Gaping Gill Expedition – part I

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.