YEW TREE COTTAGE - WINCHESTER [100]

Wednesday 24th September – Sunday 28th September 2008

This is the 100th site I have visited on my Grand Mooch and at the moment I have 744 to go. This varies every winter when I update the information as new sites appear and others close.

I made a mistake approaching this site by not checking the distance from the roundabout. Consequently I missed it and had to travel about two miles down the A3090 before I could turn around. It’s not always easy to spot entrances when you are on your own as most of your attention is on the road and other road users [that’s my excuse]. One thing I later noticed was the owner flew the St Georges Cross flag at his entrance which would have helped if I had known [I hope it’s still there if you are going to use this as a landmark].

The site is a level grassed field which was in very good condition in view of the wet weather that we have had this summer. It must drain well. The pitching area is along one hedge adjacent to the main road [which can be noisy at times] but gives good views to the North West. Each pitch had its own dustbin but it was not obvious what re-cycling requirements were needed.

There is a supermarket a few miles away towards the M3 and of course there is everything else in Winchester. I think the number 66 bus between Romsey and Winchester passes the entrance but I did not see a bus stop. Anyone who needs to use this service should check it out first.

I found plenty to do in the surrounding area with the Cathedral and the City Mill worth a visit in Winchester.

Analogue TV signal good
Digital signal available

£10.00 per night

NEW FOREST CENTENARY SITE - BRANSGORE [99]

Saturday 20th September – Wednesday 24th September 2008

It is strange that this site is the 99th that I have visited on The Mooch and it is the clubs centenary site. If only I had done one more then it would have been spooky!!

The pitching area is level on a mixture of hardstandings and grass and all the facilities are new and equal to the normal Caravan Club standards. What this site looses in the way of stunning views it makes up for in many different ways. Around it are miles of mainly flat walking or cycling routes in the New Forest National Park. The coast is within easy reach with museums such as Beaulieu and Bucklers Hard nearby.

There are shops including a convenience store in Bransgore but many basics can be bought at reception. A farm shop visits on Mondays and Fridays and a large supermarket is a few miles away with a garden centre next door.

Many of the people I spoke to had been to this site before so it is starting to become popular. One person claimed to be its third visitor. If you are planning a visit to the New Forest this site would make a good base.

Analogue TV signal and
Digital signal available from bollard

£11.60 per night [1 adult]

STOURHEAD ESTATE - MERE [98]

Tuesday 16th September – Saturday 20th September 2008

Arriving at this site when the Estate is open was easy for me. A member of staff stopped me and showed me where to go. For those not so fortunate just drive through the car park towards the additional/overflow car park and the pitching area is on the right. The five pitches are hardstandings and are almost level. After arrival go to reception and they complete all the formalities and give you a receipt to display in your windscreen. National Trust members get a discount on pitch fees. The site is very popular especially at weekends so it is advisable to book in advance.

The nearest shops are in Mere or Zeals and the only supermarket that I found was Waitrose in Gillingham about 6 miles to the south. There is a bus stop just down the road from the site entrance but I believe it was for one of those services that had to be booked in advance. All very good for locals but absolutely useless to visitors who are unfamiliar with the local area. The farm shop in the car park sells many products that are produced locally.

One of the places I visited whilst staying at Stourhead was Longleat and I can definitely recommend it. The whole visit takes at least a half day so allow plenty of time to get value for money. Don’t forget a visit to the Stourhead Estate with good walks around the grounds and gardens. There is a pub in the village a short walk away but I got the impression that they would rather serve you a meal than a beer. The National Trust runs a mini bus service to key points on the estate.



Analogue TV signal good
Intermittent digital signal available

£9.00 per night [£7.50 for National Trust members]

OAKVIEW - YEOVIL [97]

Friday 12th September – Tuesday 16th September 2008

This CL lies within a few hundred yards of the A303 about 5 miles to the north of Yeovil. The grassed site was in superb condition in view of the wet weather but was slightly waterlogged at the unused bottom half of the field. Being so close to the A303 resulted in road noise but this died away during the night and was not intrusive. The nearest pub and bus service are in Tintinhull on the other side of the main road. I explained to the CL owner that this sounded like a Yorkshire man saying “It is not in Hull” but I think the joke was lost in translation. Shops are in Martock with everything else in Yeovil.

I found plenty to do during my stay and this was helped by the leaflet pack provided on arrival by the owner. One mistake I made was allowing insufficient time to visit the Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton. You need to allow a minimum of half a day to explore this very interesting attraction.

Analogue TV signal good
Digital signal available

£9.00 per night

DAIRY HOUSE FARM - TAUNTON [96]

Monday 8th September – Friday 12th September 2008

The instructions regarding the approach to this CL look complicated but are surprisingly simple and it is advisable to follow them. Pitches are behind the family business of landscapers in a tree surrounded grassed area with hardstandings. TV aerial plug in points are provided around the site to overcome the tree presence. A hut is used as an information point but unfortunately most of the leaflets were out of date. At the bottom of the site is a small pitch and putt golf area but because of the heavy rain during the summer the owners had been unable to cut the grass to a useable level. Toilets and a shower are available in a building at the other end of the business vehicle park.

Across the road is a pub that is open at lunchtime and evenings. It serves food and has a good assortment of real ales. I don’t think there is a bus service until you get nearer Taunton. One useful thing I found was the car park at the Sainsbury supermarket in the town centre. For £2 you can park for two hours, go shopping in the town centre, then do your food shopping in the supermarket and get your car park fee refunded. One place worth a visit is Rumwell Farm Shop on the A38 towards Wellington.

Analogue TV signal good
Digital signal was a bit hit and miss depending on weather conditions

£8.00 per night plus 50p for shower

HILLSIDE FARM - TIVERTON [95]

Thursday 4th September – Monday 8th September 2008

One thing I forgot to mention is that there is a new bypass to the west of Barnstaple which helps speed up anyone travelling to North West Devon.

Hillside farm is unsurprisingly on the side of a hill but this didn’t really help the surface water drain from the pitching area. There are two hardstandings with a third nearer to the owners’ home. Visitors in the field helped to conserve the grass surface by parking cars on a hard area. There are good views from the pitching area.

I hear from CL owners that many bookings have cancelled because of the bad summers that we’ve had in recent years and I wonder how much the whole tourist industry is suffering. Perhaps we have to accept the situation and adapt our sites both large and small to cater for all weather conditions. Local authorities could help with funding as tourism means income and work for local industry. Anyway that’s enough of that; I’ll get back to reality.

There are all shops and supermarkets in Tiverton but there isn’t a bus service for visitors that need one. The local area has many interesting visitor attractions with National Trust properties and the Grand Western Canal to name but a few.

Analogue TV signal good.
Digital signal available. [If you don’t pitch behind a tree]

£8.00 per night

PYEWELL FARM - BIDEFORD [94]

Sunday 31st August – Thursday 4th September 2008

The owners have operated a caravan site on their land long before it became a CL. Based around 3 lakes at the bottom of their farm it is very popular with the fresh water fishing set and I was told that they don’t advertise. All their bookings come from recommendations within fishing circles.

The CL is at the top end of the farm a short way down the entrance drive. Situated at the top flatter end of a large grassed field it looked idealic on the odd minutes that the sun put in an appearance. Unfortunately these were rare and once again this was another site suffering from the almost continuous rain that fell during August.

I had been looking forward to returning to this part of Devon as in the 1980s’ I was the captain of a coastal tanker that spent a few weeks working from Yelland jetty. However many things had changed and I could not find the pub that we used at the east end of Instow. I did find one down a side street but I remember the one we used was on the main road along the sea front. The only place I definitely remembered was the Instow Cricket Club pitch which we would walk across on the route to and from the ship and the town.

The owners have a visitor pack which they loan you on arrival. It has information about all the local attractions and facilities. The nearest supermarkets are in Bideford or Barnstaple and the nearest bus runs through Instow.

Analogue TV signal good.
Digital signal available.

£8.00 per night

WILLINGCOTT - WOOLACOMBE [93]

Wednesday 27th August – Sunday 31st August 2008.

If you need to tow between Minehead and Woolacombe forget the A39. It wasn’t designed for very much that exists in the 21st century but that is probably one of the things that make this area so popular with tourists. I used the HGV advised route for North Devon along the B roads across Exmoor.

Willingcott Caravan Club site was suffering from the effects of the 2008 British summer. Predominantly on grass it was suffering from over a month of almost continuous rain. The site is very popular and in view of the now familiar climate it probably needs many more hardstandings than it has. Once again as at Lakeside I managed to get one, but had to feel sorry for the majority that were on grass. It will probably put off many of the novice caravanners for life.

There is a bus service between Woolacombe and Ilfracombe that runs along the B3343 and a pub/restaurant is a steady walk away. If you need any parts Mullacott Caravan and Marine Ltd is a short drive away. A fish and chip van visits the site on Saturday evening.

Analogue TV signal good.
Digital signal available.

£23.60 per night [3 adults]

MINEHEAD - MINEHEAD [92]

Saturday 23rd August – Wednesday 27th August 2008

If you need to tow between Lakeside and Minehead and your outfit is more than 32ft [and a bit, or is it 31ft and a bit] forget using the A396 through Dunster. The local authority has imposed a length limit through the town because of narrow streets and sharp bends. I don’t think this is entirely necessary for caravans because unlike commercial vehicles the wheels are in the centre of the trailer and are able to negotiate tighter bends. However the local authority don’t think so and you have to take the longer HGV route down a B road towards Watchet until you reach the A39 that runs to Minehead.

Minehead Caravan Club site is a well established small site on the outskirts of the town but is within comfortable walking distance. On arrival you are advised to park at the entrance and walk the site to find a vacant pitch. This is because the site consists of several spurs that are dead ends with no room to turn. Many pitches are on hardstandings which were needed in view of the South West summer weather. A van visits each morning around 9AM selling newspapers, bread and milk.

There are a couple of small supermarkets within a few hundred yards with takeaways and a fish and chip shop, a bus also passes this area. Minehead has all the services including a farmers market and a steam train service to Bishops Lydeard, but I got the impression that it relied heavily on the Butlins customers. The North Devon coast has spectacular views and many interesting places to visit.

Analogue TV signal good but the services from Wales had the better signal from our pitch.
Digital signal available.

£23.60 per night [3 adults]

LAKESIDE - DULVERTON [91]

Tuesday 19th August – Saturday 23rd August 2008

This recently redeveloped site is accessed from the A396 Tiverton to Minehead road. There is a road junction to the south of the site that needs a little concentration but there is a brown Lakeside sign and basically you stay on the A396. If you arrive before 1PM you are instructed to go to the late arrivals area as the wardens are busy on toilet block cleaning duties and you cannot get through the security barrier. The grass pitching areas were suffering from the extensive rain that had fallen on this part of the UK over August but I was lucky and managed to find a hardstanding on the top terrace that has good views over the surrounding countryside. Many people pitched nose first on one side of the road to take advantage of this.

There is a path from the back of the site to the Anchor Inn which is not very far away. However it is important that you follow the instructions given by the Wardens as the path is not a right of way. We had an evening meal in the restaurant and thought it was good value. The pre meal beer had me a little worried. The taste of the beer is superb but unfortunately it is flat with no head and looks horrible. If you bought it in Yorkshire you would be back at the bar in seconds.

There is a bus service from outside the pub that runs between Minehead and Tiverton. Shops, banks and a small supermarket are situated in Dulverton but if you require anything more substantial you have to travel to Tiverton. The whole of Exmoor to the north is available to explore.

Analogue TV signal good from bollard connection. [Got a watchable signal using aerial from our pitch].
Digital signal not available.

£20.10 per night [average] 1 adult for 2 nights. 3 adults for 2 nights.