Sat: Picked the ‘van up at 7am and headed South! There will be two stops on this trip, Wetherby as usual for a bacon buttie and then a new one, namely Peterborough. This would provide rest and a refuel at a convenient point in the journey. We were pleasantly surprised, there were lots of dedicated caravan parking spaces away from the cars with clean and tidy services inside. A far cry from Grantham! From here we headed to the site, which is located just off the M20. We booked in at reception and found a nice hardstanding pitch with good views facimg the right direction for the sun. We got the ‘van all set up, enjoyed some tea and TV and then at night, experienced the best thunder storm I have ever witnessed. It was very close by and the views from the sunlights was spectacular, with matching rain!
Sun: A trip to Spa Valley railway was in order, this was about 45 mins away from the site. We took the 10.30am steam train from Tunbridge Wells West through to Eridge which takes about 30mins. There is a shop and engine shed, which you have access to. A nice place to visit for all train buffs and kids. Picked up a battery for the car key, which seems to have gone flat, pleased I had the spare with me! Glorious weather back at the site, time for a BBQ tea.
Mon: Firstly, a trip to Canterbury. Mainly to see the cathedral and also the punting boats on the River Stour. Sadly you can’t can’t see anything of the cathedral unless you pay for a visit, not even the grounds. The river Stour is mostly hidden amongst the city, so you can’t really enjoy that either, All you’ve got is shops to be honest, a bit of a disappointment. From here we headed to Margate, first to the Hornby Visitor Centre. This was very nicely staged and worth a visit, I held back on any purchases! Then we headed to the the seaside front of Margate itself. Very nice, parking in the Dreamland carpark of the fun park that still remains. We enjoyed some chips on the front, avoiding the eager Seagulls! Back to base from here. Weather still glorious.
Tue: Weather still fantastic, so a day onsite doing nothing but relaxing! Managed to sit outside later on and have a game of cards and connect 4.
Wed: Glorious blue skies again. Decided to wash the ‘van today before the noon sun melted us both away. Stayed onsite again.
Thu: A visit to the K&ES Railway was the order of the day. This is a 10.5 miles stretch of heritage railway running from Tenterden through to Bodiam. It has a wonderful vista along the route, passing many level crossings and stream bridges. There are many attractions at most of the stations and the ticket is an all day roamer. Well worth a visit in our opinion. Weather a little cooler today, thankfully, so just relaxed for the rest of the day.
Fri: As usual, onsite relax before the move tomorrow!
Sat: Usual pack-up routine, no rush as we’ve got a 10.30am earliest departure to make the 1.00pm entry on the next site. Great weather still, had a few chats with the neighbours. Onwards to the West!
- Date: 18th June 2022
- Nights: 7
- Pitch #: 33
- GPS: 51.263105, 0.603373
Approach: M20 > A20