1260-1261:  Yorkshire with the Margaret and Shirley

Saturday 17th – Sunday 18th August 2019

So good to say goodbye to the Aged P’s knowing we will see them again soon.  They headed south and we headed a short distance NE to meet Margaret and Shirley (not forgetting Poppy and Boo. It was touch and go whether we met them … they’d had to be towed out of a muddy long grassed field and could easily have headed to home to clean up …  They were not be be persuaded to do Greece and East with us this winter .. it’ll be a while till we see them again.

On the way we stumbled on Nidd Hall hotel, where I had my my honeymoon with (practice) husband No.1.  Should’ve known it was doomed, as we arrived and he promptly stuck the F1 on … all about priorities!

 They’d found a stunning CL in Lingerfield, near Knaresborough.  Dog walking in the fields by the site and Shirley was tickled by Oscar’s ears and caught them in full upward motion! 

Margaret grew up not far way and was our guide on Sunday around Knaresborough.

Smiling after bacon rolls and amazing brownie for me.

1262-1264:  Heading South

Monday 19th – Wednesday 21st

A CLs and a free night night on our way South towards Hereford.

Clavering CL.  Down lots of winding narrow lanes so not for the feint hearted.  But so peaceful with the dog walking field at the back, so we stayed two nights and had an admin day.

Then the most amazing wilding spot at Clee Hill Quary.  It was a quarry on and off since Bronze age days, had its own railway and industrial buildings are evident.   It is an amazing mound in the middle of lower rolling landscape.  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/titterstone-clee-hill

Radar station on top. 

360 views all the way round, but a little windy … and another funny ear movement. 

1265-1269:  Hereford Meet

Thursday 22nd – Monday 26th August

Another wildcamping.co.uk meet with some ‘old’ and new friends.  We managed to get a riverfront pitch.

We spent some quality time and meals with Pat and Jim, who we’d shared our Orkney adventures with.  We went to the Bulmer’s cider factory … they expanded and then over extended and much of where the factory was is now a Sainsburys.

Generous tastings at the end.

We attempted a sculpture bike ride around Hereford, but there were so many twists and turns, we aborted and had lunch in the pub!  This statue was erected by someone who survived one of the plagues, don’t know what the benefactor would have made of it being in the middle of a roundabout.

We also watched England thrashing Ireland at Twickenham in a pub … pure magic!!!  Says I!!!  And I did some knitting and chatting with the ladies.  I had an eye check up … contact lens in left eye to avoid reading glasses, working well, so I ordered a year’s supply.  And the sun came out … I think my shorts made it out for about an hour before I got chilly.

1270-1273:  Back Home and Multi-Medicals

Thursday 22nd – Friday 20th August

En route back home, we dropped the e-bikes into the centre of Bristol for their annual check up (service) … free servicing for life from the store we purchased them.  Apparently, they’ve tightened both chains to stop them slipping.  We shall see … not been on them since.

J’s oncologist still very happy with the way his prostate treatment is going … seems she is from near Palermo, Sicily and holidays every year in Sardinia, where we’ve just been.  So good to go.

With Jez on Clare and Chris’s drive, we emptied him most thoroughly and cleaned all the interiors of cupboards, footwells etc.  Stuff stacked up in the Aged P’s garage now, as well as the shed, attic and our bedroom.  They were away again, so had no control how much stuff came over!  Jez was soon to be dropped at Bristol Caravans for his medical – MOT (first and a little early), both services, electric check and very outstanding warranty work.  We packed our bags for what we wanted whilst in our house in N Devon for two weeks.

On Friday we collected the e-bikes and had supper chez Stephen and Kay, our old neighbours … we sold that house last September.

1274-1286:  Home in Combe Martin

Saturday 30th August to 13th September

Loading our shopping bags and boxes of stuff (being van dwellers, we don’t have suitcases or holdalls!) in the the car, we left Jez and the long list of works with Bristol Caravans, Tackled the M5 south and across to Combe Martin to the house we bought last September.  We have had an amazing first season of holiday lettings …. just as well we’d booked ourselves in for the two weeks, or it would have been back to back house guests.

We managed just a few house guests of our own, Sinead and Shane Lin and Bo, Maddy and Robyn.  And a coffee and and wine fuelled evening with locals Debbie, Brian and Annette.  Annette is the sculpture talent behind Cornish Creatures … mostly seagulls and puffins with attitude … check them out here …https://www.facebook.com/rockyandcliff  but she’s just started branching out into more serious works.  I’m lusting after her nose to nose at the finish line racing greyhounds in bronze.

We managed to better our 2nd from last score at the pub quiz, by coming last!  Our team name was Brain Fog!

It felt like slipping on a comfy dressing gown being back in the house.  Corrie settled right back in under the TV.

The new Cool Garden at RHS Rosemoor … I went twice … with Maddy and then James.  Making the most of my membership card for this last year. 

I’m fascinated but the rhythm of the glass blowing process at Dartington.  And being a resident with an EX postcode, I and a guest get in free.

Lots of beach walks … this is Hebdon Mouth.

And Saunton Sands.

A favorite – Woolacombe.

And our own Newberry’s Beach in Combe Martin which is dog friendly.

And the main beach, which is NOT dog friendly until 1st October.

Sunset over Combe Martin.  Sadly the second week saw some torrential rain … our plumber who was supposed to replace the utility room roof, ended up repairing the sky light leaks in his own motorhome!  So the roof will have to be done another time.

Exhausted wet, but happy dogs!

Bristol Caravans managed to do the hab and engine services, the MOT and the electrical test, which had thrown up some unusual and dangerous wiring, but failed to complete a single other task.  They ran out of time, so these were outstanding:

• Fit a fuel cut off switch
• Clean the air suspension filters
• Warranty work on front blind (Adria had sent the wrong one … again!)
• Warranty work on the bubbling decals (Adria had sent some vinyl, but not the back, so they couldn’t complete this)
• Warranty work on the hab door … Adria had not sent all the parts, so Bristol Caravans managed to source a breaker’s yard door and cannibalise some of the parts for a temporary fix.  HOWEVER, it transpires that the door and frame have warped … and we have a resulting crack in the side wall.  All the warranty work has been going on well over a year now … completely rubbish service.  Luckily for us, one of the Adria UK staff was nearby and took a look at our hab door damage and the result is that we need a full new door, door frame …. and a side wall!!!  Thankfully, after a few emails, Adria has agreed that as it is consequential damage, we will not have to pay.  But based on the service so far … it is anyone’s guess as to when and where!  Just hope the temporary fix to the door holds for this trip!
• Oh, and whilst there we had 4 new tyres fitted.

Slightly irritated that not everything we’d asked to be done was done, we contacted Mulacott Caravans in Ilfracombe.  Yes, they could fit us in next week, so we picked up the van early on the middle Saturday and took it straight into them.  They are brilliant!

• They fitted a battery monitor, so I now have a % charge on our lithiums on my phone (the lithiums don’t work with the on board control panel)
• As one of the two UK approved Goldschmidt air suspension installers, they corrected the install we had done in Greece …. moved part of the system so that it was no longer 1mm from a rear tyre … dont’ know how we didn’t have a blow out …!  And protected the wiring with conduit.
• Cleaned the lpg gas filters
• Fitted fridge fans
• Moved the sine wave inverter from right next to the lithiums, where its heat would not do them any good, to under the driver’s seat.
• Re-attached some battery wiring (a bit loose from Bristol C!) and up graded some to low spec wires.
• Installed a fuel cut off switch.