Touring

Forget Me Not was completely off my radar due to well documented reviews of the site stating that it wasn’t a very good site to say the least. Following a chance review of the site recently I discovered that the site had been taken over with new owners/management. And lo and behold the site was now getting rave reviews. Time for a visit me thinks!

We arrived Saturday afternoon and pulled into reception. All was looking very new: reception building, club house, barrier gates – all new installations, very nice. We spoke to a lady on reception, who again was new! We were then taken to our pitch and left to it. The site has a new dedicated touring section, although this wasn’t open yet, so we were placed on one of the ‘seasonal’ pitches in ‘The Willows’. All the pitches are of a good size with hardstanding, arranged in a wavy circle for each section, so there are no lines of straight vans, very nice. The pitches are fully serviced, so out came the Truma mains pipe and waste pipe, the Aquaroll and Wastemaster retired to the car for the weekend, well they deserve a rest! A little bit of levelling required, but we were soon set-up and ready for the weekend. Weather was pleasant, so we went for a walk around the site before tea. All the roads are new tarmac, very well laid out with each section on a one-way system. Toilet block looked new yet again, very good standard. The touring section doesn’t allow children presently, but with us being in the seasonal section, there were kids a plenty. We haven’t been on a large site for a very long time now, we soon agreed that they aren’t for us, we both prefer a farm any day! Don’t get me wrong, the site is superb, but just too busy for our liking. We noted a superb kids playground being built behind the club house, for families with the young ones, this site is going to be ideal.

Sunday morning, glorious weather. We had breakfast, following which I began the task of washing the ‘van roof! Ladders out, brush and towels at the ready, time to fill the bowl with water. With us on mains water hookup, I decided to deploy the shower in order to fill the bowl, as there weren’t any water standpipes that I could see in the near vicinity. So time to get the blanking plug out, now this has always been a challenge, this thing is a tough remove. So I began the finger nipping pull and wiggle, with little joy. So a bit of a tease with a screwdriver and – snap, the plastic lugs broke! So with a little help from a pair of pliers I managed to get the plug out and the shower installed, washing the roof began. Not in bad condition to be honest, I soon had it sparkling again, ready for the rest of the year. Now, I just need to order a new blanking plug!

As is the case on Sundays, the site soon quietened down, the gentle hum of children faded into blissful peace and quiet, superb, the sun continued to shine as well. Sunday came and went as we settled in for the evening. Monday morning, still in fine weather we began to pack up and head off home. A very pleasant weekend at a very pleasant site.

• Date: 21st May 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 44
• GPS: 55.245484, -1.801520

Good weather was heading our away and we needed to escape for the weekend again, albeit a local one due to work. So the immaculate grounds of ‘The Croft’ was chosen again.

Arriving at storage we hooked up and headed off, not before checking the wheel nuts as we had just put new tyres on. The campsite is literally a 10 minute drive from storage so we arrived in no time. We were once again warmly greeted by the owners and shown to our pitch, which just so happened to be the same pitch as always! We quickly began our set-up routine and were relaxing with a bite to eat in the fog. Yes, the shorts and BBQ stayed firmly put as the fog rolled across the campsite. It was so dense we couldn’t even see the end of the field where the toilet block was! So we stayed put and enjoyed the evening.

Sunday, the fog was still here. However upon returning from church the fog had lifted and the glorious sunshine that we had been promised had arrived. Shorts on, table out and relax in the open air. Just what the doctor ordered. The good weather remained all through Sunday and into Monday as well, when we hooked up and headed off back to storage once again.

As the previous posts have mentioned this is a super little site. If you’ve never tried a CS before, this is the perfect one to start with. We will be back again.

• Date: 7th May 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 54.84415, -1.429623
• GPS: 54.843524, -1.429069

A very pleasant drive soon found us pulling in to Canada Fields Caravan Park. Upon entry we parked on the entry road and then I went to the ‘reception hut’ which proudly displayed a sign saying ‘open’, but alas there was no-one around! Instructions on the board outside advised calling a telephone number if this situation happened, I did and kept getting cut off – mobile reception? So we duly headed down to the campsite itself in hope of finding pitch #7 which had been allocated to us when I used the automated online booking system 😉

Well that wasn’t going to happen, the site was pretty much full apart from two pitches. A ‘seasonal’ camper came to advise us to take one of the pitches, as the other had been reserved? Neither were relating to pitch #7. The pitch we had to take was rather a dump in fairness. Barbed wire and wood logs were the order of the day at the rear. The awning side was a mess and very undulated. In front of us was a pond decorated with weeds, along with some freshly turned soil. Maybe some work ongoing, but this felt a bit ‘rough around the edges’ if you know what I mean.

We settled into the evening along with the many other campers there. With there being mostly seasonal pitches along the top row there were many acquaintances being met along with BBQ’s and general good holiday times. We originally though that most of the campsite was seasonal but Sunday brought a different light to the game, and a lot of ‘vans departed the site.

We walked around the site on Sunday, very pleasant it was despite our initial negative impression. The toilet block seems very modern, although the lighting is very dim and only one toilet in the gents seems a little short, considering the site can site around 20 pitches along with the fishermen! CDP and grey water are well catered for, most pitches have a fresh water tap, so no complaints there. EHU is 16A so again full marks.

• Date: 23rd April 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #12
• GPS: 54.358529, -1.500638

Another ‘local’ weekend away and this time we returned to Woodside Ridge Caravan Park in County Durham. A relaxed start to the weekend with work being a bit quieter being the end of the Easter holidays. When we arrived at storage, the new exit route was now in place making things a little different, namely we would take the ‘van out the opposite way to the way we have done for 5 years! Once we hooked up we made the exit up to the new section of the site and found our way out via the new barrier gate and one way tyre spikes. We soon were heading down the A19, weather a little overcast.

We arrived at the site and were duly greeted by Graham the owner and chose to pitch at #5, the same spot we were in 2 years ago. After a bit of levelling we were set-up and enjoying a bite to eat. We decided not to use the awning this trip as the weather was poor and the pitches were grass only. We relaxed through Saturday and drifted into Sunday. Work beckoned in the morning so we headed off and returned just after lunchtime. Weather was glorious, so I ventured outside with a chair and table to soak up some nature. A bit of TV, reading and Sunday came and went. Monday morning, weather not too bad, we packed up and headed back to storage. A perfect weekend-away relax!

The site is first rate with many pitches (all grass). Hookups are in better supply this year, but some are still a little too far from certain pitches, but that’s no problem as Graham is always there with an extension cable. Toilet block is 5 star, complete with shower in each. Washing up sink is under cover, handy for the tenters or BBQ cleaning! Hand-washes, washing-up liquids, quality toilet roll, towels, brushes, mops all supplied, a quality set-up indeed. 2 fresh water points are provided at either end of the site. Elsan point super, waste water a little strange however as you can’t really get a wastemaster in there, without lifting it up which can be difficult when full, minor point however. Small play park provided for kids, with enough room around it for them to play without intruding on the pitches. Access is straight forward, navigating the site is simply a one way oval of hard standing road. We will be back.

• Date: 9th April 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 5
• GPS: 54.725276, -1.436675

Saturday morning, 5.30am and we awoke for our Easter weekly break to Cambridgeshire. With all preparations done the night before, we soon headed off for our quite decent size road-trip, which should take around 5 hours with a couple of stop offs at the usual, as we were basically making the same route as a France run.

Ferrybridge, nice and quiet in the caravan bays, we enjoyed our breakfast and then continued on to Grantham, very quiet, almost deserted! Then following a fairy short journey we soon arrive at Roseberry Tourist Park. We pulled up to the barrier and pressed the button for assistance. A very friendly chap met us and booked us in, explaining the usual campsite rules and regulations. We were then taken to our pitch, where we made quite a tight reverse onto before beginning to do our set-up routines. The pitches are of a good size and have room for ‘van, awning and car. Good hardstanding, pegs went in fairly easy, although it killed the Kampa storm strap pegs (these are quite light and flimsy in all honesty). We had the choice of two carpets this time, as the other Easytread had arrived, so we decided to put them both down! It was then that we noticed that the Aldi header tank wasn’t filled correctly. The ‘van had just been in for a service, looks like a fairly inadequate service. Luckily I carry some fluid with me so I soon topped it up and had the heating running smoothly again. Tea time came and went as we settled into the evening. We are both battling a cold presently, so relaxing is the name of the game.

Sunday, a trip to the Nene Valley Railway was planned (by me!) but due to our (not) well being, I decided against it. Unfortunate, I was looking forward to it, with it being one of the more elite heritage railways of the UK. Never mind, another time will do. So we stayed on-site all day, just the ticket when you’re not well. Relaxing with books, magazines, model railway planning, phone apps (rocks Cath!), we let the day drift by, why not, we’re on holiday!

Monday brought an outing to Cambridge. We left for the Park & Ride which was only down the road from the site, ideal! We parked up and payed the parking charge and then tried to purchase a bus ticket, alas the machine wasn’t on a happy day and declined to take payment with a card processing error, no fault of our card, just the machine – honest! When the bus arrived we purchased our tickets and enjoyed the ride into town. This journey was unlike any I have ever been on. There was no road for this bus, but a concrete railway – brilliant! This bus railway or bus guide as locally known, takes the park & ride buses near to the centre of town and then they resume on normal roads for the final mile or two, superb. We alighted in the middle of the town between the river and the shopping complex and began to explore.

What a beautiful place, full of the most tremendous architecture. Churches, university buildings in abundance. Bicycles are the order of the day here, they are everywhere! The river Cam offers punting tours along with many places to relax and eat and drink at. We wandered around for quite a while, whilst eventually returning on the ‘B’ route bus back to Longstanton P&R, From here we headed off to the Argos at the Cambridge Business Park to purchase our new Egg Poacher, as the microwave one was past its day. Back at base, we had tea and settled for the evening.

Tuesday, a day on-site, total relax! Weather was a little cooler with more cloud, but we don’t care, on with reading, TV, films, books, magazines, internet…

Wednesday, the weather looking brighter we headed off for Ely following breakfast from our new Poacher pan, woohoo! The cathedral was obviously on the agenda, and what a magnificent sight it is. We also saw Oliver Cromwell’s house along with the local Waitrose – well we needed some more milk! Back at base the sun continued to shine and we relaxed for the evening again.

Thursday, the last day so on-site relax it is! I had a play about with the spare wheel carrier, in preparation for tomorrow where it would be returned to its natural home. The clearance was certainly an issue, looks like we’ll have to up the levelling and drop the nose for the wheel to clear the chassis, not ideal but hopefully we won’t be doing this often, if at all! The weather was again very pleasant, we had another little walk around the campsite, duly noting that the approach road (B1050) was not a walkable road, very fast traffic and quite busy, with no verge to walk on. This road was a little more noisier than I had imagined it would have been. Certainly in the mornings, you notice the morning traffic as you awaken. After that you get used to it, so not really a problem.

Lovely site overall, very clean and tidy. Even noticed the EHU points being cleaned, that’s a first! Toilet block very clean again. Showers a little small with no drying area, but very good showers: home style thermostatic, so very good with the variable pressure and able to move the head around with no time pushing buttons, fantastic! CDP a little flat, so rinsing down takes a little time. Grey water no problems at all. Fresh water tap sited on a few pitches on our row, so very good again. EHU is 10A, so again very good, just got to watch it a little during the colder months – you can overload quite easily! Pitches are of a good size, although we noted that not many would take ‘van, awning & car in a line – as ours did, most would require car parked in-front if awning was used. All staff very pleasant, we even saw gravel roads being topped up whilst we where there. £5 deposit is required for the barrier card, which is absolutely fine. Top quality site, no doubts. Lovely area as well, lots to see and do. Recommended 🙂

• Date: 12th March 2016
• Nights: 6
• Pitch #: 23
• GPS: 52.334646, 0.064270

Our February weekend away landed us on the tail end of the school holidays, should we aim for adults only? Or should we just aim for a hard-standing pitch with good EHU supply so that we can keep warm comfortably? It was decided that the latter would be the way, so I found a site in Northallerton which seemed to tick all the boxes, namely Parklands Caravan Park (and course fishery).

Our escape on Saturday began earlier than normal due to the opportunity to move work commitments with the school holidays. So with an early 10.00am start, we headed off to pick up the ‘van and head South on the A1. The journey was smooth and pleasant, indeed this is the first outing with the new dash cam, which allows us to show an ‘approach video’ for this and all future outings. We sent a text to Sue on approach to let her know what time we would be arriving. Bang on schedule, we pulled into reception.

The site is bigger than what I was expecting, with most of the pitches occupied with seasonal tourers. We were shown to our pitch; riverside 2 which offered us a lovely view of the lake pitched with the ‘van facing forwards. Motor movers come in handy once again for such situations! We were soon set-up and enjoying our sandwiches and drink. With us arriving early, we decided to head into town and discover what Northallerton had to offer. After a brief 10 minute drive we were soon parked up and exploring the high street. It was busier and more expansive than I had thought, with some nice shops. We found a good ‘kitchen shop’ where we found a couple of useful items for the caravan. Following this, we made a quick call into Sainsbury’s for a couple of things we had missed. Back at base, we enjoyed a film and some food as we rested for the evening. Weather has been kind, although a touch cold. Bringing me back to the EHU supply – 10A, we tripped it a few times juggling heating and cooking!

Sunday morning, following toast and poached eggs, which has become our staple breakfast for many outings now, we relaxed with our hobbies and then took a brief walk around the campsite. Only anglers are allowed on the lake, so we couldn’t explore there. But we took a circular around the site, enjoying the seasonal ‘vans and their unique pitch ornaments, trees, lights, plant pots etc. The toilet block is first rate, fully tiled and clean. Elsan point is strangely located away from the main pitches and toilet block by the entrance. Grey water is by the toilet block. Two water points are provided, one by the toilet block and the other by the cafe, located near the lakes. The cafe offers all day breakfasts along with other food, so provides a nice option for meals if you don’t fancy a bit of ‘van cooking! Reception also hosts a fishing shop, if that is your .. thing.

Bloomin’ winds are back today, not Cath’s favourite, although they are only in gusts rather than continuous. The weather did settle down, as did we for the night. Monday morning and glorious sunshine, cool but very pleasant. We packed up and headed back to storage. A very nice site, although there are a lot of seasonal pitches, which is not always best. An enjoyable weekend however.

• Date: 20th February 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 2
• GPS: 54.345006, -1.464797

The first outing of 2016 and of course the outing for Cath’s birthday (60th!). So requirements are hardstanding and pub on-site, last year was Mickleton but this year I though we’d return to ‘The Railway Inn’ in Acklington. We’ve been here once before, but it ticks all the boxes so time for a return visit!

The site is accessible from both the A1 and the A1068 ‘Coastal Route’, so even during the winter months the site is well worth consideration as only the last mile or two is via minor roads. We had a lovely run up to the site without any problems. On arrival at the site, we pulled up and went inside the pub to check-in. We were given a warm welcome, just like last time and told to take any pitch. Paying the fees we then left and returned to the ‘outfit’ to begin selecting our pitch. There was only one lonely motorhome on the site so we pretty much had freedom of choice. Pitch #20 was free, so as this was our wedding date, we chose that one. The pitches are plentiful in size and access is fine, so an easy reverse onto the pitch it was, following which we began our ‘routines’ and soon had set camp!

The pitches are serviced with 16A EHU and water, drainage however remains at the toilet block, along with the Elsan point. Not a problem with me as I prefer a non-fully-serviced pitch, I just like doing a bit of work with the utilities, I know – a little strange, but this is caravanning to me! The site is next to the East Coast Mainline, so you will experience some noise as the trains pass, but you soon get used to it. Lets face it, they don’t stop at Acklington station which is a stones throw away, so they pass in a couple of seconds. There is also some noise from the road which is right next to the campsite, but traffic is not heavy, so again not really a problem.

Saturday followed our usual routine of food and entertainment. TV signal is good here, so no problems there, no need to deploy the satellite. Weather was being kind, quite mild for January, no rain and winds light, can’t complain!

The toilet block is perfectly adequate, complete with toilets, showers and sinks. It is accessible via a ramp, with salt and a spade being provided for icy weather! Automatic lights, hand wash, paper towels – everything as you would expect. Outside there is a sink for washing up, to cater for the ‘tenters’, and also the elsan point. Waste water is at the base of the building, accessed via a small drain which is located a little too high and has no surrounding barrier, so it can get a little flooded whilst emptying, the only slight negative.

Sunday, following breakfast we headed for Amble. A small fishing village located only a few miles away. We parked up and headed out for a walk along the seafront and into the village. Not much has changed here since we were last here, but there was some new development with small business ‘huts’ located on the harbour front next to where the market takes place. These small premises cater for a number of small and diverse businesses, it makes a pleasant addition to the village. It didn’t take us too long to cover the essentials of Amble and since we were dining at the pub when we returned, we chose not to sample any delights of the local fisheries or cafes.

Back at camp we waited until about 2.00pm before we ventured out to the pub, in order to avoid the ‘busy period’. The pub has bar and restaurant seating, so can accommodate a fair number of clients, something we didn’t notice before. We elected to take the restaurant seating and soon ordered lunch, which was served very quickly I have to say. The meal was splendid and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there, viewing the murals on the wall of the ex RAF base and squadron. Staff were very pleasant and welcoming, food was very good, prices were reasonable, nothing to complain about at all. Retiring back to the ‘van after a 30 metre walk or so, we settled into some more TV entertainment, reading, the night gently came and went.

Monday morning, winds are picking up but overall the weather was/has been very good. We set about our routines and soon were packed up ready to the leave. The return journey again was very pleasant. We soon had the ‘van back in storage and were returning home to begin the working week. Looking forward to the next outing, won’t be long!

• Date: 23rd January 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 20
• GPS: 55.308148, -1.650764

Due to an unexpected turn of events, we ended up actually having another holiday for 4 nights at the end of this year, bonus! I chose this time to try a fairly new CS site along the A69, namely Brockalee Farm.

This was strange, leaving on a Monday and returning on Friday, never done that before. We had a relaxed start to Monday, with Tesco delivering ‘the goods’ first thing. We then packed and headed off on our ‘very cheeky’ week break. We picked up the ‘van as normal, but along the way we noticed the A1 was choked badly heading North, just where we needed to go, see we diverted up the A19 instead, a much better journey with no delays, unlike the poor folk stuck on the A1. We then picked up the A69 and headed towards our ‘resort’!

The site is located directly off the A69, so access is easy, even with fairly poor weather, it would be a site worth considering. We pulled up to the gates and entered the code which was given to us by Jeff prior to arrival. The site was empty, simply select any one of the 5 plots available and begin the ‘set-up’. We soon chose pitch #2 and quickly pitched, levelled and set the ‘van up for the week. The pitch is hard-standing for the ‘van but leaves no room for walking or water works on either side of the ‘van. Something I mentioned to Jeff, as it would improve situations in the winter, when it rains and blows and becomes a little muddy, as it was upon our arrival.

Monday came and went quickly as our first day always does. Tuesday brought some high winds be we survived. You can hear a bit of traffic noise from the A69, but it doesn’t really bother us. I had to work today, so I spent a good part of the afternoon away from the site. Upon arrival back, we had tea and settled in for the night. Jeff arrived and brought some fresh eggs, which was very kind and unexpected.

The site has 5 hard-standing pitches along with a very nicely constructed toilet/shower block. As far as CS sites go it is up there with the best. Fresh water point, grey water and CDP disposal all fine. Access as mentioned is via a padlocked gate, simple but effective. EHU is 16A so very useful in the winter. Simply a great site!

Tuesday evening through until Wednesday morning the winds continue to howl, probably the worst we’ve experienced in the ‘van so far. Although what do you expect up on a hill at the top of the Pennines! With the poor weather we decided to stay indoors, so TV and refreshments it was. This time of year, the nights draw in early and doing the utilities proves a little more interesting in the dark. Time to deploy the head-torch, although this brings with it the inherit dangers of moths outside 🙁 . The wind has died down at least!

Thursday, I was working most of the morning/early afternoon, but soon returned to some more wet weather back at then ‘van. Tea and TV soon followed. The rain persisted all night as we retired for another evening.

Friday and time to leave. The winds were picking up again so we didn’t hang around, even though we had all day essentially. Can’t see a late departure being a problem as we were the only ones here! Super little site, just make the hard-standings a little bigger and it’s perfect for winter outings.

• Date: 30th November 2015
• Nights: 4
• Pitch #2
• GPS: 54.977169, -2.355969

The final outing for this year sadly, due to work commitments. It would have to be one of our regulars as we are out of season, so taking the leader-board by storm is Finchale Abbey, the first site we’ve visited now on three occasions!

A swift 15 minute drive there and we were ready to pitch up. This is where the first adventure of the day began. We had been assigned pitch A5, but alas, there was no pitch A5? The office had clearly ‘lost the plot’ when they booked us in! After a quick check with them, we were assigned to pitch A1, which truly did exist 🙂

A bit of a reverse back up the path and a blind side reverse onto the tiny ‘hardstanding’ went all according to plan. Some final minor adjustments and levelling with the mover did the trick. Time to begin our usual set-up routines. We soon were ready and enjoying some lite lunch. Getting ready to prepare for tea we soon encountered the low amperage of the site, something had to give as heating, fridge and another appliance sent it tripping! Make note for next visit 🙂 We weren’t planning on doing much this trip other than ‘relaxing’, so following tea we enjoyed some TV and the night closed in as usual.

Sunday, following breakfast I made haste and washed the ‘van, expecting some poor weather to close in. The ‘van wasn’t bad, but the nearside needing doing as I hadn’t cleaned that side since we started using the awning all of the time! Job done and we then went for a brisk walk around the campsite and river. Following this we enjoyed tea and again lapped up some films and TV whilst the night drew ever closer and another Monday morning loomed.

Monday morning and thankfully no flat battery in the car this time! We packed up along with a few extras for the winter storage and headed off. There may have been no flat battery, but this time I found myself with a locker barrel lock in my possession as one came out with the key as I closed up the rear storage locker. Not sure what to do with this, I ensured the locker was locked on the bottom lock and kept the barrel safe, some research into fitting it back was in order!

Back at storage, the place was full and we parked our treasure up for the last outing of 2015.

• Date: 14th November 2015
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #A1
• GPS: 54.817486, -1.540929

Our final week away for this year and this time, we would be heading for Shropshire, seeking out the Severn Valley Railway.

A 7.00am start saw us heading off for the ‘van, which we duly collected and from their started to chew some motorway. Our one rest stop would not be the usual Ferrybridge, but Hartshead Moor due to our Westerly destination. This we found just off the M62, caravan parking is in with the lorries, so plenty of space to choose from. No Gregg’s here fr our bacon butty, but a Subway provided a bacon and egg ‘sub’, which did the trick. Although the staffing in the shop left a little to be desired, resulting in us being under-charged somewhat, £4 for two subs and two hot drinks, not bad at all, bargain!

Note to self, check Sat-nav a little more next time, as I had missed the fact that it was going to take us around Manchester, rather than my intended route of a straight West M62 onto the M6. Some minor delays, but we escaped without too much hassle. From there all was straight forward. The last leg to the campsite is via a 10 mile B road, and a very windy one at that, still makes it a little more interesting 😉

Pulled into the site and parked in arrival bay, which is a drive in, reverse out – interesting! Although there’s plenty of room so no problem. We were met by the owner’s dad who followed his instruction notepad to the tee so that we got booked in swiftly and accurately. Our pitch was number 6, the pitches here are all of a very good size and fully serviced. We soon were set-up along with our trusty Air Ace, got to say the more we use it the more impressed we are with it, pole awnings are history now for us! Tea time, TV time, the night swiftly went by as we began our Autumnal holiday break.

Sunday, the Severn Valley Railway was on the cards today, and as an added bonus, Tornado was going to be there as well, Christmas has come early! We found the site and ended up parking in the overflow car park, which was ideal and free. From here we headed to Bridgnorth station and purchased our tickets. Thimble and a copy of BRM would also be sourced from this lovely station. We caught Tornado at 12.35pm and headed into Kidderminster. From here we took a little trip around the station but decided to continue on Tornado back up North. We left Tornado at Arley station as I wanted to spend a little time here looking around, seeing how this was ‘Hatley’ station in ‘Oh Doctor Beeching!’. It was great to look around, and eventually just sit and take it all in before the next train arrived to take us back to Bridgnorth. Back at the site, we enjoyed tea and settled in for the evening.

Monday, a trip to Ludlow was in order, this time heading South on the B4364. This was a lovely town, with some gorgeous Tudor buildings. We walked around the castle perimeter, got a little shopping and then headed back to the site. We had a little walk around the site this evening, very nice site. Pitches well laid out, toilet block is 5 star, fully serviced pitches, you can’t go wrong here. The only slight issue I have is that the serviced pitches are marked as ‘brown’ waste friendly, but this is the exact same point where you fill your fresh water up. I don’t think the two should be together like this, as there is a perfectly good Elsan point on the site? Strange, never seen this before, but there you go.

Tuesday, back to Bridgnorth, but this time for the town itself. Again some lovely Tudor buildings and quirky little side-street shops. We saw the oldest and steepest funicular railway in the world, quite steep at a 33 degree incline! We soon made our way around the village and headed back for base. A couple of new films to watch along with tea and we were soon relaxing for the evening again.

Wednesday, no trips out in the car today, but a walk was planned! We heading out following breakfast, actually passing the owner ‘Lee’ with whom we had a brief chat. The walk somewhat deviated from the map as it had been altered in a couple of places, which we discovered by the way of some ‘faded’ signs on-route. We eventually made the walk, totalling approximately 3 miles, not bad. Back at the ‘van we indulged in some personal recreation time and once again let another day roll by in bliss.

Thursday, a quick trip back to Ludlow to fill the tug up and the rest of day was spent chilling on site once again. Friday arrived and the pack-up began. We were blessed with good weather all week, only today was it looking a little overcast. The return journey was a reasonable run, busy with the lorries and various bouts of roadworks on the M6 and A1, but nothing too serious. The ‘van was put back into storage, ready for our next outing in November.

• Date: 10th October 2015
• Nights: 6
• Pitch #6
• GPS: 52.432909, -2.590516