Mull of Galloway

New England Bay Caravan Club Site: 22nd - 26th May 2012

From Powfoot we bid farewell to the Pringles who were heading further North and went East along the Solway for about 2.5 hours to the Southern most part of Scotland.

This is not a place that gets passing trade so I was really quite surprised it was so busy for midweek during term time. A practical demonstration of national demographics, there are a lot of "retirees" and a lot of them have caravans and Motorhomes. And like us they would rather have a quiet break when the kids are in school.

This is quite a big site with 159 pitches so it was by no means crowded but it was probably a third full or more. Don't get me wrong though it was still very peaceful and our luck with the weather continued. We had booked in for 3 nights but we liked it so much we stayed an extra night.

There was plenty of wildlife right outside the Motorhome with Rabbits and birds and along the seashore there were Shorebirds, Gannets and Sandwich Terns.

Another great pitch.

Our View

Self portrait (Pete)

Snowy the Albino baby Rabbit

He looked like a pet rabbit from the pet shop but he was a genuine wild Albino Rabbit and he lived behind our Motorhome! I must have taken over 100 pictures.

Snowy

Yellowhammer

Common Lizard

I've not seen one of these before. Small and fast, well spotted Lorraine

Ringed Plover

RSPB Mull of Galloway

We went on an excursion one day taking a drive the 5 miles or so to the RSPB reserve ( at the southern tip of Mull of Galloway) along single track windy roads which was fun. Only slight problem was that there was a sea mist coming off the Atlantic which engulfed most of the reserve so we couldn't see Ireland or Isle of Man which are both very close (apparently).

We were hoping to see Puffins but were warned by the warder that there were not very many about and only really visible at sea. Despite all this we had a good time and saw some interesting stuff including Gannets, Guillemots and Razorbills.

Driving back to the camp site we soon left the eerie foggy conditions and were back to a very hot sunny day but you could see the headland from the camp site and I it remained shrouded in fog all day.

Might be an idea to put that light on !

Foghorn....could be useful. Oh , not working anymore!

You wont see many Puffins in these parts...

...But what is this far below the cliffs.

(spotted by Eagle-eyed Lorraine)

Shag

Tiger Moth Caterpillar

another great spot by Lorraine

Powfoot with The Pringles

Queensberry Bay Holiday Park: 19th - 22nd May 2012

One of the last places we stayed in our old motorhome was here 10+ years ago on the way back from Scotland and just overnight. We had said then that we should return one day for a longer stay. 

So we did, and this time we had the Pringles for company as well as the great open views over the Solway Firth. The facilities were pretty primitive 10 years ago but today it is all very modern with a new luxurious Toilet/Shower block , Shop and a menagerie of animals ranging from Donkeys and Alpacas to Guinea pigs and Emus !

We had a great stay with fine weather and great company and had a lovely walk from Annan along the river to the sea shore one day and visited Cearlaverock WWT another whilst still finding time to try out the local Golf Hotel one evening for a meal.

A Room With a View

From Bridge at Annan

The walk was along the right hand river bank

Stop for Lunch on the Beach

Local Flora (Thrift)

Cearlaverock Wetland Centre

Mute Swan and Cygnets

Mute Swan and Cygnets

Azure Damselfly

Large Red Damselfly

Lucksall Park, Mordiford Nr Hereford

Lucksall Park  11th -14th May 2012


Having suffered the wettest April on record and not been out in the Van since Slimbridge we decided to grab a long weekend as the weather looked like it may be OK and we wanted to do another trip before our week away in Scotland next week.

The omens weren't good as we were packing the van on Friday morning and the heavens opened  but fortunately it was only a quick shower and we remained optimistic. I booked with the site at the last minute and there were no hard standings left so I was hoping the ground wouldn't be too soft after the weeks of rain.

We arrived on site at about 3.00 after an easy journey of 1.5 hours and were warmly greeted and allocated a nice flat grass pitch (Kingfisher 20) towards the back of the park with only a few other caravans and Tents. Lucksall Park is situated between the banks of the River Wye on one side and an 80 Acre woodland on the other and is kept in immaculate condition and is always highly rated in reviews.
We would echo those sentiments and enjoyed our stay. We also had great weather until the morning we left, which always helps.

We managed to go on a few walks, in the wood which has nice wide tracks and takes you to the Moon Inn with a small (but worthwhile) detour, and along the riverside although that way soon reaches private land but the footpath then carries on "inland".

We also heard our first cuckoo, which is quite late but with all the rain we haven't been out as much. And the campsite was visited each evening by Swifts, Swallows and House Martins swooping for insects.

As I said it was raining when we left and my fears about soft gound turned out to be well founded as the wheels could not gain traction on the wet grass. Fortunately I had invested in some Grip Tracks for this eventuality and with a those in place and a little push from a freindly neighbour we were soon underway.

Inside The Van

View from the Woods

Yes we really did have nice weather!

Slimbridge

Slimbridge 1st-5th April

Yes we made it! In just over an hour Eddie did his first voyage and after a few minor adjustments to things not being shut properly all was well. Our pitch was in the orchard which was an adults only field but in truth there were few children around.

 The weather on arrival was sunny which lead to the first ice cream of the year and then to cider (not the first of the year!) in the pub. Monday also turned out to be a glorious day which was ideal for the trip to WWT. A few sample pictures below of the inmates. We returned back with aching feet having walked round all day.

 

The weather went downhill then turning cold and some showers.  We were lucky to have decided to go south as our other option for this break was derbyshire. However scenes on tv of caravans and motorhomes all parked up in snow in derbyshire, made us realise we had the right choice in Slimbridge! So with the weather not so good we decided to test the relaxing and stress free facilities of motorhoming and lazed around reading, doing crosswords and making cups of tea . We eventually rallied ourselves and made it the 50 yards to the pub for tea. Ahhh this is the life.......

Motorhome at Tudor Caravan Park

Hawaiian Goose (Ne-Ne) Chick

Hawaiian Goose

Mandarin Duck

Smew

Flamingo

Crane

Eddie's First Holiday

We are booked for our first outing in Eddie on the 1st April - 5th April  to Slimbridge  http://www.tudorcaravanpark.com/index.php.  in Gloucestershire. It is a quiet country caravan site right alongside the Gloucester-Sharpness canal an easy 5 minute walk from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Centre. It is also situated at the rear of the pub and across the road for the cafe which could well be handy for the odd meal and drink!

The only problem with the plan is we have no fuel and likewise nor does the local garage. With the threat of a fuel delivery strike drivers have gone mad filling up their cars etc. We experienced the same problem 12 years ago in our old motorhome where we seemed to make it home from Northumberland on fumes. Anyway watch this space to see if we make it......

The Eagle Has Landed

Meet Eddie!

On Monday19th March we took delivery of our Broadway Autosleeper, now to be affectionately known as Eddie. His reg is HX12KFU .

Our first night camp was at  Mill Avon Campsite  Tewkesbury which is a stone's throw from the Marquis Motorhome dealership where we had  received a two hour induction course on all the gadgets and gizmos. So why did I get a cold shower in the morning Pete! I don't think full attention was being given on the use of the boiler.

I can report that whilst the temperature at night was 4 degrees we had a warm night with our new Duvaley sleeping covers. There is a vast improvement on the heating system and insulation since our last Motorhome 10 years ago. So we have no excuse that it is too cold if above 4 degrees.

The kitchen equipment  was only tested as far as a cup of tea and micowaved oats for breakfast. We resorted to The Bell pub for dinner as it was a shame to use the brand new clean oven. Not sure how long I can get away with that excuse!

Anyway here endeth the first posting and hope to be able to report on many happy holidays with some good weather thrown in.