The Düsseldorf caravan show is Europe's largest motorhome show, held in a huge complex of exhibition halls on the outskirts of the city. Sue has for many years talked about going, but somehow the timing was never quite right. This year we finally made it.
Some of our readers may have noticed the long gap since our last post
in 2011. A long planned for house refurbishment and some unexpected health
issues are to blame, and this trip was all about leaving that behind us and
reigniting our joy and love of the freedom of motorhome travel.
In our usual style I will cover our travels to and from the event, but
if you would rather just read of our experiences in attending the actual show
please move to Part 2, The Dusseldorf Caravan Salon, 28th August.
18th August
Despite the time gap, we managed to remember most of the special
practices we have developed in packing our van to the gills with everything we
like to have for a trip. The van itself had been sorely neglected and it
grieved me to depart with green streaks down the white walls. Leaving late
afternoon we stopped off at the Britannia Inn, St Austell for the night,
somewhere we have used many times before and which appears on a few websites as
a good and welcoming stopover.
A new addition since our last visit is a large camping field behind the
pub, complete with a toilet and shower block, though it's not in use yet as the
grass is still maturing. We were keen to enquire how they intended to run the
site but nothing has been settled, so we begged them not to enforce charges for
travellers like ourselves just using the pub as a stopover, and if they did, to
waive the fee for those patronising the pub. This proposal seemed to be well
received. If you want to add your comments they are easily contacted through
their website:
GPS: 50.3459 N, 04.7402 W
We awoke to a dull wet morning and two problems of neglect immediately
presented themselves. A large sooty mark above the fridge vent indicated that
all was not well in the burner department – something to be fixed as soon as
the rain stopped. Worse still, when I switched on the windscreen wipers to
clear the rain nothing happened. The merest twitch of the blades indicated that
lack of use was the problem, the wiper drive spindles had seized up in their
bearings!
The addition of some WD40 just under the wiper arms and some “fingers
crossed” switching on and off eventually freed them up so as to give the
appearance of working normally – phew!
We topped up with LPG Autogas at the Shell garage, Trerulefoot and then
at Plymouth paid a visit to Halfords at Marsh Mills Retail Park to get some new
wiper blades. I took a punt on some new French made Valeo blades which come
without the usual mechanism above the rubber, so far I'm quite impressed and
they are cheaper than Bosch.
Dear old Totnes, as charming as ever
By the time we got to Totnes a hot sun had replaced the rain and we checked into the Steamer Quay Caravan Club site. This is a small 40 pitch site within a few minutes walk of the town centre and the River Dart ferries. There are no electric hookups, which is of little concern to our solar powered selves, but also probably helps to keep this little treasure of a site quiet enough to actually get a pitch!
GPS: 50.4289 N, 03.6807 W
Steamer Quay Caravan site, Totnes
The unexpected heat of the afternoon necessitated a quick strip down of the fridge burner - fortunately nothing worse than a winter's accumulated rust in the flue, shaken down with our belated return to the road.
Our friends Andy and Rosemary were already on site, but they were out
with their children who were also staying in their very sleek metallic silver
Wingamm camper.
We pitched ourselves close to Andy's Rapido and on their return out came
the picnic chairs and Rosemary's monster homemade cake - so many stories to
tell since we saw them last.
20th August
An early morning walk to the local Morrisons felt like blissful
liberation as I crossed over the famous old Totnes bridge in the warm sunshine.
We hadn't been away overnight in the van for sixteen long months and it felt
like an age.
Totnes's distinctive spire from over the bridge
We decided on a boat trip down the Dart to Dartmouth. The Greenway Ferry Company was selected, as it was only £6 per
head for a return trip - a bargain. As we cast off and slipped gently down the
river, the skipper was at pains to explain over the PA that Greenway had been forced to cut their
fees to cost price as unfair competition from the Dartmouth River Boat Company
- now owned by an industrial conglomerate - was trying to put them and
others out of business. More explanation
is available on their website:
The Dartmouth River Boat Company charges £14 for the same trip, but they
have larger more comfortable boats and also tie-ins with the Dartmouth Steam
Railway and a vintage bus service. “You pays your money and takes your choice”
but for us on the day for a simple trip to Dartmouth, Greenway was a
no-brainer.
The ferry landing is just by the side of the campsite and has a little
cafe that is in itself a pleasant excursion on a fine day. It turned out to
be a perfect day, warm with a light breeze and the River Dart was looking at
its best. I almost felt a tinge of envy at a troop of scouts camped on a gently
sloping spit in the turn of the river, what a wonderful spot. Amusingly they
had an inflatable shelter in the form of a classic VW camper!
What a spot to camp!
Some desirable riverside residences passed by including Agatha Christies
old place, to which you can take a vintage bus from the old stone quay at
Greenway House, across the river from Dittisham.
Greenway House Quay
As Dartmouth came into view we passed an old shipyard and marine works
on the left bank, now derelict and soon to be the site of a luxury hotel. Just
before the Kingswear chain ferry and
the famous Floating Bridge Public house a row of modern houses has arisen as
the backdrop to Dart Marina. Trying to look traditional with a Pot Pourri of
styles, they still succumb to being a pastiche of old Dartmouth - perhaps if
they hadn't tried so hard!
Alighting from the ferry in Dartmouth we walked along the front to Bayards Cove with its old quay, Customs
house and Castle. This is the genuine article and has appeared in many filmed
historical and nautical dramas over the years.
Bayards Cove, Dartmouth - the scene for many film dramas
Preferring a traditional pub to the pricier offerings nearer the
waterfront, we had a convivial lunch in the Dolphin Pub in Market Street. It offers a modern take
on traditional décor that works well, and the food and beer were fresh and
tasty - so tempting in fact that one of the local pigeons had the brass neck to
waddle through the open door, cocking its head to see if there were any tidbits
on offer!
A
coffee, an ice cream and a wander through the Royal Avenue Gardens soon whiled
away the time and the return journey on the falling tide was equally pleasant,
though there were a couple of close shaves with the river bottom, demanding the
skipper exercise his local knowledge to the full.
A safe return to Steamer Quay
21st August
Totnes is a quirky, but delightful town and has a bit of bohemian
atmosphere to it. This day in August is marked in Totnes for the Orange Race.
This silly but hugely well attended event consists of groups of competitors of
various ages dashing down the precipitously steep Fore Street rolling a fresh
orange before them in the vain hope that by the time they get to the bottom of
the hill they will a) have not tumbled and grazed their knees or worse, b)
their orange is still intact - or even
recognisable as the one they started with - and c) they are the first lunatic
across the line!
The Totnes Orange race in full flood!
It's obviously a popular pastime in these parts as the inimitable TV
presenter Rory Magrath was taking part and even a section of Her Majesty's
uniformed constabulary, whose good natured competitiveness and willingness to
make fun of themselves speaks volumes for the quality of Police relations with
the local community.
After all that excitement, which seemed to take all morning, we walked
up the high street to Mount Pleasant and back and had a passable lunch in the
Dartmouth Inn off Ticklemore Street. This pub is set in a large courtyard and
looks the part outside. They have a large daily carvery and it was well
patronised but we were put off a bit by the smelly loos and a slight air of
neglect inside.
That evening we sampled the Royal Seven Stars. This hotel is the
centrepiece of Totnes hostelry and should not be missed. It has a fine
traditional saloon bar, a modern slate- floored bar with an alfresco terrace
and a Brasserie Grill and Champagne bar located in the old stables.
Rosemary, Sue and I sampled the all-you-can-eat curry buffet and there
was certainly plenty. Andy had a gammon
steak and again the quality and quantity was all you could ask for the money.
Free wi-fi as you would expect these days in a place of this standard.
22nd August
Having said our farewells to Andy and Rosemary, we wandered back into
the town awaiting (for us) the big event. After the allotted time I repeatedly
checked my bank account, waiting for the evidence of completion of my house
sale. We whiled away more time with coffee and cake in the traditional Anne of
Cleves teashop and then retired to the bar in The Royal Seven Stars. Finally - Completion!
The end of a long and arduous episode that had taken its toll on both of us.
23rd August
Reluctantly leaving Totnes behind we headed for Newton Abbot, then back
onto the A38 for Exeter, but decided to follow the South coast on the way to
Dover - just for something different. This took us past or through my childhood
holiday haunts of Sidmouth, Seaton, and Lyme Regis before rejoining the A35 at
Charmouth.
A pleasant stopover with a good restaurant
The Botany Bay Inne, Winterbourne Zelston, was plucked from the Club
Motorhome website (www.clubmotorhome.co.uk)
and we found a secluded corner of the carpark well back from the road, before
checking that we were Ok to stop for the night. We had a good, reasonably
priced meal, though surprisingly we were almost the only diners in the large
restaurant – business is variable apparently!
This pub is on the brewer’s Hall & Woodhouse pub trail, which covers Dorset
and Sussex.
GPS: 50.7766 N, 02.1450 W
24th August
Just along the A31 is the famous “Worlds End”, now a well developed
gastro-pub, who would probably be just as amenable to over-nighting Motorhomers.
Skirting around the large metropolises of Bournemouth, Southampton and
Portsmouth, we turned off the A27 for Bognor Regis. Being the start of the
August Bank Holiday we had phoned ahead to several Caravan Club sites and fortunately
the Bognor Regis site had managed to squeeze us in.
They do say never go back, and Bognor Regis looked nothing like the resort of my youth, unrecognisable - though the
Butlins was still there.
25th August
I popped into Halfords across the road from the campsite for some of the
new breathalyser sticks now required for every motorist to carry in France –
sold out! No doubt we can get some on the ferry.
Now we pretty much hugged the coast on the A259, through Worthing, Brighton, and Newhaven, were we picked up some supplies at the huge Sainsbury's. Then on to Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings. Part faded resorts, part industrial waterfront, part cliff roads, this is not the most picturesque drive we have ever done and we wouldn’t bother to do it again, though Hastings I think is worth a second look.
Now we pretty much hugged the coast on the A259, through Worthing, Brighton, and Newhaven, were we picked up some supplies at the huge Sainsbury's. Then on to Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings. Part faded resorts, part industrial waterfront, part cliff roads, this is not the most picturesque drive we have ever done and we wouldn’t bother to do it again, though Hastings I think is worth a second look.
The white cliffs of the South Coast
The place we would come back to is Romney Marsh, a sparsely populated area of cultivated wetlands that has heaps of history and wildlife, from the Cinque Ports (of which Hasting, Romney and Hythe are three) to the RSPB reserve at Dungeness.
The miniature Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway runs from Hythe, near Folkestone, all the way south to Dungeness. Based on a 15 inch rail gauge it was first opened in 1927 and claims the title of the World’s smallest public railway. It was used during the last world war to get supplies to Dungeness and a special armoured train was even built. I have never forgotten my first ride on a miniature steam train as an eight year old kid!
GPS: 51.0712 N, 01.0725 E (Hythe Station)
www.rhdr.co.uk
26th August
Parked up as usual on the waterfront Marine Parade, we boarded the ferry from Dover at 0200, an ungodly hour of the morning, but the lack of crowds does mean that the formalities are over quickly, there’s plenty of room on the car deck and of course it’s considerably cheaper!
The DFDS Seaways ship was one of the newish Norfolk Line vessels though we found it charmless compared with the P&O offerings. Not a pleasant crossing, with excited, screaming kids constantly running around disturbing those trying to catch forty winks! However, we picked up our breathalysers, which cost 6 pounds or 7.6 euros.
Departing the ship in Dunkerque in the dark, we drove to the popular waterside aire at Gravelines, which was packed out with French vans. We squeezed ourselves into one of the few remaining spaces as quietly as we could. By early morning most of the vans had gone. I had a short walk around this Vauban fortress town – they are currently refurbishing the main square so we left a longer look for another time.
GPS: 50.9881 N, 02.1223 E
Good old Gravelines, somewhere to stop when you need it most!
Driving through France into Belgium, we stopped once more at Eeklo, in a marina come motorhome aire by the canal, 10 euros a night, 12 with electric hookup.
The Jachthaven at Eeklo
There is a bar on site but no food available (the wonderful smell of
cinnamon waffles comes from the biscuit factory next door!) so we walked into
town for steak and chips at the Café Leffe by the cathedral, which with 3 beers
came to euro 49.20.
GPS: 51.1784 N, 03.5489 E
GPS: 51.1784 N, 03.5489 E
27th August
In brilliant sunshine I wandered around the boatyard admiring the many
sculptures, by local artists, that have been installed since our last visit.
Some are very quirky but others I thought had real impact, especially in the
dramatic light.
"Meeting" by Veerle De Smet at Eeklo Jachthaven
It was a late departure as we were still gathering our breath after the
overnight ferry crossing and after a little research with the map and the guide
books we found a Jachthaven at Venlo
on the Belgian/Dutch border.
This turned out to be a little difficult to find as the entrance is in
the middle of an industrial estate off the E34, with only one small sign to
indicate its location (the clue is in the road name), but it was well worth it.
Basically a well established marina with bar and restaurant, there is a large
area of hardstanding (probably used for boat layup in the winter) with electric
hook-ups directly overlooking the waterside - only 10 euros including electric
and wi-fi. There was even a little picnic and BBQ area, and excellent toilet
and shower facilities. The only downside was the awkward grey water disposal
out in the lane if you wanted to empty your tank direct. There is no drive-over
grey water dump, instead a large pipe rising from the ground into which we were
instructed to drain our tank via a hose.
Venlo Jachthaven
GPS: 51.3924 N 06.1499 E
Across the water we could see a large illuminated sign for the Floriade,
an international exhibition of flowers
and gardening, under way from 5th April to 7th October. Sue thought this would
be a must see and we made tentative plans to visit on the way back.
Next stop however, was Dusseldorf!
Next stop however, was Dusseldorf!
No comments:
Post a Comment