June Holiday, 19 June

What a difference a day makes! Woke up to bright sunshine and blue seas, so different from yesterday's clouds and rain!

Today has been pretty much a rest day as far as I'm concerned - the Swan Whisperer went for two walks, of course (and saw the Tornado, lucky him!). We spent a quiet morning by the sea, reading and listening to the radio, then went to a nearby Morrison's to stock up on groceries before driving north again. If we had been thinking clearly, we might have taken the Northumbrian coast road, but we weren't. I had been worrying about tonight as I could not get any confirmation that the cafe that was alleged to welcome motor homes was still open, but it is, and we have been made very welcome. We are nearly as near to Lindisfarne as we can get and will go there tomorrow. 

June Holiday, 18 June.

My bluetooth keyboard has run out of charge, so there may be typos or autocorrects in this post that I haven't noticed!

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning. He thinks - but wouldn't swear to it - that he saw the current Archbishop doing the same thing.  Anyway, after breakfast we set off and drive to Rawcliffe Bar Park and Ride and got the bus into York, where we spent a very happy morning wandering around the Old Town.

You had to have booked to go into the Minster and it is £12 a head, so we didn't, but went into St Michael-le-Belfry next door, instead. We thought about visiting the chocolate museum just by where we stopped for coffee, but again it was £12 and we had no idea whether it would have been worth it or not. One place we would have liked to have visited was the Jorvik centre, but they had nothing free until mid-afternoon and when we went hopefully past to see if there had been a cancellation, the queues were very long, so obviously not.

So we had an earlyish lunch of crepes in the Shambles market, and then wandered back to the bus stop, buying an ice-cream en route.

As we were not planning on a long drive today and it was early, we decided to go via Scarborough, quite a long way out of the way, but it was really very splendid, especially as it was pouring with rain! An English seaside resort at its best!

The SW made himself a coffee to keep himself awake, he said. I cannot help but wonder why it keeps him awake mid-afternoon, but not when he drinks it after supper!

Anyway, be that as it may, we had a lovely drive over the Yorkshire moors, dank and misty, but were disappointed to have bypassed Whitby. Eventually we arrived here, at Seaham, where we are parked up, along with several other motor homes, in a huge car park above the North Sea. The SW has gone on a hunt for fish and chips. 

June Holiday, 17 June

We decided that it would be sensible to get to York as early as possible, so as to have a nice long afternoon there.  However, the campsite is temporarily only accessible via a narrow road across Rowntree Park, so they don't want you arriving early or leaving late, being anxious not to muddle arriving and departing vehicles. 

So our first port of call was a Lidl just the far side of Leicester from where we had spent the night, which astonished me by not having self checkouts!  I actually had to speak to a Person to finish my shopping, but I did get what I wanted, and used the coupons that were worth my while.  

So we pushed on to York, and, realising we would be too early for the campsite, decided to go to the Park and Ride car park that was signposting itself with increasing vigour as we got nearer.  Once we actually found a parking space - much of it, including the camper van area, is taken up with a vaccination centre, we had lunch, and then we caught a bus into York.  Our freedom passes are valid in York, but we had to pay a pound or so in addition to get to the city centre, but, oddly, not to return!

We wanted to go to the National Railway Museum, but weren't quite sure how far in advance you had to book (free) tickets.  Turns out we could have stood outside and booked tickets for immediate entry, more or less.  We were a little early for our timed entry, so sat in the sun for a few minutes, and then asked one of the staff on duty whether one had to book on the little "Road train" that shuttled between the useum and the Minster.  No, she said, you paid the guard, and we could go into the museum now if we wanted. 

So we did, and spent a very happy hour wandering around the various exhibits - mostly, alas, closed, so you could see the outsides of, say, Princess Adelaide's carriage,

but only very limited views of the inside. There was one coach which reminded us vividly of the train journey home from our respective flatmates' wedding that started us off as an item, all those years ago. 

There was still half an hour before the final road train of the day, so we had a cup of tea in the museum café; such a nice young man, went to look to see if there was any lemon for my tea (there wasn't), and gave me a bunch of napkins to wrap the mug in when it was too hot to carry and we had to go.  Of course, the road train jerked and spilt my tea down my white t-shirt.  Sigh... 

After a quick look round, the square in front of the Minster, and seeing St Michael-le-Belfry Church which was famous about 50 years ago, we walked back down the hill and across the river

to catch the bus back to the Park and Ride, and then moved on to the campsite. 

Because we only have about a 90-minute run tomorrow, we think we'll go to the P&R, or if not that one, then another which is more en route for us, and then we can have a good long time pottering around York. 

June Holiday, 16 June

We woke up relatively early this morning, and the Swan Whisperer went for a walk before breakfast.  We both used the sanitaires to shower - I have a Radar key, so used the disabled (there was nobody queueing; I wouldn't have used it if there had been), only I somehow left the shower gel and shampoo I had planned to use in the machine, which didn't matter for the shower gel as there was another in my sponge bag but I had to wash my hair with the extra-special l'Occitane one my parents used to collect for me from Minerva, and as you can't get them any more, I only use it when travelling, and only then on Sundays!  Ah well. 

The milk and the Swiss Breakfast had not survived the journey, so we had boiled eggs for breakfast, which we both prefer anyway.  And cherries!

And then the Swan Whisperer went for another, longer walk, but I was tired and aching (bloody statins!), so went back to bed and back to sleep. Only to be woken by his telephoning me to say that he would be a little late back but had got milk. 

By the time we were ready to leave, it was later than we meant, so we decided to go as far as Oxford Services before stopping for lunch.  We hadn't much in the way of sandwich fillings, so I nipped into the shop and got a couple of rounds of sandwiches, pausing to admire the goldfish on the way in. 

We had the sandwiches followed by an absolutely perfect melon and some more cherries, washed down with "yelm" as home-made lemon squash is called in our family. 

Then we pushed on up the M40 and came off at Warwick, driving past Coventry (mentally waving at our friends who live there) and on to Leicester.  We are parked in a small car park at the edge of a wood, much used by dog walkers.  The SW - who has gone for yet another walk - was convinced it would be a bust, and when we got there we thought it was, as it was full.  But we stopped anyway to see what alternatives there were, and two cars promptly finished walking their dogs and pulled out, so we are in a lovely shady space in the corner of the car park.  We have had a cup of tea and more cherries, and as the SW has a church meeting this evening I shall enjoy the fact that this machine has two rooms, and retire to the bedroom while he has it!

June Holiday, 15 June

We are still not allowed to go abroad, but there is plenty to see and do in the UK - specifically in England as we are not quite sure whether the borders between the home nations are open.  We think they are but.... 

So this morning we got up early and were away by 09:00, having done 9/10 of the packing the night before.  We had an appointment with our financial advisers in Burgess Hill, and once that was over we had an earlyish lunch in a local Tesco which had a café, and then drove to No 6, where my mother and sister were just finishing their lunch. We had bought some watermelon chunks and shared them out. 

Then the Swan Whisperer went and got the van and did most of the unpacking (only fair, since I had done the packing), and we eventually set off around 4:30 pm.  We have come as far as Merstham tonight, and now it is supper time. 

The "sinkhole"

 "Ooh," said the Swan Whisperer this morning, "There is a sinkhole on Clapham Common, and Northside is closed!"

"Ooh," said I.  "Let's go and have a look, shall we, and see how the buses are being diverted!"

So, about 5:30, we set off and caught a bus towards Clapham Junction to relish the diversion, which was rather underwhelming - the buses just turned right up Rookery Road instead, and then left again when  they got back to the A3.  So we got off, and walked back down to the so-called sinkhole, which turned out to be nothing of the sort, but a burst water main.  Nothing was happening - "You'd think," said the Swan Whisperer, "that they would be working 24/7 to mend it!" - but a rather pretty fountain effect.  I suppose they are having to find out exactly where the pipe has broken before they can mend it.

After which, I went to Sainsbury's, because I was there, and the Swan Whisperer went straight home.  But it was rather fun, if not as exciting as we'd hoped!

Shakedown Cruise, 28 May

 It was only ever going to be a short break, and it came to an end today.  We had hoped to go into Brighton this morning, but the antibiotics have kicked in and I could do nothing but sleep.  The Swan Whisperer went for a run first thing, but after breakfast I nodded off and slept soundly until he came back from a walk down to the sea and back.  Then we decided to set off, and I slept almost the entire way from Brighton to No 6!  I did rouse up a bit after that!

We had a really nice lunch with my mother and sister, and shared some of our cheese, etc, with them.  And then it was time to empty out the van, transfer everything to the car and head back to London.  Again, I slept a great deal of the way, but woke up when we reached Mitcham, and there was a massive traffic jam around Fygges Marsh junction; as bad as when it was a roundabout!  I don't know what they can do to improve things.  

Anyway, we head off again mid-June on a longer break now that we have familiarised ourselves with the van again.  I didn't take any photos today, so here is another from yesterday: 

 And by the time you read this, I will have gone through the earlier posts and amended any egregious typos - I know there are some - and updated locations.  Blogger doesn't seem to allow you to do that in their mobile app at the moment.