Braving January
In the 35 years we have been caravanning and latterly motorhoming we have never been away in January. We have often been away in November and December which can be just as cold. I was pretty determined that we should give it a try although should I say that the decision was not universally popular!!! At least at this time of year there won’t be many full sites so you can leave booking until the last minute. On the news we were being bombarded with stories of the worse storms on the eastern seaboard of the USA for years. Not that I was particularly worried about what was going on in New York’s Central Park but as day follows night we invariably get the same weather system a few days later. Margaret dislikes high winds, perhaps stemming from the fact that we were once on sea shore side of the Kessingland site we had to move onto the main site whilst in the middle of cooking dinner because a serious gale was developing!!!
We didn’t want to travel far so decided on Ashridge Farm, near Baldock, which is just over forty miles from where we live. We had been before but that was twelve years ago so probably due a return visit. Also a good excuse to try out my Christmas present a Nextbase dash cam. We are both a bit deaf and a motorhome cab is not is not the quietist place to be so there is a tendency to, what should I say, raise our voices! Margaret had no idea that it recorded those voices, there might be a need for some editing!!!
Ashridge Farm is quite a compact site and small by Club standards with only about forty pitches, of which twenty-five are hardstandings and the only ones being used during our stay. It does have a large storage compound which probably makes it a worthwhile economically for the Club. The couple opposite us had arrived about the same time as us and got their caravan out of the compound. Apparently they were only here for a night to facilitate collection of their grandchildren from school, although I don’t think they needed an excuse.
The next day we wandered into the village of Ashwell which is about a ten minute walk away. It’s an interesting village with architectural styles from several centuries. The "well" in Ashwell refers to what is one of the sources of the River Cam. On a warmer day the area around the well would be a pleasant place to linger but perhaps not today. There seem to be several places where you can eat in Ashwell. On our previous visit we use the Three Tuns Inn but this time decided on the Rose and Crown a bit further into the village. The do proper pub grub and our steak and ale pies were not only delicious but unlikely to leave anyone thinking that had not had enough to eat.
Our stay was only for three nights so on Thursday we were heading home. Unlike the previous two days which had been quite dull we had a beautiful clear sky but I also noticed the ice on the car opposite as I peered out of the window. We always empty the waste water tank before we leave a site. Unfortunately Caravan Club sites are not very user friendly in this respect as they have heavy drain covers. However I have got myself a tool to help me get the covers off. Basically it’s a big hook but seems to work well on the covers with a single ring.
Where next and when?
Comments
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Happy New Year David & Margaret. We have never managed to get away in January either and I doubt Sharon will ever go but hopefully we may get away in February this year which is earlier than our normal March. I am glad to see you posting stories from
UK sites as we may spend some time this year in the UK as family matters will delay our getting abroad I think. The extra info re accessibility is a big bonus. The pie would have been our choice too! Regards, Roy0 -
Ashridge Farm has always sounded like a nice place to visit, wish we were a bit nearer, thanks for the story David. We've just had a short January break too and we also spent New Year away, good to have a change of scenery whatever time of the year.
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Thanks for the kind comments everyone.
Riggers I think that most certainly for us the motorhome made a difference in making a snap decision to go away. When we had the caravan we would often not start until the end of February beginning of March and we were often finished by mid November. With the caravan we used to have a spare set of wheels to save the main tyres and that would have meant swapping them everytime we wanted to go away which was a bit too much hassle.Whilst we do drain the motorhome down between trips its easy enough to set everything up again. I think also its easier to go away for just a few days.
David
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We had a few days at Ashridge Farm with some friends 3 years ago. It is a really lovely site and as you say Ashwell is a delightful well served village. We tried all three pubs whilst we were there! We visited Duxford and Shuttleworth Aircraft Collection
which are both well worth a visit.0
