Autumn Outing

We had planned to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with a family get together at Lake Annecy; however, …

After a low-key celebration chez nous we decided to have a 3 week tour of East Anglia. With everyone else trying to have staycations, we found that most sites we looked at were fully booked or had a few scattered vacancies. Cath cobbled a plan together from bits and bobs of available pitches, with a few gaps, and off we set.

Our first 3-night stop was Jubilee Park at Woodhall Spa*: it's a delightful site (£17 pn) run by the charity which runs the park and its sports facilities. Our Yorkshire chums, Jeanne and Graham, joined us in their motorhome fresh out of SORN. Despite the chilly north wind we managed to socialize al fresco.

One of the delights of Woodhall is the Petwood Hotel, where we strolled through gardens and booked a table in the bar for a drink and dinner.

Next stop was Thetford Forest and the Dower House campsite. This journey of 86 miles took us four hours!

The young staff running the site seemed very enthusiastic despite the need for covid restrictions. It's not a good site for motorhomers without secondary transport as there's not immediate access to other points of interest apart from some adjacent woodland walks. Beware! The access road to the site is in great disrepair! The weather was fine and we enjoyed our short stay including ice creams from the site shop.

We backtracked to Swafham and a bijou campsite, Breckland Meadows, just 20 minutes walk from the town centre. The couple running the site had just recently taken over and were enthusiastic in their welcome. Early morning traffic noise is a transient problem, for the most part it's a tranquil, adults-only site.

Onwards to the Broads and Willowcroft Caravan and Camping site by the river Thurne at Repps-with-Bastwick. This family site is clearly well-run and managed, and popular – we could only book in for one night. We had planned to meet up with our fiends from Wales, Dave and Kathy, who like us had had to cancel their trip to France. They were staying at the C&MC site and cycled to meet us at Potter Heigham. Ice creams and a catching up, and a promise to meet again on the Cote d'Azur. We were disappointed that our walk along the river bank was mainly behind holiday cottages – clearly, to see the broads one must take a boat.

Our only C&MC site was at Great Yarmouth racecourse. The weather was hot and sunny, but with a nice breeze at times. In the afternoon we had to put up our sun blind, amazingly. The site was full but everyone was maintaining social distancing and diligently using their rubber bands. (Chas had his stolen on the last night!). We had lovely sunny walks along the prom and along the river. Chas got to fly his kite.

Southwold was our next stop. We managed to book two nights at Jubilee Camping and Caravaning Club Certificated Site at Reydon: what a contrast to Gt Yarmouth! We could get to like Cls and Css, but for having decommissioned our shower and having to heat water by gas. (We like our morning showers).

The site just right for our visit: although too far for Cath to walk we had the choice of a bus or taxi to the pier. Pat, the taxi man took us in to town for £4 each way on both days.

Day two and the sun was still shining, so more walks along the prom and pier and freshly-cooked fish and chips for lunch before Pat whisked us back to Reydon.

Despite body washes, we needed a site with showers. Cath found a site at Saxmundham with vacancies. Carlton Park Camping and Caravan Park is another site run as a charity by the sports club. The site is split into seasonal and visiting fields. It's a sloping site so chocks required. An excellent new amenities block has been opened on the visitors' site. We had the site to ourselves apart from a hardy couple in a tent. It's short walk into the town, and the chance to stock up at Waitrose or Tesco.

Freshly showered, we drove to Aldeburgh and the campsite just behind the shingle beach, Church Farm Holiday Park . It has 'location' and so is in demand. Generous serviced pitches, but no reduction in site fees (£32 pn) despite the amenities block being closed.
We hunkered down for two nights as gale-force winds and rain lashed down (sideways?). Wrapped up against the elements we did manage walks along the seafront and into the town.

Our last stop by the sea was Felixstowe where we parked on Kitty and Steve's driveway. We first met up at Cavalaire sur Mer many years ago, and they've featured in some of our other 'Stories'. An evening of pizza and wine and lots of catching up.

We left them next day, having used their shower, and headed for our last stop on our way home at St Neots C&CC site to slow down and ready everything for landfall and returning our 'van to storage. When will we get out and about again, we wonder?

Note* Woodhall Spa not in East Anglia

 After 3 weeks in the van..