27th March 2017

Stayed overnight at the Flying Horse again but because they'd had a busy Mothers day they were shutting as we arrived. Reassured that we were still welcome to park up for night. Had the last of the Stella from last years trip, some M&S curry and good nights kip before early Chunnel tomorrow.

Chatsworth Welsh Terrier Walk Saturday 18th March 2017

We returned to Chatsworth for the welsh terrier walk on the Saturday. We had Friday and Saturday on the Chatsworth Caravan Club site and yet again enjoyed all of the fabulous walks the park and surrounding area offered, and yet again we enjoyed our two nights in The Devonshire Arms. It was a relatively small group that braved the weather and Jonesy met up with his other sister Dilys. He also met his half brothers Merlin and Idrys both of whom have the same parents as Jonesy but different litters. It was a great walk and for the period of the walk the rain stayed off. We also came across an Airedale terrier on the walk. The coffee shop at Chatsworth was closed as we finished the walk but the very nice staff at Chatsworth provided us with a free urn of coffee with cups. A great day out and and opportunity to compare notes on our Welshies.

Dilys, Merlin, Idrys and Jonesy.

5th February 2017, 3 nights at Chatsworth Caravan Club site.

We had 3 nights on the Caravan Club site at Chatsworth. Its really surprising how enjoyable these winter breaks are. The rain stayed off although it was a bit murky at times. We walked around the Chatsworth estate and did a couple of 10 mile walks to places like Bakewell. The other thing we like about these winter trips are the evening meals in cosy pubs. The Devonshire Arms in Barlow was good for food and we loved the Chatsworth Gold real ale. We had two nights in this pub and also tried the Wheatshief around the corner although this one didn't allow dogs so the night we went we had to leave a very tired Jonesy alone in his bed.
We used the bus a couple of times to visit Bakewell market and also jumped on it to visit Chesterfield. Bakewell is still an attractive town but Chesterfield seemed to be struggling with all of the economic cuts. Surprisingly the tudor looking buildings at the back of the town are vacant and in need of some investment and the rest of the town is like a lot of town centres full of cheap pubs, national retail outlets and charity shops. Apart from the crooked spire on the church and an enjoyable bus ride not really worth a visit.

Chatsworth

Looking across to Chatsworth.

Walking to Bakewell

Walking to Bakewell but on wrong path.

Edensor

Bakewell

Bakewell

Caravan Club site at Chatsworth.

2nd and 3rd January 2017 two nights in York.

The forecast was looking good for the next few days....sunny but cold, so we decided on a short visit to York. We had a great time here mainly walking, shopping and dining out in the great selection of bars and restaurants. One day we actually walked over 12 miles. The site was a little expensive at £63 for the two nights but that was because xmas and new year rates still applied. Roundtree park is situated about a 5 minute walk from the city centre and is difficult to get a place for most of the year so we didn't hesitate to book it for these two nights. When we left the site on the 4th we decided to drive to Ripon and visit the National Trust grounds at Fountains Abbey and Studley water gardens. These were beautiful grounds and we thoroughly enjoyed strolling with Jonesy in the cold sunshine.

York Photo's

Fountains Abbey and Studley Water Gardens.

 

 

20th december 2016 one night in Castleton, Peak District.

We finally sorted the motorhome electrics out, basically the data lead which went from the Circuit board to the wall based control panel had a tiny mouse bite in it. Once i'd replaced it with a £9.99 lead from Maplins we were back in business and ready to get back on the road. So Castleton here we come...just in time for the xmas lights.

Castleton xmas lights.

Castleton

Castleton xmas lights.

Tuesday October 18th

Before getting the Eurotunnel on the 19th we decided to have one night on the coast close to Boulogne. We chose Campsite Mun. La Falaise in Équihen-Plage but before we pitched there we used the excellent Leclerc at Outreau. This gave us a short half hour drive to the Eurotunnel entrance the following day. Although it was rather breezy we had a lovely day walking on the beach with Jonesy. We were impressed with the site although again with it being mid October we had to be careful where we pitched due to the lack of hardstandings.

Équihen-Plage

Équihen-Plage

Jonesy running free on the beach.

Équihen-Plage

Evening sunset at Équihen-Plage

Monday 17th October.

Before leaving Les and Rays we again visited the nearby vets to have Jonesy wormed etc. We then headed off to Chartres a place we'd passed many times but for some reason had never visited. Campsite Les Bords de l'Eure is situated next to the river and is within easy walking distance of the city. We enjoyed both the walk and the city centre. The site is likely to get waterlogged and when we arrived many of the pitches appeared a bit muddy but there were plenty of tarmac avenues so we stayed on one of these and just plugged into the nearest electric point. This was helped by the fact that the site was far from full. The site is well fenced but being so close to a city means that you would have to be security conscious.

Chartres cathedral

Chartres

Chartres