Sat 15th November 2008

Collection day has finally arrived!

Angela and I packed up our things in the car and drove over to Chic's house (a work colleague and good friend). The plan was for me to drive our car down to West Country Motorhomes Swindon to meet Ryan Butcher and do the handover.

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/modules.php?name=gallery2&g2_itemId=101087

The MHM named "HMS Robyn" looked splendid and the handover went well, even Chic accompanied us during the handover.

All seemed okay so I went inside with Ryan to complete the transaction whilst Angela and Chic began to unload the car.

A few days earlier I had transfered funds into my current account so that on the day all that was needed was for me to swipe my card and all would be done..................

The bank were a tad overzealous on the security questions and declined the transaction! I was mortified, I was told to ring the banks fraud dept on a spare office phone whilst Ryan was still dealing with the bank on his.

I was informed to get Ryan to swipe the card again within ten minutes and all would be ok......Really?

The card was declined again! I was furious and the thought of me and Angela not driving off in our much awaited MHM aswell as booking a weeks worth of camp sites filled me with horror. We had to stop Chic driving away in our car while we got it sorted.

After a second call to banks fraud dept I was told to WAIT ten minutes and then swipe again as opposed to the first call where I was told to swipe WITHIN ten minutes.

Hey presto it worked, I shook Ryans hand, waved Chic off (poor chap had given up half a day for us) grabbed the keys and drove off up the drive.

Angela and I were both stressed by now. Thanks to the bank we forgot to take photos of the handover and forgot everything we were told about the vehicle. We set the alarm off three times before we eventually drove off to our to our first stop at Brokerswood Country Park in Bath.

The Snooper sat nav we bought gave us confidence as we were able to programme the exact length/height and weight of the vehicle. Brokerswood was easy to find and after booking in I managed to set off the alarm again whilst the warden was waiting by the barrier!!!!! I had to explain that we had only just collected it. As we have a tracker fitted each time an alarm is triggered we get a text followed by a phone call from the monitoring centre. We had to tell them not to react to it for the rest of the day as we were still getting used to it.

Once we had parked up we realised that we had no food so had to go out again. Good old sat nav to the rescue. Searched for superstore and found one within five miles.

After collecting our provisions we headed back to the camp site and set up. We managed to trip the electric twice whilst sorting ourselves out and cooking dinner. That was enough for the first day so went to bed and it was only 20:30 hrs.

Sunday 16th November

After a restless night, we both woke and tried out the new shower (Not together though!) it always amazes me how well you feel after a nice shower.

Brokerswood is a country park so mid morning we went for a walk in the forest. It surrounds a lake and at this time of year is a joy to walk there. We saw a family of deer and it seemed that we were staring at each other for ages. Ater a while we continued around the lake until we came to a little cafe and had a pot of tea and a warm by the log burning stove. The menu looked good and we decided that we would go back there for our dinner or to "The Kicking Donkey" just a short walk away.

Because the weather was not that good we decided to stay in. We both went for a shower on the site that evening and the facillities were great, clean and warm with plenty of free hot water.

That evening we had a cheese and wine fest which was supplied by Manda and John for Angelas birthday on the 17th!!!!! we couldn't wait but we did save some for tomorrow. Unfortunately we drank all of the wine!!!

Monday 17th November (Angelas Birthday)

I woke up before Angela as it was her birthday. I put the kettle on and laid all of the card containing envelopes along with her presents on the table.

When Angela got up she opened her cards and presents and we had boiled eggs and a nice cup of coffee.

After breakfast we packed up all of our things in readiness for moving on to see Eddie Vanbitz at Cornish Farm, Taunton.

We drove over our first motorhome service point to dump our grey water. We also thought that it would be worth having a go at emptying our thetford cassette.................nice job (We found out what blowback is!).. It was at this point that we realised that we did not have a hose to fill up with fresh water...Oooops.

We had a nice drive to Taunton thanks to our trusty sat nav, during the journey we started making a list of things we needed to buy for the motorhome. 1st on the list was a food grade hose pipe.

We stopped off at B&Q on the way to get a few items and we also went to Sainsburys to get a few provisions before continuing.

On arrival at Cornish Farm whilst checking in at the reception we noticed some motorhome related items for sale. Aswell as paying for the pitch for two nights we also bought a FOOD GRADE HOSEPIPE and two large chocks for uneven ground. (Not needed here).

After we parked up and were settled we went over to see Eddie at the Vanbitz shop. We met Nick Johnson who was most helpful as was Eddie a bit later on. So much so that we have planned to go back in January to have some toys fitted.

We then had a stroll to the local shops came back had our dinner and chilled out with more wine and cheese (Thanks Manda & John). 

Unlike Brokerswood Country Park which is very rural and quiet, Cornish Farm is more manicured and a bit noisy from the nearby motorway. Once again the facilities onsite were excellent. Clean, warm and tidy. We both liked the piped radio aswell.

Tuesday 18th November

After a nice shower and breakfast we walked to the bus stop nearby to get the bus into Taunton. We had not been there long when a car pulled up in the lay by. I thought to ask for directions but it was Doug & Marion from the campsite and fellow Auto-Trail owners. Despite my best efforts at being rude (according to Angela) we were still offered a lift into the town centre. We had a lovely chat on the way and they told us that they were also fulltiming. After we were dropped off we spent a few hours in Taunton town centre. We went inside a beautiful church called St Mary Magdalene which had some lovely stained glass windows, well worth a visit.

After lunch we decided to go back to the campsite. Unfortunately we could not find the bus stop so we indulged ourselves and got a taxi back. After our evening meal, Spaghetti Arrabiatta, we went over to see Doug and Marion. We saw them earlier in the day and I said that we would invite them over for a coffee but as it was our maiden voyage we only had two mugs!!! Marion said that their motorhome was more friendly as they had four:-)

We would like to thank this lovely couple not only for their hospitality but for the help and advice they gave us about the heater on our vehicle along with other items we were not sure about.

Wednesday 19th November

We got up early this morning and set off for our next stop at Devizes CCC. We stopped off on the way at B&Q and Sainsburys for some provisions. The wardens at Devizes were very helpful and we were shown to our pitch by a warden on a bicycle. We were set up in no time. While we were having a cuppa we watched a new arrival in a caravan......it was at this point that we decided that it was the right decision to get a motorhome and not a caravan. It seemed to take an age for them to set up with their tent thingy on the side. It looked like they had a good routine. She went off with the aqua roll and he got his remote control thing out to manoever the caravan into position. This device must have been a major break through in the caravaning world.

Once again the facillties were immaculate. Spotlessly clean and nice hot showers. We went for a drink just up the road in a pub called The Three Magpies which had a huge roaring fire and a mutt called Jack. Oh and Wadworths 6X.

We went back for our evening meal, Mince and Tatties and had an early night.

 Thursday 20th November

Today was great! We got up fairly early and had a great walk along the Kennet & Avon Canal into Devizes. We passed through the Caen Hill Locks, a total of 29 locks which can take a boat 4 hours to pass through. The walk took us about two hours. Along the way we saw a variety of birds. The best of all was a Kingfisher and a couple of Herons. The Kingfisher we followed for quite a while. As we got close to it it flew away until we got near it again and then it flew away again. This seemed to go on for a while.

In Devizes it was market day, we bought some lovely sausages and a few other provisions for our evening meal. After we had walked around the town centre we decided to walk back to the campsite. The nice hot shower was just what we needed after our walk.

We both agreed that the matress was a bit uncomfortable and we will be looking to get a memory foam topper as soon as possible. We have been spoilt at home for the last few years with our latex matress.......very snug. In the morning we are leaving for our home town Oxford but we wished we had booked at least one more night here at Devizes CCC. Outside is a beautiful red sunset.

 Friday 21st November

Before we went to the CCC site in Oxford (Our home town) we went to my (Dean's) place of work. There were two reasons for this, 1, to show some of my work colleagues our new pride and joy. And 2, It is where our car is parked and we used it to take some washing home (Thanks Mum) and to collect a few more items for the Motorhome.

As we were driving around in the car, we both admitted that we felt uncomfortable and we were missing the MHM! Do any other motorhomers feel this way after a long trip away?

We booked into Oxford at about 3pm. We were greeted by Mr and Mrs Wise the wardens. They were both very helpful and gave us lots of advice. The site was very wet so there was no parking allowed on the grass.

For those that do not know the site, it is right behind a large Go Outdoors outlet. We thought it would be rude not to go and spend some money in there. We needed a waste master, electric kettle and a few other bits and pieces.

One of the reasons we went to Oxford was for some members of our family to come and visit us to see our pride and joy. As noone was due today we just chilled out for the rest of the day listening to the trains go whizzing by. The Oxford site is next to a main line so it is quite noisy.

Saturday 22nd November

We got up fairly early today, Angela had a shower in the MHM while I checked out the showers on site. It was agreed that Angela made the right decision as the facilities at Oxford were not very nice. Cold, dated, no piped music.....you get the picture. We have since found out that the site is due for a complete overhall early 2009. It certainly needs it.

We left the site at about 9am and walked into Oxford town centre along the river. It was a cold morning but nice and sunny. The usual rowing boats were out early and we met an old friend out riding along the river bank (Rob). Two of his children were both out rowing in seperate boats. We had a good chat and told him of our plans to tour Europe. He wished us well and we continued along our path until we reached the town centre at about 10am.

We headed sraight for the News Cafe and had a good breakfast. We got there just in time as there was a big rush of people come in as we had finished ordering. It has obviously got a good reputation.

After breakfast we did the tourist bit visiting all the local places of interest and took lots of photos. The Radcliffe Camera, Christ Church, The Sheldonian Theatre, and the Bridge of Sighs to name but a few. As a child I (Dean) grew up in Oxford and spent most of my childhood running all through the colleges and back alleys. We just took them for granted at that age and thought nothing of it. Its only when you get older that you realise how beautiful this city of ours is.

As well as being a beautiful city, Oxford is famous for its covered market. This is well worth a visit, especially at Christmas time. It is a magical place and still excites me. The best time to visit is early in the morning before it gets too busy as all of the displays are perfect. The displays outside the various butcher shops are not for the squeamish, I have seen many young children hiding under their fathers coat tails until out of sight. Hanging up you will see Wild Boar, Deer, Rabbits and a whole range of Game Birds. Vegetarians be warned!!!

Before leaving the market we got some food for our evening meal from the lovely Italian delicatessen. We caught the bus back to the campsite and awaited the arrival of my (Dean's) Mum and Aunty Hazel. After a good natter and a cup of tea, they were both given a grand tour and left shortly after. Later on that day we had more visitors. My (Dean's) Sister and Brother in Law Amanda and John. Amanda said that now she had seen our new home she was happy for us to go off on our travels.

It was nice to share our new 'Home' with our families as up to now it has only been us that knows what sort of vehicle we have bought. 

 After all of our visitors had left for the day Angela settled down to watch her SCD.......Strictly Come Dancing and I got our evening meal ready.  Pasta and sauce with a bottle of red wine!

We then did our usual trick of falling asleep while watching the TV - we're obviously relaxed enough in the MHM to do that now...

Sunday 23 November

It's been snowing!  Well, sleety rain at least ;-)

Angela braved the showers and mentioned it was something out of the 70s.  Nice hot water but a freezing cold building. 

After all our chores were done, we ventured out to Go Outdoors again.  This time we bought a trolley (for Angela) to transport the cassette for emptying - nice!

Angela's  mum came to visit and stayed quite a while which was good, as we wanted to put her mind at rest that we were not going to be living out of a tin can!

Whilst writing this it's just started to hammer it down and Dean has just started to pack up to go home. :-( The plan for Monday is to take Angela to work, show her boss the new MHM and then Dean took the MHM back to the storage yard.