Sunday 27th September – Friday 16th October
Introduction
Over the above 3-week period we were supposed to be in the motorhome in France. 🇫🇷 Because of Coronavirus nothing was booked but, for a long time, I still held out a vain hope that we would be able to go. But no, like most things this year, it was a bust!
Once France was definitely off, there followed a long period of indecision as to whether to go somewhere in the UK and, if so, where …….. or just let it go. 😔
And then an idea began taking shape. We normally meet with our lovely Tea Girl friends and their Tea Boy husbands/partners 5 or 6 times a year. Two couples we saw in Salcombe, but we hadn’t seen the rest for many months. In 1977, when the Tea Girls met, all six of us used to commute into London but have since spread ourselves outwards from the capital.
I plotted a route around their homes; it made an arrow shape 600 miles around, although the final mileage was 952.
On checking availability at sites near to their homes they were quite busy as people like us had waited for schools to go back and then set out on UK trips in their motorhomes/caravans. After some jiggling, it became do-able over our 3-week period; it was booked and became exciting!
For this trip we decided to take my car as well as the motorhome – double fuel yes, but it would give us a lot more flexibility, as well as the advantage of Husband and I having ‘separate time’ during the 3 weeks while we were driving!!
I contacted the Tea Girls explaining our plan and asked if/when they might be free in the allotted slots to arrange a meeting / walk / lunch / dinner etc.
Game on!
Tour To : T&S
Sunday 27th September
A 3-week trip involves a great deal of washing/packing clothes, washing/packing the motorhome, loading bikes, food shopping, ticking lists – it took about 3 days to get ready! We left the storage just before 10.00am on Sunday morning, kicking off straight away at T&S in Woodhouse with Sunday lunch.
I so wish I’d taken a photo of the luscious roast lunch T cooked for us, but I can tell you it was enormous and extremely nice! We are meeting with them again on Tuesday for a walk in the Derbyshire Dales.
Both with very full stomachs, we set off once more for the Caravan & Motorhome Club site at Carsington Water. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/peak-district/derbyshire/carsington-water-caravan-club-site/?utm_source=localsearch&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb
Note to self – next time pitch lower down on the site where they have WiFi!!
Motorhome mileage – Storage to Carsington Water site via Woodhouse = 164 miles
Monday 28th September
The site sits above Carsington Water – an enormous reservoir with an 8 mile cycle/walking path all the way round. Therefore we decided on a bicycle ride around the reservoir – sunny but somewhat chilly to start with – several layers, scarves and gloves required.
Other reservoir cycle paths we’ve tried (Rutland and Grafham) have been basically flat; this one not so much!! There were several steep climbs and, as there were walkers, horses etc., a run-up wasn’t always possible so we had to get off and push. It is not easy to push a heavy electric bike up a steep hill!
Unbelievably, later that day Husband decided to walk around the reservoir again! I offered to drive to collect him whenever he became too tired, fortunately he made it almost all the way round and to the nearby Visitor Centre so I gained a late afternoon cup of tea over-looking the water.
Tuesday 28th September
An amazingly blue and sunny day – how lucky are we?!
So glad we knew exactly where to meet T&S – at the car park near the Youth Hostel at Ilam – as there was simply no mobile reception at all!
After an NT takeaway coffee & bun, we set off on a stunning walk from Ilam to Dovedale – the photos say it all.
Wednesday 30th September
It is raining today. Little did we know that this is the first of many, many days of rain over the rest of our Tour. Mostly we managed to avoid a soaking; today we did not!
After a chilled morning we drove to Buxton for an afternoon ‘mooch’. The roads were awash but we found somewhere to park and began our stroll. We’ve been to Buxton before – in the sunshine and without a pandemic – it can look lovely. Today it’s hard to see out from underneath one’s cagoule hood but still we mooch a little, deciding against the shops and people. Eventually we took shelter in a very ordinary café – lovely coffee, lovely staff and lovely music – so lovely, Husband bought the album – Nina Simone – Love me or Leave Me.
Drenched we walked back to the car through the lovely gardens.
Tour To : C&N
Thursday 1st October
Stop one complete we moved on from Carsington Water. After stocking up with supplies at M&S in Ashbourne, we drive down roads and motorways I have never before seen. As usual, I’m in the lead in the motorhome and Husband follows in the car. The A38 and then the M6, where I almost took the turn to London by mistake, quick lane change right on the junction (aarrrrgghh) hope no cameras saw that!
My first time on the M6 toll road – very few cars on it. I’m not surprised when I see the bill later – £6.70 for the car and £11.80 for the motorhome – ouch!
What was totally unexpected was stopping at Welcome Break Hopwood Park service area on the M42 and finding fuel prices the same as at a supermarket – amazing!
We arrived at the Caravan & Motorhome Club site at Cirencester Park – lovely site – in walking distance of the town centre and an opportunity to sit, briefly, in the sun!
Normally, I borrow the whirly – known as Roysey – from the caravan, but there just wasn’t time so I ordered my own on Amazon and had it delivered to T&S’s house for safety. In the sunshine at Cirencester it was time to get it out of the box and give it a whirl! 🤣 Looks good but it spent most of our stay with ‘no clothes on’ outside in the pouring rain!!
Motorhome mileage – Carsington Water Site to Cirencester Site = 138 miles
Friday 2nd October
Quite wet today – we drove into Cirencester for a stroll around and a visit to Waitrose for supplies but otherwise chilled out.
In the evening, on C’s recommendation, we had booked The Bell at Sapperton for dinner for the two of us – excellent Covid precautions and great food and service. https://bellsapperton.co.uk
Saturday 3rd October
C has kindly offered to do our washing! So we arrived with sheets and towels, tea towels etc. – thank you!
Husband, N and friend A were due to play golf – it was raining a lot so they stayed home. C and I visited Cirencester’s Corinium Museum, which was excellent, interesting and dry! https://coriniummuseum.org We then drove over to Tetbury for a Ladies’ Lunch at Quayles – a really friendly café/bar/bistro https://www.quaylescornerhouse.com – the boys then turned up outside pressing their noses against the window looking for us (how embarrassing) before having lunch in the pub opposite!
An afternoon at leisure before returning to C&N’s for champagne (of course!), a fabulous home-made dinner and much jollity.
Sunday 4th October
Picked up by C&N for Sunday Lunch at the Stone Barn – amazing venue – and the most beautiful (and large) Sunday Lunch; how I managed to squeeze in that pudding I don’t know! I would love to go back again on a sunny day. https://crippsandco.com/stone-barn
Thank you C&N for your wonderful hospitality and for our clean laundry! x
Monday 5th October
Tour to : J&R
Cirencester site has been great – if wet – a site to return to at some point. This morning we set off to meet J&R at the National Trust gardens at Stourhead https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stourhead on our way to Devon. The car park guy was helpful in giving us an easy spot to park the motorhome and J arrived soon after. It wasn’t raining!
A beautiful walk around the lake with stunning views and lots of goss.
R was able to take a break from working at home and joined us for a jacket potato lunch in the NT Café. Husband and J had Tuna; R and I had something else – possibly beans and cheese. This may or may not have been important later!
Just as we came out of the café it began to rain, but we had been really lucky to get round in the dry. A jolly time amongst beautiful scenery.
We continued our drive to the Caravan & Motorhome Club Site at Putts Corner, which is on the top of the hill between Sidmouth and Honiton. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/devon-and-cornwall/devon/putts-corner-caravan-club-site/
We pulled up in the motorhome and car one behind the other and I went towards reception whilst Husband set off at a pace for the toilet block!
After I’d checked in, Husband crawled into the motorhome saying he felt really, really poorly. So poorly he simply laid down on his bed while I drove around the site looking for a suitable pitch. I set up / sorted out / fetched the car etc. I imagine our new neighbours on site thought he must be pretty lazy!
He became very shivery and grey. Eventually, whatever was upsetting him wanted out and he was sick twice – a lot – ewwww! 🤮 After sleeping under a duvet and two blankets from about 4.00pm until about 7.00pm, he got up for a while – photo below – and then returned to bed until about 10.00am the following day. PS – I’m not that good at being a nurse!
I got in touch with J&R – they were both fine – as was I – so probably not the baked potato, so where the upset came from we’ve no idea!
Motorhome mileage – Cirencester Site to Putts Corner Site via Stourhead = 108 miles
Tuesday 6th October
Husband began to feel better and, after a shower, felt ready for a gentle drive into Sidmouth. He even managed a BLT Sandwich at the Fort Café on the front …….. and to keep it down!
Sidmouth was looking good under a blue sky with big fluffy clouds; we strolled gently along the front, up on to the cliff and through the pretty public gardens.
Wednesday 7th October
This morning we planned a walk from Exmouth, inland along the River Exe to a station, and getting a train back. It was a lovely walk with views causing us to pause frequently so we didn’t get to the station we had planned but the one before at Lympstone Village.
We had booked lunch at Rockfish – we’ve been to a couple of other branches in the past but never the one at Exmouth. https://therockfish.co.uk/pages/exmouth-seafood-restaurant
Fantastic food – for starters I had Roasted Half Shell Scallops and Husband had Mount’s Bay Sardines from the Tin. Awesome.
Thursday 8th October
Having decided it was quite a distance to drive all the way to Brighton in one go, we’ve decided to break our journey with an overnight at Black Knowl Caravan & Motorhome Club Site in the New Forest. It has recently been re-layed and given a swanky new facilities block. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/southern-england/hampshire/black-knowl-caravan-club-site/
It was a fabulous drive along the A35 in bright sunshine; it really is a stunning road. It was made extra good by a roadside café at Stinsford, just after Dorchester; a large layby so very easy to park the motorhome, plus toilets. The café offers local farm shops the opportunity to sell their wares and the café’s farm sausage bap was scrummy.
The journey had gone pretty well until the final directions to the site in Brockenhurst. It is always best to ignore the SatNav and follow the site’s own instructions as they will give a route which may not be direct but it will be the best route for caravans / motorhomes. As we reached Brockenhurst there were lots of ‘road closed’ signs on our route; eventually I managed to heave the motorhome to in an ‘only partially inconvenient’ spot for others. A secondary school was turning out and there were teenagers and cars everywhere. We looked at the map / the directions / the sky for inspiration and our logic failed us. Eventually, Husband set off in the car to try to find the right route. He thought he’d found the answer but it was via the High Street which is cars and bikes only – no motorhomes. He tried again and found the road we needed wasn’t actually closed until after our turning. How could one know that? Doh! Just a quick three-point turn in a 7.4m length motorhome in amongst the school traffic – no problem!
The forest road to the site was long and had many ramps – more tricky in a motorhome with a long overhang and a bike rack than a car – but it was so worth it. Another nice pitch and the opportunity to dry out a few things!
The site is lovely for its position but also for the walks one can do right from the site. We set off early evening and walked much further than we had planned. It began to get dark and we had to quicken our pace so as not to be caught in the forest in the dark! As we turned into the site we saw a small herd of deer, slightly too distant to photograph.
Motorhome mileage – Putts Corner Site to Black Knowl Site = 103 miles
Tour to : V&T
Friday 9th October
Not a driving day I wish to remember! Husband looked at the traffic for our journey from the New Forest to Brighton and found that a lorry had over-turned on the A27 and this major road was closed. I thought it would be cleared by the time we left but I hadn’t grasped the enormity of the situation which we discovered later on the internet:-
So Husband planned a route around the incident up the A3 and along the A272. We’ve driven the A272 before but obviously not in a motorhome and not when another main road was closed. It was narrow, with lots of pinch points – villages, brick walls, hedges, tight turns over thin bridges – lorry after lorry after bus after tractor after lorry coming the other way. Absolutely nowhere to stop for a moment to catch one’s breath. And then the worst section where a dustbin lorry with men working at the rear was moving slowly towards me; behind it was an empty and very wide double-length car transporter! I couldn’t pull over anywhere or go backwards; I couldn’t pull the mirrors in as I needed them …….. all I could do was squeeze through an almost non-existent space between the trucks and the 12ft high hedge. Probably my worst moment ever driving the motorhome!
We arrived at Brighton site https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/south-east-england/east-sussex/brighton-caravan-club-site/ which was amazingly almost full so had to take a pitch which I didn’t really like – dark and with over-hanging trees. Ho hum!
After setting up we thought we’d stretch out for a bit before we realised my miscalculation, it wasn’t 30 minutes to V’s house, it was 65 minutes – we needed to get ready and go! Last minute, I suggested driving through Brighton en route so we could see the lights etc. They’ve changed all the one-way systems and we just couldn’t seem to get back out on to the A23. It was 45 minutes from the site until we reached the A23. We were only 15 minutes late arriving – phew!
Champagne and home-made canapés and then a lovely meal out with V&T at The Black Horse, Reigate – https://theblackhorsereigate.com confusingly part of the White Brasserie Chain. It was so lovely to catch up on news and gossip between the four of us. An excellent, fun evening.
Motorhome mileage – Black Knowl Site to Brighton Site = 109 miles
Saturday 10th October
A bike ride into Brighton, along the cycle path by the seafront, stopping here and there. At one point we decided to lock the bikes to Brighton’s famous green railings. Husband accidentally dropped his heavy-weight D-lock over the edge, just missing two guys who were underneath chatting. That could’ve gone a very different way …… 😱
We cycled as far as Hove and then returned via a short visit to the town centre to look at one shop. That was enough – far too busy in these Covid times so we left very quickly.
We cycled to the Marina and booked ourselves into Café Rouge for a plate of steak and frites before returning to the site.
So, Husband has an appointment at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge tomorrow morning (yes Sunday) for a Carotid Doppler test. He will drive home in my car this evening; I will pack up and move the motorhome up to Welwyn Garden City in the morning and we’ll re-convene there tomorrow afternoon.
Good tip – it is always best to empty the toilet in the day time before it needs emptying otherwise, of course, the red light comes on at night when it’s raining …….. I’m on my own and guess what!
Sunday 11th October
An easy drive from Brighton to Welwyn Garden City site https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/south-east-england/hertfordshire/commons-wood-caravan-club-site/ via the Dartford Tunnel. Husband kindly suggests he would get sandwiches from M&S on his way and what would I like? “Egg with anything please”, I say. He arrived with the below from the Plant Kitchen range …… I know the filling was yellow and looked like egg, but it contains absolutely no egg, none, zilch, zero, nada, diddly-squat and it tastes simply awful. I suggest not buying this product by mistake!
Motorhome mileage – Brighton Site to Welwyn Garden City Site = 108 miles
Diversion – Karen’s Birthday
Monday 12th October
It was Karen’s birthday yesterday (Husband’s sister), so we have planned a rendez-vous at Thetford on our route from Welwyn Garden City to Ludham in Norfolk.
We met and had a nice lunch at The Warrener https://www.whitbreadinns.co.uk/en-gb/locations/the-warrener?cid=yext_41024315 which, for a Monday lunch time, had a lot of spread-out customers. There didn’t seem to be any particular deal so it was very odd that so many people were out and about at that time. The food was good and a jolly time was had.
We had found a place to leave the motorhome in a pretty woodland car park a couple of miles away so afterwards we retreated to the motorhome with Karen for coffee/tea and cake. Husband had done very well in getting a Colin the Caterpillar Birthday Cake – not so well when I told him to bring candles …… he brought a single dinner candle instead of cake candles, so it had to be placed separately in a bottle! 🤣
Motorhome mileage – Welwyn Garden City Site to Norfolk Broads Site = 128 miles
Tour to : L&J
Full with chocolate cake we continued to the Caravan & Motorhome Club Norfolk Broads site at Ludham https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/east-anglia/norfolk/norfolk-broads-caravan-club-site/
A nice site in three sections; very level and they had a lot of standing water. If you stepped on to the grass anywhere you were up to your ankles!
Tuesday 13th October
Free/chill time for me today with my knitting / radio / podcasts while Husband set off on a long walk.
Wednesday 14th October
You can’t be in the Norfolk Broads without hiring a boat, even though it is October and a bit cloudy/rainy. We found a boatyard willing to offer a dayboat for a few hours. I love a boat trip, me!
We shared the ‘driving’ but I let him do the parking at the end …… well, eventually we had to be dragged in with a boat hook …… so embarrassing!
From the boat yard we went on to a The Boathouse Ormesby Broad https://www.theboathouseormesbybroad.co.uk where we had a splendid lunch.
Thursday 15th October
A return trip to the National Trust Blickling Estate as we arrived the skies cleared, beautiful colours and light. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/blickling-estate
This evening drinks and canapés at L&J’s – so lovely to catch up and to hear all the news. Zoom is good but it’s so nice just to actually be with friends again.
It’s just a few minutes drive into Norwich city centre – must remember that car park (St. Andrew’s) – brightly lit, wide bays – how all car parks should be! We ate at the lovely Bishop’s Dining Room & Wine Bar http://www.bishopsrestaurant.co.uk – really fabulous food and friendly service, a great place to end our Tour of the Tea Girls. Fun conversations and a really jolly evening.
Friday 16th October
We’ve so enjoyed seeing the Tea Girls and Tea Boys in the flesh once more and it was lovely to have time with each couple for full conversations and catch up with each other’s news.
We are very lucky to have had such good friends for 43 years, widely spread across the country but still keeping up our friendship across the years – including through a pandemic!
👫 👫 👫 👫 👫 👫 🥰 x
Motorhome mileage – Norfolk Broads Site to Storage = 94 miles
Total Motorhome mileage = 952 miles
TiddleyOmPomPom on Tour 