Stoke Bruerne and Stowe

Posted on April 15, 2018 by peter.harry01

Off for the weekend with Ruby to the Home Farm CMC CL at Stoke Bruerne. It’s a beautifully positioned site right next to the Grand Union Canal. The ground was too wet to park on the grass but fortunately there was enough hardstanding for 3 or 4 vehicles.

The scenic village is very small and was split in two when the canal was built but we are pleased to report there are two good pubs and an Indian restaurant!

We went for a walk along the canal – watching the rental boats having fun and games getting through the locks!

On our way home we stopped at Stowe. The House, parts of which date back to 1683, looks very impressive and is now used as a private school. In the 18th century Viscount Cobham spent a huge amount of time, effort and money creating spectacular garden full of lakes, arches and follies. Over time the grounds became run down and were eventually handed over to the National Trust in 1989. The trust has done an incredible job restoring the gardens to their former glory and we would certainly recommend a visit.

Motorhome Travels

Canterbury

Posted on February 18, 2018July 21, 2023 by peter.harry01

For our first trip of 2018 we decided on a long weekend trip to the Canterbury CCC site.

We were very lucky with the weather – a rare sunny weekend in between the many snow showers of the winter.

We drove down on Friday (16/2), found the site just to the east of the town centre and found a nice pitch near the entrance.

The site was about 20 mins walk from the town centre or a short bus ride. We wandered in with Ruby and our first stop was at St Martins church , the oldest church in continuous use in the English-speaking world. Parts of the building date back to Roman times.

Canterbury is where Christianity was first established in the UK. It was brought here in the 6th century by a french princess called Bertha who eventually married the Anglo Saxon King Ethelbert. Here are the statues of them keeping an eye on the city:

A few years later Augustine, a monk from Rome arrived, based himself at St Martins and set about spreading the word. With the support of the King he built the Abbey (almost next door to St Martins) and eventually the Cathedral which is the centrepiece of the city today.

All these building are part of a World Heritage site. Our next stop was at the ruins of the Abbey now managed by English Heritage (and fortunately dog friendly!).

After this we continued into the town centre which is full of interesting historic buildings and unusual shops (and pubs!).

We decided that visiting the cathedral itself would be a challenge with Ruby and also quite expensive so we’ll save that for another visit.

The following day we took a walk along the walls of the city which provides some excellent views.

We’d certainly recommend the site and city for a short break and would be happy to go back in the not too distant future.

Motorhome Travels

Sandringham

Posted on November 19, 2017June 10, 2022 by peter.harry01

For a late break we took the van (and Ruby!) to the Sandringham CCC site.

We arrived on Friday 17th November and stayed for two nights. Although the house was closed to visitors there was a large Christmas Fair going on in the grounds a short walk away which we had a look around on Saturday.

On Saturday afternoon we were joined on site by Jim & Kate and on the following day they drove us all for an excursion up to Hunstanton for a walk by the sea.

The drive up turned out to be a little more exciting than planned when the car had a flat tyre halfway up the A149! I hope it wasn’t caused by the extra weight of two people and a dog in the back seat! Jim did an excellent job of changing the tyre at the roadside while the rest of us helped with important jobs like holding his coat.

I’d be very happy to visit the campsite again, especially in warmer weather when we would also be able to visit the house. The site seems to have plenty of space in a wooded environment with good facilities (apart from the shop which was tiny!).

We took a walk through woods and appeared to arrive in some strange parallel universe – this was in fact the Caravan and Motorhome Club campsite next door but it was fascinating to be able to compare the two sites. My own view was that the CMC site was busier and tidier (with a bigger shop!) but the pitches seemed closer together with much less open space.

Motorhome Travels

Wellington Country Park

Posted on October 15, 2017June 10, 2022 by peter.harry01

After all the trauma of recent weeks we have managed to get a long weekend away (with Ruby)on the campsite at the Wellington Country Park just south of Reading.

The park is set around some very attractive lakes with lots of walking trails and plenty of things to do for small children (shame we don’t have any!).

The campsite is set in the woods, fairly basic but with all the facilities you need. The pitches are the biggest we have seen, plenty of room to spread out. The weather has been very mild for the time of year – we managed to go through the weekend without switching on the heating. It would be good to return in the summer when we could make better use of all the space.

Found a very reasonable pub in walking distance, the Bull at Riseby, where we had lunch on Saturday.

Motorhome Travels

The Loire – day 14

Posted on June 25, 2017June 10, 2022 by peter.harry01

Our last full day in France. We left the Aire in Saumur at a reasonable time intending to visit nearby Turquant. It’s typical of the area with many ‘troglodyte’ dwelling hollowed out centuries ago from the limestone ‘tufa’ cliffs. Turquant has converted many of these to craft shops & resturants. However, we forgot the Vélo Vinage weekend included rides through that area and all road access to the village was closed off to anything other than bicycles!

We ended up the other side of the road blocks at Saut aux Loups in Montsoreau – a visitor centre for one of the most popular uses of the caves, mushroom growing! In the 19th century the ancient caves were rediscovered and put to use as the ideal location for growing mushrooms, even today 70% of France’s mushrooms come from this area. The things we could now tell you about the fungi and the compost they are growing in! The other main use for these caves is storing wine – we’ll have to get back to that one next visit.

Our final visit was to Abbaye de Fontevrand,opened in the 12th century as one of Europe’s biggest monasteries. It was closed in 1793, used as a prison in the early 20th century but now restored to (almost) it’s former glory. It houses the tombs of Eleanor of Aquitaine, once Queen of France and then Queen of England (not a bad CV) along with husband Henry II and son Richard the Lionheart.

Needless to say the Cyclists got to the Abbey first, it was being used as a rest point for one of the rides…….

We then set off for the long haul north and five hours later here we are again at Montreuil, where we spent our first night in the van in France in what seems a lifetime ago.

Motorhome Travels

The Loire – day 13

Posted on June 24, 2017July 21, 2023 by peter.harry01

We’ve decided to stay an extra day in Saumur so we could see the Anjou Vélo Vintage – a big weekend festival where hundreds of of people descend on the town to take part in cycle rides of varying difficulty, the longest being 120 km.

Everyone is encouraged to turn up in vintage outfits bringing vintage bikes, if possible. Not everyone does but many join in the sprit – there even seemed to be a large British contingent complete with plenty of old bikes & tandems.

S o me of the rides were led off by a collection of four vintage cars – spot the Trabant at the back which I’m sure had trouble staying ahead of the bikes!

There was a also a big collection of stalls selling local food and wine plus vintage ‘stuff’ (got the message about the theme yet?). My favourite was the giant peanut roasting machine…….

.…… and to top it off a stage featuring some very entertaining musicians. A day well spent.

Motorhome Travels

The Loire – day 12

Posted on June 23, 2017June 10, 2022 by peter.harry01

Definately cooler today (at last!). We have moved from the Saumur campsite to the Aire next door. Good thing we moved in the morning as by late afternoon the Aire was almost full (with no space in the campsite either). People appear to be flocking into the town this weekend with their vintage bicycles for the races starting tomorrow at 9am.

We spent the day wandering around the town but didn’t have the energy or inclination to climb the hill and visit the chateau…….

One attraction in the town we couldn’t say no to was a guided tour of the Combier distillery, built in 1848 by the creator of the ‘Triple Sec’ orange liquor. The processes used now seem to have changed very little over time with next to no automation. The Stills are almost 200 years old and feed up to a cooling platform designed by Gustave Eiffel (yes – the tower man). The tour ended with tasting and we had to show our support by purchasing a bottle!

The distillery also produces Absinthe, banned in France until 1988. I asked about it and was treated to our own tasting ceremony: ice cold water dripped onto a sugar cube over a glass of Absinthe. All very fascinating but not sure if it would be the top of my list the next time I visit the pub!

Motorhome Travels

The Loire – day 11

Posted on June 22, 2017June 10, 2022 by peter.harry01

An early start and we were on the road heading east up the Loire valley hoping that temperatures would drop fairly soon. By lunchtime we had arrived at Saumur.

We booked into the local campsite but they could only fit us in for one night due to a huge event in the town over the weekend – a Vintage Bicycle rally (don’t ask!).

We walked into the town centre an had an excellent meal. I’ve a bit of a soft touch touch for good sunsets so you’re going to have to indulge me with these shots of the sun going down over the Loire………

Motorhome Travels

The Loire – day 10

Posted on June 21, 2017June 10, 2022 by peter.harry01

We feel the need to move today but as the temperatures inland are still in the mid 30s we have driven a mere 20 minutes to an Aire outside the small town of Guérande north of Saint-Nazaire.

The centre of the town dates back to medieval times and is completely surrounded by ramparts…

The main entrance is through St-Michel Gate (sorry, couldn’t find a St Rhys Gate) and if you look closely you can just about spot a Welsh flag…..

Inside the walls are many narrow streets with many of the shops selling the produce of the local Salt Marshes……

The church at the centre of the town (St-Aubin) dates back to the 12th century but now features a fascinating art installation representing the many people of the local community who have passed away……..