Tapp's Travels

Leaving Penrith we hesitated at the Tebay Services for one of their famously, superb breakfasts.  It seems a contradiction of terms.  “Motorway services” and “superb breakfasts” don’t normally feature in the same sentence – and very rarely even in the same paragraph!  However, Tebay (and probably it’s two associated service stations) are indeed renowned for their food.  So, two “seven-item” breakfasts were ordered.  And very good they were too.  With free toast and marmalade!  And lots of space for the caravan – in the car park, obviously!

We are heading for a site just south of Knutsford, but I made a very bad mistake by driving through the town as we arrived.  “Let me out HERE!” was the cry.  “You go and set up then come back for me later!”  Very limited choice of pitches and nothing at the top end which we had requested.  The Cheshire County Show was on this week and the site was jammed.  Not our favourite.  Having already shortened our week by a day at the front end, we eventually lopped off three more days at the end.

Still we managed a trip to Alderley Edge where every other car was a Ferrari or Lamborghini (or a Bentley SUV, or an Aston Martin or a McLaren).  The cars in between those were BMWs, Jaguars, Range Rovers or Porsches with occasional Fiats and white vans.  25% of all vehicles (including the vans) had personalised number plates.

I reckon anyone with a personalised number plate is a poser!  Apart from me, that is!

While Glenda was bothering the shop owners, I tried for coffee at Wilmslow Golf Course.  Yeah!  Right!  Locked up tighter than – well, very tight anyway.  Keypads on all external doors.  All apart from one door on the balcony reached by a rickety ladder.  But once inside the main club area with dining tables set for a posh (and probably very expesive) dinner, I discovered that most of the internal doors had combination locks on too.  No cafe.  No visible staff.  But I bet they clocked me on CCTV wandering up and down stairs looking firstly for a coffee and secondly for a loo and finally for a dignified way out of the place.  (To be fair, before-hand, Glenda had rated my chances of getting any refreshment here at just below zero.)

After an exciting day, we headed home, but stopped before we left Wilmslow.  On the left side we passed Hickory’s Smokehouse.   A quick about turn and we were in a crowded carpark.  A restaurant crowded before 6pm – that’s a novel concept!  It turned out to be a very Americanised sort of place.  Not quite sawdust on the floor, but almost.  Although there must have been best part of 200 diners, it didn’t seem crowded.  And the service was super-efficient.

We enjoyed watching the red-headed meal dispatcher constantly viewing and updating a complex computer screen, checking the food orders and summoning the servers with a loud “@#£%^ fdsg”.  This, it transpired was actually “Yes, Please”.  But we had to ask for a translation!  The food was pretty nifty too.  I can see why the place was full!  If we lived close, it could become a regular haunt.  But we don’t – so it won’t!

June is birthday season!  I’ve bought Glenda a present and I’ve had it delivered to the campsite at Knutsford.  In fact it was waiting at reception when I arrived.  So, Glenda being absent was a bit of a bonus.  There were two packages awaiting their owners.  One little one and one big one.  Mine was the big one!

Just fitted on the caravan table!  An ideal size to keep the contents safe.  I was supposed to take the virtually non-existent hint and buy this for her at Grays in Warkworth (if you can remember that far back).

Before we get to birthdays, we decided to go to Glossop.

Now that’s a crowded campsite!  Or a caravan sales company!  We still can’t find a suitable successor to our current caravan!

On the way home we ducked into Lyme, a magnificent National Trust property in a huge estate.

We had just time to get into the house if we could secure a ride to the front door in the electric buggy.

Well, we made it.  The last punters of the day.  As we moved from room to room, the volunteers followed us shutting windows, closing the curtains and switching off the lights!  We kept them two rooms back by occasionally nipping back a room.  Good to keep these well informed folk on their toes!

The only problem with windows like this is that you can’t see who’s dropping in for supper.  Still, they are ready for visitors – so, no problem!

The one thing about arriving at one minute to last entry is that the gardens will be shut when we finish in the house.  Or will they be?  As we sidled past the office on the way out, we noticed that the garden gate was still open.  OK.  So a quick sneak garden visit is possible.  It might, of course, end up being an overnight visit!  But we do have a bottle of water and a couple of muesli bars with us!

The orangery was beautiful …

… and lovely and warm, should we end up camping here!  However, we did manag to escape – although the sat nav was trying to take us out the back of the park via a dirt track and a locked gate!

We headed south on a Friday.  All good until we got near to Bristol.  From there the M5 south was chocca and the westbound traffic on the M4 was backed up for miles.  Note to selves – change the date of our trip to Devon.  Avoid Friday!

So we have extended our stay at Horseshoe Farm (near Chipping Sodbury) to nine days.  Worth putting up the awning again.  Got all the poles in position and turned round to get the pegs to nail it down.  In that instant a gust of wind struck and blew the whole thing upside-down onto the top of the caravan.  Legs sticking straight up like mobile phone masts.  Quite funny – now – but a bit of a worry at the time!  The saddest thing is that, in my haste to get the car out of harm’s way and the perishing thing off the roof, I didn’t get a single photo!

We had intended to visit Rod and Marion for a day in Hinton Parva for a joint birthday party.  At short notice we were invited to stay over so, having secured the awning the correct way up (with legs pointing down), we abandoned camp for two days!

I had no idea there were so many Badburys – often with iron age forts included.  One near Wimborne (Badbury Rings) and one near Faringdon in Oxfordshire (Badbury Hill), north-east of Swindon.  In addition, I now see there are other Badburys in Dorset (Badbury Hundred) and a couple more in Wiltshire near Swindon (Badbury Wick and boringly just Badbury) not to mention one in Warwickshire and another in Somerset!  We went for a walk in the countryside around the Oxford version.  Apparently the name “Badbury” (might) mean “The fortified place belonging to a guy called Badda”.  Badda was clearly into hill-top properties with defensive potential!

We had some directional issues during the walk.  In fact the car is the other way, Rod!  But then one wood does look a lot like another!

The following day was Glenda’s birthday.  Remember that parcel?  Well, it contained this – and only this!

… a pair of earrings!   Well they weren’t damaged in the post!

We did things in pairs this year.  My present …

After a birthday breakfast we visited Avebury Manor, another National Trust property.

Lovely gardens – and, nearby, more standing stones …

… followed by a party lunch at the White Horse Inn at Compton Bassett!

Before heading “home” again to our abandoned caravan!

The final week went by in a bit of a blur.  We met John and Freda at the Bowl Inn at Almondsbury.

We met Tetbury’s answer to Banksy …

… and walked along the old railway line.  But both the Station cafe and Blue Zuchini were shut!

Another day we hit Bath.  Great shops for one of us and lovely, peaceful canal-side walks for the other.  I call it our Shop:Life balance!

I got quite friendly with four Dutch narrow boaters – they were driving at just under walking speed!  We swapped emails, told a few jokes and arranged a dinner date next time we are in Amsterdam!

I like these signs!  My sort of sentiments!

Then there was Cheltenham for a day.  And as the sun sets over the caravan …

… it’s time for home.  Home as in Galmpton!  All we have to do is remember where Galmpton is!