Touring

Another weekend away at one of our favourite sites. We stayed on-site all weekend, just relaxing as we were both recovering from a cold. Weather has been kind, no rain with spells of sunshine.

We decided to use the windbreak this trip, to see if it will be a worthy addition to our usual set-up routine. We quite liked it, it gives a little more privacy and helps the BBQ during windy spells! Just need to fix two of the poles, as the pointy ends have come off!

First time I have ever seen the lights by the wash block actually on, as I paid a late visit! It really is very nice, definitely worth a visit if you’ve never seen them.

Saturday got quite busy, with a party of 5 units all wanting to be next to each other, but by Sunday it was blissfully quiet again. Looking forward to next time.

• Date: 20th May 2022
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 54
• GPS: 54.568506, -1.286260

Another relaxing weekend. I made the mistake of viewing the weather forecast, which wasn’t too great, so didn’t bring any BBQ meals. What a mistake! The weather was superb all weekend. We amused ourselves over the weekend counting the number of early arrivals, unbelievable, why can’t folk follow simple rules? Enjoyed the views again from our new Northerly position on the site. Look forward to the next time.

• Date: 6th May 2022
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 19
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

Fri: Arrived promptly at 1.10pm, selected the pitch, a different side of the site this time and began setting up. All done for 2.30pm and time for a drink outside in the glorious sunshine! A couple pitched next to us who were new to the game along with a dodgy motor mover, so I helped them push the ‘van onto the pitch, earned another beer I think. Enjoyed a BBQ tea and then relaxed for the night.

Sat: A wee walk to the marshalling yard to view some class 66’s, weather a little cloudier today, but still warm.

Sun: A bit of ‘Highway to Heaven’ in the morning and then relaxed for the rest of the day.

Mon: A drizzle of rain, so we’ll have to dry the awning out – but otherwise very pleasant. Usual pack-up routine and back to storage.

• Date: 22nd April 2022
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 54
• GPS: 54.568506, -1.286260

Fri: Arrived on the dot at 1.00pm. Site quite empry, so planty of choice. Stangely enough, pitch #36 was taken so we opted for a more sunnier pitch at the North end of the site, namely pitch #21. This pitch is south facing, near the park and the A1, so noise a little more intrusive, but nothing that worries us. It gives a good view of the site, so a little bit more intersting than our usual pitch #36. Weather is good, sunny even, so the day was very pleasant indeed! The site has filled up now, nice to have these Firday arrivals now. We were a little hungry at tea time, so we ate Saturday’s tea – need to go shopping tomorrow!

Sat: Bacon buttie breakfast as usual, then a quick trip to Tesco to pick up tonight’s tea – we opted for a BBQ as the weather should hold up. Stayed on-site all day and relaxed!

Sun: Weather still very pleasant, again relaxed on-site all day.

Mon: Time to go, usual pack-up routine. It’s been a very pleasant weekend.

• Date: 8th April 2022
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 21
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

Friday: An 8am departure and a pleasant journey down the A1 saw us arrive at Wetherby services for our essential bacon buttie. Times it quite nicely, as Gregg’s were packing the butties out with plenty of bacon as it was near to last orders for them! Onwards along the A64, all running smoothly until we encountered an accident which had just occured, leaving a car stranded in the middle of the road. Breathing in, we squeezed past it and arrived at the site. Lovely friendly greeting from the wardens, paid up, no mask required, headed to the pitches. The site is divided into two sections, the lower has ‘normal’ pitches, the upper has ‘long thin’ pitches, which means park your car in-front of the ‘van. We decided on the lower taking this into account. The site had just opened today for the season, so plenty of choice! We settled on pitch 93 as it was southerly facing. We were soon set up with the heater running, as we’re still awaiting the repair on our Whale Space Heater 🙁

Saturday: Firstly, a trip to Tesco to pick up some further refrigerated goodies via click & collect. This was just up the road in Scarborough, so not far to travel. It took a while to find the click & collect point though, as it turns out to be in the underground car park, which is a little tight for big cars! Service was swift once inside though. Back at base, the wind was still very strong, so that ruled out BBQ’ing. Instead, I cleaned the ‘van and we relaxed inside.

Sunday: Still very windy, so no bacon butties! Scarborough was on the cards for today. We parked up next to the castle, after eventually finding a ticket machine that works. We took in the sights and sounds of the harbour, had some chips in leau of breakfast, obtained required thimbles and then headed back. I was planning on visiting Peasholm park and railway, but with the weather not being the best, decided to give it a miss on this occasion. Sunday lunch for tea and we were set for the night.

Monday: Weather quite sunny but still windy, so no breakfast again! Filey was the destination of choice for today. We parked up at Filey Brigg Country Park, where to our surpruse, there was a campsite. It looked fine, with some hardstanding pitches, washblock, right on the doorstep for Filey, what more could you want? We headed/descended down to the promenade and had a nice stroll along, then headed back around via the town and shops before returning to the car. Back at the site, we took a stroll around the campsite, very nice it is too. Work is still continuing with further pitches being installed next to the washblock on the lower site. The premium pitches are a nice touch as well, offering an outside bench and BBQ point along with all services on-pitch.

Tuesdy: A day to relax following all the walking over the past couple of days. The wind dropped today, along us to have a BBQ tea.

Wednesday: First rain of the holiday, but no wind, so bacon buttie time! Stayed in and relaxed for the rest of the day.

Thursday: Nice weather, but the wind is back – no BBQ’ing today :(. We headed for Robin’s Hood Bay though, never been here before, very nice, complements the rest of the East Coast’s fishing villages very nicely. Sadly no chip shops open 🙁

Friday: BBQ breakfast & BBQ tea, what more could you want. Brilliant weather, no wind, a great day to end the holiday!

Saturday: Good weather again, usual pack-up routine and had a pleasant journey back.

• Date: 11th March 2022
• Nights: 8
• Pitch #: 93
• GPS: 54.235870, -0.377456

Approach: A64 > B1261 > Mill Lane

Crash on A64

Fri: Enjoyed an early morning start, seems a while since we’ve done that. That meant we could pull into Weatherby services and enjoy a bacon buttie! This we did and then ploughed onward towards our destination. Weather was good, traffic was fine, journey went to plan. There are a few options of routes to the site heading from the North, but I decided that heading straight toward Grimsby and then dropping down the A16 would be the best. Pleased I did as there were a few road closures on surrounding roads. Arrived at the site and checked in, soon we were set-up and enjoying the afternoon.

Sat: A trip to the supermarket to stock up on BBQ requirements. There are smaller shops (coop, Spar), but I decided to head for Tesco’s in Skegness, where I could place an online order for collection. Much better than wading through unkown isles for a tiresome time! Once back at site, we headed out for a walk along the promenade as the weather was good. We headed for the town to enjoy some chips before returning. This clocked up a pleasant 4.5m walk in total.

Sun: A trip to the LWR was in order today. We were lucky that today was one of only two days that trains were running in October. The line is only short but well supported and well worth a journey on. We parked up at Ludborough station and paid our dues. Trains run every hour, so there’s not a long wait no matter what time you arrive. There’s the engine shed, cafe, shop – the usual culprits. I particularly enjoyed the signal box and level crossing barriers, a blast from the past. We enjoyed a couple of hours here and then returned back to camp.

Mon: Weather still holding up well, so a trip to Skegness today. We headed down the very twisty A52 and parked up on the seafront. I can’t believe I’ve never been here, but we are now! The place is very active and still seems to enjoy everything you’d expect: funfairs, amusements, cafes, shops, paddling pools, lake walk – the list goes on. A fab place for the family, just like Cleethorpes, much better than Blackpool I’d say. We passed the might Butlins along the way, that looks like a great place to stay as well. Skegness just seems to be one giant campsite!

Tue: Weather has declined a bit, so we stayed on site all day.

Wed: A trip to Mablethorpe, as the weather was looking not too bad! This is a nice seaside town, with quite a few attractions, cafes, markets etc. Again there was a promenade to work along, take in the sea views and generally relax. We spent a bit of time here and then returned back to base.

Thu: Nothing planned for today, apart from the heater throwing a fault in the ‘van 🙁 so we headed for Skeggy and picked up a heater from Argos! We booked the ‘van back in at the dealers and this will therefore be the last trip of the year.

Fri: Just relaxed all day on-site.

Sat: Time to pack-up and head home. Journey was pleasant, weather fair. We managed to get in at Wetherby for a quick coffee and then back to storage.

The site is very nice, just the right size, not too big! Lots of pleasant walks from the site, lots to see and do North and South along the coastline. Facilities are top class, having just recently been refurbished. Well worth a visit.

• Date: 8th October 2021
• Nights: 8
• Pitch #: 105
• GPS: 53.295457, 0.275706

Approach: A16 > A1104 > A1111 > A52 > Crabtree Lane

Another weekend away at Durham Grange. We find this a perfect break in the caravan without travelling too far and due to the short distance, we can even go when we finish work.

We were on pitch 37 this time, next door to our usual favourite spot. Didn’t go anywhere, just relaxed but did manage to do a couple of jobs in the ‘van. Weather has been very kind, two glorious days Saturday and Sunday. Monday however, torrential rain! Yes it was the dreaded pack-up in the pouring rain. Two drowned rats later and we were back at storage. Motor mover decided to pack up, so need to look at this before our next outing. We ended up hand-balling the ‘van into position, not easy on a twinny!

• Date: 24th September 2021
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 37
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

Well it’s been nearly 10 years since we were here last, and this weekend saw us back to a Saturday departure – so a short weekend again!

Journey to the site is straight forward, only held up by the roadworks on the A1. The way back will be the A19 I decided. We arrived to the access road and with a little juggling of vehicles we got through the single track lane and into the site. We couldn’t remember much of the layout of the site, only memories of a nature walk and the river itself sprang to mind.

The site was full, so only a few pitches to choose from. We settled on #23 and set camp up. The weather was good for the day and we were able to enjoy some sunshine before retiring for the night. TV signal is poor, but there are TV points on the bollards which pulled in a perfectly good signal. Mobile signals seem fine as well. We took a stroll around the site to capture the nice weather, but didn’t get on the nature walk.

Sunday, weather wasn’t as good and brought us some rain. Shame, we would have liked to get on a walk, but we stayed in all day and relaxed. Monday soon came around and we departed for home. A shorter weekend with no BBQ – seems strange after enjoying our new longer weekends. Never mind, next one will be back on a Friday departure!

• Date: 11th September 2021
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 23
• GPS: 55.445108, -1.920858

Approach: A1 > A697

Fri: The road(s) to hell. That’s the best way to describe our journey. To date, this has been the worst journey in all of our caravanning expeditions. A1 / M62 – delays all the way. M6 – closure due to accident, 3 hour detour. Arrival at campsite, not looking good.

A pitstop was scheduled on the M62 at Hartheads, but due to the delays already endured, it was more of a case of – run to the toilet, scoff a sandwich and then get back driving, not relaxing to say the least. Hitting the M6 we were sent on a diversion which wasn’t clearly marked. Indeed it seemed other diversions were in place as we encountered numerous diversion sings which didn’t seem to tally with our route. I carefully navigated through the diversion, although this was a bit stressful, thank goodness for GPS maps in the car! The queues were immense in all places and trying to change lanes was a challenge, as no one wants to let a caravan in 😐

We eventually made it back on to the M6 and ploughed onwards to the site – we were in contact with the site wardens who were brilliant. We were resigned to the fact that we wouldn’t hit the 8.00pm deadline for arrival and were prepared to stop over-night with the trucks, but the wardens kindly said to keep coming – they had a pitch reserved for us that they would let us have when we arrived – which we duly did at 9.15pm, not before getting stuck behind a combine harvester on the A44 just before arriving at the site however, you couldn’t write it any better honestly! They even made us hot drinks upon our arrival, warned our neighbours that we were arriving late – I can’t say how amazing Steve and xxx were – it goes beyond the call of duty. Needless to say we pitched up with the basics and then slept. This has been an 8 hour intense drive, with just one brief stop.

Saturday: After a good nights sleep we enjoyed a bacon sandwich on the cadac. as is now becoming the norm. We then erected the awning and took a trip into Broadway village, where a show was taking place for the weekend – a car show, with apparently a flyover from a Hurricane place, but this didn’t transpire! The village was packed and was quite a spectacle – although we found it a little too much and didn’t stay for too long, crowds are still a little uncomfortable at the moment it seems during these covid days. We returned back to the site and enjoyed some fish & chips for tea from the onsite visiting van.

Sunday: Another relaxed start with a bacon butty and then a trip to Evesham. What a lovely place this is, very picturesque. Set by the river Avon, there are plenty of grassy spaces, playgrounds, abbey grounds, canal boats, shops, cafes – everything for a relaxing visit. We enjoyed a couple of hours here and then returned to the site. A bit of cleaning of the ‘van followed by a BBQ tea and we were set for the night.

Monday: Following breakfast we headed for Broadway Tower, a short drive from the site. There’s a good amount of parking here, but the overall pricing was a bit pricy we thought. £12 to access the tower, £4 for a picnic, £3 parking – that could add up to quite an amount for the day. We paid the parking and kept to public walking after that. There’s a few cafes here which is nice and some stunning views across the Cotswolds. From there we drove to Chipping Campden to see one of the stunning villages which this area is renown for. The buildings are stunning, beautiful, thatch roofs, Cotswold stone, quaint shops, narrow streets – all lost in time. After stopping here for a while we returned back to the site. A couple of DIY jobs were in order, fixing the door blind and putting on the new table. The door blind didn’t take too long, however the table needed drilling – so that’s a job for another day!

Tuesday: A trip on the GWSR railway was in order today. The station is literally just across the road from the entrance to the site. They are running steam all of this week, so a trip on 7903 Hall Class was just the ticket. Talking of tickets, adults are £25 for a return journey to Cheltenham Racecourse. Broadway station was reopened just 3 years ago back in 2018, platform 1 is operational, but platform 2 and the bridge are still undergoing construction. The line is about 14 miles in length and takes you through the gorgeous countryside, along a viaduct and through a tunnel – not bad for a heritage line! The ticket price is a ‘roamer’, so you can hop on and off as you like all day.

Wednesday: Following yesterday’s railway trip, we passed a station called Toddington, which looked rather interesting. So we decided to head there by car today, it’s only a 10 minute drive from the site. There’s quite a lot to see and do at this station: narrow gauge railway, book stalls, cafes, shop, information boards scattered around the site. The GWSR also store their locos at the depot located at this station. It’s well worth a visit if you like trains! Following our visit, we headed for the local Coop in Broadway, to pick up some supplies for another BBQ tea! There must have been a power cut at home, as the alarm went nuts and rang me 15 times whilst we were watching ‘Braveheart’. The phone was on silent, so I didn’t hear it. Hope the neighbours didn’t mind 20 mins of the alarm blaring at 10pm at night!

Thursday: A walk into Broadway again and a visit to the quaint essential church that is St. Eadburgha’s Church. They were setting up for a wedding, so we didn’t get inside, but the grounds are beautiful. Broadway itself was a lot quieter than the weekend thankfully, but still quite active, which is good to see. I picked up a new train caravan mug, as my old one was deteriorating fast. We enjoyed more good weather back on-site and relaxed as we watched people come and go!

Friday: Final day of the holiday, so time to relax all day on site.

Saturday: Rain! Yes the pack-up in the rain routine. The journey back was slow as well, no accidents this time, but still a lot of congestion.

• Date: 13th August 2021
• Nights: 8
• Pitch #: 114
• GPS: 52.041595, -1.873287

Approach: M5 > A4538 > A44 > A46 > A44 > B4632

Grass pitch and no wrist bands – that about summarises this trip!

We arrived at tea time for this trip, as Cath had to work a full day due to staff holidays. As I paid my dues at reception, I was then given the map as usual, but this time with a choice of 3 pitches! Yes, only 3 left and our usual #36 was not to be today. All pitches left were grass only. Well this is a first for us, we’ve never been on the grass at Durham Grange. But we pulled on and backed up onto pitch 74. Luckily the weather has been hot and dry for the last few weeks, so the ground was firm and no rain had been forecast for this weekend, so we should have a nice time on the grass! Friday soon turned into night as we finished setting up and enjoyed a sandwich for tea. Weather was very humid however, never sweated so much putting the awning up.

Saturday, a nice bacon and egg butty from the Cadac started the day nicely. We’d arranged to visit Carole and Kevin today, to have a natter and a cuppa. We joined them at noon and stayed for a couple of hours. Returning to he site, we enjoyed more outdoor weather. I’d purchased a new chair last weekend, to replace our trusty old folding camping chair. It makes a big difference as it is far more comfortable. Cath got a new sun lounger, but she didn’t try it out this weekend. The wash blocks are now back to normal, with no band restrictions in place – hooray! It felt quite strange going in without doing the band ‘thing’, having it all open again with free access was quite strange, who’d have thought it!

Sunday, another bacon and egg butty early doors prior to leaving for church. The service at church was the first live music and congregational singing since the pandemic struck, so was quite a key affair. Good to be back doing what I do best! Back at base, we relaxed for the rest of the day.

Monday, still very warm, everything packed up – we headed back to storage. A nice weekend break and nice to experience a different pitch!

• Date: 23rd July 2021
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 74
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499