Category Archives: Caravans

Herding Hill Farm

Posted on May 29, 2016 | Leave a comment

On our recent trip to Hadrian’s Wall, we stayed at a wonderful site called Herding Hill Farm. Just outside Haltwhistle, it was ideally located for our planned visits to the Roman sites, and it also had (because I’ve become a complete camping sybarite) fully serviced pitches which provide continuous water and drainage.

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Vindolanda

Posted on May 24, 2016 | Leave a comment

Today we crossed another small entry off the bucket list: a visit to the Roman fort at Vindolanda. This has been long in the planning, and it was every bit as interesting as we’d hoped. Not only are there extensive (and continuing) excavations, but there’s a reconstructed tower and a really engaging modern museum.

I’ll let the pictures tell most of the story:

A model of Vindolanda in its later manifestation. The fortified military area is in the foreground, the village behind it.

A model of Vindolanda in its later manifestation. The fortified military area is in the foreground, the village behind it.


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A visit to Holkham Hall

Posted on April 27, 2016 | Leave a comment

We took a brief holiday in north Norfolk to visit Holkham Hall, and to go to the East Anglian Game Show. Much as I had been looking forward to them, both exceeded my expectations – really superb days out.

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Camping and Caravan Show 2016

Posted on February 26, 2016 | Leave a comment

We went to the show again. Even though we didn’t have anything that we wanted to buy, least of all a new caravan. But it’s always fun just to have a snoop around and see what’s new.

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Fête du 14 Juillet 2015 – Chinon

Posted on July 17, 2015 | Leave a comment

We extended our holiday to take in the Bastille Day celebrations in the Loire Valley this year. Even when the family used to spend the summer in Normandy, I contrived to miss most 14 July celebrations, much to my regret ‘cos I love fireworks. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a march-past of Sapeurs Pompiers as much as the next man, and even a parade of children with lanterns doesn’t leave me unmoved. But it’s the feu d’artifice that crowns the evening!

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New caravan. Bailey Unicorn Madrid III first impressions.

Posted on March 11, 2015 | Leave a comment

Last October, at the Caravan Show, we were tempted by the latest and glossiest caravan from Bailey. We’d not long had our Bailey Unicorn Madrid, but the new Series III version was just perfect for our style of touring, so we indulged (there’s no other word for it) in a new van.

We picked it up from the very excellent Chipping Sodbury Caravans, whom I can’t praise too highly. Very good people to deal with. We stayed locally at Little Wood Caravan Park, which is delightful. Friendly, helpful owners, and a beautifully kept site and facilities.

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We went to the Caravan Show

Posted on February 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

We shall be picking up our new caravan in a few weeks, so we didn’t go along to shop for yet another one, but we did fancy a little look at what the whole show had to offer.

We happened to start in the hall that housed the tents and awnings. So-called “air beam” frames, made of rubber tubes that you pump up are becoming the order of the day rather than metal or fibre frames that you slot together. Some of these tents can also serve as an awning.

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The Caravan Show, eBikes, and a Spot the Difference game

Posted on October 14, 2014 | 1 comment

Today was our visit to the Motorhome and Caravan Show 2014. We had a shopping list. We wanted a cover for the van, to protect against autumn leaves and winter rain, and a solar panel for the nicer days. We wanted to look at holiday sites both in the UK and in Europe. And, no doubt, we’d come across some accessory or gadget or another which looked like fun.

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Three themes combined: caravans, chickens, and cheese

Posted on September 16, 2014 | Leave a comment

We spent a few days in Torquay, partly for a family visit, partly because we were itching to try out the new caravan, and partly to visit a couple of poultry breeders. And the cheese? Read on …

We stayed at Widdicombe Farm touring park, just outside Torquay. This site receives rave reviews, and I can understand why. The site is terraced, so everyone gets a good view of the surrounding countryside.

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New caravan

Posted on September 1, 2014 | Leave a comment

At last the day came. We collected our nice Bailey Unicorn Madrid from the very excellent Glossop Caravans.

It wasn’t the sunniest of days, and we were glad to get back to our storage site with enough time in hand before dusk to put into practice our handover of the motor mover and security features.

The new Powrtouch motor mover is a significant improvement on our old Rhyno.

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