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.
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