singing Dixieland. What that was about we had no idea, but it seemed to be taken very seriously, all the men took their hats off! Mmmm......very odd. Some kind of patriotic salute to something maybe? The problem is this is the UK not the USA, although I don't suppose anyone cared that much. Still, a good excuse for a sniff and the chance to fire their pop guns and have some fun!
We had a few drinks, tapped our feet and then went home to bed. September is the next Country and Western event, we may go back ???
