MAXSTOKE HALL FARM - BIRMINGHAM [83]

Friday 18th July – Tuesday 22nd July 2008

When you arrive at this site it is difficult to imagine you’re only 9 miles from the centre of England’s second largest city. The pitching area is a sloping grassed field but it levels off towards one end where the electric hook ups and individual water taps are situated. The whole site is bordered by trees and farm buildings where the toilet and free shower are situated.

The nearest town is Coleshill which has all the usual facilities including a couple of small supermarkets and there is a convenient park and ride at Coleshill railway station with gives access to Birmingham city centre. The site is also only a couple of miles from the NEC. There is plenty to do in and around Birmingham and Coventry is within 10 miles. There doesn’t appear to be a local bus service within walking distance from this site but there are miles of country lanes for cycling.

Analogue TV good
Digital signal available

£10.00 per night

PARK FARM - ILKESTON [82]

Monday 14th July – Friday 18th July 2008


At this site it is difficult to imagine that you are less than 2 miles from junction 25 of the M1. The views over Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire are superb and not what I expected. The helpful owner was on hand to assist with advice on the best place to pitch on this part sloping field.

On the drive down my trusty tow car had developed a minor fault and Dennis the site owner pointed me in the direction of a garage in nearby Sandiacre. The staff at R & K Sandiacre Garage were very helpful and quickly found the problem and made a temporary repair. Whilst doing this it was noticed that the fan belt was in poor condition and needed replacing. Not bad for a car that was serviced by a Nissan dealer just over 1000 miles earlier.

Because of my car problems I only managed to get to Kedleston Hall on the outskirts of nearby Derby, however there is plenty to do in the local area. I haven’t heard much recently about The American Adventure Theme Park, however if it still exists it is not far away.

A regular visitor that was on site told me that there are several good walks from this site however I did not find a bus service or any shops within walking distance.

Analogue TV good
Digital Signal Available

£10.00 Per night pitch fees

BACK HOME

Sunday 6th July – Monday 14th July 2008

Left Rosedale Abbey Caravan Club Site on Sunday morning and arrived home just after midday. The main reason for the break is to attend my little sisters’ birthday party in Leeds on Friday 11th July. However it is nice to be back home to see my family and to visit friends and old work mates. A lot of the week has been spent booking the next part of The Mooch and so far I’ve organised up until mid October. It can be time consuming especially when contacting C/L’s, because on occasions it is necessary to leave massages on answer machines and await a reply. This holds up the whole process because of the uncertainty of getting a pitch hence wondering if subsequent destinations need to be changed. Anyhow it’s all booked and I am looking forward to getting back to my travels on Monday.

THE HOWARD - ROSEDALE ABBEY [81]

Wednesday 2nd July – Sunday 6th July 2008

The drive from the A170 to the site is narrow in places with a few hills and sharp bends but did not present any problems. When you get here you’ll realise it was all worth while. This gem of a site lies close to the centre of this popular tourist spot and one of the many benefits is that you don’t have to fight for a parking spot if you decide to stay local, the village gets busy at weekends. A few things are not available at this site and include no toilet block, no mobile phone signal, no radio signal, no digital TV signal, and no supermarket locally. However there are shops, pubs, public telephones and restaurants within walking distance and I managed to get good reception on four TV stations [no channel 5]. Some people could not get a signal at all, so I think it depends on which pitch you are on. There is a bus service to Pickering but it only runs on Sundays and Bank Holidays March to October and daily from late July to the end of August. You can get more information on the Moorsbus website www.moors.uk.net/moorsbus
The list of things to do is endless especially if you like walking or cycling and there are loads of attractions within driving distance.

Analogue TV good [on pitch 59]
No digital signal

£6.48 - 1 Adult {mid week discount for part of stay]

THE HAWTHORNES - PICKERING [80]

Saturday 28th June – Wednesday 2nd July 2008

The 9 mile drive from Brawby Grange lasted less than 30 minutes and took me past the entrance to Flamingo Land. It seemed to be popular judging by the number of cars on the approach road.

The Hawthornes is just off the A170 in Middleton less than 2 miles to the west of Pickering and the C/L is behind the owners home which doubles as a bed and breakfast business. When I arrive at a new C/L I immediately get a feel for the effort that the owners are putting into the operation. Let’s face it you will not become a millionaire from running a C/L so anything that is above average is a credit to the owners. This one did not disappoint, the grass was well mown and a service point had re-cycling and waste water disposal. There is a slope on this site and my 26ft caravan just levelled out before the rear end touched the ground but blocks are available and did not give me any problems. One advantage is that it raises your van to give fine views over the surrounding countryside. A W.C. doubles as an information centre and buses to Pickering and beyond run on the A170 at hourly intervals. I didn’t manage to find the village pub open at times that suited me but that is common away from town centres, however the menu looked good... You can hear the road noise from the main road that boarders the southern end of the field but this becomes indiscernible during the night. The owners have a kitchen garden in the bottom part of the field and use produce from this plus locally sourced products in their guest house business. They will even cook you a reasonably priced breakfast if you require. Homemade preserves are available. Derrick Griffiths wrote about the owners in the letters section of the May 2008 edition of The Caravan Club Magazine. More info about guest house at http://www.the-hawthornes.com/

Pickering is within walking distance from the C/L or I recommend using the bus, parking in the centre town is in short supply at busy times and can be expensive. Plenty of shops selling every need and there is a small supermarket run by the Co-op. Market day is on Monday. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs from Pickering through Heartbeat country and now on to Whitby a must for one day of your stay. Don’t fail to visit Beck Isle Museum in Pickering which shows how the surrounding area was shaped through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Analogue TV good
Digital signal available

£9.00 – 1 adult