On the Road Again!

We have already booked two nights at the Caravan Club site in Cromer and I was looking to extend the trip. We have seen a few vloggers that have stayed at Pinewoods site at Wells next the Sea. I had a look and it's open when we are there in Norfolk. So I booked a night to see what it's like!  A chance to enjoy fish and chips from the chippy in the village. If we like it maybe we stay there again. Thanks to The Frenchies YouTube channel we see quite a few Suffolk and Norfolk sites and CL's. https://youtube.com/@TheFrenchiesMotorhomechannel So we have to hope the March weather is going to be good!!

With Molly the Moho being in the dealers for some warranty work and a (possible) repair to the damage to the rear bumper, we are having to staycate in the car. It also means that we can go away for a few days and so are based at home. The weather has been really poor. The "Mediterranean Climate" we were told to expect in the South of England as a result of climate change hasn't arrived. Instead we have had some really hot periods but not that long and wetter summers. July 2023 has been the 6th wettest on record.... So this week we have been out between showers and some torrential rain where we can. Today we took a short drive to the White Cliffs of Dover to walk the dog and to have a look at Dover Harbour. The harbour under the white cliffs themselves. I dug out Claire's Sony A300 DSLR and charged the battery. It seems a shame to let it sit unused in the case.  I had to format a 4gb compact flash card to get it to work, and a few test shots were fired off in the garde...

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...

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...

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...

What's the difference between a Staycation and an Awaycation?  Staycations are in the UK. Awaycations aren't. I have already blogged these on Travellerspoint and so here are the links.  They should open in a new window. https://invictamoto.travellerspoint.com/354/ https://invictamoto.travellerspoint.com/366/ Awaycations to follow.....

Rather than double-up postings - here is the link to Travellerpoint for this trip.

With one shakedown over and done with, it has given us a few pointers on what to expect. What we need to pack and what we need to leave behind The former is actually a longer list than the latter. What we did forget were chairs to sit outside. Maybe if the weather is a little better on the next one, I mean not hovering around freezing once the sun goes down (!), we could use them and also deploy the awning. We need LPG. I have watched several YouTube videos on filling. It looks easy enough. You just have to find someone stocking LPG or Autogas. There are only 7 places in Kent! I have an app that shows locations. Fairlight isn't that far away either. It's along the A259 west of Rye in East Sussex. It's a  Camping and Motorhome Club  site. We joined that when we bought the Van. They have loads of sites up and down the UK. It will be our first visit to a club site.

The second and final payment was paid to the cottage owners and I received the confirmation and directions on how to find the farm and the converted barn we are going to stay in. I had a look on Google Maps and although the pub is easy enough to find, the farm isn't. It says that it is next to the pub car-park.  The pub car-park is on both sides of the road, called Main Street. Main Street looks more like Main Very Narrow Dead End Street. We have to call the owner a few days before we have to go and I'll do that on the Monday of the week we are there from the Wednesday late afternoon. Still we are going to have to keep our fingers crossed that the weather doesn't get too shitty!

Not heard from the booking company as yet but when I logged in they will take the outstanding balance automatically on or around the 15th December.   I hope that they take it after my MasterCard statement for December is created and so the cost will be on the next one due after 13th January. Spreading the costs! Once it is all settled I can start to look at places to go that are dog friendly in late February!  Still need to have fingers crossed about the weather!   Even though the climate experts were telling us some fifteen to twenty years ago that the south-east of England would have a Mediterranean climate by now, we still have nothing to show for it.   Storm Arwen has recently struck the north east of England and border areas with Scotland and high winds and snow have taken out overhead power supplies.  Some 8 days later people are still without heating and light. Augers well for a carbon neutral future with everyone driving electric cars... b...

Two weeks to go before we set off.  With Covid the owners are requiring extra time to clean up after the previous visitors and so we can't be in until 5pm. On the way up we will be calling in at Claire's sister's house in Suffolk. With it being a Friday it's the worst day for getting through the Dartford Crossing. Leaving after rush hour gives us time to get through and maybe have some stops on the way up. Constable country for lunch? Flatford Mill?    https://www.visitsuffolk.com/explore-constable-country-in-suffolk

It's a toss up between Suffolk and Devon. Personally I am in favour of Devon.  When we went in 2019 it was a long day in the car both days to get to North Devon where we had a cottage.  Next year I will have retired and we will have unlimited time to drive down there.  The Juke is automatic and that will make it easier to drive if the traffic builds up. It has stop/start technology as well as auto hand-braking. I had a look at dog friendly cottages today. Being able to go when we like and not stuck with school holidays means that the rental costs are much lower at the majority of places. With a dog that likes to control his environment and becomes a little protective of the space, I always look for somewhere with a secure garden, and hopefully he'll be able to settle down. He does like to think that most of the area around our house is his territory and will bark at people he considers invading it.  So apartments are definitely out! I have found a couple in Brixham i...

I've not been looking at this all that much recently as it is done and dusted.   All I have to do is look for places to go when we are there. Various dog friendly web pages and apps will be used. It seems that wherever we look to go, the cottage is about 30 miles away!  name i and that's what Google maps "directions" says....

Now that Awaycation Tulips has bitten the dust as it were, I can turn my attentions to planning another staycation.   Before then we have the Staycation 2021 - Norfolk to get through next month.  The possible fly in the ointment is that despite the UK Government saying that from July 19th we are "free" from all the restraints that have been imposed since March 2020, the number of Covid cases continues to rise day on day. We are just under a month away from the Norfolk trip and yet if this gets any worse we could be in lockdown?

Awaycation Tulips 6 marks the end of the planning and the decision to discontinue with this plan. Yep, you read that right.  Trip cancelled. It's is still a long way off but this decision has been a hard one to make.  As well as the ongoing and somewhat complicated relationship the UK has with the former "partners" in the EU since Brexit, and the apparent impossibility that Covid will ever be defeated we had a long hard look at plans. Another reason is that our dog, Reggie, has begun to suffer with what can only be called "separation anxiety". With both of us being at home since March 2020, Claire retired and me working from home online, he is used to us being around.   He follows us everywhere. Anyone that doesn't have animals in the home probably won't understand this can happen, but it is very real. So,  I will have to start looking elsewhere but in UK.  I will be retired next year and so we can go whenever we want. Outside school holidays is fantasti...

Today's little excursion wasn't as far as last week's, but only to Dungeness. Plenty of parking but with extra trains running that far there were many people walking to the pub and to the other fish places along the private site's road.  We easily parked in the parking lot near the station. Spaces are clearly marked, or at least they were, with wooden guides.  Unfortunately, shingle doesn't take long to cover the battens up. We parked anyway as best we could given the other cars. Reggie likes a walk on the shingle. He likes the smells and of course, the rabbit holes all over the estate.  Out first stop was for a coffee in the "End of the Line Café". There was a train in the station and another special came in. I found a table in the garden and Claire went in the building.  It's a shame but dogs aren't allowed inside. If the weather is not too good then it is a place to avoid with no real outside cover. Whilst we were there the second train, this on...

Today's Staycation trip was to the nature reserve at Rye Harbour in neighbouring East Sussex. It's only about 25 miles door to door but it shows that we have some wonderful scenic places on our doorstep. The A259 road across Romney Marsh winds through the marsh and salt marshes from Kent into East Sussex and the Cinque Port of Rye itself. We passed through Rye to the harbour, parking up in the free car park near the old ruined castle. They keep the car-park free and ask for donations. The entrance to the path into the nature reserve is right outside. It's over a mile along side the River Rother on one side to the salt marsh on the other. Along the way are hides to watch the waterbirds from. At the end we had a walk on the beach and I let Reggie off the lead to run around and into the sea for a cooling lie down. After a sit in the sun on the rocks we set off back to the car. I checked on my phone to see if the Red Pig food truck was open at Petts Level in nearby Winchelsea...

Today's staycation trip was only a short one to the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne near Folkestone. We took the 🐕 with us. Reggie loves new places to sniff and to pee. He has been here before some years ago. One man and his dog..... Originally I was going to call in on the way home from a bike run. Instead I didn't take the bike as I twisted my knee on the shingle on yesterday's walk with Reggie and wasn't confident that I could hold either of the beasts up. We had a walk around and then a coffee and cake. Reggie hoovered up some rabbit poo.... One of his favourite snacks that he ias too quick to stop him getting.... Sea Mist rolling in BoB the dog

After the heatwave and temperatures in the high 20's Centrigrade last week and the subsequent thunderstorms that always follow a heatwave, we finally got out for a couple of long walks today.  Firstly to Folkestone Harbour Arm nd across the former railway bridge to the other side of the harbour. And then later in Hythe and along the beach that fronts the Hythe Ranges. Today is a non-firing day and as the weather was dry and overcast we had a walk along the sea edge. The total mileage today was about 6. Reggie currently laid out asleep. I have some photos to add but I am waiting for them to get uploaded by my phone to Google Photos and then I can add them here.   With Google looking to charge for photo the mantra has to be to upload once and use many times! They will appear here once they get their acts together! Back to  Cancer Research Dog Walk Challenge 2021 . I still need some donations.  The link: ...