Touring

Saturday:
We had a good journey to the site. All was plain sailing although the twisty windy B16357 kept me on my toes! We pulled into the site and were very warmly greeted by the owners, Gillian and Eddie. We were allowed to take our pick at the pitches, we chose #17 as it was a good size and open from the trees. We were soon set-up and enjoying a drink and a sandwich. Newcastleton is well known for it’s lack of mobile signals. The TV reception was meant to be okay, but I only managed to pull in around 15 channels, not enough to satisfy for a Saturday evening! Thus the satellite dish was deployed and we were soon enjoying a full range of channels. Tea followed and then we settled in for the evening. With the temperature being sub zero I made sure the Aqua Roll was full before nightfall along with it being on its side and thus off the ground a little. We don’t want our first instance of frozen water!

Sunday:
Following breakfast we headed off for Gretna Green, well this was our wedding anniversary day after all! The weather was pleasant although still chilly, we enjoyed the sites of the Blacksmith’s shop and all the other buildings that are there to cater for the needs of the tourist. Following this we went to the shopping outlet in Gretna and perused the many shops there. Back at base, we headed off to fetch water, this time accompanied by Cath with here new matching head torch!

Monday:
Another sub-zero day so we headed North to Hawick (Hoyk!). This is a small town about 20 miles North of Newcastleton accessed via the B6399, which provides a very interesting drive. Again lots of twists and turns and single lane access, fog at the top of the climb, everything! Hawick has a small high-street which we walked through. We picked up some cooking pans whilst there from Home Hardware, a nice shop. Temperature had now gone from -2 to zero, so things were warming up! Back at base I purchased some internet connection from Gillian so that I could catch up with work and all things email and internet. The winds and rain provided some entertainment for the evening. The poor satellite dish took a nose dive on a couple of occasions, the wind and rain persisted all night. We ended up watching a DVD when the dish took off again late on.

Tuesday:
Winds and rain still persisting following storm ‘Angus’. I had in mind just to take in the sites of Newcastleton today, but with the weather we just decided to head to the Spar for a couple of things and call it a ‘sit in the van’ day. Weather is supposed to improve tomorrow, we’ll see!

Wednesday:
Weather much better although still cold! We went for a walk, a fairly small one at around 2 miles which took us along the riverside, back around the woods by the now non-existent Waverley Railway Route. Following the woods we then returned to Newcastleton via the old railway line, which is pretty much non-recognisable now with many new developments on the site since the Beeching Report. The only building still left standing is the old stationmaster’s house, which we found right at the end of the walk. Following this we spent the rest of the day in the ‘van, as the darkness and coldness hit once again.

Thursday:
Normal morning routines were going ahead when suddenly the electric went! Thinking we had tripped, although not sure why as the supply was 16A – I headed to the office to report it. The owner then reported that the whole site/town was down, so nothing to do but put the gas on and wait it out! We therefore decided to head to Langholm, a town nearby that should provide some entertainment whilst we await the electric to return. What I hadn’t realised was that Thomas Telford was born near here and indeed built the bridge here across the river Esk. Who would have thought that in the same year we would see two of his bridges! Now this isn’t a big town, so we were soon through it. Although we did manage to locate the cairn of the old railway station, which was nice to see.

Returning back to the site, the electric was back on, whoohoo! We then relaxed before putting the awning away. Now this was a bit interesting. This is the first time we have encountered -7 degrees and no sun. The awning was covered in ice and wasn’t drying. We took it down never-the-less and got it back in its bag. We’ll dry it back at home! Tea and night TV followed, the end of a nice week, despite being sub-zero!

Friday:
The coldest night so far. We awoke to the pump being a little frozen! A quick soak in some warm water soon freed it up though. This was an interesting pack up, as everything was frozen solid. Water had to be used to free the bolts on the satellite. The steps had to be thawed out with warm water. The Aqua Roll we brought home to defrost the ice buildup in it. The satellite cable had frost running all along it. Everything we picked up off the ground had stones and leaves stuck to it. Very different to what we’re used to, but an interesting experience all the same!

We finally finished packing and headed home. The return trip was very pleasant. A couple of hold ups on the A69 and A19 but nothing to stress about. The got the ‘van back in storage (filthy) and then headed home. We’ve enjoyed this week very much, I think we’re starting to really like Scotland 🙂

The facilities at the site are first rate and well though out. You are never far from a water point, where fresh water, grey waste and bins are provided. Taps have hoses, grey water is angled just right complete with tap for washing down. There are two toilet blocks, one lads and one lassies! These again are superb, heated and tiled. There are two cubicles complete with sink, shower and toilet and one cubicle with just a toilet. All very well kept and makes for a nice stay, just like at home. Hand dryer and washing up sink are also provided. During our stay and due to the cold weather, the outside water taps were turned off mid-afternoon, perfectly understandable. Water is then collected from the washing up sink, hose again provided. CDP is enclosed and again well though out. Good height and area complete with hand gun water hose, you can’t ask for anything any better! Internet connection is good and at a fair price from the site. Mobile signal was not as bad as I first feared. Vodafone and EE are okay, I couldn’t get a ‘3’ signal though. TV reception limited, satellite fine though.

• Date: 19th November 2016
• Nights: 6
• Pitch #: 17
• GPS: 55.181935, -2.813002

Forgoing fireworks this year, we decided to get away in the ‘van again and head back to South Shields to Sandhaven Caravan Park. We were here last year, but due to illness we didn’t get to see much of the area, so we might be luckier this year and be able to sample the promenade and all South Shields has to offer.

We headed off after Cath had finished work and picked up the ‘van. Weather was not looking promising, and in between showers we hitched up and headed to the coast. We arrived promptly, indeed a little bit before the 2pm arrival time, but we were soon allocated to pitch 3 and we began to set-up. The rain began again so it was mac on and brave the elements. We were soon set-up due to the good hard-standing pitch. We got the heating on and relaxed to the start of our seaside visit. The rain kept coming, so our planned walk on the promenade followed with fish & chips looked like it wouldn’t be realised.

The rain stayed with us all night, so the reserve meal of pasta & ratatouille was cooked into action! We enjoyed the rest of the evening whilst trying to maintain a TV signal through the weather and fireworks. Sunday morning came and off to church we went, in the rain! Upon return we went for a brisk short walk, dodging the rain and then spent the rest of the day in the ‘van, not the best of weekends for weather. There were fireworks planned on the seafront, we went down to enjoy them, but lo and behold – they were cancelled due to the weather! I’ll have to plan our return visit to this site at a better time of the year, so we can get to explore the area.

The site has good hard-standing pitches, complete with water and drainage and 16A EHU. Toilet block is fine, with code access. CDP is a little high, but otherwise does the job. The site is open from the main road, so a lot of vehicles tend to fly in and out, not ideal. A great site however, we’ll be back, baby.

• Date: 5th November 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 3
• GPS: 54.997688, -1.416795

Our campsite of choice for this weekend would have to be near home for work and also adult only preferably, due to the school holidays beginning. So a return to Finchale Abbey was in order, our fourth visit!

A smooth collection of the ‘van from storage, owners still away so the one direction system was not in play again. Headed down the road and was soon pulling up at reception. I had booked a ‘T’ pitch this time in order to have access to a 16A supply rather than the 6A on the standard pitches. At this time of year it’s worth it, so there’s no juggling of electrical appliances in order to keep the load in check.

We were told to take any ‘T’ pitch free so off we went to find ours. There was only one other ‘van on this section, so we chose T5 which is the furthest pitch on this section, giving a great view of the site. As with most of the pitches at Finchale Abbey, some levelling is required, so out came Mr Yellow and the Stacka Jacka Pads. We soon had the ‘van level and began our set-up routine. One thing to note is the the EHU supply is provided via a 32A Ceeform socket, so an adaptor is required in order to connect the standard 16A cable into it. Reception provides these for a £10 deposit. The ‘T’ pitches are fully serviced with water point and drain, so this made setting up even brisker, although I still prefer to use the Aquaroll and Wastemaster! Saturday soon came and went.

Sunday, weather a little hit and miss with clouds and showers. We headed off to church first thing and then upon return, we had an early dinner. A brief walk around the campsite as usual followed this, followed by more relaxing until Monday morning came. More rain, but the pack-up was swift and effortless. We soon had the ‘van back in storage and another weekend break behind us.

Facilities are excellent here. Big toilet cubicles, yes you can actually go in, turn around and close the door without doing acrobatics! Good sized showers, basins, hand wash all very clean and well presented. Access to the toilet block is via a door code, which you are given upon arrival. CDP is around the side, perfectly fine along with 2 water points and waste water drains. The access barrier open automatically to get in, but again a code is required for departure. A great site, we will be back again next year.

• Date: 22nd October 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: T5
• GPS: 54.817486, -1.540929

Saturday:
A relaxed start to the day, easy and smooth pack, ‘van collection and off we went, South on the A1. And then just before Scotch Corner, we joined the queue! This was no ordinary queue, this was a diversion on the A1 due to the road being closed for road works. This queue ultimately ended up controlled by the lights on the roundabout of Scotch Corner itself, this along with a couple of other roads merging into the queue made for a long stop start delay. We spent about an hour and a half in it, until we eventually got to Scotch Corner roundabout, here I decided to change the route and use the A66 to take us West rather than the M62. Weather was good so no concerns about using the A66. We soon found our way onto the M6 following this and headed South. With all planned stops now out of the window, I chose Lancaster services for a stop. Managed to park with the HGV’s and then had a quick bite to it. We made it quick as the stench of urine there was something else! All was plain sailing heading into Anglesey, viewing the bridges and then I took a wrong turn!

We now were travelling on roads unknown, so I decided to follow the sat nav and get us back on track. Unfortunately the route the sat nav chose was not the best. What at first seemed like suitable roads suddenly turned into single track farm lanes. Just as we got out of one we seemed to head back into another. Determined to stay on good roads I avoided any further narrow looking roads but on the very last stretch, what seemed like a suitable road again turned into a single track lane. Fortunately we only met one car during this, so only one little reverse was required to get us by. Then we arrived, phew, that has to be the toughest journey we’ve been on to date!

We were pleasantly booked in and told where to pitch. The park looks lovely on first viewing, our pitch is superb, plenty of room for ‘van and awning, along with a section of grass to sit out on. Plenty of room to park the car as well. The pitch is fully serviced, even providing a water barrel to use which is mains connected. I chose just to use our equipment despite this, always nice having the water tap on the pitch however. We set the ‘van, put the awning up and then settled inside enjoying tea and some Saturday night TV.

Sunday:
Following breakfast, we decided to take a trip to see the Menai Suspension Bridge. This was only half an hour away down the A5025, following the road we should have used yesterday! We parked up and took the walk down to Church Island and then along the river to the bridge. All very pleasant and interesting. We dropped into Waitrose whilst we were there to pick up some BBQ food as the weather was looking very promising. Upon return we sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine. We substituted Sunday Lunch for the BBQ, washed up and then returned indoors for the rest of the evening.

Monday:
Today we decided to take a trip to Beaumaris. This is home to it’s famous castle and stunning views of the Menai Strait from Bangor up to Llandudno. Weather was a bit more temperamental today as we caught the odd shower or two, but still enjoyed what the town had to offer.

Tuesday:
Snowdon was on our radar today. Weather being glorious we headed off to reach the summit. Well we planned on using the train to get to the summit! We had a quick breakfast and then headed off for the station. Parking up we coughed up our £7 to park and then went for tickets. Hoping to get tickets for the 10am diesel we went to the kiosk. Quite unexpectedly the station was quite busy and we could only get tickets for the 12.30 train. So we bought those and then enjoyed the station, cafe and theater. After a coffee, thimble purchase we headed into the film theater to watch a film based on the mountain railway and also a few episodes of ‘Ivor the Engine’. It’s quite funny, I remember watching it as a child, but never realised it was Welsh in origin complete with dragons! The time came and we headed for the station. We were allocated seats in seating section ‘B’, so got quite a good view on the way up. Weather was still great, but upon reaching the summit, we couldn’t see a thing. We departed the train and headed for the summit. We managed a couple of photos there before heading back inside for a coffee and to warm up. The departing train left promptly at 2pm and we were soon back down again. A very worthwhile trip, thoroughly enjoyed it. Back at base we enjoyed some tea and relaxed for the rest of the evening, weather a little more gloomy now with plenty of clouds.

Wednesday:
A stay-on-site today. Took some photos of the site as the sun came out in the afternoon. Had a BBQ for tea and simply relaxed.

Thursday:
Final day, so nothing to do but relax. Oh and change the route back home, avoiding the A1 roadworks! Weather has been very good all week, plenty of sunshine and just the odd shower. Winds have picked up in the last few days however. I think we’ve decided that this is possibly the nicest site we’ve ever stayed on. Best pitch, grounds superbly well kept. Excellent facilities, great base for seeing Anglesey & Wales, couldn’t have picked a better site for this holiday.

Friday:
Thankfully an uneventful drive home via the M6 and A69!

• Date: 8th October 2016
• Nights: 6
• Pitch #: D
• GPS: 53.338561, -4.260378

Well this one’s a little different, a wedding to attend to in Haltwhistle, how to manage this one for our weekend escape with the caravan?

The wedding is on Saturday 10th September at Featherstone Castle, just a 20 minute walk away from Haltwhistle Camping and Caravan Club Site, so this was our choice of destination! I took time off work on Friday and picked up the ‘van and pitched it at said site, whilst Cath finished work as early as possible and then caught the train from the Central Station through to Haltwhistle where I arranged to pick her up, all very different!

The journey to the site was very pleasant, winds were playing up but I had a pleasant trip arriving at Haltwhistle. The final roads to the site were a little compact, but perfectly fine. There is a final descent to the site on a steep, narrow gradient, but as long as you follow the arrival/departure times you’ll be fine. I arrived and was very pleasantly booked in by the staff. There was a choice of pitches, so Steve took me around and helped me back into my chosen pitch. I then began the pitching procedures, but this was a bit weird without Cath, having to play both parts, it took some doing as I am not used to what Cath does! I got there eventually and just in time to drive into Haltwhistle to pick up Cath from the train station. We returned back to the site and had some tea and relaxed for the night.

Saturday, time for some breakfast and then get ready for the wedding. We completed the wedding in Scotswood and then returned back to the site. Following a quick sandwich we then headed for the castle on foot. It was only a 20 minute walk away, but a kind couple offered us a lift to the castle on the way, where we heard some tails of the bridegroom! The wedding reception was very good and we all had a great time! After the vent, we hitched a lift with the ‘mini bus’ which dropped us off at the site where we slept the event off!

Sunday, we went for a walk as it was a nice day. Plenty of cars were departing from the castle, as they passed us on the road. Took some nice pictures of the countryside and the returned back to base. Washed the front of the ‘van and then relaxed for the the rest of the day. The sun was out for most of the day, so very pleasant. Even managed to sit out for a bit!

The site is of a modest size, but very popular. Pitches were good, with both hardstanding and grass. The usual facilities are on offer, along with a very nice CDP! Reception/shop is open for a couple of hours a day, selling basic items. Outside sinks are under cover which is always nice. Plenty of good walks are available in the area, even a walk into Haltwhistle itself is a possibility. Very nice site, worth visiting.

• Date: 9th September 2016
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 32
• GPS: 54.953189, -2.492653

A fairly new CS that I found whilst looking for local sites. I had discovered it last year, but with the A1 Western Bypass works in full operation I decided to give it a wide berth, as I didn’t want to spend the weekend queuing in it. Now that the roadworks are complete I though we’d give it a try for this weekend. A fairly wet and miserable morning saw us collect the van and noticing the almighty queue on the A1 Western Bypass. Not exactly going to plan, so I decided to use the A19 and avoid the A1 altogether. Not such a great idea as a nice queue had now built up by the Silverlink roundabout where a great deal of work on upgrading the roundabout had just started. Alas, we finally found ourselves on the A69 and on the way to Wylam.

Driving through Wylam, we soon arrived at the site and pulled in through a rather tight opening on the driveway and awaited someone to greet us. Nothing, so a few knocks on the door and a few rings of the doorbell, nothing. So I had a quick look around to see if the pitching was obvious. There were a couple of ‘vans already there, so I spied the EHU point which had various extension cables running off it. I found one further down the field that we could use, next to a motorhome reserved sign. So we pitched up and relaxed into our sandwich and drink. Saturday soon went by and Sunday morning was upon us.

We headed out for church, weather improving I’m pleased to say. Upon return we posted the money through the door to pay our dues. We then headed out for a walk to see George Stephenson’s cottage. And also a trip to Wylam station to do a little ‘spotting’. We saw the Carlisle train that Cath would be catching on Friday so that was good. I think she is settling into the idea of the train journey now! Upon returning to the site, we finally saw the owner, who at first wondered who we were trespassing on his land! Introductions done we were left to our own devices again. Had a couple of chats with the motorhome lady who was up from Brighton, they were visiting a friend in Wylam. Tea, TV, books, snacks, Sunday went and Monday morning came.

Usual pack up routine and we were ready to head off. Weather very nice now, as usual! Leaving the site was even worse than getting in. It is very tight if you have a long outfit. It took a couple of goes to get the positioning just right. Even then ‘van was pretty much grounding on the incline, but we got out unscathed, although the clutch worked hard! Return journey to storage was fine and we put the ‘van in our bay, ready to collect her again in a few days. Haltwhistle, here we come, yippee.

The site has the usual basic facilities. CDP, fresh water tap. A small outbuilding hosts a toilet and sink. Grey water was a hedge job. All perfectly fine, shame the access is not easy for large outfits.

• Date: 3rd September 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 54.977855, -1.814370
• GPS: 54.977713, -1.813829

To boldly go where the caravan hasn’t been before .. Scotland!

Yes, we are off to the Highlands of Scotland, the first time we’ve been to Scotland in the ‘van. Fort William is the choice of destination this time. I chose this for a few reasons, one it is by Ben Nevis, so will provide a few walks! Next, it is the base for the Jacobite train journey, the best train journey in the world apparently! More still, Glenfinnan and it’s Harry Potter viaduct. Then all the Lochs and beautiful scenery, this place has a lot to offer.

The journey on Saturday began early, we picked up the ‘van and headed North – this time our usual service station breaks would not be in use, we had to find new ones! The North stretch of the A1 provides little in the way of breaks, I opted for the lay by on the England/Scotland border. This provided adequate space and the possibility of some food from the snack van. Alas, the snack van was not open, but we at least managed to park and had refreshments from the rear of the car! Ploughing on, we headed further North to Stirling, where we made our second stop at Stirling Services. This offered a good space for caravans and lorries, although it got quite full whilst we were there. No breakfast menu here either, so coffee only it was, shocking! This place is a firm favourite with the Scottish wasps, so be warned, a lot of Scottish dancing was going on because of them!

Chewing the A routes from there to Fort William was very pleasant I have to say. The roads are very twisty and narrow in places, but the scenery is simply stunning. We eventually found the campsite without any problems and booked in. This must be the first campsite we’ve been to without booking, you have go simply ‘turn up’, as all the small amount of pre-bookable pitches were all taken, we had to take a chance that there would be room on the ‘un-bookable pitches’. Indeed there was, and we were given free choice of the pitches that were available. We eventually chose pitch T16 in the ‘Thistle’ area. This was a nice area away from the toilet block and provided a stunning view of the mountains. A quick reverse on and we were level, usual duties followed along with the awning and we were set for the week. The first surprise was that the fridge had lost its top hinge, where could it be? We couldn’t find it, so we made do with a wobbly fridge door! No TV signal here so the satellite was deployed, and within minutes we were enjoying some of the Olympics! Food and drink for the rest of the night and that was Saturday done!

Sunday:
Good weather, so we had breakfast and then headed out for the mighty peak of Ben Nevis! Well, we only planned to do a little of it, as Cath wouldn’t make it all – being 4 hours up and 3 hours down. Even then, this small trip provided us with some stunning views, breathtaking! It was quite noticeable the amount of tourists present, we counted a good 7 or 8 different languages whilst we were there, very popular is good ol’ Ben. We returned to the site and relaxed for the rest of the day. The attack of the Scottish Midgie had begun though without me realising, Cath noticed a lump on my leg. Fairly small today, but that was going to change!

Monday:
A trip on the Jacobite was planned, so we headed off early into Fort William. There’s adequate parking at the station, so we were soon parked and then joined the queue in the station for the train. I couldn’t book the tickets beforehand due to demand, but apparently there are some seats bookable on the day, so fingers crossed! Alas, our luck had run out and there were no seats left. But, we did manage to book seats for Tuesday morning, I’ll be back! Following this we had a wander around the town itself. Plenty of little shops along with a large Morrisons, we proved useful as we decided to pick up some BBQ and cooked breakfast items. Heading back to base I decided to try and solve the fridge mystery. Apparently it has been known for the door pin to work loose and hide itself in the control box, is there where it went? So after prying off the oval panel, removing the two screws, I took the panel off and lo and behold, there it was! So now it was a simple matter of screwing the pin back in and putting the control panel back on, job done 10 mins. I’ve no doubt that this pin will work loose again, but at least I know where to look for it now! Midge blister bigger today 🙁

Tuesday:
So on the cards today was the ‘Jacobite’ journey. We arrived at the station a little more relaxed today, knowing that we had our ‘golden ticket’. Plenty of time for photos and looking in the gift shop in carriage ‘D’- which just happened to be our carriage as well. When departure time came, we headed for our seats only to find other people there. A pleasant couple insisted we were wrong, so I went to ‘check’ with the guard. He swiftly sorted the carriage out and we had our seats. The other four seats were occupied by a German family, who spoke very good English and were Harry Potter fans! The Jacobite journey has been voted as the best train journey in the world – and I can see why. The scenery is simply stunning, the Lochs, the trees, the viaducts, the sea – everything is just beautiful. Plenty of inspiration here for my model layout!

We stopped at Glenfinnan for 15 mins or so, not enough time to view the viaduct but there is a museum and signal box to be viewed, so a pleasant stop. The next stop was Mallaig itself, the end of the line. This is a small port serving ferries to the smaller islands and the isle of Skye, as well as plenty of fishing. Fish and chips were the order of the day now and we found a very strange one behind a main restaurant. This place was tiny and people queued one at a time as you went in, you placed your order and then went back outside to wait for your order. Ours took about 15 minutes – at least it was fresh! We headed for the pier to enjoy them, but were pressured by some seagulls to leave, as they were not shy in coming forward for a free lunch!

The return journey was just as good and on arriving back at Fort William, I decided to head back to Glenfinnan viaduct to get some good photographs of it. This was only a 25 minute journey so we soon arrived. Weather still glorious, I left Cath by the main path as her hip was playing up. I then made haste for the top of the viaduct where I got the shots I wanted, very happy! We returned back to base and relaxed for the rest of the day. A great day out! Midge blister even bigger, time to look online and make sure it’s nothing serious!

Wednesday:
Nothing planned now for the last two days, just relax and enjoy the campsite. A quick wash of the ‘van was in order so I did this first thing. We had planned on having a cooked breakfast this morning, but with the weather so hot, we decided to postpone until late. Finally saw a midge on my leg today, they are very discreet and could hardly be felt. Other bite sites are showing on my legs and arms, but the itching is bearable! We took a trip to the campsite shop to have a nosy around, quite a well stocked shop. We made a small purchase of beer and ice-cream.

Thursday:
A bit cooler today, so we managed a cooked breakfast. We relaxed for the rest of the day, enjoying our final day in the Highlands.

Friday:
Time to pack up and go. Whilst taking the awning down I caught the blister and burst it, time to get the first aid kit, as this left a large open and angry section of flesh. I soon patched it up and carried on. The return trip was just as smooth as the inbound one, although the winds were picking up. We stopped at Stirling services again, a lot busier this time although we did manage to find a space. The stop at the A1 lay by following this saw us use the caravan toilet, which is a first for us whilst en-route. Traffic was very busy on the A1 due to roadworks and rush-hour, but we eventually got back to storage, only to find the jerry can leaking a little on its side, so a little cleanup was in order. A superb week, it really felt like a mini France trip, what with the weather, change of scenery and the amount of foreigners. Scotland, we will be back!

• Date: 13th August 2016
• Nights: 6
• Pitch #: T16
• GPS: 56.804561, -5.074204

Our third trip back to the Granary to see Maureen and Dixon and the sheep – alas not Limpy, who is in another field now being a ‘big lad’ now!

A few other campers there this time, but Maureen found us a space on the grass just opposite our usual pitch. Levelling required the Yellow Brick and the nose on the floor just about, but we got the ‘van spot on, with a very level glass of wine! Our usual routine kicked in for the rest of the day and soon we were climbing into bed for the night.

Sunday, weather not quite so pleasant, we headed off for church. I took a different route this time in order to check on the progress of the A1 roadworks on the Western Bypass, they are just about complete now, so this will open a couple of other options for campsites that I have been avoiding presently because of the roadworks. Rain unfortunately spoiled our chances of sitting outside when we returned, so relaxing inside we did!

Monday morning, Maureen came around to have a chat before we departed. We then packed up and headed back to storage. The Granary is one of our favourite CS sites, we’ll be back many times again in the not too distant future.

• Date: 23rd July 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 54.842566, -1.730447
• GPS: 55.206640, -1.593726

Saturday:
An early departure, car packed we were ready to go ahead of schedule, maybe not having the daughter in tow this year means timelines will run smoothly! We picked up the ‘van and headed for our usual 3 stops on the way to the tunnel. The thirds stop however, namely Birchanger Grange have blocked the usual access road to the caravan bays, so we were unable to stop. Passing by the bays on the way to the exit, we saw that the bays were full of cars, so it would have been a no-go to start with. We’ve now ruled out Birchanger, we will find another stop close by to use as our third stop, too many times the place has been full with no bays to park in. So with a longer last leg than usual we soldiered on to the tunnel where we stopped and had a coffee. We selected an earlier train than planned and boarded accordingly. A quick bite to eat and we were soon in France again. We headed down towards Reims to find our stop-over for the night. The Aire was nice and quiet and we found our spot and dropped the legs. It did get busier as the night progressed however and not before long, truck generators and cars coming and going, people talking soon filled the night air. We managed a little sleep and headed off first thing Sunday morning.

Sunday:
We made good progress towards Limousin, no problems, roads very good as usual and we managed to get parked at all the Aires’s we stopped at, which makes a change! Going around Moulins proved the only challenge, as the sat nav had us placed in a field as we were directed onto roads unknown due to the ongoing road developments there, but we stayed on course with no wrong turns. We soon found our way into Boussac and from there found our site. We were warmly greeted at reception and shown to our pitch. The pitch was in a lovely position with a view onto the lake. We pitched facing the lake allowing the awning on one side and shade under the trees for the car on the other. The pitch is on quite a slope, so the awning was a little lopsided! We got everything sorted and then set about making something to eat. Hot food after two days of tramping it with sandwiches makes a welcome change! We then slept well that night!

Monday:
Blue skies, what a view to wake up to! Following breakfast we made our way to the nearest large supermarket, this was a Super U, located a little way away in the town of La Chatre. Here we stocked up on essentials and then returned back to base. We tripped the 10A supply so had to get reception to come and reset it, as the trip switch is locked behind a panel on the bollard. We relaxed for the rest of the day as we settled into ‘holiday mode’. The satellite made an appearance, first time for a long time. With the aid of the apps on the phone, we soon found the Astra birds and were watching ‘Come Dine with Me’!

Tuesday:
A little cloudier this morning but still very warm. We tripped the supply again making breakfast, so looks like the fridge and kettle can’t play ball at the same time! We didn’t venture very far today, had a little walk around the site although we didn’t cover everywhere, that we would leave to another day.

Wednesday:
Stayed on site today, weather good – so relaxed and enjoyed!

Thursday:
A walk into the local village of Boussac was the order of the day today! We were given a map by reception which we duly began to follow. Although I made a couple of mistakes and we ended up nearly doubling the trek before we reached the village center! We relaxed with a drink when we got there and then had to wait until ‘France’ re-opened at 2.30pm following ‘siesta’, where we duly purchased some stamps for some birthday cards. Our return journey was a lot quicker as we simply followed the main D917 road back to the site, rather than the back roads.

Friday:
We took a trip to the Village Martyr ‘Oradour-sur-Glane’ today near Limousin. It’s a fair drive from the campsite but worth it. We arrived and parked up and duly headed to the ‘entre’ building. Inside there are options to explore the history with exhibitions and videos. Access to the village itself is free and we headed there after a brief look around. The village is an unimaginable reflection upon history and the suffering which the village endured in June of 1944. Old cars are left scattered around, tram lines remain, the cemetery plays hosts to an alarming amount of family graves, most of which of whom suffered at this infamous ill-fated time. After covering the site, we headed back to base, via a detour – namely the supermarket! We returned to the Super U and re-stocked and then headed back to the campsite. Weather has been good all day, although upon return to base, the weather was looking a little bleaker. We settled in for the night consuming some tea and a film to round off the night!

Saturday:
Following all of the walking in the last two days, we decided to stay on-site today and simply relax. Weather is not very good, with a very wet last night. It’s starting to clear up well though, but mostly indoors today! Found the nearest CDP which is right next to our pitch actually, hidden within a square of hedge. This one is a lot nearer than the first one I’d used, which was next to reception, that’s a fair walk with a cassette full! This nearer one however was blighted with wasps, plenty of them buzzing around in the hedges. It felt more like a game of ‘I’m a Celeb’ – I completed the challenge though and earned a meal back at the caravan!

Sunday:
Glorious weather to awaken to. Quite a lot of pitches had vacated this weekend naturally. We still had neighbours in a campervan however, British – as were most of the pitches around us.

Monday:
We called into Boussac this morning, this time in the car! Got a thimble and a few things from the local supermarket there. Returned to the site where we stayed for the rest of the day.

Tuesday:
The amazing weather continues, lovely blue skies and plenty of heat. Glad we brought the fan!

Wednesday:
Chilled on-site all day. Another BBQ tea, very nice.

Thursday:
Final day is here once again. A relaxed day with glorious weather still. Time to pack up later on in preparation for leaving tomorrow. The site is very well maintained, toilet block is always spotless. Water pressure very good everywhere. Most pitches are fully serviced with water and drainage. Pitch size is superb, couldn’t really find any small plots at all. The pool and restaurant look inviting, although not at all busy whilst we were there. In fact the whole site seemed very quiet for this time of year. It is a very relaxing site with the amenities being located away from the pitches. Only the toilet block and reception are on the site, pool, bar, restaurant, play park are all located away from the pitches up by the Chateau. Boussac is located in very much rural France, you have a bit of travelling to do to find anything. This is right up our street so is ideal for us, maybe not so for families or those looking for more adventure! The site is used frequently for short stays by units progressing there way from North to South and vice versa. Again another very pleasant holiday, well it is another Castel site after all!

Friday:
The trip back North begins, all without problems! The Aire for sleeping at was fairly quiet, so we had a good nights sleep!

Saturday:
And further North, this time in England. We made it back without any incidents, smooth as they say. Roll on next year!

• Date: 25th June 2016
• Nights: 12
• Pitch #110
• GPS: 46.370750, 2.200991

Our last outing before the big road trip to France and Potland Farm CL was chosen again as it was local and hardstanding – perfect since the weather was a little bleak!

We arrived and made the slight error of nearly going into the site next door (Bluesky Centre Touring Park). You wouldn’t believe we’d been here before! Never mind a quick reverse out and we pulled into the correct site. Here we were greeted by Michael who gave us the option of pitch one or five. We were on five last time, so we opted for one this time. Pitches one to four are quite long, so plenty of room to manoeuvre onto. We were soon set-up and enjoying a bite to eat. Saturday came and went, although the weather front didn’t! Sunday morning, off to work in the morning and then back for the afternoon. A small gap in the weather enabled me to clean the ‘van ready for France. We relaxed for the rest of the day, made a list of requirements for France and then headed back home on Monday morning. Again a very enjoyable weekend.

The site is well maintained. Access road is well kept, very few potholes if any. Toilet ‘shed’ is perfectly adequate with toilet and sink, along with hand wash. Fresh water, grey water disposal and CDP are all in the same vicinity by the toilet shed. Electric is provided for all pitches, rated at 10A. Plenty of space by the entrance for children to play and kick a ball around, a goalpost is even provided! A great site for exploring Northumberland and perfect as one of our ‘regulars’.

• Date: 11th June 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #1
• GPS: 55.206640, -1.593726