28 Jun 2010

Watching the boats go by – Whitchurch

A new site for us, quite close to home.  Whitchurch is on the Shropshire / Cheshire border.  Good reviews on UK Campsite.

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A bit of a scare on the way there as we encountered the dreaded low bridge sign! Was about six foot higher than the caravan but D didn’t want to take any chances! A quick diversion added about half an hour to our journey, but apart from that it was uneventful.  Stabilizer still squeaking!

On arrival we were towed on to our pitch by the owner as it was on a bit of a hill so no embarrassing display of reversing! Owners very friendly.

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Very secure site, as they do caravan storage as well, but made it seem a bit like a compound!  No showers after 9.30pm and it’s the hottest weekend of the year!!!  Also, the showers cost 50p which we haven’t encountered since our camping days. After you put in the money you have 2 minutes to lock the door and get undressed.  Not good in the colder months if you have lots of layers on!  They’re timed too, so abruptly shut off after a few minutes – better rinse that soap off quick!  Was a bit of a pain making sure we had enough 50p coins.

They are very big on recycling here.  They don’t have a main rubbish bin, just a series of recycling ones.  Even food waste must be wrapped in newspaper and put in separately.  Anything else goes in a ‘burnable waste’ bin.  The low pitch fee (£14 a night) is because they don’t get charged to have massive bins of rubbish taken away.  It’s a shame other sites can’t do this as the fees for some are getting quite high.

Nice site in spite of the strict rules! Lots of ducks and rabbits about.  Threw a piece of bread to one duck, and the next thing about 10 of them came running over squawking!

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A stroll of about 30 mins to the pub at Willeymoor Lock for the obligatory Friday afternoon drink, but it was shut!  Sat in the sun by the water for about 45 mins until it opened at 6pm

The pub is adjacent to a lock, so we watched a few boats go through.  D very impressed with the pub.  Ludlow Best a very nice beer.

Image0190D’s third pint. Don’t be fooled by the contented look on his face - he was starting to worry about getting back for his shower before the 9.30pm curfew

Day 2

A nice walk into Whitchurch along the canal tow path, but there isn’t much to do there, especially when the temperature is in the 80s.  A nice walk nonetheless. Got some treats in Tesco and had a picnic in the park under a large tree.

IMG_0299 Wide enough for bikes – shame we left ours at home!

On the way back we sat outside a cafe at Grindley Lock with an ice cream and picked up the obligatory fridge magnet.  Here they have the famous ‘Staircase Lock’ – a series of locks very close to one another.  It’s looks quite complicated as you have to empty them in a certain order.  Was great fun watching people go in and out of them.  There is also a caravan site alongside it so will check that out for another visit, as the canal path is wide enough to ride a bike on.

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Staircase Lock

Back to the pub at Willeymoor Lock in the evening for more drinks.  Had to leave at 9.30 because D was worried about being stranded in the dark on the tow path.  Passed many people sitting on their boats enjoying the evening air, felt a bit jealous so we are hoping to have a go ourselves next year!

Time to go

Left very early the next morning, not really much else to do.  A very short journey back to the storage place.

Pros

  • Close to home so not a long journey
  • Alongside the canal
  • Only £14 per night

Cons

  • No showers after 9.30pm and are charged for
  • Near a busy road

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