Fast Turn Around

Posted on July 20, 2025 by Clunegapyears

10-14/07/25

24 days in the UK for me and 14 for James. Maddy and I actually got on well! I did a lot of cleaning and sorting… my daughter and son-i-l are both messy, well compared to most!
We met up with a lot of friends and saw all the family, which is great. I won’t see family till November.

We had the Easyjet flight from hell on Thursday. 6 hours late landing. Broken aircon was fixed. Then, crew out of hours. Then, another 2 hours to get an air traffic control slot. I guess they thought that our flight was so late already, we went to the bottom of the queue.

We should be due £350 pp in compensation, but won’t forward spend it, as it will probably take months! And we don’t want £700 in vouchers … that would be more trips than we’d ever book!

Arrived in Chania Crete at 1.00 a.m. Cancelled our friend who was due to collect us and booked a taxi. Only €48, normal rate, despite the late hour. Bonus of 2 snoring 5 year olds on the rear seat.

3.5 nights at home. Not ideal, but we are getting close to having had the motorhome in Greece for 6 months.

*New UV vest, as white animals more prone to cancer*

*And all because I decided to prune her*

Out to dinner twice. A short early morning walk with friends. So quite social but a lot of unpacking, cleaning and repacking. We collected Jez at 0900 this morning for the final time from his private parking. Loaded. Had a late taverna lunch.

We are now on an Anek ferry at Heraklion. I was reversed, within inches, between lorry trailers. Now on deck with a glass of well-deserved 🍷. Lovely cabins. Anek really is much smarter and newer than Minoan, whose ship is adjacent to us … feeling relaxed and smug!

Reoccurring Fridge Repairs

15-16/07

We managed to follow the sat nav around Athens from the ferry port and not get lost, for once. Probably too early for rush hour 😊 We were booked into Camper Club Athens motorhome stop and workshop for fridge and hot water on gas, or lack thereof. Arriving at 0730, somehow the gate opened for us. We parked on an empty shady pitch and filled with water. We’d emptied the fresh water tank on Crete as it had been sitting in heat going stagnant. Whilst parked up, the internal thermometer had registered 48C. Blue tack had melted!
The workshop replaced the fridge / freezer component that switches between gas/engine and EHU. Got hot water working … too hot to check heating. Replaced in in-line gas filters. New fridge fans and placed the control switch inside, as apparently humidity is what killed the previous two sets of fan controls. Sorted the plug to the fan over the bed (think this had also melted). Bill was just under €570 and 20% of that was tax. Didn’t think to bring cash. Worth pinning as the mechanic knows his stuff.

With temperatures at 36C, we sat in the shade. The owner kindly did a coffee and pastry run (with lack of fridge, we’d no food and hadn’t passed any cafes on the way from the port).

We left at 3.30 and stopped at a large supermarket to provision up. The camper stop would have been €40 with EHU, so we drove for 3 hrs … parked at Thermopoli overnight … battles and springs.
A small square with houses on one side. I asked at a house if it was ok to stay overnight. Lost in translation, he panicked, thinking I meant in his house! His young sons put him right, as he’d seen the motorhome.

*Ladies, mostly, came out to dance once it got cooler*

With daylight came the realisation that the fridge was no longer working on gas. We should have shelled out the €40 for the Camper Club camperstop to make sure the f’ing fridge was working. Camper Club suggested we drive back, but the instinct is to keep going forward. So we headed for Zampatas Camping megastore, Camper stop and workshop. The lovely Stavros worked on the fridge for 4 hours. Gave us homemade raki and a cake. He rang Dometic who basically said, you’ve tried everything. But he persisted. Problem seemed to be something to do with the exhaust. Have to wonder if the money was unnecessarily spent on a new controller, burner and source switch over the last 2 years.

The freezer was working so we left it on gas overnight. And stayed the night to be sure! Free!!! By morning the fridge was cold. Yay. We filled with water, emptied the cassette and paid €80 for all that labour. 😊

Fantastic Fanari

17-18/07

Brian recommended a beach stop at Fanari. P4N indicated motorhomes had stayed recently, which was reassuring. The concern is that Greece passed a law stealthily, essentially prohibiting campers from parking, just about anywhere. Public pressure had forced amendments to the law. But this hasn’t filtered down to all the police. It is an interesting way for the Greek government to effect change without lengthy and costly consultation periods … pass a draconian law, let stakeholders create a fuss, meet them halfway.

*We started off dry, but the holiday mood* *won*

Up to do Pilates, gosh I ached and was stiff after a lack of. Despite rescinding much of the law banning Motorhomes from parking, many police are still trying to impose €300 fines. I was nervous as I saw a police car cruise by whilst I was mid one leg balance. I mouthed kali mera and got a thumbs up. Phew.

We spent the morning reading the Turkey guide book and doing a few chores. After lunch we had an ice cream and had a swim. All very chilled. Dinner on the sea front was OK prices, but pretty rubbish wine and not marvellous food. The cool breeze was marvellous.

The Turkish Border

19/07

Up at 6.00. No one was around other than the fishing smacks coming in. J emptied the cassette in the public standing up loos and left them a lot cleaner. I moved the van to the beach edge where there was a convenient tap. Breakfast and underway by 0800. Lidl for 3 days’ worth of food. Fridge still working, so some meat into the freezer. 😊
Border all fine, other than waiting 30 mins in our own queue (campers and coaches). Insurance from a super helpful chap €195 for 3 months. A cash point and a Turkcell sim. And coffee and lunch.

*We drove to the Boomerang Bar in Eceabat*

We were here 5 years ago with David and Karen. A penultimate stop for 2 nights after our lockdown 1 extended Turkey stay. We had a mini tour of Gallipoli as David’s uncle fought here, injured, sent back to war, injured. But then died of Spanish flu. 😲

*A walk and ice cream. People have said Tukey is not the cheap destination it once was, but a double scoop was just over £1.*

Fascinating watching all the ships, mostly oil and chemicals. Apparently we still buy a lot of Russian oil but through third party countries.

*Marine app to see their destinations across S Europe and N Africa.*

New Family Member

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Clunegapyears

16/06-10/07/25

There have been no additions or deletions to our family for 23 years, since my niece Zoe was born. Until 30/05, when my grandson arrived. Meet Ben Grahame Hallgalley.

*Meet Ben. Arrived healthy, but sadly with bruising and a swollen eye from the forceps.*

*The great grandparents.* *Dad thrilled* *his middle name is* *his – Grahame spelt* *his weird way.*

*Ben being passed around some of the family.*

*Shocking indoctrination! Our family is into rugby, but Jordan has talked Ben through a few Chelsea games already*.

*No apologies…this is my blog and if I want to populate this post with my grandson, I will!*

*We attended the wedding of Ian and Mel, a truly fabulous day. We stayed in an Airbnb nearby … definitely weaved my way back!*

Mini trip East Crete

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Clunegapyears

Going to Gonies

Saturday 1st March 2025

I’d not been sleeping well, worrying about getting Jez out of his parking. Angles in tight lanes. Overhanging trees. But it was fine … what are a few more scratches!

We parked up at Kalives for me to shop and J to unload the car and fill with water. We hadn’t left the car in the parking, as we realised we’d left the spare van keys at home. J looked when he dropped the car home, but no show. We are being anal about where my set are!

We also had missing phone charging cables. I was sure I’d packed them. But we didn’t find them till the next morning when I went to pack the day walking backpack! I now have a list of everything to bring!!!

On arrival, J nanny napped and I walked.

*Too many stray dogs. Friendly enough but Corrie doesn’t like her bum sniffed, who would! I heard her yelp when 3 tried to gang rape her.*

I visited 2 of the 3 frescoed churches. Only one was open. Lovely 1455 frescoes. The next church was closed, but the bone box storage area was open. The Greeks rent a burial plot for minimum 3 years, then the bones are exhumed.

The Internet shows pictures of the reservoir full of water. Despite only being 1st March, and a lot of rain in February, it is virtually dry.

Roza Gorge

Sunday 2nd March

Thank goodness we took poles. Not a long walk but the ascent was ‘technical’. The second half was climbing. Corrie had to be helped / pushed three times. We did hear one whimper. A lot of it is a very narrow track and a sheer 300m drop on one side. Fortunately, strong barriers or it would have been lethal. But we did it. Slowly! We watched two ladies attempt to descend, all we could hear was nervous cries!

Signs top and bottom of the gorge do state that you enter at your own risk. 😆 The walk book authors, where I’d found the walk, declined to descend the same route, so we planned to follow suit.

Kera village at the top boasts two tavernas. We fell into the first one. It was busy with Greeks. The second, when we walked past, was empty. Delicious wood oven pork, chicken and waxy potatoes. 75ml of wine and raki

The easy walking route was further but so much quicker, passing Keras Monastery.

*The monastery hosts a pilgrimage every September. C12 frescoes were only discovered in 1960. A C12 icon was stolen to Rome in 1498 and the copy was chained to a pillar as that kept getting stolen* too.

*My boot sole just stayed on with the use of a hair band.*

Road Trip to Crete

Posted on January 22, 2025 by Clunegapyears

17-22.01.25

As we had delayed our departure for James’ blood test and a vaccination and a second trip to the Devon house, we decided to travel fast back. We flew from Crete on 15th August. Over 5 months is TOO long.

Day 1. This time when we set off, I didn’t chair dance to Abba, so refrained from driving off the road and breaking Jez! We drove to Le Shuttle via Fanham to drop our aging Merc. Maddy and Jordan have one car and having a second vehicle will save Maddy having to get up early to run Jordan to the station when she is on maternity leave and when the baby arrives.

I was nearly run over by a horn tooting maniac. I had just come out of the Pet Check In at Folkestone and was walking back to James and Jez. It was Tim behind the wheel. We’d had a great boozy night with him and Meg in Kelso summer ’23. Blame the alcohol, but I called him a rude word. The cause was justified, but not my rudeness! He forgave me enough, to very kindly offer us a roof when I broke Jez. He was headed to Spain and Portugal, loosely I the company of some other motorhomers that we know.

We kept off payage, driving past Mons, Namur, Arlon and Luxembourg. Motorway diesel €1.55. Our first night was super quiet near a cemetary just north of Metz.

Day 2 was partly off free motorway, past Nancy and Colmar. Some lovely scenery of snow on the road margins and vast vineyards. At Basle, we used a QR code to pay £23 for the over 3.5 ton Swiss vehicle pass for 7 days, even though we we through Switzerland in hours. I’ve driven Switzerland a number of times in recent years in the middle of the night and said to J that I was looking forward to seeing the scenery. Not to be, a light grey mist blanket. The Gotthard Tunnel on Saturday was free flowing. And traffic was light all the way down.

Night 2 was a rendezvous just S of Como. Sue and Mick and Josie 🐕 had been not far away and had suggested a meet up. Very kindly, they had recce’d parkings and Sue cooked. There may have been a few 🍷 and lots of 🧀 too!

*I found a fit trail, but too cold* is *my excuse!*

On day 3, we actually had a relative lie in. Didn’t leave until 9.30. Only 5.5 hrs driving time. A pit stop at an Ancona hypermarket: Marsala, parmesan and food for the ferry. Ferry departed only 30 mins late. Trip time to Igouminitsa is 22+ hours, so we pay for a pet friendly cabin. Picnic super in our cabin and bed. Single trip €680.

Day 4. Ferry was fine. If long. 23hrs. And yes, Corrie refused to even pee! No poop on the poopdeck. We passed the time with a hair dye, eyebrow dye, pedicure, manicure and beard trimming (J obviously!).
Driving today was a mere 5 mins to a patch of ground only 5 mins from the port. Priority one was to allow Corrie to relieve herself. She delivered!

*Brow dye on … they don’t stay like this*!

Day 5 started a lot later than planned. I’d slept badly and switched off the alarm only to go into a deep sleep. No breakfast and late departure after 10.30 meant that we did not have time for the much looked forward to Greek meal in Corinth.

We need to remember that Anek’s Kissamos ferry is one of the best we’ve sailed on. Big comfy and clean cabin.
We forced down a glass of 🍷 before braving the ferry restaurant. Box wine decanted into a flask 😆

The posh restaurant was actually very good. A decent bottle of Cretan red and excellent service.
Ferry left soon after 9.00 p.m. Arrives Heraklion 6.00 a.m. €721 return. Although Chania closer to home, it would have been €799. Tolls €74.

Day 6 started with Japanese torture. Alarm for 5.00 for disembarkation at 6.00. They evict you from cabins before arrival. So the torture was standing before being allowed onto the car decks. All I could think about was coffee.

First stop to walk Corrie. She was very obliging. She’d only had to cross her legs and tail for 10 hours this time.
Second stop for coffee! The alarm had woken us at 0500!
I dropped J at the end of our road to fetch the car. Very lovely friends had taken the battery back up to theirs to fully charge it … despite the trickle solar charger, which is obviously useless.

J met me at Almyrida beach. We spent all day ferrying all the stuff up to our house. Nikki and Rob assisted with their big car. We met them later for supper at our fave taverna.

June and Karl popped by for coffee.
Jez was cleaned and deposited at the secure airport parking.

So check out what we brought back. We left by air with 2 suitcases! And guess what we will be doing for the next few days … trying to find places to put it all!

Obituary to Tythe Barn House

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Clunegapyears

27.12.24-14.01.25

We had decided to sell our holiday let house. Lots of good reasons to sell:

Last tax year, it made less than £5,000 profit.
We had paid for an expensive repair of over £5,000 for a leaking roof. But being part of a C17 Devon long house with daub and wattle walls ( insulation in parts was hair, as we discovered on the last roof repair!), there was an almost certain expectation of further costly repairs.
We had also had trouble with our housekeeper, who seemed to believe I worked for him. Not easy to manage when one is abroad or travelling.
Holiday rental prices have plummeted with oversupply of holiday properties, and competition from overseas holidays where sunshine is guaranteed.
Guests are now demanding and damaging. Definitely a lack of respect. So repairs and extra cleaning costs are higher. And much more likely to give poor reviews, often completely unjustified.
When we bought Tythe Barn House, we had thought we would retire to it when we were done with travelling. Devon is too wet with too many grey sky months (I suffer with SAD). We’ve made a home in Crete, certainly sunnier! 🌞

Yes, the right time to sell. For us, but not for the market. Every 6th house in Combe Martin seemed to sport a for sale board. We priced to competitivly. And hooked a buyer. Unfortunately, the sale did not go through before Christmas as everyone expected. Our buyers’ solicitor was rubbish, not returning calls or dealing with difficult enquiries. The up side of the delay, was that a) I did not have to fly home from our Morocco trip to clear the house, leaving James with Corrie alone and b) that we got to use it twice once we returned to the UK.

We do absolutely love the house, and it enveloped us like a blanket. We stayed over New Year, and Lin, Craig and Evie came to supper. Then Maddy and Jordan came for a few days and New Year.

With guests, we did not get much time to sort out what we might take to Crete in our motorhome, with an international removal company, or to dispose of items. So we returned on 10th January with the Aged Ps for 4 days. Robyn also popped over for a night. We managed to Facebook Marketplace a couple of items, a couple of charity shop and dump runs, and returned with a fully laden car … quite a lot of bulky but light stuff is now in Jez the motorhome for our return trip to Crete.

Whilst we were out and about, we reflected what a fabulous area North Devon is … when the sun shines! I took pix as I can’t see that we will return to the area. So this post, I guess, is an obituary to Tythe Barn House. No apologies for the number of pix; they are just for us.

COMBE MARTIN