Moorish Trip - The End

As I've been stopping in a hotel since Thursday I haven't updated the blog but there were some highlights.

Thursday morning I decided to get an early start from Minehead so was off site by about 7am. If I do leave early I try and be as quiet as I can be of course! Having parked in Okehampton the first job was breakfast, I'd just walked to the high street when I spotted the Wetherspoons! Unusually there were a couple of very minor problems, I chased up my breakfast when a group I knew had ordered after me got theirs' first, then the sausage was missing. No real problem, easily sorted, I might have got a free coffee out of it but I'd gone for the free refills anyway!

I had a wander round the town, including looking round the small museum, but as it was wet and miserable I skipped the castle for another year and went to the hotel for lunch. The Manor House Hotel is a Sport, Craft and Spa hotel. Their activity weekends are great value and there's lots to do. We had a group of about 50 there and had a great time.

To fit with my usual activities I signed up for the Dartmoor walk, which had the advantage of a ride on the Dartmoor Railway. This is one of the shorter heritage lines (at least from Okehampton to Melden Viaduct which we did) and is run with diesel railcars. There wasn't much of a view as it was raining! The walk leader was very good and took us round some industrial heritage before we got back to the railway and, more critically, the buffet coach! The coffee and cake were very welcome. The Dartmoor is another very friendly volunteer run railway so is thoroughly recommended.

Other activities I took part in were Adventure Golf (we stopped counting strokes), Archery (I'll do that again) and I started a sign for the house. The run back from Devon is really just a slog. Even cutting across the Cotswolds doesn't alleviate the tedium that much but there's little alternative. I will be going on the weekend next year but I doubt I'll combine it with a holiday next time.

Little Trains - Moorish Trip Day 5

After travelling on the longest heritage railway in the country I visited one of the shortest. The Lynton and Barnstaple is a narrow gauge line currently just about a mile long, but with big plans for expansion. It's in a very picturesque setting on the moors with views of the coast.

The L&B features in the model railway press quite a bit these days as it's being used as the prototype for a number of ready-to-run models. One of the reasons I chose not to model narrow gauge was the absence of such stock, I don't regret the decision but it opens up more opportunities for modellers.

The other small railway of the day was the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway. This is a water balanced funicular between the two towns. These are always good fun if a little bit nerve wracking for anyone with a fear of heights. Lynmouth especially if a total tourist trap with a long line of cafes and gift shops, the Flood Memorial building is worth a visit though. I did also walk around Lynton, it's very hilly!

The roads around there have some very steep gradients, 25% (1 in 4 in old money) is quite common. The 'van managed ok but one thing I have to remember is that the petrol engine likes its revs. I ended up going up Porlock Hill in first gear having had to slow at the bottom. It's all part of the learning curve.

As Porlock is another pretty little village I decided to have a wander round. It was there that the gadding of the week finally caught up with me and I literally ran out of energy. It wasn't a problem but it cut the day a bit shorter than it might have been.

Back on site I settled down to a drink of Sheep Stagger Scrumpy (please read that carefully) and a snooze before dinner. That's the last night of the camping part of the trip so I decided to prepare for a reasonably early start to spend some time in Okehampton before going to the hotel, more on that later.

B******s to Alton Towers - Moorish Trip Day 4

The weather today has been a huge improvement, albeit very windy at times. There was a lot of debris both on site and out and about from last night's storm but it didn't cause any problems.

I had intended to have a good walk today but having done a fair bit over the last couple of days decide to have a drive instead (the leisure battery was also due a charge I reckoned). I wanted to visit Watchet but took the coastal route from Minehead through Blue Anchor, so called because when ships hauled up their anchors there they were coated in blue clay, or that's the story anyway! It came up in conversation a bit later about how the name conjures up images of a delightful quiet sun-kissed bay. When I stopped briefly for photos I could barely open the car door due to the gale! It's not a protected spot at all and sadly is now largely spoilt by the huge holiday park just off the beach.

Watchet is a delightful small town with reasonable facilities. I visited both the Town and Boat museums. The latter is largely dedicated to the "flatner" boats. These were double-ended flat bottom boats used mainly in the marshes and levels in the area, although some were also sea going. Both museums were free, although I made a reasonable donation to each. I had a walk out onto the harbour wall as there's a short stretch of the original mineral railway still there, I very nearly lost my glasses to the gale so was very careful.

I had my morning coffee and cake at the marina office/shop/cafe, which also has an antiques/collectables centre upstairs. I declined the opportunity to buy a Lego Millennium Falcon, apparently the largest set they have ever produced, as it was £850! A conversation ensued with the dealer manning it and a local gentleman. I learned more about local cricket than I really wanted to know but it was interesting. I did return later and bought a GWR sign for £20 that would have been at least double from a specialist at the railway shows. I've got just the spot for it but won't spoil the surprise for friends and family.

The next place on the list was the Bakelite Museum. This is one of those delightfully eccentric British collections. It's currently housed on three floors of an old mill (the top floor has some interesting agricultural equipment but is all but inaccessible up a ladder). They have decided though that is untenable in the current location. Damp is a major issue and being out of the way they just aren't attracting visitors. This will be the last year there so they are looking for new premises or it's likely the museum will close. Exhibits range from a Trabant car to eggcups and just about everything in between made from, or containing, early plastics. I really hope they do find a new home and are able to display things properly.

A quick trip from there into the village of Williton
provided lunch (a delicious bacon and brie baguette) and necessary shopping, bread rolls for breakfast, before I took a slightly circuitous route back to the site via a cider farm. I was quite good, I only bought a litre of the dry cider, Sheep Stagger Scrumpy.

The wardens on site have done an excellent job clearing up most of the storm debris, although if the wind doesn't die down fairly soon they'll have more to clear up tomorrow. It will be my last full day in the campervan before moving on to a hotel, I think back to railways with the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway and the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway on the agenda. It would be a shame not to visit them while I'm in the area.

It's Raining, It's Pouring - Moorish Trip Day 3

Weatherwise this has been about as bad a day as I've had on holiday for a long time. It started off wet and got steadily worse, with high winds as well. In some ways sitting on a steam train was a good thing to be doing but the photo opportunities were severely limited.

The West Somerset Railway is remarkable for one thing, the sheer friendliness of the volunteers. Every single one from the ladies in the shop at Minehead to the two gents minding the track crossing at Bishops Lydeard was ready for a good morning or a chat. It's darn good value for money too as it's the longest heritage railway in England.

On a fine day you'd get a good view of the coast in places and there's a reasonable amount of interest. I had considered alighting at Watchet to explore but in the rain decided I'd drive up there another day. There's a boat museum there among other things. That will probably be tomorrow if the weather is better, although there's also a railway museum* at Washford which isn't open until Wednesday.

*Although it's the West Somerset Railway the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust run this particular museum and have a small restoration group there.

I did explore the small Gauge Railway Museum at Bishops Lydeard but the model railway display wasn't open, always a problem midweek.

On return to Minehead I visited the Turntable Cafe, an excellent pasty and home made cheese sandwich sufficed for lunch. I then wandered through the town, getting wet, before looping back round and up to the site. I can't say I achieved much by doing so, but at least I've seen a bit of the place.

The next couple of days are very weather dependent. The forecast is reasonable at the moment, dry with some sun. If that's the case I'll get out and about. If it does turn out to be wet I'll have a look for some indoor attractions to visit - there's always the Bakelite Museum (see the book Bollocks to Alton Towers for details).

Milling and Castling - Moorish Trip Day 2

A fairly energetic day today as I walked the couple of miles to Dunster (and back), the village is quite a bit higher than Minehead, so it was mainly uphill on the way there. The weather wasn't great either, a light drizzle that was never really heavy enough to put a waterproof on. Fortunately when I went to the pub yesterday I'd spotted the "Byway to Dunster" signs which saved walking the main road.

I was greeted by the sound of the church bells ringing peels, not very evenly I have to say! The one-but-lowest bell was like Corporal Jones, just too late every time! The village itself is a tourist trap from end to end, and would be considerably improved if they could ban vehicles, but it's very nice. I fancied a coffee by the time I got there so started at the Mill Tearoom. This is part of the National Trust estate but it's a delightful spot, sat in the garden by the river, or at least it was once the family with noisy untethered brats left. I don't mind children having fun but when they're running and shouting right by where other people are sitting trying to enjoy a quiet drink it's unacceptable. The waitress reckoned the seat I'd chosen, nicely shaded by a tree, was her favourite spot.

From there I paid my not unreasonable £12 (it's a bit cheaper if you don't go round the castle itself) and first toured the watermill. This is a working mill but they generally only actually grind flour on Wednesdays for a few hours. It's very unusual in having tandem wheels which run from a single water source. I had a bit of a chat with the lady miller before starting the ascent to the castle itself. The paths are steep in places, you can easily see why the first castle was built on the spot by the Normans, and apparently it was nearly impregnable.

I declined to join any of the optional tours of the kitchens or attics, but did walk round castle interior. I had to leave the rucksack at the entrance, which I was more than happy to do. Unfortunately many places now won't allow you to leave your bags, "For security reasons!" The guide acting as left luggage officer had two coffer chests to put the bags in! He did attach a numbered label and hand over the counterpart so I was confident of getting my own bag back.

The castle is largely as it was between the late Victorian and mid-20th Century periods. The interior hasn't got a huge amount to recommend it, it was quite good that there's a sitting room that you can actually use as such though, with sofas and a few games for the children. Otherwise it's the usual "don't touch", I'd left the snooker cue in the 'van so although the table was set up ready I didn't ask if I could have a game.

More uphill walking took me to the Victorian underground reservoir which was opened up a few years ago. This is in/under the main part of the Norman castle, it was built at the time modern facilities such as flush toilets and baths were being installed in the days before scheduling of ancient monuments would prevent such damage to archaeology.

The steps down from the highest part, the original Motte of the Motte and Bailey castle, were evil on the knees. The risers were just too high to comfortably step down and the treads were just too long to do in a single step. Down on the main castle green they'd got some more free games for children and adults but you could also try archery at £4 for 8 arrows - if I choose I can try for free later in the week!

The castle (and me) being exhausted I wandered round the village a bit, took in some more sights and found a pub. The first pint of Exmoor Bitter slid down well so I decided to have another one and lunch. The starter of grilled goats cheese was good, the Hunter's Chicken less so.

The walk back wasn't too bad, being more down than up. All through the walks and at the castle I kept hearing the steam whistle of the trains, so that's what I'm doing tomorrow.

Strange Contraptions - Moorish Trip Day 1

I'm calling this a Moorish Trip 'cause I'm starting on the edge of Exmoor and ending on the edge of Dartmoor!

I didn't get the earliest of starts (by my standards) but was away from home just before 8am. I made a quick call in to services for breakfast then cut through the Cotswolds to the M5. It's not quite the quickest route but it's preferable to dashing round the motorways. What I didn't expect to see was a garden shed driving the other way! I believe it was the one that featured on Shed of the Year a while back.
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The next stop was Gloucester Services. These were opened a few years ago by the same operators as Tebay on the M6. They are certainly not your average services! No McDonald's, Costa Packet, etc. but their own run restaurant & cafe and a farm shop. I'd deliberately waited until I got there to stock up on some fresh produce and wasn't disappointed.

The Strange Contraptions in the title of today's blog refers to the Helicopter Museum at Weston-Super-Mud. I have to say you very quickly get whirlybird overload. There are big ones, small ones, huge ones and tiny ones! The place is absolutely packed out with helicopters and various forms of autogiro. I find the latter the most interesting, including one that was built into a plywood dinghy designed to be towed behind a ski boat. The cafe did a decent lunch as well.

I decided to skip the M5 for the run to Minehead, partly due to the 7 minute delay getting to the motorway, it seems strange that they've dug up the large roundabout on the main route in to a holiday resort just as the season is getting going! The trip along the A38 and A39 isn't much slower and far more pleasant.

The caravan site is right on the edge of the town, but just isolated from it. I could have had a pitch at the top of the site well out of the way but they're a bit far from the toilet block and sloped the wrong way. I had a brief explore, i.e. found a pub where I watched the Derby for no reason other than it was on. It was a friendly place with decent beer so I may go again.

The plan for the next couple of days is to not move the 'van at all. Tomorrow I'm planning to walk to Dunster, only a couple of miles, where besides the castle there are various other attractions. There is a village guide which, on the map, shows "Countryside Paths" and "Countryside Walks (Wellie Walks)". A simple and useful distinction IMHO. Monday it's back to the railways.