Mountain & Canals

The start of another year of camping in our van April finally arrived. Sadly we are not really winter campers but as soon as the sun starts to stir, we are off. Following a day of cleaning, sterilising, hoovering, polishing, dusting and packing we were finally ready.

The next big question where? Funny really but when you have too much choice it's almost harder. Criteria for a longish weekend.

• Not too far to travel, around an hour, maybe a bit longer, from our home
• A proper campsite, we're wimpy about where we stay.
• EHU if possible, although we do sometimes manage without.
• Hard standing if rough weather forecast, although we are partial to a bit of grass.
• Nice weather if possible, we don't mind a bit of damp, cold and wet!
• Walking country or even better, bike tracks near by. I don't do roads!
• A nice bit of scenery, possibly a good pub or cafe nearby.
• Peace and tranquillity.

We finally decided our first stop would be Brean an old favourite. I did really want to stay at the Caravan and Motorhome Club site at Hurn Lane but at £52 for 2 nights off season, I thought even for us, a bit on the pricey side! Instead we settled on our old haunt Unity, £46 for 2 nights on a serviced pitch. Not up to all our criteria but usually quietish at the beginning of April.

A nice pitch backing onto the golf course. Rather a surreal landscape but the trees had obviously been pruned well. We were so lucky with the weather and even managed to use the BBQ for the first time.

We managed a beautiful walk on a glorious morning, even the sea looked inviting.

Hardy lot, some people were actually in the water and loads of people were on the beach!

We climbed to the top of Brean Down, all 200+ steps ( I did count them but forgot the total!) Then we tramped around and back down by the steep path route. 10 miles in total, not bad for a first hike.

Almost continental, and yes the sky was really that blue.

Our next trip found us back at our old haunt in Crickhowell. Now under new management but still a lovely little campsite.

A brace of IH's, an unusual sight indeed. The site was relatively quiet so we amused ourselves by walking down to the canal and then climbed Table Mountain. One of our more energetic weekends!

The walks were fabulous and the weather brilliant. Loads of wildlife around! Lamb chops for dinner perhaps!

Nothing better than the English ( sorry Welsh) countryside on a Spring day.

From Table Mountain across to Sugar Loaf and beyond. We actually climbed it in record time for us and made it right to the very top! Rather breezy but stupendous views and think of all the calories we burned getting there. In fact the walk through the woods and up through the bracken was beautiful and really got rid of the cobwebs.

We ended our weekend with a little jaunt along the river, taking in the spring flowers.

The following weekend saw us back to the canals. A Camping & Caravanning Site just outside Devizes on the Kennet & Avon Canal, cheap at £17.50 a night with wrinklies discount. Not quite so lucky with the weather this time but nearly! We managed a couple of BBQ's. Great pitch with plenty of room and a bit of grass. April was soon happily settled in.

We made for the water, a 2 minute walk from the camp site to the canal. Turn right towards Bath. Lots of life on the river and interesting boats with lots going on.

This made us smile!

Unusual wild life for Wiltshire.

After a little stroll we needed a break. A handy mooring spot with liquid refreshment called.

The next day we walked in the opposite direction towards Devizes passing through the Caen Locks. 44 locks in all, we were actually pleased we were walking, even in the rain. Rather a damp start but the weather did smile on us and the sun came out eventually. 

Spring has definitely sprung. All the wildlife is getting excited.

The weather did perk up. We spent a happy hour in a local pub in Devizes before wending our way home.The walk back was a lot quicker as it was down hill, the wine probably helped. By the time we got back to the campsite the sun had come out.

Three weekends with sun most of the time, a fabulous start to the year in April 2017!

Three sites all on our "return soon" list.

Tintern Travels.

Another little meander in the Welsh countryside courtesy of The Concorde Walking group. 
Ably led by Paul this week, we set off from The Wye Valley Hotel in Tintern after pre ordering food from their tasty lunchtime menu. We were so lucky with the weather as it was a bright and beautiful morning, not quite Spring but almost!

 The start and end of the walk was the car park a few minutes drive away up the hill at  Whitestone Picnic Site and Car Park. (On the road from Trelleck to LLandogo, opposite the turning to Tintern- map reference 523029) The picnic site is certainly a great one for families with children as there was a lovely little adventure playground there, with all the trees and woodland paths crying out to be explored. There is a toilet block too which looks fairly new but it is only open during summer months.

We set off with great enthusiasm up the first hill, a gradual uphill climb until we got to Ninewells Wood.The countryside is still very much in Winter mood but I like being able to see through the trees especially in deciduous woods whose leaves hide so much in summer. Still grey, but with a faint shimmer of green shoots here and there, spring is creeping nearer. The fields in these parts are very much marked by the grey dry stone walls which mark the field boundaries.

We travelled the paths through Ninewells Woods, boggy in places but easy walking, nattering about life as we went. Ninewells Wood is on the edge of Cleddon Bog a special area of scientific interest. Lots of bog plants exist here that are very rare. Lets hope none of them were trampled by our boots! Cleddon Bog has been described as "the best example of lowland bog habitat in Monmouthshire." I guess the blue super duck on the map Paul gave us, was a clue. Ever on wards, the watchful cows mooed at our passing, we encountered no wild boar....fortunately. The boar are apparently migrating from the nearby Forest of Dean.

Sorry the cows were a bit camera shy.

We continued across the Broad Meend through the woodlands. The conifers in this part of the world are gradually being cleared so the land can to revert to heath land. This new habitat is  being fenced and grazed with Exmoor ponies, we saw a few. In the areas of broad leafed woodland I am reliably informed that the call of woodpeckers, song thrushes and bull finches may be heard. We heard a few tweets!! 

Abandoning heavy winter wear, we trekked on aiming now for the final assault on the pub. The Wye Valley lunch was beckoning, only a few miles to go.

We walked on passed the poor tired tree with no gold in the roots. Duncan looked!

Cleddon Hall watched as we marched across it's fields! I wonder what Bertrand Russell, the philosopher and mathematician would have made of our motley crew. Bertrand Russell was born here in 1872, when the house was called Ravenscroft, a much more fitting name I think. Worth £1950,000 in 2013, this desirable 6 bedroom property with 32.5 acres was a steal for someone, Council Tax Band H.

We soon arrived at Cleddon Falls or Cleddon Shoots as it is sometimes known. A spectacular water fall which looked beautiful as it gushed down into the valley. Cleddon Falls has been a favourite with tourists for many years. In 1840 there was a pub here called The Three Pots. Now as an SSSI ( Site of Special Scientific Interest) it is the home for lots of special and rare bog plants. The spirit of the ancient woodlands is also here, perhaps making friends with the spirit of the poet Wordsworth, who also lurks in these trees. 

We clambered down the challenging set of steps to get a better view and then clambered back up. Certainly  a lovely spot to sit and muse. Finally on the home straight, we wandered back through the trees, you could certainly appreciate why poets like Wordsworth loved this part of the world. With the winding Wye below us we walked back through the woods and found ourselves back where we started. A great walk 4.5 miles said Mr Garmin. A very nice lunch was had by all back at the Wye Valley Hotel a walk we would love to do again.

Here's a map of the route we took. Many thanks Paul!

A Walk Around Wick

On a cold and rather damp though dry, February morning we joined "The Concorde" walking group for a little hike around Wick at the  Golden Valley Nature Reserve. Parking up at The Rose and Crown, a very nice pub on the High Street at Wick, we met the other walkers. Den had worked with some of the retirees back in his Concorde days. The other walkers all looked well kitted up for the hike and were a very jolly, friendly, bunch. 

We set off from the car park under Andy, the walking leader's directions. The walking club members take it in turn to plan and lead the walks. We were heading for the nature reserve at Wick and the quarry. There had been much heavy rain, so Andy had been careful to pick a route he hoped would not be too slippery! Our first challenge was a lovely muddy hill, we were pleased we had the walking poles. I manged to get covered in mud, so a good start. Ever onwards, we passed the rather posh looking Bury Manor Castle Hotel. Built in the Gothic revival style in the early 19th Century, it looked very grand. We skirted the edge of the hotel buildings and slipped through the kissing gate at the side.

Up and across the fields we went, passing some very calm looking sheep who watched our passing with mild curiosity before continuing with their snacking on the grassy hill. Some of the sheep were shaggier than others, obviously a different brand with the shaggier coats and curly horns. The goats have been introduced as part of a local project to help manage the grassland. No volunteers from our group for the post of goat herd, vacancy still open.

Upwards towards the quarry, which suddenly appeared on the horizon a huge blue green hole in the earth. 8.8 hectares of prime quarry land. The quarry continues with the mining of aggregates but is also being developed as a nature reserve. The irony of modern road development aiding natural conservation. We build bigger and more congested roads, whilst trying to preserve natural habitats. Home to peregrine falcons, nesting ravens and kestrels, the quarry is being managed sympathetically and gradually reverting to a more natural wild state. Encouraging the growth of rare species of flora and fauna has become a priority, as we build more and more roads.

The view from the top of the hill overlooking the quarry was breath taking, to think of the thousands of years it has been there. Nestling in the valley in the ancient woodlands, if only the stones could talk.

We continued on the walk taking in more of the natural wild life, the ostrich were a bonus. The strange banging noises they made sounded like African drums, perhaps they were drumming up the sun. Some hope!

After a refreshing coffee break we headed on towards the Ochre Works. Ochre is a fine mix of clay and iron oxide. Red ochre is formed when water filters through the minerals in the bedrock. The production of ochre was continued until the 1970's when the mine closed. Wick red ochre was used to colour The Mall around Buckingham Palace and exported all around the world for use in colouring many things. All the that remains now is the weir and the place where the factory stood. We climbed to the top of Ravens Rock and looked down on the tumbling River Boyd below. We didn't meet any of the bats that now nest here, guess they were having a snooze in the middle of the day. By night it is a place for at least ten species of bats which roost in the tunnels near the weir. One of our party did try the ochre as war paint, it worked too, lucky a bit of water got it off!

Looking down over the River Boyd. "There's signal crayfish in them waters!", it was too cold to investigate further. Daubenton Bats skim the waters at night.

Here is Ravens Rock, peregrine falcons have nested here for the last 10 years. No signs today yet.

We continued back down the path. A strange man watched through the trees with half an eye on the interlopers as they passed by. 

Down through the magical red glen with red ochre on our boots. Perhaps following in the footsteps of the miners of long ago wending their way back to the pub after a long days labour in the mine.  Certainly an interesting couple of hours and a walk we may try again on another day. We made it back to the cosy log burner in the Rose and Crown, the heavens opened and it poured with rally heavy rain. The wood spirits were certainly on our side.

Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays from The Camping and Caravanning Club. Our Tailor Made Tour. Getting Ready.

Well, we have finally bitten the bullet and booked the holiday.

Courtesy of Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays from The Camping and Caravanning Club. Tailor Made. We are finally going back to Africa and can't wait. Following my last blog of our experience of the presentations days run by the Camping and Caravanning Club, we have booked and confirmed our trip. Unfortunately, we missed the escorted tour, which was fully booked, so we decided to do a tailor made and go on our own. I must admit I was rather apprehensive about setting off on an African tour just with Den, but after a bit more thought we decided we could do it. Positive thinking then. Let's hope!! After all we have been to Africa twice before and survived uneaten.

 As we will not quite have the same backup as an escorted tour we decided to book a 4 wheel drive vehicle with a roof tent. The roads in South Africa are generally very good but we thought on the Namibian leg of the journey a 4 x 4 would be better and we will carry 2 spare wheels. We liked the idea of sleeping in a roof tent, up high away from any crawly creatures. This is the vehicle for the trip from Bobo Campers 4 x 4 . We won't have our own loo and shower but as we are staying on fully serviced sites we thought we would be OK. We could have had a "proper " camper which would suit a lot of people, but we managed well last time without and we could venture on rougher roads with a 4 X 4.

Just hope we can cope with this, should be cosy.

 We will be carrying 2 tents so we have a choice and a spare in case of emergencies or we could have a tent each! As we are doing a one way trip we had to carry both tents. We have been supplied with a comprehensive list of equipment so we won't need to bring anything except personal bits and clothes.

Here we are on our last trip at Victoria Falls. Pretty dry as it turned out but still very impressive. Looking forward to going back to Zimbabwe for another look. 

On the road in the Kruger on our first Africa trip, we were really lucky with our animal sightings. Managed to spot 4 of the big five, only missed out on the elusive leopard.

Running for the gate in the Kruger. You have to be out by sundown or 6.30 pm if you are on a day ticket. We just made it!.

 We were so lucky to spot these African Wild dogs in Botswana. They look so cute but we stayed firmly in the vehicle behind glass, especially as they had puppies with them.Look at the teeth.

We will this time only be staying on fenced proper campsites, so in theory we should be safe without an escort. All the campsites will be booked by the C&CC and we decided to follow the same route they use for their tour. We have also booked two excursions, a day trip to be re acquainted with Vic Falls and a sunset trip......somewhere in the Caprivi strip! We are starting our adventure in Johannesburg and spending a weekend with Den's sister and her husband, our partners in crime on the last adventure. We are then travelling up to the Kruger for a few days, then up through Botswana through the Caprivi strip and into Namibia. A few days in Etosha followed by a meander down the coast, through the desert over a few sand dunes and back to Cape Town. I stuck out for a couple of nights in a boutique hotel at the end with a proper bed and shower! In all the trip will be an epic ( for us) adventure, of 40 nights away. Checking out the campsites we will be staying on, they all seem relatively civilised, we hope. Most of the sites also have restaurants or food outlets so hopefully we won't starve. We are looking forward to trying out some local supermarkets so we can cook ourselves when we want to.

Here's our proposed route, covering four countries. South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, around 3,500 miles. We have opted to take our own Sat Nav with Tracks for Africa loaded, we have got some maps but should get further directions for the campsites from Bobo Campers. We will pick up a local Sim for the phone and a data Sim for the mi -fi as we will take a mini lap top. With any luck I may be able to write the blog on the hoof.  

Well, we have had all our jabs ( only typhoid needed this time) everything else is in date. Decided we didn't really need rabies, lets hope we don't get too near to wild dogs or bats. Money sorted, we will take mainly South African Rand ( which you can also use in Namibia) a few Pula, left over from the last Botswana trip, some American Dollars for emergencies and the trusty debit and credit cards, there are ATM's in Africa. As we are going into the malaria zone, we have got a supply of Malarone tablets 30 days worth each. Some were left over from the last trip and I managed to get a new supply from Asda, no prescription needed, you do a questionaire with the pharmacist and they were on special offer at only £1.30 a tablet, a bargain! Travel insurance worldwide courtesy of Nat West Black Account, so we're sorted. We are booked on a 747 this time for the 12 hour flight from Heathrow. We have booked two seats in a block of two so the flight may be a bit more comfy. Just a coach trip to the airport to sort out and we're done.

The Camping and Caravan Club Worldwide dealt with all the bookings including the flights. When the flights were booked we were sent the details so we could book and pay for extras like booking specific  seats, which we did. We were able to tweak the route as much as we wanted but we pretty much stayed with the club recommended route as it's our first solo trip. The lovely Tracy from the club was so patient with us dealing with all our queries very efficiently. She also booked a hotel of our choice in Cape Town recommended by a friend Derwent House Boutique Hotel . Everything is paid for in advance, a deposit on booking and the rest 12 weeks before we go. We thought the prices were very reasonable. The only extras we need to pay for are food, fuel, road tolls and national park fees. Out with the trusty credit card a and a few more points to add to our Tesco vouchers for the Eurotunnel, great recycling!

 Roll on the Autumn. By the way Den, you are not allowed to pack until a week before the trip!!