Phil & Barbs "Lightning Tours."

Monday, 31 August 2015

Wednesday 26^th August 2015

Now that all the little Minions have returned to their institutes of learning and Xboxes it was time for us, like so many children of the 60’s to head for one of our many European arthritis treating spa towns such as Benidorm and Torremolinos. We drove down Tuesday and spent the night at Alderstead Heath Caravan Club site. Like most club sites it was well organised and clinically laid out in the Caravan Club colour scheme of green and green. The next day (Wednesday) as virgin channel tunnel travellers we were surprised how smoothly, quickly and efficiently we were transported over to Europe, will definitely use this again.

Our first stop was Belgium, a country famous for chocolate, beer and for being the first comparison site…”every year an area the size of Belgium evaporates from the earth” , “every year a population the size of Belgium….” And so on.

Unsurprisingly the other thing

Belgium

is famous for is the number of times its been occupied by alien forces, and today was no exception. As we pulled up at the Aire in Brugges we started to notice the uniformed troops of Manchester United. More about these later. So what of Brugges? Its an exceptionally beautiful town where the residents seem proud of its cleanliness and fine architectural historical buildings. Like Vienna the best way to walk around Brugges is to follow the routes taken by the many horse and traps that navigate through the narrow streets with on board tourists . Or like us take one of the many leisure motor boats that meander throughout the cities canal network with an experienced bilingual tour guide come driver who points out the many significant buildings and even throws in a few crummy jokes. The 30 minute tour costs just 8 euros each.

After the boat trip we just leisurely wandered the streets looking at each section in more detail. Finally it was off to the city square with its fine buildings and many bars. Here the Man utd occupation was in full swing, only about a thousand of them who to be fair had confined themselves to the naughty boys corner of the square where a couple of the bars were providing them with their ‘best’ lagers for 5 euros a pint. How kind! The songs were being sung and the ‘pints’ were going down well but they were no trouble. I couldn’t help but compare them to fans of my generation, the 60’s and 70’s, We were all skinny almost malnourished young kids with long hair and platform shoes who poured out from our poorly paid office or factory jobs to support our local teams with local players. This lot like so many supporters of English teams are, like the players, alien to the city which they represent , They had stuffed wallets, tended to be middle aged with shaved heads and beer bellies. Many speaking with cockney accents.

We sat amused by their antics and singing but finally moved on to a lovely restaurant on the edge of the city and closer to our Aire which at 25 euros is expensive even with the electricity but worth it just for its location in the city.

As we sat eating our meal outside we could observe the final dregs of the Man utd occupation stagger off to the ground each battalion heading aimlessly, like their defence of last season, in different directions.

This hadn’t been a lightning tour as we had spent quite a few hours visiting this great city but as we sat finishing our meal on what had been an unforgettable day the heavens opened and the lightning flashed.

Brugges

Monday, 13 July 2015

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

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.

Monday, 6 July 2015

Route taken on Scotland trip.

Scottish trip, route taken

Friday, 5 June 2015

sunday 10th - 22 May trip to Scotland continued.

Tarland walk

Edinburgh

10th May – 22 May Trip to Scotland.

I’d only visited Scotland on three occasions, the first time in 1966 for the European Cup Winners Cup Final at Hampden park. Then about 10 years ago for the Wigan v Saints Challenge cup final at Murrayfield. The third occasion was when we hopped over the border to get our first motorhome about 3 years ago. A visit to the country was well over due.

First stop was just outside Edinburgh on the Caravan Club site. From there we visited the Forth Bridge. We then went to Loch Lomond and camped on the edge of the Loch. At this point we started to realise the remoteness of some of the sites and the lack of nearby pubs! Similarly the Caravan and Camping club site outside Oban was in a great location but again no pubs within walking distance.

Our next intended stop was Glencoe and we foolishly didn’t stop here but moved to our next location at Fort William. This was a great ACSI card site just outside the town and handy for a cycle ride down the beautiful Caledonian Canal. Surprisingly two nearby pubs but both unattractive.

Loch Ness was quite remote and barren. We stayed at the CCC site and on this occasion we had a nice nearby pub. As soon as we arrived we went off on a circular walk and passed the pub on the final leg, unfortunately we only had enough money with us for one pint each and had to watch all of the other drinkers enjoy tasty looking meals.

The CC site at Inverness was on a good bus route into the town and we used the opportunity to do a bit of shopping. Inverness was an ok place, positioned on a river with beautiful countryside surrounding it. The day we visited it rained for most of the day.

When we left Inverness we called in at Nairn for a Sunday morning coffee. We were quite surprised at how nice this town was. It had a nice beach with well manicured lawns along the waterfront. A place i would consider visiting again for a longer period.

Tarland was really suited to our needs. Lovely CCC site close to the town with two pubs within walking distance. The site offered a neat little handbook of nearby walks, the countryside around the town was lovely with the walks being not too strenuous.

The CC site at Perth was a bus ride from the town so again we went on a shopping trip there. It was a fairly attractive town that used to be the capital of the country. We overheard a woman say that there were 42 charity shops in the town and this comment therefore acted as catalyst to our days challenge....to visit them all!

After Perth we agreed to give Edinburgh a final shot. Out Challenge cup final weekend some years ago gave us the satisfaction of seeing Wigan beat saints in the final but our intended Sunday visit to the capitals great buildings and parks was curtailed when we spotted a TK Max on our way into the city. Precious time was spend scouring the rails for bargains, which meant that we cancelled the city trip and went back to the campsite to hitch up the caravan and head home.

This time we got into the city and had a full days tour. As you’ve probably heard us say on numerous occasions we aren’t great lovers of cities preferring the quietness of the countryside, however Edinburgh was fabulous.

Sunday 10 May start of our 2 week tour of Scotland. Pic. Of Forth Bridge, Edinburgh. In Oct. 1939 German dive bombers attacked a number of British warships in the area just behind where I am standing. It was the first air raid of WW2. Dads ship HMS Edinburgh was one of those attacked. He was severely injured receiving the last rites and heroin. After 6 months in hospital, a visit from the queen and a 'nervous breakdown' he was discharged and posted to HMS Prince of Wales only for that to be torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese!