Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Monday, 21 March 2011
golden Valley .....or is it a carpark?
Thursday 10th march and its off to Golden Valley near Ripley in Derby shire http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/details.asp?revid=6159 on the recommendation of a colleague at work. As we left home it was quite windy but not to bad,but when we arrived at the storage the wind was howling through the security fencing and the lights were swaying drunkardly and I'm thinking should we go or wait till tomorrow ? As we only have about 25 miles to go sod it we'll risk it.
On the road up to the motorway the van is being blown all over the place at only about 35 mph, onto the motorway and its a struggle to get up to 50 mph which can only be reached in 4th gear. Its hard to get out of 4th but I manage it only after the junction with the A1 where there is a downhill bit, finally getting into 6th around junction 2 of the M18. but anything above 50 mph and the van is being blown all over so I keep to 50 mph to be safe and also because Martine is having kittens in the passenger seat.Although I'm only doing 50 the car is running on well over 2500 revs when usually it does 2000 revs at 60 mph.
We eventually arrive without any mishaps, its a short drive off the main road up a private road and it looks quite inviting, with a log cabin effect for the reception area.There's an electronic barrier so I have to park up and go and check in. As I leave the car .......OMG......no wallet in pocket !!!!
I search the car but soon realise i have left it at home.
I inform the man on reception and also tell him I will return home after setting up and retrieve it......no prob......
What an idiot......
The site warden gives us a load of bumf about the site and surrounding area, and instructs us to follow him to the pitch.
immediately we have to climb a very steep hill where a sign advises caravans to only use 1st gear, but its only a short drive, past the toilet block onto what is described by martine as Morrison's car park !!!!.....but Morrison's is better than this, this is just hardcore and rubble. There's no uniformity to this .......its like they have thrown the electric boxes into the air and where they have landed is where the pitches are. They are just higgledy piggledy all over the place, but for the first time we do have a fully serviced pitch that we can use. Its great not having to fill up the water or empty the waste.
After setting up numb nuts returns home to fetch his wallet!!!!!! and arrives back about an hour later armed with a Chinese.
Martine is not best pleased .......no digital free view reception........"I thought you had checked for digital coverage?"
"yes did , but i looked at that many sites before choosing this one that I forgot which was which" D'oh
After eating the takeaway we walk down to the bar area but the place is in darkness, so its back to make the most of fuzzy telly........
The next morning its Chinese puzzle time again as we attempt to erect the awning for the first time with hopefully this time the correct poles.......
Everything is laid out on the ground and all the parts seem to be there, so we set about the task.....
It goes quite well but takes about 3 1/2 hours which is to be expected really, but everything fits where it should.
On the road up to the motorway the van is being blown all over the place at only about 35 mph, onto the motorway and its a struggle to get up to 50 mph which can only be reached in 4th gear. Its hard to get out of 4th but I manage it only after the junction with the A1 where there is a downhill bit, finally getting into 6th around junction 2 of the M18. but anything above 50 mph and the van is being blown all over so I keep to 50 mph to be safe and also because Martine is having kittens in the passenger seat.Although I'm only doing 50 the car is running on well over 2500 revs when usually it does 2000 revs at 60 mph.
We eventually arrive without any mishaps, its a short drive off the main road up a private road and it looks quite inviting, with a log cabin effect for the reception area.There's an electronic barrier so I have to park up and go and check in. As I leave the car .......OMG......no wallet in pocket !!!!
I search the car but soon realise i have left it at home.
I inform the man on reception and also tell him I will return home after setting up and retrieve it......no prob......
What an idiot......
The site warden gives us a load of bumf about the site and surrounding area, and instructs us to follow him to the pitch.
immediately we have to climb a very steep hill where a sign advises caravans to only use 1st gear, but its only a short drive, past the toilet block onto what is described by martine as Morrison's car park !!!!.....but Morrison's is better than this, this is just hardcore and rubble. There's no uniformity to this .......its like they have thrown the electric boxes into the air and where they have landed is where the pitches are. They are just higgledy piggledy all over the place, but for the first time we do have a fully serviced pitch that we can use. Its great not having to fill up the water or empty the waste.
After setting up numb nuts returns home to fetch his wallet!!!!!! and arrives back about an hour later armed with a Chinese.
Martine is not best pleased .......no digital free view reception........"I thought you had checked for digital coverage?"
"yes did , but i looked at that many sites before choosing this one that I forgot which was which" D'oh
After eating the takeaway we walk down to the bar area but the place is in darkness, so its back to make the most of fuzzy telly........
It goes quite well but takes about 3 1/2 hours which is to be expected really, but everything fits where it should.
But when it comes to pegging it down is where the problems arise.The ground is rock hard and a few of the metal tent pegs are bent in the process so the plastic ones are used but cant be hammered in fully. The storm straps pose quite a problem as well, and the rubber mallet I have doesn't have much effect, but a kind lady in the adjacent caravan has obviously experienced the same problem and lend me a metal hammer which has the desired effect.
Its secured but the pegs are by no means knocked in as far as they should. Everything done I venture down to the office to pay the site fees, where the warden informs me that the snack bar would be doubling up as the bar in the evenings as its low season.
On further inspection of the site its quite clear that people are actually living there, I spot at least 2 taxi firms represented on cars parked outside vans and while I was retrieving my wallet last night Martine said she saw a lot of workers return to their vans with their yellow high vis vests and work boots.
There are quite a few seasonal pitches and the some of the vans are in a state of disrepair with one or two of them with collapsed awnings.
There is a good children's play area though.
In the evening we go to the snack bar come bar where they only have canned beers and lagers but the bar maid is quite friendly and we get to watch Benidorm on a HD wide screen telly.
The next day I'm off back to Sheffield again to watch the mighty Wednesday but that's a fruitless exorcise as we lose again.
Sunday morning and we don't bother with breakfast and get stuck in to pulling down the awning and packing everything away to be ready to leave for 12.......we are informed that we can stay till 6 ........no thanks let us get away.
Its a nice calm day going back and sure enough the cruise control is set at 60 mph and the revs are just over 2000 ,the wind coming down had a big effect on the van.
After parking the van we find a nice bacon sandwich van tucked away by the Harley Davidson shop....very handy as he says he's open every day.
I realise this is the first time we have out with the van and not gone via bolsover or back via Louth......things are looking up
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Telly sorted ...........
I'm off work all week so hopefully I can get the telly sorted. I ring the caravan shop and ask him to go through the whole Aeriel system and find the prob and fix it, I also tell him that if after all it does need a new Aeriel then to fit one.
The only day he can do it is Wednesday, the day i have arranged to go to the caravan show at the NEC in Birmingham.but no prob he says i can drop the van off on Tuesday.
So while at the caravan show I get a call saying there is no prob with the Aeriel,but he's fetched a TV engineer in who has returned the TV and everything is OK with at least 99 channels !!!!
AT LAST.As we are going away again on Thursday (24/02/2011) he agrees to me leaving the van at the workshop till then.
We go to pick it up about 2.00pm to see the free view in all its glory .........
He says he only wants £35(the cost to him for the TV engineer), so i give him £40,cheap at half the price.
So off we go in glorious spring sunshine, to Delph bank caravan site in Holbeach,Linconshire, http://www.delphbank.co.uk/ we would have arrived about 4.00 pm. but a couple of mile before, we come to a roundabout and the sat nav says take the 2nd exit but numb nuts takes the 3rd !!! no prob its given us a alternate route, turn left in 300 yard, we leave the main road onto a single track road,there's a farm house with a van parked outside blocking the whole track. Now what ? I survey the surroundings, there's a decent sized driveway about 10 yards back. Martine is dispatched on directing operations, and between us we manage to turn round a 26ft caravan and car, it takes a couple of shuffles but we do it and are soon back on the main road.We eventually arrive at about 4.30 pm.
She shows us to our pitch which is at the end of a row of 4. All the pitches are hard standing, there's about 25 in total and its quite full with vans and motor homes.
Martine takes Jazz for a walk and by the time she gets back Ive just about set everything up ......getting quite efficient .....
We have brought the awning this time, for the 1st time in fact ....the next Chinese puzzle for us to negotiate, but decide not to attempt to erect it until tomorrow (Friday).
Miracles of miracles the telly WORKS yes get in, back of the net.
We go out into the village, there are two pubs with in 10 Min's walk The Rose & Crown, and The Bull. We go in the Rose & Crown, only 3 other people in.Its a free house selling Elgoods' beer,http://www.elgoods-brewery.co.uk/site/ they have a couple on and I sample both. We enquire as to anywhere serving food. Apparently there's a Chinese restaurant at the other end of the village which has a good reputation. We have another couple and set off to find the Chinese. Its about 10 Min's from the entrance to the site in the other direction. Its by the side of the A17 but to say its in the middle of nowhere its packed, We decide on a takeaway and navigate our way back to the van.
Next morning I go into Holbeach which is a couple of miles away. Its a bustling town with plenty of proper shops and also a Tesco and loads of pubs and take aways. I also find a cash machine.
After breakfast its time to get out of the comfort zone and have a go at the awning......Martine is reading the instructions and directing operations,"Lay out all the poles,thread the canvas round the channel on the outside of the van,fit brackets to beedinding on awning"......"fit poles with hooks into brackets" What poles with hooks? there arent any. Everything is checked against the diagram and there are definitely no poles with hooks on them......so hows it going to hold up ?there's obviously some poles missing.
I ring the caravan shop to inform him we have some parts missing but he's not there, he's at the caravan show until Monday. So everything is packed away.We spend the afternoon in Holbeach, having a good look round and do some shopping.In the evening we decide to utilise the novelty that is the television and have a night in.
We end up at Wells-next-the-Sea where we sample the fish&chips then make our way back. It takes quite a while as we are caught in a torrential downpour and can do no more than 40 mph due to the visibility.
In the evening we go into the Bull and are amazed to find menus'......Why didn't they mention it to us Thurs night in the other pub? We are too late for food though as they stopped serving at 9.00 and its 9.15, have a couple in here, a couple in the other pub then back for pizza and match of the day.
Sunday we have a ride to Spading and call in at the Springfield's outlet http://www.spaldingnet.com/spaldingtown/springfields.html where again it costs' me £100+ but we do get some decent suitcases and a coat and a few other things.
When we get back I notice that the heating isn't coming on but as we are cooking the van is quite warm, later on though it begins to get quite cold and the evening is spent trying to find the prob. It is pinpointed to the pump in the header tank, which when i remove starts working but when placed back in the tank stops when it makes contact with the fluid.The rest of the evening is spent under the sleeping bags.
The next morning its back on the phone to Couplands http://www.couplandscaravans.co.uk/ (we'll be on first name terms soon) and the tell us to call in for them to have a look.
So we have been out with the van 4 times and had to take it back twice, hope it's just teething probs.
The pump is removed ,tested, and they come to the same conclusion that I did......its knackered. A new pump is fitted and we make our way home via Doncaster.
I wonder if we will go out and not have to go via the caravan shop or come back via Couplands !!!!!
I go to the caravan shop and as instructed take with me the poles for the awning,As soon as he sees them he says they are the poles for the bedroom annex and not the awning.
It turns out I have picked up the wrong bag, the awning poles were in the house all the time !!!!!
Sunday, 6 March 2011
More repairs .....
I'm off work Sunday to Thurs beginning 6th Feb so I have to get the mover sorted while I'm off.Gave them a ring and they seem to think its some sort of problem with some pins shearing,and someone is going to ring to arrange a time as he's working in Yorkshire all week.No one rung by Tuesday so i ring them back and after telling them I'm back at work Friday, its Friday when they are going to come .......idiots.They then ring again to say it will be Saturday.this has a funny feeling about it.
The same lad who fitted it turns up half an hour late ........Dismantles the whole thing,changes the pins but it is still only engaging on one wheel.Says he will have to order a new one,but it will only take a couple of days.I inform him that we are going away the following Thursday and I want it sorting by then........Its arranged for Tuesday at 8.00 am,this time he strips the whole thing down and rebuilds it after changing the pins again,an hour later and I'm away to get to work on afters,mover refitted and hopefully sorted.
Next job get the Aeriel sorted.......I ring the caravan spares shop http://www.discountawnings.co.uk/ ........Yes they stock and fit them.......£145 +£50 for fitting......OK ....need a telly ....booked in for Thursday morning.
AS we are going away that afternoon I take the van over early,and await the call .
At about 1.00pm he rings back and says the Aeriel on the van is exactly the same as the one he was going to put on ,and he had got his TV plugged in and it was fine.
We arrived to pick the van up and were amazed at the picture one the telly.He said switch off the booster and look at the difference in the picture ......Booster ? what Booster ? D'oh ......in the cupboard where the main electric switch was a white box,when switched off the picture went all funny switched back on and its perfect !!!!!!! So it was my fault all along oh well you learn by your. mistakes .......i must be well genned up now with all the mistakes I have made .
We get a couple of channels that are remotely watchable but by no means ideal.....this will have to be sorted once and for all when we get back.
The site itself is very good,all pitches are hard standing each one with its own water drainage and elec point.But when we picked the pitch we didn't take into account which side the water point and drainage were on.It was at the wrong side so that our pipes wouldn't reach either the tap or the drain ......if we had picked the pitch at either side it would have been fine.Quite frustrating but nothing that cant be put right with the benefit of hindsight and a bit of experience.
We are at the left hand side of the site right next to the dog walk.One way goes round the edge of a golf course and the other disappears up a hill but is fenced by an elecetric fence,keeping the dogs out of the farmers field and his animals out of the site. I suppose !
The toilet block is immaculately clean with the showers each having their own sink and toilet !!!
There is a shop,bar and a restaurant as well.
After television tuning efforts we give it up as a bad job and adjourn to the bar/restaurant.They have some real ale on sale from the Cambridge brewery http://www.cambridge-brewery.co.uk/ and very nice they are too. I sample 3 or 4 pints and Martine has a couple of Guinness's.We have a meal consisting of sea bass with fennel for Martine and I had home reared pork, for dessert we had Lemon tart and orange sponge pudding respectively,we both had a cappuccino to finish and it came to about £60 which may seem a bit expensive but it was quality snap and the beer was very good.There were only us and another couple in the place.
Back to the van and make up the beds .....guess who's forgot to bring the pillows ....still in static mode,got to shake this off.We have to use the cushions which are adequate for the job if not a little hard.
Next morning after taking Jazz round the golf course i venture out to find the shops.Its about a mile and a half to the village but there's no shop !!!!! just a pub.I finally find one in a neighbouring village a further 2 miles away.and this also is where the nearest cash machine is.
After breakfast i take Jazz for another walk but this time go the opposite way from the golf course where i am advised by signs to keep the dog on a lead as its a conservation area. Its quite a steep climb up the hill and quite boggy at the bottom.The elec fence tails off to the left and the path straight on. I meet someone coming the other way with 2 dogs not on the lead so i let Jazz off as there are no animals in the adjacent fields. As i get nearer to the main road i realise its the road leading out of the village where the pub is situated, and the way Ive just come is much shorter than going by the road but, not feasible for a night out as its far too muddy.
More vans and motor homes are arriving ........and whilst on a trip to empty the rubbish i have a word with someone and enquire about their TV reception ...."its fine with most of the free view channels as well".......
Into St.Ives around mid morning, where there is a bustling market in place. Its quite a busy little town with plenty of pubs/shops/take aways. We also notice a craft and food fair the following day which Martine makes a note of.
We find a Tesco which turns out to be about 8 miles from where the van is and stock up with a few essentials.
Back to van and soon realise that the main reason for going to tesco was to get a couple of pillows.We forgot to get them , so as we cant face another night with a rock hard minute cushion i am dispatched all the way back to get a couple.
Next day we are back in St.Ives and find the craft/food fair.It costs £3 each to get in but that's nowt to what it ended costing me .........Martine found a stall selling pictures,each one unique.The artist is the seller whom Martine insists she has seen on the telly on some crappy daytime prog.Any way she has got to have this painting of some flowers .......75 bleeding quid ......after I'm brought round by smelling salts I tell her to get it if she really wants it.... Its only money. Once its gone its gone!
We also ended up buying a garlic crusher thing for a tenner,some cheeses and chutney for about the same,some herbal drink for another tenner. So all in all an afternoon at the craft fair ended costing £100+ !!!!!
Sat' night we decide to go up to the village pub "the Mad Cat"but have to go in the car so only have a couple and go back to the bar on site.This time is absolutely packed, with most people using the restaurant, but we manage to get a seat.It must have a decent reputation because the people here aren't staying on the site.They arrive and leave by taxi or in their cars.
Sunday is spent chilling....and then its off home on the Monday.
Each task (setting up/packing away and parking back in the storage yard) is getting quicker as we get the experiance of each.
The same lad who fitted it turns up half an hour late ........Dismantles the whole thing,changes the pins but it is still only engaging on one wheel.Says he will have to order a new one,but it will only take a couple of days.I inform him that we are going away the following Thursday and I want it sorting by then........Its arranged for Tuesday at 8.00 am,this time he strips the whole thing down and rebuilds it after changing the pins again,an hour later and I'm away to get to work on afters,mover refitted and hopefully sorted.
Next job get the Aeriel sorted.......I ring the caravan spares shop http://www.discountawnings.co.uk/ ........Yes they stock and fit them.......£145 +£50 for fitting......OK ....need a telly ....booked in for Thursday morning.
AS we are going away that afternoon I take the van over early,and await the call .
At about 1.00pm he rings back and says the Aeriel on the van is exactly the same as the one he was going to put on ,and he had got his TV plugged in and it was fine.
We arrived to pick the van up and were amazed at the picture one the telly.He said switch off the booster and look at the difference in the picture ......Booster ? what Booster ? D'oh ......in the cupboard where the main electric switch was a white box,when switched off the picture went all funny switched back on and its perfect !!!!!!! So it was my fault all along oh well you learn by your. mistakes .......i must be well genned up now with all the mistakes I have made .
So off we treks for a weekend at Stroud Hill Park in Cambridge shire http://www.stroudhillpark.co.uk/ takes us a couple of hours but we arrive before dark and are advised to pick our pitch ........At this stage there's only about 5 other vans on so we find the flattest pitch and begin setting up.the mover is working fine and easily parks the van in position for us.Its getting quicker now and doesn't take long at all.But when the telly is put on the picture is the same ........No in fact its worse than we've had of the two previous times.I try the Aeriel in every conceivable position and still no joy......nightmare.
We get a couple of channels that are remotely watchable but by no means ideal.....this will have to be sorted once and for all when we get back.
The site itself is very good,all pitches are hard standing each one with its own water drainage and elec point.But when we picked the pitch we didn't take into account which side the water point and drainage were on.It was at the wrong side so that our pipes wouldn't reach either the tap or the drain ......if we had picked the pitch at either side it would have been fine.Quite frustrating but nothing that cant be put right with the benefit of hindsight and a bit of experience.
We are at the left hand side of the site right next to the dog walk.One way goes round the edge of a golf course and the other disappears up a hill but is fenced by an elecetric fence,keeping the dogs out of the farmers field and his animals out of the site. I suppose !
The toilet block is immaculately clean with the showers each having their own sink and toilet !!!
There is a shop,bar and a restaurant as well.
Back to the van and make up the beds .....guess who's forgot to bring the pillows ....still in static mode,got to shake this off.We have to use the cushions which are adequate for the job if not a little hard.
Next morning after taking Jazz round the golf course i venture out to find the shops.Its about a mile and a half to the village but there's no shop !!!!! just a pub.I finally find one in a neighbouring village a further 2 miles away.and this also is where the nearest cash machine is.
More vans and motor homes are arriving ........and whilst on a trip to empty the rubbish i have a word with someone and enquire about their TV reception ...."its fine with most of the free view channels as well".......
 |
| The Bridge over the river in St.Ives town center |
We find a Tesco which turns out to be about 8 miles from where the van is and stock up with a few essentials.
Back to van and soon realise that the main reason for going to tesco was to get a couple of pillows.We forgot to get them , so as we cant face another night with a rock hard minute cushion i am dispatched all the way back to get a couple.
Next day we are back in St.Ives and find the craft/food fair.It costs £3 each to get in but that's nowt to what it ended costing me .........Martine found a stall selling pictures,each one unique.The artist is the seller whom Martine insists she has seen on the telly on some crappy daytime prog.Any way she has got to have this painting of some flowers .......75 bleeding quid ......after I'm brought round by smelling salts I tell her to get it if she really wants it.... Its only money. Once its gone its gone!
We also ended up buying a garlic crusher thing for a tenner,some cheeses and chutney for about the same,some herbal drink for another tenner. So all in all an afternoon at the craft fair ended costing £100+ !!!!!
Sat' night we decide to go up to the village pub "the Mad Cat"but have to go in the car so only have a couple and go back to the bar on site.This time is absolutely packed, with most people using the restaurant, but we manage to get a seat.It must have a decent reputation because the people here aren't staying on the site.They arrive and leave by taxi or in their cars.
Sunday is spent chilling....and then its off home on the Monday.
Each task (setting up/packing away and parking back in the storage yard) is getting quicker as we get the experiance of each.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Repair's done
The repairs take a few days but due to working I'm not able to fetch the van until the 25th Jan.I set off nice nice and early,stop off for some breakfast,and arrive about 9.30.
The main circuit breaker has been replaced and a new bracket fitted to the Jockey wheel.This is much more solid as its bolted on rather than pop riveted.The circuit breaker is covered by the warranty but i have to pay £29 for the repair to the Jockey wheel,but i suppose i did contribute to it breaking !!!!!
I don't hang about as I've to be at Hillsboro for a match that night.
As i leave Couplands i stall the car and when i restart it i notice that its stuck in four wheel drive,but as I've the van on the back and I'm on my own,i cant really stop any where for a couple of miles.Anyway once the car is restarted everything is running OK,and before long i.m on the M180 heading back to Doncaster.
This could prove tricky parking up the van without Martine there to guide me back,but it turns out not too difficult as there only another van parked at on side.
so another weekend is booked ,this time at Flamboro' next door to Bridlington.As its still January there aren't too many sites open and i need one not too far away from a train station as i need to get back on Saturday for a match.We end up booking thru' ukcampsites rather than the caravan club http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/ and opt for the Grange http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/t/The-Grange-Bridlington-6153.htm It only cost £16.50 for Fri & sat night.
We set off about 9.30 to get the van.Its quite apparent how much better the Jockey wheel is with its new bracket on.The van is hitched much quicker this time and we're some on our way,and arrive just after dinner.We have already been given the code for the barrier to enter the site and told which pitch to go on.so we find our way to pitch number 15, and soon realise that the ground is quite boggy as there are tyre tracks from the previous occupiers.Also the difference from Milestone is quite apparent.this is just a field with electric boxes round the edges and down the middle.Again though there is no one else on the site so nobody can witness my reversing antics,the ground is too boggy for the mover to work properly,the wheels were just spinning,so after a few shuffles back and forth we are positioned summat like and begin connecting everything,the heating is put on as its quite cold.The electric trips more or less straight away,but this time at the box not in the van which is a relief.on inspecting the trip i notice that its only a 6 amp feed,so that means we can only have the heating on 1 kw.It doesn't make any difference to the temperature just how long it takes to get to it.The telly reception is quite bad,no free view at all.
Everything we go off into the village to have a look round and also to call into my auntie Val's who it turns out lives just behind the site and while there she kindly offers to take me to the train station the next morning.
later that night we venture out into the village.we decide to follow a path that i found earlier while taking jazz for a walk,which entails going in the pitch dark round the edge of a couple of fields but we are prepared with a couple of torches.
There's 4 pubs in the village and we try them all out and find a very nice kebab shop later.
The next morning I'm up fairly early and go for a shower.the shower building is freezing and the shower lasts about 3 seconds before stopping so i basically have to get showered with one hand while the other is permanently on the button for the water.I then nip into Flamboro' for a few basic provisions,bread milk etc.
No time for breakfast.......I'm at the pre arrange pick up place and am soon deposited at Bempton train station which is in the middle of nowhere !!!
while waiting for the train i receive a call from Martine "Ive just made a coffee ....wheres the sweeteners or sugar ?" Ah ......sorry i forgot ....
On the way to Hull another call "Ive made some toast ....wheres the butter?" Ah ...sorry i forgot that as well
I have got to get out of the static caravan mode.....we used to go to Skeggy.....everything was there like it is at home .......with touring everything has to brought with you ......'ill get it right sooner or later.
After a good day back at Sheffield at the match,I arrive back at Hull,waiting for the connection back to Bempton,i decide to ring a taxi to get me from Bempton to Flamboro'........Taxis going to be about half an hour due to it being Saturday night...bit the train is about 10 late so not too long to wait.I arrive at Bempton,its freezing cold and raining.i remember passing a pub when i came to the station this but i cant remember the name of it so i cant phone the cab firm and tell them to pick me up there and i cant set off walking in case the cab comes early so i got to wait......ring Martine ....she not a happy bunny....."Ive been in a field all day no telly .....freezing .....fed up ....oh dear.
The taxi arrives after only about 10 Min's so i arrive back at the van at 8.45 after leaving at 8.30 this morning......
We venture off out in to the village again this time following the road,its not in the dark as much as the other way and its a lot less muddy ....after a few pints of good real ale its off to the kebab shop then home.....
Next morning after breakfast we start packing things away ......so we came Friday ....i went back all day Saturday and we are now going home bit pointless really ......lol ....martine saw a field through the caravan window ....two fields in the dark and some pubs.
We get hitched up and manage (with the aid of four wheel drive)not to get stuck in the mud and negotiate our way back to doncaster where i notice that the move is only engaging on one wheel instead of two.....but we really needed it as there was now a caravan at each side so not much space to play with.
The main circuit breaker has been replaced and a new bracket fitted to the Jockey wheel.This is much more solid as its bolted on rather than pop riveted.The circuit breaker is covered by the warranty but i have to pay £29 for the repair to the Jockey wheel,but i suppose i did contribute to it breaking !!!!!
I don't hang about as I've to be at Hillsboro for a match that night.
As i leave Couplands i stall the car and when i restart it i notice that its stuck in four wheel drive,but as I've the van on the back and I'm on my own,i cant really stop any where for a couple of miles.Anyway once the car is restarted everything is running OK,and before long i.m on the M180 heading back to Doncaster.
This could prove tricky parking up the van without Martine there to guide me back,but it turns out not too difficult as there only another van parked at on side.
so another weekend is booked ,this time at Flamboro' next door to Bridlington.As its still January there aren't too many sites open and i need one not too far away from a train station as i need to get back on Saturday for a match.We end up booking thru' ukcampsites rather than the caravan club http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/ and opt for the Grange http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/t/The-Grange-Bridlington-6153.htm It only cost £16.50 for Fri & sat night.
We set off about 9.30 to get the van.Its quite apparent how much better the Jockey wheel is with its new bracket on.The van is hitched much quicker this time and we're some on our way,and arrive just after dinner.We have already been given the code for the barrier to enter the site and told which pitch to go on.so we find our way to pitch number 15, and soon realise that the ground is quite boggy as there are tyre tracks from the previous occupiers.Also the difference from Milestone is quite apparent.this is just a field with electric boxes round the edges and down the middle.Again though there is no one else on the site so nobody can witness my reversing antics,the ground is too boggy for the mover to work properly,the wheels were just spinning,so after a few shuffles back and forth we are positioned summat like and begin connecting everything,the heating is put on as its quite cold.The electric trips more or less straight away,but this time at the box not in the van which is a relief.on inspecting the trip i notice that its only a 6 amp feed,so that means we can only have the heating on 1 kw.It doesn't make any difference to the temperature just how long it takes to get to it.The telly reception is quite bad,no free view at all.
Everything we go off into the village to have a look round and also to call into my auntie Val's who it turns out lives just behind the site and while there she kindly offers to take me to the train station the next morning.
later that night we venture out into the village.we decide to follow a path that i found earlier while taking jazz for a walk,which entails going in the pitch dark round the edge of a couple of fields but we are prepared with a couple of torches.
There's 4 pubs in the village and we try them all out and find a very nice kebab shop later.
Sunrise at Flamboro29/01/2011
The next morning I'm up fairly early and go for a shower.the shower building is freezing and the shower lasts about 3 seconds before stopping so i basically have to get showered with one hand while the other is permanently on the button for the water.I then nip into Flamboro' for a few basic provisions,bread milk etc.
while waiting for the train i receive a call from Martine "Ive just made a coffee ....wheres the sweeteners or sugar ?" Ah ......sorry i forgot ....
On the way to Hull another call "Ive made some toast ....wheres the butter?" Ah ...sorry i forgot that as well
I have got to get out of the static caravan mode.....we used to go to Skeggy.....everything was there like it is at home .......with touring everything has to brought with you ......'ill get it right sooner or later.
After a good day back at Sheffield at the match,I arrive back at Hull,waiting for the connection back to Bempton,i decide to ring a taxi to get me from Bempton to Flamboro'........Taxis going to be about half an hour due to it being Saturday night...bit the train is about 10 late so not too long to wait.I arrive at Bempton,its freezing cold and raining.i remember passing a pub when i came to the station this but i cant remember the name of it so i cant phone the cab firm and tell them to pick me up there and i cant set off walking in case the cab comes early so i got to wait......ring Martine ....she not a happy bunny....."Ive been in a field all day no telly .....freezing .....fed up ....oh dear.
The taxi arrives after only about 10 Min's so i arrive back at the van at 8.45 after leaving at 8.30 this morning......
We venture off out in to the village again this time following the road,its not in the dark as much as the other way and its a lot less muddy ....after a few pints of good real ale its off to the kebab shop then home.....
Next morning after breakfast we start packing things away ......so we came Friday ....i went back all day Saturday and we are now going home bit pointless really ......lol ....martine saw a field through the caravan window ....two fields in the dark and some pubs.
We get hitched up and manage (with the aid of four wheel drive)not to get stuck in the mud and negotiate our way back to doncaster where i notice that the move is only engaging on one wheel instead of two.....but we really needed it as there was now a caravan at each side so not much space to play with.
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