Thursday 11th July (Day 1)
So off back to Highbridge (Somerset) to collect our repaired motorhome in the Nissan Micra courtesy car. The car looks a bit of a wreck but flies along. Our last trip there in a car we left before 6.00am and sat on the M25 car park so we decided leaving early was no better or worse than a good sleep and leisurely leave. So by 9.40am we were approaching the M25 at Brook Street - junction 28. The route intended was M25 (north) to the M4 but we could see the traffic was stationary going that way. We also knew the south side was closed for two complete junctions. What to do? We consulted the 'Waze' app and decided we could miss the majority of the north side traffic by driving to High Beach cross country and joining the M25 at Waltham Abbey. A good decision it seems. As we joined the M25 traffic was still very heavy but moving at 30-40mph in the main. (The south side we heard would be closed for 8 hours!) In the end the three and a bit hour journey took four and a quarter - including a stop. A lot of work was undertaken on Billina2 so we hope all the issues are resolved. A quick transfer of items from the car to the motorhome and then off to Aldi as we had brought almost no food with us. Next, a visit to a gas supplier to fill with LPG and finally a quick visit to a Waitrose to use our £8 off voucher (when spending £40) an easy task. We then sat in the motorhome in Waitrose car park working out where to spend the night. Eventually we settled on Oak Farm Touring Park, Congresbury, Somerset. £17 all in. Not knowing what to expect we were met by an elderly couple (well a bit older than us) who made us very welcome. The site is grass, extremely well tended, with an old and tired looking toilet block, but with spotlessly clean showers and toilets. Indeed it was all we could want - even electric was included. We sat in the glorious sunshine until we opted for a stroll into town, just over a half a mile away. A 'Free House' was spotted and, while not free, we had two lovely pints of cask ale before walking back to a very late dinner (8.00pm). Then a bit of Gavin and Stacey (one disc left to watch now) before bed.
Friday 12th July (Day 2)
We had some rain during the night which was heavy, enough to get me up to close the roof lights. The morning, however, was a nice sunny start. After breakfast we moved off a short twenty minute drive to Tyntesfield, a Victorian Gothic country house run by the National Trust (so free to us). Considering the age of many of their properties this was quite recent being built in 1860's. The Gibbs family owned it from when it was built until 2001 when the last one died. William Gibbs, Born 1790, left school at 12 much to his annoyance and entered the family business. Eventually, over time, they were shipping items to and from Spain, South America and England. At some point, and against William's wishes, they started shipping guano from South America. (bird sh*t!) Surprisingly they had some difficulty selling it in England! Soon though its use as fertiliser was realised and they made a fortune. Indeed William was recognised as the richest 'commoner' in England. He was offered a peerage but declined it. In 1863 the original small house was bought by William and this Gothic building replaced it. It took three years and even has a hanging chapel, one of only a few left in the country. A hanging chapel cannot be consecrated as it is above a non religious building / room. The walk around the building was extremely interesting and the gardens and grounds were very colourful. A tea in the cafe with lovely views and then back to the motorhome for a piece of fruit before moving off to the next site. Only a bit of fruit as we had a filling breakfast. It was now an hour and a half journey to Bracelands Campsite in the Forest, just outside Coleford, the Forest of Dean in Monmouthshire. The journey was relatively easy and we were fortunate as, had we needed to go on the M5 or M4 (eastward) we would have sat for a very long time. We arrived at the site in just over the estimated time to find a large site that was quite busy. There were few rules for setting up - only to be 6m away from any other unit which is normal for UK campisites. Indeed just find a space and park how you want, quite refreshing. I mention this as the two major camping organisations have often petty rules about how to park, and these often administered by rejects from the Third Reich it would seem! We quickly set up and settled outside in the sun. We sat and enjoyed watching the tent owners bashing away at pegs and getting water etc. We discovered a lot of dogs on the site, some of which were barking and yapping - quite annoying. We then discovered from the couple next to us that in Coleford was a dog show on Saturday and also a music festival. Towards the evening the racket from the dogs died down and a peaceful night looked on the cards.
Saturday 13th July (Day 3)
Just to keep us on our toes it rained in the night but we had second guessed it and the roof lights were down. The morning started warm but grey and overcast. I found I had left the covers off for the BBQ so it was wet - a schoolboy error. We had already decided on a walk today in the Forest of Dean which totally surrounds us. Just after 11.30am we started off. The cycle trails here are great, making the fact that we did not have our bikes with us all the more poignant. Still we knew we just had to walk downhill and we would 'find' the River Wye. Sure enough we did, passing many dog walkers, ramblers and cyclists on the way. A good track went alongside the river and we soon encountered a youth group in 'bats' (a type of small canoe) crossing the river in the fast white water, going back and forth getting proficient in handling the canoe. There was also a lot of experienced adults in boats and on shore with ropes to throw should any fall in. Well a few did and we spent a fun half hour watching their antics. On we walked reaching the point where we could walk the half a mile up to Yat Rock. Well we had to! On reaching the top we were rewarded with a magnificent view over the winding River Wye, raptors circling overhead and the RSPB had monoscopes set up so we could view a raptor family in a cliff face about 600m away. Finally, we sat in the cafe and had coffee and home made lamb pasty. Suitably sated and refreshed we walked back down to the river where we crossed it in a hand ferry at the Saracens Head. Basically a twelve seater flat bottomed boat with a man standing on the front. He then pulled the boat, and us, across the river using a fixed overhead rope all for £1.40 each. All very sedate and novel. We then walked along the other side of the river about a mile and a half to recross the river using a monkey bridge. The final bit was the walk back up to the campsite, which was over a mile and a half all uphill. We got back and collapsed into our chairs. The exercise app showed over 16,000 steps but, more to the point, 54 floors climbed! We then lazed in the sunshine until dinner time. Washing up followed and then the chill was setting in so we retired to the motorhome.
Sunday 14th July (Day 4)
So a good sunny start to the day. We had a simple breakfast while watching the 'poor people' needing to leave to go to work tomorrow. Just after 11.15 we left the site for a walk into Coleford, about two and a half miles each way. After about 45 minutes we arrived to see the setting up of the stages and stalls for day two of the music festival which starts at 1.00pm. After a stroll around the town and a coffee, the main stage started proceedings which was the Coleford Commutinee Choir. They sung for over half an hour, music from ELO to the Lion King and were very entertaining. The set up was the main stage in the centre of the town and three other stages spiralling off from there. A blues / country and western stage, an acoustic stage and a rock stage. We sat outside a micro brewery having to endure the local beers on sale and the rock stage. An hour of great music from the first act. By about 3.30pm we had enough of the music and, to be truthful too much sun. In any event, we needed to buy something for dinner. By just before 5.00pm we were back at the camp site which had emptied quite a lot from the morning. We sat in the sunshine for a while before cooking a roast beef dinner - the first we had attempted in the motorhome. A good Sunday meal was had and the only thing missing was yorkshire pudding. A discussion on our next place to stop was had and it looks like Monmouth is the choice. As it cooled down we retired into the motorhome for a DVD before bed.
Monday 15th July (Day 5)
So up until now I have moaned about the owners of dogs on this site that continually bark - something that can be trained out of them. I haven't yet mentioned the crows! Four crows (the same ones?) have been flying to the site and then having one hell of a row over the previous days; fighting; cawing and being very noisy. These crows (same ones?) wake us up in the morning also. Anyway nature should be viewed as a pleasure and they were entertaining. Well today we had a slow start as we cannot get on the next identified site until midday and it is only seven miles away. So we sorted ourselves and say good bye to Poppy and family who were our neighbour's, and then fill with water etc. Even so we leave about 11.00am and are in Monmouth in twenty minutes. We need some shopping so arrive at a Waitrose only to find that we will never be able to stop in their car park. A short drive away we found a car park to squeeze into (just) and sat in the motohome until midday when we drove to Monmow Bridge Caravan Site. We set up and then walked into Monmouth town (less than 400m) and found it a very pleasant town. It has the remains of a castle and a museum to the Monmouth Milita Engineers who are still present under a different name. There is also a museum dedicated to Nelson. Apparently Nelson sailed up to Monmouth and was suprised that his fame had preceded him. On arrival he was made a Freeman of the City - that appears to be the only link to Monmouth. As to the castle, Henry V was born here and the Monmouth Engineers Militia museum was also here. It had many artefacts from the early history as well as WWI and WWII and even more recent times. It even had the 'pack of cards' depicting the most wanted Iraqi personnel wanted after the war in the 1980's. Another claim to fame is that Charles Royce (who teamed up with Mr Rolls to build cars) is associated with here. He was the first person to fly from England to France and back without stopping. Eventually he met his demise crashing his aeroplane in Bournmouth in July 1910, aged 32. We made a few purchases in shops which saved us over 60% in total! Quite a result. Then a pint in the Gatehouse pub. This pub looks over the River Monmow and we could see our Motorhome from the terrace as we were so close to the town. It also looked over the Monmow Bridge which is the only bridge left in the country with a protective gatehouse built on it, as Monmouth in the 1200's was an important link between England and Wales.
Tuesday 16th July (Day 6)
Off again today but, like yesterday, only a short jaunt to Ross-on-Wye, about 15 miles. There we planned to go to a camp site near to Ledbury - on the river. This was after a visit to Ross-on-Wye. A pleasant country lane trip to town arriving at just before 11.00am. Parking was easy roadside and we walked into town. First stop was St Mary's church which afforded views over the River Wye and the countryside. The church was pleasant without being outstanding. The poet Alexander Pope wrote a poem about 'The Man of Ross' in 1732. This refers to one John Kyle (pronounced 'Curl'). John Kyle was a local man who ws very wealthy but lived very modestly. He supported local charitable works, settled disputes, supported the local school, tended the sick and helped the poor. He made an area by the church into public gardens which had a fountain and fresh water for the locals. Indeed it is claimed he was the first person to do such public minded improvements and made Ross-on-Wye the first tourist area as a result. (Interesting as Leamington Spa makes the same tourist claim.) Anyway he lived to the ripe old age of 87 before shucking off his mortal coil and was buried in the church. We returned to the motorhome for lunch. We then decided that we would remain here and not go to Ledbury as it was so nice. We were parked on the roadside by the rover with no parking restrictions. As a result of this decision we went on the John Kyle circular walk. Not sure what it had to do with him but we had a nice walk and the excercise was good for us. On it we saw many butterflies, cabbage white and either Tortoiseshell or Camberwell - not sure which but think the former. Pulled pork and rice for dinner before which we had a pint overlooking the river. While we were parked roadside it was a quiet location, even with a few youths walking here to chat, so a good nights sleep,
Wednesday 17th July (Day 7)
We left for Upton-on-Severn, which is about fifteen miles away. On the way we saw a sign for a local flower garden. Following it we arrived after about three miles to find, in the middle of nowhere, a sign stating 'Closed'. Quite a disappointment. So off again we went to resume our original route. Our stopover, we had identified, was the 'Drum and Monkey' pub which had a camping site attached to it. We arrived just before the pub opened but soon were sorted. After lunch in the motorhome we walked across the fields to Upton-on-Severn. This is a lovely small town with the main High Street almost totally filled with unique shops and many pubs also. Indeed the only two 'chain' stores were the Spar and the Co-op. The Tourist Office is situated in the 'Pepper Pot', the remains of a church tower, which also has a small history of Upton. We sat by the River Severn in the sun with a pint watching the boats move up and down stream before returning to our motorhome. Tomorrow in Upton is the start of the four day Upton Music Festival and everywhere will be rammed. There is a temporary camp site that will cater for over a thousand camping units. Even if we wished to stay all sites, and the temporary one, have been fully booked for months. Back at the site we sat in the sun until early evening when we went into Billina as a light rain had started. A fish BBQ (quite unusual for us) followed before enjoying an evening of chat and TV.
Thursday 18th July (Day 8)
Apparently a bit of a noisy night. For my part I slept soundly, but during the afternoon five bikers arrived and set up their small tents. We went to bed about 11.00pm. Some time after they returned to their tents and were rowdy enough to wake up Chris. They quietened down when someone else on the site had a few words. Today, though, is the day we go to our first 'owners club' meet (the Chausson Owners Club - COG) until Monday. This is at 'The Fish and Anchor' pub which has a camp site. It is in Offenham just outside Evesham, Cheshire. It does not start until 1.00pm so we have some time to 'kill' as it is only about 16 miles away. We decided to go a short distance out of our way to Combe Court, a National Trust managed site (free to us!). We were only there for a couple of hours and, having been there, will need to return. The 6th Earl of Coventry developed it into a grand estate. This was the first place that the landscaper Lancelot 'Capabilty' Brown worked his magic and it made his name. The Earl also used Robert Adam as a designer - again a new face on the block and to become really famous. The history of the estate and building goes back to the 18th century. Capabilty Brown did not like where the church was and pulled it down and moved it, having redesigned it slightly, to the top of a hill overlooking the main building. In doing this he moved all the 'notables' tombs. He also moved all the males from the graveyard and re-buried them up the hill, leaving all the females where they were! The actual building when the National Trust took over control had very little furniture, paintings etc due to its past. We opted for a 60 minute tour of the building to bring it 'to life' well worth it as the stories associated with the building were very interesting. One room showed us an old piece of furniture and we were asked to guess what is was. No one guessed as it was an excercise machine. The 6th Earl of Coventry in the late 1700's sat on this and bounced up and down (it had springs under the seat) to mimic horse riding as this was considered good excercise; he was in his 60's at the time. While strolling around we came across a room with a modern tapestry, about 30 foot by 15 foot. Some of those present thought is 'too political' and complained! On another note, the estate, during WWII, was used as an RAF base with over 1000 personnel and had, it would appear, a marked effect on the course of the war. What this was remains a mystery to us until our next visit as we needed to leave. We left after a brief lunch and stopped in Pershore, about five miles away, for our last shop to ensure we had all we needed for the next four days. Then another half hour journey to the campsite where we were met and warmly welcomed by the COG group. We set ourselves out and then walked around speaking to the others present in the 40 other Chaussons. The weather for the next few days are forecast as not very good but we will see. The rest of today was sun and clouds. A nice BBQ of Welsh lamb before a few drinks, a bit iof a chat and then bed.
Friday 19th July (Day 9)
I said yesterday that the forecast was poor and it started to rain in the early hours and just continued. After breakfast I had a stroll around and a chat with a few of those present while Chris ......... cleaned the oven! By mid morning it stopped drizzling and we went for a short walk along the river before returning for lunch. After lunch, although rain was still threatening, we opted for a walk as the general area is very nice. Soon after walking up into the nearby hills it started raining lightly but as we had waterproofs etc we continued on. What followed was a pleasant walk but with the rain increasing. At one point we were walking down a steep mud path and our walking shoes felt like Neil Armstrong's moon boots as they were so heavy and clogged with mud. Gaining the road we stopped and cleaned them as best we could. A short walk then got us back and while I cleaned our boots Chris had shower number two for the day, which I replicated soon after. The weather was quite dire but still a group of hardy souls gathered and chatted under umbrellas. Indeed at one point the wind was so strong that the rain was almost horizontal. That said we all had a great chat and laugh. Eventually all returned to their motorhomes for food. We decided that, with the rubbish weather, rather than a BBQ that a curry was in order. After eating we sat around for a while before going into the pub where about a dozen others had gathered. Slowly those present left until five of us remained, one of which was Alan Hess. For those not in the know he has a blog called 'Small House; Big Garden' and has travelled in his motorhome all over Europe and Canada. He permanently lives in it and his exploits are fantastic. He took up this way of life because (a) he wanted to and (b) his wife died and wished him to travel. His tales are spellbinding but all too soon it was 11.15pm and we opted as a group to retire to our beds
Saturday 20th July (Day 10)
A nicer day in prospect. So a great start with a 'Big Boys' breakfast, sitting out in the sunshine. We knew that things were planned for later today so we planned to go in and explore Evensham in the morning. Evesham is about four miles away. We were fortunate and were given a lift in by one of the organisers. Evesham is quite a compact town with a pedestrian shopping area and 'centre'. That said there was an abundance of cafe and charity shops. We visited the abbey and church which unusually were within a few yards of each other. The abbey was built in the 8th century and closed in 1540 (Henry VIII time). Both were interesting in their own right. St Laurence was named after, not unsurprisingly, Laurence. Pope Sixtus was killed by a Roman Emperor and Laurence was a church 'high up' at the time. The emperor ordered him to give the churches wealth to him. Laurence asked for three days to get it together and in that time gave it to the poor, ill and destitute. He then brought these to the Emperor stating "Here is the cities wealth". It didn't go down well and he was killed. Hence he was made a saint. Strangely St Laurence is the Saint of cooks, chefs, libraries and librarians. Around 1.00pm we wished to return to the site and waited patiently for a cab. While waiting a lady also needed to get back as her motorhome alarm was going off so we shared a cab, making the return journey cheaper than the bus. In the afternoon we had a talk by two young people in the late 70's (or early 80's) who have driven their motorhome on all five main continents.They were very informative and had many tales which is hardly a surprise. Afterwards was the raffle, then a mass BBQ, followed by Alan Hess (Small Home; Big Garden) playing an accordion and people singing - all of us at some point. Slowly people trickled back to bed until the hardy souls (including us) were left. It was gone midnight when we tootled back to bed.
Sunday 21st July (Day 11)
Today some are leaving and most are staying. We had a simple breakfast as a pub lunch had been sorted. The day was bright sunshine, really hot, then cloudy and windy. Changing from one to another quite quickly. We sat around and then had a game of 'Molky' teaching some neighbours also until 2.30pm when we went for a roast dinner. While there a group of four came in with a four month old baby and, while they were eating, Chris had the baby so the mum could eat a hot dinner for a change, something she loved. In the afternoon we paired up with a couple for a few games of Rummicub and Phase10 before another couple came over and joined us. Much chatting. Around 5.00pm all present on site started to gather in the middle. Fun and games ensued. During the evening one of the group who had trained dogs, put them through their paces to music and they performed obedience tricks, which were very good. A young girl played the violin and eventually, earlier than last night, we returned to our motorhomes, mainly as it was getting chilly.
Monday 22nd July (Day 12)
Home today but no rush as we are keen to let the rush hour traffic die down. Just after 10.00am we went to say our good byes which took ages. 10.30am we were off. A pleasant drive to Braintree where we had lunch in the MH and then transferred everything to the car and were home by 3.40pm.