Cub Camp = Beautiful Bladon Chains & Blenheim
Our daughter is in the Cubs, that involves various activities such as District Camp where she spends time away. Earlier in the year we had paid for District Camp, not registering where it was to be held. At around the time of the broadcast of second episode of ‘Caravanner of the Year’, it occurred to us that the District Camp was being held at Boars Hill near Oxford, over the late May Bank Holiday weekend with arrival time of 09:00 on the Saturday morning. The A34 is notoriously bad on BH’s, so to get there would be a challenge. No problems, we’ll find a CC site nearby, or a commercial site failing that. Unfortunately everywhere was booked solid.
After the CotY nonsense on the TV, Club Together lit up with lots of threats of cancelling membership. I jokingly posted that if threats were carried out, let me know of cancellations at Bladon Chains. I watched the booking page over the next few days, showing no availability, when suddenly pitches became available, result.
As time passed I decided to tow up early on the Friday, pitch up, set up awning, put water on; then pop home and collect wife and daughter after school and return to Bladon Chains. It’s only 46 miles away.
Friday morning I packed the caravan, got off the driveway without calling the Police to remove cars blocking the egress to the highway as earlier in the week when the caravan had a booked slot at the dealers to change battery locker door under warranty and a couple of niggles. Just about to leave when the neighbours mentioned the A34 was closed due to an accident and air ambulance in attendance. Checking my travel app on the mobile, it was showing clear, so off I set.
Being new to this towing lark, I used the back road, one of the most lethal roads in England to get to the A34 at Newbury. I was happily pushing on with a few vehicles behind when I came up behind a driving miss daisy type pootling at 28 in a 50. Gesticulations from white van man behind, I guess he was conducting the tune on his radio, until miss daisy exited left and I was able to accelerate rapidly to the speed limit on the twisty road. White van man was a speck in the distance. I do want to put a graphic on the back of the caravan, a chad with ‘Wot Q?’; as it’s not us caravanners that cause traffic. We can only go to the speed limit.
The sat nav was keeping the arrival time at 11:43, plenty of time to wait in the coach park lane for entry to site. Actually arrived at 11:50. I parked up ahead of a lady with her unit as there wasn’t room to park behind. I’ll wait till 12:00 let her go in first and then book in. 11:52 and a unit whizzed past into the site. At 12:00 the unit behind came past and into the arrivals lane, I followed. The couple in the whizz were running from the reception to their car and off like a scalded cat to baggy a hardstanding. I waited for the lady to check in, then checked in. As the weather was forecast as good I wanted a grass pitch, so got in the car and let tickover take me at 5mph round the site, passing whizzies whose unit was just flung onto the hardstanding. Gave me a chuckle.
I found a lovely pitch on grass on the level opposite the sheep field. Used the mover to position the caravan, I’m too long in the tooth to be pushing and shoving a caravan. Steadies down using the battery drill. Electric hooked up. Onto the awning, a Bradcot Aspire Air 390, on my own. I was atop the step just feeding the awning into the top opening in the channel when a neighbour owner from a pitch behind asked if he could help, why not. I explained how easy this awning is to put up, peg at rear corners under the caravan then attach pump and 3 minutes, it’s done. Pegged out. The gent went and brought his wife over to look at the awning, wanted to make a note of it. Take a picture on your phone and check on internet when you can. See, us oldies know how to use technology.
A quick round trip to home, collect the family, check out the Cub camp location and cook a lovely curry in the caravan as Friday night is curry night in our household. Daughter happy to watch the sheep and lambs.
Saturday morning was an early start to Cub camp. After settling daughter in it was a fight to get out of the site with the mad mummies who had left home late blocking access. Were they also staying at Bladon Chains??
Back to Bladon Chains then a lovely walk into Blenheim Palace via the main entrance in Woodstock village. Presenting the CC receipt gives a massive discount, so for £29 we got 2 annual passes. You’ll need several trips to see all that is on offer, so more visits to this lovely site are on the cards. We took advantage of the food and drink event that was on, samples of cheeses, meats, beers, gins and vodkas. Just as well it’s a pleasant walk back to Bladon Chains through the grounds of Blenheim.
The catnap in the chairs on our pitch was well deserved, even if the sunburn hurts now. A dinner of caramelized sweet peppers, onions, garlic with thinly sliced and cooked chicken breast on the Cadac with a fresh salad washed down with a G&T for Mrs P and chilled white wine for me ended a super day.
Sunday saw a walk to Churchill’s grave in the church in Bladon, then a revisit to the drink event at Blenheim where copious tasters of gin with various mixers were taken by Mrs P.
Monday was collect daughter from Cub camp, arriving very early to avoid the mad mummies and their poor driving abilities. We had a gift experience for Xmas from the in laws that we managed to use, in previous years they had expired unbeknown to us; so an afternoon tea at a posh hotel, Sudbury House in Faringdon was a family treat for us.
Weather forecast for Tuesday was not good, so awning down on return to Bladon Chains. Quick tea on the cadac.
Up and packed away in a relaxed manner to depart this lovely site before 11:00. Arrived home and parked on the driveway just as the heavens opened.
