Oxford Camping & Caravanning Club Site

The car battery was flat this morning. The warden kindly gave us a jump start from his little tractor. They we packed up and headed off home.

Oxford

My 59th birthday today. Started off as a very nice warm sunny day but the clouds came in after lunch and it became a little cooler.

After opening my prezzies in bed we had a relaxing morning, infested with dozens of ladybirds in the awning.

About 1:30 we caught the bus into Oxford for my birthday Afternoon Tea at Browns Bar and Brasserie. Very nice it was too.

We the walked to The Four Candles. A Wetherspoons pub named after the famous four candles sketch by The Two Ronnies. Ronnie Barker went to University close by.

Then we caught the bus back to the van.

Oxford Camping & Caravanning Club Site

A nice start to the day. We decided to get on the bikes again and headed off down National Cycle Route 5 towards Sandford Lock on the River Thames. We turned left along the Thames Towpath, through Ifley Lock and past the University Boathouses to Folly Bridge. By this time it was looking a bit black over Bill’s mothers so we re-traced our steps back to the van.

A little later we hopped on the bus from the park and ride and headed into Oxford. We had a walk down to the castle before heading up to Cosmo for Tea, and then back to the van for the evening.

Museum of the History of Science & The Ashmolean Museum

A nice bright day today. We Caught the bus into town from the nearby Park and Ride. We had a walk around the covered market before going to Pizza Hut on the High Street for a Buffet Lunch.

After lunch we went to the Museum of the History of Science, on Broad Street, housed    in the Old Ashmolean Building. Built in 1683 it is the oldest surviving purpose built museum in the world. It holds a leading collection of scientific instruments from the middle ages to the 19th century. Unfortunately half of the museum was closed due to staff illness.

We stopped for a moment to look at the statue of the naked man, sculpted by Anthony Gormley overlooking Broad Street on the roof of Blackwell’s Art and Poster Shop.

We had a quick look around Debenhams before heading to the Ashmolean Museum.  The main museum contains huge collections of archaeological specimens and fine art. It also has an extensive collection of antiquities from ancient Egypt.

After a nice coffee in the roof-top café before heading back to catch the bus back to the van.

Oxford Camping & Caravanning Club Site

Bit of an overcast day today. We cycled the 2 miles to Halfords to pick up some fuses for Maddy’s car. 

We had a nice coffee in the Costa Coffee, and then did some shopping at Templar Square shopping centre before cycling back to the van.

Oxford Museum of Natuarl History & Pitt Rivers Museum

It rained quite a bit overnight, but by morning it was dry and quite a nice day for the time of year.

We went for another lap on the open top bus, before jumping off at the Museum of Natural History. 

It houses many of the universities natural history specimens. It is also the only access to the adjoining Pitt Rivers museum. Founded in 1884 by Lieutenant General Augustus Pitt Rivers, and houses the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford.

We then headed back to the van for tea.

Oxford

Bit of a misty start but the sun soon came out and it turned into a lovely day.

We walked over to the Park & Ride and caught the sightseeing bus into Oxford. We had bought a 48 hour ticket and rode into town on the green route before swapping onto the red route for the city centre tour.

Then we went for a walk around the centre, to enjoy some of the marvellous yellow limestone architecture.

After a nice coffee and bag of crisps in Costa coffee the caught the bus to complete the green route on our way back to the van.

Oxford Camping & Caravanning Club Site

We left Mirey Leys about 9 am. It was bit of a murky start but dry. We stopped at Stonebridge Island Toby Carvery for our customary Breakfast to set us up for the day. A nice easy journey with just a few spots of rain, and we arrived about 1:30 pm.

Oxford Camping and Caravan Club Site is situated behind Go Outdoors store about a mile from Oxford City Centre and close to the Park an Ride. A nice small level site, with excellent TV reception.

The toilets are starting to look a little tired now but still nice and clean as you would expect.

We realised we had forgotten the cycle helmets, so after we had set up we had a walk to Go Outdoors to buy new ones.

We went back to the van for a nice chilled evening.

Cofton Country Holidays nr Dawlish

We left around 11am, stopping at Gloucester services on the M5. The nicest motorway services I have ever visited.

Unfortunately there were traffic problems on the M42 and we didn’t arrive home until about 7pm.

Torquay

We caught the Train from Starcross into Torquay for the day. A nice sunny day so we walked along the seafront and into town.

We had a nice Costa Coffee and later on a Subway for lunch before a nice walk back to the station and back to the van. We decided to take down the awning as it was dry.

Teignmouth

Sun was out again today. We booked some tickets online and drove down to the station in Starcross, to catch the train into Teignmouth.

In the evening we went to Amelia’s for the Tex-Mex special night for Chicken and bean enchilada’s. 2 meals for £16. Very good value.

Dawlish Warren & Dawlish

A lot brighter this morning. A few clouds about but generally warm an sunny.

We biked to Dawlish Warren and chained the bikes to a fence by the railway bridge, and walked along the south west coastal path to Dawlish.

We sat by the river and had another ice cream, single scoop this time, much more manageable in the now baking sunshine. We chilled by the river for quite a while watching the ducks and Black Swans.

After a nice stroll around the shops we went in search of a Devon Cream Tea, which was very nice, before walking back to the bikes.

We called in at the Ship Inn in Cockwood for a nice pint of cider on the way back to the van.

It has been a lovely day all in all. Just a few cloudy spells here and there but overall a very nice, bright and sunny day.

Castle Drogo

Very Cloudy this morning and after around a hour it started raining and we had a short thunder storm.

We decided to visit Castle Drogo, a country house and castle near Drewsteighnton. It was built between 1911 and 1930 for Julius Drewe to designs by architect Edwin Lutyens.. It is currently undergoing a 5 year conservation project to make it watertight.

It is a grade 1 listed building which has leaked ever since it was built. We went on the very interesting hard hat tour around the conservation works.

The heavy showers eventually stopped and it turned into a very warm afternoon. We headed back to the caravan around 5pm.

Exe Estuary Cycle Route

Cloudy this morning but still nice and warm. After breakfast we decided to ride the Exe Estuary Trail. We joined just before Starcross and cycled all the way round to Exmouth, calling in at The Swan in Lympstone village for a much needed cider.

Unfortunately by the time we reached the Exmouth to Starcross ferry, we missed it by about 2 minutes, so we had a coffee whilst we waited an hour for the next ferry.

A little expensive at £4.50 single, £5.50 return plus £1 each way for the bike, it cost us £11 to get across.

By the time we got back to the van, we had cycled 19 miles and ready for a relaxing evening to recover.

Dawlish Warren & Dawlish

A lovely morning today. After a nice breakfast and quick shower, we decided to walk a little under 3 miles to Dawlish Warren.

We stopped at the Boathouse and had a nice pint of Cider, looking across the Exe estuary to Exmouth.

We decided to continue another mile and a half along the south west coastal path to Dawlish.

Located at the outlet of a small river, Dawlish Water, runs through it’s central public park, the Lawn. It is very picturesque with a series of small wears as it runs down to the sea. Dawlish is also famous for it’s black swans. We sat by the river in the sunshine and ate possibly the biggest 2 scoop ice cream I have ever had. Excellent value at £3.50.

As we walked back we were treated to the Steam hauled Torbay express coming through. Looking very much like the Flying Scotsman it was a very impressive sight.

Cofton Country Holidays nr Dawlish

It was raining heavily this morning. We left Mirey Lees around 9:00, and after the traditional breakfast at Stonebridge Island Toby Carvery, near the N.E.C. we had an reasonably good journey down the M5.

We arrived around 3:00pm and quickly set up the caravan and awning, before going in search of Morrison’s at Teignmouth. We actually stumbled upon the new Sainsbury’s superstore just a couple of miles down the road.

After getting some much needed supplies we headed back to the van for Pizza and salad for tea before settling down for the evening.

Warwick Racecourse Caravan Club Site

It was a glorious sunny Bank Holiday morning today. We managed to pack up the awning in the dry and left just after midday.

We had a steady drive back and arrived back at Mirey Lees about 1:45.

Hatton Locks

Sun was out first thing but it quickly became cloudy although still nicely warm.

After breakfast we hopped on the bikes for an 8 mile round trip ride to Hatton Locks. A flight of 21 locks on the Grand Union Canal, it spans less than 2 miles of canal and rises 45 metres. The flight opened in 1799, but were widened in the 1930’s

Just before the top lock there is a nice pub on the hill. The Hatton Arms where we stopped for a well earned pint of cider before continuing to the top lock and then riding back from whence we came.

After a nice cuppa we walked into Warwick for a nice rain free stroll around the shops. We sat for a while to eat a nice Thornton's Ice cream, before strolling back to the van for a nice relaxing hour or so in the beautiful afternoon sun.

The big black clouds were on their way so we went inside for tea and waited for the rain to arrive, which it did about 7:30pm, although it didn’t amount to much this time.

Warwick Castle

An overcast start to the day with a short shower or too. Only 3 showers in the otherwise lovely shower / toilet block but I didn’t have to queue. By the time we had had breakfast it had brightened up and the sun was out.

We decided to walk to Warwick Castle, again only a 15 minute walk. Warwick Castle is a medieval castle developed from an original built by Willian the Conqueror. 1068. it was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century.

As we arrived the falconry display was in full swing so we stopped and watched the tail end of that before pressing on and into the castle.

We walked around the walls in bright sunshine. This really is a lovely castle, pretty much completely intact.

We had a nice ice cream and walked round to the river island to get a nice view of the south façade of the castle, which looks more like a country house than a castle.

We then walked along the base of the south façade to the water wheel, which is no longer in use before heading back to see the second falconry display. They were going to fly an American Condor with its 10 foot wingspan. Something I was quite keen to see.

Unfortunately as we waited for the second falconry display, the heavens opened and we had an almighty thunder storm. They postponed the display for a while to wait for the rain to subside which it did for a short while allowing them to give a shortened display, unfortunately with no condor.

As we were now a bit damp and due to the fact that several of the outdoor shows were now being cancelled we decided to head back to the caravan via the town centre.

Unfortunately as we hit the town the heavens opened once again. We sheltered under some scaffolding for a while. We waited about 15 minutes before deciding it was not going to stop, and walked back anyway.

We were like 2 drowned rats by the time we got back, and it only took 15 minutes. Overall the storm lasted nearly two hours, but once it stopped the sun came out for a while, but the evening was fairly overcast although still quite warm.

In the evening we had a short ride to the Green Man in Kenilworth for dinner. We used the voucher Jamie had bought me for my birthday, and had a nice meal. Then back to the van for a relatively early night.

Warwick Racecourse Caravan Club Site

After an uneventful journey we arrived at Warwick Racecourse about 4:30pm. Set on a grass and tarmac enclosure within the grounds of the racecourse it is only 15 minutes walk from the town centre.

It is a nice setting and we had a nice view of the grandstand only a couple of hundred yards away. Unfortunately TV reception was very poor and they also had no Wi-Fi.

It was a lovely warm sunny evening and we got set up nice and easily.

We had a nice leisurely stroll to Sainsbury’s supermarket, only about 15 minutes walk away, to get a few bits and had a nice Pizza and salad for tea.

Buttyland Caravan & Camping Park, nr Tenby

It was dry this morning for a change. After a leisurely breakfast we managed to get the awning packed away in the dry and left around 11:00am.

We has a nice steady drive home, arriving back at Mirey Leys about 4:30 pm.

Tenby

Overcast again today, although the sun was trying to break through here and there, although we still had the occasional drizzly shower.

We drove into Tenby for a look around the shops, and a relaxing sit by the Sea.

We also had a look around the Tudor Merchant’s House. The National Trust Managed property was built in 1500 by a successful merchant, and is very impressive. 

After another ice cream, very nice but not very good value, and a Pembrokeshire pasty, We headed back to the van for the evening.

Pembroke Castle

A lot of rain in the night again and still raining in the morning. We had a late shower and once again it started to brighten up a little around lunchtime.

We decided to go to Pembroke Castle. The medieval castle standing beside the River Cleddau underwent major restoration work in the early 20th century.  The first castle on the site was built by Roger of Montgomery in 1093. when he fortified the promontory during the Norman invasion of Wales. A century later it was given to William Marshall by Richard I. Marshall who would become one of the most powerful men in 12th century Britain, rebuilt the castle in stone, creating most of the structure that remains today.

Inside the Castle the Pembrokeshire Falconry centre were giving Falconry flying displays which were well worth a look.

We had a walk into town for a coffee before driving to Haverfordwest for tea at the local Wetherspoon’s.

We headed back to the van for the evening

Colby Woodland Garden & Tenby

Drizzling and overcast again this morning, but it started to brighten up around lunchtime and turned into a very pleasant afternoon.

We had a ride to Colby Woodland Garden. Set in a tranquil hidden woodland garden with a rich industrial past.

There are lots of shady woodland walks. We followed the path over the 8 arch bridge and down to the little coastal village of Amroth. Not much sand on the beach though, mainly made up of large rounded boulders.

We rested for a while, enjoying an ice cream on the sea front, followed by a nice pint of Stowford Press at the Smugglers Inn.

We the walked back up and along a different route back up to the lovely walled garden. We had a nice cuppa and cream tea at the nice little tea room, before walking back to the car.

On the way back we called in at Tenby. We had a nice walk around the harbour and the town. Tenby is a walled seaside town on the western side of Camarthen Bay, with 2.5 miles of sandy beaches. The walls date back to the 13th century. We walked down to the lifeboat station before heading back into town to find somewhere to eat.

We had a nice meal at the Hope and Anchor, before heading back to the van for the evening.

Stackpole Estate

Another cloudy star to the day and yes, you guessed it, by the time we were ready to go out, the drizzle had returned.

We drove about 12 miles to the Stackpole Estate. Stackpole is a former grand estate stretching down to some of the most beautiful coastline in Wales. Today it’s a Nature Reserve recognised for it’s abundant wildlife.

We parked up and walked over the 8 arch bridge, down to Stackpole Quay, one of the smallest quay’s in Wales. We stopped at the National Trust Café for the traditional Cuppa and bag of crisps.

Then we walked across The lovely sandy Barafundle beach and followed the footpath  back across the 8 arch bridge and up to and across the 1 arch bridge.

We then walked back to the car and drove down to Broadhaven South beach for a quick look. 

Another lovely Sandy beach. Then we drove back to the caravan fir tea and a relaxing evening. The drizzle came back in the evening, and it did rain heavily in the night.

Brunel Trail

Overcast today but reasonably warm. We decided to take the bikes down to Neyland and ride the Brunel Trail. Unfortunately by the time we were ready to go the horrible drizzly rain had set in again.

We decided to wait a little and after about an hour the blue skies started to roll in from the West.

We decided to risk it as we were going west anyway, and by the time we arrived the sun was out and it turned into a lovely warm afternoon.

The first 5 miles or so were along the old Great Western Railway and were relatively flat. The last few miles into Haverfordwest were a little undulating but not too bad.

We dropped into McDonald’s for a McFlurry before riding back to Neyland. The trail goes through Westfield Pill Nature Reserve with stunning views over the Preseli Hills and Pembrokeshire countryside.

We stopped for  a while at  Neyland Key to enjoy the view and then headed off back to the van for tea.

Saudersfoot & Manorbier

Unfortunately this morning it was still raining quite heavily.

Unfortunately the showers were 20p for 2 minutes or £1 for 10 minutes, but were nice and hot and powerful. Even though there were only 4 showers I didn’t need to queue.

We had our usual cooked breakfast and had a chill for a bit, before driving to Pembroke in search of the Tesco Superstore to find some nice bread.

We then went to Cowpots Ice Cream Shop at Whitland. We sat and ate a 3 scoop cone in the car, because it was still raining.

We decided to have a ride and have a look at some of the beaches. First we came to was Wisemans bridge. A wide sand and pebble beach with rock pools. At low tide it can be accessed by walking along the beach from Saundersfoot.

Then we went to Coppit Hall. A small sandy beach adjoining Saundersfoot beach with rock pools at low tide. We decided to have a walk on the beach as it was brightening up now. We had a steady walk along the waters edge and onto Saundersfoot Beach. A large South-East facing beach, with safe bathing and water sports.

We walked back to the car and moved on to Manorbier Beach. A sandy dune backed beach with a stream running down the northern end. Being south westerly facing it is a good surfing beach.

By now the sun had come out and it was a very nice warm afternoon. At the top of the beach is Manorbier Castle, a Norman castle and birthplace of Gerard of Wales.

We then headed back to the van for tea and a relaxing evening. It turned out to be quite a pleasant evening.

Buttyland Caravan & Camping Park, nr Tenby

We got to Mirey Lees about 8 am and had to wait a while for the Cows to come in for milking.

We set off just after half past and called in for the traditional full English at Stonebridge Island Toby Carvery, Just off the M42 near the N.E.C.

We had a nice uneventful journey until we were within a couple of miles of Buttyland when the Sat Nav tried to take down a narrow lane. A local hotelier came running out to say not to go down there and he helped us unhook the van and turn around in his car park. Very good of him.

We set off again and the Sat Nav took us to a hill that said unsuitable for caravans. Then Maddy remembered that the Website said not to follow the Sat Nav, but to follow their direction, which unfortunately were left at home.

We decided to Head for the main Tenby Road and head for Manorbier along the main Road. This time we found it quite easily.

Buttyland was quite a nice level site with touring pitches for caravans, campers and tents and is only 200 yards from the station, linking it with Tenby and Pembroke. It is situated in the heart of the Pembroke Coast National Park.

We got the awning up ok, just before the rain started and settled in for the night.

We had a ride into Tenby and found a Sainsbury’s where we did a bit of shopping, before heading back to the van for tea. We had some chips from the onsite Fish and Chip shop to go with our salad and Pizza.

We settled down for the night with the TV. TV reception was reasonably good.

Downshay Farm Campsite, nr Swanage

We managed to get the awning down in the dry. We left around 11am. We had a nice uneventful journey back and was home for about 4pm.

Swanage

Started off very overcast and got worse. We had decided we were going into Swanage today no matter what.

We parked in the main long stay carpark and managed quick walk around the Friday market  before the heavens opened.

We spent the next few hours dashing from shop to shop whilst it hammered it down. In between the very heavy showers it was nice and warm.

We popped into the Earthlights  Café for lovely Dorset Cream Tea.

After a nice 3 scoop ice cream on the pier, we headed over to the station for a look at the Swanage railway.

After waiting for the steam train to come in, we headed back to the car and got absolutely drenched in the process.

We called in for Diesel on the way back to the van for the evening. In time honoured fashion, 10 minutes after we got back the sun came out, the clouds cleared and it turned out to be a lovely evening.

Downshay Farm Campsite, nr Swanage

Had to wait for a shower for the first time this morning.

The weather was a mixture of bright sunshine interspersed with very heavy showers.

We decided to stay in and watch England v Wales in Euro 2016.

Around 7pm we had a drive into Swanage for a very nice meal at the Crow’s Nest Inn, before heading back to the van for the evening.

Poole & Knoll Beach

Fairly bright this morning but still quite windy. Ran out of gas whilst cooking breakfast so had to go in search of gas in Poole before heading to Pizza Hut for lunch.

We then had a nice walk by the quayside. In the Old Lifeboat Station is the 1938 Lifeboat, Thomas Kirk Wright. This lovely old lifeboat was used by the admiralty to evacuate Allied Troops from Dunkirk in WWII. She was the first lifeboat to reach the beaches in France on 30 May 1940.

We then had a nice stroll through town before heading back across the Sandbanks chain ferry.

We called in at Knoll Beach, where you get a nice view of the Old Harry rocks. Maddy dipped her feet in the water for five minutes. It was now starting to rain so we headed back to the van for the evening.

Monkey World

It rained a little in the night again. Bit brighter this morning with some sunny spells, but still windy.

We set off on the 10 mile drive to Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre. Monkey World assists governments around the world to stop the smuggling of primates from the wild. At the centre, refugees of this illegal trade, as well as those that have suffered abuse or neglect are rehabilitated into natural living groups.

Every 30 minutes one of the keepers gives a 20 minute talk about the monkeys that they care for. They tell you about all they monkeys by name and how they came to be in the park. All very interesting.

We spent around five and  a half hours admiring the monkeys many species of monkeys. The weather held out nicely and at times the sunny spells were very warm.

We headed off around 5pm and called for some shopping on the way back to the van for the evening.

Wareham

Rained in the night again. By the time we had showered it brightening up again. Full cloud cover and a bit windy, but not cold.

The Caravan Club magazine has a 5 mile circular walk around Wareham, so we headed off around lunchtime and did the walk.

The first mile and a half were by the river, although the pathways were very overgrown and full of nettles.

The rest of the walk was much better, around a meadow and tarmacked track.

After we had completed the walk we had a nice refreshing pint of Thatcher’s Gold at the Duke of Wellington, near the car park.

After a nice gentle stroll around town , we headed back to the van for tea and a relaxing evening.

White Mill & Kingston Lacy

It rained most of the night. When we got up it was very misty in the distance, so we couldn’t see the castle. It was a bit damp and windy but not cold.

We had our traditional cooked breakfast, a bit later than usual. By lunchtime it was brightening up a little, so we headed off to White Mill, about 18 miles away near Wimborne Minster.

White Mill is an 18th Century Water Mill in a peaceful rural setting. Rebuilt in 1776 the mill was extensively repaired by the National Trust and still retains it’s original Elm and Applewood machinery, although it is now too fragile to be used.

About a mile up the road was Barford Farm Ice Cream Garden, so we decided to pop in for a very nice ice cream.

Then we went to Kingston Lacy. An elegant country mansion, near Wimborne Minster,  set in attractive formal gardens and extensive parkland, built to resemble an Italian Palace.

From the 17th to the late 20th century it was the family seat of the Bankes family who had previously resided at nearby Corfe Castle until it’s destruction in the English civil war.

Then it was back to the van for tea and a relaxing evening.

Downshay Farm Campsite, nr Swanage

It was drizzling  when we left and we had some really heavy showers on the way down. We planned to call in at Stonebridge Island Toby Carvery for breakfast but when we arrived it was closed due to technical reasons.

After a short search on the net we found another one in Knowle about 8 miles away, so the natural order was restored.

We arrived at Downshay Farm around 3pm. It is a small friendly site with room for 11 vans. The site is lawned and terraced on 3 levels. All pitches have Electric Hook Ups, some with lovely views of Corfe Castle and the Purbeck Hills.

By the time we arrived the sun had come out and it turned out to be a lovely evening.

The small Toilet Block was a little basic but nice and clean, with 3 toilets, 2 showers and a free to use washing machine.

Once again the awning went up really well, and we had a ride to Tesco in Poole for some holiday shopping and Diesel. On the way back we stopped to show Maddy the wonderful view across Poole Harbour, but unfortunately it was too misty to see in all its splendour so we had a ride along Swanage sea front.

Then we settled down in the van for tea and watched England v Russia in the 2016 European Championships. Before settling down for the evening.

Ferry Meadows Caravan Club Site, nr Peterborough

Cloudy again this morning, with a bit of drizzle in the air, but it never amounted to much.

After breakfast we managed to get the awning down and left just before 1pm.

Ferry Meadows Caravan Club Site, nr Peterborough

Overcast this morning with total cloud cover, although it wasn’t cold.

We had a chill for a couple of hours whilst waiting for friends, Wendy and Brian who live nearby who were coming tho spend the day with us.

We went for a walk around the lakes, calling for ice cream on the way. As the day went on the cloud burnt off and it turned into a lovely warm sunny day.

We headed back to the van for a while, before walking half a mile down the road to the beefeater for tea.

We had a steady walk back to the van and Wendy and Brian went home so we had a nice relaxing evening.

Ferry Meadows Caravan Club Site, nr Peterborough

Sun was up this morning. A few white clouds about but generally very Warm.

Had no problem getting a shower even though the site is pretty full.

After a relaxing cuppa or two we hopped on the bikes for a relatively gentle 10.6 miles around the various lakes of Nene Park. We did stop off on route for the customary ice cream and look around the visitor centre.

Then it was back to the van, for a nice relaxing read in the sun. It was very hot in the afternoon and I did catch the sun on my knees a little.

After tea we settled down for the evening.

Ferry Meadows Caravan Club Site, nr Peterborough

We arrived at Ferry Meadows Caravan Club Site around 4:45pm. It was a nice pleasant afternoon with some warm early evening sun.

The awning went up really well and we were soon having a nice cuppa. Mobile phone and TV reception isn’t very good at all, although the Electric Hook Up boxes do have TV sockets which are free to use. You can buy a 25 metre TV cable from reception for £17.50. Luckily we had one from when we were at Buxton Caravan Club site.

Ferry meadows is a nice level and open site set in Nene Park, a country Park with Steam Trains, lake, cycle and walking trails and every kind of sporting facility laid on.

We had tea in the van and had a nice relaxing evening.

Kingsbury Water Park Camping & Caravanning Club Site nr Tamworth

A bit overcast this morning with a few bright spells. We managed to get the awning down in the dry and set off for home just before Midday, arriving back at Mirey Lees around 1 pm.

Kingsbury Water Park Camping & Caravanning Club Site nr Tamworth

Quite pleasant again this morning. Full cloud cover but not much black in it. We did discover a second shower block with 3 more showers, and I still didn’t queue.

Unfortunately by the time we were washed and dressed, the showers started again, so we decided to have a relaxing couple of hours and go out later.

We had a ride into Tamworth for a look round.  The showers held off for the rest of the afternoon but unfortunately, being as it was Sunday, Tamworth was pretty much closed. 

We had a drink in Costa Coffee then headed off to the Ventura Retail Park on the outskirts of town. Maddy bought herself a new waterproof coat.

We had tea at the local Harvester before heading back to the van for the evening.

Kingsbury Water Park Camping & Caravanning Club Site nr Tamworth

The sun was out this morning. Nice blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Although there are only 3 showers for a site capable of taking 150 caravans, I didn’t have to queue for a shower.

After breakfast we embarked on one of the marked walks. About half way round the wind got up, the sky turned black and it hammered it down. Fortunately we were about 100 yards away from a bird watching hide so we sheltered in there for half an hour.

The sun came out again so we completed the circuit and continued on to Kingsbury village. We stumbled upon the Old White Swan pub and decided to have  a nice cider and a bag of crisps outside in the sun. Unfortunately within about 10 minutes it started to rain again so we headed inside. Unfortunately after we had drunk the first cider it was still hammering down so we had to have another one.

It eventually stopped raining and we managed to get all the way back to the van in the sunshine.

We spent the rest of the evening chilling. We did have another burst of rain but after that it was quite a pleasant evening.

Kingsbury Water Park Camping & Caravanning Club Site nr Tamworth

We set of a few minutes before 3 pm. And arrive about 4:10 pm. Although we had a few spots of  rain, we managed to get set up without getting wet. We had a nice level grass pitch close to the toilet block.

Kingsbury Water Park is a country park in north Warwickshire, not far from Birmingham and lying on the River Tame. It is owned and managed by  Warwickshire County Council. It has 15 lakes situated in over 600 acres of country park. Renowned for it’s birdlife it is bordered on it’s western edge by the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

The park has bridleways, marked cycle routes and footpaths. There are plenty of water sports activities and a 7¼" gauge ridable miniature railway.

We settled down for a quiet evening. TV reception was excellent. It rained heavily after dark, but only for about an hour or so.

Chester

We went into Chester again today to have a look around the Cathedral. It is certainly more impressive on the inside than from the outside.

Then we went to the Candle Workshop and Craft Centre, where we bought a candle and had it engraved for Amy's 18th birthday.

As we were now quite close to the Ice Cream Farm, it would have been rude not to pop in and try another one of their excellent ice creams.

W then made our way back to the caravan. Late we popped down the road to the Harvester for a bite to eat.

Chester

The weather was not good today. We went into Chester and did the Sightseeing Tour bus. We did the full round trip, andd then got off and dis the 2 mile walk around the city walls.

About half way round the wall there is a small tea Room, where we stopped for an afternoon tea.

We the had a wander around town for a while before heading back to the caravan.

Erdigg, Beeston Castle & Ice Cream Farm

After breakfast we went to Erddig Hall, a National Trust property on the outskirts of Wrexham, Wales. Located 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Wrexham town centre, it was built in 1684–1687 for Josiah Edisbury, the High Sheriff of Denbighshire; it was designed in 1683 by Thomas Webb (d. 1699), a master mason of Middlewich, Cheshire.

The building was sold to the master of the Chancery, John Meller in 1714. John Meller refurbished and enlarged the house (including adding two wings in the 1720s), and, on his death in 1733 unmarried and childless, passed it to his nephew, Simon Yorke (d. 1767) (first

cousin of Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke). The house was passed down through the Yorke family until March 1973, when the last squire Philip Scott Yorke gave it to the National Trust. This followed the collapse several years earlier of a shaft from the nearby coal mine (Bersham colliery) under the house, causing subsidence of 5 feet (1.5 m), which seriously affected the structural security of the house to the extent that, without suitable underpinning, it would have become a ruin. It was strengthened using the compensation of £120,000 the National Trust was able to extract from the National Coal Board. 63 acres (250,000 m²) of Erddig Park (out of view of the house) was subsequently sold for £995,000 and this paid for the restoration work on the house. The restoration was completed on 27 June 1977 when Charles, Prince of Wales officially opened Erddig to the public, joking that it was the first time in his, albeit short, life that he had opened something that was already 300 years old.

Then we moved on to Beeston Castle, a former Royal castle in Beeston, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ537593), perched on a rocky sandstone crag 350 feet (107 m) above the Cheshire Plain. It was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, (1170–1232), on his return from the Crusades. In 1237, Henry III took over the ownership of

Beeston, and it was kept in good repair until the 16th century, when it was considered to be of no further military use, although it was pressed into service again in 1643, during the English Civil War. The castle was slighted (partly demolished) in 1646, in accordance with Cromwell's destruction order, to prevent its further use as a stronghold.

The castle is now in ruins. The walls of the outer bailey, along with the walls and gatehouse of the inner bailey, are separately recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated Grade I listed buildings. The castle is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument, owned by English Heritage. It is rumoured that treasure belonging to Richard II lies undiscovered in the castle grounds, but the many searches that have been carried out have failed to find any trace of it. During the 18th century the site was used as a quarry.

On the way back we called in at the Ice Cream Farm, a great place if you have children with indoor and outdoor activities but also over 40 flavours of ice cream. Then off to the caravan for a relaxing evening.