Frequently our trips start out with a purpose and then over time we add new places. This tour was booked with the intention of attending the Cotswold music festival at Cornbury. Also known as “posh fest”.
We’ve since added a visit to Longleat before our stay in the Cotswolds and also added some new sites to the end of the tour. Oh, and due to the ticket prices at Cornbury, we may now no longer attend the festival!
It has been some feat booking 4 nights at the CAMC (Caravan and Motorhome Club) site within the grounds of Longleat but finally, after frequent daily searches we managed to complete the four day reservation. We arrived on site, Thursday, complete with our 4 individual reservations – one for each night!
It was a short – around 2 hours – journey from East Devon to Longleat with some horrendous thunder, hail and rain storms on the route from Honiton to Warminster. By late afternoon, the weather had calmed down somewhat and it stayed dry enough for us to erect the small porch air awning and finish setting up.
This is our pitch at Longleat.
Our pitch at Longleat
The nearest pub to the site is the White Hart Inn at Corsley and we headed there in the evening for some welcome grub and a few pints.
Its been nearly two weeks since the last diary entry. We’ve been very busy but not entirely focussed on activities around the New Forest.
One of the reasons we like the Black Knowl campsite is its proximity to Brockenhurst and the mainline station with fast links to Waterloo and Poole – there isn’t a great need to use the car. Our first train journey took us to Havant and then on to Hayling Island for lunch with Chris and Alison. This was the first time we have seen their Hayling Island retreat since the rebuild began last summer. They’ve created a fantastic home here on Hayling Island.
Later in the week we headed to the Reading / Newbury / Basingstoke area to visit friends and for Moe to visit family. A trip to Reading would not be complete without lunch at the London Street brasserie, one of the top dining spots in Reading.
Wednesday was a special day for David, his 60th! Happy Birthday David.
David’s 60th birthday celebrations
On Thursday I met with my ex-business partner (another David) at the Rowbarge in Midgham. Fortunately he was available both Wednesday and Thursday as I’d somehow managed to double-book him with David’s 60th on the Wednesday. Groan, must be an age thing!
The weather has been predominantly fine throughout this trip – dry and mainly warm but frequently with a cold wind. We have experienced some tremendous thunder storms during several evenings and nights.
On Saturday, just over a week ago we headed on the bikes for lunch at the Royal Oak. They are coping well with staff shortages – focused solely on providing nice ploughman’s lunches in a cardboard box! Washed down with a few pints of Equinox cider, this was the perfect way to spend the afternoon before our return back to Black Knowl.
Cycling to Fritham
Cycling to Fritham
The Royal Oak at Fritham
Last Monday, Chris and Alison arrived in their motorhome and joined us at Black Knowl. As always there are lots of ponies, shetland ponies, donkeys and cattle of all breeds roaming around the National Park. Many of the ponies are with a new-born foal.
This one is tired out!
Mare and foal
This herd of Llamas was not running wild…
Herd of Llamas
On Wednesday we visited Compton Acres gardens in Poole.
Compton Acres is a large privately owned garden which was founded in 1920 by Thomas William Simpson, an entrepreneur who had become wealthy through the manufacture of margarine.
Compton Acres consists of five themed sub-gardens: an Italian garden, a rock and water garden, a heather garden, a Japanese garden and a less formal woodland garden called the “Wooded Valley”.
The Italian Garden is a formal garden is designed to be enjoyed as a spectacle with water, fountains, statuary, topiary and mass plantings providing seasonal colour.
The Italian Garden, Compton Acres
Joe and Moe at the Italian Gardens
The Wooded Valley is a mature pine wood which has been developed as a woodland garden with winding pathways and dramatic waterfalls.
Many rhododendrons and camelias thrive here. Shade tolerant shrubs edge the terraces and glades together with woodlanders, including ferns and foxgloves. On the lower paths a series of pools are cunningly constructed to give the impression of a flowing stream.
The Wooded valley at Compton Acres
The Wooded valley at Compton Acres
Chris posing with the statues
Koi at Compton Acres
Japanese Gardens
Sunbathing at Compton Acres
Saturday and Alison drove Chris and I for a day out at the Three Okefords Steam rally at Shillingstone, near Blanford Forum. Whilst not on the same scale as the Great Dorset Steam fair there was plenty to see and the event had a nice local feel to it.
View across Three Okefords steam fair
Vintage Steam roller at Three Okefords
Traction engines at Three Okeford show
Shepherds hut van conversion at Three Okefords
Shepherds hut van conversion at Three Okefords
Shepherds hut van conversion at Three Okefords
Scale model Traction engines
Scale model Traction engines
Sunday 22nd May and we cycled to the Sir Walter Tyrell inn for Sunday lunch. Would recommend, the food being excellent. Moe has a new battery for her bike and performance (of the bike, that is) is back to normal.
Monday was our 30th Wedding anniversary and we had a trip to and picnic to Fordingbridge. BBQ in the evening.
Wednesday was our penultimate day in the New Forest and we drove to Lymington for the day.
Last year we managed to book this three week stay at Black Knowl, Brockenhurst which is one of our favourite campsites. It’s also one of the Caravan Club’s most popular sites so we had to be early off the mark in gaining this reservation.
Black Knowl CAMC site
The sign at the entrance to the campsite has shown full for each day of our visit so far. That’s a pretty good effort when the price of a pitch and two adults is more than £40 per night! We arrived about 45 minutes after the barriers opened and they’d already checked in some 26 outfits. We had a choice of just two pitches but by placing the van onto our pitch “nose” first, we were able to be positioned to take full advantage of the predicted sunny afternoons and evenings.
We have already booked next years trip and we were even faster, managing to secure a fully Serviced pitch for May 2023.
We had arrived at Black Knowl after around a three hour trip along the South coast from East Devon and quickly had the toys unloaded and the awning erected.
Our pitch at Black Knowl
All in time for an evening stroll around the woods near Ober corner. The weather forecast is great and there was a nice sunset to be seen on our walk.
Sunset in the Forest, May 2022
Friday we did the circular walk from the campsite to Brockenhurst and back across the meadows, encountering a new born foal, full of energy.
New Forest new born foal
Saturday and we headed out on the bikes for a 30 mile round trip to the pub, passing through a magnificent Bluebell display at the start of the journey.
Bluebells in the New Forest
Refreshments at the Royal Oak, Fritham
This particular venue is the Royal Oak at Fritham. Has a nice selection of real ales but after the journey from the campsite something a bit more refreshing was required – Equinox cider. Saturday evening is also Fish and Chips night, courtesy of Tony’s Frying machine, so much of the healthy work from the bike ride vanished with cider and fish and chips. The Royal Oak has a great beer garden and also a huge Marquee in case of any inclement weather!
Our route back took us along small country lanes, the journey time being just over an hour.
Cycle ride to the Royal Oak at Fritham, May 2022
Sunday is “rest” day. Cycled into Brockehurst for some provisions and the newspaper and then chilled. Tomorrow we head to Hayling Island.
We left Camping Monfrague on Tuesday 29th March 2022 around 09:00 with another 300 mile tow ahead to Santander. Traffic was clear and we arrived at Camping el Helguero near to the coastal town of Comillas around 4pm. The site is pretty level, clean, functional and being the only one open on this stretch of the coastline was pretty busy with travellers mainly waiting a day or two prior to their departure back to England.
Our pitch at Camping el Helguero
Our ferry, the Pont Aven was due to leave Santander at 16:00 on Thursday and this left us a day to visit Comillas. The weather continued it’s cold and damp feel as we caught a local bus on Wednesday morning.
Had a spot of lunch in town, took a few photos (below) and then waited for the bus back – which didn’t arrive – leaving us with a 5km walk back to the campsite!
Beach at Comillas
View over Comillas
Centre of Comillas
We were pleased to board the ferry on Thursday afternoon, destination Blighty.
Our ferry was due to arrive in Plymouth late morning, allowing a comfortable drive home but unfortunately, during the night, there had been a medical emergency and a lady was air-lifted to hospital. The boat had to travel towards France to allow the helicopter to land – either a distance issue or a sea swell issue – not sure which. This gave us a 4+ hour delay into Plymouth so we decided to find a CL site nearby.
Smallcombe farm was our chosen site and we arrived there around 5pm. The owners were very friendly and helpful, the facilities excellent for our one night stopover. Electric hookup and water on each pitch and a central service area with two toilets, shower and even a washing machine! It was just a 30 minute walk to the Church House Inn at Rattery and we walked there for dinner later that evening. Wonderful local country pub with several log burners providing a nice warm atmosphere
Pitch at Smallcombe Farm CL site
The Church House Inn, Rattery
Saturday we arrived home and started the process of unpacking!
We headed into Plasencia for provisions first thing. This included stopping at one of the Ruta de Pan bakeries in the centre of Plasencia – La Tahona de Esther. Moe bagged some delicious cakes and I ordered a rather nice looking loaf of bread.
We then drove to Jerte Valley.
The Jerte Valley, situated in the northern region of Extremadura is famous for the cherry blossom in Spring; an amazing spectacle when over two million trees bathe the valley sides in white.
Following a century-long family custom, the cherries are grown in the traditional way on terraces carved out of the high mountain sides of the Jerte Valley. We had arrived at the perfect time since the trees were in full bloom.
Chery Trees of the Jerte Valley
As we drove along the valley bottom, we spotted a signpost for a mirador and after a 10 minute drive, we found ourselves once again marvelling at the magnificent landscape, The concrete statues were a little more of a mystery but appeared to be in recognition of the local workers.
Mirador de La Memorie
Statues at the Mirador de La Memorie
Views across the Jerte valley
and a fab place to eat our bread from Esthers!
In the evening we ate at the campsite restaurant with Jenny and David.
We wanted to find a nice walk around the national park for Day 3. We were considering the red route which takes in all the significant landmarks and in total is 16km. We had already visited the information centre and the kind Spanish park warden lady had smiled sweetly and said it’s a nice easy route which should take around 3 hours.
When we visited to grab a map today, the second Spanish warden looked at us; then looked a second time and said maybe it will take 5 hours. What she clearly wanted to say was that perhaps there are more appropriate routes for a couple of oldies and one somewhat overweight oldie!
We decided on a shortened route which would still see the main sites but chop about 40% off the walk.
We joined the route at the car park near “Feuente del Frances” and trekked along the side of the river Tajo.
Alongside the River Tajo
Fauna alongside the River Tajo
Perhaps Joe needs to shed a pound or three
Alongside the River Tajo
We would arrive at Salto del Gitano where the large outcrop of rocks is home to the many vultures and birds of prey which inhabit this national park. We spent a while observing the sheer beauty of the location before heading onwards and upwards to the Castillo de Monfrague,
Moe observing the Griffin vultures
Salto del Gitano
We eventually arrived at the Castillo de Monfrague, 3 miles into the trail after a gruelling 3 hours. The last mile to the top of the castle was just brutal but it was certainly worth the effort. The views from the top of the world were absolutely stunning.
And we finally got to eat our packed lunch!
Views from the Castillo de Monfrague
You can just see the road bridge across the river which is where we departed for our hike today.
Views from Castillo de Monfrague
Top of the world
And finally a late lunch
The return journey was all down hill and a darn sight faster the route to the top. Fantastic hike, maybe next time we can do the full 16k. Here is what we managed to achieve.
A cold and bright start to our second day at Monfrague. We kitted out the bikes and set off along a via verde (traffic free cycle route). The via verde starts just a few metres along the main road outside the campsite and follows the Madrd to Badajoz railway line. The via verde itself is most likely constructed on an earlier version of this railway line.
It’s a strange route because despite the length and quality of this off-road cycle track, there isn’t really a notable end point. In fact the start is only marked by a roadside cafe, the only spot for refreshments. The trail just ends; a few kilometers short of La Bazagona although it’s not clear that La Bazagona itself has any shops, cafes or services.
The route has no other facilities, such as picnic benches or toilets. It’s all incredibly unspoilt.
We had cycled for about the first 10 miles of the trail, without realising we hadn’t brought any puncture repair kit or any tools with of any sort with us. We decided that at 10 miles this would be the furthest either of us would want to walk back with a wounded bike! So we turned around at that point.
The countryside is great, but the most notable aspect of the ride was the sheer tranquility of the setting. Not a sound from a car or any agricultural machinery. Just stunning quiet broken only by birdsong, the occasional field of cattle and goats with their bells. Oh, and two trains passed by on the new railway line.
Monfrague via verde
Camping Monfrage via verde
Monfrague via verde
Views from the via verde
Via verde was blocked by a tribe of goats
via verde old meets new
The warm weather stayed with us throughout the afternoon and we ate a BBQ back at the caravan.
We woke up to another damp and dismal day at Camping Monfrague in the middle of the autonomous region of Extremadura. This is a fine name for this mountainous region of Spain and we hope the weather will allow us a little time to explore.
The campsite is next to one of the visitor centres and we pay a visit to obtain some leaflets and details of walks and cycle rides in the area.
Monfrague National park comprises an area in excess of 18,000 hectares stretching along the river Tagus, and surrounded by areas of oak-covered parkland. It provides an important refuge for many rare species of Mediterranean wildlife. Due to its well preserved woodland and scrubland and in the presence of endangered fauna, this is one of the more remarkable nature reserves in Europe.
The park maintains a population of more than 250 Black vulture breeding pairs, the largest breeding colony in the world. There are Spanish Imperial Eagles, Black Storks and Iberian Lynx.
Here are some of the birds living in the park.
The birds of Monfrague
During the afternoon we headed off in the car to visit various viewpoints and armed with our binoculars, attempted to identify some of the rich bird-life at Monfrague.
Here is our afternoon in pictures- we had seen a number of Black Vultures and Griffin vultures along with some terrific scenery.
Views across Monfrague national park
Moe viewing the vultures
Monfrague National Park Hydroelectric power generation
Griffin Vulture – click image to expand
Black Vultures
Probably the premier vulture viewpoint
We headed to the campsite bar and restaurant for a few drinks and dinner with a couple from North Yorkshire – my home county.
This would be our final week at Camping La Rosaleda in Conil. The weather has not improved and the forecast shows no signs of improvement whatsoever. Just lots of rain and cool temperatures.
We decided we will head off today. We took down the awning last weekend during a morning of dry and sunny weather and that proved to be a good decision. Not only did it rain later that day but there were very strong winds, in excess of 60 mph.
We hit the bar on Sunday for Ester’s leaving do. She has been a terrific asset to the campsite and its guests and she will be sorely missed. We make a snap decision last night that we will leave today and don’t have the time to say Cheerio to everyone. Just as well perhaps as the number of Covid cases at the site is ticking up.
We have a relatively early start and a 300 mile drive ahead of us to the National Park in Extremadura – Monfrague National park. We are on the road just before 09:00 and have a smooth and quiet journey to Plasencia, arriving at the campsite around 3:45pm
Camping Monfrague National park
The campsite is somewhat ramshackle and we are told to find ourselves a pitch and no need to advise reception where it is. The pitches are of poor quality, not very level and right now, extremely muddy. We find ourselves a plot on the edge of the site on a sloping but relatively dry pitch.
We manage to forage for some concrete blocks to level the outfit and we settle down to our first night at Camping Monfrague.
Our sloping pitch at Camping Monfrague
Our sloping pitch at Camping Monfrague
View from our pitch at Camping Monfrague
The toilet and washing facilities are clean, functional but somewhat brutal with regards to aesthetics!
