Friday 25th June (Day 1)
So a few days away with a habitation service at the end. We could not arrive at Grange Farm until 1.00pm so there is no rush to move off. We had, however, arranged to view a property in Frating near to Clacton at midday. We arrived as scheduled and were impressed to the degree I would have put an offer in. Chris would probably have agreed if we could move the property to a more ‘busy’ location. It had about fifteen properties in the lane about a dozen others nearby and …. a pub. Not quite enough. From there we stopped at Homestead Camping shop to buy an item we wanted but they did not sell the washing up / drainer that we sought. Arriving at Grange Farm at 1.00pm we found we were not, by any means the first to arrive, it would appear a lot had paid for at least one extra night. We were quickly set up and had our lunch during which it started to rain. This was clear indication that Resa and Eric were near as when they joined us recently elsewhere the rain came. And so it was they arrived. We spent the afternoon walking about the site and catching up with news from the group. By around 6.00pm we decided, as a small group, that it was time for the evening meal. At this point it started to rain to the point that we had to have the text on the tv for the news due to the noise of the rain. After a nice meal it was all in the Quest tent for a drink and chat until gone 11.00pm. A ‘bit’ of rain fell having got back to our motorhome, so much so that we could not hear each other it was like monsoon and over an inch fell in a very short space of time. Meanwhile at home, Gallows Corner was flooded, the Romford Upminster train line was flooded and Barking had a mini tornado! We got off lightly it would appear.
Saturday 26th June (Day 2)
The day started in bright sunshine and a clear blue sky, showing the weather forecasters predictions were wrong. After a fried breakfast we sat about for a while soaking up the rays. I had planned a couple of walks of 5 or 6 miles. Just before midday we decided to go for the shorter of the walks. Both walks were to take in Beaumont Quay which is the upper end of the inlet from Walton on the Naze. Off we went but soon had a small issue in that one part of the footpath was actually now a stream due to last nights rain and we had to retrace our steps and find a different route. In addition, we had to declag our shoes as they were just big mud balls. Hooray for the Ordnance Survey app to seek an alternative route, £25 well spent. A nice walk followed with some great views. On the returning from the walk we felt we had ‘earned’ a pint and stopped off at the Bell Inn. Having settled in, and while enjoying the drink, a man appeared with his drink looking for somewhere to sit and we indicated he could join us. While a local of fifteen years he actually lived with his parents at Snowden Court which was a residence for the elderly about 500m from where we currently live. A small world indeed. We had a nice hour or so chatting about places we both knew and the area around Thorpe-le-Soken. Back to the site and I started to watch the British Lions playing against Japan but it was not great spectacle so gave up. The main group gathered together for a couple of games of bingo - a nice interlude and for change Resa did not win anything. Then it was back to chat and some watched the Wales .v. Denmark match in which Wales came a poor second . Dinner was next and then into the Quest tent for a chat and games until gone 11.15pm.
Sunday 27th June (Day 3)
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday was wall to wall sunshine and today grey and overcast with the threat of rain - but not cold. After breakfast we mooched about the site until the 11.00am raffle which, not unusually, we did not win anything. Then a bit more sitting around until the ten of us walked the short distance into the village to the Rose and Crown for Sunday lunch. After eating it was back to the site where we all agreed the meal was, at best, average. All also agreed a bit more veg and an extra potato would have gone a long way to improve things. In addition, we cannot understand why all the places we have eaten at recently only supply condiments once the meal is served, salt, pepper, horseradish, mustard etc all delivered only on request and slowly. Someone needs to grab the staff and teach them that these things should be already present when the meals served. That said at £12 a meal it was not poor value. We made our way back and sat out in the afternoon sunshine with the odd glass of vino and eventual a scone, jam and clotted cream was forced down our throats. Slowly one pair left to go home (Dave and Gill) while the rest returned their MH for the evening.
Monday 28th June (Day 4)
So today we are off to just north of Birmingham as on Wednesday we are having the habitation and water ingress inspection and a couple of minor issues sorted at Cannock Resprays. We were all ready to leave by 9.45am and said our goodbyes. It was then that things went a bit awry. Basically, with all the rain over the last two nights we were well and truly stuck in the mud. Eric had their car with them and we tried them as a tow car to get out but it was not man enough for the job. Others came to push, shove, offer matting and advice all to no avail. We then contacted the site warden and the owner soon arrived in a big meaty tractor. So we were off the site an hour later and on the site roadway. A second round of goodbyes and it was then the A12 / M25 / M1 / M6 plus a bit extra journey to a ‘small and friendly campsite’, namely The Rag at Rawnsley (a pub camp site). Before arriving we stopped for lunch at Northampton Services where we also filled with AdBlue at half the normal price. Then a stop at Morrisons in Lutterworth to get a couple of items that were needed and finally we arrived at the stopover. It is a small five pitch site behind the pub with a very friendly landlady / manager. We filled with fresh water, settled in, paid our money and sat with a nice cuppa while watching a Euro 2020 match (5-3 to Spain v Croatia). We had booked in for a meal in the pub so strolled across. Apart from the ‘usual’ pub fare it had some unusual alternative choices that were not the norm, both for vegans and meat eaters, We had a hanging kebab each; Chris had monkfish and king prawns and I had a mixed kebab, king prawns, beef, chicken and chorizo. The sauce was poured into at cup at the top of the hanging kebab and it drizzled down the food, very novel. A tasty meal. In addition, they had four beers on tap all of which we were particularly fond of, Butty Bach; Timothy Taylor, Bombardier and Tribute. We were back at the motorhome for the Swiss v France game which was another good one to watch. Then bedtime.
Tuesday 29th June (Day 5)
So overnight we had …. rain. The weather forecast was showers for the whole day. Breakfast and then a bit of a chill time in the motorhome. I had planned a few walks of 4, 5 or 6 miles in Cannock Woods which were nearby. First off though was to try and sort the fact that the warning light indicating that the toilet was nearly full was not working. To be fair not difficult to resolve unless there is a major issue, and there wasn’t. We then donned our walking socks and shoes for the walk but the weather forecast app said it would rain in the next few minutes. We sat and waited and in twenty minutes the rain came. It did not last long so we then opted for one of the walks. Off we went into the woods and first we were to see the castle ring and fort. Well we missed that as the growth of greenery made it impossible to envisage. We then had to change the planned walk as paths that should have been there were not. We took a different option. Onwards and upwards and not to be deterred we go! It was a very pretty and peaceful walk. We eventually arrived at The Horsepastures Pools and then a long climb through the woodland. By now the sun was shining and the temperature was in the high teens. For most of the walk we saw not a soul and it was very pleasant and picturesque. We got back to the site around 2.30pm after almost six miles and sat in the sunshine for a couple of hours. England v Germany was at 5.00pm and we watched the match (2-0 to England) the first win again Germany in a major competition since 1966! A nice cooked meal and then we watched the Sweden v Ukraine the winner of this would meet England on Saturday in the next round, it was Ukraine.
Wednesday 30th June (Day 6)
So today an early start. We did not have any breakfast but packed up the few items and were off to Cannock Resprays where we were to have a water ingress and habitation check plus, if they could, fix the waste pipe and sorting the electric water heating. It was only a twenty minute drive with no issues. Having left the motorhome with them we walked into Cannock which was mainly shut as it was before 9.00am. We eventually had a cooked breakfast at an ASDA cafe which was average at best. We decided to go and visit the Outlet Village, McArther Glen, about a mile and a half away. There we did a lot of ‘window shopping’ and found nothing to tempt us. A hot drink and then a slow stroll back to Cannock via the now open shops, which again held nothing of interest. All was well with the motorhome and while the waste pipe was sorted they could not address the hot water issue as it is a problem with the unit and not a power supply issue. So by 1.00pm we were off home. The original plan was to go into Wales and do the zipwire and then slowly down the centre of Wales. However, with Chris’ broken wrist she had an appointment at the Queens hospital tomorrow, meaning a return home. We had a nice easy traffic free drive home. Arriving home we found the freezer in the kitchen had not been fully closed and it was a big iceball. After a while we managed to get one of the drawers out and I took the still frozen food down to the freezer in the garage only to find that the power to the garage had shut off at some point and all that frozen food had to be thrown. So not a good return home. That said we had a great week away.
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