A three mile circular walk from the Ramslade Caravan and Motorhome club site.
Stoke Gabriel Aish circular walk
StandardThe Middle Dart Valley walk
StandardThis walk uses mainly surfaced paths and trails between Totnes and Dartington featuring one of Devon’s most historic towns, a rebuilt medieval hall, classic 20th Century architecture and a craft centre.
It starts and ends in Totnes and is between 5 and 6 miles duration. Difficulty class is “Easy” but we’ve been burnt by that one before!
The walk starts at the bottom of Fore Street at the lowest bridging point of the River Dart, built in 1828. On one side of the bridge is Totnes and on the other side, the ancient suburb of Bridgetown.
The walk follows the River Dart upstream, past (under) the modern road bridge which carries the Totnes relief road. From there, the walk continues past Totnes Riverside railway station which is the heritage line from Totnes to Buckfastleigh.
This path eventually crosses the long winding drive to Dartington Hall which we followed up to the main Hall. We had lunch at the cafe before continuing along the upper road towards Dartington village, past the sports fields before re-joining the multi-use path along the River Dart, ultimately re-tracing our steps back to Totnes. The total walk was around 6 miles.
Ruby Front Bulkhead problem identification
StandardFirst trip of 2021 and only nine months since our Sterling Eccles Ruby SE had a replacement rear panel and there’s a problem with the front bulkhead.
Arriving on-site, Moe noticed the front nearside winding nut had drop and it was difficult to locate the winder onto it. Also, there appeared some damage to the trim as if there had been vertical movement of the front end as we travelled down from East Devon to Stoke Gabriel.
As I keep a close eye on the various caravanning forums this movement alerted me to the front bulkhead problem with some Swift Caravans. The same problem as the caravans recalled from manufacturing year 2017 but the cause slightly different (allegedly).
Next was to examine the angle bracket securing the caravan sidewall to the bulkhead. On our 2015 Sterling Eccles this is hidden behind two cosmetic panels which have been stuck to the side wall of the caravan. These are glued with mastic and were easy tease away from the side panels.
You can see the cosmetic cover lying flat in the picture. Difficult to see in the image but EVERY single screw in the sidewall has sheared off.
In the inside of the van, the securing screws between the front shelf and vertical panels were also loose. In the case of the nearside screw, this had completely fallen out, the offside screw just loose.
On the offside of the van, the decorative panel within the gas locker was also removed and this revealed all screws were loose to varying degrees. However, non had sheared off and damage seems very limited in this area.
I haven’t got any pictures from underneath the caravan but there is movement between the sidewall and the floor. This is highly suggestive of that a number of the screws securing the sidewall to the floor have also loosened and sheared off.
This nearside will require the full attention of the Swift procedure on rectifying this problem (see next post).
Postlockdown tour – week 1 summary
StandardIt’s been a busy week and we seem to have been all over the place. Returned home one night as Moe had a hospital appointment. All is ok – she was referred by a GP and had the consultation within 1 week of the referral. I think maybe the hospitals have a bit of spare capacity now that Covid admissions are on the decline.
Another trip back today (Friday) for Moe’s second Covid vaccination.
And in between, we managed to spend some time with our friends Rich and Ruth who arrived last Monday.
One visit to the National Trust site at Coleton Fishacre and a return to the River Shack riverside cafe at Stoke Gabriel.
Weather has been mainly dry but still very cold for the time of year.
Today (Friday), an abandoned circular walk via Aish as the heavens opened. Much unseasonal and unwanted rain and sleet.
Ilsington Circular walk
StandardThe Ilsington circular walk starts and ends at the Carpenters Arms in Ilsington. It is described as an “easy” walk. If you truly want a easy circular walk there’s one around the village which should take just five or ten minutes and you can start and finish with a few pints.
If you want 4.5 miles of gruelling track with steep ascents and descents then skip the beer before and set off on this walk. How on earth it can be described as easy is beyond me. Yes, it’s a short walk of just 4.5 miles and perfectly suitable for mountain goats.
A pint afterwards in the Carpenters Arms was most pleasant but alas, the good lady chose not to drive the narrow lanes of Dartmoor. So just the one.
A few pictures below from the walk.
Stoke Gabriel and the River Shack
StandardThere aren’t many pubs and restaurants open in the near area but we managed to find the River Shack in Stoke Gabriel.
It’s about a 20 minute walk from the campsite to Stoke Gabriel and the cafe is located directly on the River Dart.
The location is stunning and despite another sunny day, a wicked wind was blowing off the river – challenging some five layers of clothing.
Food and cider was good – we would recommend the fish of the day (Mackerel fillets served on a Sourdough) and fish (Hake) Tacos.
If you visit the area, check out the Shack.
Across the border…
StandardSadly not across the border to the warmer climate of Europe.
Today we travelled to Cotehele just across the Devon – Cornwall border. The weather turned warm and sunny in the afternoon but the morning was grey and cloudy with an associated bitterly east wind. A trend set to continue for a number of days.
Cotehele is a medieval house with Tudor additions, situated in the parish of Calstock in the east of Cornwall, England. It is a rambling granite and slate-stone manor house on the banks of the River Tamar that has been little changed over five centuries. It was built by the Edgecumbe family in 1458 after the original Manor House was pulled down. Sir Richard Edgecumbe came into the property after fighting for Henry Tudor in the Battle of Bosworth.
Whilst the Manor House and other properties were closed due to Covid restrictions, the formal gardens and trails were all open. This ranks as one of the better National Trust estates we have visited.
A selection of stunning pictures below.
Arrival at Ramslade CMC
StandardIt’s the 21st April, 2021 and Lockdown pretty much ended 9 days ago – officially or un-officially. Being in the middle of our latest Landscaping project, we had delayed our arrival time by one week in order to finish grouting the Patio.
Weather has been dry and sunny for much of April but un-seasonally cold. This is forecast to continue for the first week or two of our trip.
The travel to Ramslade at Stoke Gabriel was quick (about an hour from caravan storage) and un-eventful.
The erection of the awning was troublesome, as it’s been an entire year since we used this one. Anyhow, all sorted by the evening.
End of the Indian Summer trip, 2020
StandardFriday was a lazy day with Moe having a migraine. Fortunately by Saturday this had cleared-up and we headed to Wareham and the Ape Rescue centre, Monkeyworld.
Our daughter and partner had bought tickets for us all last Christmas so this was a perfect opportunity to visit the centre. The weather was dry and sunny but wickedly cold. All of the outdoor exhibits were open but no indoor ones and masks had to be worn at all times.
Some of the great un-washed clearly deemed this to be optional but not for the four of us.
Sunday we had an outside table booked at the Oak Inn near Lyndhurst. It took an hour and a half to cycle, mainly off road with the exception of the last mile which was along the busy A35.
The route back was via Brockenhurst and pretty much totally off-road. I’d remembered to activate “Map my ride” for the return journey so our return route is below. Another very cold day with a strong Northerly wind.
Monday we returned to the Jolly Sailor near Hamble-le-Rice to meet my ex business partner for lunch. The weather is much warmer and it was very pleasant alongside the banks of the River Hamble.
We packed up in the late afternoon and headed back to East Devon on Tuesday morning. The van needs a clean and then it will be put to bed for the next 6 months. We have already booked many trips for next year but expect we will cancel Christmas and New Year at Hillhead (Brixham). Without the chance to visit the local pubs and restaurants, we have decided to remain at home. Still, we have several building projects all part-completed so lots to do.
Until 2021…
From Hamble to the New Forest, 2020
StandardOne can almost see the New Forest from Hamble, just a short distance across the Solent but it still took an hour and a half to drive the 30 odd miles from Hamble to the New Forest Centenary Club site, part of the Caravan and Motorhome club.
We had one last day in Hamble (Monday), another gorgeous day but approaching the final embers of our Indian summer and now facing the prospect of the 6 most cold and wet months in an English season (our usual Spanish adventures are looking out of reach; Florida is not happening). We headed back to the Marina at Hamble for a picnic lunch and then spent the afternoon reading at the same location.
As the temperatures cooled down in the later afternoon we headed off for a walk around Hamble – this is really a stunning little town.
It was nice enough for a BBQ in the evening.
Tuesday was time to move on and for the very first time, we hadn’t done a single task previously in getting ready for the move. Consequently it took 3.5 hours to dismantle everything, load the bikes and secure everything for our short journey to the New Forest.
We were delayed as per normal around Lyndhurst but arrived before our allocated time at the Centenary club site. We were allowed access right away and chose a nice spacious corner position.
It took just a couple of hours to setup and the latest awning not much more than 30 minutes. This Kampa Legerra 260 Air Awning is easy to put up as it consists of just 1 air beam and maybe a dozen pegs. It isn’t though likely to outlast any of our others, particularly the Isabella(s) but it has done a good job for us – somewhere to keep the Dometic freezer and our shoes and coats.
Finally the weather turned cold and wet on Wednesday so a day of reading and a trip to Costco Southampton. Talk of an increase in lockdown restrictions and guess what – Toilet Roll is being rationed!
Thursday and another wet day. Picnic on the Quay at Mudeford and some walking along the coast. We were able to see six cruise liners all anchored near the coast, reminding us again of the strange times we live in.
