Wild Duck Holiday Park Nr Great Yarmouth

Bit overcast this morning but reasonably warm and bright.

The gas ran out half way through cooking breakfast. They had no gas on the park so I went in search. Everywhere I went they had none until I finally found Simpson’s Garage who did. So we finally had brunch instead just before 1 pm. 

After brunch we eventually headed off to Horsey Windpump. The windpump is still undergoing restoration and currently the ground floor only is accessible to the public at this time. The sails have been reinstated and you can find out more about the history of the windpump and its exciting £500,000 restoration project. They hope to get the sails turning again by the end of 2018.

On the way back we called in at Caister Roman Fort. The fort was built around AD 200 and was occupied until AD 390,towards the end of the Roman period in Britain. It protected the estuary of the rivers Yare, Bure and Waveney, am important trade and strategic route leading inland. 

On the way back we called had a gentle ride through the seaside villages of Scratby and Hemsby, and a ride through Yarmouth seafront before heading to Great Yarmouth stadium for a lovely meal and a night of dog racing. 

After a nice evening, I lost £2 and Maddy won about £4, we had another ride along Great Yarmouth seafront in the dark before heading back to the Caravan. 

Wild Duck Holiday Park Nr Great Yarmouth

We had some rain in the night but woke up to a nice warm and sunny morning. After breakfast we decided to go on a bike ride. 

After an hour and a half trying unsuccessfully to find the car par for the start of a ride we downloaded, we decide to head into Lowestoft to ride along the sea front. 

We called in at the toilets by the pier the lifeboat siren went off so we rushed out to the lifeboat station to catch the launch of the lifeboat.

It must have been a false alarm because it just did a lap of the bay and came back in after about 10 minutes. 

After all the excitement we had a nice double scoop ice cream before heading further along the front. We came across The Jolly Sailor pub, with live music ringing out, so we decided to stop for cider and G&T in the sun. 

Then we headed back to the van for tea and a relaxing evening. 

Wild Duck Holiday Park Nr Great Yarmouth

We left home around 8 am and were on the road by 9. We called at The Gap in at Muston for the traditional all you can eat breakfast, and after a good journey with no hold ups, arrived around 1:45 pm.

Wild Duck is a Haven site at Belton, near Great Yarmouth. As expected the facilities are excellent with 10 showers toilets and plenty of sinks. Tv and phone reception was excellent. 

We soon had the caravan set up and went in search of cider and gin.

After a quick look around the entertainment complex we dropped into the Sitting Duck for a pint of Thatchers Gold and Gin and Tonic for Maddy.  

Then we headed back to the caravan for tea and relaxation. 

Woodlands Country Park nr Woodhall Spa

We left Mirey Lees about 3pm and after a steady drive without any holdups arrived at Woodlands Country Park about 5:20pm. There were lots of black clouds about and we did have one torrential shower on the way. 

We managed to get the main part of the awning up before another heavy shower hit. By the time we got the sides on the sun had come out again, and we managed to finish setting up. 

After a nice cuppa we headed off into town for milk and Fish and Chips. We had to queue for about half an hour for the fish and chips but they were worth the wait. It had dropped quite cold by now. 

After eating the fish and chips in the car we headed back to the van for the evening. 

Woodlands Country Park nr Woodhall Spa

Nice sunny morning but there was a bit of a cold wind when the sun went in. 

We had a ride to the Co-Op in Woodhall Spa to get some Cobs for today’s barbecue. Glynis, Jim, Martin and Jackie were coming for Maddy’s belated birthday celebrations. 

We had a nice barbecue in the sun for the most part but the wind was a bit fresh at times. 

We had a nice gentle walk around the site, then back to the caravan for s few dunks before they headed off about 8pm. 

Tyddyn Du Touring Park nr Conwy

Another lovely sunny morning. We had breakfast before packing up the caravan and heading off just before midday. After an uneventful journey, we arrived back about 15:30. 

Llandudno & Conwy

Whilst we were having breakfast it rained quite heavily and did so on and off for about an hour or so.

By the time we headed off for Llandudno it had brightened up and although there were the odd black cloud looming on and off during the day it didn't rain again, in fact for the most part it was a nice, warm and sunny day.

We parked up and headed for the Great Orme Tramway. Open from late March to late October, it takes over 200,000 passengers each year from Llandudno Victoria Station to just below the summit of the Great Orme headland.

It is Great Britain's only remaining cable-operated street tramway, and one of only a few surviving in the world, and it is owned by Conwy County Borough Council. The line comprises two sections, where each section is an independent funicular and passengers change cars at the halfway station. Whilst the upper section runs on its own right of way and is very similar to many other funicular lines, the lower section is an unusual street-running funicular.

Whilst the street running section resembles the better-known San Francisco cable cars, its operation is quite different in that it adheres to the funicular principle where the cars are permanently fixed to the cable and are stopped and started by stopping and starting the cable, unlike San Francisco where cars attach to, and detach from, a continuously running cable.

When we got to the top we went for a coffee and pasty in the Summit Complex. Then we spent some time in the visitor centre before heading back to the half way station so we could have a look at the Bronze age mines.

Then we caught the tram back to the bottom and headed off to the walled town of Conwy.

We parked up and then had a walk to Aberconwy House, a medieval merchant's house and

one of the oldest, datable, houses in Wales. Constructed in the 15th century it is, along with Plas Mawr, one of the two surviving merchants houses within the town. Its historical and architectural importance is reflected in its status as a Grade I listed building. The house is administered by the National Trust.

We walked down to the quayside and had some prawns, followed by a lovely ice cream, before walking the city walls in an anti-clockwise direction.

We then headed down to the castle to have a look at Thomas Telford's suspension bridge

but unfortunately it was closed so we could only look over the wall.

 We then headed off to Colwyn Bay to The Picture House, a beautiful old cinema, refurbished into a J D Wetherspoon pub, where we had Fish and Chips. On the way back to the caravan we stopped off at Tesco's to fill up the car ready for getting off home next day