The Nostalgic Spring Sojourn | Part 6

Sunday – the day of rest. And that’s exactly what I had planned, feeling very much like I was running on empty. Not only was the lack of decent sleep catching up again I’d awoke feeling like I’d been gargling carpet tacks and suspected a cold was beginning to make it’s presence felt. No matter, it’s been a long while since I’d had one and was quite pleased to have avoided picking up any bugs over the winter – working with kids it’s an occupational hazard but I guess it swings both ways and your immune system builds up too.

That’s not to say it was a bad day because it wasn’t – the sun was out, intermittently at least, and I was happy just to laze around in my happy zone – radio on in the background and a good book that was holding my attention for increasingly longer periods. I didn’t even go off site, the furthest expedition being to the facilities for a lovely long hot shower in one of the sites’ excellent en-suite units.

Monday, and again the sun was making a a sterling effort. It was my last day in York and, to be honest, not feeling 100% would have been happy to mirror Sunday’s activities – or lack of them. However that seemed a bit of a waste so, having done a load of washing and hung it out, I had a shower, got tarted up then pointed Rosie roughly north-west in the direction of Thirsk.

It was market day so the main square was packed with stalls and cars, but I found some parking just around the back near the river and fed some coins in the meter for a couple of hours stay. To be honest I didn't linger that long but loved the area by the bridge over the river which had plenty of benches and seats and looked a great place for a picnic.

A walk around the mainly cobbled square and down Market Street led me on to Kirkgate where I came across the Thirsk Museum – and learned something new – that Thomas Lord – of Lords cricket ground in London – was born here.

Further on, St Mary’s church looked stout and impressive in the sun – the increasing strength of which was having me seriously question for how much longer the long leather coat would stay on. Yes it was that warm!

On the way out I took the opportunity to check out the club site by the racecourse – it was here we were to come last year until they had to cancel bookings due to flooding and it was easy to see why. I’ve pulled some footage off the dash-cam so there may well be a site arrival at some point but if not, it’s quite easy to get to – from the A1(M) particularly.

Next up was Wetherby, a few miles back down the aforementioned A1(M) thanks to a road closure. No market but it looked busy and, having heard good things about the riverside I headed down there, impressed by the free car parking offered. Clearly, so were many others as there wasn’t a space to be had. Rosie idled for a bit as a watched for any imminent departures but there were none so headed off to find somewhere else.

I happened across another free car park shortly after but given my previous experience, was not hopeful. There appeared to be more comings – and more importantly goings though, so I circled the car park slowly, waiting for a space. As luck would have it – or so I thought – I saw someone easing out on the opposite side and headed around thinking that it was my turn and fair play might prevail. Yeah, right. Some Victor Meldrew’ esque character appeared in his shiny little hatchback with  face like a slapped arse and clearly a greater sense of entitlement, despite having only entered the car park seconds before. This was HIS space and nothing was going to stop him, especially some Southern nancy. Not that he’d have known that but I added it for effect. I didn’t have the will or the energy to challenge him, remembering the adage ‘pick your battles’ - he was never going to give the space up. So I satisfied myself with a little launch of the appropriate digit before heading off to find somewhere else – which I eventually did.

Again, the town was pleasant enough but yet again it was down by the river that I really liked. Now coat-less, it was really quite warm and again there were benches to sit and admire the view. I rued not making some sarnies as it would have been a cracking place to pause for a spot of lunch.

I’d debated continuing the sightseeing – Selby and a return visit to Knaresborough were two possibles – but what was quite obviously now a cold was slowing me down so instead heading back to the site, pausing at the nearby Asda to stock up. I knew from experience that my next site was quite remote and wanted to avoid long round trips for milk and the like.

And so, my last night on site at York Caravan Park. The time had flown by – really flown by and although it might sound as though it ended on a bit of a downer, I didn't see it that way at all. I’d had three great days out, met up with some lovely friends and had a thoroughly good time. I take the view now that there is no need to rush and see everything as there will always be a chance to return – for me anyway. It’s about making the most of how things are, indulging in what I enjoy - and I’ll go back to Thirsk and Wetherby and enjoy them more - I’m sure of that.

As I sat in Patsy and watched the beautiful sun set I reflected again that, despite what happened last summer I was still pretty fortunate – and will continue to make the most of that.

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The Nostalgic Spring Sojourn | Part 4

I was back on the bus Thursday morning, this time in the opposite direction, into York and to the railway station to meet up with my companion for the day. The walk from Patsy to the bus stop seemed to get the curtains twitching – quite possibly black leather is not considered ‘de-rigueur’ for caravanners, sporting as I was my new waistcoat, procured as a Christmas present to myself in Canterbury. Thankfully people that know me can see past what may well be considered slightly odd attire – and find a slightly odd person. Anyway..

I had about twenty minutes to kill, so the default activity – at least this early – was necking some caffeine before heading to the relevant platform to meet Sandra – fellow caravanner from near Chester and now someone I consider a very dear friend. I’m delighted to present for you below, Sandra’s blog post of the day’s events:

Tour de York & A Mash Tun

The day started as it meant to go on, the train was on time and the sky bode well for a lovely day. Our first port of call was the left luggage office to one side of the station, in a small portacabin type of building. There was a small queue of people patiently waiting their turn to offload their bags and get off to do sightseeing in the city. Well I heard a phrase a while back, namely, Sales Prevention Officer; this person definitely qualified and then some! We were treated to a speech of monologue proportions about everything that was wrong about his job and strongly worded admonishments about failure to return to collect our bags before the bewitching hour of 8pm! I tried to get him to agree to 7.45pm, which would fit in with train times but no, 7.30pm, take it or leave it! Knowing glances, or maybe stifled giggles passed among the waiting queue.

As we had had the fortune to do a fair bit of advance planning and research, we had a loose plan of what we wanted to do. But first priorities need to be addressed and we had picked out a lovely little independent coffee shop, in a turret overlooking the river bridge, near to the station, The Perky Peacock Coffee Shop. Tea, coffee, biscuits and brownies were consumed and allowed a good look at the map to work out a suitable route for the day. Given the lovely sunny weather, we also agreed on a boat trip in the afternoon.

Following the coffee etc, we ambled up towards York Minster and spent a pleasurable half hour walking around the outside in the warm spring sunshine and people watching as we went. Our ultimate aim was to visit the Shambles. There were the usual number of cafes, souvenir shops, Harry Potter themed shops and one butchers left, (The Shambles was originally a road of butchers plying their trade). In a way, we left wondering a little if it is one of those places which is a tad overhyped, down to personal choice of course.

There was an outdoor market selling food and clothing but the find was the sandwich shop, Henshelwoods Delicatessen, again highly rated on trip advisor, to buy some lovely sandwiches for an impromptu picnic sitting in the gardens by the river and the York Castle Museum which was our next port of call. Sitting out in the warm sunshine, a time to sit in peace and quiet watching the world go by and a good old natter when the mood took us! We also noted the amount of flood wood and leftover mud from the river flood earlier in the week.

We then ambled over, neither of us do fast these days, to the York Castle Museum to begin what turned out to be a fascinating couple of hours travelling through the ages. There were rooms decorated and furnished in a relevant decade right up to the 1970’s. Cue much giggling and finger pointing of, yes remember seeing this that and the other. Then it was the turn of clothing through the ages right up to the 1990’s and a Vivien Westwood exhibit of shoes. Again, much hilarity about what we used to wear and the styles. We also visited the Castle prison, so grim and dark but ended the visit on a high note in the 60’s style room. A real life Lambretta motorbike and for the technically minded, early computer games and toys like Spiralizer, Cindy Dolls, magazines and comics from years ago completed the picture.

We were in need of another sit down, fortunately the landing stage for the boat tour was a 5-minute amble and departed almost as soon as we boarded. By now the sun was high in the sky and sitting down in the saloon, quaffing refreshing cool drinks, we remarked how lucky we were to be there. Drinks consumed we ventured upstairs and passed the rest of the trip sitting outside in the sun with magnificent views of York Minster and the various bridges and sights of the city. We were fortunate, or not, depending upon your viewpoint to have the Captain of the boat who had clearly missed his vocation as, in his opinion, a stand-up comedian. We, on the other hand, were not so sure ….

We got off the boat down river by the York Museum Gardens and strolled through, people watching and commenting on how, as the sun was out, people were lying or sitting on the grass, sunbathing. Given the area had, undoubtedly been well flooded by water, we were somewhat surprised. The gardens are home to St Mary’s Abbey ruins and the Yorkshire Museum. By now time was fast approaching the only time booked event of the day … The Tour of the York Brewery and so we made our way there.

There was a short wait and we were off … fortunately there were only 4 of us on this tour, so plenty of questions and answers, helped by a really good tour guide, meant a fun and interesting time was had by all. Now for the prize of doing the tour, time to research several of the beers, some of which will ultimately end up in the Ale Archive blog in due course.

By now, we were starting to get rather hungry, we were fortunate to be advised to go to Brigantes Restaurant in the adjacent street. A lovely meal was had, with excellent service and, of course, a couple more research beers. We then suddenly realised that the 7.30pm curfew of the Left Luggage was approaching very fast indeed. A quick look at the map and we realised we were only 5 minutes’ walk away so we managed to arrive bang on time. However, the Sales Prevention Officer had yet more stings in his tail. We opened the door to be greeted by what can only be described as a sauna level of heat!! One very grumpy sales attendant who wasted no time in informing us we were the last people and he was waiting to go home!

A short amble to the station, meant that we were on time, a quick coffee and goodbyes until next time. All in all, a fabulous day.

There was a twenty-five minute wait for the next bus that would take me back to the site – and the York Tap with it’s twenty-something handpumps was thirty seconds away. I availed myself of just the one, considering that no dedicated ‘researcher’ worth his salt passes up any opportunity. Lazily though I didn’t bother to don my specs to check the writing on the handpumps and ended up with something akin to fizzy grapefruit with an aroma of bleach. Oh well.

All in all a cracking day – thank you Sandra for your lovely company and for saving me writing a blog post too!

The Nostalgic Spring Sojourn | Part 1

Right, here we go again. Easter might be late but the school’s Easter holiday remains the same so once again, the middle of March means it’s Patsy time once again. Be prepared for vaguely regular blog posts recording my trip up north, calling in on some of the sites and areas that Trev and I enjoyed so much, along with a new one too.

There were, as it turned out, two spanners trying to get amongst the works on my day of departure, the first of which bore the inscription Royal Mail. I’d ordered something online the weekend prior with a promised 48hr delivery and, even allowing for the weekend I thought I’d be OK but it wasn’t until the early hours of Friday morning that I got the delivery notification text, stating sometime in the morning. Great.

The other issue of course was the weather. I’d kept a very close eye on the forecast, particularly concerning the high winds. I didn’t want to delay but also there was no way I was going to put myself, Patsy or others at risk - there’s too many memories and anyway I love her to bits. A look through the forecasts at various points on the route though revealed that as long as I took it steady I’d be OK. So I got the car packed up as much as possible and waited for the intercom to go, thinking gloomily that the one time I need the postman to be early, he’ll be running late.

Thankfully he wasn’t so by 0930 with the food loaded in I was on the way to the storage yard – and in fact the timing could not have been much better as the winds had improved considerably. I was still behind my planned schedule though so there wasn’t much unpacking done – the food was thrown in the fridge, Patsy’s nuts and tyres were checked and we were ready.

There was no need to negotiate the sharp right turn as Patsy’s right hand neighbour was absent and the solar panel had kept the battery alive enough for me to turn her out and inline with the car. By 1030 we were away.

My decision to travel proved correct. Prior to each service area I pondered whether there was a need to stop and decided to carry on. There was little sideways movement and keeping the speed down certainly helped – sometimes forced by roadworks and traffic anyway. 4 hours later I was pulling into the arrivals area at Somers Wood Caravan Park near Meriden in Warwickshire. Many will know that we were here exactly a year ago on the start of our trip then. It’s a lovely site in a great location and it was good to be back.

Check in was swift and the lovely Angela had sorted me a serviced pitch and a few minutes later I was alongside pitch 42, next door to the one we had last time. Now us humans are funny things – I don't need to tell you that. Normally I would have one quick go at reversing then engage the services of the motor mover, and given my current state - tired, skull ache and aching bladder that’s probably what I should have done. But no, the empty pitch opposite was too tempting and within a few minutes and only a couple of corrections I’d got Patsy perfectly on the pitch. Or so I thought. I’d been concentrating too much on the offside and while indeed she was inline and level, I’d not left enough room for the car on the other! Numpty. This is when the remote would have normally appeared, but no, I had another go and – get this – managed to get her spot on. I congratulated myself as I scampered to the loo…..

Lunch consisted of a hastily thrown together cheese and paracetamol sarnie which preceded something approximating a nap and, later when I returned, somewhat reluctantly to the land of the living I was already hungry again so decided to start dinner – one of my er, delicious concoctions from the freezer at home, namely a sausage casserole – thank you Colmans.

It was when I put the fan on above the cooker that it became clear there was an issue. The radio cut out and the display flashed on and off, and the lights started dimming at regular intervals. Luckily Patsy has a couple of wall mounted mains lights as well as my table lamp and globe so, after switching off the 12v – and switching it back on again just in case – I was able to continue with dinner.

The toolbox came out soon after and some prodding with the multimeter probes revealed that the battery was clearly suffering from a dose of CBA, only offering up 10 volts and clearly not being charged up by the onboard charger.

Now, attentive readers may recall that, some years ago, the charger failed as we began our usual Easter holiday trip up to the north-east. Patsy was still under warranty then and a quick diversion to Marquis just south of Newcastle got it sorted.

So, this was the target of my investigations assuming – not unreasonably, that it had failed again. It sits, rather too snugly in my opinion, above the fuse box and is not easy to extract – but whilst swearing and cursing and being generally cack handed, normal service was resumed – the lights resumed their normal brightness and the radio came back to life. Clearly there was a loose connection somewhere but it was getting too dark to investigate properly so I adjourned further investigation until the morning.

It may surprise you to read that not one drop of beer passed my lips that night. You see I’d bought my caravanning starter kit – beer, wine, cheese, cooked meats and biscuits - a couple of days prior but had accidentally drank the beer the night before – well it was the end of term of course, an event always worthy of celebration. I have to report though that the Co-Op Merlot made a very pleasant accompaniment to the inevitable cheese salami and biscuits later on. And with Patsy nice and cosy, a good book on the go and the radio playing quietly I was back in my happy place and looking forward to what the trip would bring.

An Eastern Adventure Part 7

And the final part, to the relief of many no doubt! Yes, our Easter holidays getaway has come to an end. The washing machine can just be heard in-between frequent exasperated sighs as I chase letters around the keyboard in an attempt to bring you up to date with what’s been happening.

Well, in sightseeing terms - not a lot. However it’s been an eventful week or so, so here goes.

Saturday and Sunday were near total washouts weather wise. I caught up on some blog stuff while Trev did a bit of ‘house’ work. Sunday afternoon, with nothing in - well there was but neither of us was about to cook it - we ventured out for a late lunch. We lucked out at our first choice - the Kings Arms - as everyone else seemed to have the same idea. We missed out by ten minutes at our ‘local’ the Delaval Arms so ended up at the Melton Constable - which turned out to be a very very good third choice and better than our previous visit during the week.

Monday saw us drag Patsy through the Tyne Tunnel and down the A1 to Yorkshire. The weather improved a little as we went but it was nigh on freezing packing up and my hands felt like blocks of ice as I attended to the water, waste and so on.

Around midday we arrived at Naburn Locks Caravan Park just a few miles south of York. Easy to find, a friendly welcome and an attractive looking park with nice big pitches. We got sorted then later had a meal at the local The Blacksmith Arms in the village. My Cajun Chicken with rice and garlic bread was awesome. Trev’s burger sadly not.

Whatpub.com had listed another pub very close by so we thought we’d have a trundle to have a look. Close it was - if had a boat or fancied a swim - as it was the other side of the Ouse and entailed a long trip around to cross the river. After what seemed like a lifetime - or one of our Sunday Night Natters at least we found it - the car park being across the road and adjacent a dangerously high Ouse river. It was nice enough but turned pump clips suggested it had been a busy day on the real ale and the only one left tasted like it was on the turn too.

Tuesday saw the arrival of friend and fellow caravanner David who would be joining us for a couple of days. After Trev sated us with some delicious bacon baps we had a wander down to the Naburn Locks - just a few minutes walk through the site. Blimey, I knew there'd been some rain but just how much clearly evident as we surveyed the scene in front of us. The lock gates were hardly visible and I would estimate that the water was around 7-8 feet higher than normal. This should have rang some alarm bells - but it didn't!

Wednesday saw us in Bradford - we’d been invited to the Pro-tec factory to have a look around, chew the cud and devour some sandwiches. For the uninitiated Pro-tec make covers for caravans - all over for storage and front covers to protect your ‘van when towing. They’d launched  anew product at the February NEC show which had generated a lot of interest, it’s unique selling point being that it zipped up the middle, could be quickly fitted by one person and was competitively priced. We got so see their team in action - including some very skilled seamstresses - and also a scout around the new factory which they would be shortly moving into.

We’d put out a call on social media for questions we could put to Paul the MD about his products, the new towing jacket in particular and caravan covers in general. Paul agreed to go on camera and Trev in his best Paxman voice asked the questions. It was informative, entertaining and the video will be out real soon. A big thanks to Pro-tec for inviting us over, for showing us around and of course the sandwiches!

Back at the site things weren't good. Some of the pitches were now under water and we we urged to move onto the higher area as soon as we could - with the rain still failing and water levels rising it was the only sensible thing to. We didn’t contemplate any further grief and made it to the pub for dinner and back without having to resort to the breast stroke.

In the morning however the water had risen further and the main road through the site - and to the exit was now well under water - along with our original pitch. With an lunchtime appointment at our next site in Cambridgeshire we wondered how on earth we were going to get out.

Fortunately the site owner had a wide er, back passage and soon after eight we trundled gently out and were soon on our way down the dear old A1.

Our final destination was Stroud Hill Park - an adults only site under the Tranquil Parks umbrella situated in the village of Pidley. Out three nights here would give us time to catch up with friends and family and do some sorting out before Patsy goes back in storage for a few weeks. We were also due to meet with Cover 4 Caravans boss Richard for a catch up. As many will know we provide both written and video content for their website in the form of exclusive Site Reviews and a series of videos on caravanning for beginners.

Catch up we did, first in Patsy where Trev served up more delicious bacon baps then over in the on-site bar - now you know why we chose this site! With plans for further collaborative projects hatched we said our goodbyes under a rare but extremely welcome blue sky.

Friday was catch up day with friends and family then Friday evening dined at the on site restaurant  - and what a meal it was. A special occasion too as it was our twelfth anniversary. Good food and good company made for a very enjoyable evening.

Our last full day in the ‘van for a while saw a brief incursion into Huntingdon for fuel. This trip has been a tough one for old Rosie, dragging a tonne and half of Patsy around in all weathers. She is starting to show her age - and mileage - but still performed well, if a little thirstily at times.

With packing up nearly complete we headed to the bar to record the latest Sunday Night Natters. Came back, went over for dinner the recorded it again after discovering the lapel microphones were on the blink, much to the amusement of our fellow diners.

Sunday saw, as usual an early start for the 3 hours or so back to the south coast. Our visit to Stroud Hill Park had been brief - too brief in fact. It is a lovely site - generously sized full serviced pitches, pristine and spacious ensuite facilities and the ever welcome on site bar and restaurant which served up some mighty good food too. There will be a Site Arrival Video and Site Tour out at some point and we hope to be able to squeeze in another visit in the summer. It’s a handy stopping off point for our trips up north.

Right, that’s it. The New Forest is next at the end of May which we’re really looking forward to - along with - I hope some better weather too! So, until then,

Thanks as always

Rich & Trev

Building Bridges - York Part 3

Whilst York's lure is considerable - I could have quite happily spent the whole week just ambling around the city - there's plenty around and about too, so Monday morning we fired up Rosie and pointed her back on the A64 and eastwards to Malton.

Malton's tagline is 'Yorkshire's Food Capital' helped by the annual food festival, regular farmers markets and independent food producers and is a haven for 'foodies' - whatever they are. People who like good food I guess but who doesn't - it's just that not everyone gets to taste it.

We found it to be a pleasant but quiet unassuming place on a bright April Monday morning and most definitely worthy of some photographs. However, some silly old blogger had forgotten to charge the battery on the DSLR and no amount of cursing or cycling of the on-off switch could coax it into life. So any pictures you see from today are from the phones.

Whilst it was seemed pretty quiet after the relative crowds in York, there were signs of upcoming activity in the shape of preparations for a livestock market or auction by the looks of it.

Having circumnavigated the town centre we decided to sample some of the local cuisine in the shape of a sausage roll and a cuppa. Both were very nice and I must say at this point one of the things I've really enjoyed up here in Yorkshire - apart from the ale of course - is tea. Helped by the softer water I guess.

Charles Dickens fans may already know that 'A Christmas Carol' was apparently written whilst Dickens stayed in Malton.

Next on the list was a complete reverse ferret back up the A64 past York and into nearby Tadcaster. Trev's Mum aka HRH has regaled us with tales of her time in Tadcaster while in the forces 'during the war'. Several times. So we thought we'd come and have a look. In addition the bridge that bisects the town had only recently been rebuilt after being washed away at the end of 2015.

Of little interest to us, obviously, is that Tadcaster has quite a brewing tradition. In the town you will find the famous John Smiths whose tinned gassy brew I've come across at many a party as a nod to the ale drinkers. I finally got to sample the proper cask version a couple of years back when we last stayed in York. Nearby is Samuel Smiths brewery whose cask ale - still served from oak barrels - is one of my favourites.

Also here - and something I only just discovered thanks to rare bit of fact checking - is that there is a third brewery - the Tower Brewery, once Bass and now owned by fizz merchants Molson Coors.

A couple of steaks thrown upon the mercy of the little Cadac provided the bulk of the evening meal before we headed back into York to meet our friends who were departing the next day. We went to a pub - quelle surprise - and the Slip Inn, just up the road from their site, was the no doubt grateful recipient of our patronage on a quiet Monday night. Five real ales too, but I didn't get through all of them, something which both my liver and wallet were grateful for.

Tuesday was our last day before moving on and a sad day for the people of York who'd had the presence of the Blogger in Black in all his er, finery, parading through the streets for the past week. Well, I gave 'em something to laugh at anyway.

First up was the York Dungeon. Being a lover of all things macabre I'd had my eye on this since we'd arrived and priced it up online - and with tickets starting from a tenner it was most definitely on the list. Plans changed though when we approached reception and discovered that tickets bought on the day were over 50% more expensive. I have a deep aversion to parting with more cash than is strictly necessary so we decided to postpone our visit for another time.

Our wanderings brought us around to the Castle area. Clifford's Tower - the original keep - stands on a mound and is managed by English Heritage. Whilst the tower itself is interesting it was the views it would offer from the top that we were after and we were not disappointed, gaining yet another perspective on this great city:

More amblings brought us to the Merchant Adventurers' Hall in Fossgate. Existing now as a musuem, we didn't get any further this time  than the pleasant cafe sitting in the Undercroft but having now been on their website it's on the list for another visit. The tea and scones were nice though.

Further wanderings brought us eventually back towards the Stonebow where we would be catching our bus back to the site. We'd just missed one it seemed but by happy coincidence there was a pub across the road - the Black Swan. How considerate.

There was to be another stop on the way back to the site. Thus bus passes right by the Nags Head in Heworth and we thought we'd take a look - for research purposes obviously. We were a little early for food so took the opportunity to soak up some of the lovely late afternoon sun (and a second pint) and the back garden whilst we were waiting. The food when it came was lovely - good honest pub grub and excellent value. Worth noting is that is walkable from the site in around twenty minutes or so - and you can always hop on the bus back or vice versa.

And so our time in York was nearly at and end. We had a fantastic time - and I hope that's showed through in the blogs helped in no small part by our home for the week at York Caravan Park. A peaceful site with excellent facilities and so handily placed with the bus stops near by. The Caravan & Motorhome Club site may be closer, but I'd pick this one everytime for it's easy access, location, spacious fully serviced pitches and wonderful shower rooms.

For a closer look, have a look at our little slideshow HERE. and our Site Arrival Video is HERE

Fishing is currently free as is the Site Wifi which we took advantage of. I didn't use the Mobile WiFi dongle but we had no problems with Vodafone or Three on our respective 'phones.

Right, onwards and er, eastwards. Look out for my next blog, coming from the lovely Spurn Point.

Until then, thanks as always for reading,

Rich & Trev.