Day in

Friday 7 September

We had another quiet day today staying at our camp site in Padstow. The weather was perfect, misty when we got up but by 10am it was lovely and warm and it just got better as the day went on till in the early afternoon there wasn't a cloud in the sky and we lazed around all day. Petra did her tapestry whilst Kev languished in the sun and read his kindle. We also discovered BBC 6 Music (sick of Steve Wright) and listened to Stewart Maconie and Mark Radcliff (we wondered where they had gone) they played great music and made us laugh, which made a great day perfect.

And that's it......

Oh, and we would like to welcome Linda to the world of Apple computing and to the Kindle. It would appear though that choosing to buy the Kindle was easer than choosing which book to buy. Keep at it Linda. X

The Eden Project

Thursday 6 September

It looks like the weather is settled for a while but the mornings are getting cooler. As a result we awoke to steamed up windows in the van. We do open the vents in the top of the roof but, if the air is as still as it was last night there is not enough ventilation to blow away the damp air. So for the first time in anger we put on the ‘Webasto’ heater. The heater is powered by diesel taken direct from the fuel tank. We were told if we put the heater on all night it would cost no more than 30p. The heater is amazingly efficient and after a couple of minutes the heat came through and in no time at all the windows were dry and we were turning it off as it was too hot. The dial was only set on half so what it’s like on full we have no idea. In away we hope we will never have to find out!

After showers and breakfast we packed the van and were ready to leave the site at 09.15. We are well into the routine now and both know what our individual tasks are. Today we are going to the Eden Project. We have had tickets all summer and have nearly got there a couple of times but never quite made it. Today is the day! 

It was nice to be out in the van again and on the road. We haven’t moved Campy since Saturday and we are sure she appreciated stretching her legs a bit too. The trip to Eden was not too far, and only took about 35 mins. Those who have been to Eden Project before will no doubt recall the location of the Project as it is on the outskirts of a huge clay mining region, and I mean huge. Check it out on a map of the area and you will see that it is dominated by the industry. We passed a man-made mountains made from the waste produced and the landscape looked barren and abused. Still, I guess we need plates and cups etc.

The parking is as you would expect for such a prestigious tourist attraction was well organised and very efficient. We parked Campy safely in a corner and walked down to the Visitor Centre. We found the area designated for the poor people who use Tesco vouchers (as wot we were) and we were given a silver sticker to put on our shirts. The other visitors who paid with real money had snazzy blue stickers. We have no idea why we were given the sticker as we were never asked to show it once in the visitor areas.  No discrimination there then....

As you walk out of the visitor centre and on the the balcony, you are greeted by a fantastic view of the domes below. The Project now open for 9 years has developed nicely and looked full, lush and very inviting. It certainly has a wow factor and you really can’t wait to get down there and look around. The Project is split in to designated areas and the first we went to was the Rainforest. For our money this is the most spectacular of all the areas. On entry you start at ground level and as you walk round you rise higher and higher along with the temperature, phew, it really got quite warm. On the way down we were stopped by a young girl who produced a questionnaire (it seems Chichester North Street isn’t the only place you have to run the gauntlet) we answered the questions regarding the fruit of the  Baobab tree and whether would we drink it? We said we would so were given a glass full of the stuff which actually was fantastic, cold, white, frothy and tropical in flavour. We could only really taste pineapple but it was nice and cold and refreshing.

Once we had finished in the Rainforest we went to the restaurant and shared the largest lump of coffee and walnut cake you have ever seen and a couple of Americano coffees. The restaurant area is lovely, very trendy and clean and really generous portions. Then it was off to the Mediterranean dome which was much cooler than the Rainforest and lighter. Interspersed with plantings were Mediterranean type buildings and sculptures. 

We had our lunch in one of the picnic areas, then on the the education centre and saw the 77 ton seed sculpture which is housed in it’s own round room and really is amazing (see photo).
Once we had looked around the outside gardens  we caught the land train back to the Visitor centre and walked down to the bridge spanning the valley. Overhead is a zip wire which goes from one end of the Eden Project to the other. It is amazing to watch especially when the person on the wire is light and cant quite make it to the end of the wire. A chap has to shimmy along the wire and effect a rescue. We had a quick look around the shop and bought 3 bags of coffee beans.

We really enjoyed the day at the Eden Project and would go again. It was helped by the fantastic weather.

Camel Trail

Wednesday 5 September

The wind blew and blew last night, it wasn’t at all windy when we went to bed but it did wake us up in the night. We don’t really mind the wind and we are getting quite used to it. We are very comfortable in Campy and when you are warm, dry and comfortable inside it can do what it likes on the outside. Anyway, it was all worth it as in the morning it had all calmed down and the wind had taken all the clouds away with it. It was the start of a beautiful day.

We have a short list of things we want to do in Padstow and one of them is to walk along the Camel trail to Wadebridge some 7 miles from the campsite. As it was such a nice day and we had stayed in all day yesterday we decided that today was the day to do it. Packed lunches in the bag and we were off. 

The trail takes us, to begin with, along the same track as if going to Padstow except just before you turn to enter Padstow you head down towards the river turn right and the track runs along the side of the estuary. It really is a great walk and very easy as the path is flat and hugs the foreshore. The trail is very popular with holiday makers and especially with cyclists. At both ends of the stretch we had chosen there is a profusion of bike hire companies hiring out all types of bikes from sit up and beg type to tandems. Most seemed to be towing those little trailers with kiddies in the back. We saw one bounce by with a rather wide eyed baby in a carry-tot wedged in back. Not sure the baby was quite as appreciative of the scenery as his mother.

We stopped at a couple of benches en route to admire the view and watch the water skiing going on. When we arrived in Wadebridge it was about lunch time so we went looking for a bench to rest our weary backs. Unfortunately, the only vacant bench we could find was in a children’s playground. Still they didn’t seem to mind and we were glad to sit down.

Wadebridge is only a small town and the shopping centre doesn’t have a single high Street multiple other than a Co-op supermarket. This added to its charm and there wasn’t a single vacant shop to be had so whatever they are doing they are doing it well. We managed to find a number of things we were looking for that we have been unable to find anywhere else. For example, a small chopping block for cutting the lemon for the gin and tonic. Some Tiger Balm, and a bung you put on the end of a walking stick for one of our outdoor chairs which I must tell you about.

We bought 2 Coleman sling chairs from the internet in July last year. We didn’t start using them properly till July this year. Unfortunately we somehow lost one of the feet that covers the end of the aluminum extruded leg. Without it the chair digs into the grass. So I emailed Coleman and asked them for a replacement and whilst they were at it send me a couple more as spares. One of the other feet is wearing through to the aluminum. Coleman emailed back saying they do not keep spares so we would have to get in touch with the retailer and claim one through the guarantee. So a quick call the the retailer found that as the chairs were out of guarantee and they nor Coleman could supply the part there was nothing to be done. To us that really is poor service and shame on Coleman who can’t support there own products.

After our walk around the town we climbed on board the 555 bus to Tesco, Padstow (BBQ tonight) We picked up a couple of corn on the cob, a pack of Tesco finest Burgers, salad, bread rolls, strawberrys and a pot of Rodda’s fresh Cornish clotted cream. Bring it on.

When we got back to camp we noticed that another Bilbo van was just behind us. Their’s was also this years model and we had a nice chat chewing the cud on our brilliant pride and joys. The BBQ was cooked on the Cadac and it was good! Finally and before the washing up we went for a walk around the campsite to check out the competition. 

What a great day we have had today.

Admin day

Tuesday 4th September.

Not a lot to report today except the weather was dull and a sea mist came in and stayed all day. We decided to have an admin day and look at the route to Spain. More info on this will follow.

Kevin also booked Campy in with Vanworks for a bit of a face lift. More on that to follow too.

To get in the mood for Spain we are having a chorizo pasta tonight, although not sure if they have pasta in Spain.....for sure Spanish would certainly frown on the pasta and the Italia's will no doubt frown on the chorizo. God job we are Brit's (fish n chips).

Rick's Place

Monday 3 September

We woke up this morning to a magical sunrise. The sun was up but the clouds were low and was shining through giving a fantastic mystical aura to the site. Kevin was up and at the shower before you could blink.

Today is a special day in that Petra and Kevin were married 30 years ago today. 30 years... wow and every one of them brilliant. Here’s to another 30 - ching ching...

By the time we had breakfast (two poached eggs on toast), we had cleaned the dried the outside if the van with the squeegee thing and dried it off; we were ready for our trip down to Padstow. The campsite is only a mile from Padstow (half a mile from Tesco). The beginning of the walk takes us across a couple of fields with corn on the cob in and a large grassy field. It was a bit muddy under feet for Petra’s walking shoe’s but we managed to negotiate the styles and kissing gates until we reached Tesco. Quick turn right and it’s all downhill to Padstow.

The weather as we approached the centre of Padstow was beautiful and getting quite hot. We turned the corner and Petra let out a surprised “oooh”, there in front of a ladies clothes shop (Joules) was a pile of boxes and tucked in behind was two old ‘point of sale’ banners. they were held together with two long 1” doweling. Now this might seem daft but we have been looking for something just like this to use as wellington boot sticks. It’s a camping thing that when it rains you knock the sticks into the ground and when in the van you take your wellies off and turn them up side down on the sticks. This stops slugs getting in to them and keeps them dry. A very nice and attractive girl came out of the shop and agreed that we could salvage the doweling which we did. Only problem, we now had two 5’ long bits of dowel to carry around all day!!

The town is really interesting and we enjoyed exploring all the shops and side streets. We ended up on the harbour wall and watched the ferries come and go. There was also a man shouting at the top of his voice for people to join him on his speed boat, a Reva type boat £6 a go. It turned out there was 4 of these vessels all named things like ‘Thunder’, ‘Jaws’ and ‘Hurricane’. We passed and sat on a bench with all the other oldies.

Padstow is of course well known for its association with TV Chief Rick Stein. It turns out he is more a retailer than chef as he has no less than 13 businesses in the town. He has everything from a top fish food restaurant (Egon recommends it apparently) to a fish and chip shop and a Deli to a gift shop. I am afraid as tempting as it was we didn’t indulge. Even the fish n chips takeaway was £12.50. That’s quite a lot we thought even for a treat. Anyway, Petra had made a nice lunch for us so we sat on bench by the harbour and tucked into that listening to the man from the speed boat drumming up business (only 3 places left..!) We did have the opportunity to sit on a bench nearer the the centre but there was a busking crooner all dressed up in a suit and trilby to look like Frank Sinatra (he must have been roasting).

After lunch we had another look around and decided that we would rather be back at Campy so made the climb back up the hill and back to camp. As soon as we got there we put the bus shelter up and the new wind breaker and Petra sat doing her Tapestry. Kevin made wellington boot sticks out of the doweling by cutting them in half, whittling a point on one end and lashing the other with some black para cord from the really useful string bag.

Drizzle

Sunday 2 September

I suppose the most interesting thing that happened today was the passing of the second month we have been on the road. We did so with a cursory nod to each other and agreed we were very happy and content with our lot. 

The day started with a drizzle and continued all day. Mist covered the lovely views of yesterday and we decided to stay in. Saying that we did leave the van to do the washing and would you believe it IRONING. Yes the campsite has it all including irons. All you have to do is pay £5 deposit to the nice lady at the reception counter and POW, you get a £4.99 Tesco Value iron. I assume the 1p is to cover the petrol expenses if you decide the iron is worth nicking.

We also did some more admin and bits around the van. Foe example we discovered if you take out the bottom draw under the sink there is a huge space to put all manner of things. It is a shame Bilbo couldn’t have made it in to one big drawer. So it is now stuffed with all our spare Bodyshop toiletries. Kevin decided it was time to have a go with one of the toys bought before the trip in preparation. The electronic tyre inflator. This is a brilliant device which automatically inflates your tyre’s to the desired pressure. We are now fully and properly inflated.

And that’s it really a simple day in the company of each other doing what we do best SORTING.

Time to catch up

Saturday 1 September

A doing day

We were quite glad to leave the Caravan Club site at Tintagel, Friday evening brought the nutters out for the weekend. Firstly, there were some German campers opposite throwing one of those whistling bombs all evening (a bit of irony there we thought). Next we had a family next to us who arrived in a battered van and car which developed into a camping area that dominated the area. They also had a St Bernard type dog the size of a horse that barked all night. They had some family on the site with a German Shepherd dog, that also barked. Next, the campers opposite (British) decided tonight would be a good time to light the floating Chinese lantern. It was obvious to me and probably every camper on the site that there was too much wind to fly it and the wind direction was blowing over the campsite in the direction of all those expensive awnings. Anyway the thing floated about 6ft in the air and than summersaulted several times and travelled at great knots towards god knows what. It crashed to the ground and one more attempt saw its demise. Finally, I was walking back from the toilet block when I saw an idiot using a portable BBQ directly on the neatly cut grass. Mind numbing really.

So we set off PDQ. Today we are going on holiday to Padstow. Now I do realise that this may seem rather daft but we are staying on a private site and paying big money for the privilege £20 per night (off season) Premier pitch. Before we go to Padstow though we have a few jobs to do. The last site was very muddy and poor Campy really got mucky. Too muddy to cope with a bucket and sponge so we found en route to Tesco a power washer place in a BP Garage. It was fantastic, foam everywhere and Campy had all her private parts power washed underneath. 

After a Tesco shop, we then went to a vacuum cleaner at another garage and got two tokens. We emptied the interior of the van and vacuumed it from front to back. We were starting to feel pleased with ourselves. 

12.15 we arrived at the campsite, Padstow Touring Park and booked in. Our pitch is No 47 a hard standing pitch with its own electric and water pod, a real luxury. After lunch we set to on cleaning the van properly. Petra cleaned all the inside of the van’s cupboards with the Milton whilst Kevin cleaned the alloy wheels and the wheel arches then polished the van and buffed up the S/S side bar. This took us most of the rest of the day and by 4pm we were both knackerd but feeling very satisfied. 

Friday 31 August

Up bright and early this morning for our epic day at Tintagel. The shower facilities are great  and really impressive. After breakfast and sorting out Campy we walked to the bus stop which is a short but steep climb to the main road. 10.05 the bus arrived £4.50 return and we shot off like a rat up a drainpipe. These drivers really know how to put the willies up you but when all is said and done we were in Tintagel in no time.

Now I know I said in yesterdays blog that we were going to walk into Tintagel but the site was further away than we thought..... those hills.....! It turned out to be a good decision, especially when we saw how much climbing there was to do to get to the castle.

Tintagel can be described in very much the same way Glastonbury. It is steeped in myth and legend and has more than its share of mystics and witch shops. Nevertheless, if replica swords, armour, pottery, honey and cornish pasty’s are your thing then you will love Tintagel. 

To start with we went into the visitors centre which was really very good. Very modern, high-tech and informative. We then took a leisurely walk down the main road and soon came to the ‘Old Post Office’ (National Trust of course) we whipped out our cards and we were in. 

The Old Post Office is a delightful building dating back to the 13th century and has been extended over the century’s to its present form. A crooked stone built dwelling with very deep walls. It really was a fascinating building to look around we particularly liked a small room designated for single women who are separated from the men. From the floor to roof living room you could see the room was suspended above it. Apparently, this is where the saying ‘She has been left on the shelf’ comes from.

There is a posh hotel in Tintagel called (what else!) ‘Camelot’ it looks like a castle from afar and dominates the skyline from all directions. We can see it from the camp site. So we walked down to have a look and to take advantage of the views of Tintagel Castle from across the bay. It was worth the walk and the views were great. As for ‘Camelot’ clearly things have moved on since King Arthur’s day as the groom was power washing the Bentley and the Aston....

Before we went to Tintagel we stopped for a nice cup of coffee in a restaurant back in the town.  It was great coffee made all the better by sitting outside in the sun watching all the goings on around us. We didn’t really want to move on as we had seen what was to come, but move on we did.

Tintagel Castle is managed by the English Heritage so we had to pay.....yes I know it’s about time but at £4.50 each we felt it represented good value for money. The walk down to the visitors center is very steep indeed and not recommended for wheel chair users. They offer a shuttle service in a long wheelbase Landrover for £2 each, each way but there was no way we would pay that yet. 

At the bottom we paid our dues and started the climb. The castle is split into two; the first is on the mainland and the second on the island. I say island because that’s what they call it. In reality the island is attached to the mainland but is only accessible by a bridge spanning the gap. The climb to the top of the mainland side is arduous, steep and the steps quite high. By the time you get to the top you know you have done it as your heart is racing and the tops of your legs are complaining bitterly. The views from here are amazing and it really is worth the effort to go up. Not much of the castle remains but there are very helpful signs with information and pictures of how it must have looked. This part of the Castle was basically the entrance gate and security accommodation.

Having recovered we set off back down the climb and on to the bridge stopping only to admire the skills of the soaring seagulls. This years crop was still a bit green but they were amazing to watch as they practiced coming into land on the cliff face. Over the bridge and we were back on the climb up steep sided path pulling ourselves up by the side rails. It’s amazing how high you climb in a short time we were on the next plateaux. This has the bulk of the ruins and more breath taking views. 

You can walk around the island and at the furthest point we decided this was where we would eat our lunch. We shared the spot with a seagull who was quite happy sitting within a few feet of us. The view speaks for itself.

After lunch we continued our walk around the island and made our way back down the steps to the visitor centre. The climb back up the hill to the town is not for the faint hearted and almost worth the £2 shuttle. When you finally reach the crown of the hill and the first thing you see is a pub with this sign.

There is a lot to see and explore at Tintagel including Merlin’s cave and the craggy cliff walks. The views of the coast breath taking. You can take as long as you like to soak up the sights and relax. We were lucky with the weather and it was a calm sunny warm day. Had it been yesterday with the heavy winds we had it would have been a different matter. We had a really fantastic day.

Thursday 30 August

Many thanks to Carol and Warwick for putting us up last night it was really great to see you again. Great meal and good fun watching a TV again and especially the downloads on YouTube of the magician Dynamo. How does he do that stuff....

Poor Carol was off to work bright and early so Warwick made us breakfast and we set off for Tintagel at about 9 o’clock. We filled up with fuel again and shopped at Tesco’s on the way. We arrived at the site at 12 noon.

This is the first time in all our days so far that we have decided to stay on a fully blown Caravan Club official camp site. We really wanted to go to Tintagel and this was the nearest we could find within walking distance. However, we have not gone the full monty on the pitch and have opted for the economy pitch at £17.00 per night as opposed to the all singing and dancing pitch at £22.40 per night. Even so £17 is a lot for us and to be honest we are not getting much more here than on a normal CL. The water is the furthest we have had to walk for it 150m and the toilets are probably twice as far again. To be fair they do have really nice toilet blocks and a laundry. The latter we took full advantage of as soon as we got here using their tumble dryers. (thanks for doing the washing Carol)The views are fantastic from the site so all in all we are very pleased with the spot we have despite being the only ones in the economy end of the site. We console ourselves with the fact that most of the other campers are probably still paying for their van’s and have got to go back to work on Monday. We on the other hand don’t...

I thought I would mention here how the new solar panel is mustering up. Well, I have to say it is fantastic. The one we chose is a 80w flexible type that is stuck to the roof of Campy. It is wired directly into the power supply unit that controls all the charging of the two batteries. We were advised and it has certainly proved to be the case that with no additional input to the leisure battery we would need to plug into the mains electricity every 3 days. That’s fine if you are on a jolly for the weekend but if you are serious longterm campers like us and on a budget you really need a reliable source of renewable power. There is nothing worse than not being sure if you have enough power in the battery to last the night.

Campy is not hungry on power, the main drain on the battery is the fridge. The only other thing that uses the power is the van lights. Most camper vans have fridges that run on gas, electric and/or battery but Campy has battery only. The fridge is however, very efficient and it only switches itself on when the temperature drops and tops itself up. Watching the electronics panel it is obvious when the fridge is working as the volts drop quite substantially. I have learnt not to worry too much about this as as soon as it reaches temperature and turns off it returns quite quickly to a true reading.

As you may know we had a 45w Briefcase type solar panel before. We found it did give us a bit of extra power/time off the electric hook up but there was no way we could be classed as ‘self sufficient’. The new panel has changed all that and we now have ample charge to stay away as long as we like. I think we even have enough spare to charge the miriad of other chargeable electrical devices we have. We have not had access to a power hook up for a whole week now in fact, since the device was installed by Bilbo but, we are showing a steady 13v on the panel. Now that’s brilliant for us and we can safely book cheap CL’s knowing we can stay as long as we like.

I said earlier that we have filled the van up again! We have done quite a few miles of late so I thought I would put on record the mileage of Campy for the month of August. When we first had Campy we were getting about 30 miles to the gallon, thankfully things have improved since then. It would appear that all those little bits inside the engine are starting to loosen up and consumption is definitely on the up. Anyway here are the stats for August those who are interested.

DATE QUANTITY MILES COST MPG

17 August 5.08 gal 200 £40.00 34.48
19 August 4.80 gal 173 £35.50 36.04
22 August 5.54 gal 205 £38.50 37.00
25 August 7.38 gal 296 £51.01 40.10
29 August 6.76 gal 243 £46.35 35.94  

Totals 29.56 gal 1117 £211.36 37.78 MPG AVERAGE

It could always be better of course but it is moving in the right direction and a quick blast down to Spain should do the fuel consumption wonders.

Enough nerdy stuff for now and we are looking forward to our day in Tintagel tomorrow.