Chatsworth House Christmas Market - Day 1

-
Getting from Ashridge Farm site shouldn't have taken too long as the TomTom said it was around 125 miles to Chatsworth Caravan Club site. 

After TomTom chose the weird route to Ashridge it seemed that at some stage we'd end up on some narrow shitty roads again.

As we needed some shopping, we dialled in a stop at Tesco at Sandy on the A1. It is a little way off the main road. So we went across country rather than the more direct A507!

This meant going south on the A1 instead of north as it's a dual carriageway.  It was only one junction. Which happened to be the A507!! Then we did a 180° turn northwards!

In the end we went into the Sainsbury's at Biggleswade.  From here it expected to carry on north on the A1 to the A14. Oh no...

TomTom decided to go across to Bedford and then the A421 to the M1. What joy. 

At least we saw the massive airship sheds at Cardington to the left as we approached Bedford.  Things have changed greatly since I worked at SIMS and the Capita SIMS at Cardington. I didn't recognise anything. Not even the road junctions!

In Sainsbury's Claire got what she needed, except bottled water. 

We stopped at Donington Services for coffee and I looked around for a supermarket.  Tesco at Alfreton looked a good bet. It was packed. It seems Sunday afternoon is peak shopping time. 

We got  a couple of bottles and then we were off. Of course, going back to the M1 and the main road to Chesterfield and then Baslow was forgotten. TomTom took us on another country lane extravaganza. Some beautiful scenery across Derbyshire and the Peak District.

We eventually arrived around 2pm. The wiggly route took us to the Baslow Road a few miles from Chatsworth. 

The warden suggested pitch 42. A bit secluded with a tap on pitch. It was a former warden pitch. It was okay, but a long walk to the loos and showers.

We hooked up and didn't do much as it's dark by 4.30pm.

The pitch was fine. Parking between the white pegs meant we were quite close to the fence.

Tomorrow we'll go across to the Christmas Market. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts!

Roadtest - Suzuki VZ800 Marauder

-
Image
This road-test was originally published in 1997 on the original SOC Geocities hosted website and transferred over here when Yahoo killed off Geocities. When Suzuki offered to let me have the VZ800 Marauder for a week or two to test, I was very happy to have a 'free' bike for the duration of two big runs to the BMF/ACU National Rally and a Suzuki Owners Club Scotland trip. At the southern entrance to Glen Coe  The only factory custom bike I have ever ridden before was an early Yamaha XS400 back in the early Eighties. It had not endeared me to custom bikes! After a trip to the FIM Rally in the Czech Republic in 1995 with a riding partner on a Suzuki Savage, I had begun to think that although not actually my cup of tea, with real perseverance, these bikes could be more than 'canteen cowboy' outfits. Near Loch Ness So it was with a bit of trepidation that I picked the bike up from Ken Fulton, the SOC's magazine Editor (at the time), who had in turn ...
Read more

Roadtest - Suzuki TU250X

-
Image
(Originally written and published on the old Geocities hosted SOC website in 1997)   With the UK Government thinking of ways to force commuters onto public transport on the one hand, soaking the motorist with the other hand - road tolls, commuting into City tolls, increased in Vehicle Excise Duty on top of another hike in petrol tax, the motorcycle couldn't be better placed to provide personal transport when you want it, in a more 'environmentally friendly' way. So when I was offered the latest addition to the Suzuki commuter range, the TU250X, I was actually quite looking forward to trying a bike that might fit the bill for the beleaguered commuter of the future. During my trips to Spain this Spring, I saw quite a few TU's on the streets in Murcia. Although not as popular as the Yamaha SR250, there were significantly more than you'd see in any UK town. The Mediterranean weather is far more attractive for people to consider biking. Most of the ci...
Read more