A Few Days in Aldeburgh

On a dry, clear day, we headed for Alderburgh for a four day break. Since we always enjoy our visits to Woodbridge, we decided to stop at a CL outside the town for the first night. This proved a sound decision. The CL is Seckford Hall Hotel. At £6.00 a night there can be no complaints even without electricity. The site itelf is in a huge field above the hotel with lovely views across the Suffolk countryside.

Seckford Hall Hotel CL

The usual facilities are available and well positioned. A ten minute walk takes you to the centre of Woodbridge which is a pretty town, and yachting centre, on the River Deben.

After a comfortable night we set off on the short drive to Aldeburgh, one of our favourite seaside towns.
Chuch Farm Holiday Park is certainly not cheap at £32.00 a night but it is superbly positioned just across from the beach and within a five minute walk of the town. The pitches are large and provided with their own water and electricity points which makes life very easy.
Aldeburgh is a delightful small  town, famous for its links with Benjamin Britten. Snape Maltings is some four miles to the west and with ample space to park a motorhome, well worth a visit.
After the obligatory cup of tea following arrival, we strolled along the front, admiring the shacks along the shoreline from which is sold fish fresh form the previous night's catch, As they say, fish any fresher would be swimming.

Fishing Boat on The Beach

The centre has maintained its charm over the years despite its tourist popularity. There is a gratifying lack of pandering to the visitor despite a full array of art and craft shops.

Town Centre

The following morning started with a quick walk to the newsagents and the purchase of a fresh dressed crab on the way back along the front. Then,  the cycles were off the rack and we enjoyed a short ride in the opposite direction to Thorpeness. Three quarters of the ride is on a cycle path away from the main road though the term "main" is something of a misnomer since it is always quiet. Thorpeness was purpose built in the 1930's as a holiday village. Though now privately owned, the village has not lost any of its charm. There is a large, shallow lake in the centre occupied by many extremely hungry and persistent swans and other water fowl. Spreading out from the lake there is the community of houses, all of similar design with plenty of black and white timber on display. At the edge of the town is a golf course. Thorpeness is possibly best known for its windmill and adjacent House in the Sky. Originally, the water tower, it is encased by a "house" providing a quirky view from miles around.
Lunch was taken sitting on a bench on the seafront in brilliant sunshine. There can be few things tastier than fresh dressed crab, caught overnight and a slice of bread bought from the town bakery that morning!
Sunday dawned, again with clear skies and, after collecting the paper from town, we spent a lazy couple of hours sitting around the motorhome. Following lunch, we set off on a four mile circular walk along the neighbouring RSPB reserve. Though not keen bird watchers, the stroll was very pleasant, taking us up to the golf course and then in a figure of eight back to the camp site.
Monday morning and we were soon ready for the drive home having thoroughly enjoyed a short break in wonderful weather.

Abergavenny, Much Wenlock and Warwick

After enjoying three weeks of lovely spring weather, predictably the weather was
changing for our week's tour exploring old haunts and new. Leaving Chelmsford
in the dry on 29th March, we headed north on the M25 to meet with the M4
straight to South Wales. The journey proved stress free with sporadic light
storms to provide some variety. The Seven Bridge was clouded in mist and thus
it remained as we travelled up the Monnow valley  to Pandy, our first site. A lovely Caravan
Club site perched on the bank of the river, we were soon settled in and setting
out on our first short walk of the holiday. Though it was raining when we
arrived, this cleared and our two mile round trip was completed in the dry. We
both agreed that it was good to get away again and whatever the weather threw
at us over the next five days we would enjoy the break.The following morning we took advantage of our discretionary travel passes and
caught the bus into Abergavenny. Financial constraint has determined that the
once hourly service has now been reduced to two hourly but this didn't affect
the efficiency of the bus company with the bus arriving on time. Abergavenny
seemed a poor town but there was a fascinating antique/second hand market and
the ruined castle also proved well worth a visit. Two hours passed relatively
easily and after puzzling over the bus station organisation we thankfully
eventually succeeded in identifying our return transport and arrived safely
back at pansy for a late lunch.
We followed this with a six mile walk along the lanes past the Skirrid Mountain towards
Cwmyoy.

View of The Skirrid

We had planned a circular tour but map reading proved something of a
problem and rather than running the risk of being stranded on a Welsh mountain
overnight, we eventually retraced our steps back to the site. The weather had
improved throughout the day and our walk was extremely pleasant in late
afternoon sunshine.

Welsh Lambs

The following day we headed for Hay on Wye on a very attractive drive up the Golden
Valley. It is difficult to think of a more attractive area of the country than
the Borders of Herefordshire. The daffodils were resplendent and spring was
very evident in the trees and hedgerows. As always, it was easy to park in Hay
and the town has lost none of its charm. We enjoyed a walk down to the Warren
and by the side of the Wye ending up back in the town having stopped for
provisions at the Coop.
Leaving Hay early afternoon, we arrived back at the site in time for a short circular
walk amongst the lambs.
The following morning we visited Hereford prior to heading north to Much Wenlock.
The uneventful journey took us up the A49. This road holds many memories. As
teenagers we used to cycle along it to visit Dinmore; on one occasion I
remember with baskets full of strawberries acquired from a local farmer. It is
the one and only occasion I have been shot at with a shotgun and consequently I
suspect that the strawberries were the sweetest ever tasted!
The Caravan Club site at Presthope, outside Much Wenlock proved quite a find.
Situated at the old railway station there is no toilet block but it has all the
amenities we could wish for. It is on the side of Wenlock Edge with wonderful
views across the Shropshire countryside. Most significantly, the walks from the
site abound and after our usual lunch of bread and cheese, we headed up to the
Shropshire Way and walked along Wenlock Edge all the way to Much Wenlock. It
was a brilliant six or seven mile walk with deep quarries on one side and
splendid vistas on the other. Much Wenlock is well worth a visit though our
time was limited to a locally purchased and delicious English grown apple
before the walk back to the site retracing our steps.
Saturday provided a misty and damp start as we drove to Blists Hill Victorian Village.
It must be forty years since we last visited this site and it has certainly
developed over the intervening years. At that time, simply an abandoned coal
mine and a couple of restored houses, it is now a fully functioning Victorian
village complete with houses, period shops and workshops all supported by
knowledgeable enthusiasts dressed in appropriate costume.

A Victorian Street

Attention to detail is impressive even down to the opportunity to exchange decimal currency for  pounds, shillings and pence at the Bank. Having originally intended to spend
two or three hours here before moving on to see Ironbridge we found instead
that the full day was barely sufficient to enjoy all the attractions and fully
soak up the atmosphere.
Sunday morning beckoned and after emptying the grey water in the brand new motorhome
vehicle facility on the site, we set off for Ironbridge once more. The previous
day we had bought their 60 Plus Passport which affords access to all the ten
museum sites for one year. At a cost of £18.25 each this was excellent value.
This time we headed for the Ironbridge itself and managed to find probably the
only motorhome space in the car park adjacent to the Museum of The Gorge and
close to the Bridge. When will Local Authorities in The UK learn that it might
be to their advantage to provide some limited parking for larger vehicles?
Never mind, we were parked and able to enjoy another fascinating museum and
spectacular views down the Gorge. As always, the camera was busy with pictures
of the Ironbridge.
After two hours or so, we moved to the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and Enginuity.
This time parking was no problem and again we were impressed with the quality
of the exhibitions. This was particularly true of Enginuity. This superb
National Design and Technology Education Centre has everything to excite the
engineering spirit of young and old alike though with the number of hands on
displays, it is a must for the youngsters who can test themselves on an
incredible collection of interactive machinery.
We finished off the day with a visit to the Coalport China Museum where, again,
parking was straightforward. All in all, it has proved a fascinating two days and
well worth the visit. The following day we headed for Warwick to spend two days
prior to returning home.
The Caravan Club site on the racecourse proved easy to find and provided an
excellent pitch within five minutes walk of the town. After settling in, we
took a leisurely stroll to the Grand Union canal admiring the narrow boats on
the way and walking as far as Hatton Locks prior to returning.
The following morning we set off to Warwick Castle expecting to spend three hours
or so there. After five full and enjoyable hours we eventually left the complex
at 4 o'clock! Even the hordes of schoolchildren on their obligatory outing
prior to the Easter, could not spoil our pleasure at such a varied diet of
attractions.

Warwick Castle

Of particular note must be the Birds of Prey display. We never fail to be impressed with the majesty and agility of these huge birds.

Rather a Large Eagle

Leaving Warwick the trip home proved uneventful and, for once, the M25 was relatively
quiet with no hold ups.

Visit to Nottingham

Arriving home from a five day sojourn to Nottingham, I feel I ought to commit pen to paper and provide a swift resumee of the holiday. We stayed at the Clumber Park Caravan Club site which never fails to please. A large site set in the middle of Clumber Park, near Worksop, there are excellent opportunities to cycle on predetermined routes as well as those you might make for yourself through the extensive park and woodland. The terrain is generally flat and the scenery splendid. During the week outside the main holiday periods it is always quiet. This can no longer be said for the site which seems increasingly busy and sensibly should be booked in advance. Sadly, gone are the days when you can simply assume that all sites will have available pitches.

The only niggling problem with the site is the complete lack of mobile phone signal. This necessitated having to travel half a mile both to make a phone call and to collect emails on the iPad. Fortunately, the weather has been very kind so this did not prove too much of a hardship.

The five days have been interspersed with cycling and walking around the park and visiting friends and family in Nottingham. Both my wife and I used to work in the city prior to moving to Essex and my brother has lived in Nottingham for many years. For visiting we hired a car from Enterprise. They provide excellent service collecting from the site and returning you at the end of the hire period. For a Ford Ka we paid £57 for two days which seemed reasonable and included an enhanced damage waiver.

The motorhome has behaved itself except for the inexplicable failure of the piezo ignition on the gas fire. Seems like another call on the warranty when we arrive home. For a new vehicle in 2009, I am beginning to feel that there have been too many problems - many minor but no less irritating for that.

The bikes have behaved faultlessly in the first airing of the season. It was good to get them off the rack and the ten mile run around the estate was good fun though both Jan and I are suffering the consequences! 

Saumur and the Route North

Though it took a while to find the road, we managed to park at Saumur next to the Chateau, a most impressive building with panoramic views over the countryside.

View of the Chateau

We enjoyed a walk down to the town and across the Loire to buy bread. Continuing on our journey, we arrived at La Fleche where we found that the site would not open until 4 pm. Since we were not over impressed with the appearance of the site anyway, we drove on to Evron where we booked into an ACSI site, Camp Municipal de la Zone Verte. It was raining for the first time throughout the holiday and this prevented us going far but we enjoyed a walk arond prior to settling down for the night.
We left the site in the rain the following morning and called into a local supermaket prior to heading north. Gradually, the rain eased and we arrived at Les Andelys following a pleasant journey on predictably quiet roads. The site, De L'lle des Trois Rois was a delight positioned on the Seine overlooked by the chateau. We thoroughly enjoyed our walk into the village and back along the bank of the Seine.

Along the River

Our final day involved travelling to Guines where the site, Camping La Belle Peche was far from inspiring, prior to catching the Sea France ferry the following morning.

Another excellent holiday lasting for 16 days from Tuesday 21st September to Wednesday 6th October. Next year, we will leave a little earlier as the days are certainly getting cooler into October.

The Dordogne

Cutting across country, we entered Souillac and then followed the D703 by the side of the Dordogne. The scenery was stunning and, yet again, proved the value of keeping to D and N roads where possible. We turned left outside Calviac-en-Perigord soon reaching Carsac-Aillac. Here we found a recently restored church with lighting arranged so that it came on when entering the building.

The picture fails to do it justice though the outside of the church was equally impressive

Leaving Carsac-Aillac behind we soon entered la Roque-Gageac in its  magnificent location. Often little more than a row of riverside houses squeezed between the Dordogne river in front and sheltered
below the overhanging cliffs behind, it is truly a 'picture postcard' village.

La Rocque-Gageac

With ample parking space along the river we were able to spend some time walking through the narrow streets as they climb through an interesting tropical garden. 

Towards the Tropical Gardens

Apparently, the palm trees and banana plants are possible to grow because the village is south facing and protected from north winds by the cliffs. Of interest are the troglodyte caves set in the cliffs above the village.

Following a very enjoyable lunch, we moved on towards Le Bugue, our next night halt, Les Trois Caupain is a lovely flat site on the outskirts of the town. Again, quiet out of season, we enjoyed a stroll past a farm museum and acquarium to the town centre.

Early the following morning we left and headed north, stopping at Oradour-sur-Glane, a village whose occupants had been massacred by the SS in 1944. It proved a fascinating but moving and harrowing experience. The village has been left as it was after the massacre and it is accessed underground through a museum which carefully describes what had happened.

Late afternoon we arrived at Civray to find the site unmanned and travelled on to Ruffec where we found the perfect farm site, Camping a la Ferme (Peloquin)

Here we met an English couple in a caravan who were very interested in our motorhome. We left the site at about 10am the following morning after chatting again to caravanning friends. It proved a lovely journey notable for the autumn colours. Following shopping at a huge supermarket, we arrived at the next site in Montreuil-Bellay. The site, Camping Les Nobis, was completely empty and was well placed close to the town between the castle and the river.

Following a walk up to the village along a most attractive flight of steps

we walked to the castle

and enjoyed superb views across the valley from the ramparts.

We returned to the motorhome and read prior to a walk up the river before dinner. The next day we were heading for Saumur.

The Lot Valley

We headed south from Rocamadour using D roads until we ran into the D653. Here, we turned left at Vefs and headed up the beautiful Lot valley. High in the hills above the valley we visited St-Cirq-Lapopie, a not to be missed village for anyone travelling in the area. The sun was streaming and it was a magnificent view across the valley

The church proved well worth a visit and we spent a couple of hours walking around the steep streets admiring the houses.

Taking to the road again, we thoroughly enjoyed the route up through the Lot valley turning left at Cajarc. At Figeac we stopped at the supermarket and then moved on to our site at Capdenac-Gare, a town as the name would suggest built around the railway. The site, Camping Municipal Les Rives d'Olt, was positioned on the bank of the Lot with excellent walking along the river to the town. It was here that we saw red squirrel, now so rare a sight in the UK.

The town proved equally attractive, particularly the church in the square which had most attractive staned galss windows.

The following morning we travelled north through Figeac stopping at St Cere - a lovely town with a medieval centre.

We continued on to Bretenaux our next night halt, Camp La Bourgnatelle,  this time on the banks of the River Cere. Again a lovely town which we enjoyed walking around in the late afternoon.

The evening we sat in the sun at the site, enjoying a glass of local wine and reading. The following day, we would explore the Dordogne.

The Grandeur of Rocamadour

We joined the D143 south of Amboise and connected with the A20 at Chateauroux. Though an autoroute, it was toll free so we felt entitled to break our only N roads decision taken when we arrived in Calais. Remaining on the A20 we travelled through Limoges and Brive-la-Gaillarde pior to turning on the D140 for Martel. Some years previously, we had visited Martel and, in a magic moment, we listened to an opera singer practising in the school of music. This time, there was no singing but the town had not lost any of its charm during our 20 years absence. Following a break for a couple of hours, we moved on to Rocamadour. Unbeknown to us, it was the day of their annual balloon festival. This created a problem driving through the town but the added bonus of a superb spectacle. The site in Rocamadour was an Aire Naturelle north of the town.

Balloons in the Background

An open, flat site in a vast field, it was everything we could have asked with the added bonus of being able to see the balloons as lifted into the sky.

That evening we to L'Hospitalet to view the carnival more closely and what a spectacle it was.

The following morning we woke to clear blue skies. We walked to Rocamadour exploring the narrow main street and enjoying a coffee overlooking the vally below.

After a break we felt sufficiently energetic to climb up to the Chateau where we had lunch, Following an extremely pleasant day we strolled back to the motorhome and, with obligatory glass of wine in hand, planned our route for the following day.