Bigger is Better!

The Abi Sprinter 400 has gone and we are now the proud owners of a 1999  Avondale Dart 440/4

So what was wrong with the Abi?  Nothing really, but the layout just wasn’t working for us.  The bed at 3ft 9ins wide (!) was far too small and having it made up all the time meant sacrificing lots of space, to the extent that we probably had less walking around space than in the first caravan, the Abi Sprinter 350/2 (which is for sale again, with the same dealer that took it off us for not much more than we paid for it…D very tempted to buy it back)

So why an Avondale Dart 440/4?  We weren’t looking for this model (we were actually looking for a Lunar Chateau 400 with a view to having the front bed made up all the time) but it kind of jumped out at us, and having to make the bed up every night isn’t such a big deal…..is it?

It’s in really good condition for its age.  Interesting layout with an L shaped lounge and separate dining area, bigger bathroom, blown air heating and it’s unique selling point…a fly screen for the door!  Easily pleased, aren’t we?  Generally a more upmarket interior than the Sprinter.  Still no door bin though, we would love one of those!

With the bed made up - still room to move about

Bigger bathroom with a nice curtain to hide the loo!

We now have a combi oven/grill but the bottom door is just a pan cupboard, and the microwave won’t fit in there –  we now have to actually cook things instead of reheating ready meals.

Problems so far?

• A creaky floor…was easily fixed by loosening some screws under the table – spent ages tightening them first though, in case that was the problem!
• Top of gas heater loose…very tempted to fix it with some superglue and hope we never have to take the heater apart but hopefully common sense will prevail!!
• A very small crack in the outer skin by the door…quite common on Avondales apparently.  Definitely no damp on the inside, but will put a bit of sealant on just to make sure.
• Our waste pipes don’t fit the outlets, but if we get thicker pipes they wont fit in our container. We’ll probably have to bite the bullet and buy a Waste Hog.
• Some of the cupboard stays need replacing, but can be bought for just a couple of £s each on eBay

Haven’t actually towed it yet, the dealer we part exchanged with was so keen to take our money he offered to drive 70 miles to deliver it (in his newish Range Rover he paid cash for)  and even swapped our stabiliser over instead of keeping it on the old van. The second hand caravan business is booming apparently - I wish I was a dealer! He had his teenage daughter with him who did all the dirty jobs without a word of complaint…where can we get one of those from?!

It’s a bit heavier than the Abi but on paper it can be towed with ease by our soon to be replaced Fiat Stilo 1.9 JTD, and fully loaded it is less than 85% of the weight of the car.

Oh well, we are stuck with it now and it will have to last until at least next year’s bonus!!

It’s off to Castlerigg Hall, Keswick next time, for three nights – a birthday treat for D!

First trip of 2011

Last caravan trip…mid October 2010…so much for winter caravanning!

We winterized the caravan and regular checks suggested that it had survived the winter unscathed.  Now, with spring in the air, a favourable weather forecast, new curtains, and a new (to us) porch awning to try out, it’s time to get back into the swing of things.

Very yellow curtains!

Somewhere local, just in case there were any problems.  Lamb Cottage in Cheshire,  a quiet adults only site, so hopefully nobody to watch us struggling with the instructionless awning!

We’ve been here before.  It’s quiet and well laid out, excellent toilets and showers, but a bit in the middle of nowhere.

Lamb Cottage

Day 1

The journey there was uneventful, the caravan towed okay.  Still lots of creaking from the stabilizer, but the general consensus seems to be that this is normal so nothing to worry about.

Did all of the usual set up, water, electrics, unpacking etc.  No problems, except for D foolishly thinking it was a one night trip and bringing only one nights worth of clothes!

Time to do battle with the awning.  Two hours (but surprisingly no arguments) later it was up!  Not bad considering no instructions. We bought it off eBay and were assured it was easy enough to put up.  Much better quality than our last awning, although it does cover one of the windows slightly.

Pyramid Tuscany porch awning

Too cold to sit in it, of course, so we drove about a mile to the second nearest pub for a quick drink at the Blue Cap Chef & Brewer in Sandiway.

Decided to have dinner there, but wanted drinks as well so we drove back to the site and then walked back.  Not a very nice walk along a busy road with no street lights,  and no pavement or grass verge in places, but we made it and had a nice dinner and a bottle of merlot (with fish and chicken…duh!!)

J tried to call for a taxi, whose card proclaimed ‘You Drink We Drive”,  but when she said we were only going 1 mile up the road, they hung up! so back along the road we went.   The walk back seemed better, but the drinks might have had something to do with that!

Day 2

A walk along the Sandstone Trail today.  A circular walk around Bickerton Hill to be precise, about 8 miles with lots of ups and down, but no real climbing.  A cold, grey, misty day…not the sunshine promised by the weather forecasts all week!

Rawhead - 227 metres

Great pub lunch at the Bickerton Poacher.  A welcome sight about six miles into the walk with the biggest sandwiches you could imagine!

The Bickerton Poacher

Dinner in the caravan, but pretty cold, so drove to another local pub for a quick drink.  J kindly volunteered to do the driving so I could sample the local beers!

On the way back we drove past a lost looking spaniel at the side of the road, but didn’t think anything of it.  About 11 o’clock J was stopped on her way to the shower block by a couple who had found the dog just outside the site and were looking for it’s owner.  Tried ringing the number on it’s collar, but no reply.  A call to the sleepy owner of the site, but all she said was that it wasn’t from the site and she couldn’t look after it because she had dogs of her own.  We were very tempted to let it stay in the caravan with us, but in the end the couple who had found it took it home with them.

Day 3

A message from the dogs owner in the morning confirming that they had been contacted by the people who had found it, so a happy ending.

Got the awning down and packed away in about fifteen minutes, which was good.  We want something that we can put up and down quickly, and we think we can improve on the two hours it took us to put it up!

Drove off with the caravan door open (debatable whose fault!)  but luckily we were flagged down by some other caravanners before we got off site so no harm done.

Overall, a good start to the year with no problems.

Not a good day for pictures, so no gallery this time!

Lamb Cottage

Pros

• Quiet, adults only
• Good toilets and showers
• Big, well laid out pitches

Cons

• A bit in the middle of nowhere, with a longish walk to the nearest pub!

Coming soon

Nothing booked until Castlerigg Hall at the end of March, but might squeeze another trip in before then.

Bakewell Tarts!

Didn’t think we would be able to get away this month due to work commitments, but thank goodness for flexible working hours!

Had to be somewhere not too far from Mansfield so that D could go to work in the afternoon, so we chose Bakewell.  Greenhills holiday park, to be precise, a new site for us.

We arrived early, about 11am, and were shown to our pitch.  Not the best pitch on the site, near reception and the car park, but no time to complain, and they did let us arrive early.

Unhooked the caravan and D went off to work, leaving J to set everything up, which she did very well.

A lonely afternoon alone in the caravan for J!  She ended up going for a stroll around Bakewell and came back with a couple of tarts!

D returned about 6, just as the onsite pub opened, so just time for a quick drink before dinner in the caravan.  Better than most onsite bars.  Afterwards, a short stroll to Ashford-In-The-Water for more drinks.  Very dark walking back and the wind up torch needed constant winding!

A bit noisy later, with people leaving the pub and cars to-ing and fro-ing until quite late.  Cold, too, good job we replaced the gas bottle!

Day 2

Walked into Bakewell and had a massive breakfast before catching a bus to Taddington, the plan being to walk back to the site along the Monsal Trail some 7.5 miles

A nice easy day, no hills to climb!  Even the animals seemed to be taking it easy!

 

Nice views of the rolling countryside, and it didn’t rain much despite the ominous looking clouds!

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Got back just after 5.  Including the walk to Bakewell to catch the bus, we walked about 10 miles.  We were ready for a shower, but it wasn’t to be for D - they were permanently in use and the only free one was covered in mud.  Urgh!  Tried a few times but no luck.  Queuing not an option for D!

Walked into Bakewell again and had dinner in The Peacock pub and a couple of drinks.  Best beer of the weekend…Swift Nick from Peak Ales.  Chatsworth Gold was nice too.

Got back to the site about 11.  A long awaited shower for D.

Day 3

Homeward bound.

Greenhills holiday park

Pros

• Good location, only a short walk to Bakewell and Ashford-in-the-water

Cons

• Pitches a bit close together
• Lots of space for tents, so probably very busy in high season
• Shower cubicles very small
• Quite noisy

Not sure if we will go back to this site.  Will request a pitch well away from reception if we do.  Handy for Bakewell, though.

Coming soon…nothing this month, then a bit of luxury in a Cumbrian hotel 5th/6th November.  Will try to get away in the caravan mid November.