Touring

Sat: A good pack-up and journey as we begin the second leg of our summer tour! Weather still great, very pleasant. All went to plan bar a hold up on the M1 due to roadworks. We arrived at the site in good time, booked in and found our pre-booked pitch. We were soon set-up again as not everything had to be packed away. The sun was beating down and we retreated inside to cool off a little before tea.

Sun: A trip to Barrowhill Roundhouse was the order of the day. We arrived early at 10am, enjoyed the signal box tour and seeing the turntable in action. We then had a coffee in the cafe before returning to the site. It’s well worth a visit, nice way to spend a few hours. Lots of locos to keep you entertained. Weather still very hot!

Mon: Stay on site day, just relaxed with the heat. Although night time was getting a little uncomfortable with the humidity, we could literally have been in France!

Tue: A walk to Rother Valley Country Park today. On the map it looked straight forward, but alas, the undulations were not shown and it was quite a hike. Fine on the way down, but a steep climb back up. We nevertheless made it to the South lake, Cath was a little exhausted and sat down as I walked further around to the North lake and managed to take in the railway line that runs past. Disappointingly, no trains passed during my brief time there! Upon return we decided that I would go back to base and fetch the car, which I duly did. Returning with the car via the road to the park, I discovered that it was pay upon entry, so £1.70 later I collected Cath and we returned to the site. Weather scorthing again, all windows open in the caravan.

Wed: Peak Rail was on the cards today. About an hour’s drive from the site, we headed off to catch the 11.40am from Matlock. The journey there was pleasant, mostly good roads. The line itself isn’t too long, only 3 stations, with a nice 30min turnaround at Rowley South. There was an interesting delay on the way due to a token being stuck at the middle station, so the line couldn’t clear the bock, but it eventually got sorted. We completed the journey and then headed back to base.

Thu: Weather has turned cooler and windier, relax on-site day!

Fri: Usual last day routine, some packing down and away and then just staying in the ‘van. Site is filling up again for the weekend The site is very nice, very ‘French-esque’ with the higgledy-piggledy layout (all flat pitches though), burnt cut grass, low hedges, outdoor washing-up spaces and bar on-site. And with the extreme hot weather we’ve just had, this really made it feel like we were back on a French site. The pitch we were on was a very good large size, good size of gravel, so didn’t get everywhere and was fully serviced. We would certainly return.

• Date: 22nd June 2024
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 65
• GPS: 53.342418, -1.312985

Approach: M1 > A57 > A618 > Delves Lane

Sat: Early start, picked up the ‘van and headed over to our first stop, which was at Southwaite Services. Then a drive down the M6 to Keele Services, through some torrential downpours, but no traffic snarls! Then onward to our destination, Ludlow Touring Park. We were given a professional booking-in and then we made ourselves at home on our allocated pitch, 84.

Sun: No time to relax, we’re off to the Severn Valley Railway. It was a bit of a long twisty road to get there, but then enjoyed some glorious weather as we soaked up the trains. We did the full line, Kidderminster to Bridgnorth. But on the return journey, we took some time out at Arley, to reflect on the location as seen in a few famous films. Very relaxing, very peaceful, very much enjoyed it. Back at base it was BBQ time for tea and time to deploy the Satellite, as there is no TV signal here, although in fairness they do have a booster system.

Mon: Relax day, weather okay but not quite as good. Tried to get the satellite working again, but still no joy, a fix at home is required again. So instead we utilised the booster system, which was fairly good, so no complaints.

Tue: A trip into Shrewsbury today. We spent the first couple of hours in the town itself. Quite a large place, plenty of people about and lots of shops. Following this we headed to the prison, where you can get a guided tour most weekdays at 2.30pm. The prison itself closed in 2013 and has since become a visitor attaction. It was very intersting to listen to the history of the prison and other prisons in general over the centuries. You’re given access to pretty much all areas, including the excution room! I never knew Ricky Tomlinson was a prisoner here back in 1973. Also worthy of note, is the the train station which is just oposite the prison, it still uses semaphore signals to this day 🙂

Wed: Just up the road and we’re into Ludlow. We were thinking of walking or maybe the bus, but instead took the car, as we needed fuel and a little bit of shopping. Tesco’s first for the shopping, not a very large shop but we got what we needed. Then we headed into Ludlow via some very narrow streets, thanks satnav! Eventually found the carpark and then enjoyed a puruse around the market, St Laurence’s Church and the shops in general, with some splendid Tudor buildings. Following this we refuelled and headed back to the site, weather very hot today.

Thu: Relax on-site day! Breakfast, cleaning the ‘van and chilling. Good weather again, so managed a nice walk around the campsite for the first time this visit. It’s a very nice site, well laid out, good size pitches and plenty of greenery and wildlife. The view from our ‘back garden’ is quite simply stunning, the best we’ve had to date I would say. All the birds: bluetits, moorhens, robins all in abundance. There’s one little young bluetit I like to call ‘chirps’ as it never stops talking with its distinct call, I feel for his mother! BBQ for tea, this is what it’s all about, thoroughly relaxed!

Fri: Another relax on-site day.

Sat: A reasonable journey to our next site via Tamworth services. We got held up on the M1 de to roadworks, but nothing too severe. To reflect, the site is very nice, one we would come back to many times if we were in the area. Pitches are very nice, ours was fully serviced and of generous size, although the pitch gravel was of the small variety, which means you’ve got to keep sweeping it out of the awning! Views were to die for, best we’ve ever had. We enjoyed the wildlife so much, so relaxing. Facilities were excellent, very clean and spacious. Showers a little hot, but nothing to detract from the overall experience. Food vans seem to operate on various days if that is your thing. The onsite shop is very well stocked with all the essentials including many chairs and BBQ’s, which is a real bonus. If we were in the area again, we would not hesitate in stopping here again, loved it.

• Date: 15th June 2024
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 84
• GPS: 52.345584, -2.716910

Approach: M54 > A5 > A49 > B4361

Stunning weather all weekend, finally! We pitched up on the Friday, taking our time as it was very hot. The site was pretty full as usual. The computers were down in the office, so they couldn’t take payment upon arrival. They would telephone me when the system came back online.

We were entertaining a couple of our friends on Saturday afternoon, so we did a little shop at Asda in preparation Saturday morning and then enjoyed a walk and a BBQ with them, concluding with a game of ‘Uno’. Computers were back online, so I went to the office and paid the balance.

Relaxed all day Sunday, helped a neighbour out who was struggling with his awning. Monday morning pack-up, still in the heat. Great weekend, looking forward to our summer holiday now.

• Date: 10th May 2024
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 56
• GPS: 54.568506, -1.286260

A pitch by the playground this time, but still quite a nice spot – not too many kids around!

Saturday’s entertainment was a couple who couldn’t get their dog under control and into the car upon departure. This escalated into quite a few members of the campsite trying to round the dog up, but it was a small and sprightly thing which evaded them on every attempt. After a good hour, they eventually left, hopefully with the dog!

We had chatterbox neighbours near the service point, so we engaged in quite a few conversations during our stay, all very pleasant.

Still not too impressed with the redevelopent, looking at caravan storage is not the best. And now the site is not open all year, White Water will become our new ‘home’ site, as it outscores Durham in a few areas now.

Still enjoyed the stay however, it’s a very popular site as on Friday it was basically full. Queueing at 1.00pm seems the order of the day here!

• Date: 19th April 2024
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 23
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

Sat: Relaxed departure, the site only being 2 hours away. Picked up the ‘van after a battery swap and headed west. Good clear run all of the way. Stopped at Southwaite as usual for a break and then departed for a 1.00pm arrival. Weather pleasant, site fairly empty so we got our usual area of the site. Got set-up and then relaxed for the night.

Sun: Tried the satellite, as the TV booster from the site was giving nothing. But alas, couldn’t get a signal. Will take the kit home to explore further. However, we got a few channels from the ‘van aerial, so all was not lost! A bit drizzly, so we stayed inside all day.

Mon – Fri: Rain and wind all week, so didn’t venture anywhere other than a walk around the site. That’s the way it goes sometimes!

Sat: Sleet & hail, just to finish off the week! That was one cold and wet pack-up.

• Date: 16th March 2024
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 132
• GPS: 54.616943, -2.956263

Our second weekend of the year and again to White Water Park. Since Durham Grange is now no longer open all year, this has become our standard weekend option now during out-of-season touring.

Again, we didn’t take the awning, which kept all meals inside and gave me the opportunity to clean the ‘van all around. This time my focus was on the awning rails, so these got a real good cleaning this trip. As it turns out the weather wasn’t bad at all, but still a little cool to be outside for long. We did take in a Saturday evening stroll down to the marshalling yard, where you can always rely on plenty of class 66 action! The bird feeder also saw lots of action, with plenty of bird families popping out of the hedge for a snack.

Rain did appear on Monday morning however, so the ‘van returned a little dirtier than what is was on site 🙁

• Date: 23rd February 2024
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 55
• GPS: 54.568506, -1.286260

First trip of the year, so we kept it simple and took only basics. No alfresco dining and no awning, just kept everything straight forward, just as well as it was a very windy weekend. We took the opportunity to give the’van a good clean both inside and out. The site was quiet upon arrival, but did fill up more later on and on Saturday. Enjoyed a relaxing weekend.

• Date: 2nd February 2024
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 80
• GPS: 54.568506, -1.286260

Sat: Early start, although it is winter, so sunrise is not until 7.45am. We left at 6.45am and got to the storage yard at 7.20am, just enough light just coming through to get hitched up! A very pleasant journey to Wetherby services, didn’t touch the pedals once, where we were able to select any of the empty caravan pitches. We didn’t enjoy our breakfast however, as it took for ages and eventually came without any sauce and two pitiful pieces of bacon. Shame, as we usually enjoy our stop here. From here we trucked on towards our destination, all straight forward, just a minor delay due to roadworks.

On arrival at the site, we reported in to reception, which we had to ring first, as there was no one there. Following this, we we made our way to our pitch via some very tight areas. The barrier from reception is tight to say the least. Nevertheless, we made it to our pitch and pitched up. The site is sloping, so our nose was on the floor. Plenty of flies about, so we spent a while getting rid of these pesks. Finally all setup, we enjoyed our first night.

Sun: Cleaned the ‘van in the morning, as it was rather dirty following the journey down. Did a bit of work on the laptop in the afternoon and then relaxed down with a film.

Mon: Our 30th wedding anniversary! So we had a little walk around the site as the weather was very pleasant indeed. There are 3 lakes on the site, along with 4 ‘camping areas’, so it is quite a large site, although it doesn’t feel it because of this. Relaxed for the rest of the day.

Tue: Weather poor, so we spent the day inside.

Wed: Better weather, so a trip to Peterborough was on the cards. The city itself is quite large, with a gorgeous cathedral. We took a look around it and I must say, it is one of the most impressive cathedrals we have been in. They were due to put a light show on this weekend, so it was interesting to see this taking form. The city itself was healthy with a lot of shops, not many empty. Although we did see someone get arrested with a lot of police presence, a sign of the times in many a city centre now. Following our walk through the city, we headed back via a different route which took us a little of course, but with google maps you can’t go wrong really can you! Back at site, we relaxed in the dark again!

Thu: A lovely day. Enjoyed breakfast outside, washed the ‘van and the car a little more. But it soon turns dark again, so back inside relaxing! We quite enjoy this November break, as with the limited daylight, you end up relaxing more inside the ‘van. Sometimes, it’s just nice to do hobbies and the like and not worry about maxing your day out.

Fri: A little windy but otherwise fine. Took the awning down as it was nice and dry. Spent the day in the caravan pretty much, very chilled!

Sat: A standard pack-up and departure. We got back to storage just as dusk was setting, so timed that well. Overall, a very good relaxing week.

• Date: 18th November 2023
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 29
• GPS: 52.499793, 0.032169

Approach: A1 > A47 > A141 > B1093

Not hoping for much this weekend, as storm Ciaran had just landed on Thursday. However, it seems to have blown out quicker than the forecasters thought and we were left with some sunshine in the North East! Nothing planned but chilling – apart from cleaning the caravan roof, it’s that time again.

• Date: 3rd November 2023
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 55
• GPS: 54.568506, -1.286260

Sat: A very relaxed start to the day as the journey time to the site is quite short and the earliest arrival time is 1.00pm. For the first time in a long while I had to change the battery on the ‘van as it has been 3 weeks since our last outing and the movers would take their toll! All straight forward apart from one of the clamps had seized up and needed some lubrication to bring back into life. A pleasant, simple journey to the site. Barrier access and pitch number are all pre-sent in your welcome pack, so you can simply arrive and pull straight onto your pitch. We did this, we were greeted by one of the owners, who were keen for no grass driving because of the wet weather, we happily said we’d use the mover. Even using this, things are a little tight for a long ‘van, keeping the jockey wheel off the grass made for quite a large sweeping turn. Parking is in front of the ‘van, as the width of the pitches is approximately only 6m. But we got on and put the awning up, after a short downpour from a passing rogue cloud. BBQ for tea and we were set. The site is adults only and very peaceful. The pitch is also rarely for us a fully serviced one, as these offer 16A compared to standard pitches at 10A.

Sun: A trip to the South Tynedale railway was the plan for the day. I had planned on catching the 10.30am train but we had a heavy frost over night and the car decided it didn’t want to open up with the key fob, so this delayed us somewhat until it decided to spring back into life. We took the opportunity to have a wander around the site whilst we delayed our departure for the next train. The site is well laid out and kept to a very high standard. There is a boules pitch and sports hall, which we will be making use of. The journey to the STR was a twisty drive but pleasant views none-the-less. We caught the train at Alston, which was an electric shunter, no steam, as the steam brakes on the train planned had just failed that morning. It’s a pleasant 5 mile journey to Slaggyford, a quick run round and then we headed back. We took a slightly different route home, which took us over the moorlands, very nice, felt like an American Werewolf in London! Sunday lunch for tea and we enjoyed the rest of the evening.

Mon: A day onsite to relax. We played a game of boules, which Cath won at shockingly. We took a stroll on the dog walk and Henry’s Hill. The site has excellent facilities. As already mentioned the sports hall and boules. The wash block is one of the best I’ve seen. Very high quality fittings, wet rooms complete with shower, toilet and sink. along with a dish washing area and conventional toilets. There is a self service shop, laundry, extra toilets which are open when the main wash block is closed for cleaning. And even a caravan washing point!

Tue: A trip to Carlisle today. We visited the cathedral, which was very well presented and enjoyable. Whilst not the biggest of cathedrals, the inside had some fantastic splendour, especially the ceiling. We perused the shops a little, stopped for a coffee and then made our way back to the site, stopping for fuel at the local BP. Weather has been great so far, apart from the frosty mornings.

Wed: The garden centre just down the road was on the cards today. Quite literally a two minute drive and we were there. Large carpark and quite an extensive site. Inside there are the usual offerings of garden furniture, plants, household furnishings, craft and hobby supplies. There is also a cafe or two along with a miniature museum. It was pleasant to spend time here, very much reminding us of Heighley Gate in Northumberland, where we’ve been a few times, No purchases as such, but we enjoyed the visit including the Christmas Toy Display they had utilising Lemax products. Back onsite we enjoyed a game of Boules & darts in the sports hall.

Thu: Storm Babet hit us last night, not too bad – just a couple of pegs to redo. An onsite day today, with just a break to visit the sports hall again for some ping-pong & another game of boules. Weather has improved following the storm, so we enjoyed a BBQ for tea.

Fri: The storm is back, we had a rough night but the awning held its ground. We relaxed onsite all day as the weather didn’t let up. No breakfast or ping-pong, but that’s the way it goes at this time of year.

Sat: A pleasant start to the day, looks like the storm has run its course. This made for pleasant packup without fighting the wind and rain. Good drive back to storage and home again This is a great site, ticks a lot of boxes for us. We will be returning again.

• Date: 14th October 2023
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 52
• GPS: 54.945321, -2.911922

Approach: A69 > A689 > Lane