30th June 3 nights at Hunday Manor near Workington.

No we haven't sold our motorhome and thrown away our ACSI card! It was just a well priced offer I saw on Travelzoo that made us realise that we were due a trip to the quieter western lakes where motorhome manoeuvrings can be quite troublesome. Having the car meant that we could go into the quieter more remote areas and visit some great walks and traditional pubs. It was 3 really nice days where we visited Loweswater . Our evening walk here was in temps in the mid 70's and we came across loads of people swimming in the cold waters. We also made two visits to the nearby Kirkstile Inn (great location and excellent food and drink).
We also did a complete circuit of Ennerdale and Buttermere.
Although we were intending to treat ourselves to an evening meal in the excellent hotel restaurant we found it a little sterile, breakfast time was quiet with couples mainly keeping to themselves so we ate every night in village pubs with the locals. One of these was The Castle Bar in Cockermouth where upstairs was a really quaint restaurant area with good reasonably priced food and drink. As we arrived here they had a happy hour with ale at £2 a pint. Will definitely return here when the weather is colder and we can snuggle up next to the fire me and the dog of course (when we get one).
Overall a great break and we know pretty soon we will have to report terrible weather but up to now this last year has seen all of our travels blessed with fine weather.
On our way home we stopped at Elterwater and Loughrigg Tarn just outside Grasmere. This is a beautiful part of the lakes and again a place we'll have to return to .

Loweswater

Ennerdale

Ennerdale

Hunday Manor.

Elterwater

The walk from Elterwater to Loughrigg Tarn

Loughrigg Tarn

Elterwater

From Ladram bay to Cofton Country Park

Again we were pleasantly surprised at this site. It is located next to woodland where there is a path that takes you to Dawlish Warren and eventually to Dawlish where you virtually follow the railway lines that were badly damaged by the storms in 2014. Dawlish is a delightful town with a large well cared for park right through its centre. Here you will see the famous black swans and the Gays Creamery selling its "Gays Ice Cream".  Dawlish Warren is basically a resort full of caravan parks unattractive pubs and fairground rides.
However you are protected from all of that if you stay at Cofton Park. Again for about £9 a night you have superb facilities on a spacious pitch. If you want to use them there are both indoor and outdoor pools a reasonable bar and restaurant and outdoor seating areas.  There are two main sides to the camping area with one reasonably flat and the other on terraced pitches with great views. We found the terraced areas better and quieter. However its quite possible to find a pitch away from others and away from the main pool and entertainment areas.
A five minute walk away will find you in the village of Cockwood where there are two fantastic pubs serving fine ales and food. The one overlooking the harbour is a little more expensive but concentrates more on seafood.
This was a great stay, we ate out most nights in Cockwood. We visited the nearby Powderham Castle and took the cycle path all the way to Exeter. This must have been one of the best cycle path ive ridden on. It was well signposted with a great surface along its entire length. Exeter proved to be another surprise with its lovely waterfront, cathedral and old buildings.
During this stay we also visited Teignmouth which was ok . Another day we took the scenic railway trip to Paignton which was slightly disappointing and then walked to Torquay. We liked Torquay particularly around the harbour area.
Again the good weather kept our spirits up and maintained our commitment to visiting more and more of our beautiful country.

Teignmouth

The black swans of Dawlish.

Dawlish.

Dawlish waterfront.

Powderham Castle

Exeter Cathedral

Torquay.

Cofton Park Country Caravan Park.

7th - 19th June in East Devon

Two ACSI sites Ladram Bay and Cofton Country Holiday Park were the bases for out next trip to East Devon.  Both of these worked out at around £9 a night as Ladram Bay offered 7 nights for the price of 6. They were both extremely impressive sites in great locations. Again you wouldn't go in July or August unless you wanted to pay somewhere in the region of £30 a night but for off peak they offered fine locations and excellent facilities. Ladram Bay was a terraced site with large pitches. It was between the resorts of Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton.  The nearby village of Otterton was a 10 minute walk a way with a bus stop to most large town and an excellent pub. Great clifftop walks to both Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton.
We were literally bowled over by Sidmouth (we used the towns bowling green) it really is a resort for people who don't like the hurdy gurdy of many English resorts with their slot machines and cheap bars. It seems to have preserved many of its Victorian sentiments and values with croquet lawns and traditional shops. The promenade offers fine views with numerous park benches and there are many reasonably priced coffee bars and cafes along with traditional pubs.
We had an amazing time here with really good weather. The sites indoor pool, sauna and steam room was £4 a session but if you came after 4pm this was reduced to £2.
Budleigh Salterton was another fine well kept town and there was a good walk along the clifftops to this town with the return taking you along the River Otter to Otterton.

The Ladram Bay campsite beach.

Looking back towards Ladram bay.

The clifftops above Ladram Bay

Budleigh Salterton.





 

Route taken on Scotland trip.

Scottish trip, route taken