Union Gap Year

Thursday night at the Home Farm gave Kay and I the chance to visit the Night Owl’s nightclub for a night of 60’s music as Union Gap was topping the bill. Now I always remembered this group as ‘Garry Puckit and the Union Gap’, I’m not sure if Garry is still alive, well I suppose they couldn’t advertise themselves as ‘Garry’s Snuftit and the Union Gap’ if he is deceased (my sick sense of humour).

They played some of their old 60’s hits but to be honest we weren’t that enamoured by their sound, something was sorely missing! The bass drum was too loud and thumpy the snare drum sounded to bass’y the keyboards to tinny and weak, it just didn’t gel, though the vocals did have some nice harmonies. 

I did try to take some photos with my mobile phone, but sadly due to the lighting they didn’t turn out very good.

Needless to say we left early and even then it was one o’clock in the morning as it was 10.30 before they hit the stage. We must have slept like logs that night as in the morning we had reports from one of our neighbours that a rowdy gang of drunken louts leaving the venue disturbed some of the other campers, though thankfully not us. I must admit that some people just can’t handle their drink and should be made to clear up their own mess, as pools of vomit can be quite unpleasant to walk past.

The following night the star act was the Dreamers, minus Freddy of course who we knew had passed away some years back so we thought we'd give it a miss. Bands just don’t sound the same if a major player is missing.

Saturday morning as I made my way to the washrooms I was disgusted to see the state of the area near to where we were parked. Some idle clown instead if disposing of their rubbish in the waste bins provided had left it unattended overnight by the side of their motorhome. 

Naturally the birds and foxes had scattered its contents far and wide. Matters became worse when I entered the gent’s washrooms, every one of the toilets was fouled and not a single one had been flushed by the previous occupant. One filthy individual had even trampled his faeces all over the floor. I was disgusted to see the state that some British holidaymakers are prepared to live like; they’re such a filthy lot of tramps, no wonder the Europeans look down their noses at us and after seeing that mess I can’t blame them. The young Polish couple who cleaned the toilets four times a day really had their work cut out for them, they always had a nice smile and pleasant demeanour pity they have to clean up after filthy Brits and god knows what they think of us.

Sunday was move day, the sun was out and it was baking hot, we hooked up the toad and headed for our next stop The Haven Campsite the other side of Burnham, OK it’s not that far away I know just over a mile, but as we were having the grandson for the week we thought that it would be a great place for kids.

Damn it! The LPG went haywire again on the way over; we are booking this in with the experts in Newport to get this problem sorted for once and for all.

By twelve we were at the site waiting to be shown to our pitch, which from a previous visit was going to be number eight. Going to be was the operative word as we found out that pitch number eight, was now occupied (panic time we knew there were very few pitches at Haven that would take an RV of our size).

Fortunately the warden Darren sorted it all out and we were put on another pitch that turned out to be just right. By the time we had set up we were exhausted and sun burnt to boot.

Our daughter and grandson arrived in time as I was preparing the BBQ but sod’s law kicked in and the gas bottle ran out of gas half way through my cooking. So Kay had to finish the food off in the RV. The Munchkin (Rhys) was bouncing to see and try everything, the fishing, the carts, the swimming pool, the arcade machines you name it. Later my daughter said ‘have you seen the 4X4 opposite he has a military insignia in the back that looks familiar’ at first I didn’t think much about it until as she drove away to go back home (leaving the Munchkin with us) I noticed on the back of the 4X4's spare wheel cover was my old regiments cypher.

It’s a small world again, as the owner of the 4X4 and the caravan that's sited opposite turned out to be a chap that I served in the forces with nearly fifty years ago. So that night over a bottle of red wine and some beers we recounted many of our old exploits and memories of old comrades of which some have now sadly passed away.

The Munchkin (Rhys)

The Cypher

Pete Lote & Stu
old army mates

Monday…. is Haven a Rip Off? Now when you pay top dollar for a week at a Haven camp site what do you expect to get for your money?

For a one week’s touring pitch it will cost you £34 a night at high season (and that’s with a discount!!!) You get a 30’ hard-standing pitch with a small parking bay a standard electric, water and TV connection on a bollard to the right of your pitch and a waste drain to the left.

The toilets and shower facilities are clean but by no means are they of a particularly high standard, so you would think that the rest that’s on offer on these sites would be reasonably well priced. Think again!!!

The quad wheel cycle’s will set you back a £20 deposit and £8.00 per hour, the crazy golf £5 deposit £2 per head, in the laundry the cheapest wash was £5 and the dryer £1 for ten minutes and a fishing permit £7 per day.
In the fishing shop I asked for a small rod and reel for the grandson, the only one on offer was £30, I declined the offer as I had a better quality rod and reel in the angling shop in Burnham for £20.
The games arcade is plainly set up as a cash trap as you have to walk the kids through here to get to the pool the crazy golf etc.  

Everything in the camp shop we noticed was top price (I would advise anyone visiting this site that they should shop outside as there’s a Morrison’s and a Lidl nearby) the only thing you don’t pay extra for is the swimming, but all the other sessions you do. You can imagine the dent this will put in the finances of a family group of a mum dad and two kids

These sites will soon be out pricing what the average cash strapped holidaymaker can afford to cough up. I personally think that the writings on the wall for Haven.
As they’re part of Butlins group they should remember what happened to the Butlins & Pontins holiday camps of the 50’s and 60’s!!!!

Not!! Nick Feldo

The Boss

Sited at Haven

More Anon

All things RV

I thought I would put this bit of information in for anyone who’s brave or daft enough to follow in our footsteps.

I was once informed ‘you will never stop learning about your RV’ and boy was he right. Even though we had done loads of homework on the subject prior to purchasing the RV you never even scrape the surface of it.

Buying is one aspect, trying to get the best deal for your bucks another, understanding what you’ve purchased into is a nightmare. There are weight issues, your licence, insurance, MOT and road Tax, then you have the law in the UK and Europe to navigate through and finally the big one ‘does it feel right’.

After you have got to grips with that lot along comes the running and maintenance with those associated costs and then the big one…..site finding.

It helps if you and your partner split some of the load; Kay does her best to cover the booking of the sites and the day to day aspect of our living in the RV.

Just for the ladies who try this, finding a site can be a big problem even with the help of such tomes as the Big Pitch Guide.

Using the Internet’s Google Earth can help you to see if you can get safely to the site, as some B roads can be a nightmare to travel down. Remember the RV is one of the widest vehicles allowed on UK roads at 2.65m wide not including the wing mirrors and you have a vehicle that is often over 3.5 meters tall, Google Earth can’t tell you the height of the trees down a road or what you’re going to meet coming the other way.

Ever wondered why they call the passenger seat in a left hand drive RV ‘the suicide seat’ your passenger will when a lorry come thundering towards you down a narrow B road.

I was once asked ‘what’s the small red strip for on the windscreen in front of the driver?’ my reply ‘it’s the idiot strip; I have to keep that lined up with the gutter. That way I know Kay is on my side of the road (and it works, as so far the white in Kay’s hair is from age and not pure terror).

Even if you can get to the site, can you actually get into the site? We once found a very nice site called Apple Tree farm only to realise we wouldn’t even get through their gates it was far too narrow so phoning ahead armed with the vehicle details can also help.

Even the Big Pitch Guide (which is a boon to all RV’ers) can be misleading, as the references are often supplied by other well-meaning RV owners. We recently had one site lined up for a visit but thankfully we took a day out to check it out first. The Guide said that this particular site would take any size RV, which it would but what it didn’t say was ‘if your towing a vehicle on a trailer the dirt track leading onto the field where the pitches were sited was so steep that you would end up in real trouble especially if the weather was inclement’. So we cancelled and booked elsewhere although this meant the loss of our deposit.

Space for food storage is a lot less than your average kitchen, even though some RV refrigerators are larger than UK home ones. Having a Toad (towed car) is great in that you can nip out to the local supermarket to top up supplies regularly without having to move the RV, although Kay finds this a good excuse to eat out as often as possible (like yesterday).

Checking if the site has laundry facilities is another area not often mentioned and the cost of using their facilities can in some cases be expensive especially Camping & Caravan Club sites that can work out at £5 for a wash and dry, but it does teach you to be more frugal with clothes, I get by most days in tea shirt and shorts.

I will drop more snippets of information in as we travel along especially if you find it helpful, fellow RV’ers your comments would be appreciated.

More Anon

The Bicycle repair man

On Saturday our eldest daughter Samantha and our grandson paid us a visit for the weekend to celebrate father’s day armed with bottles of wine, cards and chocolates. Well my daughter loves red wine and my grandson loves chocolates, get the idea?

Our grandson Rhys really enjoys his visits with us, he usually arrives with his bike in the boot of the car and this gives him the freedom on a secured site to go roaming wherever he wants and so after I had accompanied him on the cycle around the whole of the site to show him how far he could wander, he was free to explore it on his own.

Great you may think, but as I sat to watch the TV it was ‘Bamp’s the chains off, Bamp’s the breaks need fixing, Bamp’s the seat rocks, and so on and so on, in the end I just left the tool box at the ready. 

I have really missed the little Munchkin though this weekend I think I’d become his personal bicycle repair man. 

He will be coming to stay for a week soon so I had better make sure I have some cycle spares in.

By the time it came for them to head back home the wine had diminished and the chocolates had disappeared so they must have had a good break. So now it’s back to swimming and walking, we did manage to get a swim in but the weather is still too wild and wet to get out and about.

We had become friends with a fellow RV’r over the past few days that turned up next to us in an R-Vision Trail-Air. It’s the same make as ours but a much more up market version of it with all the whistle’s and bells. The owner was Tony James the owner of Luxury Leisure Trailers www.luxuryleisuretrailers.co.uk

Tony sells Fifth wheel Trailers and this RV was one he was selling, he and his partner Chris were very friendly and we spent lots of time drinking tea, chatting about RV’s and sites in Spain where he has a considerable amount of knowledge.

By this morning we were back on our own in an empty RV area ready for the next crowd to arrive on Friday the site being mostly empty in the week which is great for us as we get the pool very much to ourselves where it’s usually full at the weekends.

Why is it that web sites still give you the location and opening times of buildings that no longer exist? Today we went in search of a B&Q in Weston as I’ve had an idea of how to stop the security hooks on the trailer that holds the car in place marking the alloy wheels. After passing the place that the Sat Nav announced ‘you have arrived’ we were met with no sign of a B&Q anywhere.

So we ended up getting what I needed from another supplier and on the return we decided to stop off for a light jacket potato lunch at a garden centre. Oh dear it was half price meals for over 60’s. Needless to say after a big plate of fish-n-chips and mushy peas followed by toffee apple pie and apple struddle we were to full to go swimming.

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A Highway to hell

As arranged earlier in the week, I nipped down the road to Bridgwater and picked up an old army mate Malcolm (Dinger) Bell and together we drove back to the RV at Home Farm.

Stu & Dinger

We had been planning to do a BBQ but the weather was so awful that we scuppered that idea and thought we’d try the Carvery on the site instead, alas that was closed, so we popped down the road to the Fox & Goose for some lunch and then returned to the RV.

It was nice to reminisce about times gone bye and to try and recall the names of people that we hadn’t heard of for many years and of the foolish things we did as young men. But before we knew it, it was time for Dinger to go back home.

The traffic in and out of Bridgwater was horrendous, mind you we had hit the rush hour and after dropping Dinger off, I decided to take the old road back trying to avoid the M5. No such luck I ran into a three mile road block. A quick about turn and I took the road to the M5, just my luck as I entered the motorway I found that it was also choked with traffic, as an accident had taken place just past the run on from the Bridgwater junction. 

I eventually got back to the site to find it now full of A class and B class American RV’s

The weather had gone from bad to worse as the rain hammered off the roof of the RV, we were glad to be inside in the warm and dry.

I hope the weather improves by the morning as my daughter and grandson are paying us a visit so fingers crossed that the sun will show a welcomed face.

More Anon

A Nice Day Out

Yesterday morning we awoke to some very nice sunny weather, which gave us the chance to nip out to the Cheddar caves that are only a few miles away, not to actually visit the caves themselves (we’ve done that before) but to stroll around the Gorge take some photos and to have a lunch out.

The Gorge is a nice spot to visit for a day out though it is being spoilt by the bevvy of trinket shops and the usual tat shops that abound the Gorge. The rock formations are stunning and of course we had to get some proper Cheddar cheese from the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company.  We spent an hour watching the cheeses being processed in the viewing gallery and then visited the shop to purchase some of the different blends of Cheddar cheese on offer.

The Gorge

Rocks

and more rocks

Apart from sampling some of the cheeses, they had some chutney on display that you could sample as well and one of these was made from very hot chillies, it had a sign warning that it was only for the brave as it was so hot. Well you know me I had to try it!!! Wow it tasted fantastic… so I tried some more and then another sample. A few moments later I had a scorched mouth and a numb tongue (I never learn).

Colourful shops

The main street

We stopped at the Wishing Well tea rooms for a light lunch of Jacket potatoes’ and the salad garnish that they put with them was very nice. Then it was time to head back as we wanted to keep up our fitness regime at the pool.

Thirty lengths of the pool later with the usual sauna, steam and Jacuzzi we settled down for the evening. We are doing our best to get fit honest even if we did sneak in a nibble of the cheese we'd purchased.

Today the weather is overcast with drizzle so we’ve opted for a visit to the cinema this afternoon to view the latest X men movie. Well you can’t be exercising every day can you???

More Anon

Shattered

We’ve decided that we really must get some weight off, after recently losing three and a half stone between us we have slipped back into being couch potatoes and have gained nearly as much weight as we had lost so it was crunch time. 

We awoke this morning with the exercise bug gnawing at our consciences, so off we went with our back packs and walking sticks (Nordic Walking sticks we’re not that decrepit yet!!!) to start our new regime.

Off we drove along the coast to Brean Down, which is one of the most striking landmarks of the Somerset coastline. This rocky outcrop projects dramatically out into the Bristol Channel offering magnificent views for miles around. It’s rich in wildlife and history and was an ideal place to explore. The out crop rises to 100 meters above sea level at its highest point and is one and a half miles long. 

We parked up at the car park by the café and donned our walking gear; the first obstacle we had to face was the climb up the very steep cliff path (no, we didn’t count how many steps there were, we were far to shattered by the time we reached the top).

Brean Down

The Steep Climb

Kay at the top

Kay Nordic Walking

At the summit of the path we headed off towards the seaward end of the outcrop where there is an old Palmerston Fort that was originally built in 1865 and provides a unique insight into Brean's past. See link http://breandownfort.co.uk/

Brean Fort

Fort Story

We walked all-round the old fort and eventually after a short break (a nibble on our usual fare of sliced apples) we headed off to the other end of the outcrop and then back down to the car park, a round trip of three miles.

Officers Quarters

View to Steep & Flat Holm islands

On the way back we decided to make a detour to the Haven site to have a word with the chap about the siting of the RV as I was concerned about the low trees we would encounter on the way out. To our relief he will allow us to drive out the way we go in, as this would negate the problem of the trees.

After a light lunch of omelettes we then decided to hit the swimming pool (I know we’re suckers for punishment) the exercise helps keep my shoulders loose and hopefully it will also help to get rid us both of our extra weight and to tighten up my flabby moob’s.

The sauna and steam rooms felt great after all that exercise and the Jacuzzi helped to relive our aching limbs, so we are now both feeling quite relaxed as we sit down to a light tea, we just need to keep away from them biscuits.

Tomorrow we have decided that we will have a rest and visit the Cheddar Gorge before our next challenge of Glastonbury Tor.

More Anon  

Old Friends & Scoundrels

Yesterday we took a short trip down to Bridgwater to look up an old army mate of ours, whom Kay and I hadn’t seen for over thirty four years. I had managed to locate his address but we weren’t sure if he would be at home so we wrote a note with my telephone number just in case. The weather was nice and warm and we found the address in Bridgwater without too much hassle and parked at the top of the street.

Luckily for us our old friend Malcolm (Dinger) Bell was at home so Kay and I spent a good three hours with him reminiscing about old times. We departed, after arranging for Dinger, to come and have lunch with us at Home Farm later in the week. On the way back we decided to stop for lunch at an old Inn in the village of West Huntspill called The White Cottage. It was a pleasant meal, but not on par with the Bell Inn in Haughton which has spoilt us for good cuisine.

We then made a detour in Highbridge to the Haven Holliday village to arrange a booking for the one week we had to cover after the cancellation of the three weeks we were due to stay at the site on the Polden Hills. The Haven site is massive and the roads and pitches more than adequate for the size of our RV, the only worry I had was the overhang of the trees on the site, I have visions of us getting tangled in them on the way in and on the way out. The downside is that the fee for the week we stay at Haven equates to two weeks fee on our present site.

We arrived back and settled down for a relaxing evening, (some hope) unfortunately there are a bunch of young boys running wild on the site this weekend and as we were relaxing I spotted two of them sneaking up to our cycles stacked next to our trailer.

I dashed out just as one of the little scoundrels was attempting to steal the cycles, on hearing me rush out; off they went with their pants on fire. I have since found out that several cycles on the site have been stolen so I reported the incident to the security man patrolling the site. He seemed aware that a gang of lads were causing trouble so was on the lookout for them.

The lads would have had a shock as both Cycles are securely locked with two stout locking chains to the trailer so they wouldn’t have got very far anyway.

Today the weather has taken a turn for the worst, it’s cold, wet, windy and miserable, on the up side the little toe-rags won’t be out and about and up to any mischief as by the end of the day most of them will have left. Already there is only our RV and one large Euro-van left on the RV pitches and the caravan site is steadily emptying.

More Anon

To Wales and Back

Thursday was the day for getting the long running saga of the fridge sorted. We’d booked in the previous week with Auto-masters in Pontyclun, who were the only Dometic service engineers between Milton Keynes and the Bristol Channel prepared to sort out the potentially lethal problem of the fridge going up in flames and us along with it. So we were up early with the lark and off we drove in the RV, leaving the trailer and Toad behind at Home Farm.

We completed the journey in just over one hour twenty minutes driving up the M5 onto the M49 and M4 and over the Severn Bridge. The drive was a breeze, but getting through the toll booths at the bridge was a bit of tight squeeze and the grin on the cashier’s face was a picture when we only had to pay £5.70, the same price as a car!!!

The drive through Pontyclun was a bit hairy with cars parked each side of the road. The Auto-masters garage was just outside of Brynsadler down the end of a very narrow lane and the even narrower gate between two workshops; the RV barely had a clearance of 1” either side.

It took the service engineer two and half hours to complete the work so while he got to work Kay and I walked back into Ponty for a quick lunch at a delightful little café & ceramic studio called Porcellinis www.porcellinis.com .

Modified  Fridge

Impossibly tight fit for an RV

Stu reversing out of the workshops

After the work was completed we headed back onto the M4 and drove to Bridgend where at the local Countrywide store we filled up the RV with LPG for the return journey. Would you believe it the gas problem re-occurred, the LPG turned itself off just as we were back on the M4 and it wouldn’t switch back. So we stopped at Cardiff-gate services and when we re started the engine it all went back to normal (don’t ask I’ve no idea what’s going on).

Kay’s getting used to the suicide seat and even had a chance to take some photos of our return journey.

Stu in the driving seat

Severn Bridge

Toll Booths

Kay's view

Today we nipped off to visit the next site where we were intending to stay for three weeks which is on the Polden hills not far down the M5. We were a bit disappointed with the standard of the pitches and the toilets at that site, so have decided to stay at this site for an extra fortnight and have a look for another site to fill the final week, before we call back here at Home farm again before heading back north.

The weather has turned wet and miserable so for the rest of today we have hunkered down in the RV watching new arrivals turn up on site, so far there are now three American RV’s and several Euro-vans.

More Anon

Challenge number one Brent Knoll

We've done it!!

This morning we packed our ruck sacks with sliced apples and orange juice donned our walking boots made sure we had everything we needed for the challenge of climbing Brent Knoll which is a 449 ft or 137meter high hill just outside of Burnham between the villages of Brent Knoll and East Brent.

We parked up just below St Michael’s church and found the footpath to the knoll. It was a bit of a struggle after all we’re not kids, but we achieved the climb fairly quickly. At the top we were amazed to find it full of walkers all doing the same thing (walking). 

On the way up we spotted two huge buzzards circling the top, at first I thought they could have been eagles as they appeared so large, I later found out that there are no eagles around here, so buzzards they were (well I’m no twitcher, they could have been Fruit bats for all I knew).

A windblown Kay at the summit

Stu at the Summit

We settled down to eat our meagre fair, (I could have murdered a stake pie) and we enjoyed the fantastic views. Brent Knoll also known as the Mount of Frogs (never saw one by the way) and it overlooks the Somerset levels.  

Lunch time

The summit is a mass of ancient earthworks from settlements created in the Bronze and Iron ages, there was even a Roman temple here at one time. It was later occupied by Anglo Saxon’s and Vikings so the mound has a lot of history. 

To the west you overlook Weston Super mare the Bristol Channel the islands of Steep Holm and further out Flat Holm and in the distance the Welsh Coast. 

To the north east are the Mendip Hills and Cheddar Gorge, and to the south east Glastonbury Tor (our next challenge) and the Polden hills. 

To the south the Quantock hills and the Hinkley Point nuclear power station.

To the West

To the South East

Over Burnham

The Mendips

In AD 1607 when the sea broke over the whole of the Vale of Avelon and flooded it to a depth of 12 feet as far as Glastonbury, Brent knoll and Glastonbury Tor would have appeared like islands in the sea just as they would have been in ancient times, the Somerset Levels were all marsh land then.

We took loads of photos and most of them will appear on Animal and Blod’s Scrapbook page on Face Book. We did a rapid descent as the weather seemed to be changing as heavy showers started to roll in off the sea. We were just in time to dodge a good down pour when we got to St Michael’s church at the base of the Knoll.

St Michael's

John Somerset's Memorial

14th Century Pew carvings

So Kay had her tomb stone fix and we found some interesting history inside the church from the times of the Civil War, one monument was to John Somerset who died in 1663 and the pews have woodcarvings from the 14th century, they’re well worth a visit.

Back at the RV I decided it was time to check out the swimming pool so I nipped off for an hour or two for a swim, sauna, steam and a Jacuzzi, while Kay put her feet up for a read and to finish off the chocolates we purchased yesterday to replenish her lost calories.

More Anon

Sexey or What?

No it’s not my bad spelling, but the British use of village names, we thought we had seen it all when we were up in Oswestry and had visited a village called Knockin and there the local store was called (you guessed it) the Knockin Shop but more on this later.

Today we decided as the weather wasn’t sure what to do, Rain or Shine, that a nice trip to the Clark’s shopping village at Street just outside of Glastonbury would while away the hours. It was just a short hop down the M5 turning off at junction 23 and following the A39 across the Polden Hills and down into Street.

The views from either side of the Polden hills were tremendous; the hills run like a ridgeback for several miles giving you a huge vista across the Somerset levels.

After we’d shopped ourselves out at the retail centre, we decided that a return home via a different route could prove to be interesting. On our map we had spotted that the Meare Fish House (an English Heritage site nearby) could be an interesting location to find. So off we trundled down the narrow B roads to locate this house, well the place was so well hidden that by the time we’d reached the village of Meare according to the map we had passed the place a mile back without even seeing it.

Still we were finding the villages and the old churches in the area really interesting, even without stopping (as Kay had decided that today she wasn’t in the mood for tomb stoning.)

So on we went meandering down narrow roads just wide enough for a horse and cart through the pretty villages of Westhay, Wedmore and Blackford and there it was as just we entered Blackford…… Sexey’s Road with Hugh Sexey’s middle school and The Sexey’s Arms public house. I did try to see if the local shop was called The Sex shop but we were too busy navigating the roads to stop. You have to hand it to the ancient Brits when it comes to naming places, I wonder what else we’ll find on this green and pleasant Isle? I can’t wait to find the village of Feckin!!!!You could just imagine the comment of the local comedian.. ’you don’t want to stop in this Feckin village mate.’

We have visited a lot of the places locally when we had the caravan and have stayed at the Cheddar caravan sites visiting Wells cathedral, Wookey Hole, The Cheddar Gorge and Glastonbury but no doubt we will visit them again this time as we’ve promised ourselves that we will climb Glastonbury Tor and the Brent Knoll, so keep following our Blog.

More Anon

Oh.... to be beside the seaside….

We left the Briarfields site on Sunday morning just as the rain started to pour; we travelled down the M5 from junction 11 to junction 22 a journey of just 65 miles where we turned off the motorway for the Home Farm site just a mile down the road towards Burnham-on-Sea.

And would you believe it! the whole journey was completed on L P Gas, it looks as if the problem of the switchover has now gone away…Yippee.

The trip down was pleasant enough, apart from the rain, though it felt as if every other vehicle on the motorway with us was either a caravan or a motorhome, well it was the end of half term holiday and everyone was heading home apart from ourselves (who were just moving home) so I suppose we should have expected that.

We arrived at the site of the Home Farm holiday complex by midday and then navigated the narrow lanes around the campsite to one of the RV pitches, (the girl on reception could have sent us another way which would have avoided this tortuous route.)

There were just one RV, two fifth wheelers and three euro van motorhomes sited on the RV pitches when we arrived and by this morning there was only ourselves left.

On Site

The site

The complex has its own indoor and outdoor swimming pools (sadly the outdoor is only open weekends) the indoor pool has a sauna & steam room and gym. There is an Entertainment suite with restaurant. The camping area has two large toilet and shower blocks with laundry and a fishing lake. The only complaint I have of the site so far would be about the dirty British holidaymakers who can’t clean out a shower after they’ve used them or even flush a toilet?

There are cleaners doing the usual rounds but honestly are we such a nation of dirty beggars? No wonder the rest of Europe look down their noses at us and seeing the mess some folks leave behind I can’t blame them.

This morning we nipped down to Burnham-on -Sea and took a nice stroll down the sea front, the wind was quite brisk and cold but we did find a little gem (St Andrews Church)

leaning tower

Crooked entrance

Burnham has its own leaning tower to compare with that of Pisa… built in the 14^th century it started to lean almost immediately and has been leaning ever since. We forgot to take the camera so the images are from Kay’s phone; we will pop back and take some more as the church is very interesting.

The Promenade

Promenade

Wind Blown

The freezer

The sea front at Burnham looks a little run down and jaded with an air of the kiss me quick days of the late fifties and sixties, fish N chips, games arcades, and souvenir shops.  The sea unfortunately is a mucky brown colour, no doubt due to the large sand banks and mud flats and when the tide is out, they stretch out for miles into the Bristol Channel. It does however boast the smallest Pier in the UK and it is small, but they have a big heart (see photo).

Their hearts in the right place

Anyway after our brisk sea side walk it was a quick trip to the Lidl supermarket to get my lovely Bratwurst, Frigadelyn and potato salad for the BBQ and then back to the RV to settle down and decide what we want to do for the rest of our stay, so stay tuned for more of our adventures.

More Anon 

You put your trust in people

Sad to say but some folk just spin you a line Yada Yada, and you put your trust their statements, only for someone else later to give you the low down on what really is the case. I suppose like most we take people at face value and hope that they treat us with the same goodwill that we show them; sadly it’s not the case with some.

Yesterday we put the RV in for a service, and asked the local RV Company doing the service to also install three MaxAir vents on the roof. The reason for these air vents is that when the wind blows strongly the lids of the existing roof vents rattle and if it’s raining you have to close them. With these in place it stops the rattle and you can leave them open even when it’s raining.

MaxAir Vents

The RV was to stay with the service boys for the whole day so Kay and I decided to visit Gloucester for a day out, well the New Gloucester Quays shopping centre was calling Kay…. say no more.

We also spent a good time walking the town centre; this is not our first visit as we were here last year but it gave us a chance to visit some of the places we missed the last time like the Cathedral.

Oxebode Information

Oxebode today

We spotted an interesting story about how the the OxeBode in Gloucester got its name (originally the area was a slum of narrow lanes) in which an Ox got stuck and had to chopped up (see below).

There's an ox lying dead at the end of the lane,
His head on the pathway, his feet in the drain,
The lane is so narrow, his back was so wide,
He got stuck in the road 'twixt a house on each side.

He couldn't go forward, he couldn't go back,
he was stuck just as tight as a nail in a crack,
And the people all shouted, so tightly he fits,
We must kill him and carve him and move him in bits.

So a butcher dispatched him and then had a sale,
Of his ribs and his sirloin his rump and his tail.
And the farmer he told me I'll never again
Drive cattle to market down Oxbodie lane

 

Gloucester has many hidden gems like the house from Beatrix Potter’s book ‘The Tailor of Gloucester’ which is a Beatrix Potter’s museum & memorabilia shop in College Court just off Westgate Street. It was here Kay and I found a cracking little eatery called Lilly’s and I would recommend this to everyone for somewhere to stop for lunch though it does get very busy at lunch times.

Beatrix Potter's museum

Lilly's Restaurant

We then went to visit the Cathedral and took the opportunity to visit the whispering gallery which totally amazed me its works!!!!

Here’s one for our American readers… the National Anthem of the United States (The star Spangled Banner )was written by John Stafford Smith 1750 -1836 (no relative, well not that we have discovered anyway).

There is so much to see and to wonder at the Cathedral that I thought it best just to put a link to their site http://www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk/ so that you can view it at your leisure.

John Stafford Smith

USA Flag

After a busy day sightseeing, shopping and eating (what a boring life) we headed back to pick up the RV as it was late afternoon. 

We arrived just as the boys had finished and we were amazed when he informed us that all had been done on a previous so called service last December was an oil change and coolant change!!!! Still it’s done now, but you find that you lose faith with some peoples statements.

Hope you enjoy the photos…remember clicking on them makes them much larger and there are more new photos on Animal and Blods facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.491902563301.261309.518003301 

More Anon.