Back at home and thinking about next year already....we have decided to get rid of our car and get a campervan instead. We will still keep Big Bertha for the time being as we can tow her around whenever we need to, but we would like to be more mobile for touring around and not have to keep putting the camper up.
Soooo....with that in mind we have been travelling the country looking at what we could get for our money, and have settled on a Swift Mondial available from a dealer in Malvern. At the moment we are just waiting for a delivery date as it has gone somewhere to be re-upholstered and then have it's service done. We are quite excited and are busy thinking about where we can go, as well as a name for it to distinguish it from Big Bertha!!
Watch this space for any photos, I am sure we'll take plenty.
Wednesday 24 November 2010
The Autumn Season
After a quiet couple of months at home, working and avoiding the school holidays, we set off for a dance weekend in Norfolk. (108 miles) We had 5 excellent days over the August Bank Holiday at the Rubber Duck Festival, even with the rain, dancing and listening to bands (20 of them in all!) and meeting up with old friends from across the country.
We then headed 57 miles to Oaklands Farm, which is a small 5 van site at Stilton (where the cheese comes from) and spent 8 days there Mike and Lorna joined us later in the week and together we visited Peteborough, Ferry Meadows Park as well as doing a few country walks and sitting in the sun.
After that we all journeyed over to Abingdon in Oxfordshire to West Farm, another 5 van site, but very different to the one at Stilton.(94 miles) Not so well cared for, but in a good location for trips in to Abingdon itself with a walk along the river and Farmer's Market. We spent a whole day at Blenheim Palace which is beautiful both inside and out; also a couple of days in Oxford mooching around the museums and shops (the Park and Ride with our bus passes came in very handy). Luckily there was a very nice pub within walking distance of the site, so we partook of 2 good evening meals and did not have to worry about driving back.
From there we all drove another 94 miles down to West Farm in Verwood....this is our favourite site and has to be seen to be appreciated. The pitches are immaculate, shower and 2 toilets excellent, laundry and a kitchen, what more could you want! Apart from the fresh chicken and duck eggss of course, all the animals to watch, the lovely walk across the golf course and up in to the woods, and only 5 minutes in to the town of Verwood when you need to replenish your supplies. Whilst there we visited Wimborne and it's market, Avon Beach, Beaulieu Motor Museum, Kingston Lacey (twice), Poole and a couple of local pubs for evening meals. We had a vist from our friends who live in Dorset, as well as spending a weekend with another couple from work who store their caravan there. All 6 of us enjoyed a fish and chip supper in our camper in the rain, as we were awash with mud in the awning by then......very cosy!
At the end of the 2 weeks there it was time to say farewell, another enjoyable year over. We had planned to leave the camper there in storage for the winter, but as it was so wet and filthy we decided to take it home and have a good clean up on a dry day. We also had a few cosmetic repairs to deal with, which we managed over the next 2 or 3 weeks. Then it was back to Verwood and West Farm to put Big Bertha to bed for the winter.
We then headed 57 miles to Oaklands Farm, which is a small 5 van site at Stilton (where the cheese comes from) and spent 8 days there Mike and Lorna joined us later in the week and together we visited Peteborough, Ferry Meadows Park as well as doing a few country walks and sitting in the sun.
After that we all journeyed over to Abingdon in Oxfordshire to West Farm, another 5 van site, but very different to the one at Stilton.(94 miles) Not so well cared for, but in a good location for trips in to Abingdon itself with a walk along the river and Farmer's Market. We spent a whole day at Blenheim Palace which is beautiful both inside and out; also a couple of days in Oxford mooching around the museums and shops (the Park and Ride with our bus passes came in very handy). Luckily there was a very nice pub within walking distance of the site, so we partook of 2 good evening meals and did not have to worry about driving back.
From there we all drove another 94 miles down to West Farm in Verwood....this is our favourite site and has to be seen to be appreciated. The pitches are immaculate, shower and 2 toilets excellent, laundry and a kitchen, what more could you want! Apart from the fresh chicken and duck eggss of course, all the animals to watch, the lovely walk across the golf course and up in to the woods, and only 5 minutes in to the town of Verwood when you need to replenish your supplies. Whilst there we visited Wimborne and it's market, Avon Beach, Beaulieu Motor Museum, Kingston Lacey (twice), Poole and a couple of local pubs for evening meals. We had a vist from our friends who live in Dorset, as well as spending a weekend with another couple from work who store their caravan there. All 6 of us enjoyed a fish and chip supper in our camper in the rain, as we were awash with mud in the awning by then......very cosy!
At the end of the 2 weeks there it was time to say farewell, another enjoyable year over. We had planned to leave the camper there in storage for the winter, but as it was so wet and filthy we decided to take it home and have a good clean up on a dry day. We also had a few cosmetic repairs to deal with, which we managed over the next 2 or 3 weeks. Then it was back to Verwood and West Farm to put Big Bertha to bed for the winter.
Friday 20 August 2010
Autumn Trip - getting ready
Sunday 22nd August -
Although we did go away for a weekend in July, it was not with the camper. We had a dance festival at Bracklesham Bay with our friends Dave/Margaret and Don/Pauline. We stayed in chalets and even were fed 3 times a day, as well as dancing our socks off, and had a wonderful time.
Now we are preparing the camper for our Autumn trip; it seems ages since we last used it and we are having to go in the attic for the awning and other bits and pieces which we did not take in the Spring.
The plan is … 25Aug - Rubber Duck Festival in Norfolk
30Aug - Oaklands Farm Stilton
(where we will meet up with Lorna and Mike)
7Sep - West Farm at Abingdon
17Sep - West Farm in Verwood
4Oct - coming home (at the moment)
As most of you are aware our plans are subject to change! I will try to add to the blog as we go along and can get connected to wi-fi.
Although we did go away for a weekend in July, it was not with the camper. We had a dance festival at Bracklesham Bay with our friends Dave/Margaret and Don/Pauline. We stayed in chalets and even were fed 3 times a day, as well as dancing our socks off, and had a wonderful time.
Now we are preparing the camper for our Autumn trip; it seems ages since we last used it and we are having to go in the attic for the awning and other bits and pieces which we did not take in the Spring.
The plan is … 25Aug - Rubber Duck Festival in Norfolk
30Aug - Oaklands Farm Stilton
(where we will meet up with Lorna and Mike)
7Sep - West Farm at Abingdon
17Sep - West Farm in Verwood
4Oct - coming home (at the moment)
As most of you are aware our plans are subject to change! I will try to add to the blog as we go along and can get connected to wi-fi.
Sunday 8 August 2010
At home during July/August
After our trip to Sweden, we decided to spend a bit of time at home. After all, some of us have to work and earn some more pennies for the next outing! We have tidied up the garden and spent some time planning where to go next.
On 13th August we are off to a dance weekend at Bracklesham Bay, Sussex, with 6 other friends from our club. Then we have to get the camper stocked up again ready for the Bank Holiday Weekend. We are firstly going to a music festival in Norfolk, then a long week at Stilton, Cambridgeshire where we will meet Lorna and Mike on their way down from Scotland. The 4 of us then have 10 days at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, followed by 2 weeks at Verwood, Dorset. Depending on the weather then, we may put Big Bertha in to her winter quarters or if it is nice and I am not needed at work we may go somewhere else for a while.
On 13th August we are off to a dance weekend at Bracklesham Bay, Sussex, with 6 other friends from our club. Then we have to get the camper stocked up again ready for the Bank Holiday Weekend. We are firstly going to a music festival in Norfolk, then a long week at Stilton, Cambridgeshire where we will meet Lorna and Mike on their way down from Scotland. The 4 of us then have 10 days at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, followed by 2 weeks at Verwood, Dorset. Depending on the weather then, we may put Big Bertha in to her winter quarters or if it is nice and I am not needed at work we may go somewhere else for a while.
Wednesday 7 July 2010
Back to normal!
We have now been back at home a week and it is as if we have never been away. For those of you interested in doing a similar trip, here are some facts which may be useful to you.
We drove 2800 miles of which 2200 were towing and our car returned 43 mpg overall.
We spent £325 on diesel, £600 on food and meals out, £600 on campsite fees and £360 on ferries and tolls.
We have a spreadsheet of all the campsites and breakdown of costs - if anyone would like a copy please email us.
We drove 2800 miles of which 2200 were towing and our car returned 43 mpg overall.
We spent £325 on diesel, £600 on food and meals out, £600 on campsite fees and £360 on ferries and tolls.
We have a spreadsheet of all the campsites and breakdown of costs - if anyone would like a copy please email us.
Wednesday 23 June 2010
19th - The End
Sun 20th June - After another washout day on Saturday spent listening to all the Dutch people supporting their team playing against Japan in the World Cup and a short walk around the campsite, we got ready to move on again. Although it had rained most of the night, it was just about dry when we packed up and left around 9.30am. Another long drive - 248 miles - to Jabbeke in Belgium, Klein Strand campsite (our last stop) mainly in sunshine, arriving around 3.30pm. We were hot and tired, so just had a cup of tea, then a rest, then a shower and off to the restaurant for my birthday dinner. It was very nice, as is the site, only criticism is that it is close to the motorway so somewhat noisy.
Mon 21st June - We did our usual chore morning and then after lunch wandered in to the town of Jabbeke, about 15 mins walk.
All the shops were shut as it was still lunchtime! Anyway we found the church, bus stop, supermarket and not much else so wandered back again.
Tues 22nd June - Walked in to town to catch the bus to Bruges, which took about 20mins. We walked our socks off around Bruges, looking at the market, town-hall, lots of churches and old houses. We had a half-hour boat trip which was really quite interesting, under all the little bridges along the canals. Lunch was typical Belgian - waffles, fruit and ice-cream taken out on the street in the sun. It was a beautiful hot sunny day and our wet jackets stayed in our bags all day. We got back to the site around 4.30 absolutely exhausted, so dinner was only ham salad and then we carried on sitting out in the sun.
Weds 23rd June - A hot sunny day again, when I spent most of my time trying to find a shady spot. This is a very well laid out camp site, pitches have a low hedge around each one and are quite large, so no encroaching on neighbours, but not much in the way of shade. We took the car in to Jabbeke to buy wine etc. rather than drive down in to France as the prices were very similar. There are a lot of English people here either just come off a ferry or like us spending a few days before going home. There was obviously an English football match on today as all the flags were out and much shouting. We learned that England had won, but do not know who they were playing!
Thurs 24th June - Well folks, that's it for now....time to go home...just the packing up to do today and chat to some of the friends we have made here. Tomorrow is 'ferry day'....the last 7 weeks have gone so quickly, but we have had a wonderful time even with the awful weather.
If anyone wants any more information about anywhere we have stayed, we will try to review all the sites when we are at home, but feel free to email us with any questions.
email
Mon 21st June - We did our usual chore morning and then after lunch wandered in to the town of Jabbeke, about 15 mins walk.
All the shops were shut as it was still lunchtime! Anyway we found the church, bus stop, supermarket and not much else so wandered back again.
Tues 22nd June - Walked in to town to catch the bus to Bruges, which took about 20mins. We walked our socks off around Bruges, looking at the market, town-hall, lots of churches and old houses. We had a half-hour boat trip which was really quite interesting, under all the little bridges along the canals. Lunch was typical Belgian - waffles, fruit and ice-cream taken out on the street in the sun. It was a beautiful hot sunny day and our wet jackets stayed in our bags all day. We got back to the site around 4.30 absolutely exhausted, so dinner was only ham salad and then we carried on sitting out in the sun.
Weds 23rd June - A hot sunny day again, when I spent most of my time trying to find a shady spot. This is a very well laid out camp site, pitches have a low hedge around each one and are quite large, so no encroaching on neighbours, but not much in the way of shade. We took the car in to Jabbeke to buy wine etc. rather than drive down in to France as the prices were very similar. There are a lot of English people here either just come off a ferry or like us spending a few days before going home. There was obviously an English football match on today as all the flags were out and much shouting. We learned that England had won, but do not know who they were playing!
Thurs 24th June - Well folks, that's it for now....time to go home...just the packing up to do today and chat to some of the friends we have made here. Tomorrow is 'ferry day'....the last 7 weeks have gone so quickly, but we have had a wonderful time even with the awful weather.
If anyone wants any more information about anywhere we have stayed, we will try to review all the sites when we are at home, but feel free to email us with any questions.
Friday 18 June 2010
5th June - 18th June
Sat/Sun 5th/6th June - Saturday was a ‘down’ clearing up, shopping etc. ready for travelling Sunday.
We have now started our return journey and drove 185 miles in beautiful sunny weather from Oland to Rostanga, which is about half-way back across Sweden. Rostanga Camping was not very impressive as it had a pool which was full of kids when we arrived, however by about 5.00pm nearly everyone had left - obviously only there for the weekend - just us and 4 caravans left. We had dinner and sat outside in the sun with our drinks, then went for a stroll around the site.
Mon 7th June - Woke up to the inevitable pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof again, so the planned visit to the safari park is on hold at the moment. At least this site has wi-fi (free) so I am spending the morning catching up on emails and blog. We’ll see what happens later.
Well, it rained all day, so we did nothing useful, just played cards and Sol Suite.
Tues 8th June - A lovely sunny morning, we had fresh baked rolls for breakfast and then set off for the “zoo”. We found a beautiful church at Billinge on the way and stopped for a mosey around. All the graves were beautifully looked after, mainly gravel which had been raked in lovely straight lines with some vases on. Even the paths looked as if they had just been raked.
We met up with a husband and wife who were the gardeners and found out that they did all the raking every Friday. They asked if we wanted see inside the church, so unlocked it for us! It was not so ornate inside as some we have seen. Unfortunately, our camera batteries died so we have no pictures.
The “zoo” was a bit of a disappointment, very tired looking and run-down, as well as being full of school parties. It is billed as the biggest in Northern Europe and we were given tickets by the campsite, but would have cost £20 each to go in!!
On the way back we found a nice little B&B which did lunches, so had a late smorgasbord (open sandwiches) and coffees, costing about £12.00 and delicious. We also called in to the Tourist Office in Rostanga and had a long chat to the lady there and found out another couple of places to visit, hopefully tomorrow.
We even were able to sit out in the sun with our drinks after dinner until about 9.30pm, but it is still light at 10.30pm. Unfortunately, it also gets light again about 3.30am when the dawn chorus starts so our sweet dreams are very short at the moment.
Weds 9th June - Would you believe it….it is b….y raining again!! So as we speak, we have changed the sheets on the bed, tidied up, taken some photos off the camera, listened to Radio Kent and now I am typing, in the hopes that it might get nicer a bit later.
After lunch it dried up a bit so we went to Soderesens National Park, up to an area called the Copper Hat, which is apparently an extinct volcano. However, it was very misty and we could not see very much. Back down at the Tourist Office we had a look at some very nice paintings done by stroke patients, then walked for about an hour around the lake and through the woods. Back to base for the final dinner and tidy up and a little bit of sun.
Thurs 10th June - It was grey and damp when we got up, but we managed to pack up in the dry, just. We left about 10.00am and had only been travelling ½ hour when the rains came again and stayed with us all day. We drove 219 miles in the pouring rain along the motorway that was more like a river than anything else. We actually found Kolding City Camp fairly easily for a change, about 3.00pm, without use of the sat nav, but it was quite a disappointment, right on a dual carriageway, noisy road with lots of decrepit caravans around. Luckily it stopped raining just long enough for us to get the camper up and watertight, although we had quite a few wet cushions and curtains inside where the water had got in whilst we were driving. There were no food shops very close by, so we fell back on our tin of ‘Chicken Supreme + sweetcorn + potatoes’. Sometimes tins come in handy!!
Fri 11th June - Still raining, we are now soaked, but good old Pennine canvas hasn’t started leaking yet! We faffed around all morning, doing some washing and tumble-drying, cleaning shoes and other necessary bits and pieces. After lunch we braved the road (by going 5 miles out of our way to go right round a roundabout and back up the other side!) and the elements to find a Super Brugsen (like our Co-op) in order to get some dinner food. It is quite difficult to find suitable cuts of meat and green veg seems to be non-existent. If one likes sausages or meatballs you are OK. Anyway, we found 4 pork chops (£12) and a pack of mince (£8), so I managed to make a decent casserole for a change. We have now come almost to the end of our brandy/whisky, so we feel a French shopping trip coming as soon as we are close enough!
Sat 12th June- It actually stopped monsooning during the night when the winds arrived, so first thing this morning we had to attach some more guys to all our ’flappy bits’ .
We took a drive down the coast to Haderslev and back via Christansfeld as it was marked on the map as a scenic route. The towns are quite pretty and we had a look around the shops in between showers. We even bought some broccoli!!!- probably the first lot we have seen over here. Tonight will just have to be the other 2 chops roasted. It is still very windy and a bit showery, but hopefully things are looking up.
Sun 13th June - After a very windy night with not much sleep, we got up late, then had a long chat to an English gent who was living full-time in a small campervan, travelling and working in it. We eventually set off for ‘Legoland’ at Billund as it is the original park. The 45 minute drive was very pretty, through farmland along empty roads. We arrived about 12.00 and stayed there until gone 4.00pm - like big kids having a go at everything! As we have never been to Legoland in England, we have no idea how it compares.
We had a mixed grill lunch in the saloon in the Western area and listened to a country and western band called Rattlesnake, who were not too bad. It was an enjoyable, but very expensive day out - £70 to get in + £40 for lunch!!!! Ouch….I’ll just have to do some more days work to make up for it.
Tomorrow we plan to go in to Kolding City on the bus, so I am going to take my memory stick with me to see if we can find internet anywhere, as wi-fi is £1 for 10 minutes here on the camp-site.
Tues 15th June - Must have been the worst day of the holiday. We left Kolding at 10.00am in sunshine, then ½ hour later down the road realised our euros were still in the camper ! Luckily as we crossed the border in to Germany there was a pit-stop with a bank, so we changed our remaining Danish and Swedish Kroner in to euros and set off again. We stopped for lunch around 1.30 for a while with less than 100 miles to go. It was hot, there were lots of lorries and as we were towing we were not allowed to overtake. Then came the roadworks, mile after mile of them…eventually we found our turn off the motorway, followed the directions in the camp site book and got hopelessly lost. When we found somewhere to pull in, a nice German gent who had been following stopped as well and offered to help. He gave us directions back the way we had come, which we followed to the letter, even found the road with the camp site on it, only to find that it was closed due to the roadworks on the motorway above!!! So there we were down a very narrow lane doing a 20point turn with the camper on the back, down the ditch and in the hedgerow, to get back to the main road, with no clue as to where we were going to go next! After much shouting at each other, we decided to go back the way we had come about 20 miles, to Camping Hanseat, the camp-site we had stopped at on the way out, arriving around 5.30pm having driven 250 miles.
Were we pleased to get set up, have a cuppa and a shower and a good night’s sleep.
Weds 16th June - Sun is still shining, we got up late, had breakfast late, went to get diesel and some milk, came back and sat in the sun until it was time to walk around the corner to a nice restaurant who cooked dinner for me for a change. Came back to type up the blog and found that we could get the internet, so am trying to play catch-up with emails etc. once more.
Fri 18th June - I was not able to get logged on to blog the other evning, so have bought a 1 hour voucher here in Holland to do it.
We drove 258 miles yesterday in sunshine the whole way, arriving here at Ottelo (where we stayed on the outward journey) around 4.30pm. We aim to go to Belgium on Sunday and stay there until the ferry next Friday.
We have now started our return journey and drove 185 miles in beautiful sunny weather from Oland to Rostanga, which is about half-way back across Sweden. Rostanga Camping was not very impressive as it had a pool which was full of kids when we arrived, however by about 5.00pm nearly everyone had left - obviously only there for the weekend - just us and 4 caravans left. We had dinner and sat outside in the sun with our drinks, then went for a stroll around the site.
Mon 7th June - Woke up to the inevitable pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof again, so the planned visit to the safari park is on hold at the moment. At least this site has wi-fi (free) so I am spending the morning catching up on emails and blog. We’ll see what happens later.
Well, it rained all day, so we did nothing useful, just played cards and Sol Suite.
Tues 8th June - A lovely sunny morning, we had fresh baked rolls for breakfast and then set off for the “zoo”. We found a beautiful church at Billinge on the way and stopped for a mosey around. All the graves were beautifully looked after, mainly gravel which had been raked in lovely straight lines with some vases on. Even the paths looked as if they had just been raked.
We met up with a husband and wife who were the gardeners and found out that they did all the raking every Friday. They asked if we wanted see inside the church, so unlocked it for us! It was not so ornate inside as some we have seen. Unfortunately, our camera batteries died so we have no pictures.
The “zoo” was a bit of a disappointment, very tired looking and run-down, as well as being full of school parties. It is billed as the biggest in Northern Europe and we were given tickets by the campsite, but would have cost £20 each to go in!!
On the way back we found a nice little B&B which did lunches, so had a late smorgasbord (open sandwiches) and coffees, costing about £12.00 and delicious. We also called in to the Tourist Office in Rostanga and had a long chat to the lady there and found out another couple of places to visit, hopefully tomorrow.
We even were able to sit out in the sun with our drinks after dinner until about 9.30pm, but it is still light at 10.30pm. Unfortunately, it also gets light again about 3.30am when the dawn chorus starts so our sweet dreams are very short at the moment.
Weds 9th June - Would you believe it….it is b….y raining again!! So as we speak, we have changed the sheets on the bed, tidied up, taken some photos off the camera, listened to Radio Kent and now I am typing, in the hopes that it might get nicer a bit later.
After lunch it dried up a bit so we went to Soderesens National Park, up to an area called the Copper Hat, which is apparently an extinct volcano. However, it was very misty and we could not see very much. Back down at the Tourist Office we had a look at some very nice paintings done by stroke patients, then walked for about an hour around the lake and through the woods. Back to base for the final dinner and tidy up and a little bit of sun.
Thurs 10th June - It was grey and damp when we got up, but we managed to pack up in the dry, just. We left about 10.00am and had only been travelling ½ hour when the rains came again and stayed with us all day. We drove 219 miles in the pouring rain along the motorway that was more like a river than anything else. We actually found Kolding City Camp fairly easily for a change, about 3.00pm, without use of the sat nav, but it was quite a disappointment, right on a dual carriageway, noisy road with lots of decrepit caravans around. Luckily it stopped raining just long enough for us to get the camper up and watertight, although we had quite a few wet cushions and curtains inside where the water had got in whilst we were driving. There were no food shops very close by, so we fell back on our tin of ‘Chicken Supreme + sweetcorn + potatoes’. Sometimes tins come in handy!!
Fri 11th June - Still raining, we are now soaked, but good old Pennine canvas hasn’t started leaking yet! We faffed around all morning, doing some washing and tumble-drying, cleaning shoes and other necessary bits and pieces. After lunch we braved the road (by going 5 miles out of our way to go right round a roundabout and back up the other side!) and the elements to find a Super Brugsen (like our Co-op) in order to get some dinner food. It is quite difficult to find suitable cuts of meat and green veg seems to be non-existent. If one likes sausages or meatballs you are OK. Anyway, we found 4 pork chops (£12) and a pack of mince (£8), so I managed to make a decent casserole for a change. We have now come almost to the end of our brandy/whisky, so we feel a French shopping trip coming as soon as we are close enough!
Sat 12th June- It actually stopped monsooning during the night when the winds arrived, so first thing this morning we had to attach some more guys to all our ’flappy bits’ .
We took a drive down the coast to Haderslev and back via Christansfeld as it was marked on the map as a scenic route. The towns are quite pretty and we had a look around the shops in between showers. We even bought some broccoli!!!- probably the first lot we have seen over here. Tonight will just have to be the other 2 chops roasted. It is still very windy and a bit showery, but hopefully things are looking up.
Sun 13th June - After a very windy night with not much sleep, we got up late, then had a long chat to an English gent who was living full-time in a small campervan, travelling and working in it. We eventually set off for ‘Legoland’ at Billund as it is the original park. The 45 minute drive was very pretty, through farmland along empty roads. We arrived about 12.00 and stayed there until gone 4.00pm - like big kids having a go at everything! As we have never been to Legoland in England, we have no idea how it compares.
We had a mixed grill lunch in the saloon in the Western area and listened to a country and western band called Rattlesnake, who were not too bad. It was an enjoyable, but very expensive day out - £70 to get in + £40 for lunch!!!! Ouch….I’ll just have to do some more days work to make up for it.
Tomorrow we plan to go in to Kolding City on the bus, so I am going to take my memory stick with me to see if we can find internet anywhere, as wi-fi is £1 for 10 minutes here on the camp-site.
Tues 15th June - Must have been the worst day of the holiday. We left Kolding at 10.00am in sunshine, then ½ hour later down the road realised our euros were still in the camper ! Luckily as we crossed the border in to Germany there was a pit-stop with a bank, so we changed our remaining Danish and Swedish Kroner in to euros and set off again. We stopped for lunch around 1.30 for a while with less than 100 miles to go. It was hot, there were lots of lorries and as we were towing we were not allowed to overtake. Then came the roadworks, mile after mile of them…eventually we found our turn off the motorway, followed the directions in the camp site book and got hopelessly lost. When we found somewhere to pull in, a nice German gent who had been following stopped as well and offered to help. He gave us directions back the way we had come, which we followed to the letter, even found the road with the camp site on it, only to find that it was closed due to the roadworks on the motorway above!!! So there we were down a very narrow lane doing a 20point turn with the camper on the back, down the ditch and in the hedgerow, to get back to the main road, with no clue as to where we were going to go next! After much shouting at each other, we decided to go back the way we had come about 20 miles, to Camping Hanseat, the camp-site we had stopped at on the way out, arriving around 5.30pm having driven 250 miles.
Were we pleased to get set up, have a cuppa and a shower and a good night’s sleep.
Weds 16th June - Sun is still shining, we got up late, had breakfast late, went to get diesel and some milk, came back and sat in the sun until it was time to walk around the corner to a nice restaurant who cooked dinner for me for a change. Came back to type up the blog and found that we could get the internet, so am trying to play catch-up with emails etc. once more.
Fri 18th June - I was not able to get logged on to blog the other evning, so have bought a 1 hour voucher here in Holland to do it.
We drove 258 miles yesterday in sunshine the whole way, arriving here at Ottelo (where we stayed on the outward journey) around 4.30pm. We aim to go to Belgium on Sunday and stay there until the ferry next Friday.
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