2016 East Anglian amblings, Cambridge, Peterborough and Rutland Water

Day 1 Mill Cottage, Pretty Corner, Sheringham.

This little trip started with a visit to Wickenby Airfield. My Dad, a flight engineer on Lancasters, was based there during the war and it's worth a visit to see their little museum. There's a cafe and the museum staff are very knowledgeable about 626 Squadron. We donated some of Dad's books to the museum and , as usual, felt sad about all those who had lost their lives in the war.

This is a photo of 'Icarus' at Wickenby symbolising those who fell from the skies in the war. It was taken on Dad's 90th birthday- my sister scattered his ashes here too.
Onwards into Norfolk ... we didn't have any clear plans and as it was getting dark, we headed for Mill Cottage. It's outside of Sheringham and run by a motorhoming couple. There's parking, waste emptying, water and electric. The pitches are small with views over open fields but you have use of the lovely garden. We were made welcome but it was too dark to walk into Sheringham so we had a quiet night there.

Day 2  Old Hall Hotel Caister

We got advice from the couple running the site as to where is nice to go and off we went. First we went into Sheringham then we went along the coast, west. We parked up in Wells, parked in the only available spot on the road and had a walk along the estuary in the breeze. We had a wander around  the little town.As it was half term, everywhere seemed busy and we didn't find parking easy to find to stop at other places, however Pete achieved his goal of buying a dressed crab. We tootled in and out of lovely villages till we got back to Sheringham where we ate the crab and watched the sea.

We headed then to Caister where the Old Hall hotel had been recommended as a stopover. We were welcomed and got plugged in via a lead from the kitchen area. For fifteen pounds, you get to park and have electricity and then ten pounds is refunded from your food/bar bill and you are given a pass for the very nice pool and spa. We passed some time in the bar ( real ales) then went back to the van. We came back in to eat having been talked into cod loin in batter. Sadly, it didn't live up to the hype and my mussels were barely warm. We didn't sleep very well either as it is a very busy corner on a main road next to a Lidl........

and we woke to a dismal day.

Day 3 The Hollies, Kessingland
We headed for Waveney River Centre where we had booked for a few nights- it looked so good on the website and had good reviews. Driving up the very muddy narrow lane with passing places for what seemed an endless time, we did start to wonder what we'd done. We were given our 'level pitch' to quote the website and it was up a slight slope and even if we had gone up it, we would not have been level. We decided against even trying as it would have churned the mud up so I went to reception. They suggested other pitches that were sloping sideways but whether it was the weather and the fact it was dismal or the less than enthusiastic  staff, we decided to leave. I am sure that in summer it would be a lovely place but  not for us at this time of year. We drove for a while being unsure as to what to do next but I remembered reading about a site at Kessingland so off we went. We got there and went into reception- what a difference- the ladies there were so welcoming and the guy who showed us to our pitch was super, explaining where things were and generally being enthusiastic about the wild life. ( a flock of goldfinches, two kestrels for starters) 
It's a big site with an open space near the cliff tops and we had a super walk along the beach in the afternoon sun. The showers are pristine and hot and just what we needed after a good walk. There's no wifi here but as we watched the goldfinches settling in for the night, we didn't miss it.

 There's really significant coastal erosion here

A bit of beach sculpture...entitled 'Spring'

Day 4 Norwich

It was minus five in the night but we were snug. I confessed to reception that I had made the shower floor muddy ( the site is on clay ) and there wasn't a mop or anything to clean up with. The receptionist was really nice and so friendly- I wished we were staying longer as it was a welcoming place- and the big bonus, it was only ten pounds!  We were waved off by Mark, the guy who had greeted us yesterday and we both mused about what makes a site good for you......mostly, the first impression sets the tone and maybe if the ladies in reception at Waveney had looked remotely interested , it might have been different but I was so impressed by the Kessingland staff.  If we are down that way again, we will go back to that site. 
We moved on to Norwich after visiting the convenient Morrisons shop just down the road from the site.  The van clocked 10,00 miles just before we got to my sister's house.We spent the night with my family, after spending the afternoon putting together a Playmobil hospital .....hours of endless fun - or not..but we made a little girl very happy.

Day 5 Cherry Hinton Caravan Club site Cambridge
Pete's birthday and our wedding anniversary
We've never been to Cambridge  but we liked the site set in an old quarry as it wasn't rows of white blobs. The downside was the pitches were set off the road so you had to drive over grass to get to them. ( not all pitches) ...not the best idea for an open all year site.
We had a walk into Cherry Hinton calling at the nearby Robin Hood for a drink, buying flowers and a charity shop vase before going into the Red Lion for another drink. 

We returned to the Robin Hood for a lovely meal- the staff were super and the food was really good. We were glad we'd booked a table earlier as it was very busy. We had a great night.

Day 6 Cambridge

As it was Sunday, we decided to have a lazy day doing nothing much but we had a walk around the Cherry Hinton chalk pits which are of special scientific interest.  There are two pits and a nature reserve and we happily passed the afternoon and had a tv evening.

Day 6 Cambridge

We got the bus to town by the Robin Hood pub and went into Cambridge. ( £4.10 for a day rover ticket) We sat upstairs at the front like kids! We walked around the market and into the ( closed to the public!) colleges. We walked along the river and saw some of the sights...stopping frequently because Pete still is not walking very well. I'll let the photos do the 'talking.'...

 We got the bus home tired and happy after a look around this beautiful place.

Day 7 Cambridge

It was sunny and cold again so once more we got the bus and walked ( very slowly) to the Fitzwilliam Museum where a new Eygptian exhibition was just opening. There was so much to see that it was impossible to do justice to it- especially when I could have spent ages just looking at the ceilings! 




I loved seeing the model for 'The Angel of the North' . 

We had a late lunch in the 'Baron of Beef'- super food, lovely staff and good beer plus a discount for filling a form in- perfect! We had balked at paying £9 to go inside King's College Chapel but discovered that you can go in at 5.30pm free when there is a service. I was absolutely overwhelmed by the amazing choir and tears ran down my cheeks. The candlelit chapel was beautiful but the singing was spine tingling. Pete left after a while and I met him in the famous pub 'The Eagle' before getting the bus back...once more weary but so happy. 

Day 8 Ferry Meadows Caravan Club site Peterborough

It was a sunny frosty morning so we got off the pitch without churning up the grass. We had a short drive to the lovely site at Nene Park, so close to the lakes and parkland with an abundance of wildlife. There were so many rabbits and squirrels about. I had a super walk and sat in the sun then later walked again with Pete this time taking the binoculars for a close up of some of the amazing birds here. We sat on a bench and saw broken shellfish- left by otters! We didn't see one but it felt great to know they were around.

Day 9 Ferry Meadows

We went for a morning walk to where we had seen the shells the day before and we sat in the sun . We didn't see any otters but we saw lots of birds. We love the grebes who did their 'disappearing act' going under the water and bobbing up where you least expect them. We walked to Rutland Cycle shop ( opposite direction to lakes) and into the pub next door for a rest. We walked to the little village and local shops having to check out the 'Windmill' pub as well. The village is very pretty with more thatched houses than I expected. 

Day 9 Rutland Caravan site Greetham
 We drove to Rutland site through villages and called in for shopping in Stamford. It's about a year since we were last here but we were meeting up with friends for the weekend. We arrived just after Katie and Stewart, Tom and Lucille followed us in closely followed by Karen and Phil so coffees and hot cross buns and a chat were first on the agenda. We had a walk down to the Wheatsheaf- two pints in front of a lovely fire. We had to call in the Plough too...churlish not to....then went back to Katie's van where she and Lucille had made a lovely meal for all of us.

Day 10 Rutland

The adult field shower block is being extended so was closed .Tom,  Lucille , Katie and Stew went into Oakham, Karen and Phil went for a walk and we did nothing much at all! We went to the Plough for an evening meal which was  magnificent- everything about it was good. The staff were so friendly and helpful and after eating, we asked the chef to come out , which he did, and we thanked him, He passed on how he had cooked some of the food and was such a nice guy. The house Chilean Merlot was also good. We all agreed that it was the nicest meal we had eaten out in a long time.

Day 11 Rutland
The others all went off on different walks but once again we did very little except walk to the Wheatsheaf where we met up with Tom and Lucille then after they had gone, Karen and Phil. We had a quiet night. 
The next day we left for home after a really nice break. 

November 'van sick' outing to Leeds Castleton and Newark.

November 2015

A Dentist's car park in Roundhay, Leeds

Why 'van - sick' ?........other people get homesick and we get sick of not being in the van!
Well it's an unlikely spot for an overnight stay but we went to a friend's retirement party and Mike kindly asked the dentist next door if we could park there overnight- it was super! However,  the sat nav decided it didn't want to go where we'd set it so we called at a garage to ask where to go then ended up in a dead end in Roundhay park- we had to be rescued by Janet who came to find us. A lovely party, meeting people we haven't seen in a long time from National Union of Teachers days, great veggie curries and a wonderful buffet, then bacon sandwiches in the morning, made it a good time. 

Brownhills at Newark

Here again to have the van serviced- engine and habitation. The new showers were open this time so we had a swim and a spell in the hot tub after looking round the vans for sale. There was nothing to tempt us. We walked over the road to the Roman Way pub but the food was mediocre and I sent mine back as the salmon wellington wasn't hot inside....grim. The beer was good though.

Brownhills night 2

We went into Newark, given a lift by the Brownhills staff and had a wander round but it was very cold so we didn't stay very long. We had a chat to the technicians about the temperamental sat nav. They'd tried to fix it but couldn't. They were going to have a talk to Fiat and see what could be done.
We had a new mattress fitted under warranty, a new mirror in the bathroom and a new bracket fitted to hold the television. We'd been worried about it falling off and all the new vans had these brackets fitted. I feel a whole lot happier now and the service from the staff here was good.

Castleton Caravan Club site

Van sick- what we get when we haven't been in the van for a while. So that's why we went to Castleton- we just wanted to be in the van for a while. The weather forecast was poor but when we are all snug in the van, it doesn't seem to matter. Pete's sciatica and the pain it causes, means he can't walk far but he managed to walk into Castleton for a drink.

Castleton 2
There was heavy rain  in the night so we spent a morning happily pottering about in the van and having a good clean.  We went to the Nags Head for an evening meal but I wasn't really impressed with the cauliflower and lentil curry...it was unidentified veg mushed in a sauce.

Castleton  3
I went into Castleton to get some money as someone had left his wallet at home. We both walked along to Hope and went to the Old Hall for a sandwich lunch.

December  2015 York 

Fulford caravan site:

I booked this site which used to be a residential caravan  park. We had booked onto Rowntree Park  but the continual rain meant that we had a call to say the site was flooded. This is a nice little site with level pitches, two ladies loos and showers, but the wifi is almost non existent. The owner's parents, Bella and Terry, run it from a caravan and they were very helpful, parking us near the bungalow where they said we would have a good wifi signal...or not. As it was, we had a pitch that was wide but realised that it was meant for two vans if it was busy. We walked into York and it was about twenty minutes or there was a bus on Fulford Road going into town. We walked past an Aldi and an Iceland and some local shops. We had a drink in the Royal Oak then a meal in Wetherspoons- the five bean chili was good- then called in at the Fulford Arms halfway back. It's a lovely local pub with friendly customers and bar staff.

 Fulford 2
 We woke to find that the river had made it's way up the lane where you get in to the site. I was a bit worried as Phil and Karen were arriving later but Terry had checked the forecast and the depth of water and he was reassuring. He also told us we could walk out of the back gate across the field to Fulford Road.

Phil and Karen arrived and parked on the next pitch. We went into town via the back gate. We met up with Katie and Stewart, Lucille and Tom who had come in from the Park and Ride. They were staying at Beechwood Grange site. We had a drink with them in the Royal Oak then went to eat in Wetherspoons again after spending Pete's last beer vouchers in the Star.  We stopped off in the Fulford Arms where Pete and Phil played bar billiards.

Fulford 3

We woke to find the heating not working and an error code E212H on the display.....Phil came in and we spent ages trying to work out the problem. Pete changed the gas bottle and reset the unit and everything worked again- another lesson learnt and a warm van. Pete cooked bacon outside with Phil on the Cadac. We went again into the town and I cooked pork in leek and mushroom sauce for us all.

Fulford 4
The flood waters had receded a bit  so we could go out of the gate. We went into town for serious Christmas shopping and a visit to the Hop pub. Pete had his last pasty of the stay . We went to the Golden Fleece and Wetherspoons again for tea. Pete and me had been to the York Cocoa cafe for coffee and cake already!  

* SITE NOW CLOSED* 

Clumber Park  Caravan Club

Terry told us that the river was rising again and Bella said we could leave the van at the top of the site if we wanted to go into York today but we were heading for Clumber Park and didn't want to stay longer though we will use that site again as it's convenient and it would be a lovely walk along the river bank into town when it's not flooded. When we got to Clumber Park we arrive just before Tom and Emily who chose a pitch and we parked next to them. We met the wardens who used to be at Castleton.Phil came later then Karen and Sophie came in the car after school. We took Robbie the dog for a walk in the woods and he was very good, waiting for us at each junction in the path. There's no phone signal here at all and a very limited wifi signal. 

Clumber Park and meeting Santa

It rained heavily so we went in two cars down to Clumber Park visitor centre where Sophie and Sam went to see Santa, we saw reindeer , wrote letters to Santa , made reindeer food and had lunch in the tea rooms. It was a really nice visit despite the weather. Karen cooked beef in Yorkshire puddings for everyone and we ate in Tom and Emily's van. When the children were asleep, we had cheese and port in our van.....and the rain kept falling.

January 2016

I am now so behind typing up this blog I feel ashamed of myself! Never mind- I expect the snow will come soon and I will have time to write up last year's trip to North West Spain, Greece, and our various jaunts around the UK. So for now, I am going to start with this year's trip to Broadway for New Year.

December 2015 Broadway Caravan Club Site

We had a nice drive down to Broadway - it took about two and a half hours. The warden was really nice and we pitched up on 34 with a nice grass space in front. Mel arrived later and went with Pete in search of a pub with football on- without success. The pub they were looking for was closed and they had managed to walk past it in the dark street.

Broadway 2

 I had a good shower and a wander round the site- the upper level is nice with good views and an old wooden caravan in the old railway building. Andy and Carol had a fuel filter leak so had to wait for rescue. Mel, Pete and me walked into Broadway and they disgraced themselves counting how many people were wearing green wellies. Broadway is very beautiful with honey coloured stone buildings. We had to find the closed pub of course and try the Old Hooky- a beer I remembered well from when I used to live in Coventry.   We came back to the site and waited for Andy and Carol. We ate with them  then we were rocked to sleep by the heavy winds.

Broadway 3

The weather was pretty grim but we walked into Broadway and Pete found some shoes to buy- a bargain. Storm Frank was causing horrendous flooding in Cumbria and the North West. We went into the Broadway hotel to shelter from the rain- on the recommendation of the lady in the shoe shop. It was very cosy.  We went into the Crown and Trumpet where we ate fish and chips and they were great.  We went later to Mel's van for eats and drinks.

Andy wears Carol's hat !

Broadway 4 New Year's Eve

It was sunny and windy so we walked into  Broadway and sheltered from the rain in the Hare and Hound . It really was torrential rain. I walked back alone after going to Budgens for sausage for tomorrow's big breakfast and on the way back I had to stop to watch a murmuration of starlings- they were amazing. 

We went to Mel's  for pre dinner drinks then back to the Hare and Hounds for a wonderful New Year's Eve dinner. We went back to Mel's for champagne and to see the New Year in. It was a lovely night.

Broadway 5 
 New year, new adventures and I started writing my notes in a new book that was hand made for me by my nephew Stewart- it's beautiful. 

We woke up at 9am after our lovely night and we were just cooking breakfast- Andy and Pete outside in charge of the Cadac, when friends Ian and Karen arrived so it was 'keep your elbows in' time in the van as seven of us had sausage bacon and mushroom sandwiches!  Ian and Karen drove us up in shifts to Broadway Tower where the views are amazing- but sadly not on rainy , windy days. We once again took to the shelter of the Hare and Hound. We walked back to the site and went to Andy and Carol's  for drinks before going to the Crown and Trumpet for a meal- very traditional puddings!  We were all quite tired so had a relatively early night.

Broadway 6
Ian and Karen came round from their bed and breakfast place for coffee and then everyone except us left for home. The site emptied too. Ian and Karen took us to Evesham where Ian had his tyre fixed, Pete got his pasty fix, Karen got her shoe shop fix and I bought bread. They took us back to the site and went home. Pete watched football and we had a quiet afternoon and salad for tea.


Seavington Saint Mary


We left Broadway and headed towards Bristol- well, Cribb's Causeway Junction 17, M5, our usual stop for diesel and a bit of shopping. We then went to see friends Andrew and Karen in Seavington St Mary- a place neither of us have been before. We had a wonderful  meal with our good friends- we hadn't seen them for a good few years but time didn't matter, the night flew past as we caught up . We slept in the van on a very dark and starry night.

Sampford Courtenay, Devon

After visiting the village shop run by volunteers and buying some lovely things, we drove down to Pete's brother's house in Devon. We didn't sleep in the van there but when we usually go there, we have to stay on a site as the village is very small and Robin's drive too steep to park on. However- they had demolished the garage and changed the drive so we could get off the road. It was a bit tense as the bottom at the back almost grounded and the exhaust almost caught on the lip of the drive. It was well chocked in case it squashed the car behind. It was quite a feat getting it on and off again. We always have a lovely stay there and Pete particularly likes helping in the orchard and garden. This time was no exception as tree felling and burning brash was on the timetable.....men and fires....they just can't resist them. I watched Jill spinning wool- she weaves and makes lovely things.
We had three days there seeing younger family members and generally having a good time. 

Baltic Wharf Caravan Club site Bristol

We had a sunny drive up to Bristol and arrived at Baltic Wharf- the second time we have stayed here. We got a nice pitch by the water side with good views. We walked out of the back gate along to M Shed to see the 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' exhibition there. It was great- a really amazing set of photos. We started to go round the Bristol life exhibition but we were too tired to take in any more information. Pete's legs were hurting so we went into a pub for a rest before getting the river ferry back to the site- a great service. We went to the Cottage Inn next door to the site for a meal but the food was mediocre though the beer was good. 

Baltic Wharf  2

 This is a nice site with good showers. It was busy- I think it's always busy so we were lucky to get in on a whim.....We walked back to M Shed to look at the museum and have a chat with one of the custodians. We then went to the St. Nicholas markets and by chance found a stall to get a cover for Pete's mobile and a wonderful shop that was like an Aladdin's cave for me. It's downstairs and the fabrics, curtains and clothes there shone like jewels. The lady was particularly helpful and I found what I'd been looking for ....a big thin cotton throw which is so useful in the van in the summer for extra shade. Our old one has faded into insignificance, the new one is gorgeous.  

Swindon

We had really enjoyed our two nights in Bristol but realised that there is still so much to see and do there- we will have to go back again. We drove to see friends in Blunsden, Swindon where we stayed once more on their driveway and had a super night. 

Brownhills Newark
 We had a lovely, if a bit wet, drive up the Fosseway past Cirencester, Stow, Warwick and across to Newark. We had planned to come again to get the sat nav sorted . During the habitiation check, the technician had discovered that the bathroom door doesn't always close easily so they were fixing that, plus straightening out some crumpled lino.  

Brownhills  2 

We got up early and spent all day inside- neither of us felt like swimming so we read, looked at vans and had lunch in the Bistro- with a discount.  We got the call to pick it up at 5pm but they hadn't fixed the sat nav because it was working! I wasn't happy as they had photos to prove that the problem had happened and would likely happen again. We went back into the van to head for home but when I started it up, the sat nav  of course failed. I went back to the service department and spoke to Tom who had dealt with it before. There's a man from Fiat coming tomorrow so we decided to stay and get it sorted.

Brownhills 3

Well, we got up early and sat around in the service department. We had  lunch again in the Bistro but when I went for a walk around, our van hadn't moved. I went to get the keys because I was cross because I could have been in the comfort of my van all morning until they had time to deal with it, plus I wrongly assumed that the work would be done first . A technician came out and said they were just going for the van. .....hmm. We got the van back- Alistair had fixed the sat nav but when I looked, the bike rack was extended- the piece that fixed it had been broken off or had dropped off so we had to wait for a new piece. Finally with everything working we set off for home. Pete sent an email to Brownhills as though we have had great service from them and it's a good place to stay, there needs to be better communication between work shop and customer. 
It seemed like we have been away for a long time when we got the van emptied and ready to put it away.