InvictaMoto's On The Road Again!

This is one of my favourite cheeses.  I usually prefer the fermière version but the laitier is almost as good.  Left out to come to room temperature and it tastes so good.

A short update on the last posting about a CL near to the Bosworth Battlefield. I got an email from them this morning to say that due to escalating costs that they wouldn't be taking booking for their certified location this year. It was a bit of a surprise as they are still showing up on the CAMC booking site as being available. This CL is only 3.5 miles from the battlefield. I dropped a line to the CAMC office that deals with CL's to let them know. No reply. So it's back to the drawing board.   I have found another couple. One that's only 11 miles away and another around 15 miles. Again it's not bookable online and so I have emailed both to see if one of them can accommodate us.  Both another with EHU. So it's a bit of w ait and see.

I couldn't get a logo with a motorhome or RV so have to make do with a VW.

So here we are.  Spring Staycations give way to Summer Staycations! This time we are going away for a special occasion. Claire has been invited to the "Guide Dogs Experience Day" at the centre near Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. It's a Friday in July. Our first thought was to check that weekend was free and that we could take the Moho! It is free and she enquired whether we could park the Moho in their car-park.  Both have positive answers! We will have only been back from Awaycation Summer #1 to France for a fortnight and so we need to careful about the pennies we are spending. On the other hand, Having a motorhome and not using it isn't that cost effective or value for money either. I checked to see what sites there are near to the Centre.  There's really only one, and it worked out at £44.50 a night for the three of us. Reggie obviously has to come. Once Claire received confirmation that she was on the guest list, I set about looking for places at a more reaso...

Sadly this trip isn't purely a pleasure trip as part of it is so Claire can attend the funeral of her Uncle in Salisbury. I had planned to get away over the May Bank Holiday weekend anyway. Part of the weekend, Saturday, sees Arsenal at home against Chelsea. A "can't miss" session. So I was looking at Sunday onwards. I checked the places we like and none of them had any pitches free for Sunday onwards. Salisbury is about 150 miles from home. It's a bit of a long way in one day. We also need someone to look after Reggie. He's not the easiest though. We could go in the Moho and see about parking later. The church looks to be near the Cathedral and it's double-yellows everywhere. So when we got the funeral date I looked for a site near Salisbury. The Caravan and Motorhome Club have a site about 10 miles away.  I think a site would be better as there's facilities rather than CL's where we would have to use the onboard washing facilities. So I have book...

Yes. The day has come where Suki, our Elddis Majestic 115, has gone to the dealers in Rye for the last time in our ownership. Let's go back a few weeks .... ⏳ Suki was booked into have her annual service, MoT and habitation check. We had stripped everything out of her that might get in the way when the mechanics need to get into all the tight spaces to check the body for damp etc. Claire took a turn around the used and new vans on the kit and decided that we should see what trade-in we could get.... The figure was pretty decent. We could probably have got a bit more privately but would we have sold when we needed to. She also saw an Elddis Autoquest 175 on the lot. It's a 2019 model. So only 4 years old in June this year. The 175 is based around the Peugeot Boxer front end. This is the face lived version that was introduced in 2016. Where Suki is a Majestic model made for a dealer and comes with unique decals and a silver front cab, the Autoquest is plain white. ...

After packing the van in dribs and drabs over the last few days we were finally ready to leave at 11am.   Our destination was Fen Farm on East Mersea.    Paul worried me en route saying that we were on a grass pitch.  With all the rain we had been experiencing I had visions of us getting stuck on the pitch.  The campsite confirmed that the wardens would take care of us if there was a problem and tow us off if necessary.   We had a good run up to Essex.  Even the Dartford tunnel was kind to us.  We stopped at Thurrock services to let Reggie out for a pee and we had some coffee and cake!  We weren't in  too much of a hurry as we could not cross the causeway until the tide had gone down.  How exciting!   So a good run up to Mersea with the satnav taking us through Colchester.  Once on the island we headed for the Company Shed where I had high hopes of getting some nice fish.   We managed to park Suki ...

I guess there's not much to say about Day 2.  We had an early  start to the day as Reggie behaves differently when in the van to when he is at home. He generally has a last pee at about 11pm and then settles in for the night until getting on for 7am.   In the van?  No. Last pee, then 2am he was up. Another pee. Then he wants to get in the bed with us. Then 5am awake again. More outside activities. So we don't get as much relaxing sleep.  Taking him out on these occasions is a Paul job. At least with the long lead I can stand in the van doorway and let him mooch about outside. I still have to throw some clothes on! So all we did today was go for walks. Read our Kindles. I read the entire Rebus #22 book in a day. The walks we did were to try the dog walk and into the exercise field. We chatted with a guy that moved to the island a while back. He was walking three dogs. After a coffee we went out again to the beach. This time the tide was in.   The w...

We were finally packed up and ready to leave just before 11am. The drive up towards the Dartford Crossing was very odd as the Ohrex Satnav seemed to think we needed to go through London. Even once we ignored it and it kept recalculating it seemed to think we had more than a hundred and thirty miles to go. A quick cancel and reprogram and it cut that to 36! It still took us through Colchester itself. Amazingly the Dartford Crossing was flowing traffic. Even though we planned to stop at Thurrock Services I got in the right tunnel. The left one was held at a red light. Our left turn off the M25 was done easily as there was no traffic in the roadway. What the hold up was I have no idea. From there it was plain sailing. The satnav reboot had us arriving at the entrance to the site just after 3pm. By the time we arrived the tide had dropped and the causeway was open. There was plenty of evidence that when high tide the sea covers a large part of the land.   I had fitted my brother's...

After quite a bit of rain we had been wondering about the condition of the grass pitches at Fen Farm. I did email to thank them for the information pack and to say that due to the tide, we wouldn't be able to get to the site before about 2pm. I added a note about the grass pitches. They replied to say they had good drainage and the wardens would make sure there were no problems. Phew. Then I happened to look in "spam" and find a later email. As follows: Hello Due to the recent rain, we have several areas that are unsuitable for pitching Please ensure you check in with our Wardens on arrival so they can pitch you accordingly  A lthough the fields are starting to dry up, we have more rain forecast, but we will do our best to accommodate you safely Best Regards Gulp. Looks like suck it and see!!!!!

After hitting the books and the apps, I finally picked  Camping de Mon Village of Mantenay-Montlin for the second overnight of the trip. This one is a former municipal campsite. So it will have loos and showers to save us using Molly's onboard facilities! It's also a little more expensive, with local tax added, it's a tad over €14 for the night. I wanted somewhere booked rather than letting it go to chance and this place popped up on the Camping-Car Park site and app.  It's far enough down towards Macon and we can decide which way to go from there. I had been looking on the ACSI website and found one that looked good, but the booking page kept throwing up HTTP:4 errors so I couldn't be arsed to wait about for them to sort themselves out. The site with the them is €19 as the base price but by the time it had added on EHU and a dog it was €24. Still cheap compared to UK sites but that extra is a couple of beers or pizzas! Looking forward to a pizza machine agi...

Today we picked up Suki from the storage and site so we can get her ready for the trip to Mersea Island in the week.  We drained off the water and I ran the pump to get some clean water through the waste water to flush that out too. It means we currently have no water onboard. We'll need to fill up or at least have some onboard when we set off on Wednesday.  So today, we took coffee made in the Bosch Tassimo machine in the Waitrose Travel Mugs and a hot cross bun each!  The drive was about 20 minutes to the parking at Dungeness.  We had a walk over as far as the  Polish Airman's Memorial .   We didn't go far as I started to get a migraine. This manifests itself with flashing/flickering in my eyes and a rather strange problem where I can't read and I can't remember words!  Back at the van I took a couple of  paracetamol as I didn't have any  migraleve  with me. We had our coffee and I went to have a look at the steam engine that had ...

I have been hitting the books/apps today to look for a second overnight stop on the way south.  I booked some places in advance last summer as it was our first trip away in the motorhome. When we went again in November, I only booked the first night in advance and then we left it to the morning to book the next one. The PITA with Camping-Car Parks is that when you book online it doesn't eat into any balance you have on the card, but wants you to pay separately.  This in effect means you have €'s sitting the account that aren't used until you rock up at a site un-booked. As we are planning to meet Claire's ex-work colleague at her home near Sainte Etienne, I am looking for somewhere near Macon on the way down and then maybe neat StE on the next night. Camping-Car Parks aren't that wonderful in this area. So I checked the ACSI book. Some choices for both areas. But the need to pay in full now is a little off putting. I'll give the France Passion app a bit of a bas...

After a trip to JC the other day we decided that we would trade Suki in for a newer and slightly larger model. Enter Molly. The price was right to make the deal. Molly is a 2019 Elddis Autoquest 175.  She is a little longer at 7.2m and comes with a larger lounge and a rear bathroom. What she didn't some with was solar panels on the roof and a reversing camera. We opted for both these to be added as the solar kit enables the leisure battery to charge when you aren't running the diesel engine. The reversing camera comes in handy when reversing!  Suki wasn't fitted with one but she had reversing sensors fitted to the read bumper area.  Although, when reversing, other than off the drive at home, I use my co-pilot to see where we are going and I generally do a manual check first. It seems that one of the questions asked by insurance companies is about whether one is fitted.  Of course, a year ago when we bought and insured Suki, no one said a damned thing. Some companies ...

It looks as though Suki, who has served us very well for the last year, is destined to be going to a new owner soon. After we get back from Staycation #2 next week she will be going to JC for the last time as our Moho. The 115 is a perfect "starter" motorhome for anyone looking to get into the #moho lifestyle. Or simply want to be able to pack up their things, their dog if they have one, and just go away.  We have successfully had trips to Devon for two weeks, to France for a fortnight and later in 2022, to Spain for three weeks. So what will replace her? All will be revealed. You may have noticed the blog name has changed..... 😉

 A collage created by Google Photos.

The second staycation this year will be at Fen Farm Caravan Park on Mersea Island in Essex. We have stayed in Essex before on a "tester" stay in a pod near Clacton. This was before we had a fortnight in Scotland and a week in a glamping pod. More and more places are installing this type of accommodation. They appeal to people that want to camp but don't want a tent or don't have a caravan or a Moho!  Even our local Camping and Motorhome Club site has loads of them now.  A bone of contention with members that own a touring caravan or Moho/campervan as facilities for tourers are now seeing up to twenty or thirty non-members using the facilities and they aren't getting updated or improved. Anyway back to Fen Farm. It's £20 a night and that includes the EHU. It's relatively cheap even for late March.   I know what an island is! What I didn't realise until the site emailed, is that the island is cut off at high tide. There is a webcam so that you can see...

So quickly following up the last blog entry. Looking way into the future to 2024. Has anyone done Norway in a campervan or motorhome?  Advice or links to blogs in the comments please. Our Elddis Moho in 7.2m long and about 2.25m wide. So we need to be able to get across to Norway and navigate the roads once we are there. Getting there? Ferry from Denmark or drive across the Øresund Bridge and then turn left (north)? A trip that far would need us to go for longer than the traditional two weeks away. We'll have the dog with us and so we'll need to find dog friendly places on the way and when we get there.  Tips? Advice?  Please comment. It's over a year away so things can change before then.

Another awaycation already! The P&O ferry was booked for this trip whilst we were away last year. There was an offer that vastly reduced the fare and so I took up the offer.  It wasn't quite at the level of being unable to refuse though! So where to go? We leave after the kids go back to school in early September, and so we should have a children-free adventure in the Moho. Well, that's what I am hoping anyway. Personally I'd like to go to Norway. But with only two weeks booked that's not going to be possible.  I think Norway will become Awaycation Summer (Sun?) 2024! Sun in brackets as that depends on the time of year.  I think we'd be looking at June and maybe three weeks or more.  We'd also need to be more self sufficient by then. Anyway back to #2 this year. Since I went with some friends to the Czech SOC Rally last year and we came back via Fussen and some of the Romantic Road, I'd like to try Bavaria again. Once again we have two weeks.  Claire lik...

After sorting out a few details and working my way through the various books from ACSI and France Passion, plus the websites/apps about overnight stops I eventually checked pitchup.com. For the first night in France after we get off the Shuttle I want to have somewhere booked so that we don't have to start looking for a stop. In the end I have booked one night with EHU at Camping de la Pointe near to Laon.  It's to the north of Reims and easily accessible from the A26, should we decide to take the toll road route from the Shuttle at Coquelles. Compared with many UK sites this is much less expensive. A pitch with electric and with even having to pay for the dog it's a few pence over £21. It's a grass pitch. So we have to keep fingers crossed it's dry! That's all booked so far. I'll hit the books and apps for a second overnight. The second night is more than liable to be at a Camping-Car Park Aire or France Passion. I joined the latter last year but we didn...

What's the /2 in the title all about? It's about an update to the original post about Staycation #3. I have added a third night on the trip. We had a chat with some neighbours in Waitrose this morning and they mentioned they were going on a cruise. We agreed that when you have a motorhome you need to use it.  So as soon as I could I got on the  CAMC app to look for another night in Suffolk. This one is a little further south and "on the way home" as such.  I need to be back on Saturday to go to Arsenal at home to Chelsea. So far. Barn Owl Meadow CL Waterpump CL Garden House CL Now back to planning the June awaycation!

I have been influenced. There I admit it. Influenced by something I saw on YouTube. Claire and I watch a lot of motorhome vloggers on YouTube. Maybe too many to be brutally honest. It does save us watching anything involving Ant and Dec though in ITV. So that's a bonus. This week we have added more subscriptions to our watchlist. One couple, " The Frenchies' Motorhomies ",  have been very good. We have watched a few of their vlogs as they tend to spend one or two nights away and in Norfolk and Suffolk.  We like both counties and Claire's sister and some cousins live there.  The only pain in the butt is that we have to go through the Dartford Crossing to get across/under the Thames! I don't mind the toll, but the traffic queuing each side. It's all done by ANPR but people still can't cross easily. Recently the Frenchies' (and their two French Bulldogs) stayed at a couple of dog friendly Caravan and Motorhome Club (CAMC) Certified Location sites in S...

We stayed at a Camping-Car Park site in the village of Lussac in December as we made our way northwards from Spain. It seemed only right to try a bottle if the local wine. Not being a fan of red wine any more, I have a glass. Claire loves the stuff. It's very nice. Very smooth.

At last. Another upgrade to the maps and the application. It is the usual hassle to download the massive zip file from their Google Drive and then unzip to the laptop hard drive.  On the older Dell it failed over and over. Tried it on the newer but still old Dell and it worked. This is actually the third unit I have! Each time there's a failure they send a new one! Pretty good going for a £69 product. This version had a Google Local Search button. An email to Ohrex Support found that this doesn't work on the unit! The upgrade fixed that. It's gone. 😁  

In the end as it was forecast to be raining heavily in the South-East (where we live) and snow in central Southern England, where Back of Beyond is, we decided to cancel.   Rather than drive 350 miles round trip in the Suki and basically sit inside using the gas and freezing we decided to cut out losses.  BUGGER! I suppose it does mean I can get on planning for the next Staycation to Mersea Island in a fortnight or so. It looks as though Staycation 2 has become Staycation 1!!! Stay tuned. Update Wednesday 8th No snow here yet, but Hampshire has a few inches. Friends near Aldershot had a couple of inches. 

When we planned this trip we didn't expect the weather to turn so cold.  With global warming being on everyone's minds (possibly not) and predictions from the early part of this new century that southern England would have a Mediterranean climate by now, we booked our first Staycation for 2023. We chose Back of Beyond Camping and Glamping because we had been before, last May, and it was a good site. A safe pair of hands to use a footballing phrase. What we weren't expecting was the tales pf doom and despair and that we might get snow! We have the choice of cancelling it, and losing £60.  BoB aren't that good at letting you choose another date.  At the moment we have the van part packed.  I filled up the LPG for the heating and cooking last week. We only have the perishable food to load into the cupboards and stuff for the dog. I guess we'll have to make a decision in the morning whether we are going or not?  If it's not snowing I reckon we go. We can always abor...

A new travel blog was started last week.  I started a new Blog using one of my other Google logins. One that I created last year to use Flickr! It's purely for stuff to do with our travels away in the motorhome, both in the UK and across the water in the EU... and maybe further afield. ;) What's it called?   It's the  TheMotorhomingDevalls.blogspot.com Come along and see what we are up to and where we are going.

Today we wanted to get Suki out for a drive. Since we picked her up last week we have been to get LPG from Dover and then up to the White Cliffs to walk Reggie and get a coffee. So today. It was Sissinghurst Castle Garden.  It's not all that far away but gave us a chance to give Suki a run out to get some miles under the wheels. I have a new Ohrex satnav they sent me as the last two have gone up the swanee!  So I have to set it up. It's still pretty poor locating places based on address or postcode. But Sissinghurst was easy enough to find from the map! The run over was okay. No roads too narrow or low bridges, then  again, it took us the way we always go!! We parked in the coach parking area, it's where over the years there have been moho's and campers park. There's not much to be seen in the garden. The crocuses are out and the daffs are just appearing. After a walk around the small lake we went back. Got a coffee and then had that sitting in the van as we ate the...

Saturday Whilst Claire was cleaning Suki she found a table mat that looked like it had been chewed, and what looked like a mouse turd. PANIC! Not good. We checked all the soft furnishings for mouse infestation and found none. The vents in the floor around the gas and electricity inputs are all wired and covered with a plastic cover.  We left a piece of biscuit on Reggie's food mat to see if it attracted the mouse. Nothing. Something to mention as they do the hab check next week. Whilst they are checking for damp etc! 🐭 The other job was to fill the fresh tank and add the purifying stuff. Easier said than done! The funnel we had wasn't long enough or the right shape! We ended up using an ornamental watering can! Next job to empty the tank and then refill twice. Each time draining and flushing with fresh water. So far we have managed to fill the tank to the top, add the Puriclean, and let it rest. Sunday Drained the tank off and it took ages to empty.  Next time I will run a st...

This is the trip we have planned for June. We decided to go earlier this year so that the end of the holiday should be over before the French school holidays begin.  It's not that I have anything against the French per se, it's just that once they get to a holiday campsite, the inner problem child escapes. Last year we had a quietish holiday until the last longer stay at a campsite near a beach on the Atlantic coast.  Once the families arrived, and I mean families, it was bedlam.  Everyone from Grandad to tiny kids seemed to think that despite being allocated their own pitch to put their tent or their caravan, that walking across my little piece of holiday heaven was okay. Once they had fallen over the bright orange guy ropes to our wind-break a few times it was becoming a joke. We use the wind-break to of course break the wind that comes off the sea or perhaps from the other direction, but also to save Reggie having to see passing mutts and bark at them.  Having nei...

Today we had a run to Rye to pickup Suki from storage to bring her home.  It's a bit early for our trip next week but we have a few things to do. We have to clean and purify the fresh water tank. I have a neutral chemical to do that. So today the drive to Rye took about 50 minutes. We discussed the problem we are having with the replacement left side mirror. The original was broken when we hit a piece of wood jutting out of a hedge. That was three days before we went to France last June. The cheap replacement works but there is a problem with the indicator when turning left. The system comes up with an error. The mirror indicator does flash okay though. Hopefully they will have better luck than us in getting a genuine Peugeot version. Amazingly after about a month or six weeks since she was parked up after the warranty work had been done on the leaky kitchen tap, she started first time. I had taken the dbPower unit with me to give the battery a boost if needed. She ran well after I...