Well, if you’re going to be ill, there’s no better place to be ill than relaxing in your caravan in what can only be described as the best campsite in the UK!
Saturday morning, early Saturday morning and we waited for dawn to break as we collected the ‘van from storage and headed South East towards Somerset. Of course, our usual pitstop at Ferrybridge brought a most welcome bacon sandwich and cup of coffee. From here we were pretty much on new turf with the caravan. M18 to M1 and then onto the M42 where our next pitstop at Tamworth was made. Caravan parking was in with the lorries so not the prettiest of stops! Never-the-less, once refreshments had been consumed we were off on the final leg, down the M6 and into Somerset!
The site itself is located just a mile from Glastonbury, accessed via a farm lane near the hospital. A bit narrow in places, but plenty of places to pass. Check-in was swift and pleasant and before we knew it we were pitched up and taking in the glorious views around us. Pitches are extremely spacious, no cramped feeling here whatsoever. The areas of the campsite are organised into circles, pitches on the perimeter with a large expanse of grass in the middle.
The awning was erected straight away and it was here I lost a lot of good men. Faithful metal screw pegs, bent and twisted as they bravely fought their way into the ground. Eventually the battle was one and they stood their ground, loyally defending the tautness of the awning, holding their own against the enemy that was the weather! The newly modified awning lights were also put into action, to which they received great appraise from fellow campers! Saturday night soon came to an end after a long day. Time to turn in for the night and my cold to get worse!
Sunday was an opportunity to visit the East Somerset Railway! This is a small preserved steam railway running through the Mendip hills near Shepton Mallet. We booked our tickets and took a ride on the train. No steam on our journey unfortunately, we were left in the hands of a Sentinel shunter, first time I’d seen one in the flesh! The journey is brief, and following the run around, we were soon on our journey back. We got off a stop early to view the engine sheds which was interesting and then headed home back to base. A sunday afternoon kip was the order of the day, to which a snoozy Sunday ended!
Monday, time to stock the cupboards up! So we headed off to the local Lidl. Not too much required as Frodo had done a sterling job in bringing most things, but with the help of meal plans, we soon had the missing components to build our meals for the remainder of the week!
Tuesday was a glorious day and we headed out for a walk into Glastonbury. We chose the direct route, which takes you through fields, as the weather was good and it hadn’t rained for a couple of days. It was mainly uphill all the way, but at least that makes for an easier return journey! Glastonbury town was smaller than what I had imagined, full of quirky shops. We soon exhausted the town and headed back via the Tor. Again another steep climb up to the top, but worth every step – what a view! Following a stop for the Tor guide which was all about energies, ley lines and how the sea used to come all the way in up to Glastonbury. Cath tried the energy sticks (sorry, forgot the correct name for them) and lo and behold they did move! The return to the caravan was a very pleasant down hill walk!
Wednesday was our not-going-out-day, and turned into a Playstation day! I had purchased some new games, a pin ball and an athletics game. Pin ball brought back some memories, as it was the essentially the same game we played back on the Amiga many moons ago! Hours passed away as we amassed high scores and tried to work out how to do the high jump …
Thursday and we were on the hunt for mushrooms! On the journey in along the A39, Cath had spotted some wooden garden ornaments being displayed for sale. We now had to go and find these ornaments, as a potential sale was on hand! So retracing the journey in we eventually found the spot and purchased a mushroom and hedgehog – perfect for the garden! Seeing how we were out and about we decided to stop by Clarks Village on the return journey. This is pretty much like Royal Quays, although bigger than what I had expected. We perused the many shops, discovering a nice fleece in Trespass – but alas they didn’t have my size, so headed back to the caravan empty handed!
The site facilities are truly 5 star. The washblock is quite literally as you would expect in a top hotel. You have to see it to believe it! The elsan point was nicer than most washblocks on ordinary sites! You even had hand wash in there! This just sums up the site, top quality. By far the nicest campsite we’ve been to. In a beautiful location too. Shame it’s 7 hours drive away!
Friday came and time to say goodbye to the Old Oaks! An early start again in order to get back before darkness fell upon the storage site. Luckily by now my cold had lifted and I felt well again. We’d had a fantastic week, only wished we could have stayed longer.
- Date: 12th October 2013
- Nights: 6
- Pitch #: Top Oaks 1
- GPS: 51.151792, -2.683913
