Roger & Sally's Travel Blog & More

Londonish – September 2019 – what a month

No sooner was Notting Hill Carnival over and it was time for the Glasto’ boys to head west to Dorset and the End Of The Road Festival. We had failed for the first time in living memory to get Glastonbury tickets so took the plunge on this new venture. It was fantastic… and certainly one of the best festivals I have ever been to. EotR Festival is relatively small but the location and the music (lots of new and emerging artists / bands) were amazing. It was also the first time we had done a festival in camper vans rather than tents… its an age thing, perhaps. Either way, we enjoyed the music enormously and ate, drank, chilled and made merry.

We enjoyed the music enormously and ate, drank, chilled out and made merry with seemingly greater ease than ever before – he says with selective forgetfulness 🙂

Back on the London trail…Tower Bridge and its amazing Pump Room is a great visit. We walked there from Paddington through Kensington Palace Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park and St James Park then along the Thames… Cracking walk one of our fav’s.

Great views and amazing technology for its time. The steam driven pumps (love a bit of pump porn) were used to fill accumulators with water, which in turn were used to lift the road bridge allowing tall masted boats to pass through (of which there were many back in the day). Today, the pump room is just a museum and the bridge is lifted by modern hydraulics. When opened in the late 1800’s Tower Bridge massively connected the two sides of the Thames, arguably one of the most significant contributors to the development of modern day London.

It was then down to Kent for a few days for Steve and Sally’s Wedding. We took the camper and booked into a very quiet and beautifully basic camp site at Stelling Minnis. The village had all the essentials including local store, a proper locals’ pub (yea) and some great walks. On the day of the wedding, which was beautiful, we parked the van in the hotel car park and used that as a base… somehow it got decorated for the occasion…perfect!

We had no reason to rush back to London so headed to the Kent coast and Sandwich, one of the historic Cinque Ports. The town is full of character and quite a few pubs 🙂 all of which looked very inviting. The weather wasn’t great so we popped into one of the pubs at lunchtime – just for shelter you understand – and before a pint had passed my lips we’d booked a camp site very close to the centre and decided to stay for the night. Van pitched and the weather improving we explored the town (pubs); the Smugglers Beer and Music Cafe was a particular favourite; couldn’t leave without buying some vinyl :-). We ended the day with a lovely meal at My Thai.. great atmosphere and all freshly prepared food.. yum yum!

The following day the sun was out and Ramsgate beckoned…gets a bit of unnecessary bad press IMHO. Another historic town with its maritime past and obvious Victoriana. The first chime of the clock on the harbour at 12 noon is at Greenwich Mean Time, the actual clock is set (accurately) to be 5 mins and 41 seconds after Greenwich (ignoring timezones obvs). The King George IV Harbour is the only Royal Harbour in Great Britain. It also has the Maritime Heritage Pontoons for Heritage Vessels. Under the town there are a labyrinth of wartime tunnels; sadly not open for guided tours on the day – a definite go back to.

Having now run out of clean clothes we headed back into London. We’d set out sights on Hampton Court again!.. this time cycling the 40km each was along the Thames River bank and had AirBnb’d a boat for the night right by the Palace.

The boat was a small sports boat but had all the necessary facilities to eat, sleep, shower and relax.. great little find.

After a bit of breakfast and a mooch around the village we headed back to central London, this time cycling the North Bank of the Thames to explore the splendid array of river side pubs (and other sights of course).. very English.

Couldn’t go over Hammersmith Bridge so had to go under…

I think Sal was relieved to arrive – no gel saddle if you get my drift 🙂

11 Pubs (just a 1/2 pt in each), a Stately Home, a Brewery and fantastic views.

Oh and four folk amazingly getting into a small sailing dingy (with very little freeboard) before heading back to central London on the tide, all after a very convivial lunch no doubt 🙂

What a perfect late summer’s afternoon.

We did feel a little guilty watching the rowers being put through their paces!

Proms In Hyde Park was a great evening. We took Sal’s parents and had a yummy picnic whilst listening to & watching all the pomp and circumstance favourites. It was a beautiful sun set and the fireworks at the end were fab.

A few weeks previously we’d seen Queens Park Day advertised to went to check it out.. What a brilliant family event; well done Queens Park. Lots of market stalls, concessions and entertainment in the Park on a beautiful day, what’s not to like.

I spotted a cool vintage French coffee grinder at one of the stalls so had to haggle for that.. the vendor won :-). Very chuffed with that and it grinds fantastic coffee.

Great atmosphere and a few cheeky West Mersea Native Oysters set us up for a pint!

… and so we went in search of the Wolfpack pub, home to the Wolfpack brewery / beer owned by two ex-Saracens players. Follow them at #wolfpacklager on Instagram – very funny. The great beer and cool vibe spill onto the pseudo industrial Lombard Street with has other independent bars, cafe’s and restaurants further down. It is a really cool find tucked away off Queens Park main street. The Wolfpack has a great rugby philosophy when it comes to behaviour and responsible drinking.. the sign above the bar says “Don’t be a dickhead”… nuff said 🏉 👍🏻. Oh and they had a horse box wood fired pizza oven outside… oops!

A day with some ex-colleague friends for the BMW PGA Championship golf at Wentworth was good fun. Willett (pictured in red) was the eventual winner. Great to see the Ryder Cup there as well.

I had to rush off a bit early as Sal and I had tickets to go and see the Pixies at the Ally Pally bit of a rush but we made it in time and what a treat of a gig… Pixies never fail to entertain.

And finally it was a boys golf trip, this year to Bruges in Belgium. Its always a very funny long weekend away when we eat and drink well and play a bit of golf. I came last and won the Rabbit 😳… Bruges is a fab location, deffo go back here with Sal when COVID allows.

Great win for Gary but sadly his last. He passed away just over a year later – RIP Gary, you are missed.

London – August 2019

Its been a while! Our poor attempt at blogging was rudely interrupted when (thankfully) on 4th July 2020, Lockdown (1) was lifted… and the camp sites re-opened :-). So off we set in the camper van to focus on UK coastal horizons, more about which when we eventually get to blog about it. Now we are sadly back in the middle of Lockdown (3) – Feb 2021 – so its time to at least try and catch up… so where were we… August 2019… you’ve been very patient 🙂

Ride London 2019, with some friends was a brilliant way to see London along quiet streets. Who could have known that this would become the norm just a few months later . We managed to catch up with sons Chris and Oli after their 500km cycle around the south east, right at the finish line of the pro’s 100 mile race. Impressive cycling all round.

Mama Mia! at the Ivan Novello Theatre was a great sing along laugh in a fabulous theatre.

A GoBoat out on the Regents Canal with some friends was a ‘must do’. We had a wet (as in liquid) “picnic” on board and played a good old game of pub darts afterwards. Lots of fun and well done “Arrows” Steve :-)… better luck next time Helen … you was robbed!

A Thames River Cruise from Westminster to Hampton Court is a great way to see West London and once again Hampton Court had lots to offer. This time it was the gardens and Henry VIII’s Real Tennis Court; we even got to have a game 🙂

A live Jazz concert at Trinity Buoy Wharf with the Grand Union Orchestra All Stars was a fab evening out with a very eclectic bunch of musicians. It’s also fascinating to have a look around the Wharf with all its Trinity Lighthouse Research history sitting alongside today’s startup businesses and innovation spaces.

The Science Museum and particularly to see the Moon and Cryptography exhibitions. Great to see Tommy Flowers’ diary pages opened at the day he got Colossus working. The following day he took his children to see Peter Pan as if nothing had happened. God bless his brain.

Camden beckoned so we walked the Regents Canal to take in the vibe. Love this place.

Somerset House for a summer film night in the courtyard was fun (albeit cold). Inna De Yard, a film about the Jamaican music scene back in the day, is worth a watch if you’re so inclined.

Ed Sheeran’s “Divide” world tour was coming to an end so we went to one of the final three concerts at Ipswich with some friends. They were supported by The Darkness, a band from Lowestoft and a blast from the past. Very proud of son Nic’s efforts in producing the live video for The Darkness – a first for him. Mr S wasn’t half bad either…

Notting Hill Carnival was the following day so we hot footed it back to London after the concert. What an amazing spectacle and i’ve so many images deciding which to include is stressing me out. Deffo one for the bucket list if you’ve not been.

Notting Hill Carnival 2019 – Simply Brilliant!

July 2019

Only a year behind now 🙂 on a roll…

We booked into Royal Henley for the Regatta week which, never having done it, was a fab experience; especially as it was the Royal Henley Peace Regatta Centenary.

Adding a swivel mechanism to the camper made a real difference to the available space and pretty straightforward.

Polo for Heroes in Windsor with some friends was a great laugh as always.

Then it was back to Hyde Park for the British summertime festival with Feeder, Texas, Black Eyed Peas, Keane, Saint Sister and Robbie Williams plus a few… oh and we watched the last amazing few overs with England winning the Cricket World Cup – fantastic!

We visited HMS Belfast on Southbank. Great museum and worth a visit..

Having tried for a while we finally got to see Rag’n’bone Man at Brighton racecourse, followed by a couple days in Brighton.

The man. having some down time away from the ‘paps” :”-)

And a couple nights in Arundel on the way home in a legit overnight car park. Perfik view of the castle from the camper 🙂

June 2019 – pics

It gets simpler and more summarised from here….

British cured meats festival – Canopy Market – Kings Cross

Cornwall vs Chesire… Billy Beaumount’s County Rugby Champs – dramatic 14-12 win for Cornwall at Twickers.

Presidential visit and Brexit…the streets were ….

Beating the retreat… from neither…. pomp and brilliance

Steve’s stag in Swansea – what goes on tour stays on tour ….

Tenerife – why not 🙂

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Dave’s Birthday 🙂

Seven Dials 30th Birthday… weekend with Oli 🙂

Blogging – desperate to catch up to real time but failing miserably.

As I started writing what should have been the April 2019 post I realise that despite trying to catch up to real time i’m actually slipping behind. Post COVID lockdown we got back on the road on 4th July touring the UK, something we started on 1st Feb 2020 and I haven’t even got close to posting about it. On the road there is so much to do and see and therefore time to write and post is diminished…. or am I just getting lazy as predicted from the outset?

So, we have a cunning plan…. you get the gist of what we have been doing in London (…”pub crawling” I hear my mum say … and she isn’t far wrong… there is always a pub nearby in London, regardless of what you are doing and its a great way to meet people and get to know the place), so we are going to heavily precis the next 10 months with pics and a little text; only elaborating on really significant “stuff”…

April 2019 to May 2019 – Précised

April 19, our first month of retirement, was naturally busy and what a great time to be in London with all the parks and social spaces brimming with the optimism of spring.

The just opened Vinegar Yard in Bermondsey, south London was worth the effort to get there – the guy that makes mechanical art for Glastonbury has a workshop and exhibition there. Through the London Cornish Pilot Gig folk we’d heard about the Cornish takeover night at Sun Tavern, Covent Garden (first Wed every month I think).. great fun and pasties shipped from Cornwall :-). I had a couple of days playing golf with some friends at Princes Golf Club in Kent. We watched the Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race from Hammersmith – great fun. We took a tour around Kensington Palace and the Queen Victoria exhibition (worth a visit). For Sal’s birthday we had a lovely meal at the Potting Shed, a cracking subterranean restaurant that we’d stumbled on a week or so before on Dorset Square give it a go.It also has a very nice boutique hotel attached. We had a lot of fun watching the bird feeders attached to windows at the back of the flat.. twitchers in the making :-). We took the train down to Hampton Court Place and toured the beautiful palace and grounds and we had a day down at Greenwich. There was an Elizabeth 1st re-enactment at Queens House where I think she was born. It’s free to enter and there is an amazing art collection including the original Spanish Armada painting. The Maritime Museum is well worth it when down at Greenwich and the trip back to town on the Clipper is a must. Manchester Tribute band night at there Shepherds Buch Apollo was fun.

At the end of April we treated ourselves to a retirement holiday to the Maldives for a week then the plan was to have a week touring Sri Lanka. Sadly the Easter bombings meant that the Sri Lanka element didn’t happen so we stayed for an extra week in the Maldives. we thought 2 weeks might be too much but as you chill down day by day to snail pace it was fantastic.

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Highlights of May 2019 were: Tower of London, Grand Designs Live, walks around Hyde Park and along the Regents Canal to Coal Drops Yard, the fantastic new development at Kings Cross, a weekend in the New Forest watching Oli nail a half iron man, some more time in Cornwall seeing mum and cliff walking from Mullion to the Lizard (with my sister)

London – March 2019

March and my last month at work had arrived so with closing a few work things down plus some other planned activities it was another busy month.

To watch the Six Nations Rugby Super Saturday games it was off to Amsterdam, that well known Rugby City. Obvious, right? 🙂

We (seven of us) arrived early Friday evening on the train having departed St Pancreas by Eurostar. After a circuitous walk we found our berth (a dutch barge) for the next three nights.

Fortunately the night was young so we set off to suss out the canals and bars to find the best location to watch the rugger.

Our digs in Amsterdam Central Harbour – great location, very reasonably priced and fab service

We tested a few candidates but, as is so often the case, a very hospitable Irish bar, the Temple Bar Irish Pub, won!

At night Amsterdam looks great and with the labyrinth of canal streets it’s easy to get lost 🙂

The following day was Super Saturday match day so Cheesy (being ex Navy and thinking we had the barge to ourselves) sounded the ‘wake up’ pipe, very loudly much to the “amusement” of the other guests. Very funny!

After breakfast we headed into the city, had a look around in daylight and then homed in on Temple Irish Bar for the rugby. Don’t you love it when a plan comes together 🙂

Sunday morning was a slow start but a chance to have a more serious look around Amsterdam to see some of its culture. I know what you are thinking but you are wrong !

Lots of wonky houses, straight canals, “colourful” bars, cafe’s and people, OOOOHHHH and somebody doesn’t like Mr President.

On Monday morning I headed off a bit early to get a flight back to Stansted in time for mum, sister, brother in law, my boys and some friends arriving ahead of the retirement “do”. It was held on the 34th floor of the BT Tower (T34) with amazing views as the sun went down. As i’ve mentioned in a previous post we had a fabulous evening with family, friends, colleagues and customers. Thanks again to BT for making that possible.

Mum stayed up for a few days as we’d got tickets for the Classical Spectacular at the Royal Albert Hall. What a fantastic venue (a first for us) and the performance of all the ‘last night of the proms’ tunes plus more was top notch. They run them in March and November every year and are well worth going to if you get the chance. There’s also a very nice Italian Bistro called Verdi which is perfect for a yummy pre-performance lunch or dinner; so we did 🙂

The day after we headed to Cheltenham in the van for a wedding. Getting dressed in our finery in the van was challenging but doable and what a lovely wedding it was amidst all the Brexit nonsense that you couldn’t escape.

The following day we drove to the Cheddar Gorge area via Birdlip which has cracking views back across the vale to the Malvern Hills.

At Cheddar, we pitched up at the lovely Petruth Paddocks site and erected our new Royal Blockley drive-away awning… for the first time….. in quite a stiff breeze…challenging 🙂

Not sure its quite right but it stayed up.. …result!

In the evening we met up with Sally’s brother and sister in law (Paul and Helen) for a meal at the Bath Arms, a local pub in Cheddar.

Great food, wine and beer and good fun all round. Great to see them both.

BREXIT ZOO outside the Palace of Westminster

Then it was back to the London and all its Brexit madness via the Cheddar Gorge road. We will definitely go back there when the caves are open but what a dramatic road to drive with the steep sided cliffs and windy roads.

The 29th March was my last day at work and we marked it with a few drinks in and around Paddington followed by a lovely fillet steak meal in the flat accompanied by a very special bottle of 2003 Saint Julien, Chateau Beychevelle that I’d been saving. This seemed like the right occasion and it didn’t disappoint!

Over the weekend we headed down to Kent to see Mick and Sandra for a gin distillery tour and tasting at a beautifully renovated old pump house in Chatham docks.

We hadn’t appreciated it but it turns out that the gin business is just a short term money making enterprise while whisky matures for a minimum of 3 years and a day in burnt oak barrels so that it can officially be called whisky.

Gin by contrast takes next to no time to distill, bottle and sell so it makes sense to get some income while the main event comes into season. The barrels pictured in the corner were in a bonded store and were the first batch to come out of this distillery, due to be sampled for the first time in about a month from us being there – everyone was very excited about that!… must check how it turned out.

All that said, the very agreeable gin that we tasted (a few times) was made with 100% local produce and distilled in a patented still called Janet. Naturally we bought a bottle 🙂

After the tour we explored Rochester for a while with its interesting history, castle and Cathedral.

In the evening we all met up with Andy and Nicky for a few beers and a ruby – yum!

It’s official… I was now retired!

London – February 2019

February was ushered in with a very rare (for London) dusting of snow.

In the Home Counties and the West they were hit really badly which was unfortunate as we were due to be in Wokingham, Berkshire for a belated Black Tie Burns Night Supper on the eve of 1st Feb. The supper was in aid of the Sebastian’s Action Trust, a charity who provide emotional, practical and social support to more than 600 families who have seriously-ill children. See https://sebastiansactiontrust.org for more information.

In June 2001, at the age of 7, Sebastian Gates, a colleague’s god son, was diagnosed with a Wilms’ tumour – a rare form of childhood cancer. Over the next two-and-a-half years he endured many operations, a stem-cell transplant, scores of chemotherapy courses and radiotherapy. Sadly, Sebastian died on Christmas Eve 2003.

The Trust does some really great work but relies on donations and cash raised at a number of fund raising events such as this to deliver support. Failing to turn up was therefore not an option and so we set off in Dave the Smart Car during a break in the weather. To be fair, the roads in London weren’t too bad but as we approached Wokingham the snow was getting worse and the roads were treacherous. By the time we got to the Premier Inn (our bed for the night) Dave was struggling. We got togged up and called a taxi to get us to the venue, half expecting them to decline but they obliged! Amazingly about 80% of the guests braved it which was brilliant and we all had a great night whilst raising funds.

A jolly crew on table 12. Haggis piped in and we won the enormous teddy in the raffle 🙂

Unfortunately the chap who was supposed to read grace was amongst the 20% who couldn’t get through the snow. Standing in the wrong place at the wrong time and wearing my Cornish kilt, someone mistook me for a Scot! I was duly roped in to deliver the traditional grace; a first for me :-). During the evening we won the (very large) teddy bear in the raffle and called him Hamish (obvs). He joined in the fun rather a lot, and suffered – tee hee!

Banished to the bath after completely disgracing himself – bless

The girls at Premier Inn took a bit of a shine to Hamish and after we managed to get him out of bed we squeezed him into Dave (it was touch and go). He dwarfs my mum and I’ve promised him to my first grandchild – no pressure boys !

Back in London that evening it was “locals” night at the The Warwick Castle pub.

This is an annual affair and our first so we didn’t know what to expect. It was brilliant; a very interactive quiz and lots of fun 🙂

Not sure what the quiz question was but the answer was hilarious

The following day we headed down to Southwark to ‘do’ the Bermondsey beer mile. On reflection a Sunday wasn’t the best day to go as it was quiet and some of the many bars under the arches weren’t open. That said it was still worth the trip to hear about the history of brewing in the area, serving London. and to sample some very tasty beers from the micro (and not now so micro) breweries that have re-colonised the area.

Under the arches there is beer to be found!

Interesting history of brewing in London and Southwark

It’s a fascinating place, where most of the arches were rammed with brewing kit, beer storage and seating areas for people to sit and sample some very tasty beers from the micro (and not now so micro) breweries that have re-colonised the area.

If you needed evidence of the explosion in craft beer brewing in London then this is surely the place to come.

Chinese New Year (Year of the Pig) was on 5th Feb…

Naturally we headed to China Town for nosh and to soak up the atmosphere.

The following weekend Cornish Pirates were playing Richmond Rugby in the Championship at Richmond. Mum is a massive Rugby and Pirates fan so she took the train to London and stayed with us at the flat for a few days.

The London Cornish Pilot Gig Club, formed in 2015 and based under the arches at Richmond bridge put the invitation out to any travelling Cornish fans. Mum picked it up on facebook and I’m very glad she did 🙂

I made Cornish pastys and we jumped an early train down to Richmond on match day to partake. It was really great to see the club thriving in London with Cornish ex-pats and locals alike enjoying the sport that is gaining in popularity. Talking to a guy in the club bar it transpired that Elaine Hill, a Mullion girl an good school friend of my sister was a member and sure enough she turned up. Elaine’s dad was my dad’s best man so it was fantastic to see her.

London Cornish Pilot Gig Crew training hard for the World Championships

Whilst we enjoyed a beer and a natter, the teams were training hard for the World Gig Championships in Isles of Scilly in May 2019

I since learned that they came 11th which is an amazing achievement. When Chris my son and I went down one evening in January 2020 for an open row they were again training hard and hoping for a podium position – Sadly COVID-19 put paid to that.

After a few beers and a good old chat we headed along the Thames to Richmond’s ground at Old Deer Park. The game was tough and Richmond took the lead in the first half but we are pleased to say that the Cornish Pirates came back and won.

Happy with the result, the sizeable travelling and ex-pat Cornish crowd – one or two in Cornish kilts and pirate hats (yup!) – headed to the Rugby Club bar; well we would wouldn’t we. It wasn’t long before someone ‘struck up’ (the singing) and we raised the roof.

The day after, we took mum for lunch at the Cleveland Arms on Chilworth Street near Paddington.

We met my son Nic, girlfriend May and cousin Hamish from Canada and had a gorgeous shoulder of Lamb prior to watching the Six Nations England v France game. England won 48-8 🙂

In the evening mum went to see Nic and May’s new flat whilst Sal and I went to see a Bastille gig at the Brixton Academy. They were supported by the lesser known but up and coming (at the time) Lewis Capaldi. Capaldi was brilliant and the star of the evening for us; lots of passion and humour. Bastille were entertaining but more about the lights and video.

The following weekend we headed down to Cornwall. Watsie’s dad had passed away and his funeral was on the Thursday. Whilst a sad occasion it was a lovely service celebrating his life and laterly his contribution to Cornish and South West Counties Golf, both of which he had been President.

The weekend had a golf theme. It was 40 years ago that Mullion GC won the Cornish Team Championship (CTC) and the current team had made it to the Semi Final so far. Watsie organised a social game between as many of the old team and current team as possible plus a dinner in the evening to celebrate 40 years down the line. Needless to say the old team beat the current team 4-0; what a way to motivate the current team ahead of their Semi- Final the following weekend at Perranporth Golf Club against St Enodoc more of which later.

The dinner with respective partners was great fun; endless banter about hair loss, weight gain, eyesight, hearing and quality of our golf 40 years on 🙂

The winning 1979 team. Allister Wilson was also in the team but couldn’t make it to the team photo.

The team 40 years on with Allister (back right) but missing Herbie Terise and Andy Backhouse (back left and right on original) and Terry Sams and John Rosevear (front second left and far right respectively on original.

It’s interesting how much Clive Biddick, Club Captain holding the shield in ’79 (Uncle Clive to me !) has shrunk compared to Patrick Gilbert to his right in the team photo’s 🙂

Paper cutting with the winning team from 1979. Back Left in Andy Backhouse who couldn’t be with us. Third left is John Rosevear who played in the match against the current team. To his right is Adrian Songhurst and second back right is Terry Sams who couldn’t be with us. The youngsters whose knees bent back in 1979 were all in the front row – Great memories.

The day and evening were a lot of fun. Nice one Watsie for organising it all – thanks.

Pay attention Allister or you’ll miss the photo – again 🙂

Whilst down in Cornwall we took the opportunity to do some cliff walking, firstly down to Gunwalloe (Church Cove) at sun down.

Panoramic across Gunwalloe beach from the cliff above the Church

Then to The Lizard Lighthouse and a circular walk via the coastal path to Cadgwith Cove, passing the new Lizard Lifeboat Station. February and the Daffodils were in full bloom :-).

Its another beautiful walk and a pint at the Cadgwith Inn half way kept us hydrated. When we got back to Mullion we took mum to see the evening sunset overlooking Mullion Harbour in the van; great views that never disappoint.

Overlooking Mullion Harbour and the Island

The following weekend it was back to Cornwall and Perranporth Golf Club to support the semi-final. We booked the van into New Perran Holiday Camp, a few minutes from the golf club. There was a local pub (the New Inn in Goonhavern which was very welcoming) and a regular bus to & from Perranporth town. We ventured to the pub and then into town on Friday night. It was quiet but we found places open and usefully clocked a Coop.

We’d been recommended a walk through the sand dunes to the Beach Bar. Its a dubious walk in the dark but when we found it it was open and pretty busy; they where showing the Welsh six nations rugby game.

We popped over to see mum on Saturday for lunch and then headed to St Agnes on the north Cornwall coast, just down the coast from Perranporth.

Our. aim was to have a look around and then find a place to watch England v Wales in the 6 Nations.

We made our way down to the beach, parked up (in the 24hour free car park!!), then strolled to the waterfront and (oops) discovered the Driftwood Spars Brewery and Pub. The weather was pretty rubbish so we had a quick look at the beach and the mad surfers then went for a pint.

They were showing the rugby, there was a band playing in the evening, they served food all day, the log fire was burning and they brewed about 6 of their own beers. Whats not to like? Nothing! So it seemed logical to stay the night. We realigned the van with back doors overlooking the bay, made up the bed and returned to the pub. No camper van parking restrictions – yippee!

Wales beat England 😦 but the food, beer, band and log fire were tippety top so a good decision to stay the night. Excited about waking up, opening the rear doors and having a coffee/tea overlooking the cove, we headed to bed and slept like logs.

I awoke with a start with Sal saying there was blue water all over the floor. The porta potti had overflowed; oops! we’d forgotten to check and empty early enough – a lesson we will not forget. Towels and kitchen role deployed to mop up and stem the flow, coffee and tea at our idyllic night spot were cancelled. We headed off very early to seek out the coop that we’d clocked on Friday evening in Perranporth (it was an omen). We bought industrial quantities of cleaning products before heading gingerly (very hilly) back to the camp site to commence the big clean up.

Cleaning chores complete, we headed to Perranporth Golf club to caught up with Watsie and my other old team mates to watch the Semi-final against St Enodoc.

On paper St Enodoc were stronger but the Mullion boys pulled it out of the bag.

In the last few holes of the afternoon singles the boys stood up to win. 40 years on and in the final again – brilliant 🙂

On the Monday we worked from the van (and did a load of washing of towels etc ). We baked a loaf and chilled in the van for the evening as the sun went down. Quite jealous of the dude parked next to us with his surf camper come coffee bar on a LWB Landy. Very cool! 🙂

On the way back to London we broke the journey in Dorset at Tarrant Crawford near Poole.

It was a pub stopover camp site with c 6 pitches. The Landlords of the True Lovers Knot (great name) had just taken over the place and were working things out so sadly the kitchen wasn’t open.

After a walk along the river we put some food on and then headed to the bar to enjoy the locals banter for an hour or so. Great fun.

Its a lovely area and if we’d had longer there are walks down to the coastline. its a real come back to place.

The following day we woke to beautiful weather and worked from the van before heading back to London.

Back in London we saw the month of February out with a BBQ on the balcony.

What a contrast to the way the month started.

Seems like a long time ago that I started writing this post – a long, short, month.

London – January 2019

Here we are .. January 2019 and six months into our tenure at Westbourne Terrace Road. To be honest it still feels like Christmas with all the lights on, many of which we didn’t get to see before Xmas. So, before the dreaded 12th night we took a look.

The other must see for us was Kew Gardens Xmas lights so before it closed we zoomed down there on the train one eve.

Well worth the entry ticket if you get the chance ….

We did some great winter walks from the flat, one favourite being down to Kensington Palace Gardens then through Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’ Park to the Thames. Then along the embankment to the City which is great to explore at weekends when there is nobody around and the roads are empty. From the City, heading past St Pauls to the Millennium Bridge and crossing over to the Southbank you get a real sense of the new having been built around the old..

Great views of St Pauls Cathedral from the Southbank and the Founders Arms is the perfect riverside Young’s pub to sit and enjoy it. Damn fine pint of Youngs Ale as well :-).

Heading west from here along the Thames to Vauxhall Bridge you pass the Bankside Beach, an amazing stretch of golden sand that appears at low tides, the OXO Tower, some cracking independent eateries (the Gourmet Pizza Co. is a particular favourite) , Jubilee Gardens the London Eye and many more. From Vauxhall Bridge we head back to Paddington via Victoria, Belgrave Square Gardens (very posh) and Kensington Palace Gardens. KPG is fab in the late afternoon winter sun!

Late afternoon winter sun in Kensington Palace gardens

In January we also celebrated a belated Christmas with Sal’s parents in Kent. Some yummy food and a lot of fun with traditional (and silly) games.

Roll on February – heading towards spring – ever the optimist 🙂

New Year’s Eve 2018

One thing that we both wanted to experience in London was a NYE fireworks from the River Thames on a boat. As it happened so did friends Pat and Julie so we went for it and booked a table on one of the all inclusive dinner dance boats. Five hours on the water, a four course meal, all the booze you can handle and then fireworks at midnight to usher 2019 in.

Pat and Julie stayed at the flat so we had a couple of cheeky liveners, got dolled up for the occasion and then headed down to the Southbank in style, on the tube.

We cruised up and down the Thames for a few hours while we ate, passing all the sights.

Full disclosure…The food was poor and it was difficult to get a drink at the table!

But the company was good, we found a way directly to the bar and what’s not to like about cruising the Thames?

We eventually came to a stop right by the Houses of Parliament as the skipper jostled for position with hundreds of other boats in the fast flowing water. Hats off for that one.

Midnight was fast approaching so we pre-empted the rush, loaded up with drinks and made our way to the rear deck where we’d get the best view of the fireworks. Thank goodness we did, within minutes it was rammed with people pushing a shoving for position. We had a little altercation with someone who obviously thought it was ok to use strong arm tactics against the oldies… I think she said “you oldies should be home in bed with a cup of horlicks” – think again young lady – Sal lost it – and Pat not known for his diplomacy poured oil on the troubled waters before s’curity arrived 🙂

Big Ben ‘bonged’ to signal midnight and whoosh, off went the fireworks.. Happy New year! We couldn’t hear the accompanying music but all the boats were hooting their air horns and the display was magnificent; being on the boat was worth it for those few moments alone.

My photography sadly doesn’t do it justice but it truly was spectacular and will remain in my memory.

Who knows, in the post COVID-19 world, mass fireworks displays may not happen for a while, if ever, so I’m glad we did this one.

At 0100 we disembarked and hot footed it for a taxi back to the flat for a couple of nightcaps 🙂

With Pat and Julie staying we decided to kip in the camper on the street (don’t tell anyone). New year’s day was beautiful so after a slow start and brunch we went out for a walk along the canal before saying farewell. We were drooping a bit by now and needed a hair of the dog so had a mini pub crawl around the Little Venice and Paddington Central area. A surprising number of bars were open with people wanting to eek out the New Year celebrations and we ended up in the Warwick Castle before heading home for some food and an early night. 2019 had started!

Christmas in Cornwall – 2018

It felt like an age since August when we were down at Mullion, the Cornish village where I was born and where my mum still lives. We decided to take Chaz the camper van as it hadn’t really had a long run since October. We set off on 22nd December and as Mullion is at least 6 hours drive from Paddington in the van we decided to split the journey and stop over at Brixham.

We camped up at Hillhead Camp site overlooking Brixham and having set up a small turkey crown aves vino in the slow cooker (this was to be our Christmas dinner in the van) we headed off mid afternoon walking via the cliff path and Berry Head then down into Brixham. It was a perfect December day and the views were stunning.

Brixham is a lovely and very much working fishing port with plenty of boutique shops and small locals pubs. Just the job.

It got dark pretty quickly (well it does doesn’t it! shortest day and all that)so we got a taxi to take us the 6 or so miles back to the camp. There were quite a few campers and tourers that had turned up since we left – they maker a big thing of Xmas and New Year at this camp site so families tend to make a week of it. We’d heard that the camp’s bar/club was pen and that tonight they have live entertainment so in for a penny we checked on the food (cooking nicely) and thought we’d pop in for a couple of drinks to show moral support. Nobody could have predicted what happened next!

As we approached the bar it seemed very quiet but in we went and surprise surprise, we were the only two people in there apart from two bar staff and the entertainer, all of whom were sat at the bar! We felt too guilty to turn around and go back to the van so ordered a couple of drinks and got chatting. They shared that they would go ahead with the entertainment and sure enough at about 8pm the female solo artist kicked off. We were still the only two people in there so felt compelled to go and sit in the cabaret style seating to lend moral support whilst waiting, willing, more people to turn up.

The singer was very good but with zero feedback apart from us and the bar staff we felt terrible for her so got up and danced. As we did another couple came in and sat on their own without a drink then one other chap came in for dinner and beer and asked if he could sit with us for company – ever felt trapped. Anyway long story not so short, we stayed til the end and our Turkey Christmas dinner was massacred; it had dried out :-(. Ho hum, we’d had a bit of a laugh.

The following day we packed up and set off for Cornwall via Dartmouth, another lovely town famed for its Naval history and college. we went across on the free ferry and then parked up for a while to have a look around and some lunch. Dartmouth is definitely a very pretty ‘go back to’ place.

Dartmouth – very pretty despite the drab day

After lunch we hit the road for Mullion so that we’d get down in reasonable time ahead of Xmas eve when my sister, Ginny, and brother-in-law, Chris were heading over to stay also.

When they arrived we had a lovely walk down to Mullion Cove harbour via a lama farm and then back up to the village and of course into the Old Inn Pub, my local when I lived there 35+ years ago. Gotta be done of Xmas eve. We met up with lots of family and old friends that I grew up with and had a good old chin wag and a few pints 🙂

Sal, Ginny my sister and cousin Andrea on the cliffs above Mullion harbour

After muchly fun at the pub it was hope for customary roast pork and salad. In my youth back in Cornwall it was always a race back from the pub, usually later than we had intended, to get the crackling fresh off the joint (yum!).

In the evening Anthony and Ian, mum’s fantastic neighbours who we had seen in the Old Inn earlier, called in for a Xmas drink (they, like us, had had a few at the pub so we were all quite joyous :-)).

We all fancied Gin and Tonic – quite a lot actually. Ian disappeared home after a couple of hours, a bit wobbly, and later Ant followed. We all missed midnight mass! Sorry mum.

Ian was nowhere to be found when Ant got home and was later discovered asleep in their side alley. Christmas Day was scratched from their diary – sorry boys. And apologies to James; they missed lunch with him. Postponed 🙂

Ant and Ian egged on by Sal, Chris and me 🙂

On Christmas Day we were up ‘reasonably’ early (unlike Ant and Ian :-)). It was a beautiful sunny day as so often Christmas Day is, so Sal and I made preparations for breakfast on the camper van with mum, Ginny and Chris. Mum protested… she couldn’t see the point when she had a perfectly good kitchen and dining room! Once on the van mum relaxed and enjoyed it. I got a rare photo of mum with a) glass in hand and b) smiling and eyes open. Result!

Traditional Christmas breakfast of scrambled egg and smoked salmon with Dutchy of Cornwall organic oat biscuits.

We cooked and ate on the camper whilst mum looked hard to see if Ian and Ant had surfaced. Bless.

All was washed down with a glass or two of Camel Valley fizz. Christmas Day had started :-). A lovely day was had; we filled our bellies with fab food and then slept in front of the TV.

Whilst down in Cornwall we popped into Helston to see Watsie, a good friend that I’ve known for c 50 years. Unavoidably went to the Blue Anchor pub for a pint with a few old mates. The “Blue” is a lovely old pub on Coinagehall Street with its own brewery in the outhouses at the back. They brew the infamous ‘Spingo’ which is a cracking beer but avoid the Special in anything other than halves…it’s lethal! The pub is full of local characters and the building itself is comprised of lots of small cosy rooms. There is a beer garden at the rear and a very old traditional bowling alley. I am biassed but its well worth a visit.

We took the van over and ended up staying on Watsie’s drive. The spooky thing is that within a few weeks of us buying the camper, Watsie had bought a caravan – very weird!

On the 27th December we took mum down to Cadgwith Cove Inn for lunch. Cadgwith is a lovely village with thatched cottages and a fabulous natural fishing harbour just around the coast from The Lizard Point – the most southerly point in Great Britain. The very narrow, steep, and windy roads leading down to the harbour are not for the faint hearted but it’s worth it when you get there. The views and the food at the Inn are yummy – go fish 🙂

We had to head back to London for New Years Eve so on the 28th we set off, having decided to split the journey again. This time two stops, one in Dawlish on the south Devon coast and secondly near Castle Drogo on the edge of Dartmoor.

Dawlish is a place I’ve passed through many times on the stretch of spectacular train line, always wanted to go to but had never got around to it. Sal had never been either so off we went. We took the coast road to get there enjoying the views of Paignton, Torbay, Torquay and Teignmouth along the way. We managed to get one night at a site about 5 miles outside Dawlish – it was very busy (as were all the sites in Dawlish if open) with folk arriving ahead of New Year’s Eve for which they were full.

We set the van up as it was getting dark and then jumped a bus down into Dawlish to have a look at the lights and get some food.

There is a river/ canal that runs down the valley through the centre of Dawlish and they had really gone to to town with the lights.

The following day we packed up reasonably early and drove down into Dawlish for breakfast and to have a walk along the coast to Dawlish Warren.

It was a beautiful clear day. We walked as far as we could along the stunning red cliff coast; the stretch of coast and train line that had very recently been restored after storms washed it away.

I’d admired the graffiti many times on the side of one of the tunnels so it was good to see that close up 🙂

Mid afternoon we set off for Dartmoor and a camp site near Castle Drogo. It was getting late when we arrived so we cooked some food and hunkered down for the night. It was a ‘Adult only’ site so very quiet and beautifully crisp as the sun rose. Get the coffee on!

The plan for the day was to go and visit Castle Drogo and then head back to London ahead of New Years Eve the following day. Castle Drogo is another one of those places that I’ve driven past many times so wanted to go and check it out. It’s at Drewsleighton, just off the the A30 on the edge of Dartmoor. The castle is relatively modern and was built by the Drewe family starting c 1910. It opened to the public in 1975 but in the 80’s and 90’s fell into disrepair and started to deteriorate. Conservation work started in 2007 and was due to complete in 2018 but is still ongoing today. The gardens are stunning and worth a look in the own right and the views over Dartmoor are worth seeing also.