Another Road Trip .A Tale of Three Campsites.

 A short road trip up to see family in Tarporley Cheshire. We usually travel up to Cheshire once a year, generally combined with a family visit to Tarporley. Generally we do the trip in one hit, but in the spirit of taking things a bit slower and not driving for so long, we decided to break the journey up. Moving to Somerset has added and extra 1.5 hours to the journey, so a stop somewhere around Birmingham, would be perfect. Our first two choices Kingsbury Water Park and Somers Wood were both full. Of course, we had forgotten about the motorhome show at the NEC Birmingham being on this week, so  "No room at the inn", any camp sites local to Birmingham were full.

We turned to our new BF, ChatGP, to see what, he/she/they, ( I wonder what sex AI is?) could turn up? Near to main roads, restaurant or pub nearby, good toilet facilities, hard standing if possible (in case of inclement weather). The first stop she ( it's got to be a girl) came up with was...

Midway Holiday Park, Aymestery, Nr Leominster.

Heading in this direction meant we would be off the motorway and travelling up through Wales, which we thought could be a nice drive. Around three hours later we arrived. Slightly under whelming, as a first impression but prepared to give it a go. We got a friendly welcome and it appeared, we were the only campers that night. £25 cash including electric, so not too expensive. The campsite grounds were beautifully kept, mainly grass with a kind of carpark bit at the top which was also the car park for the coffee shop. We tried the ground before driving Pebble down, fortunately all the dry weather meant it was very hard.

The coffee shop had been a cafe but now served home made cakes, pastries and teas & coffee instead. Luckily we had brought provisions so we managed our own meal that evening. There was a pub a walk away, the Riverside Inn but we looked it up to find it was "fine dining" and super expensive. To be fair, it was damp and getting dark, we didn't really fancy the walk. On the plus side, Pebble's heating system kept us lovely and toasty and we managed to get the TV to work, so all was well.

I think a sunny afternoon would have made all the difference. The toilet facilities were, shall we say basic. A bit chilly too, with no heating, although the water was hot. Also, no sinks for washing dishes. Sadly, the cafe was closed in the morning, so no cooked breakfast either, C'est la vie. As a one night stop, it was fine and relatively quiet.

We left relatively early for us and three hours later, we were in Cheshire, arriving at Shays Farm.

Shays Farm is a well run very clean and tidy site on the outskirts of Tarporley in Cheshire. It can be busy in the summer, especially if there are events on at Oulton Park Racing Track, which is just up the road. Fortunately on a Tuesday in October the site was relatively empty. We had booked and paid on the very efficient website and knew which pitch we were on. The campsite is in a valley with beautiful facilities, there is also a special field with shepherds huts, complete with hot tubs.

Our pitch was huge with it's own table and bench set, with electric , water and a TV point on our pitch. There is a lovely pub The Shrewsbury Arms, which does food, just a short trudge across the field. In fact, The Shrewsbury Arms also has a small campsite attached with more basic facilities. Just up the road is a small shopping complex called The Hollies, all done up as a "Christmas Shopping Event", for well heeled customers. There is a deli and other shops including an up market coffee shop. We browsed !!

A relaxing two days spent here. We had actually come to see family who live in Tarporley, so we find Shays Farm, a really convenient stop over and will be back.

We had a meal at the Shrewsbury Arms one night and went to Northwich for a very nice curry the second night at Bombay Quay . Northwich definitely worth a visit, a small harbour by the canal in town and some nice shops to browse.

 
After a very relaxing two nights and time spent with the family, we were off again. 

The next destination LLanidloes in mid Wales, Red Kite Touring Park. We had stayed there before and enjoyed it. Red Kite  is an adults only site on the edge of the small Welsh market town of LLanidloes . The site is at the top of the valley 3 miles from the Clywedog Dam, it is the first town on the River Severn and very popular with walkers. From the camp site it is a short walk into the town where their are plenty of pubs and shops.

The scenery in the area is stunning.

We had booked Red Kite but there were plenty of spaces. Some of the pitches had their own raised terrace at the back which would be lovely on a sunny day.

Toilet facilities were warm and super clean. We walked into town, down hill on the way there, a climb on the way back! We ate in a great little restaurant Hiraeth recommended by the locals, there were a number of eateries that looked good, catering for all tastes. Pubs are in abundance, we tried The Red Lion and The Angel Inn, both friendly and comfortable. 

If the sun had been shining we may have ventured up the hill to the Clywedog Dam but it was a bit damp and gloomy, so we will save that for the next visit.

Our final stop on this road trip was Luckshall Camping at Fiddlers Green near Hereford. Another favourite. This site has a restaurant and again very high standard facilities. We actually booked the restaurant before we went as it was Sunday and we knew the roast was popular. We arrived on a Sunday just in time to grab our table booked for 1.30pm. We had a great meal and spent the afternoon snoozing in the van, the sun had definitely decided  not to shine.

The site was relatively quiet although a bit busier towards evening. I guess it is a good stop over place.

Amazing that six nights could fly by so fast. Luckshall is another site we shall return to, perhaps in the summer when the canal is more welcoming. A little bit of sun makes all the difference.

Review Bonterra Resort. Two Tone Site.

 Strange how one camp site can have two distinct and different personalities depending on the time of the year.  In our opinion definitely a case of a split personality. In the Summer a real Spanish lively family resort. In the Autumn, Winter and Spring, the place for the "Snowbirds" or "Grey Wave." We have actually experienced both sides of the resort August, April and September and know which one we prefer!

Finally made it to Bonterra Resort this August. We had postponed our trip due to the new arrival our new Knaus Boxlife christened Pebble.

We had actually booked 26 nights from mid April but postponed until mid August. A relatively easy process, to change our booking and Bonterra were very easy to deal with, they just transferred our initial deposit to the new dates. Slightly more expensive in August but we were just pleased the booking could be moved as we knew the site would be very busy. Dealing with Brittany Ferries was a bit more painful, especially to the wallet.

We arrived on a very busy, hot Sunday afternoon. Booking in time on the resort is 5pm, so we thought we would probably have to wait as we arrived at 2pm. Luckily, we were quickly sorted out with no wait. We had an option of a few pitches and eventually settled on a serviced pitch at the top of the site "D8" As we had already paid a deposit we were told we could pay weekly until we left, which suited us fine. It also gave us a bit of flexibility on when we could leave.

We were soon settled in on a large shady pitch.

We actually managed to set up a proper camp with the sun awning out, it was very HOT.

The camp site was very busy with lots of Spanish families and quite noisy but not in an uncomfortable way. The only real bugbear was the road noise, from the main Autovia that ran above the site, in the mountains at the back. We hadn't noticed it too much the previous year. On reflection a pitch in the "B" or "C" row may have been better. 

Sadly for us the first week of the holiday passed slowly, as we both went down with a "flu" type bug, very much like the new Covid strain. Combined with the very hot weather, we had a miserable week really. Once we felt a bit better, we ventured out. The Spanish were very much out and about. The beaches, bars and restaurants were packed. We noticed most people went off to the beach late afternoon obviously when it was cooler. Interestingly the resort restaurant which had been packed earlier in the year was pretty much abandoned by the Spanish except for the odd ice cream. It appeared that the restaurants and bars in the town and beach were much more appealing. Even during the "Happy Hour" the bar was pretty much empty. Following on from the Spanish lead, we had a few meals out in the local restaurants and bars, some had obviously changed hands from the previous year, but the food and service was OK.

Happy Hour and  the resort bar was deserted! Not a jug of Sangria in sight. We didn't mind too much, at least we could get a table.

As the temperature continued to rise, we managed to make it up to the town and have a wander. Even managing a trip to the market where we bought the regulation elephant throw, to pin on the side of the sun awning. I think we need to buy a proper side for next year.

Another bit of excitement was the "glasses saga". Den bought new glasses before we left home, which were rather pricey. One afternoon, having a nap, the glasses just jumped off his nose and landed under his feet, where they subsequently got injured i.e.. trodden on. Just another "holiday stress" event. This for once ended happily. We found an optician in Benicassim, who spoke perfect English. We actually thought we would have to buy a new pair but she said if we left them with her she would see what she could do. 10 minutes later, we were sat in a bar when she phoned to say they were fixed. Absolutely no charge, we are happy to help she said, we were pretty taken aback.

 Brilliant service from Multiopticas and a big shout out to the kind delivery driver who helped us find the shop. It was a scorching afternoon and "google" was not being very helpful! Benicassim is only a small town but we managed to walk past the shop a number of times. It must have been the heat. All's well that ends well. Glasses fixed and back to normal.

  

As we began to feel better we ventured out a bit more.

A paddle on the beach.

A stroll  along the shore.

We could even have had a seat in the sea!

As August became September, suddenly a change. 1st September and within a day the Spanish had gone and the Brits, Dutch and Germans arrived.

Lots of campers looking for pitches and daily new arrivals. The "Happy Hour" got busier and queues for the washing machines became more intensive, bags on the machine hooks at dawn, became the norm. No kids running around the shower blocks, replaced by the "Mop the Shower", brigade. The restaurant gradually got busier in the evenings, while the beach front and bars became quieter. Now it was time for towels on the sun beds around the pool.

Time to move on for us. We had mostly enjoyed the mayhem of the Spanish resort but not sure we would go back in August. A lovely site for many people who return year after year and very conveniently placed for shopping. Nice walks along the sea front and a pretty beach bar which was great for morning coffee. Lovely for a beach holiday, or perhaps for a few days, so not completely ruled out yet!

We are not absolutely sold on a "Winter Sun" holiday but maybe June and mid August/September, France, Spain or Portugal could be the answer, or even back to Greece in September.  I expect we will make up our minds soon!

St Malo to Bonterra Resort Spain and Back

 We were finally off on our delayed trip to Spain. Revised to August probably, not the best time for a Spanish trip. 

We had opted to use the Western route through France  via Bordeux crossing into Spain at Urrugne, with a one night stop at Zaragoza. We had allowed 3 days for the journey through France and had booked all the camp stops before we left, as it was August!

The trip from St Malo to our first stop at St Jean D'Angley was fairly uneventful, except took a lot longer than anticipated. The site Val de Boutonne is on the outskirts of the town and easy to get into, we have stayed there quite a few times. As mentioned, I had pre-booked, the site was not completely full, but very busy.

A slight drama at the entrance however and Pebble got her first war wound! A tiny scratch. As we were about to go through the barrier, an Italian managed to jump in front of us and then reversed. Den managed to avoid him but collided with a STOP sign! Fortunately minimal damage, but not a happy start. Crazy really because there was loads of room.

We had a very convenient grass pitch and spent a good first night. We had managed to stock up on provisions and fuel just outside the town, so we were well set up.

A nice site this one and well worth another slightly longer visit, perhaps next year. The town is an easy walk with bars and restaurants. As it was high season the snack bar on site was open for drinks and pizzas, free wi-fi. Mainly populated by French families with a few other nationalities passing through.

The next morning we were off for the long drive South. Urrugne and Camping Larouletta on the border. We have stayed there many times before. Again, checking in was no trouble as we had pre-booked. This was another very long haul and we would definitely be looking for shorter drives on the way home. The Bordeaux Rocade was busy and generally there was more traffic everywhere as it was a Friday and high season.

It was also very hot, well into the top 30's. Luckily we got a nice shady pitch.

The site was pretty packed mainly with French holiday makers. We actually found the lake which was rammed with families.

Everything was open which added to the family atmosphere. Usually when we come here it's end or the beginning of the season so much quieter. We had a cold beer in the bar and booked an evening table. Sadly, the meal was awful and the steak like cardboard, we made the best of it. With hind site the pizza looked more appealing, still they were friendly.

The next morning, Day 3, we were off to Spain and Zaragoza. As we drove away through France the mercury was rising 39C by the time we got to the campsite in Zaragoza. The municipal in Zaragoza is on the outskirts of the town. We have stayed on the Aire in the centre by the tram line but the campsite felt safer. Full of Spanish families enjoying the pool and the sun it was busy.

The bar was a welcome relief from the sun, a shady spot.

Not much shade on our pitch but we were only there for one night. We had a very pleasant meal in the restaurant and a comfortable though hot night's sleep. We were up early, ready for the final drive to the coast and the Bonterra Resort in Benicassim.

Three weeks later and time to go home again. This time we decided to take longer to drive through France. 

We had discovered ChatGP!! 

What a nifty little tool for planning, it saved me hours of work. Thanks for the suggestion from someone on Motorhome Fun, it works brilliantly.

Our new route back to St Malo. We planned to only drive a maximum of 3 hours a day Zaragoza, through the Somport Tunnel, Navarrenx, Bordeaux, Ingrandes, St Malo. 

We asked for sites with good facilities and a restaurant, not too far from the route we were following. The Bots came up with the goods, giving us loads of sensible suggestions which we then checked out on Camper Contact and SearchforSites.

The first site was back to Ciuadad Zaragoza, much quieter now but a good stop.

The next morning a lovely drive through the mountains and Somport Tunnel to Navarranx and Camping Beau Rivage. A great little site on the edge of an interesting village. The site had been owned by Brits but had been bought by a friendly new French owner. There was a small bar and pizza was available on certain days. Lots of Brits on site some in permanent pitches but all very friendly with tidy clean facilities.

The bar. Very well attended and pizza shack.

We walked into the town and spent some time strolling around the ramparts and looking in the museum.

The free town museum. I could just about work out the captions. How do these small French towns manage to keep everything so up together?

We had a quiet drink in the town square, watching the world go by! 

Definitely a place we would go back to when we have more time.

The next morning we were up fairly early and making for Bordeaux Lac. A site I had on my list to visit for a while.  A large site next to the arena on the edge of the rocade, so quite simple to find. The approach looked interesting. We hadn't booked this one so we kept our fingers crossed that there were no "events" planned there.

We checked in with another van, a huge German expedition van. Pebble was obviously over awed!! 

Quality not quantity we thought.

Just the thought of driving something that size made us feel queasy.

We were soon set up on the site and sat in the bar by the lake.

I think "lake" was a slight exaggeration, more like a collection of large ponds but nicely set up. Sadly the restaurant was closed for a private function, so that night we had to make do with store cupboard staples. We did however enjoy a few drinks in the very pleasant bar.

 We enjoyed a comfortable night on a fully serviced pitch. Slightly noisy, as there was a "rapper" event in the arena, but it finished early and didn't keep us awake. Bordeaux Lac is another site which we would be happy to try again and great for an easy stop over. A bus ride into Bordeaux would be well worth the journey....next time perhaps!

Our next stop, Le Petit Trianon at Ingrandes.  ChatGP had come up with the goods again. Another 3 hour drive and we had arrived at another quiet but well set up friendly campsite. In the grounds of a small chateaux, clean tidy site with a restaurant that was open.

Beautiful campsite in a lovely setting, we were practically on our own in a large flat well mown field.

This is a very well kept site with an outdoor unheated pool, fabulous on a hot day. 

We had dinner in the chateau which was lovely, with friendly staff and good service. Another place to return to I think.

Our final stop the next day was Domaine Du Logis at La Chapelle aux Fitzmeens around an hours drive from St Malo. Another good find.

Very quiet in September, but I imagine, very busy in the high season. Bar and restaurant closed on a Tuesday, we survived.

 Another very well looked after site with good facilities and handy for the ferry. Our last French site for this year😞 

We found a five day leisurely drive suited us so much better, than a motorway dash. Less rushing and more relaxing is the way forward for us.

Never mind, next year is calling, it could be France.  

 

Review Brittany Ferries .Portsmouth to St Malo and Back.

 It had been around 20 years ago that we last travelled on the Portsmouth St Malo route. We decided to give it another go as we were travelling to Spain and using the Western route through Bordeaux. 

We booked the ferry back at the beginning of the year as originally we had been going in April/May. Due to the purchase of our new family member "Pebble", we delayed the trip until August. Changing the original booking was relatively easy as we had booked a "flexi", a Commodore cabin on the way out and a 4 birth indoor cabin ( which was all we could get) on the way back. So both overnight sailings. I guess we had rather a rosy view of our last Portsmouth sailing many years ago and thought it would make a relaxing start to the holiday.

Our sailing from Portsmouth made for a much shorter journey from Somerset and as we were not sailing until 20.18hrs, we had all day to get there. This felt like a good idea when we booked it initially one cold wet January day. However, in reality, it meant we spent the whole day hanging around waiting until 15.00hrs to leave home. It felt a bit of a wasted day as we were really itching to get on the move. 

The actual drive to Portsmouth was very simple and quick, we were soon lined up on the dock waiting for the off. No real in depth checks, passports stamped and we were pretty much at the front of the queue.

 

The new St Malo ship was huge. Boarding was straight forward and we were soon happily settled in our Commodore cabin. Nice big bed, mini fridge, TV and bathroom with a porthole. Good start. The lady who showed us to our cabin  muttered something about the special lounge for our complementary breakfast, as it turned out we should have paid more attention 😔.

This was the positive start to the journey! ⛵⛵⛵

We were actually starving, so made our way to the restaurant Le Littoral on Deck 7. Seemed OK and not much of a queue. We got a table for two but the tables were very close together, so in reality we may as well have been on a table for four or even six. We got drinks and decided to go for the buffet with a main course 28.30 euros each, so not too bad price wise for food. That was before we got the bill at the end, when we discovered our mediocre bottle of plonk, which we thought was 17 euros was actually 27 euros, a bit steep we thought! 

The buffet was acceptable though a pretty small selection, we noted they didn't top up the smoked salmon or prawns, so I guess we were lucky to be early. The main course was OK, a beef stew of some description. After the wine we just wanted to get moving and then get some sleep. The ship bobbed on the water but didn't actually go anywhere!! We left the port finally at 22.30hrs, apparently waiting for fuel. The total bill for the meal was 93 euros, not too bad but we felt the drinks were a rip off. Maybe we should have bought a meal deal package, still you live and learn. The service was pretty good though but we had got to the restaurant pretty smartly, when it was relatively empty.

What can I say about a peaceful night sleep...NOT! What with the engine noise and aircon blowing and doors banging it was anything but peaceful. To add to our enjoyment and relaxation the "peaceful" wakeup music went off at 5.30am as cabins had to be vacated by 6.15am. Never mind, a complementary breakfast coming up, we couldn't wait!!

Eventually we found the mysterious Commadore Lounge behind an unmarked door at the end of a corridor. We should have paid more attention when we boarded. Interestingly, the lounge was packed with people in the know all munching on their free fayre. There did not appear to be any checks on who was in there, which begs the question about "complementary" food and who qualified. The breakfast was very poor quality, mushy scrambled eggs, beans, mushrooms and bacon on a bain marie. Drinks in paper cups from a machine and dried up overbaked croissants and pastries, we didn't bother.

Disembarkation was simple, no checks and we were soon on on the way to Spain. 

So much for a relaxing start to the holiday, we were shattered.

The return journey was much of the same. The parking in St Malo port is dire, so do not arrive early as parking is restricted. As our return ferry wasn't until 20.30, we drove out to Cancale along the coast and spent the day overlooking the sea, which was very pleasant. 

Boarding for the trip home was easy, again no checks. We had been very good and were not carrying any contraband food. 

We tried to get a cabin change onboard as we had altered our return trip and been allocated a disabled dog cabin, as the only one available. Interestingly it seemed OK with an enormous wet room. I was not too keen on the "doggy" aspect of the cabin though it seemed very clean. Den went for a quick shower which quickly turned into a deluge, as the whole cabin flooded. Literally water everywhere, we were sailing or rather sinking!! 😟😟 After a visit to Reception, we were quickly moved to a drier 4 birth cabin, what a relief. The ferry definitely wasn't full and there were other cabins available, C'est la vie. We spent a quiet uneventful night and even got an extra hours sleep with the move back to GB time.

Another meal in the restaurant, much as on the way over, except it was busier and the service poor. We avoided the wine, but had a small drink in the bar before bed time, wine was only 8 euros a glass ( another rip off), listening to the entertainment with the other cruisers. An early night was welcomed and we had the excitement of telly in our cabin.

Would we use this crossing again......NO. Far too stressful and hugely expensive. A drive to Folkestone or Dover perhaps, with a night stop on the way, may be on the cards for a future trip. Possibly consider one of the shorter ferry crossings if pushed.

Sorry to the lovers of Brittany Ferries. This is very much our personal view and no doubt many feel, it's the perfect start or end of a trip for them. Each to their own opinion but definitely not for us.

Review Litton Lakes.Litton Cheney. Dorchester

 We were still searching for a site not too far from home.

 A place to paddleboard would be handy.

A nice pub which did food within walking distance.

Fairly flat camping field with good clean shower and toilet facilities.

Not too far from the sea ( a bonus)

Nice walking country.

Good access.

Not much of a wish list....

I think we picked the site up on Pitch Up. No electric, but we thought Pebble should be able to do her stuff for two nights.

The journey was "challenging", shall we say, down some tiny country tracks. Pebbles super duper satnag, not a patch on Garmin. A few minor renovations needed here. Bring back Garmin. Den coped well, though slightly stressed by the time we arrived. Not only were the tracks narrow with over hanging bushes but very steep in places.

The site was very busy with loads of campers and lots of kids enjoying their boards on the lake.

We were soon set up, cosied up in the corner of the field, by the road. At least it was flat and grassy.

The lake was a major disappointment. Being more pond than lake size. Very well suited to primary aged kids on paddleboards, not so good for grownups. There was a small café by the lake open from 10am to 3pm. It was very busy, we didn't try the food.

The lake was also very popular with local families and apparently OK to swim in. A bit too shallow for us though but lovely for little ones. Arm bands had to be worn for identification by campers, as access to the water was restricted when it was busy.

The café, nice on a hot day and overlooking the lake. The Purple Turtle. Tables must be vacated after two hours.

The saving grace for us was the pub up the road. There was a lovely path that went up along the river to the village pub The White Horse Inn. Very friendly local pub that did nice food at reasonable prices. Needed to book though, as very popular with "happy campers". Lots of tables outside so plenty of room on a summers evening.

Our first night passed pretty quickly. Some road noise but not too bad. 

The toilet block was for us the downfall of the place. A rustic brand new building. Unisex loos, washing up sinks and showers. However.... very poorly cleaned. The site was almost full with tent campers but there was very little hot water so having a shower was traumatic. Mentioned the lack of hot water to the warden who shrugged and said it was busy and the tanks only held limited hot water! Wait for 30 minutes or so, tricky if you are covered in soap under the shower.

The washing up area was OK but filthy, again lack of hot water didn't help.

We ate out both nights at The White Horse so no real washing up needed. If it hadn't hav been for the pub we wouldn't have stayed. The second night we were woken up at around 5am by very loud music. Luckily it didn't go on for long so we did get some sleep.

Would we go back? Ummm NO. A good place for camping with young children, as long as they didn't need a shower!! A nice friendly pub up the road, a small pond for swimming in.

To end on a high note. We unburied our Garmin and plugged it in. A nice easy main road drive home. Where did we go so wrong!! Sorry TomTom you're fired.