Nottingham 18 - 22 Apr 25

We've been trying to book the Nottingham Camping and Caravanning Club site for the Easter weekend as Nottingham were playing Cambridge on Easter Sunday (stupid day for a game of Rugby). Anyway, the site was permanently booked and we had resigned ourselves to having to drive up and back for the day. Suddenly Debs noticed that South Yorkshire DA had a meet on over that weekend at Nottingham Racecourse, which is nearer to the rugby ground and, at 11 pounds per night, significantly cheaper. We asked if they had space and, as they had a few cancellations, they said that they could squeeze us in. As we had the care home Easter party on Maundy Thursday, we set off on Good Friday and we were parked up at the back of the car park at the racecourse in no time.

We haven't been to Nottingham for quite some while and I wanted to go back to the Olde Trip to Jerusalem, a very interesting old (but not the oldest) pub carved into the rock under Nottingham castle. We walked the 2 miles or so into the city centre. An area of great contrast - some parts dirty, with rubbish and graffiti everywhere, yet other parts featuring some lovely and interesting architecture. We wandered around the somewhat boring castle and settled into the pub where we enjoyed a few pints of excellent ale whilst watching the hundreds of tourists troop through the pub. Finally, we headed back to the racecourse, achieving 8 miles of walking.

Market SquareReady for St George's Day

 

One of the famous Nottingham Lions. It is said that they will roar if a virgin or a honest politician walks past and they ain't made a sound for years. 

Nottingham Castle

The cursed galleon - touch it and die!

The Trip - great pub

On Saturday we decided to do a bit of shopping, popping into Hobbycraft then walking miles along the canal to find Cotswold Outdoor because she needed a new pair of shoes! Knackered we walked back into the City centre, stopping once again at the Trip to Jerusalem for a reviving pint or two. We then set out to find Mowgli's and enjoy a lovely Indian meal before hiking back and collapsing after nearly 10 miles of walking.

The Racecourse

On Sunday it was up early to meet Laura and Steve for breakfast in Cote in West Bridgford, a pint in the Trent Bridge Inn (funnily enough, right next to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground), then across the River to the brewhouse for another pint before heading to the Rugby Ground for several more pints and to watch a great 1st half of rugby and an abysmal second half. After a few more post match drinks we walked home, the beer making us stop at KFC, the first time we've been there for many, many years. It's very strange what beer will do to you. We walked nearly 8 miles on Sunday.

Nottingham Rugby Ground

On Monday we were due to leave but decided that we needed a bit of a rest so we asked to stay another night. It rained all day. We caught the bus into the city, walked around the shopping area, but it was so cold and wet that we retired to Turtle Bay for a delicious lunch, then caught the bus back to the racecourse, where we moved the van to a more scenic (and level) pitch as most people (and the hordes of kids) had all gone home. We relaxed for the remainder of the day after walking a very measly 3 miles in total (but, boy, do my poor old knees need a rest).

Ol' Big Head

On Tuesday, with the sun shining and a bright blue sky, we set off for home with just a short hold up on the A1 near Wittering, where they have reduced the carriageway to one lane whilst they do bugger all to repair it.

Cornwall 31 Mar - 11 Apr 25

The attempt to get down to Cornwall to watch Cambridge versus Cornish Pirates last year failed due to a family emergency, so this year we were determined to get down to the West Country, despite us having a manic schedule. 

On Monday 31 March, we set out in decent weather for an uneventful run down to Fromebridge Mill, stopping off to fill with LPG and arriving in time for a walk up to Attwools outdoor and the garden centre before enjoying a pint outside in the warm weather. In the evening we enjoyed a great roast carvery, fascinated by the oversized people piling as much as possible onto their plates. Pure greed - and very annoying when you see how much food they waste.  It was a noisy night, with the racket of the nearby motorway and A road, plus the locals fascination with noisy exhausts and loud motorbikes.

In good time we set off to complete the journey to Newquay, only to be held up for half an hour or so on the M5 near Bridgewater in an accident that closed two lanes. Stopping for lunch in a layby on Dartmoor, we made good time for the remainder of the journey, arriving at the Cornwall DA temporary holiday site in Porth Beach, Newquay, in the early afternoon. After quickly setting up we did the familiar walk across the beach and into Newquay, stopping for a cream tea in the Great Western Hotel and a pint of Rattler in the Fort Pub, overlooking the harbour. From there it was home via the pasty shop for our first Corish Pasty of the trip.

The Nearly There trees

Porth Beach Holiday Park

On Wednesday we went for a very long walk through Newquay to Fistral Bay for lunch (delicious prawn tacos) then on to the Pentire Headland to have a look at the beautiful Crantock Beach and the Gannel estuary before heading back to Lusty Glaze for dinner, finally climbing the 130 steps back up from Lusty Glaze to admire the sunset. It was a very tiring day. 

Porth Beach

Fistral Beach

Crantock Bay

Lusty Glaze

On Thursday the weather forecast wasn't too good. During our earlier excursions she had spotted a very good sale in Whistlefish and quite fancied a new print for the wall. We chose one, left it there and went for lunch in the Concho Lounge. Picking the massive print up after lunch, we struggled with it in the very high winds, catching a bus back to Porth beach and being dragged back to the pitch by the print acting as a huge sail! It rained in the evening.

Hang Gliding home

The following day we drove the 35 miles or so South West to the delightful Dove Meadows site near Marazion. As we couldn't check in until 2pm we parked up on the expensive parking owned by the St Aubyn Estate and had a wander around this delightful village. At 2pm sharp we pitched up on a beautiful large pitch then caught the bus into Penzance to meet up with the rugby crowd for dinner in the Dolphin, catching the last bus back to Marazion.

St Michael's Mount

Marazion

Rugby crowd at the Dolphin, Penzance

On Saturday we walked into Penzance, avoiding the piles of dog shit that seems so prevalent in Cornwall. We met the others at Penzance station and caught the train to Redruth, where we watched a great game of rugby between Redruth and Taunton before heading back to the Dolphin in Penzance for dinner and a few pints. Again, we  caught the last bus back to Marazion.

I won't moan about washing a motorhome ever again

Redruth v Taunton

The Sickonian, or the Vomit Comet or the Great White Stomach Pump......

Sunday was rugby day again - Cornish Pirates v Cambridge. We bussed it into Penzance, had a coffee and bacon bap in the delightful Harbourside Café before walking to the Mennaye Ground to watch us lose. From there we had an excellent curry, a pint in the weirdly wonderful Admiral Benbow pub and, as there were no buses on a Sunday evening, we hired some Beryl bikes for a dodgy ride back into Marazion. Narrow track, with the sea on one side, late at night, pitch black and with no front light on the stupid bike, made for an exciting journey.

After such a hectic weekend we took it easy on Monday. We strolled into Marazion for lunch (Newlyn Crab and chips - scrummy) in the Chapel Rock Café, then dossed around in the sunshine in the afternoon, although the wind was quite cool.

On Tuesday we caught the bus into Penzance, then jumped on the tiny bus into Mousehole. We had a quick wander around, then walked back to Penzance via the Penlee Lifeboat memorial and Newlyn, where we joined the queue for lunch at the Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar. This was followed by the obligatory Jelbert's Ice Cream, then a wander along the promenade stopping for a pint at the Turks Head, the oldest Pub in Penzance. Before boarding the bus back we needed some bread so we called into Warrens "Bakery". They don't have bread. Just like that obscenity that has infested our high streets (Greggs) it calls itself a bakers but just sells pastry wrapped grease. Anyway, rant over - back on the bus to Marazion only to find that the actual real bakery had closed (4pm). Into the local shop for plastic bread it was then.

Wednesday and another bright sunny day. We couldn't be bothered to head into Penzance again and, as the tide was right, we walked across the causeway to St Michael's Mount. Being the school holidays it was packed so we left the island and walked along the footpath to Perranuthnoe for lunch in the Peppercorn Café. After a long walk we enjoyed a couple of pints of cold cider on the veranda of the Godolphin Hotel then we hung around Marazion for the Tudor Chippy to open. Clutching our supper, we dashed back to the van, not daring to risk the flying bastard gulls that prey on poor, unsuspecting tourists around these parts.

On Thursday it was up early and out for a good run up to Fromebridge, arriving in the early afternoon. We relaxed, had a pint outside the pub then went in for another delicious carvery.

For some reason, we both woke really early the following day so, in a moment of madness, we decided to set off before dawn. It was great until we hit traffic on the M42. Stopping for breakfast at Rugby services, we were still home by 0930hrs.

In all, a great trip back down to favourite haunts, with great company with the Rugby crowd and enjoying very nice weather.