It has to be said, that Julian looked pretty cool when we paid a visit today to the place we bought him from. In truth we've decided to upgrade. So Julian is now on his way to a new home.
Julian's replacement isn't a camper...it's a motorhome. This is because we've decided that comfort is more important to us than previously thought. Spending time with Julian has been fun though...so we hope that Julian's new owner will enjoy him as much as we have.
Our motorhome: Wilby Fyne
January 2018
Julian has been in for a bit of patching, which is to be expected due to age. When he returned I gave the internal space a bit of a make-over. This is the result...
October 5th-6th: Glastonbury
It was my birthday...so we took a few days out to wander. Visiting Glastonbury was an easy drive, and the warmth of the Autumn weather suited the short break perfectly.
Whilst in the area we browsed around Street and Shepton Mallet too...but Glastonbury itself was the main attraction : )
The camp site (less than a mile from the Tor) was lovely, with a fishing lake and chickens...and it was totally free of traffic noise too. Their friendly site shop was well stocked with homemade jams and chutneys and fresh meat products.
Even the dog benefitted from the site facilities...as they had a heated dog shower and a washing machine exclusively for the washing of dog bedding! She's never had it so good!
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| The Tor with St.Michael's tower |
Whilst in the area we browsed around Street and Shepton Mallet too...but Glastonbury itself was the main attraction : )
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| The camp site buildings...photo taken from the Tor |
The camp site (less than a mile from the Tor) was lovely, with a fishing lake and chickens...and it was totally free of traffic noise too. Their friendly site shop was well stocked with homemade jams and chutneys and fresh meat products.
Even the dog benefitted from the site facilities...as they had a heated dog shower and a washing machine exclusively for the washing of dog bedding! She's never had it so good!
September 16th. Burnham.
Today we took Julian to Burnham-on-sea...where we browsed the shops and had a cuppa. Then we drove on to find Apex Leisure park. I can't believe that I hadn't heard of this place before...it's perfect for an afternoon outing, picnic or whatever.
While we were there 'Lizzie's Kitchen' was in situ to provide home made cakes and snacks.
While we were there 'Lizzie's Kitchen' was in situ to provide home made cakes and snacks.
From there we drove on to Uphill...the tide was coming in slowly...
September 2nd. Deer Leap.
This afternoon we took Julian out for a run following a months break...August being a notoriously hot and uncomfortable month for driving. During the break period we'd had some of odd jobs done on the van and had given everything a thorough clean and freshen-up inside and out.
Todays outing was to Deer Leap, near Priddy, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch. The scenic views from this spot were simply stunning, we could see Brent Knoll and Brean Down on one side and across to Glastonbury Tor on the other. We, and Roxy dog, thoroughly enjoyed our walk along the hill crest.
On our return journey we passed Stockhill, another beauty spot and woodland pic-nic area. We'll visit that place another time.
Todays outing was to Deer Leap, near Priddy, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch. The scenic views from this spot were simply stunning, we could see Brent Knoll and Brean Down on one side and across to Glastonbury Tor on the other. We, and Roxy dog, thoroughly enjoyed our walk along the hill crest.
On our return journey we passed Stockhill, another beauty spot and woodland pic-nic area. We'll visit that place another time.
July 26th-28th. Dartmouth
This time we headed to a campsite in the Dartmouth area as I'd heard that nearby Salcombe Sands has a decent beach, that is dog friendly. Nearby to the site there is also a section of beach called Blackpool Sands.
Now...when my youngest son was two years old, one afternoon we took him to Blackpool Sands. After and hour or so of watching him throw small handfuls of pebbles into the water we walked slowly along the sand, with each parent holding one of our sons hands as he toddled along happily, enjoying the occasional arm 'swing' as we went. I was walking closest to the water, but was at the time more than 6ft away from the waters edge as we were heading towards the back of the beach, where we had noticed some dunes. The water was calm and our son had been paddling in the tiny wavelets a short time before, with myself beside him holding his plastic bucket and spade. As we walked along the beach as described, in my free hand I was carrying my camera...when suddenly an unexpected wave crashed to the shore, knocking me sideways and taking my son and my camera away with it! Both of us grabbed our child out of the waves, with sand already pouring from his mouth and nose. It was one of the most terrifying times of my life.
Badly shaken, we had immediately returned to the guest house where we poured out our distress to our host...who told us that her husband had been walking on this same beach several years prior, when he had been suddenly and forcefully hit on the chest by a wave...which was akin to what we'd experienced. He had afterwards been off work for months and could still feel pain in the affected area now and then. He and his family hadn't visited that beach since, and nor will we.
On our way to Dartmouth we stopped at Trago Mills. This is a massive shopping arcade, surrounded by ice cream, fudge and bagel places. All of it rather tatty. The only things I could find of note were three male peacocks...one of which stood to face-up with me. I took this as being a potential photo opportunity, so asked him to fan out his tail for me. He refused...so I explained that humankind can make a small fortune for flashing their tails to the camera...in the hope that he'd get my drift. He did. He clearly indicated that he wasn't prepared to flash his peacock for peanuts...and that was the end of the matter!
Upon our arrival at the Dartmouth campsite we found it to be clean and tidy. It was near a coastal path that led down to Blackpool Sands, and soon after our arrival we took the dog for a walk along there...whilst choosing to avoid the beach itself.
I've visited Dartmouth many times, but on this occasion we were able to park (free of charge) right on the quayside (at 9am). The town was clean and very pretty, with lots of interesting buildings, fresh fish shops, cake shops and bakeries. I could've stayed there all day...but after stuffing our faces we decided we'd best find a stretch of beach where we could walk off our excesses.
Next stop...Slapton Leys. This is a gritty sandy beach with interesting pebbles, blue-green cloudy sea and very few people about. Roxy loved it and she got quite a tan too!
Then on to Tor Cross...which was a dead and alive hole, but with a fairly good duck pond.
Kingsbridge was a nice place and worthy of a wander. We then drove on to Salcombe, but wish we hadn't bothered! It was like a typical Cornish town, that had slipped across the border into Devon. Narrow streets, too many tourists...and it took us absolutely ages to get out of there!
The next morning we woke early, having slept well (as we also had the previous night in fact)....then after a lazy breakfast drove towards home. One the way back we stopped whenever the mood took us...finally arriving home mid afternoon. All very leisurely! The weekend now lies before us, so we feel that we're still 'on holiday', which is nice : )
Now...when my youngest son was two years old, one afternoon we took him to Blackpool Sands. After and hour or so of watching him throw small handfuls of pebbles into the water we walked slowly along the sand, with each parent holding one of our sons hands as he toddled along happily, enjoying the occasional arm 'swing' as we went. I was walking closest to the water, but was at the time more than 6ft away from the waters edge as we were heading towards the back of the beach, where we had noticed some dunes. The water was calm and our son had been paddling in the tiny wavelets a short time before, with myself beside him holding his plastic bucket and spade. As we walked along the beach as described, in my free hand I was carrying my camera...when suddenly an unexpected wave crashed to the shore, knocking me sideways and taking my son and my camera away with it! Both of us grabbed our child out of the waves, with sand already pouring from his mouth and nose. It was one of the most terrifying times of my life.
Badly shaken, we had immediately returned to the guest house where we poured out our distress to our host...who told us that her husband had been walking on this same beach several years prior, when he had been suddenly and forcefully hit on the chest by a wave...which was akin to what we'd experienced. He had afterwards been off work for months and could still feel pain in the affected area now and then. He and his family hadn't visited that beach since, and nor will we.
On our way to Dartmouth we stopped at Trago Mills. This is a massive shopping arcade, surrounded by ice cream, fudge and bagel places. All of it rather tatty. The only things I could find of note were three male peacocks...one of which stood to face-up with me. I took this as being a potential photo opportunity, so asked him to fan out his tail for me. He refused...so I explained that humankind can make a small fortune for flashing their tails to the camera...in the hope that he'd get my drift. He did. He clearly indicated that he wasn't prepared to flash his peacock for peanuts...and that was the end of the matter!
Upon our arrival at the Dartmouth campsite we found it to be clean and tidy. It was near a coastal path that led down to Blackpool Sands, and soon after our arrival we took the dog for a walk along there...whilst choosing to avoid the beach itself.
I've visited Dartmouth many times, but on this occasion we were able to park (free of charge) right on the quayside (at 9am). The town was clean and very pretty, with lots of interesting buildings, fresh fish shops, cake shops and bakeries. I could've stayed there all day...but after stuffing our faces we decided we'd best find a stretch of beach where we could walk off our excesses.
The next morning we woke early, having slept well (as we also had the previous night in fact)....then after a lazy breakfast drove towards home. One the way back we stopped whenever the mood took us...finally arriving home mid afternoon. All very leisurely! The weekend now lies before us, so we feel that we're still 'on holiday', which is nice : )
July 5th-7th. Wye Valley.
We'd first visited this site in September last year. It's actually the only site we've re-visited, and in our opinion it's the best we've been to so far. Last time we'd stayed here the weather had been wet, so we'd been unable to explore the surrounding woodland...so this was the first place we headed upon arrival in the afternoon.
We began our adventure by following a sign to 'The brook' and soon found this lovely cooling trickle of water amongst the trees. Having arrived at this glade sooner than expected we decided to follow another path, hoping for a circuitous route back to camp. Thirty minutes later, having taken various paths through the woods, we felt ourselves to be lost.
Alan decided to check his phone in the hope that it would trace our position, and sure enough it did. He was able to confirm that we were indeed standing in a forest. I found this to be a most helpful.
We were without compass, first aid kit, water supply, sleeping bags or tent. Nor did we have a St.Bernard with a brandy barrel around its strong neck. Instead we had a Jack Russell crossbreed whose excess fluid had been regularly released during our woodland walk.
Imaginatively considering the depth of the forest to be a dangerous place to be in if lost at night, we sought to find our way to safety (I've read far too many children's stories!).
When we'd returned to camp we enjoyed ice cream from the site shop (locally home made) before heading back to the shade offered by Julian. After awhile of such relaxation (the weather was still particularly warm) I felt sick and had stomach cramps. Being unwell like this wasn't a pleasant experience it has to be said. It took awhile to recover and even then I felt extremely tired and from 8pm slept like a log for ten hours without waking. At the time, I blamed the ice cream...though later wasn't so sure.
I felt fine when I woke next day so we decided to browse around Lydney, Coleford and Bream, and spent between-times walking within woodland shade, having taken a picnic lunch with us. Again, we returned to camp in the early evening and once more, after a few hours of sitting in the heat, I felt unwell. This time my stomach cramps were more severe, and were accompanied by faintness, sweating and a rapid pulse rate which, to be honest with you, I found quite scary. At this point my husband recognised my condition as being heat exhaustion.
As with the previous day, we found it wasn't easy to manage being unwell whilst in the campervan. I had no choice but to lay sardine-style between vomit bowl and portaloo while my husband tried to channel the air vents to create draughts to cool me down. When I could stand up again upon wobbling legs I glanced in a mirror and saw that with my lightly tanned skin and green face I was beginning to blend in with the green tones of the surrounding woodland...I thought I was probably suffering from a human version of Dutch Elm disease!
Upon returning home next day I noticed that the greenhouse needed watering and the rest of the garden was dry...but this just had to wait. In future I'll be staying in the shade until the temperature has dropped. I will also have a medical check up as my blood pressure has been rising recently.
In all, an enjoyable few days...but certainly with safety-first lessons learned.
We began our adventure by following a sign to 'The brook' and soon found this lovely cooling trickle of water amongst the trees. Having arrived at this glade sooner than expected we decided to follow another path, hoping for a circuitous route back to camp. Thirty minutes later, having taken various paths through the woods, we felt ourselves to be lost.
Alan decided to check his phone in the hope that it would trace our position, and sure enough it did. He was able to confirm that we were indeed standing in a forest. I found this to be a most helpful.
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| Are you coming? |
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| I think I can see a bear! |
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| I think it's following us! |
When we'd returned to camp we enjoyed ice cream from the site shop (locally home made) before heading back to the shade offered by Julian. After awhile of such relaxation (the weather was still particularly warm) I felt sick and had stomach cramps. Being unwell like this wasn't a pleasant experience it has to be said. It took awhile to recover and even then I felt extremely tired and from 8pm slept like a log for ten hours without waking. At the time, I blamed the ice cream...though later wasn't so sure.
I felt fine when I woke next day so we decided to browse around Lydney, Coleford and Bream, and spent between-times walking within woodland shade, having taken a picnic lunch with us. Again, we returned to camp in the early evening and once more, after a few hours of sitting in the heat, I felt unwell. This time my stomach cramps were more severe, and were accompanied by faintness, sweating and a rapid pulse rate which, to be honest with you, I found quite scary. At this point my husband recognised my condition as being heat exhaustion.
As with the previous day, we found it wasn't easy to manage being unwell whilst in the campervan. I had no choice but to lay sardine-style between vomit bowl and portaloo while my husband tried to channel the air vents to create draughts to cool me down. When I could stand up again upon wobbling legs I glanced in a mirror and saw that with my lightly tanned skin and green face I was beginning to blend in with the green tones of the surrounding woodland...I thought I was probably suffering from a human version of Dutch Elm disease!
Upon returning home next day I noticed that the greenhouse needed watering and the rest of the garden was dry...but this just had to wait. In future I'll be staying in the shade until the temperature has dropped. I will also have a medical check up as my blood pressure has been rising recently.
In all, an enjoyable few days...but certainly with safety-first lessons learned.
June 2nd. Uphill.
The high tide was due at around 1pm so we took ourselves to Uphill for a few hours. Roxy even had a swim...although this was unintended by herself. Hopefully we'll be able to repeat her paddling-to-swim experiment when we've got the camera in hand!
The afternoon was a pleasantly warm and breezy one, with sails seen on land as well as in the water.
The afternoon was a pleasantly warm and breezy one, with sails seen on land as well as in the water.
June 17th.18th.19th. Porlock.
This weekend we decided to spend a few days visiting Porlock caravan park, leaving our three cats at home...because frankly, they don't deserve a holiday!
All of 'em lounge around and do little more than eat and sleep...whilst it's become necessary for us to employ someone (human) to remove a mouse infestation in the kitchen. In my opinion, both the cats and mice are just taking the piss!
The mice even went as far as building a nest behind the dishwasher! So...the cats remained at home whilst we took the dog with us. Hopefully, while we've been away the felines will have had time to re-connect with their animal instincts, so there may be some changes. Though I suspect that, like us, they've become far too used to having home comforts on tap.
All of 'em lounge around and do little more than eat and sleep...whilst it's become necessary for us to employ someone (human) to remove a mouse infestation in the kitchen. In my opinion, both the cats and mice are just taking the piss!
So, with the sun blazing, our first stop was at Woodland Hill...which is a truck and picnic spot, with a nearby van serving a welcomed bacon sarnie and cuppa : )
Next stop was Blue Anchor...a pebble/gritty sand 'seaside' resort. Here we parked for free on the sea front beside a dog-friendly beach and spent an hour paddling and wandering, before enjoying a really good rum and raisin ice cream cone.
Arriving next at the camping site we found it to be clean and well maintained, though the vans were parked closer together than we'd prefer. We spent a couple of hours on site, setting up our sunshade and chairs and so forth...before going walkabout through nearby Porlock Village. Roxy received a handful of mince from a local butcher and we bought some pasties to take back to camp.
We took another walk later in the day...this time following a path to Porlock Marshes...which is probably the most desolate place I've ever trudged. In fact, with the sun beating down, and with a total lack of shade, I fully expected to see circling vultures overhead, rather than seagulls. The view when standing atop a mound of shingle was kinda good though.
Returning to camp we stayed put for the evening, just leaving briefly to go to fetch a fish'n'chip supper (that was really nice). At around 5.30pm I hoped to see the Red Arrows flying team, as I knew them to be displaying at an Air Show in Weston-S-Mare. When I told Alan this, he said I'd not see them from Porlock as it was too far away...but I still took watch. After all, I could see the sun very clearly and that was at a far greater distance!
The camp was quiet overnight, and the sea breeze eased the heat, so we slept well.
Next morning we drove to Minehead and wandered around shops (I'd forgotten to take a hairbrush so needed to buy one). I also bought three pairs of sandals...after all, I'm only 5ft 2ins so may yet grow a few extra feet if I eat well : )
After lunch in Minehead (which was served by two women even older than myself...either that or they were just well weathered local youngsters)...we took a browse around Selworthy...which has some really picturesque chocolate-box cottages.
I must say the scenery 'everywhere' was quite stunning...
Back at base camp that evening we decided to have a BBQ...which turned out ok given that we used a pre-packed mini foil version.
Unfortunately our second night at camp wasn't as pleasant as the first. The heat seemed to have shot up and I felt my eyes to be filled with grit (possibly due to smoke from the BBQ). I finally fells asleep wearing my sunglasses...so in the morning received a severe shock when I saw myself in the bathroom mirror! My hair was like straw matted to my head, with spikes of wire wool at angles standing wildly from it. My face was sweaty and red, with a pressure-bruise below my eye. I smelled like the bottom of a mouse cage...and in all had the unmistakable appearance of someone in receipt of poorly funded homecare for the elderly.
I take this as a warning...and shall readily ensure that my lifestyle does not sustain longevity.
May 29th. Raining!
Well, we'd spent the first two days of the Bank Holiday weekend catching up with DIY jobs in the house and garden...so today, despite the lousy weather, we headed out for a drive. It turned out ok actually. First we wandered around shops and looked at heaps of things that we didn't buy, which saved us a fortune : ) Then we bought a couple of bacon butties which we enjoyed while sitting inside the van in comfort and watching other people getting very wet!
May 19th. Wales. LLandow.
On Saturday we headed to Wales, having booked to stay just one night at LLandow Caravan Park.
It was a last minute arrangement as the weather had been grotty all week and then when the sun came out we wanted to make the most of it. We chose LLadow because of the sites proximity to various beaches, and the site owners willingness to fit us in to stay for just one night at short notice. Anyway...when we arrived we found a clean site with two areas, one for families and one for those wishing for peace. The latter suited us fine.
There was not a lot to 'do' around the camp site itself, although Roxy was introduced to an agility area for dogs that had been set up in an adjoining field.
It was a last minute arrangement as the weather had been grotty all week and then when the sun came out we wanted to make the most of it. We chose LLadow because of the sites proximity to various beaches, and the site owners willingness to fit us in to stay for just one night at short notice. Anyway...when we arrived we found a clean site with two areas, one for families and one for those wishing for peace. The latter suited us fine.
There was not a lot to 'do' around the camp site itself, although Roxy was introduced to an agility area for dogs that had been set up in an adjoining field.
Whilst in the area we visited Llantwit Major, with its pretty houses, gardens and country lanes, and Cwm-Huw beach with it's cliff-top paths and interesting rock formations.
There were masses of tadpoles in the river there.
The only set back here was the threat of a £1,000 fine if we took the dog onto the beach. I could understand this sort of ruling in a place like Brighton or Bournemouth...when clear stretches of sand are heavily used by holiday makers...but Cwm-Huw is a small rocky beach with hardly any sand, situated in the middle of no-where.
Ogmore beach, near Brigend, was an entirely different story. Sheep roamed free and the area surrounding the beach was really lovely too. Definitely a 'favourite place' to sit and chill : )
Local browse...May 14th.
After completing some updates (fitting Julian with some new curtains and so forth) we went out for a run this afternoon and headed in the Aust and Thornbury direction...having noticed Whales Warf and Shepperdine on the map we decided to browse around... 
The natives were friendly...
...and one was keen to have her photo taken.
In Shepperdine I thought I caught a glimpse of Nessie sunbathing...though as she was so far from home I may have been mistaken, and just caught a glimpse of a branch family member perhaps? I thought I'd log the photo anyway...
The natives were friendly...
...and one was keen to have her photo taken.
In Shepperdine I thought I caught a glimpse of Nessie sunbathing...though as she was so far from home I may have been mistaken, and just caught a glimpse of a branch family member perhaps? I thought I'd log the photo anyway...
Lee Valley. May 1st weekend.
This weekend we headed (along with the dog) for a three night stay at Dobbs Weir Country Park in Hampshire.
The journey from home to the camp site, being well over four hours in duration, was the longest we'd undertaken with Julian. The van took to the road well, with no problems in fact...though we found it quite tiring, and Alan found the steering heavy, compared to the comfort of a modern car.
I'd booked to meet with friends at the Arthur Findlay College on the Saturday during part of their open week.
Between times my husband and I wandered around the Dobbs Weir area...and whilst I was away from the campsite 'doing my own thing' he took the dog for long walks.
The journey from home to the camp site, being well over four hours in duration, was the longest we'd undertaken with Julian. The van took to the road well, with no problems in fact...though we found it quite tiring, and Alan found the steering heavy, compared to the comfort of a modern car.
I'd booked to meet with friends at the Arthur Findlay College on the Saturday during part of their open week.
Following our meet-up at the College, in the evening we enjoyed a meal together at the nearby 'Dog and Duck' (where we enjoyed exceptionally delicious food!).
Then, on the Sunday evening I shared a séance at a friends house nearby.
Between times my husband and I wandered around the Dobbs Weir area...and whilst I was away from the campsite 'doing my own thing' he took the dog for long walks.
Lee Valley is lovely, with canals, open river and abundant water life. The camp site at Dobbs Weir was ok, though to be honest we would have preferred to have less kids around. It didn't help that we were designated a parking space near a play area...though our small dog enjoyed all the attention she received.
St.Fagans. Bank Holiday. Monday April 17th.
This morning we headed for Wales, to visit St.Fagans. To be honest with you, this place takes some beating. For merely the cost of parking (which is £5 and must be paid into the machine with £1 coins) you get to a place where history and modern day meet in the best possible way.
Within its grounds St Fagans has many historical buildings...
it seems that these two got into a spot of bother...
but no worries, they were soon released!
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