Tag: motorhome touring

Posted in Adventures, Camp Sites

Zip World Wales, Quarry View Touring Park and Bron-Y-Wendon Holiday Park

Posted on by Sam Bennett

9 – 11 July 2021

We always knew this would be a big adventure for us in many ways. The idea started when our 2nd oldest son, Jack turned 18 years old and we thought as he was going out into the big wide word we would have a family adventure to mark the occasion.

Jack was 18 during the first lockdown in 2020 and had moved out to isolate with his girlfriend. We were seeing less and less of him and were really looking forward to getting together and having some fun.

It was July 2021 before we could safely make this trip so after waiting over a year we were really looking forward to it.

We drove to Quarry View Touring Park on the Friday after work ready to go to Zip World the next morning.

Quarry View Touring Park is the neatest, cleanest and friendliest site we’ve ever been to. It was immaculate!!

Quarry View has a lovely little town of Blaenau and is situated next to one of the zip world sites but sadly not one of the ones we were going to. We couldn’t get a site closer to the first zip world location.

After a lovely sleep at Quarry View we set off to our first location, Zip World Fforest where we were spending the morning on the Fforest Coaster.

It was only around a 15 minute journey with glorious views of the mountains. We were guided to suitable parking which is a refreshing change to the usual eye rolls and tuts we normally get!

The Fforest location is amazing, vast and beautiful.

The Fforest Coaster was absolutely brilliant, lots of fun and an adrenalin rush.

We had to get back in Duggie and hot foot it to the next location which was Zipworld Penrhyn Quarry. It was around 20 minutes between sites which took us through the beautiful Betwys Y Coed.

Once parked it straight into the first activity, Quarry Carts with Graham and Jack. They weren’t allowed phones etc.. so there weren’t any photos of this but they came back with big smiles on their faces!

Next it was onto the big one!! VELOCITY 2!!

The experience takes around 2 hours from start to finish. The boys were doing this one as someone (Sam) had to stay with Buddy.

Once they are strapped up and ready to go, Sam and Buddy watched in ore (on the tv in the bar) as Graham and the boys firstly went on the small zip wire and then disappeared up the mountain to the big one.

At this stage we had a lot of videos because that’s how to show the action so we made a video of the entire day to show you what we couldn’t say in pictures. Enjoy!!

After a long day of adrenalin fuelled adventure we headed off to the North Coast of Wales to stay at Bron Y Wendon Holiday Park in Llanddulas. More about Bron Y Wendon in the next blog.

The site is nice and a short walk to a pebbly beach. We were excited to find and Indian takeaway and chip shop down the road…bonus!!

Charlie took some sunset photos on the beach to finish off a lovely weekend.

Posted in Camp Sites

Durdle Door Holiday Park, West Lulworth, Dorset

Posted on by Sam Bennett

26 – 29 October 2020

We we’re really excited about this one and it didn’t disappointed! Durdle Door is a major Dorset tourist attraction with its beautiful beaches and incredible rock formation with a sea carved arched door.

Getting to the site was easy and short from West Bay which meant we could enjoy our day without spending it travelling. Arriving at 12.30pm, our pitch was one of the best we’ve ever had. Another super pitch, completely level and bordered by a hedge for privacy (great during covid). Within a one minute walk of the pitch was a Nisa convenience shop and The Mon ‘o’ War Restaurant. During Covid take away food was available from the restaurant and although we didn’t experience the offering its a great facility to have.

Having a ‘superpitch’ makes pitching even more fun. Master B and I got involved in this one seeing as the rain had stopped briefly.

After setting up and having a bite to eat, despite the failing light, we couldn’t resist a sneak peek at the Durdle Door. Baring in mind we’re in the middle of a pandemic, we didn’t expect it to be so busy so late in the day .

This was on the way down

It was far too busy for our liking so we grabbed a look at the coast and headed back to the safety of Duggie.

Durdle Door is on the other side!

After a stormy night of high winds and torrential rain we decided to head for Lulworth Cove. From the site you can directly walk up a hill and over to see the cove and continue down the hill in the direction of the village. This isn’t the safest route as it was incredibly steep but there is a coastal path that we intend to use for the return journey.

It’s probably around 20 minutes to half and hour walking from Durdle Door Holiday Park to Lulworth Cove. Once there we discovered that there was a little village with gift shops, restaurants and a fish and chip shop which we managed to resist. Not sure how!

The Cove itself it spectacular so I’ll let the photos tell the story.

Despite being a windy and wet day the beauty of Lulworth Cove shone through and it really is a spectacular site.

There was even some bat excitement for Master B.

Bats Head is near to Durdle Door

As the rain got heavier we headed back to Durdle Door and tackled that steep path we saw on the way into Lulworth Cove.

I’m not sure the photo illustrates how exhausting this path is to climb as I paused to take a photo of the rainbow half way up but it seemed to go on forever. I was really pleased to get to the top but I’d do it again to be able to see Lulworth Cove. We later found out that there’s a flatter route along the road into Lulworth but we’ve never really taken the easy option with anything we do. We’re motorhomers!

Once back at the campsite we took a stroll through the woods to the site entrance just to get a different perspective on the place.

The woodland walk was a lovely end to what was essentially a wet and windy day but with great views and lots of exercise.

On our final full day we donned our masks and walked along the coast path to see the magnificent Durdle Door. It was still amazingly busy and with only two other families wearing masks we trying to be as safe as possible. The walk down to Durdle Door was lovely with some wonderful coastal views. Durdle Door itself is obscured from view almost all the way along the path so when you do see it, it takes your breath away.

And finally, it’s Mr B’s drone photo of the Durdle Door Holiday Park at night.

Durdle Door Holiday Park from the air
Posted in Camp Sites

West Bay Holiday Park, Dorset

Posted on by Sam Bennett

24-26 October 2020

At the start of a week touring the Dorest and East Devon coast was a two night stay in West Bay, Dorset. We knew from the time of setting off from home that we were expecting a storm throughout the week but felt grateful for a change of scenery during the Covid-19 pandemic.

We stayed at West Bay Holiday Park which is in West Bay and situated next to the picturesque harbour. The site itself was well maintained and our ‘super pitch’ made life a bit easier with EHU and water on our (almost) level gravel pitch.

West Bay Holiday Park has all the facilities you need with a Nisa shop, Restaurant, Amusements and entertainment centre although we didn’t use any as we’re trying to be as safe as possible. Being a commercial Parkdean site they have an app to help with ordering food in the restaurant and also take away food. Its always a relief to not have to cook in the motorhome so on our second evening we ordered food to be collected from the restaurant using the app. Some things weren’t available from the menu but we were able to order freshly made pizza and sides. Everything was going incredibly well until in was time to collect the food. Despite booking a time slot for collection, we had to wait an hour for our food so we ate really late. The food was quite nice except the margarita pizza had cheddar on top instead of mozerella which is a huge bugbear with us. What should have been a nice handmade thin crust pizza was a pale greasy mess.

The most desirable attribute of West Bay Holiday Park is its locality to West Bay and its attractions with the harbour directly opposite the entrance to the site.

With a break in the rain and the sun making an appearance the harbour was lit up in an autumnal haze of nautical splendour which made way to some childish frivolity.

Around the harbour there’s a good mix of shops and cafes with something for everyone.

West Bay also has two fabulous beaches, West Bay Beach and Bridport Beach. When we visited it was incredibly windy so we weren’t able to do much else but stand and enjoy the view.

Posted in Camp Sites

Cai Bach Country Club – New Quay, Wales

Posted on by Sam Bennett

25 – 27 Sept 2020

Cai Bach Country Club has everything you need in a touring site. Its beautiful for a start and the facilities are second to none! The owners are informative and friendly. It’s ideally located next to Cai Bach Beach which is a short and lovely stroll out of the site and down the path to the beach.

Obviously being the end of September, the temperature was quite cool but it didn’t detract from the beauty of the place. It seemed a shame to only be there for the weekend but we were certain we would return, hopefully in the summer.

From Cai Bach you can walk along the beach to New Quay town. There’s a stream to overcome where we took our shoes and socks off and waded across but there is an alternative route to avoid it. Also towards New Quay you can get cut off by the tide so you would need to time this right by checking the tide times.

I’d say it was a really nice half hour walk the New Quay harbour but I wasn’t really paying attention to the time especially being in such tranquil surroundings, it was very relaxing. When we got to the town our first stop was food! I can thoroughly recommend The Lime Crab for fish and chips, it was absolutely delicious. With covid measures in place, everything was managed perfectly and we managed to get a table outside with a view of the harbour.

After our fish and chips we went a stroll down to the harbour and sat in the autumn sun.

It was surprising to see such a vast sandy beach at the harbour and even though it was busy everyone was respectful of social distancing rules. After a rest we decided to walk back to the site along the coastal path (mainly because the tide was in!).

When we reached the stream that heads down to the sea, instead of wading through it, we headed up along the path towards a stunning little church, Saint Ina’s Church Llanina. We met the church warden there who was such a friendly lady and told us a bit about the history of the church.

St Ina’s Church

From there it was only a short walk back to the site.

That just leaves me with Mr B’s drone photos of the site and Cai Bach Beach.

  • Cai Bach Country Club
  • Cai Bach Beach
  • Cai Bach Beach
Posted in Camp Sites

Whitegates Camping – Little Haven, Pembrokeshire

Posted on by Sam Bennett

3 – 5 September 2020

Upon arrival at Whitegates it was clear that this was a small, select, site with only 6 pitches. I was forewarned that levelling blocks would be needed as the site as is situated on a sloping field. What we weren’t prepared for was a soggy ground after a week of non stop rain! Our motorhome was a bit too heavy to manoeuvre and much to the site owners credit, Laura, she was instantly at our rescue and relocated us to the top of the site on level ground.

It was a bit of a blessing because from that top location we had the most amazing views! Also on the first night, a Thursday, we had the site to ourselves.

Mr B photographed me, photographing Duggie (because you can’t have enough photos of your motorhome!)

The view of the sea from the site is lovely and an added bonus of staying at Whitegates. We were fortunate enough to meet the owners who shared the history of the site with us. It was originally owned by an eccentric uncle who lived in a house further on from the field. The shower block was built to house his ostriches! So the site has always stayed within the family and is now run by Laura, who’s such a warm, friendly and helpful person.

Whitegates is the closest touring and camping site to Little Haven beach and just a short stroll down the hill, you will find the village with pubs and a few shops, just enough to remain an exclusive destination. The beach is vast when the tide is out and if timed correctly you can walk to Broad Haven on the sand.

Little Haven Beach is the very first beach where Master B and I started beach combing and it’s a great beach for it!

You can also walk along the road to Broad Haven, it takes roughly 15 minutes, up hill to start with and then down again towards the end. The fish and chips are worth the walk!

I mentioned that Little Haven beach is a short stroll down the road but its also worth mentioning that it’s also a short stroll UP!

It’s certainly a short sharp workout which is great for working off those fish and chips but not so great when you’ve had a pint at the Castle Inn……it’s a good job there’s a toilet near the entrance to the site! Speaking of the toilet/shower block, it doesn’t look much from the outside but it’s beautiful inside. It has an eclectic mix of furniture making everything look arty and stylish and it’s also spotlessly clean.

That just leaves me to show you one more sunset which was on our first night and taken from within the van.

You’ll find this site at www.littlehavencamping.co.uk and it comes highly recommended for location, facilities and friendliness of owners. Also, the owners told us that they were closing the site during winter to work on levelling up the pitches so it will be even better next time we visit.

Posted in Camp Sites

Meadow Farm – Tenby

Posted on by Sam Bennett

31 Aug – 3 Sept 2020

As you can see from the image above, the view from Meadow Farm is breathtaking. Having said that, the photo doesn’t do it justice!

The approach to Meadow Farm is down a short single track so it’s not the best if you’re a little nervous about driving such a big vehicle around but luckily, no one came the other way and we entered the site without a hitch. Once in the gates there’s quite a steep ascent up to the top of the field where the checkin office is situated. We were shown to our pitch and levelled up without any problems.

Fellow campers were telling us that because of all the rain over past week, the field had been waterlogged and it made pitching difficult. Once we saw that view though, it was all worth it!

The site is located a short walk further up the hill from North Beach. You can be in Tenby town is 10 minutes where you will find every kind of shop and restaurant you could wish for. We’ve been holidaying it Tenby up to three times per year for the last 12 years so it feels like home to us but it’s our first time as motorhomers. On our first day we walked into town to buy a bodyboard but every shop was completely sold out except for Salt Rock who’s body boards were quite expensive but we invested anyway.

The second day we spent on North beach.

It was a lovely day, the sun was shining and the water was warm. A perfect day for body boarding and reading on the beach. Tenby has four beautiful beaches, all with something unique to offer, North Beach, South Beach, Castle Beach and Harbour Beach. We planned to spend time on every one.

That evening we had a spectacular red moon which must have attracted more bats than usual because The Blue Bat was out for hours with his bat detector.

Then the rain came and on the third day and it rained all day. We normally read or play games but we wanted to explore a part of Tenby that we’d never been to before so we put on our waterproofs and headed off on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path turning left out of Meadow Farm.

The first thing we encountered along the path was a cool public garden ‘Allen’s View’ which had some really beautiful sculptures of birds dotted around. You do actually get a great view of the sea from a bench situated in the far corner.

I found this information on the visit Tenby Website:

‘Allens View’s story starts, not surprisingly with Miss Jessie Allen who retired from a college in Cheltenham in the 1930’s and made her home in Clovers on the hillcrest. Born in Tenby in 1885 on her return her involved herself in the social life of the town. Being a keen gardener she made many improvements on Clovers extensive plot. She wanted to share the wonderful views with the town so she gifted a south-facing triangle of land adjoining Clovers to The Friends of Tenby.  An adjoining second area was first gifted to her landscape gardener Peter Hainsworth, who passed it to the Friends in1974. This parcel contained many more trees and the fine northern view to Monkstone Point.  The Friends later became Tenby Civic Society, who continued to maintain the site.’

Tenby’s Secret Garden

We continued along the coastal path.

At the point where you see a house in front of you, we turned right towards the sea instead of continuing along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and we found the most amazing secluded beach.

It turns out we had stumbled upon the beautiful Waterwynch Bay. We were the only people on the beach which is a first for us. Despite the rain we were mesmerised by the unspoilt beauty of the place, it was quite spectacular!

We even did some beach combing before the tide came in.

When we returned to Duggie we were worn out and wet but so happy that we found a very special place. It was our last evening in Tenby and even though it was still raining, Mr B got his bike and cycled down to Fecci’s Fish and Chip shop for the best fish and chips in Wales.

The perfect end to a perfect holiday in Tenby. I thought I’d leave you with one of Mr B’s drone photographs of Tenby looking from Northcliffe.

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Posted in Camp Sites

Elan Oaks Camping and Caravan Site – Elan Vally, Rhayader

Posted on by Sam Bennett

29 – 31 Aug 20

Our first ever super pitch! This we discovered after filling up with water at the motorhome service point and then driving to the pitch to discover all the facilities were there. At least it meant filling back was easy but we’ll definitely be looking out for this from now on.

Elan oaks Caravan and Camping Site is a very tidy and clean site. There was no checking as the gate code and pitch number is given to you prior to arrival. A warden came around each day to check you were ok and where you need to be.

I was surprised at how much space you get next between pitches and the privacy was excellent with hedges lining the pitches which is a great thing to have in the current climate!

A soon as we pitched and settled in, we went for a bike ride to the neighbouring Elan Valley visitors centre and beyond.

This was a nice gentle ride from the camp site to Caban Coch Dam (approx. 1. mile) which is the first dam you will come to although there are lots more if you keep on going. We passed the visitors centre which was about to close but I managed to pop in and see what was there. There were lots of covid measures in place which was great to see. Theres a restaurant although I don’t know if it was open and a lovely shop brimming with lovely gifts and souvenirs. Outside there were containers offering snacks and drinks and another for cycle hire.

We returned to Duggie for a nice drink and something to eat feeling like we’d already had a holiday.

The next morning we decided to go for a walk along the River Elan down to the visitors centre for a proper look around.

Theres so much to see and the surrounding area is absolutely stunning. The walk along the river was the most relaxed I’ve felt in a long time and just taking time to sit and pause and take it all in worked wonders.

After a warm bowl of soup back at Duggie we got on our bikes again for a cycle ride in the opposite direction towards Rhayder.

We cycled from Elan Oaks along the Elan Valley Trail which is on the NCN Route 8 and 81. It can be up and down in places and it certainly gave us a workout on the way to Rhayder but coming back is lots of fun as its mainly downhill!

On the way you pass through nature reserves and even a bat tunnel (our son is mad on bats!!). We saw Red kites a plenty and so many other species of bird, I can imagine walking the trail will allow you take a lot more in.

When you get to Rhayder town the first thing you see is public toilets which was a welcome site given the amount of water we’d been drinking. We had a very quick look at the town which is lovely and has plenty of eateries, including fish and chip shops. Then it was back to the site for dinner and enjoy our last night at the beatiful Elan Oaks.

We couldn’t leave Elan Valley without exploring the other dams. We parked at Garreg Ddu Resevior and found that there is so much more to see. We crossed over the dam on foot and walked along the trail taking in the magnificent sites.

We’ll definitely be back to stay at Elan Oaks as there’s so much to do. We didn’t have time to ride the Nantgwyllt Moutain Bike Trails or have a look inside Nantgwyllt church but we can look forward to that next time.

Posted in Motorhome Chat

Personalising Duggie

Posted on by Sam Bennett

One of the pleasures of owning a motorhome is having a creative licence to personalise and customise your prized possession in any way you choose.

In an earlier blog post I showed you how I when mad replacing curtains with Duggie’s family crest on them in addition to cushions and bunting. Now I create something as and when the mood takes me. Recently, I customised these glasses again with Duggie emblem.

They are plain and simple pint sized glasses from Ikea that I etched with Duggie’s emblem. To do this I used a Cricut machine to cut out the emblem from vinyl then once fixed to the glass I used armour etch to etch out the parts that didn’t contain vinyl. Ta Da! Personalised glasses!

Posted in Camp Sites

Porthmadog – Black Rock Sands Touring and Camping Park

Posted on by Sam Bennett

Black Rock Sands Touring and Camping Park is a lovely spacious site with all the facilities you could need. In the morning we spotted a coffee and breakfast van at the entrance and although we didn’t use it we thought it was great to have the option of not cooking. In the evening a travelling bar was on site serving drinks and again a fantastic resource allowing an more relaxed atmosphere.

As we’re in a pandemic people were sticking to their own groups and so we’re we however, it was nice to be visited by next doors Border Terrier throughout the evenings.

The site is situated between Black Rock Sands beach and jagged cliff with 360 degrees of stunning views. It’s a short stroll from the site across the sand dunes to the beach and what a stunning beach it is! It stretches for miles it seems, with a view of Cricceith Castle in the background.

On day two we had friends join us for a BBQ. They should have been married but their wedding was postponed due to coronavirus so in an attempt to cheer them up we made them some T-Shirts saying ‘Almost Wife’ and ‘Almost Husband’ #weddingpostponed and it seemed to do the trick.

As the sun started to fade we lit a chimanea that we’d hired from the wardens with plenty of logs to keep it burning.

Suddenly at 11pm the site fell silent and we were the only ones left outside. Out of respect for our fellow campers we said a very quiet goodbye and headed of to bed feeling both happy and exhausted.

What a fantastic site in a great location with really helpful friendly wardens. We will definitely be back!

Posted in Camp Sites

Leadstone Camping – Dawlish Warren

Posted on by Sam Bennett

29 Jul – 1 Aug 2020

The site was really easy to find. We picked up some shopping in Dawlish and made our way from there along the main road. Check in was safe and efficient and seemed very well run.

The site is situated between Dawlish and Dawlish Warren. Dawlish is famous for its Black Swans and it houses a wide variety of water birds. It is also a lovely town with plenty of shops and beautiful stream that flows in the middle down to the sea.

These photos were taken by the youngster in our group.

Dawlish Warren is short walk from the Site and is the seaside part of the area. It has a lovely beach and all the usual seaside shops and restaurants. We didn’t stay in the beach area as it was so incredibly busy despite being in a pandemic but at least we were able to admire from afar.

Leadstone Camping itself was a highly maintained site, probably one of the neatest and cleanest we’ve been to. Next door to the site is a lovely farm shop (Fungi Forest), it sells amazing produce and offers breakfast and lunch in a lovely setting. We visited there twice, once for breakfast and again for ice creams/sorbet which was welcomed after so much heat.