Travelled outward from Belfast to Cairnryan on Stena’s 23:00 sailing. The conditions would have made for a smooth and pleasant crossing had it not been for Stena’s onboard maintenance team working through the night with drills, ratchet spanners and hammers to remove seats in the main passenger lounge area. We drove as far as Carlisle in torrential rain before stopping for the remainder of the night getting slightly ahead of the August summer storm bringing with it more rain, wind and flooding https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-49305216 Despite driving at a near constant 60mphr, I have learned to pull over and let the (mostly) Northern Ireland HGVs pass safely on the A75 or else they close up tight on your rear bumper and will attempt crazy overtakes despite being “limited” to 50mphr on single carriageways.
This year we joined the Caravan and Motorhome Club to avail of their sites/rates as it best matched where we planning to go. Can’t fault their membership documentation, monthly magazine or on-line booking system.
First stop was CAMC's Chapel Lane Caravan Club Site near Birmingham @ £36 per night with membership. Thought the campsite was rather bleak and not quite the "conveniently located near major motorways (M1, M6 and M42) and the National Exhibition Centre and Birmingham" after one of the reps informed me that a taxi to the city centre would cost £30 return!. A 1 mile walk will get you to Wythall station and the train into Birmingham Moor Street station (across from the new Bullring Shopping centre). The kids wanted Dominos pizza that evening which (surprisingly) was delivered right to the door of our MH at no extra charge and still hot.
Having made it through the rain to Birmingham (5 hours from Carlisle due to traffic, accidents and roadworks), it was now the turn of the Met Office Amber wind warning for the journey down to London. I've never driven the MH through an Amber wind warning before as normally if the weather is going to be bad, we tend not to go anywhere. With hindsight I would probably have filled the fresh water tank to increase stability (ballast) but we made it down to London without any problem.
Next stop Commons Wood CAMC site for 3 x nights visiting London (in our case the Thames River Cruise, London Eye, musical Wicked etc etc). The toilet and shower block was out of action due to a fire in the roof but the CAMC went to great lengths to notify us and we were happy to stay there for 3 x nights using our "onboard facilities" - fresh water, grey water, chemical disposal facilities still available. Price reduced to £30 per night with CAMC membership due to the toilet and shower block being out of action. There is a friendly local taxi service from the campsite to Welwyn Garden City train station at a fixed price (not available if coming back late say after 10.30pm) and getting in and out of London (Kings Cross or Finsbury Park connecting to the tube) is very easy. A good tip is to phone National Rail Enquires the day before you travel and they transfer you to the train operating company who will find you the best (cheapest) ticket prices. In our case it was cheaper to buy a 3 x adult and 1 x child special offer than a family ticket (saving £30 at the weekend and £20 per week day compared to standard off peak tickets). A couple of pub restaurants are within walking distance from this site.
After leaving Commons Wood, we visited Bletchley Park, Home of the Code Breakers with good MH parking before traveling up to Chatsworth Park Caravan Club Site in the Derbyshire Peak District for 2 nights. One of the nicest campsites I have visited with your own personal key to a door which takes you directly onto the Chatsworth Estate. Pricey at £92.80 for two nights but located in beautiful surroundings. A visit Chatsworth House and Gardens (£59 for a family of four including Gift Aid) is worth it if staying there.
One night at Roundtree in York for (£44.90) - a very good stopover along the river close to the centre of York.
Last stop was at the CAMC "Certified Location" site at Durham Amateur Rowing Club (£20). Bit annoyed that the hedges on the single lane access to this CL had not been cut back in a while and so it took a degree of careful manoeuvring and adrenaline to get down the lane without picking up any "Trophies" aka scratches and scrapes. On arrival at the club you are given a key fob to access toilets and showers in the clubhouse (toilets okay, didn't use the showers). Again a pleasant walk (approx. 1 mile) along the river bank into the City of Durham.
Impressed overall with CAMC sites as they are have a consistent look and feel, are well maintained, very clean and suited our travel plans this year.
This year we joined the Caravan and Motorhome Club to avail of their sites/rates as it best matched where we planning to go. Can’t fault their membership documentation, monthly magazine or on-line booking system.
First stop was CAMC's Chapel Lane Caravan Club Site near Birmingham @ £36 per night with membership. Thought the campsite was rather bleak and not quite the "conveniently located near major motorways (M1, M6 and M42) and the National Exhibition Centre and Birmingham" after one of the reps informed me that a taxi to the city centre would cost £30 return!. A 1 mile walk will get you to Wythall station and the train into Birmingham Moor Street station (across from the new Bullring Shopping centre). The kids wanted Dominos pizza that evening which (surprisingly) was delivered right to the door of our MH at no extra charge and still hot.
Having made it through the rain to Birmingham (5 hours from Carlisle due to traffic, accidents and roadworks), it was now the turn of the Met Office Amber wind warning for the journey down to London. I've never driven the MH through an Amber wind warning before as normally if the weather is going to be bad, we tend not to go anywhere. With hindsight I would probably have filled the fresh water tank to increase stability (ballast) but we made it down to London without any problem.
Next stop Commons Wood CAMC site for 3 x nights visiting London (in our case the Thames River Cruise, London Eye, musical Wicked etc etc). The toilet and shower block was out of action due to a fire in the roof but the CAMC went to great lengths to notify us and we were happy to stay there for 3 x nights using our "onboard facilities" - fresh water, grey water, chemical disposal facilities still available. Price reduced to £30 per night with CAMC membership due to the toilet and shower block being out of action. There is a friendly local taxi service from the campsite to Welwyn Garden City train station at a fixed price (not available if coming back late say after 10.30pm) and getting in and out of London (Kings Cross or Finsbury Park connecting to the tube) is very easy. A good tip is to phone National Rail Enquires the day before you travel and they transfer you to the train operating company who will find you the best (cheapest) ticket prices. In our case it was cheaper to buy a 3 x adult and 1 x child special offer than a family ticket (saving £30 at the weekend and £20 per week day compared to standard off peak tickets). A couple of pub restaurants are within walking distance from this site.
After leaving Commons Wood, we visited Bletchley Park, Home of the Code Breakers with good MH parking before traveling up to Chatsworth Park Caravan Club Site in the Derbyshire Peak District for 2 nights. One of the nicest campsites I have visited with your own personal key to a door which takes you directly onto the Chatsworth Estate. Pricey at £92.80 for two nights but located in beautiful surroundings. A visit Chatsworth House and Gardens (£59 for a family of four including Gift Aid) is worth it if staying there.
One night at Roundtree in York for (£44.90) - a very good stopover along the river close to the centre of York.
Last stop was at the CAMC "Certified Location" site at Durham Amateur Rowing Club (£20). Bit annoyed that the hedges on the single lane access to this CL had not been cut back in a while and so it took a degree of careful manoeuvring and adrenaline to get down the lane without picking up any "Trophies" aka scratches and scrapes. On arrival at the club you are given a key fob to access toilets and showers in the clubhouse (toilets okay, didn't use the showers). Again a pleasant walk (approx. 1 mile) along the river bank into the City of Durham.
Impressed overall with CAMC sites as they are have a consistent look and feel, are well maintained, very clean and suited our travel plans this year.
