Aug 2020 – THREE GO TRAVELLING

The Adventure Continues: Week 6 – Cornwall and back to Devon

We left the Roseland Peninsula and told Ditsy Daisy Sat Nav, we wanted to go to Falmouth. In true style, we found ourselves in a queue for the Chain Ferry – the King Harry Ferry over the River Fal. Luckily, we had checked the signs and we were light and short enough to use it. We stopped off in Falmouth to see our friends (who we used to work with 20+ years ago and now run a B&B). The sun was blazing and we had a lovely afternoon, before heading to our stopover outside Polperro.

When we arrived the sun was shining and we sat outside enjoying the warmth, then as the evening wore on the clouds came in too and they stayed until we left! We did enjoy a dog walk from the campsite and Reg saw his first horse for a while (the last one was when he was 8 weeks old)!

From Polperro we went to a site outside Ilfracombe, this site is right on the National Cycle Route 27 Devon Coast to Coast Route and we cycled into Ilfracombe to see the Damien Hirst Sculpture – Verity, through the very busy town and then up towards the Ilfracombe Viewpoint, before returning back to Nortia, just as a storm rolled in!

From Polperro, we headed inland to Dartmoor and a campsite on the edge of the Moor at Sourton. The campsite is right on the Granite Way Cycle Route ( part of the Devon Coast to Coast Route) and although we didn’t cycle on it this time, we did walk to the Meldon Viaduct and then onto the Reservoir before returning.

We’re definitely getting used to our slower pace of life, finding campsites where we can explore on our terms, without being in too crowded places. As always, we hope you are safe and well and thank you for reading. We’re carrying on our little tour next week, so you can find out where we get too, next.

The Adventure Continues: Week 5 – Devon to Cornwall

Leaving the campsite and heading off towards Cornwall, should have been relatively easy. The sun was shining and we were feeling very positive, until we hit a traffic jam on one of the small country lanes. In asking the man behind to reverse so we could, I was informed that it was our fault that there was a traffic jam! As we weren’t local and shouldn’t have come this way – it was the only route suitable on the map! It had absolutely nothing to do with the two towing caravans, three lorries and general traffic at all! An hour later with the help of a friendly off-duty Police Officer, the road was cleared and we were on the A38.

We crossed the Tamar Bridge and headed to our first stopover in Looe. Cornwall appears to have been the place everyone has flocked to this month, the campsite was very busy. We, also have to remind ourselves, we’re not normally away in August, preferring to wait for the children to go back to school, and last year we were in Scandinavia! We walked into the town, again very busy and returned back to the campsite via another part of the South West Coast Path. The walk was much longer than we thought but worth the views.

After Looe, we headed to St Austell, and a campsite in the outskirts in a town called Par. The weather changed when we arrived and the sea mist rolled in, followed by rain!

A day or so later, we were able to see the views and the sea – who knew it was so close! We walked down to the beach (on another part of the South West Coast Path).

From Par, we headed to the Roseland Peninsula and stayed in a lovely campsite, the weather was again quite warm, we opted to do a fews chores (and watch the Grand Prix) rather than do too much! There is a footpath from the campsite which takes you to the dog-friendly beach, and we had hoped to cycle to the passenger ferry to Falmouth, but after our experience in Devon, thought we’d give it a miss this time – Reg is still getting used to the trailer and the thought of impatient drivers too much of a concern.

As always, thank you for reading and we hope you’ve enjoyed about our week in south Cornwall. We’ll be back soon, withe the next part of our trip…. the adventure continues…

The Adventure Continues: Week 4 – Dorset to Devon

The COVID-19 pandemic is still prevalent and some of the sights we would ordinarily like to do and see are off our list. We are so grateful to be able to be out and about and trying to enjoy our little adventure. We have started spending longer in places and trying to use and see the local resources, walking or cycling, where we can. We are able to travel around and take in the places we’re visiting, rather than our usual rush to a place.

We left Bridport and after a trip for groceries, we set off to Putts Corner, a little village between Honiton and Sidmouth. The countryside and views were amazing.

We arrived at the Caravan and Motorhome Club Site, at Putts Corner. A little gem of a campsite with a great dog walk – which also goes to the pub! We took a stroll into the village, its at the bottom of a steep hill, but a typical Devonshire village. The steep walk back was worth it.

We left Putts Corner and headed to Stoke Gabriel, just outside Paignton. We found a lovely grassy spot, completed a few chores and sat out in the sun. The following morning we headed off on the bikes to Paignton Beach, about 5 miles away, down some amazingly tight country roads. On the way, we stopped off at Pets at Home, as Reg has outgrown his puppy collar (sob) – he’s definately growing up!

The beach at Paignton was busy and although most people were socially distanced it didn’t appeal to us, so we cycled back. Reg didn’t get to swim in the sea here!

After Paignton, we moved on to the Caravan and Motorhome Club Site at Modbury. The approach to the campsite is very tight and after a couple of miles from the main town, we arrived. We found one of the only remaining pitches – next to another Etrusco (an I 7400 SB – A Class). This makes our total number of Etruscos seen on the road now 4!

There was not a lot to do around the site, but thankfully the dog walk was great for teaching Reg a few commands! The weather also changed and it got fairly wet, the chocks sank slightly into the grass, but we didn’t get stuck!

We’ll be moving on again next week – thank you for reading. We hope that you and your families are safe and well. Enjoy the good weather and take care. Stay Safe, we’ll give you another update soon.

The Adventure Continues Week 3: Crawley to Dorset

This week, Reg had two firsts – first tunnel, the Shoreham Tunnel, and first ferry the Sandbanks to Studland Ferry. We left Crawley and the site at Gatwick, having managed to have the long awaited dentist appointment for Ric (if you remember one of our December posts, you’ll know the importance)! Next, we headed to Brighton and a long awaited post-lockdown haircut, I (Sarah) am a bit fussy when it comes to having my hair cut and have had the same hairdresser for a long long time, and am always incredibly grateful when I can be fitted in.

Appointments completed, we set off again again and headed to Wimborne, on the edge of the New Forest and a small Caravan and Motorhome Certified Location – Omaha Meadows. It’s a lovely small site, next to the Moors Valley Country Park. Reg had a swim in the river too.

After a couple of days, we left and headed to Sandbanks, outside Bournemouth to take the Chain Ferry to Studland. The weather changed and the glorious views we were hoping for disappeared into the mist and rain. We didn’t spot Harry (Redknapp) either! We had a couple of nights at the Caravan and Motorhome Club Site: Bingham Grange. There wasn’t much change in the weather, so we went for a drive, down to Lyme Regis and up to Axminster before returning to the site.

It’s taken us a while to get back into the travelling mode, but we have learnt to slow down and take in the scenery and activities on offer on our doorstep. We aren’t always the most social of people, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made us a little less so. The Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club have both done alot to put secure measures into place and we feel very safe on their sites. The relief of being able to be back on the road has done wonders to our wellbeing and we’re also able to train Reg in the basics! The campsite at Bingham Grange has a lovely free to roam dog walk, and we were able to hesitantly let Reg off the lead, but he came back!

As always, thank you for reading, we hope you and your families are safe and able to get out and enjoy the outdoors. We’re heading off again next week and we hope you can follow our trip.