Travels in March

Here's the account of our travels in March when the weather , scenery and friends made such an enjoyable month.
Sites visited:
Grange Caravan Club site, Durham
The Railway Inn, Acklington, Northumberland
Fowberry Farm CL, Bamburgh, Northumberland
Teversal Camping and Caravanning Club site, North Notts,
Castleton Caravan Club , Peak District
Elm Beds Caravan Site, Poynton near Stockport
( click on photos to enlarge) 

Durham City

The New Motorhome

Pete had been hankering after an Autotrail Tracker FB since they came out last year. We spent an afternoon looking at a brand new one in Baldwin’s in Halifax  -we don’t buy new- but having spent hours trawling the internet and dealers, we thought we’d push the boat out. We couldn't do a good enough deal at Baldwin’s  though they have a good service department but we got a very good deal with Brownhill’s in Durham.

We took Mam and Dad back home to Newcastle  in the Apache then spent the afternoon putting stuff from one van into the new one. I wasn’t feeling as excited as I ought to have done and when Pete suggested a glass of bubbly to celebrate, I only wanted a cup of tea as I was feeling a bit strange. Once we’d got the other van emptied and  all the paperwork done, I went to bed…..because I had obviously caught a nasty bug so the new loo was well and truly christened. Later on, Pete was ill too……..so the first night in the lovely new van was a bit spoiled. It was a good idea to stay at Brownhill’s overnight though.

Grange Caravan Club site, Durham.

The next day, after we’d checked everything again, we moved to the Caravan Club site on the outskirts of Durham. It’s next to the A1 so handy for overnight stops but the traffic noise is constant.  We got set up and both of us went back to bed  (early afternoon) and stayed there till the next morning.

The next day we both felt fine so explored the new van a bit more, did some shuffling round of kit in cupboards then walked across the A1 to the park and ride to get the bus into the town centre. We got off at the first stop and went to find the Tourist information centre- loads of signs but no centre so we went in the library and got an A4 sheet street map from a kind librarian who told us the TIC is closed. We had a lovely time round the streets and market, cathedral and castle and Pete was happy to find a Wilkinson’s ( Pete’s favourite shop) so we came out with various absolutely necessary bits and pieces  ( hmmm) We had a coffee and a restorative pint then got the bus back. We spent a happy evening, glad to be feeling well again and really pleased to hear that our good friends have bought a Hymer so we can look forward to trips together.

The Railway Inn , Acklington      

 

We called in to see Mam and Dad who have also got the nasty virus and did some jobs before we headed for Northumberland and the coast. We found this site on the net. It’s a pub, next to the main East Coast line so the trains rushed past but it’s fine for us.  ( £17 a night with hook up) There are showers and loos, an outside veg prep area ( no cover) , waste emptying and best of all, a pub. We went in for a drink but decided against eating there, as we weren’t hungry at all. Poached egg on toast was nice for tea.

The next morning we decided to go for a walk but first we went for a look at Acklington station to see if there were any stopping trains. It’s a lovely little station but the train stops early morning to go to Newcastle and comes back early evening. We got talking to a guy on the platform and he said that there would be a steam train coming soon so we chatted and watched the Oliver Cromwell steam through in all it’s glory. Wonderful!

The kind chap  ( Greg- a Manchester United fan ) gave us a lift into Amble where we mooched round a car boot sale, watched the boats and walked up the river to Warkworth.  We got very close to a curlew and some oyster catchers and ate fruit at the point on the river where the sea and the river waters mingle. What a magnificent castle !  

The views all around are stunning. We went to buy an OS map as we had no maps with us  ( We hadn’t planned to come to Northumberland) but couldn’t find one so we went in a pub and as we had a drink and looked at one on the bar. I was a bit perturbed to see a road sign that read ‘Acklington 6 miles’ but it didn’t look so far on the map. We set off walking and found another sign about half a mile on that read ‘Acklington 4 miles’ ! 
We pondered over taking a route across fields down St Oswald’s Way but I wasn't really sure where we’d come out on the road so we stayed on the main road. We stopped for a magnificent ice cream  en route at a farm and as we left the farm, we found the place that St Oswald’s way came out. We got round to the camp site and had a pleasant evening after a lovely walk.

Fowberry Farm, Bamburgh

We had a lazy morning and our appetite had returned so we enjoyed sausage and beans  for breakfast. We parked in the car park at Bamburgh though on investigation, the castle car park is cheaper for the whole day. We went into the Victoria pub (dog friendly) to watch Manchester United v Wigan. Then we drove up a dusty lane to Fowberry Farm ( Caravan Club CL) There was no-one about but a note on the door told us where to pitch.. We had to go back outside the gate for water but the pitch was good with beautiful views of the sea and the castle at Bamburgh across the fields. It is a working farm with basic facilities. There is a loo and a shower ( 50 pence)  and free wi fi which was useful. The little site was full. We watched the stars- minimal light pollution and had a very quiet night.

Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh or Barbados?

The next morning dawned sunny but windy so after breakfast we set off across two fields to the sea. The tide was in and the bay looked amazing- blue sea, blue sky and white sand. We ambled along to Seahouses, had lunch in the Bamburgh Castle pub, then a beer in the Ship then walked back along the sand, poking about in the rock pools. We saw something sticking up in the sea at low tide so went to investigate. It was an old mine so of course we had to go and have a closer look.

Seahouses

                                                                                               

                                                                                                           yours or mine?                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                       
The next day, we set off home, calling in at Mam and Dad’s. We slept in the van overnight outside the house.Pete did jobs to make the van feel really ours- putting carpet tiles in the outside lockers to deaden noise and stop slippage, checking and restocking cupboards. We took it up to another friend’s house for the night.

Teversall Camping and Caravan Club Site

Phil and Pete went to get some electrical trunking to cover pipes in the underfloor storage. We put the bikes on the bike rack but it is higher than before so it took a bit of sorting. We went to Teversall camping and caravan club site- not far down the motorway. Tom and Lucille, and Katie and Stewart were already there and were surprised to see us arriving in the new van as we’d kept it a secret. We had a welcome cup of tea in Tom and Lucille’s then had a walk to the local Co-op and called in at the local pub, The Carnavon Arms. Katie and Stew hosted the evening meal. It’s a very neat quiet site, well set out with very good facilities.   

It was a misty morning  but it  the sun soon burned off the mist and we all cycled down to Teversall Visitor centre. What a friendly place! It is run by volunteers and has lots of information about the area as well as a little café which has bacon sandwiches ( I wished I hadn’t had breakfast!) and does lunches etc at very reasonable prices. We’ll remember that next time we come. We cycled along to Pleasley Pit on of the many trails .

Everyone we passed said ‘hello’ – a very friendly place. We chatted to a couple out cycling who gave us good directions for a circular ride. Unfortunately, Katie had a nasty fall on a steep downhill run and hurt her knee. She was very brave and straight back on her bike though. We cycled back via the Carnavon Arms – where D.H.Lawrence wrote ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ in the Ship room. We sat outside in the sunshine enjoying the warmth and our luck to be such a good group of friends having good times together. I cooked chicken fajitas which we had with refried beans with salad then we demolished a Co-op lemon tart with raspberries on…..well we’d earned it after a big cycle ride.  

The following day also started misty but then the sun came out and it was hot! We cycled to Hardwick Hall via tracks and across a field full of cows when we came to a diversion. We stopped for coffee at the Hall but left going in and exploring for another day. The weather was too nice to be inside. Katie and Stew went back to the site then the four musketeers went off down the trail to Tibshelf. It was a bit hard going for me after a while but I put the battery power on to get up a hill or two and I managed 25 kms. The pub stop at the ‘Shoulder’ revived me and the last bit home was all downhill wheeeeeeeee!. We went to the Carnavon Arms again but this time to eat. What a lovely meal we had and the service was friendly and efficient. We sat round the table really enjoying the meal, the surroundings and the company. What lucky people we are.

brunch

The next day was Sunday and we all cooked something to have Sunday brunch before Tom and Lucille left for home. I think I should comment on the camp site- it was neat, plenty of space, and the showers were amazing. They are wet rooms, much bigger than my bathroom at home with a loo, sink and a sensor operated shower which gave  lovely hot water without having to press buttons or levers. They have underfloor heating which makes the whole experience a pleasure, unlike some campsites where you hop round a wet floor, shivering. Later on, we went for a walk round the Silverhill trail where a statue  of a miner searching for gas commemorates the former pits and miners  stands on the highest part where you can see 360 degrees around the area. It’s an area  I haven’t been before but will certainly revisit. When we got back to the site. Pete went for another bike ride while I read. After yesterday’s big ride, I wasn’t sure I wanted to get back in the saddle.

Castleton Caravan Club Site

Mam Tor

enjoying the sun and the beer

gin and tonic time!

Another sunny morning and we stopped off for shopping in Chesterfield before getting to Castleton via a lovely but narrow back road. It was lovely to see John and Jen Illingworth already there in the sunshine so we parked up and settled down for a welcome beer and catch up. Katie and Stew arrived soon after and were on a nearby pitch. Pete and me walked rund the lanes and into Castleton where he bought new trousers before walking back through Losehill Hall . We went back into Castleton later tofind a pub showing the football but we were out of luck with the football but met John and Jen for a drink instead.

Phil arrived with Molly the dog not long after coffee, set up nearby then we went for a walk with the dog. We sat outside Katie’s with nibbles and drinks before eating together in Katie’s. I made chilli and we had a good evening though I don’t know what happened to late nights as we were all tired quite early!

wine time!

don't dare say 'mint sauce'

sitting in the shade

a very happy dog!

John and Jen left to go back to Nottingham. Pete , Stew and Phil  spent time making the ‘boot’ very tidy, hiding cables and pipes then having coffee outside in the sun ( is this really England in March?)  We all went for a walk along the back lane to Hope past places that are normally incredibly muddy but are now dry. We had to stop of course at the Old Hall pub where Katie had a nice cup of tea, the guys had beers and Molly had a big bowl of water and I had a sit in the shade. The landlord there, who we’d met last year, was very talkative and funny. We walked back along the river to Molly’s delight. She splashed in it whenever there was an opportunity. 

                                              We had tea and Katie’s home made cake before going to the ‘Castle’ in the evening for a meal. We had a very long wait but the food was good when it came and they gave us drinks and a bottle of wine which mollified us a bit.

Katie and Stew went home next day while Phil , Pete Molly and me found a different track up Mam Tor than we’d done before coming out near Odin’s mine. We went back through the mine workings to Castleton where we just had to stop in the Castle’s beer garden because Molly needed a drink (!)  The fish and chip van came to the campsite so we didn’t have to cook and they were very good.

Elm Beds Camp site Poynton, near Stockport

Another sunny morning and we set off via Chapel en le Frith. We stocked up on shopping and then followed the sat nav ( not always a wise idea) to Poynton. It took us over a railway line down a very narrow lane, which I certainly wouldn’t want to go down again. We went up the narrow cobbled stretch to the camp site where the lady told us to park anywhere and to save pitches for our friends. A lady in a caravan told us where to get on to the canal and into Lyme park and she was very helpful and friendly. Soon Tom and Lucille came in their caravan (they’d been down the same lane!) followed by daughters Victoria and Lauren in Rob’s VW camper- a vision in vintage cream. 

Stew and Katie pitched next to us and we spent quite some time putting up Rob and Victoria’s awning tent for the first time. Mike, Lauren’s fiancée arrived later.  I thought I’d given up crawling round pegging out groundsheets but was glad to be able to help. We did a group barbecue (Rob did amazing kebabs and I did lemon chicken) and sat in Tom and Lucille’s awning all chattering and eating together.

Saturday dawned a bit grey and misty but we all cycled to Bridge 11 and the Bull’s head pub at lunchtime for Black Sheep beer. In the afternoon, some cycled and some walked in the opposite direction to check out the Miner’s pub. We had another barbecue (Rob’s burgers) with salads – and luckily, the ice cream man had been on site and Lucille did what my mam used to when we were kids- got a bowlful, which went beautifully with Katie’s hot chocolate fondue , marshmallows and lemon meringue pie. Don’t we rough it?

Katie's photo of the awning support team

Sunday was a sunny, bacon sandwiches, reading papers sort of morning. I met a lovely little lad whose mum came to ‘rescue’ me from his chatter but he was very sweet. Rob, Victoria , Lauren and Mike packed up and went off to the Miner’s in vehicles while we cycled along. We had a very long wait for our meal but once again when it came it was delicious and free puddings or coffee helped us enjoy it. It was sad to say ‘goodbye’ to the younger ones but they’d had a good time and I’m sure it won’t be long before they’re camping again. Pete and me went for a late afternoon walk, looking for a better road out, while Tom and Lucille went for another ride along the Macclesfield canal. 

Time for a site report- it’s a little site in separate fields with lots of statics nicely out of sight. The shower block is down hill over matting to a rather tired block, which is very clean but unheated. There are two showers and two loos on the ladies’ side with the same on the gent’s side. It’s right next to the Macclesfield canal and not far from the Middlewood way which is great for walking and cycling. Poynton is a couple of miles away for shopping.

Sunday supper was in Katie’s  then an early night finished off a good weekend. Next day we found a sensible route  down to the A6 and we were home before lunch.

chef  Rob

Macclesfield Canal

Travels in March

Here's the account of our travels in march when the weather , scenery and friends made such an enjoyable month.

February 2012 Scotland train trip

I put a new page in the 'Travels without the motorhome ' section as we went train hopping in Scotland- wonderful!

Plans for the year

January 
A lovely frosty sunny day. Yesterday I was reading blogs 'Europe by camper' and 'the world is our lobster' - good reading if you haven't read them and, inspired by them, we're looking at plans for the year. The annual if possible trip to Telendos is booked- not in the motorhome- the ferry from Italy to Greece is booked and now we're looking at places to go in the next month or so.....all very exciting. Even though it's minus 1 degrees, we're testing out the electric bikes this afternoon- mad isn't the word!

December 2011 The last trip of the year

Brown Moor Caravan Club Site , Hawes. North Yorkshire

Brown - or should that be grey? Moor 

We had a super Christmas and a lovely Boxing day walk around Digley and Bilberry reservoirs with friends, ending up at the Fleece at Holme for a drink. Then it was van packing time for the last trip of the year. 
We took my mam and dad back to Newcastle before heading south again to Hawes. It was dark and damp when we got there but two groups of friends were already there so we parked near them. After drinks with Katie and Stewart, we had an early, quiet night .
We got up in the night when howling winds threatened to tear off Stewart's awning round 5 am.

Egg and sprouts!

We helped him get the awning in as best we could then went inside and had a cup of tea before going back to sleep listening to the wind and rain whistling around the van. We had a lazy morning in the van then walked into Hawes. We had to check out the beers in the Fountain and later on, we walked back up there for something to eat with Karen,  Phil, Stewart and Katie. It seemed that every meal came with sprouts - except mine, thank goodness! Last year I had sausage ,egg and chips and that came with added sprouts.......I had to take a photo, it looked so strange. 


It rained again through the night and it was a grim day but we found the energy to  walk to the Green Dragon at Hardraw in the afternoon and managed to stay dry. Phil, Karen Emily Tom and baby Sophie came in just after us but they were pretty wet.  We had a couple of hours of cosy warmth by the fire before heading back over the fields. It was cold and wet  and luckily Phil had a torch because the moon was only a crescent and it didn't give much light on the wet fields. We had to be careful not to walk into a stream.  Tom and Lucille had arrived when we got back but there was nowhere close free to park . We went to Katie and Stew's for carrot and coriander soup, cold meat and salad.  Phil and Karen came later for drinks and chat.


The wind died down a little the next morning so Pete helped Stewart get the awning right back in again. Pete's folding ladder came in very useful. We went for a walk with Phil and Karen to Burtersett and along to Gayle and again, we got wet. Pete slid down a hillside but somehow kept his coat clean- his trousers weren't though! We had to call in at the Fountain for a restorative drink. We couldn't get near to the fire in the Fountain so went next  door to the Crown where we sat next to the fire. A chance conversation with the landlady's daughter led to us booking a table for a meal on New year's Eve. We rang Katie and Stewart and they came to join us at the Fish and Chip cafe where Emma joined us too. We had a fantastic meal of fish and chips- perfect thin batter, white fish and super chips- a great way to end a walk.

New Year's Eve in the Crown

The next day, a group did a walk to Askrigg but we went to Hawes and got the newspaper and went to a cafe for brunch. We watched Manchester United v Blackburn in the Fountain but were disappointed by  the score ( 2-3)  We went to Katie's in the evening for drinks and nibbles before going to the Crown for a lovely meal. Emily, Tom and baby Sophie came too which was lovely. Baby Sophie played in the corner and was a little star all night. We then went back to Tom and Lucille's for drinks and to wish each other a happy new year.


Lucille and Stewart dressed up in inflatable outfits and went up to the games room where people were playing bingo- they were stunned by L and S's appearance! 

don't be fooled -Pete's not romantic enough to get me a rose!

It was another stormy night with the wind rocking the van. We got up early but sat all morning watching the rain. We did some planning for trips this year and made a calendar . We walked up to the Green Dragon again just to get some fresh air ( and get wet!) We met Phil and Karen, Tom and Emily again there but this time we walked back along the road. It rained heavily on the way back...........again. In the evening we went round to Tom and Lucille's for a lovely meal that we all made something for. 


The last night was stormy too but there were hailstones as well. When we got up, the hills were covered with snow. The campsite was closing down so everyone was getting ready to leave.  I had a nice chat with the lady warden before we set off home.


I like Caravan Club sites in the winter as the showers are heated and there's hard standing for the van but I much prefer not to be parked in lines of vans like a car park. I'm hoping for good weather so we can  have lots of trips..........I'm going to carry on writing the blog by request though I'd only planned to do it for a year..............so the only question is- where to next?

December trip to York

December trip to York

We usually have a trip to York in December to meet friends and go to the Christmas Market. We have stayed at various sites and certified locations but this time we stayed at Manor Farm Caravan Park. It’s fairly convenient as it’s opposite the Racecourse on Bishopthorpe Road and about a mile and a half from the centre of York. It’s a flat walk or cycle along the riverbank, which is pleasant – even though we didn’t have good weather this time. There’s a lovely Millennium bridge, which is very pretty when lit up at night. 

This small site is hidden behind tall hedges ( a requisite of the Council so that nasty vans and caravans can’t be seen from the river) and has a couple of ladies’ loos and one shower, a couple of gents’ loos and a shower, waste emptying, recycling bins and a tap near the entrance. There are two fields with hard standings. It was impossible for us to empty waste water as our hose wouldn’t reach the drain so we had to wait till we got home to do it. The toilet block is ‘heated’ but a dimplex heater on the wall wasn’t really adequate to heat the area in the awful weather and we preferred to use the shower in the van- much warmer.

We had the first afternoon and evening in the van and I had made soup and Katie cooked salmon in a lovely marinade so we ate well and chatted and laughed as usual with friends Stewart, Tom and Lucille.

The next day, we walked along the river into York. We all went our separate ways before meeting up in the Royal Oak for a drink. Sadly, the Christmas Market is now housed in a collection of little wooden chalets. It must be better for the stall holders as they can lock their things away and it must be a bit warmer for them but for us, the atmosphere was missing. We missed seeing the sausages sizzling, the fabulous smells of the food stalls and the bustling stalls. It seemed just a bit sterile though there were some lovely things to buy.....though I didn't buy much at all!
We managed to avoid the worst of the rain and got back to the site without getting wet. Lucille cooked a big Shepherd’s pie for dinner and again we had a lovely evening.

We were hoping to be joined the next day by some more friends but it was snowing, then there was sleet and our friends had car trouble so they didn’t come. I cooked a big brunch then once again, when it was dry, we braved the walk and the temptations of the shops.We stocked up on lots of little necessities in a wonderful hardware shop which seemed to go on forever behind a small shopfront. We met up again at the Royal Oak where we had a wonderful meal.  It rained really heavily in the night. In the morning we all gathered in our van to book next New Year’s eve. We thought we would like to come back to York and stay in Rowntree Park- the Caravan Club site – which is always busy. It was the day that bookings were accepted for next year and we all tried to ring the Caravan Club office to book. Luckily Katie had her call answered so we all got booked up for next year.   We had a wet and miserable drive home but as it’s only an hour, we didn’t mind too much but Pete got really wet walking home from where we park the van as the car was still in the car paint shop getting some scratches removed. It won’t be too long before we are off again for New Year at Hawes.

the journey home, Patras, Ancona, Bellinzona, Kaysersberg, Calais.

89  Goodbye to Aginara- Patras for the boat.
Oh no - 5 am and three mosquitos! We did a mosquito massacre and went back to sleep. We set off for the ferry calling at a little shop in Gastouni for fruit and vegetables ..and lettuce.  We took  Exit 2 from the New National Road (which seemed to come immediately after exit 5) and the port isn't on the signs. After calling at Lidl, we went into the port and took the blue road ( the road is painted blue) to a parking area where Pete stayed with the van while I checked in the new buildings. The ticket office lady told me to go out and follow the red road to Gate 3 which we did. At Gate 3 there were security officers who checked all over and inside the van and told us to go to park down to the left. There are security cameras pointed at number plates but the security guy still wrote our licence number on a piece of paper. There was a refrigerated lorry next to us and the sophisticated surveillance technique was to get a ladder up the boxes at the back and fish around a bit inside! There could have been a whole compartment in the middle filled with people that the security man couldn't see.  
We went left and parked with some other motorhomes and caravans about two thirds of the way down the port area. When the boat came in, motorhomes around us started moving to the end of the port where some lorries were parked and the boat docked. When the boat was unloaded, and crew told the lorries to come on, there was a free for all as motorhomes and caravans all tried to go at once! There was no-one to direct traffic into a queue so it was just as disorganised as the old port had been. It's a pity because the new port is far more secure and feels safer than the old one but it could be much better organised and instead of having parking bays marked, lanes for vehicles waiting could have been made as other ports have.

We were a bit dismayed to be right inside the boat , not near a window but we went on deck to watch the loading. We only saw a couple of young men outside the perimeter fence trying to get in but the police in a van went to chase them away, unlike other years where poor unfortunates were hanging about all around the port, causing problems for police and travellers. We watched till Patras faded into the distance then went back to the van to the relative comfort to read ( Charles Dickens 'The Old Curiosity Shop' in my case...and there's a Bevis in it!) We had lovely hot showers , salmon salad and an early night though two refrigerated lorries who got on at Igoumenitsa made a noise through the night.
90 Bellinzona, Switzerland

At 11.30am we docked in Ancona. We got off the boat at 12.30, and at 1pm we got to the Autostrada. We stopped twice for diesel en route but I'd made sandwiches which we had in a rest area so we didn't stop long for lunch. It's a fairly boring drive through Italy  and it's strange to see very old farmhouses next to the Autostrada surrounded by fields with a railway behind and sometimes huge factories next to them.


At 6.55, we pulled into Bellinzona service area just as it was getting dark. I opened a can of Lidl's chilli and had a quick meal and then a shower. We locked everything securely and put a ratchet strap across the two front doors before settling in for an early night.


91 Kaysersberg, France
We woke up early and set off at nine. There's a different light in Switzerland at this time of year and it made the scenery look even more dramatic. Clouds were lifting from the valleys into clear blue skies. The mountains looked absolutely amazing.

We stopped for coffee near Sursee. Heading for Basle, we then took the  A35 towards Colmar where we stopped at E.LeClerc for an hour while we shopped and filled with diesel. There were a few fresh prawns left for sale so Pete of course had to buy them all. I needed a fresh raspberry eclair too.....We drove the last few miles through vineyards to Kaysersberg where I guessed the camper stop might be about half full- wrong! It was very busy. We emptied and filled and found a spot down the bottom of the car park. The prawns didn't last very long when eaten with a fresh baguette and some salad. We went to the tourist office to get two hours free internet. We were horrified to find that we couldn't carry on the tradition of having some home made ice cream in the town as they only had three flavours left...I didn't fancy geranium, spicy brown bread or pistachio flavours......

I cooked a version of spaghetti carbonara using feta  and cooking cream to use up the feta. It was delicious.

92 Calais
We woke to a sunny but cool morning and set off again at 9am. We drove over the mountain and saw the wonderful views from up there. On the other side, towards St Die, we stopped at a bakery in Fraize for bread and I saw some different bread so I bought it not knowing what it was. It was fantastic! It tasted like a bacon sandwich ( my favourite food) as it had chunks of crunchy bacon in and was sprinkled with cheese on the top. It didn't last very long!  
We took our usual route, Nancy, Metz and stopped for lunch at Aire de Vitremont in the sunshine.We headed up to Petange near Luxemburg for diesel ( 1.18 euros per litre) and as we sat waiting for the lady in front to fill up, we both had the same thought...'head for Calais?' We usually have a night in Stenay or Le Cateau but it seemd that no sooner had we made the decision to drive straight up to Calais than the sun went in and clouds came over. We headed for Arlon and the E42. It was raining a little and there were a few roadworks between Namur  and Mons but it cleared as we neared Calais. We got to the aire near the beach  just before seven and bought frites ( not very good ones) before having a quiet night. We were both very tired. The aire cost 7 euros collected by a man coming round the vans in the evening.
93 Home

It was very windy in the night. We went to Auchan to stock up on favourite wines ( and the obligatory prawns and raspberry tarts) . We went to the ticket office at 10.30 am- a day early- and got tickets for the 11.10 ferry! We had a coffee and soon we were in Dover with slow traffic from the port, slow traffic on the M25 and the M1 round Luton. It got very windy as we passed Sheffield and the signs showed a 40 mile an hour limit on the viaduct because of it. I was much amused to see another sign at the end of the viaduct which said END...was it signlling the end of the speed limit or the end of our trip?
We got back just after five and it was lovely to see the house with the  garden looking green and tidy thanks to good friends Katie, Stewart, Roy and Rose and even nicer to find a 'welcome home' carrot cake made by Katie. How good it was to be home and on Wednesday too- music night up at the Huntsman pub- our lovely local,  so we just had to go up to listen to the super musicians and Pete was very happy to re-acquaint himself with British beer! 
How lucky are we to have such good friends and such a good time? 

And the next day,in heavy showers then sunshine, we emptied, cleaned and put the van away till next time...........