Thursday 29 October 2015

Our 3rd Grandchild is here so We'll soon be off on Our Travels Proper!


Our 3rd Grandchild is here so We'll soon be off on our Travels Proper!


25th October 2015


They finally did it!  Little Evelyn May was born by Cesarean Section at 7.55am  on 25th October weighing in at 8lb 10oz, and she's absolutely beautiful.  Her Mum and Dad had to wait quite a while for their lovely daughter to put in her premier appearance but now she's here they are both absolutely besotted with her (as are we all), and very soon it will be time for them all to go home and settle down to family life.






















Time for a cuddle with teddy












This is little Evelyn following her first bath - I think they must have worn her out - she looks very content and peaceful.  However Ben tells me she's found her lungs, so at times she is very much making her presence felt


















Our last few days in England have been spent visiting our family, and  in particular, our children and grandchildren.  Sadly, our middle son Adam, his partner Vicky and our Grandson Jack are away on their own holiday so we had to say goodbye to them a week ago, but they look as if they're having a brilliant time seeing Cheddar Man in the caves at Cheddar Gorge (a very old family joke), along with pretending to be  meerkats and posing with this rather large chap!



And I think Adam was very pleased when his new niece was born on his birthday - what a fantastic present.

Happy Birthday Adam xx
Yesterday (28th)  we spent some of the early afternoon  with John's Mum where we were joined by his sister Val and her husband John.  They've been motorhomers for many years and were able to offer advise and tips to help us on our way.  Later we popped over to see my brother Pete who plied us with one of John's favourites - Cherry bakewells, and then it was time to sell our little car - an experience that turned out to be quite traumatic due to the constant inane 'banter and chatter' (not) from the person who we had the misfortune to be doing the deal with.  We were very glad to escape and as we got what we expected (money wise) for it we weren't disappointed.  Our evening then  improved as we spent it with our daughter Sarah, Paul and Grandson Thomas, and there was much laughter when Thomas and John entertained us all with their conversations in 'clanger' language - I thought John was meant to be leaning French!







And today (29th) we spent the afternoon with Ben, Louise and little Evelyn.  Our little Granddaughter  went out for her first walk with Mummy and Daddy in her pram, and both before and afterwards there were lots of cuddles all around.























It was very precious time, and along with lots of smiles came a few tears on my part regarding the trauma of leaving everybody behind, however, this adventure has been in the planning stage for nearly a year now, and as winter and cold weather are fast approaching the time has come when we can no longer delay our departure.

Tomorrow we plan to travel down south to Newhaven to catch the Saturday ferry over to Dieppe so that we can start our adventure proper.  We've no real clear plans re what we're going to do when we get over to France, but we/I have been reading several other 'full-timers' blogs, so our vague itinerary is to follow in their tyre tracks, maybe taking the next month to get down to the South of France and into Spain.  We hope to be able to maintain our blog on at least a weekly basis via any means possible short of pigeon post, and as we've got an unlocked EE modem and iboost, along with our 3 'feel at home access', we should hopefully be able to log on occasionally to let our friends and family know how we're doing.   And as a last resort we could always go to McDonalds!

So farewell for now, and the next time I write this blog maybe I'll have to use a few French words just to confirm we've really arrived!

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Saturday 24 October 2015

Are we meeting our Goals?

Are we Meeting our Goals?

When we set off on this expedition one of our aims was to take regular exercise.  With this in mind we planned to either cycle 20 miles or walk 5 miles on at least 5 days of the week - I think for the time being the exercise bank owes us some!

20th - 22nd October 2015

Not much to say about Tuesday - it was another moving/shopping day -  this time to Teversal Camping and Caravan Club Site in Nottinghamshire (one of the best we've stayed on so far).  We came here specifically to spend the next couple of days with our friends Sharon and Paul, and to indulge in a little of the said exercise - and we certainly did that.  The site is surrounded by miles and miles of walking and cycling trails many of which are former railway routes, and on the whole, they are fairly flat thus making them perfect for our 'little' outings.  Also, as an added bonus, Sharon and Paul know this area like the back of their hands, so for the next couple of days John will be completely let off route planning and he'll be able to sit back and just enjoy the ride - all 40 odd miles of it on the first day and 50ish on the second -(but we didn't know it would be quite that far when we set out!)

On Wednesday we all met up on one of the many trails,  just a stone's throw from the site, and headed off towards Skegby and on to Sutton in Ashfield. We passed Kings Mill Reservoir (and saw Mr Large Rat), and then continued down  The Timberland Trail and on into Mansfield where we threaded our way through it's little back streets.  Our goal was Vicar Water Park near Clipstone and this provided a lovely picnic spot, happily in nice warm sunshine, and of course, with the usual ducks for company.


Near our dining area we noted this large Golden Hand - a 10 foot sculpture that was specially commissioned as part of the Sustran's National Cycle Route which runs through the Park. It is also said to represent a miner reaching out of the ground because the land used to be part of Clipstone Colliery.







After lunch we whizzed along through Sherwood Pines and then onto Birklands near Edwinstowe - we later found we had ridden within about half a mile of the famous Major Oak - a place we've visited several times previously.

We then picked up Sustran's route 648 which heads over to Market Warsop and Shirebrook and this formed part of the loop that returned us to the Teversal trail at Pleasley.  Unfortunately it was here that we found a fair bit of mud and water  - along a bridle path that Sharon and Paul fondly call 'Puddle Lane'.




Luckily Puddle Lane was fairly easily negotiated without any of us getting our feet wet, and it didn't take us much longer before we were safely back in the T4rdis.








However, our day didn't end there! Sharon and Paul had kindly asked us round for dinner which turned out to be a gorgeous mushroom Lasagna with garlic bread, followed by apple cake and custard, and all washed down with a lovely drop of red🍷. Our evening quickly passed with us talking about past and future adventures, and eventually, our chauffeur (Paul) took us home just after 11pm so that we could have an early ish night in preparation for the next days jaunt!

Old Pit Site - Still generating power - of the Solar variety

Thursday was to be a day of learning - about the Bramley Apple.  We set off again heading for the Bramley Apple Trail which leads to Southwell - the home of the Bramley Apple.   To start with, we followed much the same route as the day before until we got to Clipstone Forest, and from here we picked up Sustran's Route 645 which took us to Bilsthrope.









However, just before the village we stopped for lunch and could see huge thick black plumes of smoke rising from a building that was obviously on fire.  We also heard several explosions and saw lots of emergency vehicles rushing to the scene.  We later learnt that it was  a farm building that had gone up and that gas cylinders stored there had exploded resulting in flames that reached 30 feet high, however happily, although people had to be evacuated nobody was injured.  


After lunch we continued on our way, and the trail we were following passed within about a 100 metres of the fire, but luckily, the wind was blowing the smoke away from us so we were able to continue without inhaling anything horrible, and eventually we arrived in Southwell.

We arrived in total ignorance of the town's history and architecture - but we were soon to find out much more about it all!  As we entered the town there was a big banner declaring it to be the home of the Bramley Apple, and said Apple was a major feature in many of the  shop window displays.  This turned out to be because it was their annual Bramley Apple Festival on the 24th - an event we will plan to attend.

With regard to the history of the Bramley Apple it is said that it was first cultivated in Southwell over 200 years ago, and the original tree still bears fruit in a private garden on Church Street.  Apparently, in 1809 a young girl planted some apple pips in her garden and one of them grew to become the first Bramley apple tree.  Later the cottage was sold to Matthew Bramley, and as the tree had thrived and was producing lovely fruit it was noticed by a local nurseryman who wanted to propagate it by taking grafts.  Matthew agreed to this on condition that if the fruit was to be sold commercially it would bear his name, thus today we have the Bramley apple - probably one of the most famous pie fillings in England, and I think it's safe to say this sweet treat is certainly one of John's favourites!

The other big WOW  of the day was the sudden appearance of  Southwell Minster.  Obviously, it's been there for a very long time, but John and I were completely unaware of it's existence until we arrived at it's gates. It's quite breathtaking, and it's quirky architecture took us completely by surprise, but sadly we didn't have much time to explore because the outbound ride  had taken quite a while and we already knew, that with about 25 miles to ride home we would be returning in the dark!   However, this is't an unusual event when you venture out with Sharon and Paul!!

The Minster can trace it's history back to 1108 when plans for it's building were put in place by the King of Wessex.  The twin towers on the front were completed in 1170 but building work continued on various parts of the building over centuries.  It also suffered major damage to it's roof in 1711 when on November 5th a major fire destroyed most of it's roof along with extensive damage to it's bells and organ, and although it was repaired it wasn't until 1851 that  full restoration was commenced - and then the work took over 40 years.


Not sure what a monkey is doing up there!









Anyway, we set off on our return journey, and for the first few miles tiredness made it seem quite daunting and I wondered just how I was going to find the energy to pedal all the way back.   However,  after a few miles  Sharon came to the rescue by producing a calorie laden rich fruit cake which we ate along with steaming mugs of hot chocolate, and this provided a much needed boost to get us home.  And not only that, she also invited us for tea again - this time a huge shepherd's pie followed by more lovely apple cake, another drop of red and even a G & T to finish off with.  We'd had a fantastic (if energetic) couple of days with our very BESTIST friends, and at the end of the evening (or was that the beginning of the morning - it was 1am!) we were all a bit sad because we didn't think we would see each other again until maybe April next year.  So it was at this point that we decided to slip in a quick lunch date for the next day!


Friday 23rd October 2015

We still had a couple more days at Teversal but Sharon, Paul and some of their children were off on their jollies to Ireland  for the half term break.  They'd planed to leave as soon as the children finished school but as long as they packed quickly there was still time for lunch at The Hardwick Inn.  

John and I had planned to walk from the camp site, but to be sure of the route we'd had a quick chat with the campsite owner who'd kindly provided a map.  He told us there was a circular route we could take and that it was about 3 miles to the pub, however, if we completed the loop altogether our walk would be about 10 miles!  We didn't think we wanted to go quite that far but we set of following his advise for the first part of the walk, and it really didn't seem to take us very long even though we had to stop to admire the beautiful autumn scenery and to play on the equipment the National Trust provided for children in Lady Spencer's Wood





We all met up at the pub as planned and had a lovely farewell lunch before lots of hugs and kisses goodbye and then recommencing our walk.  

Old Hardwick Hall
As National Trust members we had planned to visit Hardwick Hall on our way back but this wasn't to be because it closed at 4pm and by the time we got there it was 3.30 and to late!   Never mind - there'll always be another time, and maybe it was a good job we didn't delay because whichever way we chose to go home we were still going to have a fair hike to get there.







We continued our walk by crossing several fields, and with some trepidation, because this critter was wondering about with lots of her mates - however, they mostly ignored us - good job she didn't know I was going to buy a stilton and long horn beef pie for dinner  the next day!










We eventually left the fields and came to the tiny village of Ault Hucknall where we found St John the Baptist's Church, apparently it has been there for well over a 1000 years and is referred to in the Doomsday book in 1087
We continued on our way along the Rowthorne Trail and then crossed several muddy fields to get back onto the Teversal Trail, and by this time we thought we'd walked about 10 miles,  - was this supposed to be our easy day?   Therefore, when we got back to Silverhill Wood we debated whether it was worth the effort to make the short but steep climb up the hill to see the 'Testing the Gas' bronze statue of a miner at it's peak.







We did and it was well worth the effort.  The sculpture shows every sinew and wrinkle of the miners body and is fantastic in it's detail, and that's to say nothing of the views!  They were very far reaching, and as it was quite clear we could see for many miles.
There was a dial mounted on a rock which pointed out landmarks along with there distance - in one direction we thought we could see Lincoln Cathedral and in the other Crich Stand.










We finally rejoined the T4rdis about 5.30, but after a huge lunch, I won't have to do much cooking for tea for the third day running.


Saturday 24th October 2015

Well, this has turned out to be a very very very exciting day.  WhatsApp messages started to arrive about 7am to say my Son's parter Louise had gone into the first stages of labour with our 3rd Grandchild.  At the time of writing we are still waiting with baited breath for babies arrival (5.30pm) but we've had updates to say they're all doing well!

Other than that, everything else pales into insignificance, it rained for most of the morning  so we stayed tucked up snug and warm, and very close to our phone in the T4rdis.  We did eventually venture out to the Bramley Apple Festival about lunch time but even that was a bit of a damp squib!  Almost as soon as we arrived the rain absolutely teamed down and the streets were soon mostly deserted.  We ventured into the Minster where an apple biased food festival was in progress, but would you believe - they had no cider or apple pies!!  We really  didn't see much else we wanted except the 'Longhorn steak and stilton pie' and we did buy Seville Orange and Liquorice Marmalade to have with our toast in the morning.

Oh, and still no baby news yet!

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Monday 19 October 2015

Just a quick Catchup

Just a Quick Catchup

13th - 16th October 2015

As planned, we've spent the last few days in a bit of whirl visiting family, friends, the bank manager and the dreaded dentist!  The latter 2 went well and the former 2 forced us to drink gallons of tea - but it was absolutely fantastic to see everyone - and it was only when we met up with everybody that we realised how much we'd missed them all!   I'm not sure how we're going to manage in the future because this time it has only been for a month - when we go over the water it will be 4 or 5!


Saturday 17th October 2015

Today we invited ourselves along on Sarah, Paul and Thomas's visit to Alton Towers,  and as they were taking cousin Jack along as well,  it provided very precious time for us to spend with our Grandsons. We went on an Octanauts mission, we went on a Tree Top Adventure and we got to blast each other with 'cherries' (sponge balls) in Justin's House.

The boy's  climbed trees (as boys do), and as it was  'Scarefeast' they hid in Pumpkin's as well!

.
And they both got to take a driving test!







However, I'm not sure if they both passed!

Lots of funny faces

And we also rode on the sky train

All the Boys


And the Girls

We had a lovely but exhausting day - we arrived at 9.45 and didn't leave till gone 7pm - and although we packed loads in there was still plenty more that we could have done - but that will have to be saved for another occasion!


Sunday 18th October 2015

Today we went to Sarah and Paul's house (our home address) for a family get together - all our children and their partners, and all our grandchildren - including the one that's still cooking!  It's not very often we're fortunate enough to get everybody together, and because we'll be absent at Christmas  we decided to give the boys their presents today - and identifying what they wanted really wasn't a problem because they have both already started their Christmas lists.  Jack opted for Power Ranger stuff and Thomas had Clangers and Lego on his list.

Thomas's surprised face

I'm not sure who enjoyed the toys more - the little boy or the big one!

































Sarah provided a feast for us all, and as usual the get together was boisterous and noisy but I think thoroughly enjoyed by all.


Monday 19th October 2015

Well, for the last week we've been more or less starved of exercise, so after yesterdays indulgence we decided to go cycling.  At the moment we're parked at Callow Top Holiday Park which is just outside Ashbourne -  as usual, we're always looking for a bargain and as they were offering half price pitches for most of October so we bagged one.  The site also has the advantage of direct access onto The High Peak Trail so this was where we started our ride.  We departed from the T4rdis and followed the Tissington Trail to Hartington Station where we left the trail and headed into Hartington Village.  From there we continued along the road into Hulme End and then we picked up the Manifold Valley Trail.
http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/79018/ppd-cycle-trails-leaflet.pdf  (link shows both trails)

Like the High Peak Trail the Leek and Manifold route has been converted into a cycle trail from an old railway line, but this one was of the narrow gauge variety.    It opened in 1904 and ran out of steam in 1934 when it was closed, but while in use it served the tiny farming communities by carrying  milk and cheese from the isolated dairy at Ecton.  It was famously known as 'a line starting nowhere and ending up at the same place'.   The route follows the Manifold River gorge for about 9 miles between Hulme End and Waterhouses and is mostly off road except for a short section that goes through a long dark tunnel at Swainsley.

By now we were starting to get a bit peckish so we chose to break our ride at Wettonmill  - and we were quite lucky.   We managed to find the sunshine by the side of a little babbling stream that flowed under a pack horse bridge, and as usual, we had the company of several ducks scavenging for any dropped crumbs.

From here we continued on our way passing this cave as we went





It's known as Thor's Cave and it's thought that the name came about because of the noises made by strong winds reverberating through the mouth and into  it's fissures.  It has been home to both stone age dwellers and wild animals and dates back at least 50,000 years - the bones of mammoths and wild bears have been discovered within other caves in the valley.



Also, from more recent times, in the local surrounding countryside you can see the remains of lead mines, and Ecton (which is quite nearby) was the site of the worlds richest copper mine dating back over 300 years.

The trail eventually spat us out onto the A523 Ashbourne - Leek road at Waterhouses, but we only stayed on the main road for about a quarter of a mile before we turned off onto another little lane that headed towards Calton.  Then it was up quite a steep gradient  to Throwley Cottages - these have  been converted into holiday homes, but you could easily imagine them as miner's homes in times gone by.   As usual, what went up had to come down, so we were soon swooping down a long sweeping hill and past the remains of Throwley Hall.

old hall
The Hall is very much a ruin now and it would be easy to pass by without giving it a second glance,  but it,can trace it's origins back as far as 1203 when somebody called Oliver de Meverell lived there.
Fantastic Far Reaching Views  through The Manifold Valley













The quiet road continued on through  The Hamps Valley and down over Rushley Bridge into the back of Ilam where we felt compelled to stop for hot chocolate and cake.






Ilam Cross http://www.ilam.org.uk/assets/ilam%20cross%20leaflet%20final.pdf

















Then it was another hill (up) - towards Blore, and on to Mapleton, and  from there it was only another couple of miles back to the T4rdis via the Tissington Trail.







Tomorrow we'll move again to The Camping and Caravan Club Site at Teversal where we'll meet up with our friends Sharon and Paul for what might be another overdose of cycling - we are really looking forward to it 😁.

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Monday 12 October 2015

Bikes are doing Overtime!

Bikes are Doing Overtime

Saturday 10th October 2015

We came to Wiltshire mainly to cycle, so today was another day for a ride and we decided to visit Lacock. The National Trust own the  Abbey there, and both that and the village can trace their history back to the 13th century.  We cycled from the campsite, initially back along the same part of the canal tow-path that we'd ridden on yesterday, but after about 4 miles we turned off onto little country lanes until we came to Melksham.  This proved to be a very busy market town, and with it being Saturday, the shoppers were out in force, so this along with the narrow streets with cars and busses jostling for position made it less than a pleasure to ride through.





Happily, we got through safely, and following a few more country lanes we came across this lady standing proud and overlooking somebodies garden.














After about 10 miles we rolled into Lacock and found streets lined with timber framed cottages, little unique shops, pubs and tearooms all trying to entice the many visitors through their doors, however, it was mainly the Abbey that we'd come to see so we didn’t linger too long in the village.  



The Abbey was founded by Ela of Salisbury who became the first Abbess of the medieval nunnery, and as we wandered through the golden cloisters and the remaining rooms it almost seemed a sin that people should make a noise in a space that was previously for prayer and meditation.   



A very old camera



Having said that, it's only the ground floor that remains from that time - the upper levels were converted to a Victorian family home by the inventor William Henry Fox Talbot, who in 1839 announced his invention of the photographic negative.

Sharington’s Tower where Talbot kept the 1225 Magna Carta




More recently both the village and the Abbey’s claim to fame are as venues for the filming of Downton Abbey and Harry Potter.

Following our visit we decided to reroute our return so as to miss out the busy Melksham, so instead we followed the road up Bowden Hill,(I thought Wiltshire was flat - WRONG)  and then on to Sandy Lane which is little hamlet made up mainly of picturesque thatched cottages.  


Altogether our ride was about 20 miles and to finish it off we wended our way over gently undulating country roads back to the T4rdis - just in nice time to watch Strictly.


Sunday 11th October 2015.


Another day and another ride - today’s aim was to see the Caen Hill Locks and the iconic White horses in the Vale of Pewsey.




The locks came first - we left the campsite and headed in the opposite direction to the previous two days - towards the the town of Devizes. Following an initial flat start the track begun to rise alongside a huge flight of locks, that in total, go up by 72.5 metres. Obviously, the water has to go that high as well, and we were very interested to learn that the pumping of it is facilitated in part, by 208 solar panels that are housed in a field at the side of the locks.













The slope varied between 3 - 5% gradient so it wasn’t too challenging, and as we peddled we were entertained by numerous barges negotiating the flight - apparently it takes about 4hrs unless you are unlucky enough to meet a traffic jam!













Also, at the side of each lock there was a Barge parking area!








After the locks we continued along the tow-path to the town of Devizes, but although the track continued from there it deteriorated to a very narrow and sometimes muddy lane so we decided to leave the canal behind and followed Sustran’s route 4 too Pewsey, and that was where we had our first glimpse of the White chalk horse on the North Down.  


Is this the only one!
Now it was at this point that we argued about if there was 1 horse or 2.  I was adamant there was only one, but John thought 2, however I was sure I was right because we could only see one!! (more to follow)


We progressed on our way into Pewsey hoping to find somewhere to stop and eat our lunch, but we didn’t, so we continued on our way mostly through country lanes arching around the back of Pewsey, and it was here that we left route 4 to pick our own path back to Devizes. By now we were starving and very relieved to find - at about mile 22 - a village green where we parked up and ravenously ate our picnic.  


Feeling much better now we'd been fed we recommenced our journey through lots of little hamlets in The Vale of Pewsey, along a road which took us closer to the White Hoses(s).  We passed the one we'd seen earlier, and then John called out ‘there’s another one’ - and there was no arguing with him - because it was facing in the opposite direction! He would be the first to admit it’s not very often he’s right - and although for a while he thought he was - it turned out we were both wrong! When we got home I looked it up on the internet and found there were at least 24 in Britain - and of them, at least thirteen are known to have existed in Wiltshire! Today only eight are still visible, all the others have either been lost completely, or are hiding under the turf.


From here we retraced our tracks to Devizes and then rejoined the canal to take us back to the T4rdis - with an overall mileage of 38.  So, in the last 3 days, we have ridden nearly 90 miles - our  bikes (and our sit up on s) will have a welcome rest tomorrow!


Monday 12th October 2015

Well, today our little jaunt south has come to an end! We've brought the T4rdis back to our old home area - The Midlands, and w're re staying on a brand new campsite that is affiliated to the National Forest. It's called Riddings Wood and the site and the facilities seem excellent. We only have the company of a few other vans - and I think most of them are just seasonal pitches because nobody seems to be in!. We have mostly come back to keep dentist appointments, to sort out some administrative details for our new venture, to visit our family and friends. However, the most important and exciting event that will hopefully occur very soon is the birth of our 3rd Grandchild.  

So our next few days will be extremely joyful while we catch up with family visits and have time to spend playing with our other 2 grandsons.

Click here to see our UK camping spots

Friday 9 October 2015

Birds and Canals

Birds and Canals

Monday 5th October 2015


Well, not much to say - it rained, then it rained harder and then it rained harder still - pretty much the bad weather  lasted all day, so consequently we were confined to barracks the T4rdis (Ben's spelling for our new home).  However, it wasn’t really a problem, we found plenty to do even though we only have VERY slow internet! Having said that, we're very much looking forward to getting out and about tomorrow and  we're keeping everything crossed that the weather will be better. This is where we are - another ACSI site that's only cost us about 10 quid


Tuesday 6th October 2015

To start with, Happy Birthday to Me, and it was made extra special by a video of Thomas sending me a big sloppy kiss over WhatsApp.


Sadly the weather wasn’t any better to start with, but by now, we (but mostly me) had a bit of cabin fever so despite the rain we went out anyway to explore Woodlands Theme Park.  At the moment the T4rdis is sited on their campsite and this allows us free entry, so even though the park is aimed at children we thought we'd have a nosey round anyway!😁  


And we're very glad we did.  The park is partly zoo and partly activities that are divided into themed zones with exciting areas for outdoor and indoor play - I know 2 little boys who would have loved it! 
I think I mentioned before, there are no roller coasters but there is a Pirate Ship that I couldn't resist - but it did make me scream!


















We spent a good hour wandering in and out of the reptile house, the bunny house, the nocturnal creature house (we saw fruit bats), the deer park (where there were only alpackers and emus), and we met Mr Peacock.
















At Least They Had the Sense to Stay inside out of the rain!
































Then we wandered a bit further and discovered the Falconry Centre - it was fantastic.   The birds included owls of all shapes and sizes, kestrels,  hawks, a vulture, and a very comical raven who knew to ring his bell for dinner.    At times the sights were a bit grisly when the birds were being fed but fascinating all the same.  

Apparently his head and neck are bold so he doesn't get his feathers
 dirty when he eats!

I told him to chew his food but he didn't listen!

And Boris wouldn't eat at all while we were watching 














































However, we were a little disappointed because the demonstration flights of the birds had been cancelled due to the bad weather 😞,  however later when we got chatting with one of the falconers, he thought it likely that flying would take place tomorrow so we decided to pay a return visit especially to see them.

Following our excursion we returned to the T4rdis and no sooner had we closed the door than the heavens opened again with another torrential downpour - I was very glad we missed that.


Wednesday 7th October 2015.


Today we woke up to lovely but breezy sunshine.  The flight times for the birds were scheduled for 12.30 and 3pm so we had a slow get up and then strolled over to the Falconry Centre for just after mid-day - only to be met with initial disappointment because there were signs saying that flying had been cancelled again because to was to windy for them to fly safely.  We went into the centre anyway with the intention of taking more photographs, and I soon got chatting to another of the Falconers.  I told him how disappointed I was and also mentioned that it had been my birthday yesterday, and he very kindly said he could arrange a very special treat which turned out to be a close up encounter with several of the birds.  I was overjoyed as you will be able to tell from the photos below.  


First it was Whisp who is a European Tawny Owl.  He was so tame he give me a cuddle and even a kiss goodbye.
















Then it was Plop! (think children's story - the owl who is afraid of the dark). He's a British Barn Owl who was bred in captivity and sees the falconer as a friend.  Apparently he also flies regularly in the flying displays and will fly to people so that they can see him up close and personal.  His feathers were super soft and very deep, and his markings provided fantastic camouflage as well as being beautiful.



















Next came Dallas who is a little North American Kestrel, who again has been bred in captivity at Wrangaton.  The Centre  have had him since June when he was only 6 weeks old - so he is really still only a baby - however, he was very tame and happy to sit on my arm and on my head, (and luckily he didn't do a plop) and although his beak was quite sharp when he nibbled my finger it didn't do any harm - apparently it's his talons that he uses to kill his prey.


Finally came Inca - the big one!!  Inca is a female Mexican Harris Hawk - one of the most popular hawks used in falconry because there sociable with other birds of their own kind.  Apparently they will hunt in packs (or should that be flocks), and will set up ambushes to acquire their prey.  Her talons were sharp and her beak looked wicked but she was quite  friendly and magnificent to see with her wings spread.
















Our visit lasted about an hour, and afterwards it was back to the T4rdis for lunch and then off out for a bit of exercise in the form of a quick bike ride.   However, it turned out to be anything but quick - on this ride John managed to find every bloody steep hill in the area - and some of them twice!  Because of the hills our average speed was down to 6.7miles per hour, and the best bit was 'what went up had to come down'  very quickly on the other side - I think we got up to about 25mph!


On this ride our first destination was ‘Blackpool’, - that’s Blackpool nestling between Strete and Stoke Fleming on the South Devon Coast just outside Dartmouth.  The beach was fine shingle, and the surrounding vistas were stunning, with views out to sea and over the craggy rocks that rose steeply on either side.  


Onward from there we picked up a little side road that led down to The National Trust’s Little Dartmouth, and then onto a bridleway that finished just before the mouth of the River Dart.  From there we descended down a very steep and gravelly road that spat us out near Dartmouth Castle and the entrance to the Estuary, and it was here that we paused for hot chocolate and cake before continuing on into Dartmouth itself. However, just before entering the town we stopped at the top of the hill where we had a spectacular views into Dartmouth Harbour and  the brightly painted houses that lined its banks, and also the little ferries that chugged backwards and forwards across the estuary.


 



The cottages were very reminiscent of Tobermory on Mull,








We eventually arrived on the quayside where our attention was taken by the ‘lower ferry’, which on investigation seemed to be nothing more than a pontoon pushed and pulled about by a tug.  Our intention was to cross this estuary tomorrow with the T4rdis but I think we'll be taking the more sturdy ‘upper ferry’ - or at least I hope it’s more sturdy!


Now it was time to turn our tyres towards home, but before we got there we had a lot more hills to conquer - they were long and steep and in the hot sunshine quite challenging - but only the one with double arrows on John’s map managed to tip us off!  


We'd gone out with the intention of getting some exercise after 4 days abstinence, I think maybe we got a little more than we bargained for (that’s the penance for avoiding the main roads).


Thursday 8th October 2015.


Another moving day.  We left Woodland’s Campsite and headed for Dartmouth and the ‘Upper Ferry’ which is the mode of transport across the estuary for larger vehicles.  Happily, it did prove to be a sturdier affair than the ‘lower ferry’, and this time it was pulled from one side to the other by a dual cable winch.  The trip only lasted a few minutes but it saved us quite a few miles so we thought it a bargain at £5.20  (which was the same price as cars).


Once across the water we proceeded to Aldi to do shopping and then through Paignton and Torquay. Both were places we think we would like to return too some time in the future, but we didn’t stop on this occasion because our journey to Devizes campsite in Wiltshire was going to be about 120 miles.  
We eventually arrived about 5ish and soon settled in at the Devizes Camping and Caravan club site, and as an extra bonus the fish and chip van followed us in so tea was soon sorted.  


The site is quite pretty but very busy, however, it is right on the Kennet and Avon canal so bikes out tomorrow we'll be off exploring.


However, there is always a down side, and here it is the fact that we've got no phone or wifi signal, and to add insult to injury I tried to buy their wifi package for 24hrs but as soon as I’d paid it told me my time was up!  I will be having WORDS tomorrow!


Friday 9th October 2015


Well, I think I’ve sorted the wifi - but we’ll see.  I went to the campsite office and they rang the provider who gave me a new code.  I've just entered it and managed to log on - but it’s very slow and I will be surprised if it will load my photos (it did but it has taken about an hour and a half so I don't think I'll buy it again).


Anyway back to today.  We cycled along the Kennet and Avon canal towards Bath for about 15 miles.


The choice of this cycle way was John’s - he was keen to ride some of it after reading about it and seeing Timothy West and Prunella Scales’ ‘Great Canal Journeys’.  However, sadly it didn’t quite live up to his expectations for several reasons - the track surface was quite poor and very lumpy bumpy in places, and the water of the canal was very murky! 


Also, while some of the barges were spectacular and would have made excellent homes, some were like Steptoe’s yard - piled high with all manner of junk.  And then there were others that were derelict with notices served on them to say they were a hazard and would be removed and classed as fly tipping if the owners failed to do something about them.

I think it would sink if anyone tried to move it!

Having said all that we had a very pleasant ride in lovely bright sunshine, but at  times the nip in the air made itself noticed - you can definitely tell Autumn has  arrived.  The trees lining the canal side were changing colour and leaves gently floated down as we rode along, and additionally, there were still plenty of birds - herons, swans with this years cygnets, ducks and moor-hens to name but a few. 

It was also mostly very peaceful, and because for a good part of the way we  were forced to ride in single file there was plenty of time for quiet reflection. For me this was mostly about our new life style - so now I'm fairly sure this is the way I want to live for quite a long time to come.

Our total mileage today was 31 and when we got back to the T4rdis we did a bit of experimental cooking.  We made Halloumi cheese Curry accompanied by rice, nans and saag-aloo - and very nice it was too.

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