2024 – The first tow with the California Ocean

Well it’s been a long journey in many ways. This is the short version. Finally, early in 2024 (after a 6 month hiatus) we hitched up the caravan for the first time and towed from East Devon to Cadiz, crossing the sea from Portsmouth to Santander.

Our previous towcar was a Kia Sorento (a succession of three in fact) and we were somewhat nervous about how this outfit would perform in comparison.

Our California Ocean (Nellie) is the 204PS version with all-weather Bridgestone tyres. I’ve seen some concerns on various forums about these but so far no problems for us.

These are our thoughts and experiences so far, in no particular order.

The power of the 204PS is more than enough for our 1600kg van (fully loaded). On one hill start under wet conditions we noticed a small amount of wheel spin. The 4-Motion (not available when we ordered) would have been a nice, but expensive, add-on.
Cruising on the motorways you really don’t fell any instability whatsoever. It exceeds our experiences with the Kia Sorento which I find remarkable. On bumpy roads the Cali is firmly in control whereas with the Kia, there would always be a little bit of feedback from the caravan in such conditions.
We averaged 25mpg which on this journey is 25% more than we achieved with the Kia. That’s no disrespect to the powerhouse of the Sorento but the bikes on top are very aerodynamically unfriendly.
The 80l fuel tank upgrade we purchased, coupled with the extra MPG is a real gamechanger
The Bike Rack sits on the tailgate of the Cali and I can load the bikes without the high-wire act of a lighweight 3-step ladder. I asked on many forums if there was any chance under a hard lock whilst reversing that the rack might snarl with the front of the caravan. All responses were positive and our experience is that the there is a large space under all possible lock conditions. We can now discard the stepladder from our packing
Once Bikes are loaded onto the rear rack, forget opening the tailgate. If you’ve left a key piece of equipment in there needed during the tow, it’s going to mean removing both bikes
Comfort wise, the cabin on the Cali is very comfortable and it was an effortless tow to the South of Spain. Plenty of gadgets and the Adaptive Cruise Control is a game changer!
Still getting to grips with the packing. The reason for the Cali is for us to be able to head off from the Caravan and explore areas for just a few days. Deciding what should be in the Caravan versus campervan and then which part of the campervan is definitely going to require more work. The usable boot space in the Cali is not as big as the Sorento.
Space is tight out of our house and around the locality and we wondered if the Cali would be more of an issue negotiating the busy streets and tight turns but again, no problems out first time.

Eurotrip 11, 2024, – First week in Spain

This is a trip of many firsts – several most un-wanted!

Moe has gradually been improving from her respiratory illness and two courses of antibiotics – the latter started just a few days before our departure taking the duration of her illness to more than a calendar month. Ideally we would have pushed our departure back a few days but all of the Brittany Ferry crossings in January were fully booked.

She also forgot to bring enough of one of her inhalers and it’s our first time in Spain when the Pharmacies have refused to sell us prescription medication over-the-counter. We tried three different Pharmacies before heading to a Private Clinic where they prepared Spanish prescriptions for a fee of Euros 30.

A word of warning – Flu and Covid rates are on the rise here in Spain. Masks are now compulsory in Healthcare settings.

Flu and Covid rates are increasing, Spain 2024

The second first was our new Towcar – the California Ocean. After a dreadful period of ownership due to a leaking pop-top (affecting an extensive number of vehicles manufactured in MY23) we appear to be finally close to a robust VW fix. This meant though that this was the first time we had towed the caravan with this vehicle.

The towing credentials of the California are impressive – we have the 204PS version but not 4-wheel drive (which wasn’t an option when we ordered ours). You really don’t know the caravan is on the back. Even when you hit some bumpy road, the outfit stays solid with no buffeting of the Cali at all.

The first leg of the journey was from Santander to Caceres – in total some 368 miles – completed in around 7 hours. Snow was falling on the high ground from Santander but the roads were clear and the snow ploughs were out and about.

Snow on the high ground from Santander 6 Jan 2024

Preparations to keep the roads from Santander clear – 06 Jan 2024

We were allocated a large plot at Caceres, complete with our personal toilet block but with overnight temperatures below zero degrees, some heating in the private facilities would have been welcome.

Our outfit and pitch at Camping Caceres, Spain 2024

This left us with a circa 260 mile journey on Sunday from Caceres to Conil de la Frontera. After a late start we had completed this and arrived at Camping La Rosaleda just after 3:00pm. We were greeted as old friends by the campsite reception and presented with a bottle of Rosaleda’s Christmas wine!

Our welcome gift from Camping La Rosaleda, Spain 2024

Our new double plot is fantastic. So much room for the Cali, caravan and awning. With us both being under the weather it did take a few days before we had cleaned most of the journey’s grime from the caravan and erected the awning etc.

Our double plot at Camping La Rosaleda, Spain 2024

There a lots of familiar faces here again at Rosaleda with the site fairly close to a sell-out. The English contingent seems to decrease a little more each year as we all work out how we want to allocate our 90 days in the EU. For us this year, we will only stay for 6 weeks as Moe has some medical appointments in February but this does then give us the opportunity for another trip in June / July.

Joe went on one one of his favourite cycle rides, from the campsite heading through the woods to Nova Sancti Petri and then back along the coastal road and clifftops before descending into Conil.

Thursday night was the first communal meal and the restaurant was packed for the food and subsequent Flamenco dancing.

Communal meal and Flamenco dancing, Rosaleda Spain 2024

Our favourite bread-shop – La Cremita, at Chiclana de la Frontera is still baking the most fabulous loaves of bread.

Bread selection at La Cremita, Chiclana de la Frontera, Spain 2024

Eurotrip 11, 2024 – Day 1, Hola, Bienvenido a Salamanca

Salamanca is one of the new LPG powered ships from Brittany Ferries and we are presently on-board her for our sailing from Portsmouth to Santander.

it’s been a difficult few days preparation for our first trip of 2024. Moe has had a bad cold since mid-December and a subsequent chest infection. Close to the end of her second round of antibiotics she declared herself fit to travel. That left Joe to complete the sale of the old towcar, pack the new towcar, caravan, sort out the allotment, and much more besides. All in persistent rain!

Our trusty Kia Sorento was collected by the buyers on the day of departure.

Finally, we left East Devon in our outfit pulled by “Nellie”. Our departure day, 4th January 2024 will be remembered for Storm Henk. As if Blighty wasn’t already sodden after what seems like the wettest Autumn and Winter ever, Henk dumped another deluge of rain and turned our usual 3 hour trip to Portsmouth into a 5 hour nightmare.

Despite flooding everywhere and roads virtually impassable we reached the port around 7pm.

Close to the port of Portsmouth lies the Ship and Castle Inn. An oasis in the desert of industrial units, port workings and office blocks. A well earned pint of London Pride was waiting for Joe.

We had booked our ferry crossing back in July shortly after the booking window opened and we managed to secure one of the posh cabins which includes access to the fully inclusive “Commodore Lounge”. All food and drinks are complimentary but at an add-on price of £85 it isn’t a cheap option if it’s not included with the cabin.

After the numerous storms, the Bay of Biscay today is calm. Perhaps not a millpond but certainly more than we had hoped for.

Our arrival at Santander is scheduled for 08:00 Spanish time at the port of Santander.

2024 – out with the old towcar

Our trusty Kia Sorento – the third one, picture Dec 2024

We had just a month to sell our Kia Sorento before we headed off to Spain with our new Towcar – the California Ocean. First job was to invest £150 with Black Diamond Valeting in Budleigh Salterton. They did a brilliant job in bringing the vehicle to a showroom finish. Whilst we have always looked after our cars well, this hasn’t really extended to detailing and polishing but the car did look fantastic afterwards.

Selling

Our first port of call was webuyanycar.com and as expected, they came in with quite a low valuation of £13,700 which would have almost certainly been knocked down at appraisal time.

motorway.co.uk and carwow.co.uk were both indicating a reserve price of around £15k with a possible selling price of slightly more than £15.5k.

We had some issues with the carwow website so went with motorway although by the time we had finished, I think both sites had their a faire share of clunky bits of process.

carwow and motorway are essentially auction sites and the motorway auction happened very quickly (maybe same day or next day) and the car “sold” for just under £16k. After the sale you are at the behest of the purchasing dealer and the communications with our lot were poor. They knew we wanted the car collecting before Christmas but faffed around and said it might be a few weeks into January and then went quiet. motorway weren’t very proactive and within 3 working days it was clear this was going nowhere.

The purchasing dealer was I think a Citroen dealer and the purchase didn’t seem to fit their website profile. My theory is that they had someone asking about a Sorento, won my auction and were then waiting for a customer deposit before actually completing the deal.

We then moved onto carwow and the listing and interaction with the carwow business was much more professional. Essentially the same kind of process, the winning bidder turned out to be a big car supermarket, Carbase, a selling price again for just shy of £16k. We had a hiccup with the collection which this time was genuinely delayed by the Christmas holidays but the first guy from the ecomotive logistics company didn’t show. ecomotive knew the deadlines but seemed unwilling to make a real effort to find a replacement.

After escalating, finally they found someone to collect the next morning – our departure date for Portsmouth – Santander. The chap who did turn up from ecomotive was thorough, fair and very nice guy. He reported his findings to Carbase and a few minutes later the £16k was in my account without any haggling. The logistics guy did say that carbase like to buy quality used cars and he felt they would not be disappointed with my Kia Sorento. I agreed with him wholeheartedly!

As I think I stated earlier, one is at the behest of the purchasing dealer but in my limited experience, carwow were much the better company to deal with. webuyanycar were just to low with the pricing.

The Kia Sorento is now up for sale at Carbase for £19.5k and given they’ll inevitable have to move on the price etc, I’m pleased with the outcome.

Destination Horton-In-Ribblesdale

An early start on Monday morning and breakfast with our friends Keith and Carolyn. Bacon butties and a nice coffee before the next leg of our journey to Mytholmroyd.

This was our third day of Motorway driving and the third time we had left due to accidents and road closures. This section of the M1 is one of the latest “unsmart” motorway sections and from first spotting the emergency lights of the fire engine, it took 20 minutes for them to pass our vehicle with two fire-fighters leading the way on foot guiding a route through the four lanes.

We arrived at the CAMC site at Mytholmroyd early afternoon and would need a quick turn-around before walking to the station and catching the train to Brighouse. This proved rather easy because yet again, Joe had somehow managed to book a Caravan Club site without any toilet and shower facilities. This is becoming an frequent error!

Once at Brighouse we were entertained by Richard and Jennifer, who we met at Camping Rosaleda in Spain. Richard had spent most of the day preparing the speciality Spanish dish “Chicharrones”. These are produced from pork belly and are not entirely dissimilar to pork scratchings – only much nicer.

For tea, he fired up the Wood pizza oven and we ate some delicious Pizzas, complemented with home-grown produce from his allotment. Another baking hot day in this mini late-summer heatwave with temperatures around 26C.

Tuesday morning we drove a little further North, through Skipton and along to Knaresborough for two nights at the Knaresborough Caravan and Motorhome site.

Our pitch at Knaresborough CAMC site, Sep 2023

We met friends at the RHS Gardens at Harlow Carr near Harrogate. This is the most Northerly of all the RHS gardens and it’s location presents challenges and opportunities representative of the region.

The landscape here is diverse, with managed woodlands, streamside plantings, lavish and ornamental herbaceous borders, wildflower meadows and small-scale model gardens. Collectively they illustrate different garden styles, types of planting, methods of supporting wildlife, ideas for greening grey spaces, and strategies for mitigating the effects of extreme weather.

Tuesday was a chance to catch up with an ex-work colleague Paul, for a couple of beers and a curry in Knaresborough.

Wednesday morning and a short drive from Knaresborough to The Rowe House CL at Horton-in-Ribblesdale. The weather continues to be hot and sunny with highs above 25C. Perfect (and unusual) weather for this part of North Yorkshire.

On arrival at Horton-In-Ribblesdale, disaster struck our pop-top and it appears that one of the electric pistons has failed. We did eventually manage to lower it and were able to continue our trip crouched in the van. Another trip back to the dealers…

The Rowe House CL site is a grass site on the edge of the village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale with stunning views across Penyghent.

This landscape and the current weather is a long way from the experiences of my Grandad who lived in the village of Langcliffe and worked on the Settle-to-Carlisle railway line – I gather on the maintenance side of the viaduct and the Blea Moor tunnel. He left home on a Monday morning working daylight hours and only returning home on Saturday evening for his weekend off – 36 hours…

We spent the first day walking around Ribblehead and I took the opportunity to launch the drone and take some pictures of the viaduct. It’s a short train journey North from Horton-In-Ribblesdale.

Click on the images below to enlarge…

Walking along the path towards Whernside, you reach the Blea Moor signal box which is currently being renovated by Network rail. This is still a 24 hour facility but un-manned. Alongside is a famous cottage which has been for sale for 2 years at the price of £250,000. It sold only recently and is accessible over a two mile farmers track and has no electricity, gas, water or sewage. This will be quite the project.

In the evening we ate at the Station Inn at Ribblehead and watched the steam train returning from Carlisle. This was a York – Carlisle – York excursion.

On Friday, Moe took the train North to Appleby and I headed south into Settle for a class of 72 mini-reunion. Six of us enjoyed an afternoon of beers before the Skiptonian contingent headed back on the last bus.

Moe joined me in Settle for evening Fish and Chips which were excellent.

Saturday and we left the stunning location of Horton-in-Ribblesdale and our view of Penyghent from the Camper van.

Arriving at the Wharfedale CAMC club site just after 13:00, we headed straight to the avenue to watch the Yorkshire derby (Rugby Union) between Wharfedale and Rotherham. Alas for the Wharfedale supporters, Rotherham left with all the spoils after a 34 – 19 point victory despite a blistering start from Wharfedale who went into the half-time break ahead by 14-3.

Our pitch at Wharfedale CAMC site, Sep 2023

Even the lambs are finding the weather a little warm, Sep 2023

Sunday and we drove down to Reading to see family and stay with our friends Dave and Tracey. We were treat to yet another lovely BBQ and a proper bed for the night. The last three nights without the pop-top have not been comfortable and relaxing.

We returned home Monday after a full-on week away in the Campervan enjoying this hot September heatwave.

The slow way North

We left East Devon yesterday morning (Saturday) for a leisurely drive North. It’s going to take 5 days before we reach the most northerly stop on this late summer tour, Horton-In-Ribblesdale.

Nellie is comfortable and easy-to-drive and we reached our first stop, Moreton-in-Marsh in the afternoon. We would spend just one night at the Caravan and Motorhome club site which is conveniently located for the town with a short walk across fields to the high street.

The buildings in Moreton-in-Marsh are the stunning Cotswold light brown / yellow sandstone. We think this is the public hall.

We found the Bell Inn for later afternoon refreshments before heading back to the van for tea.

Not a particularly early start to Sunday, but we drove North to Kedleston Hall, a National Trust Property a few miles away from Derby.

Kedleston Hall is one of the finest and most complete examples of an 18th century show palace and parkland in Britain. We walked around the park, gardens and lakes but ran out of time to step inside the Hall and discover the Curzon family’s collection of fine art, furniture and Asian objects. We did have time to look around the church, which is no longer used for regular worship.

Late in the afternoon we headed to the Bulls Head, a few miles outside of Belper. This is our first pub stopover and we received a very warm welcome at the Inn. Food is reasonably priced and absolutely first class.

Sunday Roast at the Bulls Head, near Belper

We have parked in the corner of the car park and have everything on board Nellie for our stay here at the Bulls Head.

Our pitch at the Bulls Head, near Belper

Nellie’s maiden trip to Axmouth

And so our Cali now has a name. She is called Nellie because Moe thinks she’s big and grey.

Nellie has been kitted out with pots and pans, an array of kitchen utensils and of course a small toilet. A morning’s shopping at the soon-to-be defunct Wilko and of course IKEA, has lined the various storage locations with an array of boxes and packing solutions.

To try all of this out, Saturday we set off to the small estuary village of Axmouth, less than an hours drive from our home, arriving at Axmouth Camping and Caravanning site on the edge of the Axe estuary just after lunch. We had booked a pitch with electric hookup but decided that we should try living off grid for the weekend. This allowed us to occupy one of the pitches alongside the River Axe with views across the estuary to Seaton and the Seaton tramway.

The wardens were extremely friendly and helpful and the facilities, whilst perhaps being a little dated are very clean.

With the help of Nellie’s on-board levelling meters we were pitched up perfectly next the to the Axe.

Views from our Pitch

Views across the River Axe towards Seaton and the Tramway

Saturday night and we booked a table at the Ship Inn at Axmouth, just a few minutes walk from the campsite. This restaurant has been in the same hands since 2011 which is unusual these days. It is however fortunate for the local community because the food is absolutely first rate.

I ate a Calamari starter and a main of Hake filet in a crab sauce. Absolutely excellent. Even more outstanding was Moe’s breaded chicken which had a tantalising array of flavours.

Food at the Ship Inn, Axmouth, August 2023

Sunday, and with the previous evening excesses to be worked off, we departed from Axmouth to Seaton and then along the South West coastal path to Beer.

A 6 mile round trip hike in total. Half of which was level and along the Seaton beach. From Seaton Hole to Beer and back is somewhat more challenging.

After a couple of Beers at the Anchor Inn in Beer we re-traced our route back to Axmouth, stopping at the local supermarket for evening provisions.

We have a wet night ahead so will see how the pop-top performs…

Our new Towcar

It’s been a very busy couple of weeks since we picked her up, and have spent only one solitary night trying things out. In fact, we had booked into a Caravan and Motorhome site just a few miles away from the dealership (on purchase day) only to be asked on arrival “You do know we haven’t any facilities?…”. Ha, all we had was two pillows and sleeping bags so a fraught hour or so trying to find an alternative site!!

Haven’t towed the caravan yet but she drives beautifully. Plenty of power and the DSG box is great.

We need a name for this large grey (“Indium grey”) beast.

Time for a replacement tug…

On our way to the big smoke to hopefully purchase a new-to-us tow car.

Our Kia has been excellent but with the not too distant demise of the Diesel engine, it’s time for something a bit newer which will hopefully support our touring days for many years ahead.

Enjoy retirement, Mr Sorento.

10:30 to London Waterloo.

Glastonbury 2023, Trip to Wells

Wells is the smallest city in England and home of Wells Cathedral, the mother church of the diocese of Bath and Wells.

There was an ongoing tussle for control in the diocese between the canons of Wells and the monks of the Bath Abbey of St Peter and Paul.

The Abbey of St Peter & Paul became the cathedral of the rechristened Diocese of Bath and Glastonbury from 1090–1245. In that year Pope Innocent IV decreed that henceforth the diocese would be known as Bath and Wells, with its cathedral in Wells.

On our way to the cathedral, we passed the parish church of St Cuthberts and a pretty historical street of Almshouses.

And finally the impressive West front of Wells Cathedral appeared in our view.

Built as a Roman Catholic cathedral from around 1175, it became an Anglican cathedral when King Henry VIII split from Rome. It is moderately sized for an English Cathedral and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful and poetic of English Cathedrals.

Its Gothic architecture is mostly inspired from the early English style of the late 12th 13th centuries.

We joined a tour of the cathedral and spent exactly an hour with our witty and knowledgeable tour guide.

The culmination of the tour was watching the Astronomical clock strike 1pm.

The astronomical clock is in the North transept of the cathedral and the surviving mechanism was dated between 1386 and 1392, was replaced in the 19th century and was eventually moved to the Science museum in London, where it continues to operate.

Against a background of stars, the Sun (the large gilded star on the outer ring) moves in a circle, and indicates the time using the 24-hour analogue dial, which is marked in Roman numerals from I to XII, then from I to XII again. Noon is at the top of the dial reflecting the position of the Sun in the sky at this time.

Astronomical Clock, Wells Cathedral, 2023

In the corners, four angels hold the four cardinal winds. These may be generating the power that makes the universe operate.

The minutes are indicated by a smaller star on the ring inside.

The inner circle shows the moon; the central moon symbol is much larger than the outer sun symbol. A pointer indicates the age of the moon, between 1 and 30 days. The black and white disk above the centre shows the moon’s phase. The white disk rotates once in a synodic month. Opposite the Moon circle is a weighted pivoted disc, containing a small painting of Phoebe, representing the Moon.

At the centre of the dial, the ball represents the Earth, and the clouds suggest the same.

Above the clock and to the right is a figure, known as Jack Blandifers, or Blandiver, who hits a bell with a hammer held in his right hand and two bells hung beneath him with his heels. A set of jousting knights also chase each other every 15 minutes.

Astronomical Clock, Wells Cathedral, 2023

Before the highlight of the one hour tour (which was free and highly recommended) we were guided through the various parts of the cathedral. Some highlights are below along with some narrative I remember from the guide.

There are a plethora of carvings on top of all the pillars. Many of these have little religious meaning and it is believed that the stone masons had a fairly liberal agenda whilst working on the cathedral. The lizard on the right below was estimated by a local professional to take an entire month to carve. And there are so many carvings!

The scissor arches, which often visitors believe to be later, modern additions were actually constructed from 1338-48 as an engineering solution to a very real problem.

By 1313 a high tower topped by a lead covered wooden spire had been constructed but as the foundations were not stable large cracks began to appear in the tower structure.

In fear of a total collapse, several attempts at internal strengthening and buttressing were made, until the famous ‘scissor arches’ were put in place by master mason William Joy as a solution.

Nave and Scissor arch, Wells Cathedral, 2023

The Jesse stained glass window from the 14th century is one of the most beautiful examples of Medievalglass in the country. The window, in its dominant colours of green and gold, depicts a Jesse tree and shows the family and ancestors of Christ, Jesse being the father of King David.

It dates from about 1340 and, considering its age, is still remarkably intact.

One of the most exquisite features is the chapter house also on the north side, approached via a delightfully timeworn staircase and covered by a particularly attractive vaulted ceiling. It is one of the highlights of the building and shouldn’t be missed. The cloisters on the south side are also a delight to wander through and were one of the last major additions to the cathedral.

Vicars’ Close was built over 650 years ago to house the Vicars’ Choral and it continues to be inhabited by their successors today. Vicars’ Close is unique, physically connected to Wells Cathedral and the oldest intact medieval street in Europe (1348) still used for its original purpose.

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