Reflections on the Year Gone By

2014 has been the first time in about seventeen years that we have not been abroad camping.  We are both in our late sixties so I suppose it was inevitable that sooner or later health issues would get in our way. I won’t bore you with the details but various doctors/hospital appointments has meant that it has been difficult to get more than eleven days away at a time. Arguably we could have made a short trip to the near Continent in our motorhome but decided instead to concentrate on the UK this year. 

Our year started way back in February when we took the motorhome down to Vanbitz in Taunton to have an alarm fitted. On the way back we managed to get a couple of days at the very popular Baltic Wharf site in the centre of Bristol. The SS Great Britain is within walking distance of the campsite as is the Centre of the City of Bristol. We both like city centre sites and it’s such a shame that for Baltic Wharf it’s days are numbered because of impending redevelopment of the site. 

Towards the end of March we our second trip was the Ferry Meadows at Peterborough. We have been regular visitors to this site since the time we started caravanning over thirty years ago.  Then in mid April, still in East Anglia,   we went out to the Suffolk coast at Kessingland and another return visit to White House Beach. The last time we were on this site we had to change pitch mid stay as we were on the seafront part when we had a storm!!! 

In May we managed to grab a slightly longer break which took us initially down the New Forest staying at Shamba Holidays near Ringwood. There was a convenient bus stop with a regular service into the town and had we wished we could have journeyed further afield. We don’t often stay at non Club sites but we were trying to use up some Camping Cheques which would have otherwise gone out of date by the end of the year. Our next stop was at Charmouth at Newlands Holidays, another non Club site. For a modest fee, on top of the Camping Cheques,  we were able to trade up to a serviced pitch which are the only pitches with hardstandings. There was far more to do and see in this area than we had time for. We did visit Lyme Regis which is a rather nice old fashioned seaside resort. Another trip (both on the bus) was the West Bay. Perhaps better remembered as the setting for the of the TV series Broadchurch which has a second series about to start in the New Year. On the way back home we stayed for a few days at the conveniently placed C&CC site at Salisbury which has easy access to the City and the Campsite is overlooked by Old Sarum. 

In June it was up north to Southport to the newly extended Club site. From here we visited Liverpool for the first time and had an obligatory trip on the Mersey Ferry and of course the Cavern Club. On our way home we stopped at Burrs Park near Bury. The steam train that runs along one side of the site always causes much excitement. We took the bus to Ramsbottom, how the bus got round some of the narrow turns in the villages I will never know!!! We returned to Bury by the steam train. 

In July we headed south  to Canterbury where we stayed at the C&CC site with its good bus links into the City. I know we get a lot of overseas visitors  but Canterbury was packed with school parties from as far away as Italy. On another day we took the bus out to Whitstable which was interesting but were not tempted to try the oysters!! 

August saw us heading over to East Anglia again but this time to Fakenham Racecourse. Its within walking distance of the town and there are transport links out to the coast where we visited Wells Next to Sea. On the racecourse they have a Social Club and CC members can make use of this facility. 

On 1st September I had a minor operation on my left knee. No problem driving my small car which is automatic but how would I get on with the Motorhome? Only way to find out was to put the knee to the test so we decided a relatively short trip to Morton in Marsh  would be a good test as its only 50 miles away from where we live so three and half weeks after the Op we set off. The town is only a short stroll from the campsite and on our first day the Market was in full swing. It’s quite a lively little town with lots of eating places and a small supermarket. 

Unfortunately progress with the knee wasn’t as rapid as I hoped and I return to the Hospital six weeks after the operation for a check-up where they gave me an injection on a gel like substance to help lubricate the joint. The problem was that it actually made the knee worse for about a week forcing us to cancel a trip to Chester.  As it gradually got a bit better we booked a few days in the third week in October at the C&CC site at St Neots which is only 30 miles from where we live. Nice site on the banks of the River Great Ouse. The town, within walking distance along the river, is a busy place. Walk along the river in the other direction and you come to Eaton Socon with its river lock and a handy hostelry which was a former mill. 

Winter was rapidly approaching and what turned out to be our last trip of the year in mid November  saw us heading for Chapel Lane for a couple of days before moving onto Chester Fairoaks for the rest of the week. Chester Fairoaks is within walking distance of the massive Cheshire Oaks shopping Centre and observing fellow campers returning to the campsite laden with shopping bags clearly makes if a popular destination. Plenty of choices of places to eat out the nearest being almost next door to the campsite. There are also good transport links for motorhomers or those that like to leave their car on site. We took the bus into Chester, which incidentally, also stops at Chester Zoo en route. We visited the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port which is only about three miles from the site. On that day we decided to treat ourselves to a taxi there and back!   

 In all we spent 57 nights away in 2014, well down on the previous year, and travelled 2657  miles.  Anyone interested in reading a longer version of this with many more photographs they can see it here http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/travels_in_the_uk_2014.html on my website.