Category: Uncategorized

Thursday 25th May

The big day has arrived, if we’re not ready we will never be. 

We left home at 3pm and headed for Junction 10 of the M6, apart from the stop start of school run traffic and the slow negotiation of Spaghetti Junction we made reasonable progress. I kept the speed to around 60mph where we cruised along nicely and soon made it to the M11 which again was a problem traffic wise, we turned off onto theA106 where we found a rest area and stopped for a break, we had done 146 miles.

I’d packed a selection of Aldi’s delights purchased earlier in the day and we tucked into a very pleasant picnic with a brew of coffee, we stayed  there from 18.10 to 18.55 and then made our way on to Harwich arriving at 20.00 covering a total of 194 miles.

I re filled with fuel on arrival, very cheap £112.7 per litre, bought 28 litres to fill back up, I doubt at the moment that my figures are correct but that would mean we had averaged 32.5 mpg.

We eventually found ourselves one of the last on board, but we were on the lower deck so it was easy driving on. After a liquid supper we retired to our cabin which was very nice, a step up from the Brittany Ferry ones.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but nick names will never hurt me.
I’ve never been a member of that group of people who quickly personalise their vehicle with a pet name.

From my teens onwards commencing with pedal bikes, Lambretta, motorbikes, Morris Minor split screen, mini van, Fords, Rovers, Vauxhalls, Citroen, Renault, Peugeot etc and including the Mazda Bongo I’ve never allocated a personalised name, it was just car, van bike etc.

For some reason there has grown a need to name our Hymer, we have toyed with a variety of names such as snail/ escargot, because it carries its home on it’s back. To Chuck, because we chuck everything in it, plus for those old enough to remember cowboy films or the TV programme Raw Hide, there was always a chuck waggon on the cattle trail carrying the essentials.

It appears many people go for a rhyming name, I tried to avoid this but kept being drawn to the name Homer. Homer the Hymer.

The other half wasn’t too impressed at first ( but I sweet talked her around by allowing her two pairs of shoes in the Hymer) slowly the idea has grown on us and it seemed fate when I noticed on its number plate that it was plated by a garage called Simpsons. (Homer Simpson).

Also I kept referring to the writing up of our journeys as The Odyessy. At this point I should point out that the other half has said that in agreeing to use the name Homer she intends to pull rank and when we have a dog call it Mavis, regardless of its sex.

I’m hoping in the near future to be able to baptise it with a bottle of German  beer for its German connection and a glass of ouzo for it’s name!

We knew that following our two trips away there would be a few things we might wish to change/ improve before our next trip in 6 days time and so this week whilst the other half has been away “sunning” herself on a school residential trip I began to carry out a the odds and ends we wanted to try.

Firstly I arranged to have air suspension installed on the rear of the Hymer, I bought the equipment from Marcle Leisure.co.uk , I placed the order at lunchtime and the package was delivered at 8.20 am the next morning, who could complain about service like that. My local garage had agreed to carry out the fitting which they duly did and following a short spin on the way home I did notice an improvement in the handling, we will see how we feel following our longer journey.

Another area of improvement I wished to carry out was to improve the lighting in the kitchen area, the light over the hob and sink is more than adequate and doesn’t cast shadows when working there. However when you turn round and use the work surface for food preparation the light source is less than adequate.

I regularly read the blog http://www.ourtour.co.uk and the author had outlined how he had fitted a LED lighting strip in his Hymer, he had replaced the two existing lights above the dining/ seating area, both for improved light but also because the draw on the leisure battery when not connected to mains is minimal. So as he recommended the one he had purchased I bought the same system from Amazon and set to:

Firstly I gathered together a few basic tools, I uncovered the power source to an existing light and used that to run the power to the new lighting strip, two small holes were drilled in the over head lockers and the wires passed through, a couple of connections later and hey presto we had a new light across the ceiling above the food preparation surface.

Another small issue was the kitchen tap leaking, after dismantling a part of the tap it became apparent it was leaking from around a rubber grommet, it obviously needed replacing. A trip to the local caravan and camping spares centre was necessary, all to no avail, I could buy a whole tap for £49.50 but no rubber grommets. Time to visit my second home, B and Q, and lo and behold, a whole packet of varying sizes for the princely sum of £1.95, plus being a Wednesday I had my 10% discount. It took 5 minutes to carry out the replacement and time will tell if it’s successful.

Looking at a few articles/blogs of other travellers the odd item of concern pops up with regard to security. It appears that if motor homes are broken into it is the windows that are forced, our Hymer has three catches on each window in the living area which should be a help, however the driver and passengers windows are sliding windows and don’t look too difficult to force. With this in mind I’ve crafted two thin metal bars that drop into place when we are parked up which prevent the windows sliding. It also occurred to us that there was a need for somewhere safe to leave ipads, passports etc whilst we are out and about. I have heard that some people buy a small safe and have it bolted to the floor, not sure how easy that would be and it would  have to reasonably large. Thinking about an alternative I gave thought to the space under the front seats. Each seat is on top of a steel box about 45cmx45cm and 30 cm high which is open on the front, the front of these are not easy to see by looking through the window so it spawned an idea. I’ve made a metal door with a catch and padlock that drops into place on the front of the passenger seat box, hopefully should the worst happen this will provide an extra level of security.

Obviously whilst working on the Hymer I’ve been on the front drive of the house quite regularly, it’s been fun to share humour with passers by who have stopped and told me they like the logo I put on the side ” weem off  tara a bit, ” mostly I think because they are local they understand it, but they have commented would people when we are on our travels? I have explained that I hope it will be an ice breaker and we may get chatting to people because of it.

Quiet night, we shut the roof blind which kept out the early morning sunlight and we slept longer, we had a message from Caroline to say had we seen the hot air balloons going over at 7.30 am, I had to confess we were in the land of the nod.

After a bacon sandwich and coffee we leisurely packed away and drove home, 25 minutes, round trip of 34 miles.

Another county, Worcestershire ticked off the list.

Hopleys is a very popular and busy site, I would certainly stay again for a short break but possibly mid week when it is a little quieter .

After our meal last night we went for a walk around the camp site. It’s a quite large and sloping site, the Reception, cafe, farm shop , pizza restaurant/bar are on the upper level. Below this the ground descends in a series of terraces, the upper ones are populated with caravans and motorhomes and these plus two other areas for tents are provided with electric hook up points. There is a large area for non power pitches and a paddock  with a number of power and non power pitches. You can rent on site, 3 bell tents and 4 tipis. There are lots of areas where families or groups of people have set up in circles or blocks and you are allowed camp fires, all very social.
I was awoken in the night by being kicked numerous times on the leg, it was the senior housekeeper protesting I was taking up too much room, no worries the bruises will fade in time. There was some rain overnight which was quite relaxing but we have come to the conclusion we need to close the roof light blind as it gets light very early.

After a lazy start to the day we walked down into Bewdley and had a mooch about, we bought a few items of food for tea, plus a plug for the bathroom washbasin (amazing what you can get in little shops) I also bought two crystal wine glasses, makes the wine taste much better.

We had a snack in the Shambles Cafe to the rear of Bewdley Museum. 

At the front of which Kidderminster Male Voice Choir were entertaining passers by.
The walk back up the hill was a bit of a challenge but we made it, a round trip of about 3 miles and we were away for 3 hours.

During the evening we paid host to Caroline, Arthur, Jenny, Pete and Phil, I should have taken a photo of us all inside, talk about sardines in a tin. I did issue a warning for us all not to be at the back at once in case the front wheels lifted into the air!

Afterwards we all popped up the road to The Running Horse Pub where we enjoyed a few beverages.

Bewdley.

Hopleys Family Camping – DY12 2QL

Well here we go, trip number 2, this is another shake down trip to prepare us before our first European trip in 2 weeks time. Bewdley is only 30 minutes away and is a pretty country town on the banks of the River Severn.

http://www.visitwyreforest.co.uk

 

As you can see we have added a new logo to the Hymer, it will either raise a wry smile to those who can interpret it, or baffle those who can’t.

The fridge is loaded with all the essentials for a weekend away, beer and cheese, and there is a 5 litre box of wine in the cupboard in case of emergencies. The sites fashion editor has packed her cocktail dress and the special shoes where I painted the soles red to make them appear the same as the famous shoe designer Louboutin! She should look a treat as we trek through the Wyre forest.

We had a swift and easy journey to the site, only 17 miles, approx 30 minutes, we’re getting the hang of setting up but need some wooden blocks etc to help in getting the Hymer as level as possible. The water supply connection at this site was different again to last time, I can see why people travel with a kit of connectors. There’s a small shop on site so we bought a few luxuries to go with the evening meal.

This evening we had

Asparagus as a starter.

Chicken and chorizo with mushrooms in a tomato sauce for the main

Raspberries, butter shortbread and Jersey single cream for dessert.

When we purchased the Hymer it had as we mentioned in an earlier blog a cracked rear window, this didn’t put us off and we negotiated the price down to enable us to purchase a new one and replace it.

The Hymer came with what I assume is a factory fitted bike rack.To replace the window with this rack in situ was obviously going to be difficult, so the rack needed removing. This was an easy enough job however someone in the past had overloaded the bike rack and the two bottom brackets and a small area adjacent to them had pushed into the body work making it look unsightly.

Now the Chief navigator can’t ride a bike, limiting I know, so we obviously have no need for a bike rack and a tandem would stick out too far on either side, plus I’m not sure she could reach the pedals, so I decided we would do without the rack. The two bottom brackets were removed and today I spent a little time with some body filler to cover the two blemishes and then I applied a little white paint.

I have purchased two new Hymer decals and some new silver lines which I hope to attach when the paint has hardened to match the existing ones and make the patched areas less obvious.
After waiting three days for suitable dry weather the final touches were applied.

We had quite a lot of rain overnight, it was wonderful to lie there snug and warm listening to it on the roof knowing you were safe from the elements.

We packed up quickly which was quite a pleasure from the days of camping where we would have had to pack a wet tent/groundsheet etc. 

We drove down into Ellesmere and parked by the Mere, experiencing what I expect will be a common challenge, finding parking space large enough and suitable. 

We walked back into Ellesmere to the Town Hall which was hosting an Antiques/bric a brac fair, there weren’t many stalls but the eagle eye of my resident Antique Road Show expert soon espied a piece of Poole pottery that she collects and after agreeing a price purchased it.

We then drove 60 miles to Croft Castle in Herefordshire, it’s a National trust property and holds a special place in our hearts. Ten years ago to the day we visited Croft Castle on a day out that was our first official “date” it rained on and off whilst there and the same weather repeated itself today. Never mind it didn’t dampen our love then or now.It was a 90 minute drive home from there and boy do you get to realise the state of our roads when driving a motorhome, on a smooth road there is an acceptable background level of noise, but when on rough roads it gets quite irritating. Some items we need to store better with bubble wrap etc around them, but you can’t overcome road noise and crashes from pot holes.

We quickly removed the fresh food from fridge etc, clothes were next, 30 minutes and it was done, left ready to prepare for the next trip.

So there we are, a four day, three night trip, 161 miles in total, no major problems, a lot learned, all to make next time and future times go smoothly, and of course the first county (Shropshire) on the list ticked off.

And of course weem um, ( we are home) you will notice I’ve begun to include translations for our non black country brethren.

www.ellesmere.info>tourism
Another good nights sleep and the other half wasn’t disturbed once by the bleating lambs that had kept her awake the night before. It was very windy overnight and the Hymer rocked in the gusts of wind as we are parked in quite an exposed spot, it felt just like being on the ferry to France, rocking away.

Today we had arranged a visit from our eldest daughter Emma and her partner Andy and so after their arrival, greeted with mugs of tea and chocolate biscuits, they drove us into Ellesmere.

We had a quick walk around town, but being a Sunday most shops and cafes were shut, so we walked out to a mere after which the town is named. The meres were formed by the retreating ice age and are now a centre for leisure with a mere side promenade, boating, a sculpture trail, children’s playgrounds etc. It also features the Boathouse Restaurant and Cafe, we had a quick snack in the Cafe but perusing the menu you could have a very good meal in the restaurant.
Walking back into town the range of architecture is very evident with good examples of Georgian, Victorian and modern buildings. The canal system here is very interesting as this is where the Shropshire Union Canal and the Llangollen canal, famous for the Chirk and Pontcysyllte aqueducts, meet. The Llangollen canal was designed by Thomas Telford with funds being raised by the Duke of Bridgwater, it made a network that went from the midlands to meryside and into the centre of Wales.

The forecast for the day was for there to be continuous rain from midday onwards, thankfully this didn’t happen and it has been sunny if somewhat windy. At approx 6.30pm we had a few spots of rain as we tucked in to our lamb chops ( sorry neighbours over the hedge) with mint sauce and veg, followed by raspberries, pears and fresh cream. And so to another night in with an episode of Peter Kay.

I had a good nights sleep, but the partner complained I snored like a trooper all night and kept her awake, I’m sure it was the lambs outside bleating.

We had an issue last night with the water, basically non came out of the tap, the tank had been filled and we could hear the pump whirring, we were too tired to mess at that point and had enough water for coffee etc so we left well alone. This morning whilst Michelle had a shower I uncovered the tank and unscrewed the access hatch, the tank was completely empty! the pump whirred ok when I turned on the tap and blowing down the pipes proved there was no blockage. I refilled the tank and after a peruse of the manual came to the conclusion that the automatic frost valve on the heating boiler had activated, we have had some cold nights this week, upon inspection the valve was open, a quick press of the button and all was ok and we now have hot and cold running water, a new skill learned.

After all that excitement and a second coffee we set off to walk to Ellesmere, firstly across the farmers field and then along the road into town, approx 20 minute walk.We walked around the town in and out of shops and bought a few extra items for the Hymer, some hose pipe tap fittings, a new flat hose, velcro for the curtains and a toothbrush holder. 

We had lunch in a cafe, baguette for me and Welsh rarebit for Michelle, suitably refreshed we continued with our shopping.

We had arranged to meet daughter Steph and partner Will at Tesco’s on the edge of town which sits next to the Shropshire Union canal, 

When they arrived they hadn’t eaten so it was a trip to a different cafe for them to have lunch, plus a coffee and slice of cake for me.
Will drove us back to the campsite where they spent a few hours with us, including tea and doughnuts, plus Steph polished off a bowl of grapes.

Evening meal was a rather hot curry followed by another episode of Peter Kay’s Car Share, viewed on the ipad.