What a world we have lived in since the beginning of 2020.
On the 14th of March 2020, lockdown started, and we could only go out of our house in Spain for shopping or for medical reasons, and could not go out of the Province of Valencia.
On the 12th of April 2020, we were allowed out between 7pm and 10pm for an hours walk, still not allowed out of Valencia.
Cervantes was in storage in Murcia, just over the border, but in another province.
In February 2021 we got special permission from the police to go to Murcia to pick up Cervantes, and get the van to a testing station for an MOT (passed easily)
On the 1st of June 2020 we were allowed out between 9am and 9pm, free to travel in Valencia, but with no mixing with other people.
In May 2021, the Murcia border was opened, and things became a little easier, and we could plan a trip to the UK.
We last went touring in Cervantes in August 2020, when we were allowed to travel (only in Valencia), then took Cervantes out again in November 2020 for 4 new tyres.
Thus, Cervantes had done hardly any kilometres in the past 12 months, so prior to our trip to UK, we had a couple of nights test run to make sure everything worked OK.
We realised that we had many hoops to jump through before we go to see friends and family in the UK, and so it proved.
There were disasters along the way, but staying positive and looking at the bigger picture got us through in the end.
The further north we got, the colder, wetter and windier the weather got - we had to buy some warmer clothes in Oxford!!
TOTAL TOUR STATISTICS
- Distance travelled 4303km
- Travelling time 67hrs 42min
- Amount of fuel used 445.26 litres
- Cost of fuel used €678.30
- Average fuel consumption 10.34litres/100km (27.32mpg)
- Nights away 57
- Nights in paid aires 33 at a cost of €497.22
- Nights in campsites 11 at a cost of €246.63
- Nights in free overnight parking 13
- Kilometres cycled on the Transpennine Trail 106
- Number of family and friends we have seen 19
You can see YouTube videos of the approaches to all the aires we have stayed in here, and an interactive map of all the places we have ever stayed here.
Monday 02/08/2021 Home to Valle del Sol
N37°51'44.0'' W001°01'57.2'' ///frightening.assist.buckling
Paid aire on crushed gravel for 6 vans - very big pitches. 2 shower and toilet rooms, washing machine, private pool, bar and restaurant, bowling green. €17 per night, includes water, waste disposal and electric.
9km in 13mins
We had an appointment with our motorhome supplier in Murcia - Pepi, who sold us our motorhome, Cervantes, in 2013.
Our motorhome has been in storage in San Javier in the province of Murcia, and we live in Pilar de la Horadada in the province of Comunidad Valencia.
Consequently, during the lockdown when we could only go outside our house for 1 hour a day, we were not allowed to go out of our province, and thus did not see Cervantes for over 12 months.
As things eventually eased, we were still locked in, and were still limited to our province.
We got permission from the local police to take Cervantes for the upcoming MOT (ITV in Spain) in February 2021, but were still not allowed to go anywhere.
The upshot of all this was that Cervantes had only done 20km in the last 12 months, and we had only seen it on 2 occasions.
Needless to say, when we went to get him, planning for our overdue tour, we expected (and found) a number of problems, the most serious of which was that the leisure batteries were as dead as a dodo - no power whatsoever.
We obviously couldn't set off on tour with that problem, so we booked an appointment with Pepi to have 2 new leisure batteries fitted.
Our appointment was for 9:30am on Monday 2/8/21 to replace our 8 year old leisure batteries which had served us well for the 80,000 kilometres we had done in the van.
We left it for 2 hours with the mechanic, and came back to find that the problem was that the solar regulator had melted into a blob of plastic.
Whether this caused the batteries to fail, or was as a result of the batteries failing, I don't know.
I do know that €500 later we had 2 new heavy duty Varta batteries and a new solar regulator, and were set to go - yeah!!!!
We have the up to date Campercontact app on the phone, which showed us the latest updates to their listings of motorhome aires and campsites.
We needed one fairly near, because we had an appointment in La Zenia at 11am on Tuesday 3/8/21, and found the ideal one at Country Camping in the Valle del Sol.
The campsite is on gravel for 6 motorhomes, and the pitches are huge.
There are 2 large shower and toilet rooms, and water and electric is included and available on site.
It's called Country Camping and has a bar and restaurant attached, and is situated around a crown green bowling square.
The welcome, food and drink were excellent.
A swim in the private pool later...
...and we were ready for a meal in the bar, overlooking the bowlers.
The fridge in the van was never working at 100% - we considered getting a new one when we were last in the UK 2 years ago, but had no luck with the fitters of Liverpool - no-one wanted to come out to see it and take our money!!
Luckily, it started working again for no apparent reason, and has been excellent ever since. (I think wherever you place the thermostat on the fins in the fridge is critical)
Obviously not being switched on for the last 18 months has not been the best conditions for the fridge, so we were a bit worried when we first switched it on with the new batteries fitted.
Initially, for the first 5 hours there was not much cooling going on, but slowly it stuttered back to life, and seems OK now - only time will tell.
An update - the fridge is now working as it should do. It changes from vehicle battery to gas (after 15 minutes, to avoid problems of a naked flame at fuel stations) and then from gas to mains electric - yeah - this is how it should have worked in the first place.
I have a thermometer in the freezer compartment, and one in the fridge. A remote unit inside the motorhome gives readouts of both sensors, and tells me the temperature, and whether it is going up or down.
This tells me that everything is working as it should - hallelujah!!!
Tuesday 03/08/2021 Valle del Sol to Los Narejos
N37°45'48.9'' W000°49'50.6'' ///kindest.bleep.minded
Paid aire on tarmac with shade. €11.90, electric €3. 2 toilet and washrooms. Restaurant, washer/dryer, van wash, bike rental, grey and black waste disposal.
69km in 1hr 23min
Today we had an appointment with a gestor to register Glyn's S1 health entitlement in Spain.
Prior to this, we had done every bit of paperwork and bureaucracy ourselves - filling in endless forms in duplicate and triplicate, and waiting in rooms to be called to produce all the red tape necessary to get the desired result.
I'm afraid the S1 application beat us. We had all the necessary paperwork, and had our digital certificate to complete it online, but what a website the INSS has!!
Talk about multiple options - every one of the 6 pages had at least 8 options, one of which you had to click to get to the next page, which had another 8 options, etc, etc, etc.
We spent a good day trying to complete the questionnaire, but finally gave in, and went to a gestor to complete it.
She agreed it was a horrendous website, and admitted it took them a good 10 days to master it when it first appeared. We were only too pleased to pay her €72 to complete it for us.
It took us only 20 minutes to do the deal, so then it was a question of where to go.
We have to be in UK by September to babysit our granddaughter for a wedding our daughter is a bridesmaid at.
The Covid regulations of which country can do what, seems to change on what seems like a daily basis.
We therefore had the plan to make a dash for the UK in Cervantes whenever we could.
The "announcement" is supposed to be on Wednesday by Boris, so we decided to stay local so we could shut down the house here and make a dash for the UK if the rules allowed us.
The obvious choice, and somewhere we have visited, but never stayed, was Los Narejos - a large aire just north of Los Alcázares.
We phoned ahead, and were told to just turn up - they were only half full.
After a shopping trip to Lidl (great artisan beer choice at the moment) we parked up at 1pm.
The receptionist was correct - the aire was very quiet (apart from the selfish woman in the next van playing very loud music)
We plan to stay here for 2 nights, then decide what to do, assuming that Boris can keep to the same plan for more than a couple of days!
The aire here has all the facilities needed by motorhoming folk - motorhome wash, clothes washer/dryer, restaurant, electric, water, grey and black water disposal, large, shady pitches on tarmac, and the excellent beach is a 3 minute walk away!
Wednesday 04/08/2021 Los Narejos
We stayed here for 2 nights - awaiting the announcement tomorrow!!
Thursday 05/08/2021 Los Narejos to Alicante
N38°22'39.4'' W000°24'46.8'' ///unserved.tray.sniffle
Paid aire on block paving for 41 vans, €13.20 including electric and water, fully automated entrance on touch screen, 3 minutes to the beach.
98km in 1hr 33min
The news is finally out! Our great PM Boris has decreed that we can enter the UK without quarantining, and we can enter France from Spain with only one piece of paper signed by us, assuring them that we do not have Covid, and have been fully vaccinated.
Thus, we can drive through Spain to France, through France to the channel, then through UK to our daughter's to babysit.
We also need to see friends and relatives (shout out for Peter at 60 and Alan at 70) after not being allowed to travel during Covid.
So - we were hovering around home in Spain, waiting for the announcement, and at the same time testing out all the systems in our motorhome, Cervantes.
All was well surprisingly, as it's been a long time since we've been allowed to travel.
All worked perfectly (with new leisure batteries), and as soon as we were sure of the new rules, we set off for the UK.
Our first stop was in Alicante, admittedly only 98km up the road from us, but it got us on the road after a frantic packing exercise from house to van.
We noticed that the gas burner for the fridge was not making the correct "roaring" noise, more of an apologetic phut.
After phoning round a few motorhome garages, we were put onto Paul, who regularly works for Caravanas Cruz in Elche (currently closed for summer)
He lives in Benidorm, which is on our way north, so we have arranged to meet in the car park of Benidorm Palace to have the burner cleaned and refurbished.
After 12 months of non-use, the spider's webs and dust have semi-clogged the burner, so it's not burning efficiently.
The aire in San Juan, Alicante, has a maximum stay of 48 hours, to stop all the long-stayers. It is ideal for us, as we are only 50 minutes from Benidorm, and an appointment with Paul, who has saved the day for us.
Friday 06/08/2021 Alicante to Alcossebre
N40°14'44.8'' E000°16'20.4'' ///liners.consents.unimportant
Paid aire on crushed gravel for 55 vans, €13 per night, electric is €4 per day. Pool, showers, toilets, bar, snacks.
320km in 4hr 21min
We arranged to meet Paul in the vast car park of Benidorm Palace at 10am, so we had to leave Alicante by 9am at the latest.
We approached the exit gates and barrier at 8.30am, and the barrier lifted (recognised our number plate), but the gates remained closed across the exit.
I tentatively got out of the van and discovered, to my relief, that they were not locked, only closed. We were soon on our way to Benidorm Palace.
Paul arrived in his liveried van and proceded to examine the burner.
It had allegedly been serviced twice previously, but Paul said the burner had never been removed from new, and was now held in place by a rusty screw, which was prone to break if too much force was used - that would mean the fridge would have to be removed from the van!
He stopped trying to remove it before anything serious happened and just air-jetted the contamination on the burner and surrounds.
Paul was the most genuine of operatives - with years of experience, and told us horrendous tales of disasters by so-called professionals, which he had to put right.
We have landed on our feet again by chance - we were given Paul's number by a third party, and it was only by chance that he was free this morning to service our gas burner.
What a stroke of luck - we could have had a cowboy amateur who broke the burner and left us stranded in Benidorm - thank you Paul Caton - you have saved our trip to UK, for which I salute you.
The trip to Alcossebre went with only a small hitch, (see video below)
and we had time to walk along the seafront, with an ice-cold beer next to the beach as a reward.
We had phoned ahead to Las Moreras Camperpark in Alcossebre when we were an hour away, and bagged the last available space.
There is a pool (with music) on site, with the usual facilities of showers and toilets, and it is only a 5 minute walk to a fabulous beach with a walkway all the way along it.
All this for only €13 per night!!
Saturday 07/08/2021 Alcossebre to Aínsa
N42°25'09.4'' E000°08'03.9'' ///bungalows.blossoms.gamed
Free aire on coarse gravel/grass from 9pm to 11am. After that it's 50 cents per hour. Full service point. Room for 100+ vans. Fantastic old Aínsa is just 3 minutes walk away.
352km in 5hrs 3min
An early start at 9am after a good night's sleep, saw us on the road towards an old favourite of ours - Aínsa.
We have an overall route planned on Google Maps with no tolls. Aínsa is not on the route, but it's not far off, so here we are after 5 hours on the road.
It was mostly motorway today, then some interesting B roads with enormous hills and steep descents, but the scenery was stunning. Last time in Aínsa we wildcamped next to the restaurant by the river, but this time we are on the aire at the top of the hill, a very short walk to the very well-preserved old town - it's a must-see!!
The aire is on grass/compacted earth for 100+ vans, with a good service point for grey and black water disposal, and fresh water.
It's free to park here from 9pm to 11am. After that it's 50 cents per hour - what a bargain to stay in this fabulous setting with the Pyrenean mountains in the background, and a wonderfully preserved hilltop village a short walk away - highly recommended!
Our plan is to cross the border tomorrow through the 3km long Bielsa tunnel through the Pyrenees.
We have identified an aire in France in a rural setting, not far from Mauvezin, just off the French Pyrenees.
Once we have been able to get into France from Spain, we are free to spend as long as we like (we have 10 days until our ferry crossing from Dieppe) making our way north through France.
We have our pieces of paper stating that we have not got Covid and are fully vaccinated, if anyone asks, so we can spend the next 10 days meandering through France.
Sunday 08/08/2021 Aínsa to Mauvezin
N43°07'05.1'' E000°16'42.2'' ///thrive.unemployment.issuers
Free aire on gravel, no services, next to chateau. Fantastic views.
111km in 2hr 30min
The hairpin bend approach road to Aínsa aire dictated that we leave early this morning - I would hate to be in the middle of the queue when this lot of motorhomes decide to leave - there must be upwards of 100 vans here.
We were going over the Pyrenees this morning through the Bielsa tunnel. It was an unusual setup in that it was one-way traffic inside the tunnel, so we had to wait for 10 minutes at a red traffic light at the tunnel entrance and wait for the oncoming traffic to clear the 3km tunnel, before we could drive through.
Safely through, we negotiated the many hairpin bends on the way down, trying not to get the brakes too hot.
The road we were on (the D29) had a very poor road surface - it was like driving down a cobbled street, and it certainly gave the van a proper shake-up.
The setting here on the parking by the chateau is fantastic.
When we got here at 1pm there were just 2 vans and acres of space to enjoy the surrounding views and the adjacent chateau (open to the public until 7pm)
All was well until 2pm, when the French invaded en masse. By 3pm there was not a parking spot to be had - it was absolutely packed - it was as if someone had opened the flood gates - scary.
We had planned on visiting the Chateau this afternoon, but I think we'll wait a while until the masses disappear.
Cervantes is working well, but I do miss my display on the wall that told me how many amps the solar panel was putting into the leisure batteries, and what the voltage of the batteries was - all gone when the solar regulator melted!
I think a plug-in voltmeter (plugged into a 12 volt "cigarette lighter" socket) will be the way to go when we are next near an accessory shop.
Monday 09/08/2021 Mauvezin to St Géry-Vers
N44°28'41.4'' E001°34'54.6'' ///burn.bedbugs.slinks
Paid aire on crushed stone for 20+ vans. Borne takes a €2 jeton (from shop) for 100 litres of water or 1 hour of electric. Free parking 8am to 6pm, €6 to stay the night.
254km in 4hrs 26min
We visited the Chateau yesterday at 5pm - still packed and cars parked everywhere - it was the weekend, so all the families were out.
There was an incredible view from the top of the tower, and the exhibits and rooms (and the live role-play fire eaters and entertainers) were excellent - well worth the €7 entrance fee.
Last night was the quietest I think we have ever had in the motorhome - this place is so remote. There was a dog barking about 5km away, just to keep us on our toes and grounded.
We broke out the duvet last night, and we needed it. Back home nights are 30°c, here last night it was 15°c in the van, so a bit chilly for us.
The first 50km of todays trip were through some iconic French landscapes - fields of sunflowers, all facing in the same direction, tall spikes of sweetcorn as far as you could see, and roads lined on each side with huge lime trees with their trunks painted white.
If you want a taste of that, watch this video taken on our dashcam this morning.
Overall today, the roads were quite good, excellent to start with, but getting worse as the day wore on.
It ended up with lots of roundabouts and slow progress through towns.
In Cahors we crossed the River Lot, and drove down the D 653 road, running parallel to the river.
There was a wall on the river side of the road (the right hand side), and a rock face on the other side (the left).
This made it very narrow, and judgement of our width was critical.
We were almost wiped out by a lunatic coming the other way (in a motorhome!!!) far too fast round a blind bend - see the video below.
A paid service point (a €2 jeton from the local Proxi shop) and the usual grey and black water disposal was available onsite, and the aire backed onto a park and childrens play area, and a railway museum.
We had a walk around the village, then on to the huge River Lot. There is a huge weir from bank to bank here across the Lot, so they've built a small canal to bypass it.
The canal seemed very popular with boaters - we saw 4 in our short time by the river.
Tuesday 10/08/2021 Saint Géry-Vers to Ladignac-le-Long
N45°35'26.9'' E001°06'48.3'' ///miming.dignitary.riser
Campsite €17 per night, electric €4, very quiet, showers, toilets, grass pitches, next to lake and near the village.
207km in 3hr 43min
Last night we spent a buttock-clenching, nail-biting 30 minutes watching someone climb the enormous cliff opposite us.
He'd obviously done it before, because at the top he just launched himself backwards and bunny-hopped down the cliff (on a rope) to terra firma.
 |
| He's at the top wearing a red fleece. |
That was definitely enough excitement for one evening, so as the sun set, we toddled off to bed to absolute silence - it was quite eerie, but very welcome, because we both slept soundly all night.
The road out of here was just as bad as it was when we came, so following sat-nav we turned right onto the D653, and spent the next hour on a small, but very nice and quiet country road, up and down hills and through villages with only single figures of houses in them.
We eventually were directed onto a 2 lane motorway where we made good progress to our midway point in Brive-la-Galliarde, where there was an enormous Carrefour superstore which filled our wine, beer and food requirements.
Also on the list was some means of charging the phones when on the move.
The 2 sockets in the van dashboard are both UK spec -the full width of the plug.
The 2 sockets in the van are continental - about half the size of the UK spec ones.
I have a van-sized plug (to go into the van sockets) that has an extension lead ending in 3 UK sized sockets. I got this from a motorhome shop, which seems to be the only outlet you can buy them from.
Carrefour had only UK sized plugs with UK sized sockets, so that was the one we had to buy. It worked out OK, because now we can charge the phones whilst still using them as we drive along.
We also have the sat-nav and the dashcam plugged into our 2 sockets in the dashboard, so we needed an extension lead to get everything plugged in and working.
Off we set, and the phone was charging fast (and the sat-nav and dashcam were also working OK)
We left the fast motorway and entered the world of narrow country lanes - but quite driveable because we weren't constrained by walls and overhanging cliff faces.
We got to our destination of Camping Bel Air before the reception had re-opened for the afternoon, so had a look around and chose the pitch we wanted (if available!!)
There was a beautiful fishing lake just 50 metres away, and that was about as busy as it got.
Booking in, we debated the merits of staying 2 nights here, or pressing on tomorrow and getting nearer to Dieppe before we took a break - it's better to be near your departure town if problems arise, but we decided to stay.
Our pitch was already sloping upwards, so all we had to do was stop and break out a beer!! - no ramps today.
It is lovely here, quite basic, but very genuine, in a fantastic setting with plenty of room for everyone, although the site is almost empty.
We're looking forward to another quiet night - can we make it 3 in a row - now that would be a world record!
Wednesday 11/08/2021 Ladignac-le-Long
We don't really enjoy hammering down the roads all day, stop, food, bed, then the same the next day.
We decided that we had enough time in hand to spend another night here.
The silence is golden, and the setting by the lake is ideal. The village of Ladignac-le-Long is approximately 1 km away along a quiet country lane, so that will be our plan for today.
We're on mains hook-up here (€4) so no problem with charging phones or tablets, plus we've now got an extension in the cab to charge phones on the move.
A lovely walk through some stunning countryside brought us to Ladignac-le-Long - wow, talk about a sleepy village.
It had a magnificent chateau and a very nice church with a huge graveyard.
There were no shops that we could see, but had a tabac which was just closing as we got there at mid-day.
Apart from that , there was nothing else. There were many abandoned houses, possibly 30% of the whole village was not occupied.
I guess Covid, causing lack of work and money, has hit some places very hard, this village being one of many, I suspect.
A lazy, relaxing afternoon recharged our batteries and gave us time to contemplate and organise the endless hoops we now have to jump through to get into the UK.
An antigen test before we go is booked in Dieppe for Monday 16/08/21, so now we're trying to organise a day 2 test in UK (we have to pre-book it to prove we are having one!)
So many hoops - so little quality information.
Thursday 12/08/2021 Ladignac-le-Long to Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine.
N47°05'34.7'' E000°36'49.4'' ///bulkier.sands.cherished
Aire on grass. €4 per night (paid in an honesty box)
€4 per night, €2 for 12 hrs of electric, shower €2, washing machine €4, dryer €3, water €2, black water empty €3. Very quiet, no road noise.
236km in 3hrs 42min
Another blissfully peaceful night in this lovely spot. The night-time temperature in the van dropped to 15°, even though the daytime temperature was almost 30°.
Condensation was on all the horizontal surfaces of the van - luckily we had brought all the chairs and tables in last night, so no problems there.
We filled up with fresh water because we anticipate not staying in any serviced aires until Dieppe.
We had 3 options on google maps to our destination today. I favoured one with a long stretch of motorway, and, as if by magic, the garmin sat-nav picked that very one!
It was a great driving day with 100km on a fast, up and down, 2 lane motorway, then another 100km through some picturesque, iconic French country scenery.
The aire was easy to find, thanks to sat-nav and the ace navigator Glynis - where would I be without her (lost!)
There is no-one here at Aire du Bois Chaudron to administer anything. Everything is done on trust.
The cost is €4 per night, and electric is €2 for 12 hours. You make payment by putting the money you owe into a provided envelope, and post it through a slot in the barn wall.
It was relatively empty when we got here at 1.30pm, but it's steadily filling up with all manner of vans.
It's still 30° here at 4pm - phew - it's like being at home. Everyone seems to be coping though, so that's a bonus.
Cervantes is being as good as gold. After not turning a wheel for nearly 12 months, we attack him with a 2 week, non-stop journey through Spain, France and England, and it's all taken without a murmur of protest - born to run.
We should be 2 days driving away from Dieppe from here, ready for the ferry to Newhaven on Tuesday 17/08/2021.
We need an antigen test to fill in our locator form, and thus gain access to the ferry.
We have found (Glyn has found!) a fantastic chemist (Belvedere chemist) who does instant antigen tests with results in 30 minutes, only 1 km from the centre of Dieppe (where the 2 motorhome aires are). The telephone number of the chemist is 0033235843782 - they speak English, and are definitely on the ball - very professional.
So that is getting out of France taken care of, now we need proof (to put on the locator form) that we have an antigen test booked when we get to UK.
We opted for a postal test with BioGrad in Liverpool which we had user twice before when visiting family in Liverpool.
After endless form filling online, we finally got a result when Glyn got her unique reservation number to put on the locator form.
I completed mine 5 minutes after Glyn, but heard nothing about my unique number.
We left it for 24 hours as advised at the bottom of the form - still no e-mail.
Glyn eventually e-mailed, and got an instant reply with a unique reservation number for me, only it wasn't unique - it was the same one I was given by BioGrad in June when we used them to visit family.
Glyn e-mailed them again and was given a correct one - it's a good job she was on the ball or we wouldn't have got on the ferry!
It's the second time BioGrad have given me the wrong number - the last time we were flying to UK in June, and they gave me the same number that I got in December - last minute panic is not the word!
Surely we aren't alone - this must be happening to many people - come on BioGrad, get your act together!
A teatime walk to a local Lidl near here saw us stocked up with basics (beer and bread!) and some treats for our wedding anniversary tomorrow (44 years!)
Friday 13/08/2021 Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine to Sées
N48°35'55.4'' E000°10'14.0'' ///expires.laziest.clapboard
Municipal campsite, €15 including electric, grass pitches, toilets, water, grey and black water disposal. Fantastic town centre with an awesome cathedral.
195km in 3hrs 25min
It was an early start this morning, but we were not the first away. We would have been, but on the way out we remembered we hadn't paid, so a quick whip round had 4 euros in the appropriate envelope, and posted through the letter box in the barn wall.
Our first stop was 5 minutes away at Intermarche. Full of diesel, we parked and went inside to get a special drink for tonight - Cremant de Bourgogne - what a treat.
Very good roads today, country roads, long, straight roads through iconic scenery, and fast motorways.
I couldn't believe it, but when we were driving through Le Mans, it looked like we were on the 24 hour circuit (Circuit de la Sarthe) - huge barriers on either side of the road, and lots of road markings. I hope they shut down this part of Le Mans when the racing is on. (only joking!)
Unfortunately, we didn't win.
We are having our day 2 Covid test in UK posted to the CL site we will be staying at.
Vanessa, the lovely lady running the CL, said a delivery was no problem, and we could pick it up when we arrived on Tuesday 17/08/2021.
However, Glyn got a message from the delivery company saying that they could not deliver because there was no access to the front door.
Vanessa said it was usual to put all post inside a pale green shed at the end of a long drive to their house.
It took Glyn 30+ minutes to get in touch with the delivery people (download the app, fill in all the details, say what was wrong and how to fix it, etc, etc, etc.), but eventually, bless her, she had it all sorted, and both packages have now been delivered.
All I can say is well done Glyn, and thank goodness for mobile data on our phones, which we got only 1 week before we set off on this journey.
We arrived at Camping Le Clos Normand at 1.30pm to find no-one there, just a notice saying someone will be back at 3pm.
The barriers were down, so we walked round and identified the pitch we wanted, then waited for 3pm.
Meanwhile, 2 cars and caravans had joined us, waiting for the man to turn up.
Late as usual, with no word of an apology or interest, we booked in with him and parked up.
The town of Sées has a fabulous cathedral, beautiful both inside and outside - what a shock that was, we had no idea it was here.
There was a lovely English lady who had lived in Sées for 18 years in the cathedral, giving out facts and information about the history of the building - very informative, and what a nice person.
No cooking tonight on our anniversary, so we got 2 takeaway pizzas from one we had passed on our walk around town.
They were fantastic, but, as usual, we couldn't finish them, so in the fridge they went, to be eaten cold in the near future.
The municipal campsite is filling up rapidly as I write - it's the weekend, and everyone is keen to get away.
Tomorrow we will be in Dieppe - most of our journey is now completed.
Saturday 14/08/2021 Sées to Dieppe
N49°55'53.0'' E001°05'11.5'' ///mistaken.tells.sling
€13.40 per night for 60 vans on tarmac, max stay is 48 hours. Free electric if you can find one of the 12 electric hook-ups, free fresh water, free grey and black water discharge.
197km in 3hr 4mins
Yesterday, when we eventually got into the campsite, we parked on grass, because that was the only option.
I left Cervantes in a position that was OK to just drive out - very slightly uphill. The ground was rock-hard and very firm.
However, overnight there was a big low pressure system, and the dew on the grass in the morning was awesome - everything was wet through.
I took a look at the grass and thought, Oh Dear!
However, the tyres were brand new, and the incline wasn't that bad, and the water was just on the surface, so we gave it a go. We were out in no time, not even a wheelspin!
The roads today were superb, long, straight (10 km without a bend) and well-surfaced, then as an added bonus, we were routed around Rouen on a 2 lane dual carriageway - brilliant.
In Dieppe we bagged the last parking spot in the far car park - you take a ticket to get in, then pay as you leave. I don't know what happens if you can't find anywhere to park - just hang about I suppose and hope someone goes, so you can take their place.
You can only stay a total of 48 hours here, so on Monday, after our antigen test, we are going to Les Deux Rivieres, a municipal campsite 6 km away. it looks fantastic and has electric - our 12 volt off-grid gets our plug-in chargers really hot - I don't know if this is a common fault, or just us - I'll have to investigate, but in the meanwhile, it's electric hook-up.
We took a walk around Dieppe to explore - we've just stayed here before, not walked about.
We walked to a new aire, (N49°55'56.3'' E001°05'00.8'', ///twitchy.presume.bigger ), which used to be wild camping on a car park and is now an aire run by the same company as the one we're currently in.
It was across the road from the biggest fairground I have ever seen - it was huge! Associated with that would, of course, be loud music and unruly youths until 4am in the morning - no thanks, we'll give that one a miss.
A walk to the cathedral was next, we went inside, and had the opposite feeling - quiet, calm, serene, reserved, impressed.
The outside and the inside were stunning - go if you can when you're in Dieppe - it really is worth it. The decoration and size of the inside took our breath away - awesome.
The aire here is full. Some with French vans, here for the weekend for some shellfish, and some like us, waiting for the ferry that leaves here at 6pm.
It's a great place, not just a ferry port - explore and you shall find.
Sunday 15/08/2021 Dieppe
Quite cold (for us) in Dieppe overnight - into the mid teens. I know we're soft Southeast Spanish, where in summer it's always hot, but we weren't expecting to put jumpers on to go out in.
We decided today on a walk on the cliff-top, above our aire.
The climb up was easy enough, up a steep path and some steps. At the top was a fantastic view of Dieppe and the distant coastline.
The large, modern coastguard look-out station was at the top, next to a very moving church - the walls inside were covered with tiles in memory of someone who had been lost at sea, most with a photograph of the deceased. Some visitors were praying over lighted candles, obviously thinking about a lost relative.
From our vantage point at the top of the cliff, we could see a church in the distance which looked good for a visit, so it was down the hill and into the church.
The stained glass windows were excellent, with the sun shining through them, making patterns on the wall.
We had a "cafe au lait" at a lovely bijou tea house near the river - just us there. We've become quite particular about joining crowded places, and wear a mask almost all the time when we're out.
To get Covid now would be a disaster - where would we quarantine? where would we put the van?, what hoops would we have to jump through to get to UK? - disaster!
The pharmacy where we are having an antigen test tomorrow morning is in the Belvedere shopping centre.
We decided to walk there and confirm that we could park Cervantes there, and that we had the right pharmacy.
All was good when we got there, and we also checked out the Cremant situation in the wine section of the adjacent Auchan supermarket.
There was a massive choice - Cremant de Loire, Cremant de Bourgoine, Cremant de Limoux, and many others.
We plan to take a box (6 bottles) back with us to celebrate with friends and family, as and when we see them.
So tomorrow at 7.30am we shall be out of our aire in Dieppe, and down to the Auchan car park, awaiting the opening of the Belvedere pharmacy and our Covid test at 9.15am.
We cannot go back to the aire in Dieppe, because you can only stay for a total of 48 hours, which we have already.
In anticipation of this, we have booked into the municipal campsite of Dieppe, just 8km out of town. Full services provided, and electric, so we are looking forward to that.
The weather here has turned a bit cooler today, with the wind from the west, instead of the north, as it was yesterday.
I've managed to buy some heavy duty sticky pads to stick my "Mirror Guard" wing mirror protectors onto my wing mirrors.
It was a bit fiddly, but eventually they stuck firmly on, so shoud stay that way for the next 4 years at least. They've saved me a couple of times when they've been clobbered by a nutter coming the other way, or when I misjudged the clearance I had with a parked van blocking the road.
Monday 16/08/2021 Dieppe to Dieppe
N49°52'22.4'' E001°08'25.3'' ///carwash.backdrop.prototypes
2 Rivers Campsite. €21.60 per day including electric. All services and small shop. By a fishing lake and river. Great walking, lovely setting and very quiet.
19km in 34min
Looking forward to another quiet night, our sleep was spectacularly broken at midnight by 25 minutes worth of truly deafening fireworks from across the river.
Not only was there the noise of the fireworks, but also the echo from the cliffs just behind us - a double whammy.
On the plus side, the fireworks were truly spectacular, if unexpected.
To cap off our interrupted sleep it started hammering down with rain at 1.30am, and didn't stop until 6.30am.
The tin roof of Cervantes amplifies the noise and makes it sound like gunfire, and our drop-down bed means our heads are only a metre away from it.
Prior to retiring, the grey water was showing maximum i.e. full, so I drained some off until we could empty it tomorrow.
It was still showing full after it had been emptied, so I expect the 2 years on non-use has confused the sensors - a shot of bio drain cleaner should clean the probes and get it working again.
We were up at 7am to get to Belvedere chemist for our Covid test, and were on the car park at 7.20am.
The chemist didn't open until 9am (we like to be early!), so we wandered around the shopping centre for an hour, and were first in line outside the entrance doors of the chemist.
We were joined by 3 other couples behind us by the time 9am came and the doors opened.
When we said "por le test antigen", the lady who had opened the door said "outside".
We went outside to see a pop-up tent, and a queue of 30+ people waiting to go into the tent for the test!!
So much for getting there early! They could at least have put a note on the pharmacy door saying the antigen tent was outside - what can I say?
Outside it was blowing a cold-air gale, and we weren't really dressed for it.
After an hour standing in the queue we were at the front, and freezing cold.
The swab up the nose seemed to go up and up, and ended up somewhere behind my eyeball - talk about eye-watering.
€50 later, with an e-mail confirming a negative result, we were shopping in Auchan supermarket for some superb Cremant de Limoux wine to take back and enjoy with friends and family.
We had phoned the 2 rivers campsite yesterday to confirm a place, and when we got there, were stunned by the beauty of the place, surrounding one of the many lakes around here.
We walked around the lake to find an uphill pitch which we could just roll off backwards if the torrential rain starts again - I'm not ever getting stuck in the mud again.
We had a good long walk around one of the lakes here, and were suitably impressed by the tidiness and upkeep of everything around here - a fantastic place to stay.
We had a lovely hour filling in our passenger locator forms, after downloading, then trying to find, our Covid results (both negative)
We told the very nice lady on the campsite reception that our boat sailed at 12.30pm tomorrow, so asked what time we could leave. "Stay as long as you like" she said - what a nice lady.
If you like excellent scenery and peace and quiet, this campsite is for you - we highly recommend it.
Also, if you like fishing, this will be heaven to you - there are fishing spots all round this lake, and also all round the surrounding lakes - if that's wht you like, this is for you.
Tuesday 17/08/2021 Dieppe to Alfriston
N50°48'15.4'' E000°08'59.4'' ///enclosing.towns.life
The Stables Caravan and Motorhome Club CL on grass, £14 including electric, showers, toilets, very helpful owner, short walk to village (4 pubs).
33km in 59min
We were on grass on 2 Rivers campsite, but had chosen well with an uphill, drive-on grass slope, so an easy drive off if it rained, which it did.
We left at 10am to be early for the ferry check-in. We were so early, they hadn't opened yet.
Consequently, when they did open we were at the front, and after giving the same documents to 2 separate booths, we were through and at the front of lane 4.
Eventually the stewards gave us the thumbs up, and to our surprise, we were waved into pole position - right in front of the exit doors.
After a very uneventful 4 hour crossing, we went downstairs to our deck and switched the fridge back to automatic. (We had turned off the gas supply when we boarded - rules of the ferry - and turned the fridge onto electric hook-up. The fridge beeped and flashed as a fault, but it stopped the fridge trying to light the gas with a spark - dangerous in the hold of a ship!)
Driving on the "wrong" side of the road was weird. Concentration was at 100%, and was quite scary. The narrow roads didn't help, and the village of Alfriston itself was virtually one-way.
The poor signage meant we missed our right turn to The Stables, so we turned around and went left up an unmade track to our CL (Certified Location of the Caravan and Motorhome Club), where we were the 5th and final motorhome.
Once settled and suitably refreshed, we went down to the village and its 4 pubs.
We visited the Tavern on the Tye first and loved the beer, but discovered that all the tables were reserved for food tonight.
We went across the road to the Star, got 2 drinks and went into the outside patio area to drink them.
Up to our table came Alex Polizzi (of The Hotel Inspector fame) and chatted to us about where we were from, and our plans for the future.
Glyn was thrilled, but I didn't twig who she was until she'd left. I recognised the voice, but she looked far too young to be who I thought she was - that's TV for you!
Doing some research later, we found she had bought it in 2019 for £2.5 million, and spent a fortune converting it to a hotel. I must say that it was the emptiest of all the 4 pubs we went in.
The George was the next one, which was not doing food, and was very quiet.
Our last pub, Ye Olde Smugglers Inne, was the one we chose to have some food in - the choice was fantastic, and the food was brilliant and well priced.
There was only one person behind the bar, but she coped admirably with everything customers asked for, from an exotic cocktail to half a mild. We were very impressed.
We phoned Vanessa, who runs the CL, to see if we could stay another night here, but sadly they are fully booked, so we'll have to find somewhere north tomorrow.
Bron (Glyn's sister) and Frank are in Beachy Head, staying in a lighthouse. It's only 20km away, so we've arranged to meet up tomorrow, before we have to leave this very quiet, peaceful CL.
Vanessa is also coming to see us tomorrow to say goodbye - what a lovely lady.
Wednesday 18/08/2021 Alfriston to Bladon
N51°50'17.2'' W001°20'27.0'' ///shams.desk.launcher
Paid campsite on gravel in 2 grass fields, in the grounds of Blenheim Palace. £29 per night including electric, toilets, no showers or washing machine. Campsite now closed.
242km in 3hr 49min
After a very quiet night, Vanessa came round as promised, and we had a good chat - she's still missing East Africa where she grew up as a child.
Next on the visiting theme was Glyn's sister Bron and her husband Frank.
Bizarrely, they had been staying in a lighthouse on Beachy Head to go to a friends wedding.
We had a good catch-up, since it was more than a year since we had seen them. We arranged some dates to come and see them, then they were off, back home.
We re-negotiated the really narrow roads of Alfriston, then headed for the A27 along the coast, going west.
The traffic was horrendous - slow moving on a chronic road surface, but very well signed.
The sat-nav was trying to send us up to the M25 around London - not a chance in hell of us doing that. We've done that before - the traffic and the appalling road surface was only to be done once.
We were stationary on the A27 for 20 minutes for some reason (no information), but eventually we got going, and made good time after that.
Our Bladon Chains campsite was easy to find after that, thanks to the sat-nav and Glynis - what a navigator!!
The campsite is in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, but unfortunately is due to close on September 6th.
It's apparently an easy walk into the nearby town of Woodstock, as told to us by our very helpful receptionist.
We ordered online 2 day two PCR tests to be delivered to our last campsite in Alfriston, which they were.
At last, we thought, we have jumped through all the hoops. We just have to take the test (probe up the nose) then post it back - and we've finished.
Glyn opened hers first, and we figured out the confusing instructions, and thought - brilliant - we're finished.
I opened my pack, to find a crucial part was missing!! There was no fluid-filled phial to put the swab into, so the test kit was useless.
 |
| There is no fluid-filled glass phial in this plastic container! |
We had no 4G reception in Alfriston - it was patchy and weak and kept cutting out, so we had to arrange a replacement kit whilst we were driving to Bladon.
Luckily, Glyn got through on the phone, and arranged to get another kit sent to our campsite in Bladon (we're here for 2 nights having a break), so hopefully it will get here tomorrow (promised to be here before 1pm)
There is no 4G internet signal here, and the campsite WiFi does not work - is it just here, or is it something to do with our Spanish phones? - or Brexit?
The mobile fish and chip van was advertised to be here this evening, so we thought - when in Rome, and ordered fish, chips and peas x2, and boy, were they good.
When we stood back and thought, that was the first food we have had today, and it's now 5pm !!
Thursday 19/08/2021 Bladon
A very quiet night here - all were very well behaved.
It was 17° in the van this morning, and 13° outside - definitely not what we're used to.
Before we left our home in Spain, we both bought some mobile data on a monthly rolling contract.
The 8GB each we have should have been plenty, but not so. Glyns stopped working halfway through France, and examining the T's and C's, it became apparent that you could only use less than half of your allowance outside Spain - always read the small print!!!
Eventually it auto-renewed itself at the end of the month, and now it's back to normal.
I still have plenty left, with it working perfectly through France, but as soon as I got to UK - nothing.
I've been into every menu on my phone, and can find no reason for it not to work.
In desperation,I turned it off completely for 5 minutes, and when I started it again - all back to normal.
Today turned out to be a washing and drying day - no rain, but overcast, so we needed our big coats to go and see Winston Churchill's grave in nearby Bladon.
It was covered with poppies (synthetic) from remembrance day, and was suitably grand.
Next was a walk to the very upmarket town of Woodstock, with its many smart pubs and swish restaurants.
We walked the whole town, and settled on an Italian restaurant with a nice-sounding menu - booked for 12.30.
Prior to that we has our first taste of English cask beer in over a year, with Timothy Taylors Landlord, and St Austell Brewery.
The food in the restaurant was top class, although the authentic Italian waiter was living up to the stereotype of a sullen, surly Italian.
After a quick Spar shop for bread and milk, we were soon back at Cervantes to find that our missing part of the antigen testing kit had not been delivered. (The receptionist had been looking out for it all morning)
Glyn did hers, then I went to post it in the nearest priority postbox, whilst Glynis, bless her, got onto the tracking from the delivery service (DPD) and onto Biograd in Liverpool where it originally came from - what a load of faffing about with phone calls and e-mails, to rectify something that wasn't our fault, but which we have to remedy.
Glyn discovered that it wasn't coming today, but was in a sorting office in Bicester, only 20km away.
So we're here for another night, in the hope that sometime tomorrow we may actually get it delivered.
The campsite is fully booked for the weekend, but they've squeezed us onto a non electric pitch on sloping grass.
I just hope it comes tomorrow, then we can get on our way north to see family and friends.
Friday 20/08/2021 Bladon
So - we're on a grass pitch sloping up with no ramps - hooray!
It's a massive changeover day here, 75% of them have gone today, to be replaced by a new 75%.
I've been to reception a few times to see if there were any cancelations, but no joy.
It's no problem - we can do without electric for a night.
Glynis has been tracking the parcel from Biograd, (it's now on the screen - absolutely nothing yesterday!) and our delivery slot is between 14.45 and 15.54.
If it doesn't arrive I may go ballistic - watch this space.
So - I'm sat on a bench outside reception at 15.00, waiting for the DPD man, and would you believe it, he turned up at 15.15 - what a relief!
He opened the back of his Transit van, and there, in the middle of the vast empty floor of the Transit, was a small plastic bag with my name on it.
Remember, this is a glass tube full of liquid reagent, loose in a small plastic bag - no padding, no protection against breakage - how did it get here intact?
Thank you BioGrad for cocking things up yet again.
Luckily the tube was intact (or I would have exploded), so I did the test, then we went to the priority postbox in Woodstock and sent it on its way.
I sincerely hope that's the last I ever see or hear from it.
I don't think there's anything more to do with hoops we need to do - hallelujah!!
Saturday 21/08/2021 Bladon to Sedgemere
N52°22'53.5'' W001°40'44.4'' ///conga.showrooms.adjuster
Gate Farm CL site, £18 per night including electric and water, on chipped gravel. No showers or toilets. Very quiet, with excellent walking.
103km in 1hr 55min
Another reasonably quiet night, with an early start this morning - we were up early, so thought we'd get on the road.
Glyn was tracking my Covid test through the Royal Mail app. My test, done yesterday at 4.30pm, got to BioGrad at 9am this morning. Bizarrely, the test Glyn did and posted 24 hours before mine, got there at exactly the same date and time as mine - spooky.
There were the usual holdups on the motorway and surrounding A roads, but eventually we got to Gate Farm CL - it's very remote, but has some ace walking with the Heart of England Way passing straight through the farm, and the Millennium Way only 1km away.
There appears to be the Saracens Head pub not far from here on a footpath, so I can see that having a visit tomorrow.
As for today, the rain has started (as predicted), so it's the indoor life for us for the time being.
We called in at a huge Tesco in nearby Bicester when we set off this morning to buy some warm clothes and some essentials.
When asked, they welcomed us to park in their car park whilst we spent £100 with them - good on you Tesco!!
5pm and we both got an e-mail - NEGATIVE!! Thank goodness for that.
Let the celebrations begin!
We're on the Heart of England Way here, so we felt it only right that we gave the path a walk, so did a triangle, just to check out the terrain for our walk tomorrow.
Prior to that , it was a read of the weekend newspapers - haven't done that for a long time!
Sunday 22/08/2021 Sedgemere
A lovely, quiet night, although it rained heavily during it - good job we're on hardstanding.
We're surrounded by animals here - horses, cows, sheep, all in the adjacent fields.
We're also on the flightpath of Birmingham airport - yesterday they were taking off over our heads, today they're landing.
This would not be good for some people, but we love watching planes, so it's not a problem to us.
After last night's rain, we were forecasted that today would be fine and dry, so we're off on the tarmac roads (the footpaths are full of mud, and we haven't got the footwear) to the Saracens Head, approx 2.5km away.
What a pleasant surprise. The food was excellent, the price was right, and the real ale was chilled. A thumbs-up for The Saracens Head on Balsall Street (the B4101)
The cows, sheep and horses are still keeping our attention back on the CL - great fun to watch.
Monday 23/08/2021 Sedgemere to Whitegate
N53°12'37.1'' W002°35'11.9'' ///pizzeria.taker.horizons
The Acorns CL on hardstanding, £15 per night including electric. No showers or toilets. Recycling bins and service point on site. Free range farm eggs on sale. Adjacent to Whitegate Way walking/cycling trail.
142km in 2hr 17min
Another really quiet night - we slept right through.
The cows braying for their breakfast woke us out of our slumbers, and gave us the impetus to get organised.
We emptied and cleaned the fresh water tank, although it looked fairly clean - it's better to be safe.
With a full tank of clean, clear water, and no waste water on board, we were off on the M6 northbound to deepest Cheshire.
The M6 elevated section was 10km of joints across the road, every 2 metres - I thought my fillings in my teeth might be coming out - what a shocking road - it's certainly no advert for driving in England.
Off through Winsford on the A54, we were soon at The Acorns Caravan site, which was a proper site with approx 20 caravans and motorhomes, and which also had a 5 van CL, just past the campsite.
It's £15 per night here, including electric, and it's only 10km away from Glyn's sister, so we're meeting them tonight for a meal at the pub up the road (we saw them last in Alfriston, after which it took them 8 hours to get home - delays, delays, delays!
The railway line is now a walking and cycling path, going for many miles in either direction from where we are here (the path is 2 metres in front of our van, separated by a hedge of holly bushes.
It's a good 30 minutes walk to the Plough in Whitegate - can't wait!
Tuesday 24/08/2021 Whitegate
Today was a catch-up day with Glyn's sister and husband, but first it was a trip to McDonalds Hotel and golf course for some relaxation. Bron had 2 free day passes for us to use.
I did 10 miles on an exercise bike in 27 minutes, whilst Glyn and her sister did aqua-aerobics in the pool.
After 15 minutes in a very hot sauna, I joined them in the pool (aerobics finished!) for a few lengths, then up to the restaurant for some lunch.
There is an incredible view from Bron's house, looking over the Cheshire plain to Wales, so a very relaxing afternoon.
We were joined by Bron's son and partner for a superb Indian feast with all the trimmings to round off a fantastic day - it's good to see everyone again, as we watched the sun go down below the distant horizon.
Wednesday 25/08/2021 Whitegate
Another catch-up day today, this time with relatives in North Wales.
The sun out all day made the scenery in Wales look even better, and it was lovely to see family again - it's been a while.
We stopped at an outlet store on the way back, and to my delight they stocked TOG24 clothes - I thought they had gone out of business, I hadn't seen or heard from them for so long.
A new fleece each, and a quality base layer later, we were on our way to a pub with fantastic views of the Welsh hills.
Try out the Dinorbin Arms in Bodfari if you get a chance - you won't be disappointed!
 |
| Great posters from the past, on display in the pub. |
Back at the van the sun is fully out, and the planes are still flying overhead - this time to Manchester airport.
A wonderful red sunset over the trees and hedgerows brought an excellent day to a close.
Thursday 26/08/2021 Whitegate
Today was a lazy day after what seemed like a hectic few days of catch-up.
We decided on a good walk in the morning, so set off with the intention of a circular walk around the fishing lakes on the other side of the Whitegate Way (on the route of the old salt railway, now no longer in use)
We walked for 1.5km around the lakes, then came to a narrow 100 metre strip which a homeowner had barricaded with a huge fence and barbed wire. There were large signs saying private land, no admittance along with numerous cameras. We had no choice but to re-trace our steps for 105km, back to where we had started! (we mentioned this later to a lady walking her dog that we chatted to, and she had some choice words to say about him - I don't think he'll be invited to any parties this Christmas!)
We re-routed, and went round a couple more lakes and took in the glorious scenery.
5.4km later , we were outside Cervantes in the full August sun finishing off the Times crossword - no, not the "Morse" one - we can't get the clues, never mind the answers. We had to look up a couple, but were pleased we did most of them.
An expert cutting down a tree above the van next to us provided a good 30 minutes of entertainment - luckily he knew exactly what he was doing.
Tea outside was scrambled free range eggs courtesy of Doris (who runs the CL) with smoked trout and fried wholemeal bread - superb.
To end a lovely day, we sat and watched the sun go down over the horizon, and reminded ourselves why we like travelling in our motorhome.
Friday 27/08/2021 Whitegate to Lea
N53°46'47.6'' W002°47'07.1'' ///local.cups.caked
£14 per night including electric and water, on hardstanding. Toilet and black water disposal. No toilet or shower. Very quiet. Big area of grass on each pitch.
94km in 2hrs 13min
Before we left The Acorns CL, we got a dozen free range eggs from Doris (we'd had half a dozen yesterday, and they were so good we had to have some more!)
Where we are going (Bryars Farm in Lea), the lady we rang up said we could come at any time.
With this in mind, we were on the road at 9.30am and straight into a queue of 3 lanes of traffic on the M6, which seriously held us up.
It was slow-moving all the way to the M55 turn-off towards Blackpool.
We followed sat-nav for the final couple of miles, and found the CL with no problem, and were able to park up, in spite of it being just after 12 noon.
After paying our £14 to the lady in No 3 house, we headed for the pub at the top of the road we had just passed.
It was a short walk, and we were a little bit hampered by the building of a new road nearby which had not yet got any pavements, so we were car dodging on the main road.
The food and drink was very good in the Saddle Inn, and saved us cooking for another night.
The CL is very quiet, with just 3 of us here tonight in some glorious surroundings.
There is a toilet and hand basin in a shed onsite and a drain for black water emptying. Electric is included in the £14 price per night. There is no grey water drain here (although I did it manually into the black water drain) and no showers.
If you like plenty of grass, big open skies, and views to the horizon in a quiet setting - this is for you!
We walked to the nearby Lancaster Canal, and to our consternation, read a sign as we approached the towpath that said to evacuate if we heard an air raid siren go off!!
We tried to think of logical reasons for this sign, and concluded that it must be something to do with water being released into the canal, which would make it flood? - very strange!
Saturday 28/08/2021 Lea to Thornton
30km in 56min
It was a very peaceful night at this excellent CL, where we were one of three in this 5 van CL - very relaxing.
We solved the air raid siren alarm on the canal - there is a BNFL (British Nuclear Fuel Limited) location just down the road making Uranium Rods for the Nuclear Reactors - so you do need to run if the sirens go off, but I doubt it will make any difference - you'll still be glowing.
We have arranged today to go and stay with our very good friend Sue in Thornton. She has a wedding to go to tomorrow, so is busy preparing. We are planning to get there at 3pm to give her some time to prepare.
The CL we are on is very flexible - we arrived here early yesterday, and can stay today until 12 noon today.
We have some shopping to do, so the Aldi and Morrisons along the way took up the time we had to spend before arriving at Sues.
A wonderful barbeque of fresh fish and salad was just right in the evening sun, and our motorhome, Cervantes, fitted snugly onto her drive - perfect.
29/08/2021 to 01/09/2021 At Sues
02/09/2021 Thornton to Sowerby
N53°42'11.7'' W001°56'40.8' ///riper.busters.dumpling
CL on grass, service point (not drive over), no shower or toilet. £13 per night including electric. In open countryside, great views, very quiet. 20 minute walk to Sowerby Bridge (nearest town)
104km in 2hr 8min
We were sorry to leave Sue's today - we've had a fantastic time, and Sue is such a lovely lady - we will miss her.
So, we were back on the road in Cervantes after 4 days on Sues drive, heading for the grass field of Rooley Farm CL.
We have been running on LPG ever since we entered UK (18 days), 6 days of which we had no mains electric so the fridge was running on gas, we were cooking with gas, and heating water for showers on those days.
The LPG bottle had been used in the past, a long time ago, so I was unsure how much was in it.
There is a gauge on the bottle, but I am dubious about it's accuracy. I erred on the side of caution, and called in at a fuel station in Burnley which had an LPG outlet, so filled up there.
It takes 22 litres to fill the bottle, and today it took 13.58 litres. I'm pretty sure it was not full to start with, so we have used less than the 13.58 litres it took to fill it - not a lot for the time we have used it. I think the last time we filled it was in Les Houches, looking at Mont Blanc in the French Alps.
As I walked from the van to pay, I noticed, at the top of the usage procedure, a small sign saying "strictly no filling of LPG containers or bottles". It was a bit late, because I'd already done it, so I went to the till to pay and expected a right bollocking.
The girl on the desk never batted an eyelid, even though I only paid her £8.81 for the 13.58 litres - she must have realised it was not fuel for the van.
I guess the filling of bottles has been abused in the past, but a blanket ban has also penalised the innocent.
The scenery through the Ribble valley and surrounding moorland was stunning - I grew up near here, and I was immediately taken back to being on my bike, struggling up some of the enormous, never-ending climbs.
The roads were quite narrow for a motorhome some of the time, and the car parking on the road varied from the ridiculous to the downright dangerous - what are they thinking?!!
We arrived at Rooley Farm CL and parked on grass, with an escape route backwards if it is required.
(I've never trusted grass since we parked in a field to watch the Paris-Roubaix cycle race, and had to be towed out of the ankle-deep mud after a 2 day torrential rainstorm)
There are 2 caravans here already, and I must admit - I admire the drivers getting here towing a caravan - I wouldn't like to reverse down a narrow road with huge stone walls either side with a caravan behind me - well done!
We got here at 12.30pm, hoping we could talk to the owner into letting us pitch up early, and fortuitously, got a text from him to say he was involved in local elections and wouldn't be back until late evening, so that was lucky.
The views here are stunning, with sheep and cows in the adjoining fields, and views over the valley to the moors above - fantastic.
Friday 03/09/2021 to Sunday 05/09/2021 Sowerby
As you must have gathered, I'm a bit worried about getting bogged down in a wet field. Luckily, on the day before we left Rooley Farm CL, the temperature was in the high 20's and the ground was rock hard.
Unfortunately, overnight it rained 3 times, undoing all the work the sun had done.
I chanced it going out forwards, and it did grip and drive, so we made it out.
Our time here was to see family and friends.
We explored Sowerby Bridge where I went to school - there was a big change since 1970!!
Also a trip to Hebden Bridge where we once lived, and discovered it was now very trendy and arty, not at all as we left it in 1978!
We had family meals in both my brother's houses, and had a proper catch-up with everyone - lovely.
The Sunday was Rushbearing Day, where a "virgin" was put on top of a very high rushcart and pulled around the area by up to 30 people over the course of Saturday and Sunday.
On Sunday it came right past our CL, so we all followed it the their next stop - the Alma Inn.
There were various dance troupes of Morris Men (and women), clog dancers and general musicians and dancers - all dressed in period costumes, each with their own tankard to be filled at each pub they visited (there was no drinking at the churches they also stopped at!!)
The weather was fantastic, and the company was even better - we couldn't have asked for more.
Monday 06/09/2021 Sowerby to Knowsley
N53°26'38.4'' W002°51'42.5'' ///relay.this.farm
Fluker's Brook CL on hardstanding. £13 per night including electric and water. No toilets or showers. Full service point and waste bins. Fantastic owners - really friendly and accommodating.
93km in 1hr 43min
We're out of the field and into the lanes to get to the M62, and our next stop at Fluker's Brook CL, where we have stayed before.
I must have put the wrong co-ordinates into the sat-nav, because it was trying to send us somewhere on the other side of Leeds!
It was Glynis to the rescue (again!) to seamlessly guide us to Fluker's Brook. The owner (Stella) was her usual friendly, helpful self, and we were soon outside for a lunch of olive bread, cheese and spicy marinated olives - excellent!
As usual, Cervantes never missed a beat on the journey here, and everything onboard is working a treat.
We called into Marks and Spencer's food store in Warrington to get some essentials for the coming days. Most of it went into the fridge or freezer, which usually ups the temperature big time. It did increase this time as usual, but by the time we got to Fluker's Brook, the freezer was reading -12° and the fridge was 1°, as normal.
I think this is the first trip that the fridge has worked as it's supposed to do! Leaving it unused for over 12 months must have had something to do with it I guess.
We spent our 18 days at Fluker's Brook cycling down the Trans Pennine Trail (just 1km away from us here) to see and babysit our new granddaughter and grandson, and spend some time with our daughter and her husband.
Tuesday 07/09/2021 to Friday 24/09/2021 Knowsley
Seeing family, friends and relations (and babysitting our granddaughter)
Saturday 25/09/2021 Knowsley to Gainsborough
Visiting Glyn's brother Richard.
208km in 3hr 51mins
Another family gathering, with Cervantes parked on Richard's drive and plugged into the electric.
A lovely meal out rounded off an excellent day with lots of laughs and memories.
Sunday 26/09/2021 Gainsborough to Wash Water
N51°21'52.9'' W001°20'52.4'' ///homes.informer.weeds
£16 per night for van and 2 adults on hardstanding. Electric is £3, no credit cards, no dogs. Showers, toilets, washing up sinks, washer/dryer, grey and black water disposal.
280km in 3hr 47min
Good roads and motorways all the way from Richards to the Caravan Park, just south of Reading on the Hampshire/Berkshire border.
It was good to see Glyn's brother and his wife yesterday, along with Glyn's sister.
An excellent meal out, and a lot of chat and laughter made for a great night, and the bonus was parking Cervantes on their drive, pugged into the electric socket in the garage.
There is a fuel shortage in the UK (thank you Boris!!) so it's lucky that we filled up at Hartshead Moor services on the M62 on the way here, so we're starting with a nearly full tank. Cervantes does approx 100km using 10 litres of diesel, so with a 90 litre tank full of diesel, we have plenty to get to Portsmouth, then we will be back to normality on Spanish soil with garages that have fuel.
Monday 27/09/2021 Wash Water to Portsmouth Ferry Port
N50°48'39.2'' W001°05'12.9'' ///data.else.copies
Free overnight parking at Portsmouth Ferry Port (we asked first). Toilets in port building.
105km in 1hr 53min
We spent a good part of the day in Portsmouth sat outside Wetherspoons pub, trying to complete both our Spanish Health Control Forms, needed to be allowed back into Spain.
We managed it eventually, but it was by no means easy - thank goodness we had some mobile data on our phones, we would have been lost without it.
After asking the staff in the Portsmouth Ferry Port building if we could spend the night in the car park, we got a yes, so parked up along with at least 20 more motorhomes.
Tuesday 28/09/2021 At sea on board the ferry "Galicia"
We woke up very early, and were in the queue for the first booth at 7am, along with plenty of other vehicles.
Below is a video of the 2 hours, 17 minutes it took to get onto the ferry Galicia.
It was a nice, new ferry - only 6 months old.
Our room was very spacious, with 2 portholes and a big bathroom - it doubled as a wheelchair-friendly room if it was needed as one.
It was a calm crossing with no dramas, and we got a quiet, good night's sleep.
Wednesday 29/09/2021 Santander to Aranda de Duero
N41°40'13.5'' W003°41'35.5'' ///hopeless.gardens.actual
Free overnight parking for 7 vans on tarmac. Full service point (drive over). Water available, but no electric.
300km in 3hr 46min
The overnight parking at Aranda de Duero is free, and is shared with a very large public car park which is very well-used, due to the nearby hospital, train and bus station.
There are only 7 dedicated motorhome spaces, but there were a few vans parked in the main car park.
The parking is next to the River Douro, and the old town is a 500 metre walk across the bridge over the river.
We arrived at the car park at 7pm, and used it purely as a stopping point for an overnight sleep, so it was literally food and bed, thus we never did see the old town - maybe next time.
Thursday 30/09/2021 Aranda de Duero to Chinchilla de Montearagón
N38°55'15.8'' W001°43'20.4'' ///crest.disregards.weepy
Free aire on fine gravel for 80+ vans. Full service point (drive over) and water - may be frozen in winter! No electric. Very near the town, only a 2 minute walk.
425km in 5hr 14min
We have been to Chinchilla de Montearagón before in December 2017 - it was very cold (but warm in the van), so cold that the water by the service point had frozen in the tap.
However, today was nice and sunny, with the added bonus of a brand new bar open on the parking area - brilliant.
We were here by 2.30pm, so decided to walk to town for an explore. A table in the church/town hall square looked very inviting, so we claimed it with a cold beer.
This is our last night in Cervantes, as we will be home tomorrow morning. We're sorry to see the trip end, but as usual, we're looking forward to the next one.
Friday 01/10/2021 Chinchilla de Montearagón to Home
188km in 2hr 28min
Home at last - what a superb trip!
We have met some fantastic people, spent precious, quality time with our family, and had a fantastic holiday as well. We realise how lucky we are, and are thankful to be able to do what we do. We are already looking forward to our next adventure.
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