homeward bound

It was still mild in the morning but it was wet and windy, not good for our return drive home. Van-Man spent ten minutes emptying the grey water at the service point. He kept nipping out to see how it was draining then jumping back into the cab to keep dry. Why didn’t he just put on his raincoat? As we drove off the camp site there were areas where it wasn’t raining so we headed for a beach to give Lottie a last run on the beach before the long drive home. I suggested Harlyn Bay as it was on the route to the A 30 and it had a car park. The last mile to the beach was down a single track road but it had lots of passing places. We parked right by the beach.

We had a half hour walk on the beach in drizzle with the wind lashing in our faces on the way down to the sea. Lottie made the most of the beach walk but we were all wet. It was hard to get our wet coats away, but I laid one coat over the shower and the other over the sink. Thank goodness we have a wet room for our bathroom.

We changed into dry clothes and set out at10.55. As he had driven to Harlyn Bay Van-Man asked me to drive once we were on theA30 so we changed at a lay-by. It rained all the way to just before Exeter but I had a trouble free trip trundling along at 55 mph or less where the road was exposed to the wind. As soon as we changed drivers the rain stopped.

Van-Man stopped in a big lay-by near Honiton for lunch, then Van-Man drove a second time. I took over before Stonehenge and managed to go all the way to Fleet services on the M3. There was nowhere to park so we changed drivers and setoff straight away.

We had no trouble until we reached the M25 when we had to queue to join it.

It has been a tiring trip but worth it to help our daughter. It’s a shame that our commitments prevented us from staying longer.

Holywell

After breakfast we returned to Porthcothen beach thankful for the mild weather. This time another dog walker was crossing the sand. Lottie played chase with the two labradors until they left the beach then explored the base of the cliff.

the rocks at Holywell

Van-Man intended followed the diversion again but we only met cars.

Our son in law headed off to see our daughter in hospital leaving us looking after the youngest twp children. In between playing with them I concentrated on the laundry and sorted out the main meal while Van-Man tackled the cleaning.

Our son-in-law collected the children from school and we set out to walk our restless hound at Holywell. This is a place we love. There is parking for the Motor Home and a lovely walk to the sea over sandy grass across a stream then up through high dunes.

Holywell beach

Finally we emerged on the peaceful beach, strewn with pretty shells and pebbles. Lottie explored the dunes and raced across the beach. When we reached the stream she paddled in to cool down and drank. Back at my daughters she wolfed down her dinner then curled up in the corner behind a chair where children couldn’t accidentally run into her.

After a lovely family meal I helped get the children to bed while Van-Man cleared up again. Finally we headed back to Padstow leaving our son-in-law still putting the children to bed. It was good to rest in peace in our lovely Motor Home after the bustle we had left behind.

Narrow diversion

We woke up late, just before 8.00. Van-Man walked Lottie round the small fenced off square for dogs and then we had a quick breakfast before heading to Porthcothen beach for probably our only fresh air for the day. The wind had lessened overnight and the morning was mild. The beach was deserted, making it more alluring than normal. Only one other dog walker arrived as we were leaving. The waves started rolling up the beach as we retreated but there was still plenty of golden sand to walk on.

Cooling down after chasing seagulls

Van-Man intended going to our daughter’s house via the wider road but the road was diverted at Morgan Porth. The narrow winding road with infrequent passing places was not the best route for a short but plump motor home but the only other way was back to Padstow and a huge diversion. Predictably we met a lorry on a narrow section.

Seagull

Van-Man pulled tight to the stone wall. I pulled in the wing mirror and he inched forward. The lorry crept towards us and it was obvious that he couldn’t get through the gap.

The lorry driver signaled that we should reverse so reluctantly Van-Man inched backwards. As we cornered backwards a side turn opened up opposite us. Van-Man stopped opposite it and the lorry squeezed past.  We headed off again and this time got through the narrow section before meeting a big van at a wider place.

gull flying

We reached our daughters town from the wrong side so Van-Man had to negotiate streets barely wider than his van. At last we pulled up in our daughters drive much later than intended.

Our son in law headed off for work doing a large landscaping job for a client while we looked after the youngest child and tackled the housework. I concentrated on the laundry while Van-Man tackled the kitchen hampered by Verity playing with him. They enjoyed their games so much that she fell asleep just as I was about to do the school run.

I set off alone and collected Asher from Preschool. Then I headed to the main school. I picked the first two children up fine but Asher disappeared on the way to the third classroom. I panicked but a helpful friend of my daughters steered him back to me.

The walk home was uneventful and the children were well behaved. I made macaroni cheese for them all and helped get the children to bed while Van-Man cleared up again. Finally we ate a beef stew that a church member had made with a weary son-in-law.

We headed back to Padstow about 20.30 bleary eyed with a resigned hound. Fortunately the weather was dry and warm for January with the temperature 9 C

Boat Substitute

After being without a boat for a year and searching for a replacement the captain decided on a change of life style and became Van-Man. He spotted the ideal Motor Home for us. It was roomy enough for two humans and a large Lurcher with attitude but short enough to fit on our drive and that of our daughter in Cornwall. If it wasn’t for us spending so much time in Cornwall we would have bought another boat, but coastal sailing around those shores was not what the Captain desired.

Back to Van-Man. He spotted a second hand van he liked then saw a new one with a large price cut due to minor damage that was about to be repaired. Boat forgotten he spaced out on a palace of the road. Being used to compact living we found there was plenty of storage space. Better still the log fire was replaced by push button heating. A lovely kitchen and compact bathroom completed the interior. The only thing lacking was a permanent bed but any van that had one was too long for our drive and could not be moored at our daughters.

Sally our new Motor Home

I was concerned that we bought it without test driving the beast but my husband was happy to driver it as he had driven large vans in the past.

The first time I drove it I felt I was steering a hovercraft which wafted in the breeze every time something passed me. However I managed a few minutes feeling out of control. Van-Man adapted a stair gate to keep our hound in the back of the van or she would curl up under his feet, awkward when he is driving.

When my daughter was taken into hospital Van-Man booked a site in Cornwall for the next few nights so we could help out with the children (she has five) so her self employed husband could work. Van-Man de-winterized the van and we loaded the van the night before and put the heating on overnight to stop the van freezing

We set out at 10.02 with our sofa/bed piled on one side of the van to stop Lottie sleeping on it making it smelly on the other side we put Lottie’s duvet and bed. She attacked it excitedly as we set off, the way she used to when setting off for the boat. I’m glad she couldn’t get her teeth into our bed. We stopped at a lay-by a few miles from home to replace her bed on the wooden slats. Fortunately this time she lay down and watched the view through the front window.

Van-Man drove round the motorway and then it was my turn to give him a rest. We stopped at a Starbucks on the A303 and had lunch. While I plucked up the courage to drive the monster Van-Man fiddled with the mirror/reversing camera which he had managed to swipe from its holder.

I drove off slowly. My first problem was the brake was on the right hand side and I had to lean over to fully release it. My second problem was the gears which were on a knob high up on the dash board rather than the usual position between the seats.

I crawled out of the services and sauntered slowly along the A303 at 40mph. that felt too fast as the van was buffeted by the wind from vans and lorries overtaking us. I concentrated on keeping in my lane. Thankfully the A303 was duel carriage way so I held no one up. As my confidence grew I speeded up to 45. Van-Man was happy. We were heading the right way and I had driven for more than 20 minutes even though I still felt I was driving a hovercraft.

Stonehenge

At Stonehenge we joined our first queue and it took over 20 minutes to reach the roundabout beyond it. I managed to creep along in first and second gear. Changing up was easy, for some reason I had trouble changing down. With the slow stop and start, I managed to drive for an hour before handing over to Van-Man. He was happy as a pig in mud at the handling of our new beast. He drove through the Blackdown Hills in rain to the Hog and Hedge. After another long stop I took the wheel again and trundled us to Victoria services where Van-Man took over for the final push to Padstow, to the nearest campsite to my daughter’s house that was open in January. The journey had taken eight hours instead of the normal six but then I had been driving slowly. The campsite looked fine Van-Man reversed onto the pitch and checked for the slope. It looked as if he needed to use the ramps but he drove off the pitch then drove on. This time the van was level.

“I thought so,” Van-Man said. “The rear of Sally (that’s what our van is called) is higher than the front.” Only a few vans and a couple of caravans were on site all on hard standing like us. Van-Man filled up with water.

“It’s overflowing,” I pointed out.

“It can’t be,” Van-Man exclaimed. “the gauge is only showing half full.”

The journey to our daughters took 15 minutes. We walked into chaos. The younger ones were noisy and the whole family was hungry but Dad was busy on the phone trying to organize his work for the week. We got stuck into feeding the tribe, heating up a spaghetti bolognaise a kind member of the church had provided. After a hectic bedtime routine with me on bath duty and Van-Man doing story time we retreated to Padstow for an hour’s peace before bed.