Tag: motorhomediary

Posted in Camp Sites

Hele Valley Holiday Park – Ilfracombe, Devon

Posted on by Sam Bennett

15 – 17 April 2022

Having left Porth Beach Holiday Park in the morning we arrived at Hele Valley Holiday Park late that afternoon. We had a fully serviced pitch so it was a case of park up, hook up and relax.

The site itself is well maintained and has an interesting layout. The facilities were clean, modern and within easy reach. There were BBQ brick points dotted around which was a nice touch and also helps them maintain the high standards of the site.

Close to the site is The Hele Bay Pub, situated on the entrance road to Hele Beach. We didn’t eat there but it looked packed when we walked past and looking online at the menu, it had a lot of delicious dishes to offer.

Also local to the site is cafe/bistro that offers takeaway meals. Again we didn’t try it but they have a great menu and it looked busy. We actually ordered an Indian takeaway on just eat! Something we have only managed to do at our previous site in Newquay and maybe a good sign of things to come. I do like cooking good healthy meals whilst were away but not every night. It’s not easy cooking in motorhome kitchen but slow cookers and BBQ’s help a lot!

The nearest beach is Hele Beach which is a 10 minute walk back through the site and across the main road. There’s a nature trail from the site almost to the main road which has some lovely features, sculptures and flowers.

With plenty of opportunity for macro photography.

We intended to walk into Ilfracombe but decided on a more relaxed walk around Hele Valley whilst also capturing the about macro images.

Next to the site is Chambercombe Manor an estate steeped rich history, once owned by The Duke of Suffolk, Lady Jane Greys father and is now rife with paranormal activity. We walked to the manor but it was closed which is a shame because it looks like such an interesting place to visit.

Hele Beach, although not the prettiest, is popular with wild swimmers, divers and anglers. It was a dull afternoon when we visited so it probably looks a lot nicer with the sun shining down.

That completes our Easter 2022 Tour. We’re not sure where our next destination will be but we’ll get something booked soon!

Posted in Camp Sites

Porth Beach Holiday Park – Newquay

Posted on by Sam Bennett

11 – 15 April 2022

We had a nice easy drive from Combe Martin to Newquay, stopping at Widemouth Bay for lunch on the way.

The sun came out and lit up the beach in all its sandy glory which made our detour so worth while. We stayed in Widemouth Bay in Summer 2020 and thoroughly enjoyed it, such a lovely part of the world. You will find our Widemouth Bay blog here:

Widemouth Bay Blog Summer 2020

After our gorgeous lunch stop off we arrived at Porth Beach Holiday Park in Newquay, Cornwall to a friendly welcome from the site staff.

The site wasn’t too busy so our pitch was in a quiet location.

The next day we had a walk into Newquay even though rain was forecast.

Coming out of the campsite and across the road to Porth Beach, we took the coast path into Newquay town. We walked past Lusty Glaze Beach and Tolcarne Beach, both idilic with steps down for access.

Unfortunately the heavens opened up and we were ducking in and out of doorways the rest of the journey so we didn’t manage to get any more photos.

Newquay has a Blue Reef Aquarium that we visited the next day.

Newquay has a lot to offer but we mainly stuck to the campsite and Porth Beach.

Porth Beach is vast and ideal for watersports, especially when the tide is in as its quite shallow so boarding is popular.

Back at the site we had a lovely sunny day and relaxed in the sunshine whilst playing some games.

Buddy needed a relax after all the ball chasing (even though he wasn’t part of the game!)

An added bonus of staying near to a major town is the ability to order dinner on deliveroo and Just Eat so we made the most of it and only had to cook for one night which fell to Mr B…

Buddy there waiting for his sausages to cook!

On that same evening we had lovely sunset.

Newquay has a lot to offer but what we found most enjoyable was the ability to either fully relax or immerse yourself in the town and its surroundings.

Next to Porth Beach is Porth Island which offers stunning views of Newquay. Its has a dedicated path up to the island point but the cliffs are high and without barriers, Buddy had to be put on his lead at certain points.

We now realise that Duggie is rapidly becoming Buddy’s van. He’s at his most relaxed when we’re travelling and despite his many anxieties he’s incredibly chilled when he’s having a beer with his dad.

We had a great time in Newquay and each day was different to the other. It’s off to Ilfracombe next so we’ll see you there.

Posted in Camp Sites

Newberry Valley – Combe Martin

Posted on by Sam Bennett

9 – 11 April 2022

A record breaking THIRD visit to the same site! I think that’s a good indication of how much we like this site. It’s great stopping place if you’re heading from North so South which we do quite often. From Shropshire it’s around 4 hours taking into consideration a lunch stop and travelling in a motorhome is slower than a car. Despite it being the start of the Easter holidays there weren’t any holdups or heavy traffic so we were lucky in that respect.

As we’ve already written two other blogs on Newberry Valley and Coombe Martin there will be lots more information in them:

Newberry Valley – Blog 1

Newberry Valley – Blog 2

This blog is more of an update to the previous blogs although nothing has changed really. Buddy is well and truly settled in, has us wrapped around his little claw and loves life on the road.

He always finds a new butt to sniff wherever we go and now that he’s trained off the lead life is so much easier for us too. It’s an absolute joy to watch him enjoying his life with us after such a traumatic start.

Spoilt? Moi?!

When I said update, I merely meant a few more photos of the beautiful Coombe Martin Beach where the sea is a stunning aqua blue. It was the warmest of weather and we had drizzles of rain to start of the holiday but it was still a place to be enjoyed.

The sun came out long enough for some macro photography of which Newberry valley offers plenty of opportunity around it’s secluded lake.

On a final note, I managed to capture the food demon stalking his favourite prey for scraps. What I like about this photo is it shows ‘real’ motor homing with damp towels drying off in the cabin and mess everywhere after a busy day. We tend to take photos of how nice our motorhomes look but the reality is, it’s a small space with everything you need in it and sometimes it’s not as organised as you’d like it to be. It’s all part of motor homing, especially with a teenager and over privileged hound in tow!

I’m sure we’ll be back at Newberry Valley on our next trip down South…next stop is Newquay, Cornwall.

Posted in Camp Sites

Elan Valley – Elan Oaks Caravan and Camping

Posted on by Sam Bennett

13 – 15 August 2021

This was our second visit to Elan Oaks in Duggie but our first with Buddy, our Cypriot rescue hound who thinks the motorhome belongs to him. He’s a timid kind of guy although whenever the motorhome is on the drive being prepared for a trip he jumps in and refuses to leave!

Elan Valley is a short hour and half journey for us so after work on Friday it’s jump in the van and off we go (repacking was completed the day before!).

At Elan Oaks once through the barrier you head to the motorhome field where all the pitches are fully serviced. It’s a ‘choose your own’ pitch site so we chose the pitch we had stayed in previously for no other reason than it was available.

We arrived to rain and it continued through the night which wasn’t great for the cycling we’d planned. We decided to go for a walk to the Elan Vally visitors centre in the rain and try cycling in the dry later.

It’s just beautiful and so much scenery everywhere you look. We got rained off so didn’t make it to the other side of Caban Coch Dam but our first blog has more photos and information:

Elan Valley First Visit

Graham managed to get out on his bike in the evening but the rest of us decided to relax in Duggie and read in beautiful surroundings.

Buddy seemed to think that he called shotgun for the journey home…