Lost in fog.

34.2 Miles. Now at at Black Horse Farm near Folkestone.

After quite a lengthy stay at Sarre Windmill it was time to be moving on. Cool temperatures and distant mist were what we set off with but this was nothing to what we were about to encounter around Dover.

No, it's not something you eat!

Narrow one way streets of Sandwich.

Our first port of call was Sandwich which looked to be quite an interesting sort of place but the usual problem of where to park was our bug bear. On to Deal and this time we were more successful with free parking on the sea front near Deal Castle. An hours walkabout for some pictures was all we needed here. The beach is very steep and all pebbles unlike Margate, not a child friendly place. The Time Ball tower and the fishing boats were about the most interesting features around here.

Deal Pier, a mecca for fishermen.

Fishing boats and Crab pots adorn Deal beach.

Each fishing boat has it's own winch to drag it up the beach for safe haven. Heath Robinson affairs but they work.

Old clinker built fishing boats at Deal.

From Deal we set the Garmin to our next stop over at Black Horse Farm Caravan Club site near Folkestone. As we approached Dover the fog started to roll in and was getting quite dense. At one point we could barely see 100 yards ahead and due to some road works at the intersection we were supposed to turn off at we missed the turning. It was a this point that I reverted to the old fashioned map reading and made the final leg of the journey, visually reading road signs.

Deal Time Ball originally connected to Greenwich but now operates hourly, more for amusement than anything.

Sea front boarding houses along Deal Marine Parade.

Deal's pier and pebble beach. No sand here I'm afraid.

Deal Castle.

We had no sooner set ourselves up on site at the camp when the rain arrived and has been getting steadily worse. Still can’t complain this is the first decent rain fall we have had for quite a while. It gave us the opportunity to make use of the laundry and catch up with the washing. Hopefully things will improve tomorrow.

 

Gypsy Rover Mk IV at Black Horse Caravan Club site

A total of 897 miles, since 5 March 2011

Meeting Distant Relatives.

We have been in touch with a distant relative of mine since we started blogging our adventures on the canal. Phyl and her belated husband George had been working on a Canvin family tree for some years and came across our website which had some relevance to them. It transpired that Phyl’s grandfather was a Canvin and worked the barges or narrowboats as they are called now on the Grand Union canal around Apsley Mills. Unfortunately we didn’t get to meet them before George died 4 years ago but was determined to meet Phyl and her daughter Ruth before returning to New Zealand.

Ruth, Derek and Phyl all part of the Canvin Family.

This we did this morning by catching the bus to Canterbury and then changing buses to Herne village near Herne Bay. The visit was a complete success as it didn’t feel like meeting strangers but catching up with long lost relatives which of course we are, how ever far apart. Just a few hours of our lives which will live on for ever.

Phyl's home in Herne village. Handed down from husband George's mother.

Sarre Windmill.

Sarre Windmill built 1820.

Sarre Mill.

Gypsy Rover MkIV looks small from the top of Sarre Mill.

Yesterday we had our own private viewing of the windmill which as it stands is one of only half a dozen in Britain in full working order. Sadly the owner informed us that the mill ceased operation in November 2010 due to the high cost of wheat (£100 per ton) making it non viable. This is a real shame as we can see the windmill will just fall into a state of disrepair and will be lost to future generations.

More modern milling machine.

Milling stone at Sarre Mill.

Mind you head!

The owner is turning the site into holiday apartments and a museum but will retain the Caravan Club CL. We have found the site great for easy public transport to the whole Kent district and would recommend it as a good stopping point. We just need to convince the owner to put in power point supply.

Circular Tour.

Margate town clock.

This morning we were back out at the bus stop for a No 8 bus but this time heading in a Westerly direction out to the coast and Margate. All the locals we have spoken to all said “Oh’ you don’t want to go there”. But we did anyway. The day started off cool and misty and walking around the Margate water front was quite chilling. I must admit that the town did look a tad run down but it seems there are moves afoot to spruce the place up.

Margate beach and promenade.

We found the Margate Lifeboat on part of the beach and we found out later that the Lifeboat shed was temporarily cut off by a new building construction site and the lifeboat would only be on the beach until access to the shed was restored. The lifeboat was on a very unusual launch trailer in which the tractor was on caterpillar tracks and there were hydraulic connections to another caterpillar trailer apparatus underneath the lifeboat. Obviously to get across soft sand it was a most unusual set up which we have not seen before.

Margate lifeboat and it's unusual launching system down on the beach. It's normal home was blocked off by a construction site.

The best part of the place was the beautiful sandy beach which a lot of seaside resorts would die for. After an hour or so wandering around town we caught the local Loop bus which as its name suggests it just runs around in a circle between Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate in both directions on a ten minute service.

Miles of lovely beach.

Ramsgate, being the only Royal Harbour in Britain was quite a different scenario to Margate. The harbour was granted Royal status by King George IV. The harbour is a thriving centre for recreational craft, fishing and trip boats and the ferry to Oostende, Holland. The dredger was busy keeping the harbour clear and there were new floating pontoons being installed to accommodate more craft.

Ramsgate Harbour.

An old Scottish fishing boat at Ramsgate.

There is a Maritime Museum but unfortunately this was closed. After a nice lunch of Cod and chips down on the quay side, we wandered up into town to find a supermarket before catching the second to last number 9 bus of the day which took us in a complete circle from Sarre, Margate, Ramsgate and back to Sarre.

Ramsgate Beach

Oostende ferry at Ramsgate.

Good fish and chips here and a great day out.

Christ Church Cathedral

After the Christ Church Cathedral in Canterbury.

Older ruins of Christ Church Cathedral, Canterbury.

Tracey and Greg at the old ruins of Christ Church Cathedral, in Canterbury.

Older ruins of Christ Church Cathedral, Canterbury.

The cloisters, Kings college, Canterbury.

The grounds of Kings College Canterbury.

Hyacinths, Daffodils and Tulips in a quiet garden of Kings College grounds Canterbury.

Canterbury Tales.

Yesterday we set of by bus for Canterbury. We only got as far as Sturry when traffic came to a dead halt due to a serious accident. Instead of diverting traffic back at an earlier intersection the Police were letting vehicles drive right up to the accident site and then turning them back except for buses and trucks who couldn’t turn in the space available.

Double Decker buses lined up after the accident.

They then formed a neat line of 11 buses and one truck. Everybody was debussed and opted to walk the supposed mile and a bit to the city. We must have walked a good mile and there was no sign of the city or the Cathedral. By this time the crash scene had been cleared (oil and glass everywhere) and the buses were on the move so we caught another bus for the final leg into the city. We were glad we did because the city wasn’t as close as we had been told.

Canterbury clock tower. All that remains of St Georges church after a bombing raid in 1942.

How many millions of stones would have been collected just to build this part of the fortified wall around Canterbury?

Once we got our bearings we were off around the city wall to start off with. Along the way we received a text message from friend’s Derek and Carrie on Nb Uccello to say be sure to visit the Weavers house and Little Italy restaurant by the river. This we did but opted not to dine at the restaurant which was a bit pricey for a couple of pensioners.

Dane John mound inside the Dane John Gardens.

Visitor centre in the Butter Market, Canterbury.

After lunch we were joined by Tracey and her partner Greg who had booked a room at the Crown hotel in Sarre which meant we didn’t need to catch a bus back to camp. I will let pictures tell the story of Canterbury rather than try and write about it all.

Inside Canterbury Castle which had a circular stairway between floors.

The old Weavers House AD1500. Canterbury.

Back in Sarre we got Greg and Tracey booked in at the hotel first before walking just around the corner for them to see Gypsy Rover Mk IV. It was then back to the hotel for drinks and dinner. There was also some free entertainment from the landlord who is a bit of a character with his dry humour and pan face never giving a hint of truth or fiction. Apparently he used to own the other hotel in Sarre (the Kings Head) which he confirmed is haunted and some of the trials and tribulations he went through in his dealings with the ghost or ghost’s. The time a guest rang down to reception complaining that he couldn’t get out of his room even though it appeared to be unlocked. The landlord opened the door without any problem from the outside with a distinct rush of air as he did so. Another time he recalled that he had closed up for the night and turned off all the lights before retiring upstairs. When he looked out of his bedroom window he could see that the bar lights were still on, so he had to return downstairs where he was aware that he wasn’t alone whilst turning off the light’s once more.

Weavers House Canterbury overlooking the river Stour and the guided boat trips. The witches ducking stool is above the white boats.

For anybody visiting Sarre we can thoroughly recommend the Crown hotel for good food, good accommodation and a friendly landlord.

There are many buildings in Canterbury built using the flint stone as this.

Under the Thames to Kent.

111.1 Miles. Now at Sarre Windmill.

Parked along the Marine Parade in Whitstable.

As we were so close to Cranham Caravans this morning we decided to pay them a visit to discuss various little pointers about problems with the motorhome. We spoke at length with Geoff, Cranham’s trouble shooter, about various faults and he agreed that things were not as they should be. He took photographic evidence to  pass onto Autotrail to try and get things rectified. Hopefully this will be sorted out when we return the motorhome to Cranham’s in preparation for shipping to New Zealand.

Under the Thames at Blackwall Tunnel

Next stop was a gas station and supermarket which we found conveniently next door to each other at Becontree Heath which I believe is basically Dagenham. The Total gas station was only £1.36.9p a litre for diesel and Morrison’s had a very large car park where I managed to squeeze on to 2 parks.  There was plenty of other parks available so nobody missed out.

Along the seafront at Whitstable for lunch.

From here it was heading towards London with a last minute change of direction down the Blackwall tunnel. Out the other side and on into Kent. We made good progress until we realised that the wrong post code had been put into the Garmin which took us to the camp site we are booked into from next Monday. As we didn’t want to miss seeing the Sarre Windmill we had to backtrack quite a way which also took us to a road only 6’ 6” wide which was no good to us at 7’ 7” wide. We eventually found our way with the help of a couple of local’s. Unfortunately we had overlooked the fact there is no electrical hook up’s on this site so I had to get the owners permission to run the generator. We may cut short our stay here, we will have to see how things work out.

Sarre Windmill outside Canterbury

We have been for a walk and sorted out the buses which are only a 5 minute walk away so tomorrow it will be a visit to Canterbury.

A total of 863 miles, since 5 March 2011

Here we go again.

Well, several years ago we had a narrowboat built almost entirely by communication over the internet.  We never saw the completed boat until we had travelled from New Zealand in time for the launch in 2004.

This time it’s a car bought sight unseen except by Dot’s son Richard. Dot had seen the car advertised on an online auction site and requested Richard go and inspect it and report back as to it’s worthiness. Reporting back it appeared to be a good buy, needless to say we now own a car once more.

Insuring it was not a problem and was done over the internet for an agreed value. As New Zealand now has no more car manufacturing plants, all our vehicles are imported, mainly from Japan.  Due to the horrendous earthquake earlier this month we decided it was probably time to start looking for a vehicle before there becomes a shortage in New Zealand.  If this were to happen the chances of getting a vehicle of our choice may have become very difficult.

The photo shows the car parked at Richards until our return.  A big thank you to Richard for his help and assure him it wouldn't look any good as a stock car.

Tide Mill unvisited.

78.5 Miles. Now in Upminster

Gypsy Rover IV at Newlands, Woodbridge.

A neat bit of plaiting don't you think?

Robin and Jenny, our friends from New Zealand suggested we should have a look at the Tide Mill which wasn’t far from our overnight camp. Well everything went well until we arrived on site. There were several car parks for vehicles of all sizes except Motorhomes. The only place big enough was the Coach and HGV park but a coach driver said that we shouldn’t park there but there were spaces at another car park just around the corner. When we found this other car park there was no way that we could park there without creating mayhem. Ah well, flag it away and carry on in a Southerly direction.

Woodbridge and this historic overhead crane had a height restriction sign at the end of the road.

Other than the narrow one way streets of Woodbridge and it’s quaint buildings the trip down the A12 was not very inspiring, mainly due to most of it being dual carriageway. A short run on the M25 which was in a state of chaos where they are widening it by another 2 lanes and we were soon parked up in another Caravan Club CL site within sight of the M25. Hopefully our next scheduled stop will be more interesting.

All the road around here are this narrow.  Very scary when we were driving down them.

A total of 752 miles, since 5 March 2011

Reminiscing.

84 Miles. Now at Woodbridge.

An overnight frost meant a chilly start to the day but we were guaranteed another fine day. First stop was Great Yarmouth after we got the Garmin sorted and heading in the right direction. We found a parking space at the end of the Marine Parade where parking was free until the 1st April. This gave us a couple of hours to investigate the sight’s.

Marine Sealife Great Yarmouth sea front.

The old Windmill Theatre, Great Yarmouth.

Looking towards Gorleston port and an oil drilling rig.

A fishing boat heads back to port past the wind farm off Great Yarmouth.

Unusual restaurant Great Yarmouth.

Next stop was Gorleston where I had a school holiday back in 1956. Again we found free parking at the end of Marine Parade and had lunch before walking back along the parade towards the town centre. We spoke to a couple of local’s who told us that a lot of the boarding houses had gone and the few that remain are now rest homes for the elderly. We photographed the only building that looked vaguely familiar but I will have to wait until I dig out my old photo albums back in New Zealand to see if there is a resemblance.

Gorleston beach.

Our baby on Gorleston Marine Parade.

Gorleston beach heading off to Lowestoft.

No wind so this wind surfer resorts to paddle power.

The port at Gorleston with an oil drilling rig in port.

Was this the boarding house Derek stayed at back in 1956?

Leaving Gorleston for Woodbridge we set up the Garmin but I think some road improvements hadn’t been added to the memory and we finished up down some very narrow lanes. Dot was on the edge of her seat but I just took it in my stride. We finally arrived at the Caravan Club CL around 4pm weary and in need of a cuppa.

A total of 674 miles, since 5 March 2011

Tour starts in earnest.

91.9 Miles. Now at Hickling

How’s this for a roadside rest area?

With all our bit’s and pieces finally sorted out it was time to hit the road in earnest this morning. Leaving our apartment once more we headed off to Fox Boats in March for a new gas bottle. We can’t get away from those boats. With a new gas bottle installed it was off towards Great Yarmouth.

Oulton Broad, we can’t keep away from boats

We detoured into Swaffham to see where the TV programme “Kingdom” is made. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a parking space so we just had a passing glimpse but what we saw was fantastic. Another high point was the Oulton Broads where we able to stop for a quick photo.  Those boat’s again!

Caravan Club Certified Location in Hinkling

We finally arrived at the Caravan Club CL after a bit of a hair raising trip along a very narrow country lane. After getting set up we walked into the village where we had a look around the marina at Hickling Broad and finished up at the quaint Greyhound pub for a much needed thirst quencher. Our prime objective was to investigate the bus service but this turned out to be only 4 buses a day and not very convenient times. Due to this we will only stay here 1 night and investigate Great Yarmouth and Gorleston on our way South and take a chance on what camp site we can find at short notice.

The Greyhound pub in Hinkling

Colourful interior of the Greyhound

A total of 590 miles, since 5 March 2011

Finally a Licence.

First thing this morning I was on the phone to the DVLA regarding my driver’s licence. After spending nearly 3 minutes on the phone working through all the options I was then put on hold for another 10 minutes. Finally I was answered by a young lady who informed me that my licence had been posted on Friday and I should have it by the 1st April. Excuse me! It doesn’t take that long to deliver a letter. Apparently the DVLA have a contract with Royal Mail which allows Royal Mail 2 weeks in which to deliver the mail, how ridiculous.

Now I passed my test on the 11th February which allowing 21 working days should have returned my licence by 4th March. I rang the DVLA on the 8th March to be told it would be dealt with in a couple of days. Another phone call on the 20th with the above results and finally the postman delivered my long awaited licence a couple of hours later.

If this is not gross incompetence I don’t know what is. Perhaps the Government should take a good look at this service as part of their shake up of the Civil Service.

Farewell Sandringham.

30.9 Miles. Now at March once more.

After a very enjoyable week-end at Sandringham it was time to break camp and move on. We were not travelling far as we were heading back to March to pick up some mail. Hopefully it would be my Driver’s licence from the DVLA. Fat chance. I had rung the DVLA on Tuesday and was told it would be dealt with in couple days which meant I should have it by now. Still it was good to see our landlord again who had kindly invited us to dinner with a couple of other friends.

4zzzz’s in the UK are the same as our Caravan Club Rallies in New Zealand.

Our original plan was to go on to Great Yarmouth but this may have to wait a day or two in the hope my drivers licence does arrive. Watch this space.

A total of 499 miles, since 5 March 2011

Walked our legs off.

7 miles on Shanks Pony

Yesterday morning I had arranged for Anthony from A C Caravans (Mobile Service & Repairs Lincolnshire) to come and repair our broken waste water pipe. I had given him all the details over the phone as to what was required and he came fully prepared and in under an hour had the job finished. I can personally recommend him for a very neat,clean,professional job.

As it was a brilliant day weather wise a walk was the order of the day. Instead of walking through the woods as we had done the day before, which we knew would lead us to the road leading to the Sandringham estate, we left camp by the main gate. We headed off in the right direction but failed to take a turning along the way. At West Newton we spoke to a couple of local resident’s who guided us on the right route.

Norwich Gate, the Queens personal entrance to Sandringham House.

This took us around the estate’s stone perimeter wall and lead us to the Queens personal gated entranceway. Once here we knew we were on the right track and soon found the visitor centre which unfortunately was the only part of the estate open.

The Visitor centre at the Queens Norfolk Retreat.

A couple of souvenirs and an ice cream later and we were off again through the park to find our way back to camp. This time we had found the right road which took us back to the crossroads near the track through the woods and back into camp. Two and half hours and we estimate approximately 7 miles walked and we were rather weary and in need of a good cuppa. At least it had been a beautiful day to make it all worth while. 

Daffodils in Glucksburg Wood on the Sandringham Estate