The route to Silverdale Caravan Park would be our first trans pennine journey. With options of either the A66 or the A69, I chose my preferred route of the A69. A more scenic route with dual carriageway for a good section. The A69 is also lower in altitude than the A66 which would help with the winds which were predicted for the weekend!
Following a good journey we arrived in Silverdale and navigated our way to the campsite via some rather neat roads. We met a couple of caravans head on, but managed to squeeze our way through with some careful manoeuvring. The campsite is near Morecambe Bay and offers some fantastic views of the Bay along with access to plenty of walks.
We signed in at reception, which allowed the number plate security driven barriers to open and we were off, off to find our pitch. We were told to take any pitch we wanted, all were fully serviced, so we headed for a quiet spot in the middle of three adjacent pitches, all of which were empty. Plenty of room to reverse the caravan onto the pitch and before we knew it we were ready to set-up once again. This is the first fully serviced pitch we have been on, so two new toys came into play. Namely the direct water hose connection from Truma, provided with the caravan and some lengths of waste pipe, which I had purchased in preparation of feeding our waste outlets into the drain. Both were easily set-up and we were ready, ready to explore.
We decided the first port of call would be to check out Silverdale itself. This we did on foot only to discover Silverdale didn’t have much to offer other than the usual post office, church and chinese takeaway! So we promptly decided that a longer journey into Carnforth was required. This was too far to walk, so we looked for the bus stop. Failing in this task we ended up back at the campsite and discovered a bus stop on the site itself! Journey times weren’t suitable however, as we were pushing time late on this Saturday afternoon, so we took the car.
Carnforth is a small town just off the M6 on the main West Coast Main Line (train fix #3). It has a beautiful railway station which we visited, just by the shops on the main street. Following this, a quick trip to the Co-Op so us ready to head back to base.
The site has excellent facilities including: swimming pool; restaurant, bar, shop, games room and take-away. It was the latter we chose for teatime, selecting from a good menu which saw us returning to the caravan with some hot food, following a cool pint. We set the main table up and enjoyed the meal we had just purchased. Settling down for the evening, a couple of DVD’s were in order. The wind had already began to pick up, with some rocking of the caravan. The remnants of hurricane Katria were starting to show.
The toilet blocks were of excellent standard, by far some of the best we’ve ever seen. The chemical point is also located in here. For a weekend trip I have to say that the fully serviced pitch was a joy. Not having to worry about the water levels and just relax and enjoy the short stay was very welcome. With the weather turning, we decided that Sunday would be a day to stay on the campsite, enjoying some games, books and films along with a visit to the site shop. The take-away was ordered again for the evening, bliss – this is what a weekend away is all about. Heating on, and we were set for another night, with some more less gentle rocking!
Monday morning arrived and it was time to head back. It was time to head back soon! The winds were forecast to be very strong, and we needed to go trans pennine! This is the first time I’ve driven the outfit in very high winds and I’m pleased to say it handled very well. Keeping the speed well down we sailed through the exposed sections of the M6 and A69, with only a few minor wind generated course deviations. Back at storage we put our baby away and ensured all legs were fully down as the wind whistled around us!
- Date: 10th September 2011
- Nights: 2
- Pitch #: N/A
- GPS: 54.176667, -2.835492
