Thursday 27 December 2018

Cali has returned to Cirencester for Christmas

We hadn't booked a Christmas site as I should have been working over Christmas, but when I started a new job and was off over the holiday we decided to return to Cirencester Park Caravan Club Site.

We arrived on Sunday and got set up before the rain arrived.  It rained all evening and overnight but we had a fine day on Christmas Eve.  After walking into town and having a potter around a few of the shops we had a lovely lunch at The Bear Inn before returning to the site.

On Christmas Day we opened our presents (we opened the larger presents before we left home and took the smaller ones with us) and then had a walk in the park.  Lunch was a Quorn and pickle sandwich followed by Christmas cake and mulled wine - perfect!  The weather was fine and we had a good walk along rides and paths we'd not previously walked upon and only saw three other people all day.

Long Ride from Horse Guards towards Cirencester

Boxing Day was a bit misty as we headed into the Park again for another day's walking.  We arrived just as the Boxing Day Hunt was about to start so it was far busier than the previous day.  We heard the hunt for several hours, but didn't see any of the hounds or riders once they had left the Long Ride as they were on the outskirts of the park.

Start of the Boxing Day Hunt

After a very muddy walk (a lot of the tracks had been churned up by the horses) we headed back to Cali late afternoon.

Pitch 152 Cirencester Park

We had another lovely Christmas in Cali and spent plenty of time planning our next trip!

23-27 December 2018

Sunday 18 November 2018

Cali has returned to Padstow

After a couple of wet weekends the forecast was good for Saturday and Sunday so we decided to return to Padstow.  We arrived at Padstow just before 9.00am, parked by the harbour and popped the kettle on for our breakfast drink.  The morning was cold and grey so we walked out along the Camel Trail before returning to Cali for lunch.  After lunch we walked along the coast path before returning to Padstow.

Padstow Harbour

We had booked into Padstow Touring Park for Saturday night and had a sheltered pitch near the bottom amenities block. The facilities were good although they could have done with more heating - I had goose pimples when getting undressed for my shower. The following morning I used the other block which did have a bit more heating, although it was still a bit chilly.

Pitch H05 Padstow Touring Park

After a leisurely breakfast on Sunday we packed everything away as we had to be off the site by 11.00am.  We don't know that stretch of the coast very well so drove along the coast road stopping at Bedruthan (free NT parking), Mawgan Porth and Watergate Bay for a short walk at each before heading home.

Bedruthan

Another lovely weekend in Cali although she is looking very grubby as we've been away three times without her being cleaned.  Hopefully this weekend will be fine for a good wash before we travel up to our families the following weekend.

17-18 November 2019

Monday 29 October 2018

Cali has been to Studland and Wareham

After checking the weather forecast to see which area would be the driest for the weekend, we opted for Dorset.  On Saturday morning we drove to Studland Bay, taking advantage of the free parking on the NT site for the day.  After breakfast we did one of our favourite walks around the headland and Agglestone Rock.

Agglestone Rock towards Poole

After our walk we headed to the Hunter's Moon Club Site at Wareham for two nights - this site is open all year so I'm sure we'll return over the winter.

Pitch 65 Hunters Moon

On Sunday we walked into Wareham for lunch at The Quay Inn and a walk along the river.

Wareham River Walk

After a lazy morning on site on Monday we headed back home after a lovely weekend in Cali.

27-29 October 2018

Saturday 20 October 2018

Cali has been to Mount Edgcumbe and Looe

As the nights are getting darker and a lot of sites are closing, we've decided to do more one night visits over the winter.  On Saturday we drove down to Mount Edgcumbe and walked the coast path to Cawsands in the morning.  After a cool start the sun came out and it was like walking on a summer day.  We returned to Cali for lunch and then walked through the gardens in the afternoon.  We saw three tugs bring a large RFA  ship to the docks so sat and watched whilst enjoying the sun.

RFA moving to docks

After our walk we went to Looe Caravan Club Site for the night.  It's a new site for us, very large and probably not one we would visit during the school holidays as there are so many facilities for families and children.  The grass pitches were all closed, which was fine for us as we like hardstanding pitches at this time of the year.

Pitch 199 Looe

We'll definitely return to the Looe site, but as it closes in a couple of weeks we'll have to wait until next year.

20 October 2018

Monday 8 October 2018

Cali has been back to Cirencester

We decided to return to Cirencester Park Caravan Club Site for a long weekend.  The weather was glorious on Friday and we sat outside Cali for the evening.  Saturday was very wet so we spent the day in Cirencester and had a lovely pub lunch at The Crown.  .

Long Ride towards Cirencester

After a frosty start on Sunday the day was warm and sunny so we walked through Bathurst Park to Sapperton - this was the same walk we did on Boxing Day when it was very wet and muddy.  It as lovely to walk through the park with the beautiful autumnal colours.

Pitch 125 Cirencester Park

After a lazy Monday morning with a cooked breakfast and the papers we headed back home and have booked to return later in the year.

5-8 October 2018

Sunday 16 September 2018

Cali has been to Gower and Pembrey

We've just had a week in South Wales visiting two new sites in areas we've never previously visited.  The first four nights were spent at Three Cliffs Bay, a private site on the Gower peninsular.  Although the check in was a little chaotic as there was another campervan parked on our allocated pitch, we were able to choose another pitch nearby in a fairly sheltered spot.  It was a beautiful site with lovely facilities and stunning views, but as it was on the top of the cliff it was also very windy.  On the final night the forecast was for strong winds and rain, so we lowered the roof before we went to bed - even with the roof down the wind rocked Cali.

Pitch V03 Three Cliffs Bay

The weather was drizzly on our first day so we walked inland into the village and explored the local area.  On our second day we walked the Wales Coast Path as far as Pwildu Head and the following day we walked in the opposite direction to Oxwich Point.

After four nights we moved to Pembrey Country Park Caravan Club Site.  This is a lovely site just outside the entrance to the Country Park and a short walk to the coast path.  During our stay we explored the many footpaths around the park and adjacent forest, walked the coast path to the outskirts of Llanelli, visited Burry Port and spent time on the beautiful beach collecting shells.

Pitch 35 Pembrey Counry Park

It's been a lovely holiday visiting two great sites.  We felt like we had done most of the local walking from the Pembrey site so we probably wouldn't rush back there, but there is still a lot more to explore at Gower and we hope to return soon.

7-16 September 2018

Sunday 19 August 2018

Cali has been back to Dulverton

We love the walking around Dulverton so booked another weekend at the Exmoor House Caravan Club Site at Dulverton.  After setting up on site on Friday afternoon we walked into town for a coffee before heading back when the sky started to get grey.  Unfortunately it started drizzling on Friday evening and rained on and off until we left on Sunday.

Pitch 12 Exmoor House - Steve with new camera

We didn't do the walk we had planned but it did mean that we had a very relaxing weekend and a chance to have a 'play' with our new camera.

The site is open until January, so we hope to book another weekend before the end of the year.

17-19 August 2018

Sunday 5 August 2018

Cali has been to Wareham

It seems ages since our holiday, so it was good to spend my birthday weekend in Cali at the Hunter's Moon Caravan Club Site at Wareham.  It's a lovely site that we visited regularly when we had our caravan, but this is the first visit with Cali.

Pitch 55, Hunter's Moon Club Site

We arrived on Thursday and spent the afternoon on site, moving our table and chairs to find some shade as it was so hot.  It was my birthday on Friday, so we walked from the site into Wareham which was an easy walk of about three miles.  We then decided to do one of the River Walks, which was a bit disappointing as there were very tall reeds between the path and the river so we didn't get to see many of the boats.  When we did get an open section the views were lovely.  When we got back to Wareham we found a cafe with air conditioning for tea and cake!

River Frome

On Saturday we decided to walk around Wareham Forest.  There are lots of footpaths and cycle tracks through the forest so we chose one walk so we could walk to the top of Woolsbarrow Hillfort.  It turned into a slightly longer walk than we had planned as there was a herd of cows across one of the paths that were rather too interested in us so we decided to find another footpath to avoid walking through them.  We enjoyed the walk and there were plenty of beautiful views, but as it was so hot we were glad to get back to Cali.

View from top of Woolsbarrow Hillfort

Sunday morning was spent on site reading the paper before we packed up and headed back home.  It was a lovely weekend and there are so many walks we can do from the site, so definitely we will luse again.  Hunter's Moon is open all year round so it's a site we can return to over the winter too.

2-5 August 2018

Monday 16 July 2018

Cali has been to the Yorkshire Dales

We've just returned from two weeks in the Yorkshire Dales, staying on four different sites so we could walk to the various places we wanted to see.  The weather has been amazingly hot, although the flip side is that the waterfalls weren't as impressive as we had hoped.

Our first site was Thornbrook Barn, a private site at Ingleton.  We loved this site, there were only 29 pitches in a field on a sheep farm.  The site was well laid out, a lovely toilet block and everywhere was spotlessly clean.

Pitch 2 Thornbrook Barn

On the first day of our holiday we did am 18 mile circular walk taking in the summit of Ingleborough (one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks), a lovely walk with stunning views from the summit.

From Ingleborough to Ribblehead Viaduct

The following day we decided to have an easier walk to allow our feet to recover so we walked into Ingleton to complete the Ingleton Waterfall Trail.  It was beautiful although many of the waterfalls weren't at their best, Bazenghyll Gorce was one of our favourites.

Bazenghyll Gorge, Ingleton Waterfall Trail

After three nights we moved to the Hawes Caravan Club Site.  This is a large site and it was almost full, although we did find a good pitch on the edge of the site.  The site was very well maintained and was close to Hawes village.

Pitch 12 Hawes Caravan Club Site

One of our walks was to visit Hardraw Force, the highest single drop waterfall in England, although the dry weather meant we didn't see it at its best, and also had a lovely walk across High Abbotside.

Hardraw Force

We stayed at Hawes for three nights before moving to the Wharfedale Caravan Club Site at Threshfield.  This site was another large site and when we arrived there were so many free pitches we were spoilt for choice.  We started talking to a couple with a California who were packing up to leave and ended up having their pitch.  We both liked this site and although it was large, it was well laid out and the facilities were excellent.

Pitch 18 Wharfedale Caravan Club Site

The first day we walked to Gordale Scar and Malham Cove.  It was one of the hottest days to walk the longest of our walks - almost 20 miles.  Unfortunately both the waterfall and beck at Gordale Scar were dry, but the scenery was spectacular.

Gordale Scar

We walked via Janets Foss and Malham to Malham Cove - an amazing landscape and a fabulous view after climbing the 432 steps to the top of the cove.

 Malham Cove

View from top of Malham Cove

The following day after our long trek we had a short walk to Grassington and visited the Wensleydale Creamery - eating far too many cheese samples!

After five nights at Wharfedale we visited our final site, the Bolton Abbey Estate Caravan Club Site.  This was a lovely site on the Bolton Abbey Estate, smaller than the last two and set amongst trees. The facilities were a little dated, but spotlessly clean.

Pitch 25 Bolton Abbey Caravan Club Site

Barden Moor was closed due to fire risk, so we were unable to do some of the walks we had planned and spent most of our time walking through the Bolton Abbey Estate.

 Bolton Priory

The weather was still so hot it was lovely to walk through Strid Wood and along the river.  There were also some spectacular view points including Barden Tower, as painted by Turner.

Barden Tower from Strid Wood

It's been a lovely holiday and definitely an area we will return to in a few year's time as there is so much more we want to see.

30 June - 16 July 2018

Sunday 10 June 2018

Cali has been to Glastonbury

A couple of friends have recommended The Old Oaks at Glastonbury so we thought we would visit for Steve's birthday weekend.  It's a private site and a little more expensive than our usual sites (£68.00 for two nights) but the facilities are amazing - definitely the best site we've ever visited.

Pitch - Orchards 21

The pitches are allocated, but we requested a hardstanding with electric near to the facilities block.  We were allocated Orchards 21 - a lovely spacious pitch.  The whole site is beautifully maintained with a team of staff ensuring the gardens are kept to a high standard.  The site shop is well stocked with essentials and all the reception staff were very friendly and helpful.

Whilst there isn't a local bus service nearby, there are footpaths directly from the site which lead to Glastonbury Tor and into the town - which is the walk we did on Saturday.

From the bottom looking up ...

... and the top looking down

A fabulous site and definitely one to visit again next year.

8-10 June 2018

Monday 28 May 2018

Cali has been to St Mawes

We booked a long weekend at Merrose Farm Caravan Club Site at St Mawes for the Bank Holiday weekend.  We had previously visited the site many years ago when we had our caravan, but thought we would see what the site was like with Cali.  The location is perfect, a short walk to the coast path and it also has a bus stop outside the main entrance with regular buses between Truro and St Mawes.

We arrived around mid-day on and had a lazy afternoon on the site.  On Saturday morning we caught the bus to St Mawes (every two hours - £5.10 return) and did a lovely circular walk to St Just in Roseland returning on the coast path to St Mawes.  

St Mawes at start of walk

The town was busy when we got back as there was gig racing as part of the Fal Festival, but we managed to get a seat outside the Rising Sun pub to watch all the activity.  The weather had been glorious all day, but very humid so it wasn't too much of a surprise when we had a thunderstorn overnight which lasted about three hours.  Needless to say, neither of us got much sleep.

On Sunday we walked to the coast and decided to walk both ways along the coast path, mainly because we wanted to see how many more walks we could do when we return to the area and also because the forecast wasn't too good so we didn't want to walk too far from the site. 

Portscatho

In the morning we walked along the coastpath to the headland beyond Portscatho, stopping off at The Hidden Hut - a fabulous beach cafe with amazing cakes.  We then retraced our steps and walked to Pendower Beach and a pot of tea at the Shallikabooky Beach Hut before returning to Cali.

Monday morning was beautiful and sunny so we had breakfast outside and a lazy morning reading the papers before heading home.

Pitch 34 - Steve preparing breakfast

We loved the site and we now know we can do plenty of walking in the area, either walking from the site or using the local bus.  Definitely a site for us to return to next year.

25-28 May 2018

Sunday 13 May 2018

Cali has been to Swanage

We've been back to the Haycraft Caravan Club Site for a couple of nights.  It's a site we visited last year and like it as we can walk directly from the site, as well as having a small station close by.  We arrived about 6.00pm on Friday evening and were surprised to have a choice of three pitches as this site is usually fully booked at weekends.

On Saturday we walked from the site through Langton Matravers to Worth Matravers and then took a path to the coast at East Man before returning to Swanage along the coast path.

East Man towards West Man

We had a potter around a couple of shops in Swanage and saw that Tilly Whims sold the 'Mac in a Sac' we had been looking for, so bought ourselves one each for our rucksacks.  As we were too early for the train, we went for a beer before heading to the station and catching the to Harman's Cross and walking back to the site.

We woke on Sunday to glorious sunshine, so decided to have a lazy morning on the site before heading back home early afternoon.

Pitch 40 - ready for Sunday breakfast

11-13 May 2018

Monday 7 May 2018

Cali has been back to Godrevy

Even though we went to the Godrevy Park Caravan Club Site a few weeks ago, we decided to go back again for the Bank Holiday weekend.  It's an area we love - we know there's plenty of walking from the site and also a good bus service to both St Ives and Portreath (although it wasn't running this weekend as it was too early in the year!).

We arrived on a lovely sunny Thursday evening and pitched in a spot where we had seen a campervan parked on our last visit - it was sheltered with hedges on two sides and wasn't too far from the facilities block.

Friday morning started with a thick sea mist so we didn't have very good views as we walked from the site towards Portreath.  As the local bus service wasn't running we found a bench to sit and have lunch and then retraced our steps back along the coast path.  The sun came out early afternoon and it was very hot on the return journey.

Saturday saw more sea mist at the start of the day so we caught the bus to St Ives and hoped the sun would come out as we walked back.

Hayle across estuary

Unfortunately there was no sign of the sun all day, it remained very misty and quite cold - not like the weather the rest of the country was enjoying over the Bank Holiday weekend!

After two long walks we had decided to spend Sunday having a lazy day on the site.  We had another misty start to the day but when it blew away we had a glorious sunny afternoon before the mist rolled in again about 5.00pm.

Pitch 94 Godrevy Park

We had intended to stay until Monday lunchtime, but when we woke to more sea mist we decided to head home a little earlier than planned and set off mid morning.  At least it gave us plenty of time to get everything cleaned and ready to go away again next weekend.

Despite the weather we had another lovely weekend on one of our favourite sites.  

3-7 May 2018

Sunday 22 April 2018

Cali has been to Dulverton

The forecast for the weekend was good so we decided to return to Exmoor House Caravan Club Site at Dulverton - this was the first site we had been to with Cali last year.  The site was full for the weekend and as we were the last to arrive we got the last pitch which was next to one of the toilet blocks.  It wasn't the best pitch on the site, but it was in a lovely sunny spot so we were happy.  After setting up on site we popped to the Bridge Inn for a couple of drinks and then had a lazy Friday evening.  On Saturday we decided to do a circular ten mile walk from the site, along the River Barle, through the woods and across Anstey Common.

Anstey Common towards Dulverton

It was a really hot day, probably too hot for the time of year, and we were both pleased to get back to Cali late afternoon.  We wound out the awning for some shade whilst sitting out to have a few beers!

Pitch 65 Exmoor House

But, how soon the weather changes. Shortly after this photo was taken I went for a shower before we had our meal only to step outside the toilet block to torrential rain (at least I didn't have far to walk!) and a clap of thunder.  The rain stopped almost as quickly as it started and after a dry night we had another lovely sunny morning on Sunday.  Perfect for sitting out with a coffee and the Sunday papers.

This is one of our favourite weekend sites as it's only about an hour from home and there are plenty of walks from the site.

20-22 April 2018

Thursday 19 April 2018

We have had Cali for a year!

It's a year since we collected Cali - in that time we've driven 5,270 miles, had several day trips, spent 52 nights at sites in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Pembrokeshire and Somerset, as well as journeys to the Midlands to visit our families.

We've learnt a lot, mainly about being creative with storage when living in such a small space especially when the weather is bad.  It's been a fabulous year and a pension well spent!

19 April 2018

Sunday 15 April 2018

Cali has been to Godrevy

We haven't been away for a while as the weather has been awful, but this weekend looked good so we went to one of our favourite sites - Godrevy Park Caravan Club Site.  We arrived on Friday afternoon and got set up for the weekend.  It's a breezy site so we found a pitch behind a small hedge with the wind blowing to the rear of Cali.

Pitch 108 Godrevy Park

On Saturday we walked from the site across the Towans to the beach and walked into Hayle.  We wandered around Hayle for a while and had lunch before walking back along the beach.  It was a lovely warm day and there were loads of people on the beach and surfing - perfect!

Godrevy Lighthouse from Gwithian Towans

On arriving back at Cali we noticed the wind had changed direction and was now blowing onto the front of the roof, but as it wasn't too strong so we left the roof open.  Overnight the wind got much stronger and even though the Cali topper and windscreen cover were fastened down tight, they still flapped in the wind and were very noisy.  There were also some strong gusts that rocked Cali slightly, which was rather alarming!  After a sleepless night we packed up to head home and managed to get the roof down safely between the strong gusts.  In hindsight we should have dropped the roof before going to bed - another lesson learnt!

13-15 April 2018

Monday 26 February 2018

Cali has been to Padstow

We haven't had any overnight stops since Christmas as each weekend we've been free the forecast has been awful.  Last weekend the forecast was for cold and dry, so we booked three nights at Padstow Touring Park.   It's a private site just outside of Padstow with a footpath leading to the Camel Trail.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and set up on site.  As the site is open all year round, there was a lot of work taking place in the toilet blocks and reception, but the available facilities were very good.  After a bitterly cold night we woke to a heavy frost and used the remote control to switch the heater on before we ventured out from under the duvet.  We walked into Padstow towards the Camel Trail along one of the muddiest paths I've ever seen!  By the time we arrived in Padstow my feet felt so heavy I thought I was wearing diving boots.  We walked the Camel Trail to Wadebridge (stopping off en route to paddle in the sea and try to get some mud off our boots).

Camel Trail towards Padstow (on the left) and Rock (on the right)

The day was bitterly cold even thought it was quite bright with a lovely blue sky.  After eating our sandwiches at Wadebridge and a cup of tea to warm us up we headed back to Cali.   We cleaned boots and trousers ready for the following day's walk before having an something to eat and an early night.

Pitch 59 with freshly cleaned boots!

Saturday was lovely - still cold, but bright and sunny without the biting wind.  We couldn't face the mud on the footpath to Padstow so caught the bus from outside the campsite into Padstow.  After pottering around the shops in Padstow and buying a pasty for our lunch, we walked the coast path to Stepper Point.

Harbour Cove towards Stepper Point

Returning to Padstow we were a little early for the bus so went to the Old Custom House for a drink.  I'm not sure if it was combination of the walk, cold weather, alcohol or whatever, but we were both so tired we were in bed for 9.00pm and didn't wake until about 7.00am the next day!

On Sunday we had a leisurely breakfast before packing up and driving home, stopping at Port Isaac for a walk and a pot of tea and cake at the Chapel Cafe.

Port Isaac harbour

We had a great weekend and liked the site, although it will be one for us to visit out of season when it's not too busy.  Hopefully it won't be too long until we go away again!

22-26 February 2018

Saturday 17 February 2018

Cali has been to Chesil Beach

We had hoped to go away this weekend, but the forecast for Sunday wasn't too good so we chose to have a day out instead.  We decided to go to Chesil Beach as we hadn't been there for years.  We parked at the Chesil Beach Visitor Centre and after breakfast set off for a stroll over to Portland.

Chesil Beach

The previous day we had walked about 15 miles so didn't want to walk too far, but the stroll turned into a nine mile walk.  We walked up to the Portland Cenotaph - the views were stunning although the sun decided to go behind a cloud when I took the photo.


Weymouth from Cenotaph

Another great Cali day out - hopefully the weather will be good next weekend as we're planning a few days away.

17 February 2018