A Caravanning Christmas – Part 6

They say times flies when you’re having fun – the infamous ‘they’ again – and it’s certainly true in our case. The Christmas jaunt is over and I’m typing this back at home to the accompaniment of the washing machine as I try and get caught up.

Trev is back at work already – and no doubt so are many of you – and believe me you have my sympathy, because it’s my turn tomorrow when school starts back.

In the spirit of solidarity I got up at the same time as Trev, not least to prepare the body clock for tomorrow, but it seemed a good time to start chasing letters around the keyboard again to bring you up to date on our final few days in Suffolk at the lovely Run Cottage touring park in Hollesley.

Wednesday ushered in with it a chilly but crisp bright morning, so after a fry up we coaxed Rosie into life and headed back down the A12 and along the A14 towards Felixstowe. The town centre was first in the hope of getting some ideas on what to replace our broken illuminated globe with. There WAS a lighting shop, and it had an interesting selection of lights in the window – both contemporary and classic. It was also shut. Until the new year. Oh well.

Next up was a trundle through Old Felixstowe and down to Felixstowe Ferry – on the opposite side of the river bank to Bawdsey – where we were yesterday. It wasn’t until we hit the road that passes through the golf course that we remembered we’d been here before – just over four years ago in our first year of caravanning. It gets a mention in my blog of the time here. As you may see from the photos it was considerably sunnier this time, although the light wind coming off the north sea ensured we didn’t stray far and the lure of some warmth and sustenance in the busy café was too much too resist. The tea cakes had sadly run out so we had to have chips with our coffee. It’s true, honest!

A meander through country roads barely wider than the car eventually brought us back to the A14 and thence the A12 as we headed back to base, instead though going straight over at the crossroads and finding ourselves at Shingle Street on the coast.

Now just a few houses remain, right on the beach, which as you may have guessed from the name does not incorporate much sand. The landscape reminded me very much of Dungeness in Kent – and there’s something about these stark rugged landscapes that I like.

According to excellent The Deben Peninsula leaflet, there was once a pub here, but Barnes-Wallis – he of bouncing bomb fame - took care of it when one of his prototypes demolished it during World War Two.

Something unusual happened that night – we ate in – and even more unusually we didn’t go our for a pint either. It was so cosy in Patsy that neither of us fancied venturing outside, even as far as the car.

Thursday and it was time for the train to take the strain, at least after we had driven the six or so miles back to Melton, for a journey north - to Lowestoft. Having read up a little the night before – some proper ‘research’ for a change rather than the liquid sort – expectations were not very high. Lowestoft has suffered from the decline in the local fishing and engineering industry but tourism is still an important part of the towns economy along with renewable energy thanks to a massive wind farm 14 miles off the coast.

The journey was just over an hour, passing through some of Suffolk’s picturesque countryside, many areas still white with frost.

On arrival we headed first inland through the main shopping area. Whilst not exactly heaving it was busy enough as we made our way up to the original High Street. This was once the thriving hub of Lowestoft and while it was pleasant it was also very, very quiet – many shops had shut up for Christmas and the market was closed. The little alleyways or ‘scores’ are a feature here, running between buildings.

Back on the seafront, the icy north sea wind was doing it’s best to deter visitors but there were plenty of hardy souls around and the sun at least took the edge off. The understandably deserted beach looked great although Lowestoft's main beaches and holidaying area is further south. We didn’t explore further this time but I’m glad we came and look forward to seeing more another time – when it’s warmer!

Lowestoft has a quite few claims to fame – it is the most easterly town in the UK for a start. Benjamin Britten was born here and is probably Lowestoft's most famous son. Many writers have made the area their home as well as a number of distinguished seafarers.

Back on the train, the Suffolk countryside looked no less impressive under the fading light – this really is a pretty county, even at this time of year.

Normal service was resumed in the evening as we availed ourselves of the services of a nearby hostelry for grog and grub – navigating through some thick patchy fog on the way. The Sutton Plough was the no doubt ecstatic recipient of our patronage on a quiet night and we were rewarded with some great tasting grub – chili with rice for me and cottage pie with veg for Trev. Three or four hand pumps with one real ale on , although they normally keep two during the winter. Being a proper Freehouse, they vary their range but the Victoria Bitter from the Earl Soham brewery was superb. The Landlady loved a chinwag and we would probably have stayed a lot longer if the pub had been within walking distance.

The fog was still hanging around Friday as we emerged to stock up on some groceries from the supermarket that reckons every little helps, down in Martlesham. My blood pressure soared as we joined the queue to get in to the car park but thankfully its wasn’t as bad as it looked and we returned to the car a short while later with sanity still reasonably intact – as intact as it ever was anyway.

In the afternoon my cousin Andy and wife Janet from Colchester joined us and after tea and biccies we repaired to the village pub for the evenings sustenance. The Shepherd & Dog is easily walkable from the campsite although you do have to walk on an unlit road some of the way. Again, grog and grub were good with four real ales on offer and a happy hour – well, two hours – as well.

New Years Eve was quiet for us – we did little other than enjoy Patsy’s comforts during the day and were quite happy to see in the new year doing the same. Once again we ended the year as we began it – cosy and snug in a caravan.

With an early start home on the second planned much of new years day was spent sorting out Patsy – and a fair potion of that was taking down the Christmas lights. This is always the worst bit – everywhere looks so bare afterwards. Still it has to be done I guess.

The 155 miles back to East Sussex was straightforward, interrupted only by stopping for some McArtery Clogger at Colchester. Patsy was emptied and back in storage by lunchtime but we did leave her badly in need of a wash – for that she’ll have to wait. There’s no tap at her new storage site, so I’ll have to haul over an Aquaroll full of water at some point.

Right, that’s almost it for this trip – do check out the links to our Lowestoft Slideshow and Run Cottage route & arrival video if you are planning on coming here – and why not, it’s a beautiful part of the country.

Next up – in our February half-term, Bristol beckons! So, until then…..

A Caravanning Christmas – Part 5

Right here we go again, from our final site of the trip – Run Cottage in Hollesley near the Suffolk Coast. What a lovely site it is too, but not our original choice. More of that later.

Our week in Cambridge was quite hectic. As well as spending time with HRH aka Trev’s Mum – one luminary that has, so far, avoided the Grim Reaper of 2016 - probably because he’s too busy -  we managed to catch up with quite a few friends too, from different facets of our time here. There was lot’s of talking, lots of eating and yes, there were a few ales along the way too. Greedy - sorry, Greene King’s shareholders certainly aren’t complaining.

Boxing day saw us winding Patsy’s legs up quite early. My cousin Andy had invited us to his to share in the boxing day celebrations – and only a fool would pass up the chance to sample some Janet’s cooking. The nice folk at Run Cottage had agreed to let us on early – it suited them too – so, just before 8am we set sail.

The majority of the journey was on the delightfully empty A14 – we did pull off a couple of times – in a futile search for a certain fast food chain for breakfast. I’d forced down some cardboard that was pretending to be a breakfast cereal but Trev’s belly was to remain empty until we got sited.

A couple of minor issues presented themselves on arrival, one shortly after the other. We’d checked the lights before leaving Cherry Hinton of course but as I was trundling towards our pitch, Trev noticed that the left hand indicator on the ‘van was permanently on. Not a major drama and probably easily put right – but on another day. In addition, on unpacking we discovered that our little illuminated globe was now composed of more parts than before – the arm that supports it from top to base had snapped. A quick repair with duck tape lasted about five minutes. Oh well.

There was just time to avail ourselves of the immaculate facilities before heading back down the A12 to Colchester for the gathering of what is my closest – and almost only family – my Cousin Andy, wife Janet, their daughters and husband and partner, two grand children and Janet’s parents too. I’ve said before that it was caravanning that has brought us closer together and I particularly wanted to see Andy as his Dad had passed away just a month or so before. It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and evening and Janet’s cooking was, as always, divine. Thanks to for the lovely presents. Clearly a great deal of thought had gone into them as they included quite a lot of erm, ‘research’. I need to practice my selfie skills though, clearly…

We woke to a lovely bright morning – eventually – and enjoyed the luxury of a lie in that had for so long been denied us – well, 48 hours anyway. With a cooked breakfast devoured I got some pictures of the site before hooking Patsy up to the car – just the cable, not the whole van – to sort out her misbehaving indicator. It will surprise no-one to hear that everything was fine and all lights were working as they should. I decided to leave well alone rather than investigate. Something I’ll probably regret when we hook up to go home…..

The late morning saw us venture out to Bawdsey – about a 15 minute drive from the site and from where, at other times of the year, you can take a foot ferry across the River Deben to Felixstowe Ferry and through to Felixstowe itself.

Nearby Bawdsey Manor was requisitioned for the second world war, used as an RAF base and was home to the worlds first operational radar station. There are a limited number of open days throughout the year – have a look on their website for more details.

The manor house itself is now a boarding and day school – and what a location. I wonder if they need any drivers?

With the village shop up from the site closed up for the day, we headed next into Woodbridge to procure essentials which, quite by accident included beer from a local brewery, pausing at the bridge on the way in to Melton to grab a couple of photos.

In the evening the Sorrel Horse in nearby Shottisham was the destination for the evenings fill of grog and grub. Bought by the community in 2011 to ensured it stayed as a pub, it is well worth a visit. Beer straight from the cask and great tasting good honest pub grub made for a very enjoyable experience.

Right, that’s nearly it for now, but I should probably tell you why we changed from our original site. Well, we were booked in at Church Farm in Aldeburgh, a  bit further up the coast. You may recall that we stayed nearby in the summer which is when we went to check out the site. Liking what we say we booked – and paid, there and then. Just on the edge of Aldeburgh within walking distance of the beach – and yes, pubs too it would have been ideal.

A couple of weeks ago – when we were down at Theobald’s Park, I had a call from the site. Should I require access to the shower/toilet block I was to send to them a stamped, self-addressed envelope. On receipt of envelope they would call me, take a £20 deposit, then send me a keycard which would give access to said facilities block. There was going to be no-one in the office you see. At the end of the stay I was to post the card back to them and my deposit would be refunded. I suggested to them that that was a little long winded and that I could pay the deposit there and then with a small consideration for the cost of sending me the card, but that apparently ‘wasn’t possible’. I could have a full refund if I didn’t like it. So, after talking it over, that’s what we done. It just seemed an odd way to carry on – the deposit I had no problem with at all, it was just the faffing about. An email enquiry to them as to whether the facilities would be cleaned during our stay there went unanswered. Bear in mind too, that this was not a cheap site. I didn’t expect to have to jump through hoops to get the use of something that I’d already paid for. Still, there it is, and having been here at Run Cottage for a few days now, we’re glad we changed. What a lovely site this is:

As always, some slideshows:

• Around Bawdsey
• Run Cottage

Right, that really IS it! For now. Check back soon for more from Suffolk from the Blogger in Black.

Next Up

Coming soon - at the time of typing, less than two weeks - we will be departing the south east again on another Festive Threesome. Three sites in three weeks in lovely maturing Coachman caravan called Patsy.

First up is the Camping & Caravan Club site at Theobalds Park in Hertfordshire. Located just outside the M25 and close to the A10 it is an unexplored area for us. A trip or two into London is on the cards but are open to suggestions on what else to see and do.

For Christmas, once again we will be at the Caravan Club site at Cherry Hinton, Cambridge. Probably our most visited site, there will be little sightseeing but instead catching up with friends - Cambridge is our old home town - and spending time with Trev’s Mum, now in her ninety-second year.

On Boxing day will be heading back to Suffolk for a stop in the lovely coastal town of Aldeburgh. The site - Church Farm - is on the outskirts of the town and shops - and more importantly pubs - are just a short walk away. We hope, whilst here to catch up with my Cousin Andy & wife Janet from Colchester.

Look out for regular updates and photos on our Facebook Page: www.fb.me/getyourlegsdown and Twitter feed: @legsdown and blogs right here too!

Beach View Holiday Park – Summer 2016

http://www.beachviewholidaypark.co.uk/

Winter Wanderings Part 2 – More Suffolk, and a bit of Essex

Tuesday morning (just) saw us in Stowmarket, a little to the west. We had actually been here before – on the Sunday night when we’d stumbled across the local Wetherspoons in search of some grog and grub. Some independent shops mingled with the more predominant chains and it seemed to be reasonably busy. Pleasant but not particularly inspiring was how I found it. There are a number of supermarkets surrounding it and again, the local council seem to be doing their bit in one way at least by keeping parking charges reasonable. Very reasonable for anyone who’s been asked to stand and deliver by Brighton & Hove Council in exchange for a parking spot.

Our next and last stop was at Needham Market and fairly brief as the weather deteriorated and the mist turned into rain. Mostly independent shops cluster along the main road which was at one time the route of the old A45 – now the A14. Can you imagine the traffic now! Continuing the famous former residents theme, Needham Market can boast June Brown, much better known as Dot Cotton in Eastenders, who was born there.

Tuesday evening Elizabeth & David invited over to the farmhouse for a drink and we had a very pleasant evening chinwagging whilst getting to sample some local brew too.

Wednesday saw us head over the border again – but south this time in to Essex and Southend. Not perhaps the obvious destination when staying in charmingly rural Suffolk, so let me explain. We were there to meet Richard Burgess, director at Cover 4 Caravans – as the name might suggest an insurance company favoured by Legs Down and many of our caravanning pals too. Well, meet we did, along with manager Michael and the reason for the meeting was to confirm Richards’s very kind offer to sponsor our Twittercamp meets for 2016. This will allow us to procure some merchandise as well as put on BBQ’s, transport to attractions and the like. Thank you once again Richard for your support, it was nice to finally put a face to the name to you and Michael and we really appreciate what you are doing for us.

Thursday was a little brighter, weatherwise and we headed south again, back down the A14 to have a look around Ipswich. To be honest this was more shopping than sightseeing – I came away emptyhanded but Trev found a very nice jacket – not black sadly but there’s no accounting for taste! It was nice to see, in amongst the garish modern shop fronts, some of the orginal buildings still remained.

Next (and last) up and further down the A14 and the impressive Orwell  Bridge was Felixstowe – probably best known for it’s large container port. We’d been here before – a couple of years ago but never venture beyond the town centre. This time we followed the signs to the port viewing area right at the southernmost tip on which is the old Landguard Fort. The fort was closed for the winter sadly, along with the accompanying museum and there were no shipping movements whilst we were there but it afforded great views of the harbour and we could see a monster of a container ship being unloaded. The area reminded me a little of the stark beauty of Dungeness

We had a pootle along the seafront, looking remarkably good in the late afternoon December gloom, before stopping briefly in the town centre for some bits and bobs.

Friday, and west was the direction in which Rosie, our muddy old tug, was pointed. First up was Framlingham, not so much for sightseeing but to say hello – and put another face to the name – of another fellow Twitterer – Reg from The Tug Co. Regulars may recall that we reviewed Reg’s great portable trailer dolly ‘The Tug’ a while back – and an updated version just a couple of months ago. Click or tap HERE for a link. Again, we had a good old chinwag and did hang around long enough to take a few photo’s too. Another charming and friendly little Suffolk towm that would look so much better without that essential modern eysore – the car. Hardly unique in that though hey?

Framlingham Castle was on the edge of town, but sadly closed – again unsurprising given the time of year.

By lunchtime, we were on the coast again – back at dear old Southwold. Ok, the main reason for the visit was to buy some beer – Ale heads will know that the Adnams brewery is based here, but it’s always a pleasant place to visit. On the pier is an exhibition of some truly weird and wonderful machines – some completely bizarre – and they are well worth a look. A very civilized lunch fortified us before we headed to the brewery shop, picking up a couple of mini- casks of their excellent Southwold Bitter.

Southwold, apart from being on the coast also sits on the northern side of the river Blyth. To the south is the little village of Walberswick which was almost our  last stop before heading back to base There is no vehicle crossing so it’s a fifteen minute drive or so around. Beach huts – many painted black – wahay! – sit behind the sand bank and a boardwalk stretches out to the beach.

Last stop of the day was back in Debenham – at another brewery shop. Having sampled a couple of beers from The Earl Soham brewery on a nocturnal reserach expedition the night before we decided to pick up a mini-cask from them too…..

Saturday, saw us heading south, and across the border again, to Colchester to see my cousin and his wife who had invited us over for a meal.  It’s so great that after years of hardly seeing one another  - apart from funerals - we now  - thanks to caravanning – have a shared interest and see each other regularly. Not only that but Andy’s wife Janet is a damn fine cook too – we had a great afternoon and evening, meeting for the first time in ages,  their girls Sarah amd Amanda and respective partners Derek and Tim.

Right, by the time you get this we will be in Cambridge – for the ‘family’ bit of the trip mostly but hopefully to catch up with a few friends too. We’re here for a week before hitching up again for the longer journey down to Kent for our final week.