Transport of Delight

Cardiff Bay

2012-01-08T22:55:00.001Z

Today we visited Cardiff Bay. To read about our visit please go to the post ‘If you’re ever in Cardiff Bay...’ on my Ngakma Nor’dzin blog.

The Pierhead, Cardiff Bay

Jaspers Tea Room

2011-08-29T09:00:00.000+01:00

In Llandaff there is a delightful tea rooms called Jaspers. This is the sort of place that we always frequent while on holiday but often cannot find near to home. So it is lovely to have Jaspers Tea Rooms within cycling distance—or even walking distance—of our home. It is also close to Llandaff Cathedral and the walks thereabouts. A great place for a Sunday afternoon visit.

Bundu Camping and Caravan Park

2011-08-25T19:53:00.001+01:00

Ahoy toilet block in the distance!

I had a good week in Cornwall at Surya Eco Yoga Camp. All too soon it was time to go home. I decided to break my journey again and leave on the Sunday evening, so that I would be home quite early on the Monday. Please go to my Ngakma Nor'dzin blog for more information about this event.

I drove till I was getting close to the beginning of the M5 and followed a sign to a campsite. I quite like simply following a sign to a site rather than booking in advance or hunting for a site in a brochure or online and then having to find it. I like the spontaneity of turning off the road to an unknown site.

The site that I arrived at near Okehampton is called Bundu Camping and Caravan Park. I did not like this as much as the site I stayed at on my outward journey. I decided not to bother with electric hookup as I was only there for one night, it was an extra cost, and I had lived without electricity for a week already at the yoga camp. This meant that I was on a pitch in what I found myself calling the 'poor end of the field'. The pitch was okay—level and with water and bins nearby—but a long way from the facilities. The site is long and thin with the facilities up the top end.

Reception and shop.

The lady who took my payment was coolly friendly and gave me a code for the toilet block. I thought key pad entry for the facilities was a good idea. There was also a shop at reception which would be convenient for a longer stay. The toilet block was clean and well appointed and again I was able to have a hot shower without extra cost.

In the morning I was a bit startled when a man suddenly came into the ladies' facilities. He was sorting out a problem for another camper, but I felt he should have ascertained that there was no one in there in a state of undress before he entered.

I was not too keen on this site. I didn't feel welcomed. The facilities were fine and there wasn't really anything wrong with it... I just wouldn't want to stay there for anything more than a journey's overnight stop.

Colliford Tavern campsite, St Neot, Cornwall

2011-08-25T19:26:00.000+01:00

I recently spent a week in Cornwall living in the van and teaching at Surya Eco Yoga Camp. Unfortunately I chose the same day to travel as a lorry caught fire in the Malpas tunnel, Newport, closing the M4. This caused a horrendous traffic jam which I was stuck in for 3½ hours. It took me as long to do the first 15 miles of my journey as it did to do the rest. After the first hour of moving slowly I had to make the decision of going home or going on. Listening to the traffic news I realised that it would take as long to get home and the tunnel would probably still be closed the next day anyway - so I decided to sit it out. At one point the traffic did not move at all for about half an hour.

Once I got back onto the M4 at junction 24 it was plain sailing all the way. By the time I reached north Cornwall however, I had been on the road for 6½ hours and decided to stop for the night.

I turned off the A30 to St Neot and found Colliford Tavern. As the sign says it is also a pub. I thought it rather a delightful site with the pitches nestled under pine trees. I liked the atmosphere of the shaded, wooded area. The shower block was nearby and the path to it well lit. I had a nice hot shower and settled down for the night.

This site does not get very good reviews at ukcampsite.co.uk but I liked it. It was clean, friendly and an attractive site. I felt completely safe camping there on my own. I generally prefer sites with minimal amenities however, and tend to avoid the ones that offer entertainment of any sort - so I can see that it might be a bit dull for some people. It is the countryside and being in nature that I want to experience when camping, not watching TV or similar. I enjoyed the rabbits frollicking under the trees in front of the van. It would be a good site for exploring north Cornwall.

I find it interesting that nowadays free hot water is common at campsites, whereas it used to be a rarity. You always used to have to get a token or have money for a slot to have a shower. British camping is becoming more civilised.

Knighton / Tref-y-Clawdd

2011-07-01T21:47:00.000+01:00

We called at a delightful café on our way back from a week of camping in Shropshire. It is called the Tower House Gallery/Oriel Tŷ Tŵr in Knighton/Tref-y-Clawdd on the England/Wales, Shropshire/Powis border.

We had soup and bread, followed by cake. The bread was unusual and especially nice. When we commented on how good the bread was, they gave us the recipe which they are happy to share the recipe with anyone.

The recipe is as follows:
500 g spelt flour
200g mixed seeds
2 sachets instant yeast (approx 14g)
1 tblspn olive oil
1 tspn salt
1 tspn sugar
500 mltrs warm water

Mix all the ingredients into a sticky dough and pour into a lined 2lb loaf tin. Leave for approximately 15 minutes in a warm place until the dough rises to just above the tin. Bake for 1 hour at gas mark 6/200C.

I've made the bread at home and it makes a most tasty loaf.

Across the road from the café is an interesting ironmongers called Prince and Pugh Ltd. We bought some enamel plates for the van.

There are some interesting roads and buildings in Knighton. It is well worth a visit.

Coming home

2011-04-27T21:13:00.001+01:00

Having set up camp on arrival on Good Friday, we then went into Church Stretton for dinner. After eating we had a look around the town. It seems a pleasant place with many interesting and historic buildings. We were treated to the scenic route back to the van over the moorland above Church Stretton. It is a beautiful area nestled in the Shropshire hills.

We had a comfortable night camping and enjoyed seeing round our friend's land the following morning. It is an interesting venture. He is creating a forest garden and his partner is converting the stable buildings for growing mushrooms. We have taken to calling our friend 'The Squire' now that he owns a patch of land. His methods are 100% organic and aim to disturb the land as little as possible as its current status is transformed from grazing land into horticulture. The Squire has planted a great many trees of many varieties - choosing some species for their production and others for the way in which they can benefit the others. It is a long term project and will not start to become viable for at least four years.

After our guided tour it was time to pack up and prepare for the drive home. After a brief panic not being able to find the van keys, and then a relaxing cup of tea, we set off, travelling home on a slightly different route via Llandrindod Wells to Brecon. This time we did not find a tea room unfortunately - they do not seem to be so popular in Wales as they are in England, and most of the journey home was through Wales. At last we did find somewhere nice to stop for refreshments - The Llanfaes Dairy Icecream parlour, 19 Bridge Street, Brecon, LD3 8AH. Their orange and mascapone is the most divine icecream I have ever tasted. Sadly, with the weather so hot and still being a fair way from Cardiff, we decided it would not be possible to get a tub of icecream home without it melting. Llanfaes do not supply outside a 20 mile radius of Brecon, so we may have to visit Brecon more often to taste their icecream delights.

Spring camping

2011-04-26T21:32:00.002+01:00

This blog has been severely neglected because we have had little time for expeditions over the winter. We have however been working on improving the van and making it more comfortable for camping. The layout in Pema the Peugeot is that the front seats swivel and the back seats flatten to join up with the front seats to make two beds. This makes too very narrow and slightly short beds however which are not entirely comfortable. In so many ways this van is perfect for us that we have wanted to invest in improving it. The awning we kept from Bertie is great in some ways but really too big for this smaller van. Having a small fridge is cute, but takes up a lot of space.

So we have made some changes. First we bought a new awning. It is only slightly smaller than the old one (which we have decided to keep as well) but has a sewn-in groundsheet, a detachable inner bedroom and is of a lighter material. We bought suction clamps for attaching it to the van and this works well.

Next we removed the fridge and gave it to someone on Freecycle. This liberated space has made a nice little wardrobe - sufficient for four or five coat hangers.

Now for the sleeping arrangements. We discovered that a 19L Really Useful Box fitted snugly between the seats and was about a cushion's depth lower than their height. I made a cushion of the right size and the three boxes in a row with it on top turns the two narrow beds into one reasonable width bed. It will still be a bit snug for the occasions when we have to both sleep in the van, but usually one of us sleeps in the awning, so it is roomy for one.

So with everything sorted out it was time for a try out. On Good Friday we travelled up to Shropshire to camp on a friend's patch of land. We took a motorway-avoiding route to the site, just north of Church Stretton, and were lucky to meet little traffic. We stopped at a delightful tea room just outside Winforton on the A438 in Hereford. I give The Buttley Tea Room 5***** even though the flackjack was a little too sweet for my taste. The garden is pretty and well-kept. The refreshments were presented beautifully in nice crockery and with fresh fruit decorating the plate. The staff were most pleasant and accommodating. We shall certainly be calling there again next time we are heading that way. They do not seem to have a website but their postcode appears to be HR3 6EA.

Longleat – part 2

2010-11-12T15:28:00.000Z

From the point of view of convenience for returning to Longleat on Sunday, Longleat campsite was not so convenient. To walk back to the estate would have taken about 5 minutes. You can see the car park from the entrance to the campsite. To get there in the van however, was a long and circuitous drive through country lanes which took nearly 20 minutes!

Nevertheless we eventually arrived back at the Longleat estate and proceeded to enjoy the indoor activities. These included the mirror maze, Animal Adventure, Old Joe's Mine, a simulator ride, the State Chariot and Longleat House. In fact the weather was mostly dry despite the horrendous rain of the previous night but we were happy to continue with the indoor activities.

The mirror maze was fun. It was actually quite tricky to find King Arthur's sword Excalibur. I don't think I would have spotted it if my clever son Richard had not sussed out how to find it.

The simulator was okay – not the most interesting I have been on.

We almost didn't bother with Old Joe's Mine because it looked like some gimmicky tourist thing. We were so glad we did. The 'mine' is where they keep a colony of bats and is a low light area. It was fantastic being among the bats and having them flying around you. We could get up really close to them whenever they settled. The young keeper in there was most knowledgeable about the bats and we stayed talking to him and asking questions for quite some time. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the day. The photo is a little fuzzy because you are not allowed to use a flash in there and the bats generally didn't stay still for very long.

On the Saturday we had sampled 'safari burgers' for lunch and they were a great disappointment. Expensive and not very good. On Sunday we discovered the Cellars Café and this was fantastic. Great food, reasonable prices and a pleasant setting. Highly recommended.

The tour of Longleat House was also wonderful. It is a beautifully maintained and decorated house. We were quite unprepared for the extent of its splendours – artwork, furniture, the ceilings are amazing, costume exhibits, books, silverware. I was totally engrossed. Unfortunately we were not able to view Lord Bath's murals which was a shame.

We finished our weekend with Animal Adventure. This is an area with small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs and more exotic animals such as porcupines. It is aimed at younger children I would say. There is also a butterfly area – although they were quite difficult to find.

There was the opportunity to hold a snake and a tarantula. I would have quite liked to have held the snake but there was a queue to do this and I was really tired by then and couldn't face standing around. Dan and I went to find somewhere to sit, but Richard and 'ö-Dzin waited and did get close up and friendly with the snake and the spider. Thank you to Richard for the photographs on today's posting.

Longleat is a great attraction. The passport ticket is expensive but you get a lot for your money. I don't think it would be worth it for one day, but if you can spread your visit over two days then I would say it is reasonable value.

Longleat – part 1

2010-11-07T22:56:00.000Z

In October we had a family weekend at Longleat. We had been promising to take our sons to this famous safari park for many years and at last we achieved it this year.

The weather was overcast and threatening rain when we arrived at Longleat around 10 am on the Saturday. We decided to begin with all the outdoor activities while it was still dry and save the more indoor areas of the estate for the Sunday in case the weather had turned wet. So we began with the drive through the wildlife park. First up was an area where you can leave your car and see the animals wandering quite close by. It felt a little like having been dropped into Jurassic Park – the giraffes are so extraordinary and feel deeply ancient. They were grazing with zebras, huge camels, ostrich and several others species.

Next up were the monkeys, but this section was closed to cars so we could only see them through the fence as we slowly drove past. Then we saw the rhino, and a large herd of deer. We were able to park here and hand feed them. This was a lovely experience. They are so timid and took the food so gently.

We carried on into the section of the safari drive where you have to keep your windows closed. We saw lionesses—but sadly no lions—and tigers and wolves. This tiger definitely knew how beautiful he was and that it was his duty to lie in a position where he could be fully admired.

All too soon the safari was over and we were back at the main car park. We had lunch and in the afternoon took in the hedge maze, the boat trip to see seals and hippos and the train ride. There were some really fun sculptures of giant ants to be seen from the train ride.

It was great feeding the seals from the boat. They were so fast and full of personality.

As it was nearing closing time at Longleat we headed for the Caravan Club campsite. Last year we joined the Camping and Caravanning Club, but this year we are trying out the Caravan Club. This was our first visit to one of their sites. It was clean and had excellent facilities. We would recommend it. The pitches are sizeable, but it was the first time we have had to pitch the awning on a hard standing. It was difficult to peg it down. The weather was definitely heading towards a rainstorm by now and we were concerned that we were going to have a problem. The van only sleeps two so at least two had to sleep in the awning.

We had a pleasant evening but then the rain arrived and it was pretty torrential. The van leaked a little from the passenger side sliding door, the awning did not provide a useful connection to the van, and rain got in over the groundsheets in the awning so that everything got wet. We survived neverthless! We have decided that we have to get a different awning. This one is too big for the Peugeot – the tunnel opening is wider than the length of the van and there is no metal strip on the van for attaching it. Khyam have been very helpful and suggest that we get an awning with a smaller tunnel that can be attached using magnet clamps or a sucker system.

Surya Eco Yoga Camp

2010-09-15T21:34:00.000+01:00

In July I attended the Surya Eco Yoga Camp, near Falmouth in Cornwall as a workshop leader. It was the first time that I had really lived in the van and am even more delighted with it now than I was before. It was most comfortable for living in for a week and is so easy and comfortable to drive that I find I do not get so tired on long journeys.

I think it would be impossible for two adults to live in just the van for any length of time—it is too small—but for one it was fine. I left the one side of the van made up as a bed for the whole week so that I didn't have to keep fiddling with the seats. The hob is most efficient and I enjoyed cooking meals. The only thing that was not working was the fridge. It would not work on the gas, only on electric, and I had no electric hookup of course at the eco camp with compost toilets and everything 'back to the land'. Today however, I had the fridge looked at and it turns out that the only problem with it was an incorrect hose connection, so it should be fine from now on.

Heading South

2010-07-19T20:37:00.000+01:00

The teaching session in Whitley Bay on Saturday 17th was from 10 till 5. We decided to head straight off after the session and try and get about a third of the journey home to Cardiff covered that evening so that there would not be so much to do on the Sunday. Before we set out I had tried to find a campsite around the Harrogate region to stay at Saturday night, but every one I looked at was fully booked for that night. We had noticed however, on the journey up, that it was possible to pay to park overnight at a motorway services. For some reason this had never occurred to us before as an option. So we decided to just drive and see where we ended up. We ended up at Tamworth services on the M42.

There are several advantages to stopping over at a motorway services: you can just stop when you are ready to; you do not have to worry about finding the campsite before it gets dark; the car park is always lit so it is easy to find your way around; facilities are guaranteed; and breakfast is easy to come by. I was so glad we hadn't booked one near Harrogate in the end, as the roads were so clear and easy on Saturday night that we ended driving much farther than we had intended.

We found a quiet corner to tuck ourselves away and had a good night at Tamworth services. There was not too much traffic in and out over night, so we were able to get a good night's sleep, and the curtains in the van are good enough to make it dark for sleeping. There were shower facilities available as well as toilets and wash hand basins at this services, so we were well set up. It cost £8 to park overnight – cheaper than most campsites. I think we will always do this on a long journey in future as it means we do not have to decide how far we will travel in a day or an evening in advance. Not all services are as good as this one, but if you do not like the place you can just drive on to the next one. Campsites are generally nicer than motorway service car parks, but motorway services do provide a convenient stop-over on a long journey

Heading North

2010-07-18T18:58:00.002+01:00

This weekend was the weekend of the great expedition up north to Whitley Bay. We taught a day workshop on Saturday 17th on the subject of meditation.

We decided to set out Thursday evening and try and complete about a third of the journey that evening so that we had all day Friday to cover the rest of the distance. Last year we joined the Camping and Caravanning Club, but this year we decided to give the Caravan Club a try. Their sites seem to offer electric hook-up more usually. So Thursday evening found us at Atherstone Stables campsite, a Caravan Club certified site. Entry is with a code via an electronic gate. The site is basic but adequate: a couple of fields of level ground with gravel pitches and electric hook-up points. The main building is a row of stables with one toilet and one shower.

It was starting to get dark as we arrived, but we settled in easily and found our way around. The weather was stormy and wet. We discovered that there was a problem with the electrics in the van—probably a dead leisure battery—but we had sufficient battery-operated lighting with us to manage for this trip. We decided to pull the pop-top roof down for the night because the wind was so strong and the rain quite severe.

The website link for this campsite didn't work when I tried it, so I am not adding it to the blog. The site is off the A5 southeast of Tamworth.

After a reasonable night we set off to complete the journey and drove for an hour before stopping at Bolsover for breakfast.

This is a lovely little town just off the A632 near Chesterfield, northeast of junction 29 on the M1. It sports an impressive castle but we decided not to visit it this time as we did not want to stop for too long.

We settled for a walk around the town and a good breakfast bun at Sarah's café. The food was good and set us up for the last stretch of driving.

We arrived in Whitley Bay around 4pm. The weather was quite bright and mild, so we enjoyed a stroll along one of the beaches. Whitley Bay is in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, east of the A19 after the Tyen tunnel. It is bigger than we expected, and not quite the scenic seaside jewel we had envisioned, but the people we met on the beach walking their dogs were friendly and the beach and headland area overlooked by St George's Church is well maintained.

Overnight stop

2010-07-13T17:42:00.003+01:00

On 25th June I went to the USA for a week to take part in a Buddhist retreat in upstate New York. I was delighted to be able to fly from Bristol Airport and not have to cope with the vastness of Heathrow, as I was travelling alone.

I had to be at the airport for check-in at around 7.30am, so we decided to drive over the evening before and have a relaxing evening in the van and a slightly less early start next morning. We did not fancy dashing down the M4 at 6am, worrying whether we were going to get caught in traffic.

We found Brook Lodge Farm campsite most pleasant and convenient. It is literally 5 minutes drive from Bristol Airport and yet a haven of peace, tranquility and beautiful surroundings. The shower and washroom facilities were clean and well appointed, and there was a separate washing up area with hot water supplied from solar panels. The proprietors of Brook Lodge are interested in environmental issues and hence it is a site that is run with the ecology in mind. They have been awarded a bronze standard by Green Tourism. This organisation assesses businesses wishing to join the scheme "against a rigorous set of criteria, covering a range of areas, like energy and water efficiency, waste management, biodiversity and more."

This was really our first real stopover on a campsite since we have owned the van – the first part of this summer has been rather busy. We are most satisfied with the comfort Pema the Peugeot offers. The seats are easy to organise into beds, the van feels roomy with the lid popped up, and it was convenient cooking a meal on the hob.

Our next trip is to Whitley Bay near Newcastle upon Tyne and we are going to have a stopover on the way up and on the way back. We are looking forward to this.

Birthday delights

2010-05-10T00:09:00.001+01:00

The van was finally returned to us on Friday. Yesterday we did a lot of DIY shop trips to pick up all sorts of things we have not been able to collect without a van, such as pea shingle for the ground preparation for the summerhouse, boarding to floor the loft eves and storage boxes.

Today was my birthday. Having been grounded for five weeks I really felt the need to get out into the hills and experience an expanse of sky and landscape. Llangynidr is one of my favourite near-to-home views. It is only 35 miles from Cardiff. We parked at the highest point and headed off across the hills to take in the view. It was windy and exhilarating and most definitely satisified my need for expansiveness.

Pema the Peugeot is lovely to drive - as this was our first real expedition since we had bought the van. It is great to have a larger engine that pulls better on the hills. Both Bertie the Talbot Express and Sky the Corsa were rather sluggish on hills.

After our walk we drove down into Brecon via Talybont-on-Usk. The canal is very pretty here and the towpath is pleasant for walking. Brecon was a little disappointing as hardly anything was open and there was a dearth of tearooms.

This part of Wales does seem to have very few places other than pubs for snacks and light meals - and in my opinion a pub does not hit the spot in quite the same way as a tearoom. The atmosphere of a pub is quite different to a tearoom and does not appeal to me so much.

Eventually in Brecon we came across a gallery called Ardent Gallery in the High Street that served drinks and cake. This was most pleasant with a delightful young lady running the place, although the pictures were rather expensive.

We then headed back to Cardiff via Briwnant Riding Stables to see our horses. It had been a fun ride today, which we had decided not to join this time, as we have had so little opportunity to ride recently. Then I picked up my mother and it was home for a delightful dinner prepared by my son which had been slow cooking all day, followed by cake made by my 93 year old mother. I am now sipping sparkling wine and thinking what a most pleasant birthday it has been.

No transport

2010-04-27T20:31:00.000+01:00

There has not been anything to blog about the new van because it has been in the garage for nearly three weeks. Sigh... I have only driven it about 5 times. Pema the Peugeot began to become increasingly difficult to start with confused displays coming up on the dashboard. Eventually it was diagnosed that the ECU was water contaminated and the cradle in which it rested was totally corroded – both would have to be replaced.

This is both good news and bad news – bad, because we've only just bought the van and it is frustrating to not have a functional vehicle, having part-exchanged a totally reliable car for it; good, because it is in the warranty period. Knight Motorcaravans have authorised the repair and will be paying for it.

So is delight possible without transport? In fact it has been quite an enjoyable few weeks. The weather has been bright and sunny and I have been enjoying walking and cycling more than usual. It has been lovely to notice and appreciate things I would not have seen in a car – such as the tulips in front gardens, magnolia blossom; and also enjoying haphazard meetings with people while out on foot. It has also been frustrating of course, and there have been a number of commitments I have had to let go. There is also the extra expense of taxis.

First Auto Engineers have promised that the parts will arrive this week – assuming there is no more volcanic ash in the sky, we don't suffer a Welsh earthquake, or a giant cockroach doesn't appear from a crack in the universe and consume the suppliers of Peugeot parts.

Bye-bye Bertie... hello Pema!

2010-03-18T15:04:00.000Z

The news from the Caravan Hospital was not good. Poor Bertie... all his appliances were too old to repair and all of them had something wrong with them. You may notice the past tense of that sentence, because we did decide that we had to give up on Bertie the bus. The final straw that prompted the decision was the need to have a lot of welding done to sills and wheel arches to get him through the MOT. We lack the time or the skills to take him on as a project, so we had to let him go.

So now on to the good news. Bertie had a good engine and from this aspect he passed the MOT without any problem, which meant that he was saleable. We had a lot of fun in Bertie so we knew we wanted to replace him rather than give up on the idea of owning a motorhome. On a recommendation from a friend, we contacted Knight Motorcaravans in Kidderminster and they agreed to take Bertie in part exchange without an MOT. So on Saturday 6th March we drove up to Kidderminster in our car and had a look at their stock of motorcaravans. The vehicle that we initially went up to look at was an S reg Mercedes Vito. The idea was that this vehicle would be compact enough to replace both Bertie and the car. However I felt rather uncertain about replacing my beloved and totally reliable Corsa, with an unknown vehicle five years its senior and with four times the mileage on the clock.

We took our time and had a really good look around their selection of motorcaravans. The place is quite small, but they pack in a lot of vehicles which range in size, shape and price. Eventually our interest settled on the vehicle that we have now bought. It is a Peugeot Expert conversion, registered in 2003 on a 52 number plate - so pretty much the same age as our Corsa. It has a small kitchen at the back, an elevating roof, two passenger seats with seatbelts, two swivelling front seats, and a table. Knight Motorcaravans also agreed to take our Corsa in part exchange at a price we were happy with. Having agreed our terms we left, with delivery arranged for a week later after the Peugeot had received a caravan and vehicle service and been MOT'd.

On Monday, two gentlemen arrived in the Peugeot Expert and drove away with Bertie the Bus (on trade plates) and Sky, the sky-blue Corsa. I am still mourning the Corsa a little - it was such a lovely little car. I know it is silly to get sentimental about vehicles, but I do believe that even supposedly inanimate objects respond to being cared for. Unfortunately I have been ill all week, so I have not had the chance to bond with the van - which 'ö-Dzin has named Pema the Peugeot. I have driven it once and it is nice to drive and surprisingly lively, being used to a 1 ltr Corsa and an ancient bus. I must remember... I really MUST remember... that Pema the Peugeot is a sophisticated beast and drinks diesel, not petrol.

So our transport of delight continues with a new vehicle providing the transport, and our delights are quite possibly going to be more frequent.

Triage

2010-02-06T20:54:00.001Z

We had a great drive out to the Caravan Hospital. It was about an half hour drive and was the best drive I've had in Bertie so far. I don't know whether the loud backfire he erupted the other day cleared something out, but the engine was pulling the best ever. There was no pinking or sluggishness. We sailed up the hill out of Culverhouse Cross in 4th gear with no problem at all. Previously he would have struggled and stuttered and I'd have had to go down the gears.

There was quite a queue at the Caravan Hospital and we had to wait a while. I think Bertie looks pretty good for a veteran, waiting in the queue.

As well as sorting out the little problems mentioned in the last post, we are hoping that they will be able to put on a replacement strip above the sliding door so that we have something on which to clip the awning. This would be really good, because up till now we have been having to throw the guy ropes over him to secure them, and that is a little inconvenient if you want to head off and leave the awning standing. I'll let you know how that goes...

Caravan hospital

2010-02-04T23:26:00.001Z

Bertie is going to hospital on Saturday – no nothing serious! He is going to the Caravan Hospital to have all his interior fittings serviced. This will assure us that the electrics and the gas pipes are in good condition. We'll also have a few other minor defects mended, such as the leaky tap and the fridge that only works from the mains.

We decided to tax Bertie for the whole year, so we have been taking him out for little trips every other week over the winter to keep the batteries charged and everything lubricated. We have been most impressed at how easy it has been to start him every time. It must be a good Peugeot engine under the bonnet – it is a shame they have no interest in supporting his longevity. They were totally disinterested when I contacted them. Bertie started at the fourth attempt even after standing covered in snow for two weeks. It does smell pretty damp inside though, but I don't know what we can do about that.

I feel that he is struggling a bit with unleaded petrol and am looking into a petrol additive. We are experiencing what my Dad used to call 'pinking' and even the occasional backfire. It will be his longest run for a while out to the Caravan hospital at St Hilary, so it will be interesting to see how he performs.

A convenient vehicle

2009-08-13T21:21:00.000+01:00

We have not had any opportunity recently to take a leisure trip in Bertie. Life is rather full at the moment and weekends are tending to be taken up with commitments. However through our busy time we have discovered many unexpected benefits to owning a motorhome.

One of the reasons we are so busy is that we have been doing up a house. Bertie has been invaluable for the convenience of moving furniture out and moving other furniture in. We have been able to transport items even as large as wardrobes. It really is quite extraordinary how much can be packed into our bus. We have saved a fortune in hiring removal vans and avoiding delivery charges.

Bertie has been having some problems with his windscreen wipers. They do not return to the proper resting position which means that they overshoot in the other direction on each wipe, and this gradually gets worse. We have been told that it is just a matter of adjusting and tightening the fitting to repair it – I hope this is true. This is one of the problems of buying an older vehicle – there tend to be little things going wrong all the time. Some of the curtain fittings are also coming adrift. We are hoping that Bertie will stay basically sound through the rest of the warmer months, and then we shall work on some of the rust and other problems over the colder months. I am looking forward to making new curtains.

Rowlestone Court Farm

2009-07-22T22:28:00.002+01:00

We have been working very hard renovating a house—among other commitments—and felt that a weekend away would do us good. July was going to be a busy month, so we felt it would be helpful to have a relaxing break away from decorating, computer work, and such like. We've decided to explore the campsites in an approximate 50 mile radius around Cardiff. Our choice for the last weekend in June was 42 miles away – Rowlestone Court Farm, Rowlestone, Near Abergavenny, Lat: 51:56:33N, Lon: 2:54:42W, OS grid ref: SO374275.

This place is a gem and we had a delightful visit. The pitch included electric hookup and there are toilet facilities and showers. There is a play area if you have young children. The farm is a working dairy farm and has a tearoom selling light meals and snacks, and their homemade icecream. Everything is clean and pleasant, and the icecream is fantastic – including some unusual varieties such as brown bread icecream, which was delicious.

One of my main reasons for suggesting this particular site for our relaxing break, was that it boasted a nature trail. The first part of the walk is easy and gentle, while the latter part has a few steep stretches. The wildflower meadow is beautiful and has the greatest number of varieties of wild flower that I have seen in a field for many a long year. There is a picnic bench at the top of the meadow where you can sit and enjoy the extensive views. We sat here quietly together meditating.

I would highly recommend Rowlestone Court. The only negatives—and these are minor—were that the grass was rather long on the camping pitch so one's feet got rather wet from dew or rain when going across to use the facilities; and that at times the bins were full to overflowing and could have done with being emptied more frequently. The campsite is quite small and I would imagine it can become very crowded in the high summer season, so booking is advisable.

Cosmeston Lakes

2009-07-17T22:21:00.000+01:00

The 14th June was my mother's 93rd birthday. She decided she would like to celebrate it with a picnic at Cosmeston Lakes. A picinic in a camper van is a civilised affair because you can sit round the table and make a cup of tea. We had a delightful repast including fresh bread and a cake baked by my son.

Cosmeston Lakes are near Penarth in South Wales and a popular weekend venue for families. The car park can get overfull, but the walk around the lakes is large enough to spread out the visitors so that it does not feel crowded. The lakes are the site of a quarry that was landscaped in 1970 to form the lakes.
There are many options for walking at the lakes: woodland trails, a level path and also a boardwalk. The lakes are home to a variety of waterfowl. There is a play area for children, and also an area designated for barbeques. You may occasionally share the path with horseriders as they are allowed access to part of the site.

Entry to Cosmeston Lakes is free, but adjacent to the lakes is a Medieval village. Personally I feel that entry to this village is rather expensive, so we have never explored it. There is also a pleasant café and toilet facilities, plus a shop selling a few souvenirs.

Map reference: 51°25′N 3°10′W

Gaping Gill Expedition – part III

2009-07-08T21:00:00.001+01:00

Gaping Gill is is a large cavern which is accessed via a 105m drop through a pothole. Usually it is only accessible to experienced potholers, but twice a year a winch and bosun's chair is set up to lower people into the cavern.

It was 10.30 by the time we set out on the walk to Gaping Gill from Clapham village. The walk was said to take an hour, so it was cutting it a little fine for arriving by noon to book in for descent into the cave. I am not a fast walker—in fact I am rather slow—so I asked Richard and 'ö-Dzin to go on without me in the hope that they would get there in time. It is not a difficult walk to Gaping Gill. The first third of the walk is through a nature trail bordering the river, with a wide and easy path. The path is steadily uphill but without any difficult or steep ascents. This stage of the path brings one to Ingleborough Showcave – another of the caves in this complex. The second stage of the walk is more open through rocky moorland and brings one to Trow Gill, an impressive juncture of two rocky crags. This is the most challenging part of the walk with a stony ridge about 10m high to be climbed – but having braved the near-vertical, 100m scree at Cadair Idris a couple of years ago it was not too daunting. The final stage of the walk follows a dry stone wall on one side and hillside on the other for much of the way. The ground is soft and springy, and a little wet in places.

I met several people at different times who declared that bookings for descents into Gaping Gill had been closed and we were too late… that it was still a very long walk to get there… that the wait to use the winch was four hours or more… and other such discouraging tales. It seemed unlikely that even Richard and 'ö-Dzin would have arrived in time to book, but I carried on, determined to get there even if we could not visit the cavern.

Eventually I saw Ngakpa-la coming towards me. He had found himself unable to keep up with Richard's pace and so had sent him on alone. Ngakpa-la was pleased to see that I had made it so far and we walked the last part together. He and Richard had also heard that bookings had been closed, but had decided to crack on regardless.

It was easy to recognise when one had arrived at Gaping Gill as quite an encampment was established. Many of the members of Bradford Pothole Club—who organise the May open event—camp at the site for the week. We walked down to the marshalls' tent and were greeted by Richard walking towards us with a big grin on his face and giving us the thumbs up. He had succeeded. We were booked in to descend into Gaping Gill. We picked up our dog tags – numbers 190, 191 and 192. Later we learned that they had closed bookings at 11 am at 180 people, but had decided to reopen the bookings a little later and eventually let 203 people descend that day. I was so happy and excited.

It was a long wait to use the winch. The chair takes approximately 4 minutes to be winched down and back up again, so in theory that meant 40 minutes for every set of ten people. We had to wait for about a hundred people to descend before it was our turn, so that meant a possible wait of over six hours. We spent some of the waiting time walking to Ingleborough peak – although the cloud was so low that we did not make it to the top.

A member of Bradford Pothole Club was particularly attentive to us, and most kind and friendly. He told us a lot of interesting details about Gaping Gill. The little river by the gill usually runs straight down to the mouth of Gaping Gill and plunges into the cave. However it is diverted through the 'Rat Hole' for the duration of the winching, so that people are not being lowered through a waterfall in full flow. However—inevitably—it is not possible to fully divert the flow of water, so for the first part of the descent into Gaping Gill you are passing through the remains of the waterfall. He explained that Gaping Gill is a 'wild' cave – that is it is not usually accessible and and so remains a natural, untouched cave. He told us of two passage ways—trade routes they call them—that we could scramble through to see other parts of the cave complex. We did not in fact attempt these as we did not have head torches and found the waterproof suits they provided rather cumbersome. We were also cold and a little stiff by the time we eventually got down there.

The people gathered to wait their turn to enter the cave were a mixed bunch. Some were ordinary members of the public like us, who had no experience of potholing. Ages ranged from young to old. Members of the public ready to descend were recognisable by the borrowed green suits and white hard hats. There were also a lot of people from other potholing groups who had all the potholing gear: well-fitting wetsuits or waterproof boiler suits with elbow and knee pads; climbing equipment and ropes; special lamps and safety items. It was cold waiting by the stream and Richard's teeth were starting to chatter, so we got him into one of the waterproof suits. Eventually—after a 6 hour wait—it was our turn to descend into the cavern.

At the beginning of the descent into the cave, sitting in the bosun's chair with legs and hands well tucked in, you are plunged into darkness and are only aware of the sound and wetness of the waterfall. It is not a frightening experience at all – just a little disorientating. The cave is massive and the sound of the waterfall dominates one's senses. Underfoot is a layer of large pebbles that are quite difficult to walk on. As one's eyes adjust to the low light level more and more features of the cavern become apparent: the angle of the fault that forms the 'roof' of the cave; the white porcellaneous band; the glimmer of moving lights indicating people climbing in or out of the southern and eastern passages; the brown stallagtites; the varying textures of the rockface; and everywhere water, and the falling of water. At the eastern end of the cavern is a mud flat and it was interesting to recognise the change of one's balance and footing moving from the pebbly surface to the smoothness of the mud. The Bradford Pothole Group had set up lights, and a number of information boards that explained different features of the cavern. The water falling from the Rat Hole is about half the height of the cascade from the Gaping Gill pothole. It must be extraordinary for the potholers who enter the cavern when there is no winch and diversion of the river to see the waterfall cascading from Gaping Gill itself.

Fortunately it was only an hour's wait to go back up. A couple of people in green suits were standing under the waterfall waving their arms about and clearly thoroughly enjoying themselves. Those of us who were ignorant were amused, but the experienced potholers went over to talk to them, indicating that the large rounded stones that litter the floor of the cavern had arrived via that waterfall. If one of those large rocks should hit you on the head it could kill you. As we waited in the queue a young member of Bradford Pothole Club came round with cups and a thermos of hot juice. This was so thoughtful, as it was a cold wait in the cave. They operate the winch for 12 hours a day during open week. They do charge for the service, but by the time they have paid for hire of the equipment, insurance, and transportation of the equipment up the mountain, they make very little profit. They have been offering this opportunity for one week every year since 1959. A second potholing group offers the same service for a second open week in August. It is a rare and valuable opportunity. Being there is like being invited into a family group for a while. The pleasure they take in people's enjoyment and appreciation of the opportunity to enter Gaping Gill is tangible. Their enthusiasm is infectious and they seem to thrive on the joyful expressions on the faces of those emerging from the cavern.

At last it was my turn to ride the chair back out of the cavern. This was quite a different experience to the descent. Because my eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the cavern, what had been blackness on the way down was now quite visible on the way up. It was a little unnerving to see quite how close the chair goes to the rockface – I could see why they told us to keep our arms and legs tucked in. All too soon we were back at the top and struggling out of our wet suits. We handed in our dog tags to show that we were safely out, and offered our profuse thanks to the marshalls. We set out on the walk back to Clapham feeling elated and inspired, eventually arriving back with Daniel and the van at about 8.30 – it has been a long day.

Daniel had been becoming concerned because we are so much later than we'd expected, and was very glad to see us. We were all hungry and felt that fish and chips would be a good idea, but there did not seem to be a chip shop in Clapham, so we set off for the campsite. Bertie was also hungry. As we had been in a rush in the morning I had not been able to stop to buy petrol. It was starting to get dark as we drove along and then the fuel guage started to show red. I was not sure how urgent it was to buy petrol once the red warning light was illuminated, but I was a little concerned. Then we saw a sign to Settle indicating that there was a petrol station there, but it was after 9 pm by then, and sometimes petrol station close quite early in rural areas. We had to make the decision: did we risk using up petrol to get to Settle where there may be an open petrol station; or did we press on to the campsite and hope that there was enough to get us there and then to a petrol station in the morning? We decided to go to Settle.

The lane to Settle was lovely in the setting sun, with rolling hills and woodland on one side, and craggy outcrops on the other. We drove into the village and found that not only was the petrol station open, but next to it was a car park, and opposite that was a fish and chip shop. How delightful. So we fed Bertie and then fed ourselves. They may possibly have been the best fish and chips I have ever eaten.

By the time we have finished eating it is nearly dark. The van's headlights are rather poor by modern standards and the main beam would not work. Eventually we found the entrance to the campsite and were soon parked up by the awning—though not quite close enough—and settled in for the night.

We set off for home the next morning and had an easy journey back to Cardiff, via a quick visit to my aunt in Birmingham. Bertie had behaved beautifully the whole trip which amounted to over 500 miles. He had earned his keep already and provided us with inexpensive and comfortable accommodation for this wonderful expedition.

To see all of Richard's photographs of this expedition please visit his flickr page.

Gaping Gill Expedition – part II

2009-07-07T20:31:00.000+01:00

On Friday afternoon 22nd May, we set off from Cannock to continue our journey to Yorkshire. We were warned by the lady at the Spring Slade Lodge tearooms that the M6 was clogged with traffic and it might be advisable to continue as far as Stoke-on-Trent on the A34 and then rejoin the M6. Unfortunately it turned out that the M6 was periodically moving at a crawl, usually before a junction. It was going to take a long time to get to Preston at this rate so we decided to head across country to Manchester and take the M60 Manchester circular. This worked well apart from getting lost in Rochdale.

However it was a long journey and so it was nearly dark by the time we arrived at the campsite in Yorkshire. We had been unable to get onto the sites we knew of nearest to the starting point of our walk: Clapham (Lat: 54:07:04N, lon: 2:23:36W), and so were booked onto a site on the A59 in Horton (Lat: 53:56:55N, lon: 2:13:22W), just beyond the village of Gisburn. Richard had worked out what was still wrong with the awning and was quickly able to correct it even though it was getting dark, so that it was finally correctly erected. This campsite had electric hookup—our first experience of this with Bertie—and we were delighted to discover that the fridge and the elctric socket were now functional. This meant we were able to use the the low voltage electric kettle for boiling water for drinks which was very convenient.

Rowan Bank is classified as a Certified Site and a Hideaway by the Caravan and Camping Club. Its only facilities were chemical toilet disposal, water and electric hookup. There were about another six or eight caravans on the site. They all had aerials and satellite dishes and people seemed to be watching TV. There was a feeling of each unit being completely self-contained. We had brought a portaloo with us, but had decided to use sawdust rather than chemicals. We really dislike the pungent odour of the chemicals used in camping toilets and did not wish to live with that for two days. We found with the sawdust that there was no smell at all and as long as we emptied it frequently it was simple to dispose of the contents.

We awoke next morning to discover spectacular views from our van. Unfortunately—due to an error with Richard's alarm—we had overslept a little. We wanted to get to Clapham as early as possible in order to set out on the walk to the cave to be there well before midday. We had read on the website that they closed bookings for descent into the cave at noon. So we had a quick breakfast, piled into the awning anything we did not need with us and set off for Clapham. Daniel, the older of our sons who was not too keen on the idea of descending into a cavern on a rope, had kindly agreed to stay with the van while the three of us went to the cave. As the van was hot wired and unlockable, we did not feel we could simply leave it unattended in the car park.

Gaping Gill Expedition – part I

2009-07-05T17:34:00.001+01:00

One of the reasons for buying a motorhome in May this year particularly, was that we had decided to make an expedition to Gaping Gill cavern in Yorkshire. I did not feel I wanted to camp in a tent and staying in a bed and breakfast would make it an expensive event. I'm 54 now, and find sleeping on a lilo is a recipe for insomnia. I need to be warmer and more comfortable these days. Two years ago I suffered a knee injury falling off a horse, and eighteen months ago I woke up one morning with a frozen shoulder. Both injuries are now mostly resolved and I am quite fit, but my shoulder does become stiff and painful if I am not able to get comfortable to sleep.

Our sons—aged 19 and 22—were joining us for this adventure – the former enthusiastically, and the latter a little more reluctantly. Bertie came with a large awning, so there would be plenty of sleeping room for us all. 'ö-Dzin had taken Friday off work, so the plan was to travel half way to Yorkshire on Thursday evening, and complete the journey Friday morning, go to Gaping Gill on Saturday, and travel back to Cardiff on Sunday. This would leave the Bank Holiday Monday free for horseriding.

We set off in good time on Thursday evening. We arrived in the area of our first stop in good time, but did not find the directions to the campsite easy to follow, and the name of site was not clearly visible from the road in the gathering gloom. Hence it was beginning to get dark by the time we arrived at Spring Slade Lodge in Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. In the gathering gloom we discovered that whoever had first constructed the awning had put it together incorrectly so that when assembled the roof sagged – which would make a nice pool on the roof if it should rain! Fortunately our younger son worked for a camping shop one summer season and was experienced at tent construction. Nevertheless it took him and 'ö-Dzin nearly two hours to sort out the poles to erect the awning in a manner that would be satisfactory for the night. It was still not quite right—looking more like a pyramid than a dome—but would suffice for one night.

Spring Slade Lodge campsite offered a quiet and level pitch. Lat: 52:44:19N, lon: 2:03:49W. The toilet facilities (no showers) are adjoined to the Spring Slade Lodge tea rooms that serve food from 10am. This site is classified as a Certified Site and Hideaway by the Camping and Caravanning Club. For my directions see end of post.

The tea rooms at Spring Slade Lodge are a delight. The people are friendly and the food and drink they serve is excellent. We would highly recommend this site if you do not require any more than a pitch and toilet facilities. Although we only stopped there one night, it looked as if there were many wonderful walks from the site, and with the convenience of the tea rooms it would be a lovely site for a longer stay.

Unfortunately the following morning we had a little mishap with Bertie. I turned the key in the back door to lock up while we went to eat… and the key snapped in the lock. This one key operated the ignition and all door locks. I had intended to get spare keys cut before we left, but with so much to organise this was forgotten. Fortunately I remembered that one of the window catches was broken and our agile younger son was able to climb through it, so that at least we could unlock the van and use it to live in. The AA did not have a locksmith in the area and could only offer us transport home. We were loathe to give up on our expedition, so we hunted for a private company to come out and help us. Eventually someone arrived—four hours later–but they did not have a suitable key blank to cut a replacement from the broken half. Because Bertie is so old, the key was not a standard shape. In the end the repair man removed the whole ignition mechanism and 'hot wired' the van so that our journey could continue.

It is extraordinary how delight can arise from a situation that could be regarded as a disaster if we are open to this possibility. The lady running the tea room was extremely kind and helpful to us. She helped us find telephone numbers for local car locksmiths, and even lent us her mobile phone when we were having trouble getting signal on ours. When it was starting to look as though the van might not be repairable and a tow home might be the only option, she offered to take us to the station so that we could still go to Yorkshire, leaving Bertie on her campsite, and pick us up from the station on our return ready to be towed home. We were so grateful and appreciative of her kindness. 'ö-Dzin and I also spent a couple of hours sitting in the gardens at the tea room waiting for the repair man. It was good to have time to just sit quietly together, watching the bluetits, coal tits and chaffinches at the bird feeders and ejoying having nothing to do but wait.

So eventually we were able to set off on the second part of our journey, though it late afternoon rather the late morning as had been our intention.

My suggested directions to Spring Slade Lodge: exit M6 at junction 11 and head for Cannock – but note that this does not immediately bring you onto the A34. Travel to Cannock following the signposts, and then leave Cannock on the A34 heading north in the direction of Stafford (Stafford Road). Turn right onto Broadhurst Green Road at the traffic roundabout by The Chase Golf Club (on your left). Turn left at a crossroads into Camp Road. This is the first proper left turn, but note that there are several tracks to the left before this. Notice the German Military Cemetary on your right as you turn to confirm you are in Camp Road. Spring Slade Lodge is about half a mile down the road on your left. It is indeed opposite the Katyn Memorial, but as far as we could tell this is simply a name on a post and not visible from the road – certainly not if it is starting to get dark. There also was no sign on the tearooms visible from the road indicating this was Spring Slade Lodge.

Buying Bertie

2009-07-02T23:25:00.000+01:00

In May this year we decided to buy a camper van. We had owned an old VW camper about 15 years ago, but wanted something a little more luxurious this time. To start with we decided to buy something old and inexpensive to see how we got along with it – would we use it often enough to make it worth while; would we enjoy this sort of camping; would it prove too expensive to run? If we discover that we use a campervan a lot and enjoy it, we will buy a newer and more expensive model in a few years time.

As experienced campers, with grown up sons and aging limbs, we felt that it would be nice to have a vehicle that arrived ready to live in. Camping with a tent had become too much work and too much packing, and I particularly found it difficult to get comfortable enough for a good night's sleep in a tent. We prefer to own a small car as we do not need to use it very much, and do not often travel long distances, so towing a caravan was not an option. I have never particularly fancied towing anyway.

After a bit of research we decided upon a few criteria:
* a minimum of 4 berth to give us a bit of room
* sufficient headroom to walk around in the vehicle comfortably
* at least one of the front seats to swivel
* kitchen at the back of the van
* hot water, cooking and reasonable storage
* easy access from the driving area to the rest of the van
* easily accessible engine
* seatbelts for a minimum of two rear seat passengers

The vehicle that we kept coming back to was a Talbot Express. They are a little older than we had originally intended to buy but had everything that we wanted, and were top of the range when they first came out. Unfortunately we could not find one for sale near us to go and view. Eventually we decided to take a risk and go for one that was being advertised on ebay by a dealer in Staines. We travelled down by train one Friday afternoon in May – buying a return ticket just in case. After viewing and a test drive we bought our campervan—or motorhome—and drove it straight back that evening.

We have named our Talbot Express ‘Bertie’. This first journey in him was about 140 miles – a good first run for us. Driving is more physical than in a small, modern car. The gear stick is a long pole, and the van is heavy to manoevre at slow speeds, but buzzes along nicely at 60 mph on the motorway. It was getting dark by the time we reached the Severn crossing toll bridge, so the lights had a try out as well. The engine seems sound and with 95,000 on the clock should have a few miles left in it. The front seats are a bit saggy – but nothing that a cushion couldn't cure. The interior is in good condition for its age and clean.

Four out of six fuses and covers were missing, so this was the first thing to sort out. With a bit of improvisation we were able to use the caps off fuse holders and springs out of pens to get the electrics working. We bought a refill gas cannister. By the end of the week we had everything working except the fridge:

* hot water geyser with the gas
* water pump
* air conditioning on electric / heating on gas
* the cooker – two hobs, a grill and an oven
* cooker fan
* battery and water level indicator
* interior lights

The fridge is supposed to work off the leisure battery, the gas, and mains hookup. We could not get it to work at all, but found when we arrived at our first site that it does work off mains hookup. So this is something we shall have to sort out. Bertie has a shower cubicle and a large wardrobe, plus quite a number of other cupboards.

We were ready to start our adventures.