19 Apr 2011

Windermere

Our second weekend away in a row, we are certainly making the most of the new caravan and the nice weather!  Windermere this time, to the huge C&CC site.

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Probably our most visited site, it’s easy to get to and has the best toilets/showers bar none.

Friday 15th

Arrived early and managed to get a pitch in the bit of the site we like best.  After a very  average display of reversing skills we quickly got set up, including the awning which seems to almost put itself up now!

Staveley is about a mile and a half away across fields, and is a nice afternoon walk.  Ended up in the Eagle and Child and stayed for a pint or four, and dinner.  A new beer mat for D’s collection.

D’s foot very sore and a bit swollen for no apparent reason.

Oh no, a man in the ladies toilets!!  Cleaning them at about 10pm.  If there is one negative about this site, it is that they clean the toilets between 10pm and 11pm, which we find a bit inconvenient.

Saturday 16th

D’s foot worse!  Hardly able to walk!!

Undaunted, it’s off to Grasmere for a not too strenuous hobble up Silver How, 394 metres.  Lots of cloud cover today.

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Made it to the top

More pics in the gallery, and D is quite pleased with some of them for a change.

Coming down was a bit of a struggle over loose scree and then wet grass, especially for D with his rapidly worsening foot!  Discovered later that we had missed the much easier path!

Tea and a scone for D in Grasmere afterwards, but no scone for J as they didn’t have any plain ones!  Then a stroll around Grasmere and a quick pint in Tweedies Bar.

Back at the caravan we thought we would sit outside and enjoy the sunshine for a while.

What would you rather listen to on a nice sunny afternoon…a) birds singing; b) sheep baaing; c) Manchester City v Manchester United commentary from the caravan next door?

I know a lot of footie fans would opt for c) but we thought a) and b) would be nice, so went for a stroll in the fields instead!

Dinner at the Watermill Inn.  A nice looking pub, good food, lots of different beers, but uncomfortably hot inside and no windows that could be opened.  Especially for D, whose foot was throbbing by now.  We left after dinner and went back to the caravan to lick our wounds.  Not before grabbing another couple of beermats, though, making a total of four this weekend.  There is some debate as to where this fine collection should be displayed, with D favouring the living room and J not!

Sunday 17th

Set off early, which meant J could listen to the whole of the Archer’s omnibus on radio 4 (a going home ritual, but she normally misses the first fifteen minutes or so because we take so long packing everything away).

No problem getting home and no problems with the caravan this weekend...hurrah!

***NEW FEATURE***

Best beer of the weekend – Tiffin Gold in the Eagle and Child, Staveley

***

Coming soon

Nothing planned over Easter and the multitude of bank holidays, then somewhere nearer to home early in May, maybe.

PS…D’s foot is almost better now, but still no idea what caused it!!

12 Apr 2011

No more lamb shanks for us!

We stayed at the C&CC site in Bala a couple of years ago and quite liked it, although not enough to return until now

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There’s nothing much wrong with it.  It’s quite small, quiet, good toilets and showers (during the day, at least…more about this later!).  The major downside for us is that there is no pub within walking distance.

A good weather forecast and everywhere else fully booked, we thought we would give it another go.

Day 1

Lots of traffic meant the journey took longer than it should have and we arrived about 2.30pm.  Very friendly wardens who directed us to drive over the grass and straight into our pitch…no reversing needed, hurrah.

The awning took much less time to put up this time, and fits this caravan much better than the old one.

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4pm.  Normally we would be heading for the nearest pub now!  Instead, a much healthier stroll down the lane and into some fields to look at the sheep.

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Eat this?  No thanks, no more lamb for us!

Back at the site, our first BBQ of the year.  Pretty successful, although we started a bit late and ended up in a race against time with the light fading fast.

Day 2

Up early(ish) and off to Bala for a gentle walk up a hill to the north of Llyn Tegid, aka Bala lake.  A chance for D to break in his new boots.  First though, a trip into the town to buy sun tan lotion – a very hot day forecasted

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Top of Moel y Garnedd, 360 mtrs

Got back to the caravan early in the afternoon and lounged around, reading, drinking, dozing.  J listened to the Grand National on the internet and won £95!

Another BBQ tonight, but no meat this time.  Just salmon accompanied by new potatoes and salad.  According to D the best BBQ ever.

And so to the rather unsavoury discovery about the toilets!  Nothing to do with cleanliness or having to wait.  The otherwise excellent toilet block has velux windows in the roof, but if you look up at night expecting to see stars you will be in for a shock.  Instead all you can see is a very clear reflection of the next toilet.  Unoccupied, fortunately!  So be warned, pick your cubicle carefully.

Day 3

A smell of gas in the awning in the morning, and a quick look inside the gas locker revealed a perished hose.  Something else to fix.  Oh well, at least no water leaks this time.

Lots of traffic on the way home, too.

Bala C&CC site

Pros

  • Quiet
  • Friendly wardens
  • Good toilets and showers (during the daytime, at least)

Cons

  • Some road noise from A494 (lots of motorbikes racing up and down all day)
  • No pub within walking distance

Coming soon

Windermere C&CC site next, then a break of a couple of weeks over Easter…left it too late to book so full up.