How can one day be so different I ask myself. You may remember me saying that we were going for promotion.

My phone rang in the morning at 9.30, it was the area manager to say we had got our promotion and to congratulate us. This means we could have our own site possibly next year. A scary thought.

Later that day we had to go out to a tyre shop to get a slow puncture mended. As the guys were working on the car my phone blipped with a message from a friend. A friend of mine had died suddenly at the age of 65. I have known this guy for nearly forty years and you could not wish to have met a nicer guy. So sad. RIP Dave.

A day off so we decided to go for a walk. I wanted to take some photos under the aqueduct. I have walked across it many times and even rode my bike across it but never been under it. It’s a nice walk across some fields and through the woods all beside the river.

Building work started on the aqueduct in 1796 and it opened in 1801.It’s 21 metres high and 220 metres long and the architect was Thomas Telford. And is still used daily by the narrow boats and the viaduct next to it is used by trains daily. I took some pictures in black and white to compare because back then all photos would have been in black and white.

A trip out to another national trust property the following day. Powis castle is only a short drive from us. The weather was looking a bit dodgy but we decided to go anyway thinking if the rain did come we would be in the house anyway.

The grounds to Powis castle are very impressive and the castle stands up above them so you get a good view from above and below.

As we arrived to park up a deer wandered across the carpark which was a good start. A short walk to the castle and through a grand entrance and the sound of a peacock could be heard. All in all we saw about five peacocks around the property.

As we walked around the gardens you can’t imagine what it would have been like to live in such splendour, all the space and so many staff to keep it all up together. We sit here in our camper van and think we are lucky. Some of the plants must have taken years to cultivate and get them to the way they are now.

A favourite part of the garden for me was a small wild flower section next to a lovely old house. If I ever had a garden this is what I would like it to look like. Plenty of bees and butterflies around enjoying it.

We ended up back at the tea room for a slice of cake and drink. Sitting outside with one of the peacocks roaming around nearby. The inside of the house / castle was very impressive like all national trust property’s. Just the fact everything is so old and has been looked after for hundreds of years. The national trust do a great job looking after all the these properties.

Nikki found some grape vines and I saw her holding the grapes hoping they would turn into a bottle of wine. It never happened but she got some wine later.

So a great morning spent at the castle and just as we were leaving the rain started, so good timing on our behalf. We left there and went to a big garden centre that also does bbq’s camping stuff, food etc just down the road which we had been to before. It has so much nice stuff and if we had a house and some money we could have spent a small fortune in there. As we have neither a house or lots of money we came out of there without buying anything.

Last week we altered our rota at work with our managers to enable us to go to Dave’s funeral back in Barnstaple. A five hour drive for us with a couple of comfort breaks. We went on the Wednesday and Nikki had booked an air B&B for a couple of nights.

The room was great and the couple who owned the house were really nice. We went o a local pub early evening to have a beer and some food. Living in the area for a good few years we knew of the pub and it used to be really nice. How times have changed. The beer and wine were good but the food was mediocre and the toilets etc were disgusting.

The service for Dave was very good ( if that’s the right words) and attended by so many people. He was such a popular guy and there was not a dry eye at the service. After the service there was a wake in Barnstaple at one of the hotels. We drove back to our room, parked up and walked down through the woods and into Barnstaple and had a drink to celebrate his life. I saw so many old friends there who I have not seen for years and we all said the same. He was too young to go at 65.

The next day we left Barnstaple at 9am because we had a long 5 hour drive. We had an appointment at South Molton on the way at a care home for Nikki’s mum and we needed to stop nearer home to get some shopping.

Five hours after leaving Barnstaple when we should have been home we were stuck in traffic in Bridgwater about an hour and half away from Barnstaple on a normal day. There was a bad accident on the M5 motorway. It’s the first time I have actually been in a traffic jam that big where everyone is out of their cars just hoping for some movement. Apparently the traffic was tail backed for eleven miles.

We didn’t bother getting any shopping and instead went to the takeaway and got back to our base at half past six, nine and a half hours after leaving Barnstaple. Work the next day for half past eight.

We are now away in Bertie the camper for a couple of days up at the Wirral and plan to do nothing. In fact last night I slept for twelve hours. Today it will be nice to do nothing and then have a rest afterwards.

Not far from us is Chirk castle a national trust property. We often walk up to it because the gardens change every week and it’s a nice walk up through the woods. We noticed they were having a bat watch evening so booked ourselves on to it.

Luckily it was our day off the next day because the bat watch started about 8.30pm and would go on until about 10.30 pm. We walked up to the castle on the evening and met the ranger who was in charge of the watch. He asked us all if any of us knew anything about bats etc. I told him I had watched Batman on tv which made everyone laugh.

We walked in the castle grounds and through the meadow and then into the old laundry room in the castle which is where a colony of horseshoe bats live. We saw one or two come out but it was still early for them with the light nights at this time of year, but we were told we would see more later. So another walk around the gardens beside the wood where we were all given bat detectors and tuned them in to pick up the sounds of the bats. Not much success there either.

But then we got back to a small courtyard where we all stood still and waited for the bats to emerge. Within five minutes they started to come out over the wall and fly around us and then off to their hunting ground for the night. The sound on the detectors picking up the clicking noise from them what a great end to the evening.

A few days later and another day off we decided to go to Erddig, another national trust property just a short drive away but this time it was a more sensible time of day. We got there first thing and were asked if we wanted a private tour to parts of the house before it opened to the public. So a group of ten of us had a small tour, with the house to ourselves by a guide who to be honest was nearly as old as the house.

After walking around the house we walked around the grounds which were stunning with so many different plants and some lovely trees and bushes. Being there early also meant it was not busy with people.

There were also some old cars and bikes in sheds covered in dust, never to be restored just left to rust in peace with swallows nesting in the barns above them. Lots of horse reins, saddles etc where the horses would have been kept. The musty smell of old leather in the air.

Again a short walk from us is the railway station of Chirk. Many years ago there used to be an old tram line which ran alongside the railway line which is there now. This would have had horse drawn carriages in the early days.

A group of volunteers are bringing this old line back to life. It’s a long project and rely on donations to fund it. But the Glyn valley railway will one day be up and running along a small line again. To help fund this project they had an open day.

There was going to be a horse pulling some small railway containers on a small length of track just like it use to be done years ago. Some classic cars, and a old bus which was going to travel up the Ceiriog valley to Glyn Ceiriog where the old trains used to go. Some food stores and a model railway layout with grown men playing trains.

It was a low key event but we went to support them anyway and I wanted to go on the old bus. The bus was a 1950 Bristol and was in fantastic condition. The driver who owned it was dressed in period clothes as was the conductor. It was free to ride on the bus up the valley a trip of about 20 minutes to the railway museum at Glyn Ceiriog. At the museum there was a talk about the old line and station. Only a small museum but some very interesting stuff in there. We opted to not catch the bus back but had a walk around the village and then caught the next one back.

The turnout of classic cars was very poor, only two but this was down to the weather forecast which was for heavy rain and thunder and lighting which never happened while we were there but within five minutes of us getting back to base the heavens opened. I feel so sorry for the volunteers putting on an event to fund their mission and then the weather goes against them. We left a donation in the bucket with the nice thought that when it’s all up and running we helped them achieve their goal.

We have just got back from the Peak District. Our weekend off and it was time to give the camper a run. Castleton was our destination with some great walks in the area and a lovely small town with some nice pubs for refreshments after the walks.

The route to Castleton takes us along the motorway and the A6 and then the last bit is through Winnats pass into Castleton but this last bit of the route is not advised in a 30ft motorhome due to the steepness and narrow roads so we chose a different way which was about 15 minutes longer but knowing it would be ok for us. it was still narrow in places and a bit of up and down but much better for us.

Again the weather on this trip was against us with rain forecast for the whole time we’re were here with sunny spells in between the showers. As soon as we were pitched up we headed in to the town to have a look around and yes of course we ended up in a pub garden to sample the local brews. Only a couple then walk back to the campsite for Nikki to cook some tea.

A walk was planned for the next day, no need to rush because the weather in the morning was going to be heavy rain. So a relaxing morning and a walking route planed and a pub sorted for afterwards. We had an early lunch and then said let’s go for it as the forecast looked ok ish.

The route we decided to take was the Cave Dale walk which goes up through a valley and then you return through the fields and back into Castleton. Not a long walk, about 4 miles but it’s tough at the beginning. Nikki is not a hiker, she loves walking but not on uneven ground and steep hills so she soon decided after scrambling up over rocks and slippery surfaces to turn back.

I carried on alone and said I would meet up with her in the town. It was a tough walk and at one point I got caught in a downpour and got soaked. Typically in the most open part of the walk on top the hill. The scenery was fantastic after the rain had stopped and with only sheep to talk to I marched on to the town.

After getting to the town I rang Nikki and she was in a coffee shop so with the promise of a nice hot chocolate I found her. Another walk around the small town and then a decision to make. Do we walk back to the campsite, shower and then walk back to the town to the pub for beer and food, or do we just cut out the middle man and head straight for the pub. Decision made. We started to walk back. Only joking you know us better than that. Into the pub we went. A lovely old fashion proper pub with real ales, beams, old chairs etc a typical British pub. We had a good meal washed down with one or two drinks and we were then ready to walk back to the campsite and it was only half past five.

The road called Winnats pass goes up from Castleton and from that road is lots of ways to go for hikes. And one way is is an old road called the Broken road which is the old road which closed in 1979 due to subsidence. After being repaired so many time it was decided to close it. You can still walk along it or bike and you can see how thick the tarmac was after being repaired so many times.

I wanted to go up there on my bike before we left so got up early and did a quick five mile loop biking up Winnats pass then turning off onto the Broken road and back down Old Mam tour road into Castleton. Again the early morning mist and scenery was mind blowing.

The Broken road must have been a full time job repairing it after each landslide but now it’s just walkers and mad bikers that use it.

So that’s us up to date. Despite the weather we had a great time but would love to have been there for longer. The last photo is my favourite from the weekend. I stood there in complete silence with the view and the low cloud rolling across the hills and down the valley with no one about.

Many moons ago when I was a small child I used to live in Didcot which was then in the county of Berkshire. Didcot has a main line railway station and is also famous for its steam locomotives that are there. They often have open days and are well attended.

My dad used to take me down to the engine sheds to see the steam trains because he used to work on the railways in his younger days and had friends who worked down there so we could go and see things that others could not.

I always remember them days, the smells, the steam, the sounds of the trains like it was yesterday. Now when I see a steam train it brings back all those memory’s. I love the old diesel trains which were about then. They all looked so different not like the modern ones now which all look the same.

I think when I was about 12 I started going down the station carpark and watching for the diesel trains and yes I admit I started train spotting. I had my little note book to jot down the numbers because all the trains had individual numbers and some had names.

You could buy a book then with all the numbers in etc and you then ticked them off. My train spotting days never lasted long because I was always out on my bike and across the fields playing and of course I found out that girls did not want to be sat in a train carpark looking for numbers on trains.

I still have my interest in the old trains but no longer jot the numbers down. Nikki also likes them so if we have the chance to see some we both go.

We decided to go on the train to Shrewsbury from Chirk on the modern train just because it’s easier than driving there and cheaper. The station is unmanned so you get your ticket on line, Nikki did that bit and the train journey only took about 25 minutes.

We had a wonder around the old part of Shrewsbury with all the old Tudor buildings and then a walk along the river around the outside of Shrewsbury which was really nice. Some loverly old iron bridges cross the river at certain points.

Just by Shrewsbury station is a castle so that was on the cards to visit on the way back. Surprisingly there were not a lot of peaple about which was nice. We never went in the castle which is a museum now because we were running short on time. So we just sat in the grounds chilling and I walked up to another part call Laura’s tower and had that part all to myself. We then caught the train back to Chirk.

About a twenty minute drive from where we are working this season is Llangollen where they have a steam train line. And when the steam train is not running they have old diesel trains doing the run. We booked up one of our days off to go on the steam train.

It runs for about ten miles and then comes back. The day approached, the weather was looking good in this hot spell we were having. Up early to get parked up in Llangollen and get to the station for some photos also.

The ticket collector who was just turning up for work got chatting to us and told us the steam train was not running because of the fire risk to the ground beside the tracks. They had already had two fires that week. So instead it would be the old diesel train. My heart sunk.

I was so looking forward to it but we were there and it was going to be an old diesel train anyway so I wiped my tears away and stood there on the platform waiting for the train. The ticket man also gave us a good tip about getting on the train to get a seat right behind the driver so we could see where we were going. We got that seat.

The journey was great including sheep on the track, seeing another old diesel train coming the other way and a tunnel. The old carriages took me back to my younger days. The station is all old also with lots of old suit cases etc about. And another bonus on the day was that recently they opened up another piece of track to extend the line which we were able to do and not have to pay the extra.

We have been having a hot spell, the grass has stopped growing and the windows on the camper have all been open in the daytime and nighttime. Work has been busy and peaple complaining it’s too hot. But if it rained they would be moaning. No pleasing some folk.

Simon and Becky had arranged a BBQ with us, for one evening. As the day got nearer so the weather forecast started to say thundery showers. None of us were bothered about the weather as we know it can change.

On the day the thundery showers forecast was as good as gone, well maybe a small chance. The BBQ was sparked up and the beers and wine flowing. Simon does a great BBQ. We had a big table to sit around with a huge umbrella to shade us from the sun or rain, whatever happened we were going to have our BBQ.

Half way through the feast the thunder started to rumble and then it got closer and closer and the lightening was visible. And of course then the rain started so we all moved forward a bit to get under the umbrella. Laughing as we carried on regardless.

As the rain came down I felt a stream of water running down the back of my shorts which had come off the umbrella onto the back of my seat so now I was sitting on a wet chair. What to do. Carry on eating and drinking of course, it will soon dry out. And it did.

Another weekend off and time to take the camper for a run also. Burrs country park is in Bury just north of Manchester. So we booked up the campsite and headed of up the motorway.

And guess what, right on the edge of the campsite is a railway line which the old steam trains and diesels go along. We got a great pitch on the site with a good view of the trains coming and going past.

The Sunday afternoon we got there was fine and we sat outside having a beer watching the trains go by. We were going to be here for another two days so things were looking good. But then we heard the rumble of thunder and the heavens opened and we thought we might have to get a boat. And to top it all the trains don’t run on a Monday and Tuesday.

Just after we got to Burrs on the Friday Nikki got a message from Anita and Tony some friends we first met about twenty two years ago while travelling in Thailand. They lived in Leeds at the time and had a narrow boat. We always stayed in touch with them and met up with them a few times including spending a weekend on their narrowboat.

They were less than hour away and were willing to drive over to us so we said of course come on over. We had not seen each other for about ten years, maybe longer. Time just marches on so fast and with work and travelling we just never got to see each other.

They came over and we had a great day with them. Just like the good ol days when we used to meet up. And of course we had to go to the pub for lunch. Unfortunately for Tony he was driving back so could not have a beer. Next time mate.

The next day me and Nikki wandered around the sculptures and walked into the town of Bury. Not our cup of tea but I wanted to go and look in a bike shop as they had a bike I wanted to look at. I looked at the bike but the salesman was about as much use as a chocolate teapot so I just walked out.

We had a walk down the canal a couple of days ago to a pub for a beer and a bite to eat. Passing the narrow boats. It’s about half an hours walk and was really warm. Good job the beer and wine were cool when we got there.

The pub was busy but we luckily got a table next to the canal. The beer was good but the food was terrible. But we were both hungry so ate it and washed it down with more beer and wine and then strolled back to base.

So that’s us up to date with our adventures. It’s a shame work gets in the way of our lives but maybe one day we may be able to retire. Our next trip out in the camper is to the Peak District and in September we are going up to the Lake District in the car and stopping in a B&B for a change. But there will be lots to do before then.

Sat here on a day off and the sun is shining and has been for about a whole week now. Nothing unusual you might say. But it’s a bank holiday and we are in Wales so getting all these combinations to come together is a rare thing.

More days off since the last blog post so beside working this is what we have been up to. We went back to the Ironworks centre because we are members it now costs us nothing each time we go. I say costs us nothing but we have lunch which we get a members discount and we are always tempted to buy something but have to remind ourselves we live in a tin can and not a big house. Maybe one day.

The main thing we wanted to see this time was the new Dragon which stands proud at the entrance and is made up of a lot of different bits of metal including a lot of old car parts. Very impressive.

The next day we also had off so went to Whittington a small village with a castle, duck pond, a couple of pubs which we managed to stay out of. While we were walking around the castle or what’s left of it there was a photographer and a model doing a photo shoot.

So we were walking around a castle with a real princess. A very nice princess I will add and as I walked past I said to her, I am a frog and if you kiss me I will turn into a handsome prince. Then I woke up.

After walking around the castle we headed off to Henlle Hall which is a small holiday village with some wooden lodges for rent, also cottage rooms. All in lovely grounds with a herd of deer in a paddock and a duck pond. They have a restaurant and bar area which we did visit but only for a slice of cake and a coffee. It’s the sort of place I would love to work on the grounds.

Another day off and another place to visit and tick off the list was a small town called Ellesmere which is not far from Whittington . There is a sculpture trail there and a really nice place for lunch. The Boathouse restaurant sits on the edge of the lake and after our walk around the park and town we headed for it.

Walking along we heard a clap of thunder and looked behind us to see some really nasty looking black clouds. Our walk all of a sudden got quicker and we got to the boathouse and got a seat under the shelter overlooking the lake and ordered our lunch. Then it started to rain but we were under the shelter. But then the rain got heavier and the sky got darker and everyone was running for the inside seats. We sat there looked at each other and thought let’s get inside. A good decision because as soon as we got inside the heavens opened and heavy rain and hail lashed down.

We had to get some shopping while out also and right beside the Tesco at Ellesmere is a canal and some old buildings from the days gone by. So while Nikki was shopping I wandered off down the canal looking for photo opportunities. Then I met her back at the car.

Last week was our long weekend off and time to take the camper out for a run. We opted for a small five pitch site in a small village called pontesford. The site was great and we were blessed with this lovely weather we are having so a BBQ was a must and of course a visit to the local village pub. You have to support the area your staying in.

A very narrow lane takes you to the site off the main road and as I indicated to turn into the lane I could imagine the cars behind looking at this 30ft camper and thinking where the hell is he going. He will never get down there. How wrong they could be. Yes it was narrow but slow and steady and the campsite was reached.

The owners of the campsite greeted us and showed us our pitch. We think it was the best one on site with sunshine from first thing in the morning to last thing at night. The BBQ was fired up, the beer and wine were poured and a great evening was had. Followed the next morning by a nice cooked breakfast outside.

A walk down into the village to stretch the legs and get an ice cream before returning to the camper to shower before walking back down the lane and to the pub. Took us all of ten minutes. The Nags head has a small garden which, as it was so nice outside, we chose to sit in. Trying the local beer and wine and then ordering food. And I must say it was one of the best pub meals we have ever had. I even had to try a pudding . The walk back to the campsite took a bit longer than it did to get there.

The next day was going to be a chill out day but I knew of some mountain bike trails in some woods about three miles away so it would have been rude to miss an opportunity to go and try them out. And yes they were very good. I went early so we had plenty of time to chill out in the sun beside the camper with the birds singing, the farm cockerel crowing, bee’s buzzing and the smell of cow poop being spread over the fields. Life in the country.

We work hard and play hard or to be more precise we work hard and try to play hard but as the years roll by and we get older we seem to have more nothing days.

Nothing days are where we are just so knackered after doing three 12 hour days and a half day before having any time off. When we finish at lunch time, we tend to have lunch and then lazy about to recharge our batteries.

But we must not give in to age and there is so much we want to see and do while we are here. When I say here I mean while we are on this planet not just while we are here in this area.

So a day off and a plan. Go to Llangollen. Only about a twenty minute drive away, park in the centre and walk along the canal to the motor museum. We were there early so we got in the main carpark and paid our fee and headed off to the canal path.

Over the bridge over the river past the old railway station and up to the canal. The old railway station is where the steam trains go from and we are actually booked on one in June.

The canal path is about a fifteen minute walk to the motor museum which is a private collection of old cars, old motorbikes and memorabilia. Not your Haynes style museum at all. It’s only five pounds to enter the big old barn which houses all the old stuff. We really enjoyed it and spoke to the owner who bought the barn with money from his dad when he passed away. It’s a great collection and if you’re ever in the area it’s well worth a visit. Just don’t expect shiny warehouse type buildings and polished cars and bikes.

After spending some time in the museum we started to walk back along the canal path and I heard the whistle of a steam train, the track is right next to the canal path. I peered through the trees to hopefully get a glimpse but no it was nowhere to be seen. Then the whistle went again and I said to Nikki, it must be on its way so I desperately tried to find a spot through the trees to get a photo.

Then another blow on the whistle and I saw it coming around the bend and towards us. I scrambled down the bank through the trees to get a good spot with Nikki shouting don’t get too near the railway lines. I know I wanted a good photo but I also didn’t want it to be the last photo I took. As the train passed I got a great photo of it that I was very happy with. Hope you like it.

What a day we were having, the motor Museum, the steam train. All I needed now was to see the horse drawn barge come along the canal. No sooner had the words got out my mouth, around the bend in the canal came a big ol cloppy horse pulling a canal boat. It’s a tourist thing but again something I had wanted to see.

So on a day where I got three things to tick of my to do list while we are in the area, the only thing to do was on the way back to the carpark we passed a very nice sandwich, pie and cake shop. It would have been rude to just walk by, so we ventured inside and bought ourselves some lunch.

The next day was also our day off, so a drive out to Pistyll Rhaeadar the highest waterfall in Wales apparently. At 240 ft or 80 metres it’s the tallest single drop waterfall in Britain. After you turn off the main road and start heading towards it you are on single track roads and the scenery is fantastic. Again we were up early to get there before the crowds.

There is a small carpark and cafe right next to it. You walk through a gate and down to the bottom of the waterfall and look upwards towards the sky to the top. That was fantastic but I wanted to see it from the top down, which meant a hike up the mountain which was a bit too much for Nikki so she stayed down below while I hiked up to the top for a different view. Wow that’s all I could say on reaching the top and looking over the edge and down the valley.

One slip and you’re over the edge until you hit the bottom 80 metres below. But what a view. Stunning, I then hiked back down to meet Nikki who was sat in the safety of the cafe having a coffee. Very sensible.

To finish our days off we headed to a pub only about twenty minutes walk from base. We sat in the beer garden with a view of the aqueduct in the distance and had a beer or two and one of the pubs famous burgers. Nikki’s burger consisted of a 8 oz burger with bacon on top and mine was a 8 oz burger with a Cajun chicken breast on top and topped off with bacon and salsa and onion rings. Both meals came with chips and salad and coleslaw. Good job we were walking back to burn a few calories off.

We have just returned from a weekend away in the camper. We went to the Wirral and a site overlooking the estuary. We walked into west Kirby along the old railway line which was about three miles. Had lunch in a cafe called the sail loft over looking the estuary and the marine lake.

The marine lake is a man made lake for water sports which has a path all the around the edge which at low tide you can walk around. When you see people walking around it from the other side it looks like they are walking on water. I persuaded Nikki to walk back to the site which meant we had walked six miles. Ok for me but a little too far for her but she did it and slept well that night.

We had a chill out day the next day and only a short walk to the beach and a lunchtime stop in the local cafe for tea and cake. Then a BBQ in the early evening with a beer or two and some wine for Nikki and yes we both slept well again.

So that’s us up to date and back at work. It’s bank holiday weekend so busy busy and next weekend we have another bank holiday and the coronation so we will be busy yet again. More to plan for our next days off.

Not long after posting my last blog when we were having a loverly mild spell at the end of February the weather forecast was saying we were going to get some snow across the U.K.

Our local weather said we would get a bit of snow and ice. I was getting a bit excited about having some snow around. It does make nice photos. As the days passed the weather forecast changed as if the forecasters had no idea what we were going to get. They have been known to get it wrong before. Think back to Michael fish.

I went to bed on the evening before expecting to wake up to a huge snow drift outside my door, but what did we get the next morning, a few snow flakes in the ground. So the forecasters got that wrong.

Some parts of the country had snow, others had none. Anyway just as they were saying no snow in our area it started snowing. And by the morning we woke up to see a huge blanket of snow covering everything including the trees. It was as white as white out there.

Now as nice as it looked this was going to cause us a problem being on a campsite because we had people arriving and people leaving. Or so they thought. The road leaving the site is flat until you get to the top then it’s a slope down if leaving and a slope up if you’re arriving. And to add to that the site has some slopes.

A couple of small camper vans made it out of the site but the rest booked another night and we had to cancel all our bookings for two days as it would not be safe on site and most people were thinking the same and could not even get their caravan or motorhome out from where it was parked anyway.

The next two days were spent shovelling a lot of snow so people could get to the toilet block etc. After two days the forecast was for the temperature to hit double figures and rain and as quick as the snow arrived it was gone and life on the campsite was back to normal or as normal as it can be with us working here.

We had a trip out to Chester shopping outlet on one of our days off. I hated every minute of it and Nikki would have enjoyed it if I wasn’t there moaning about all the shops etc. I don’t like shopping and the only reason I went was because I wanted to get some winter boots for my mountain biking. I never got them.

We had friends come and visit us. They had a nice time exploring the area and of course we had to go and have a beer with them and a bite to eat down the pub.

And now we’re into April already. Can’t believe we have been here for three months already. The snow drops have been and gone and now the daffodils are all over the place and next will be the bluebells.

Chirk castle which is right on our doorstep has some loverly grounds to walk around and we often walk up there as it changes every month. Now we’re into spring all the trees are leafing up and all the buds are coming out. The birds are singing and building their nests. And the evenings are getting lighter.

New in the Chirk estate is a garden area they have made which is a peaceful area, no dogs allowed and hopefully only very well behaved children. It’s an area where you get in touch with nature. There are benches around and areas just to sit and ponder, listen to the birds and watch life go by with your thoughts. I love the area and will be visiting it more.

Nikki says this wording on this totem pole sums me up. I think she is right. we spent a very nice quite half an hour in the garden with nobody else coming in.

We had the afternoon off yesterday so planned some weekends away to give the camper a run out and to get us off site. More on that as and when we have those weekends. I also booked us onto the train ride from Llangollen to Carrog in June. I booked this because in the weekends the steam train runs this route so I am really looking forward to this. Plan is to get off at Carrog walk up to the pub for lunch and catch a later train back.

That’s us up to date. Still lots of work to do and of course lots of things for us to see and do while we are in this wonderful area. I will keep blogging and hope you are enjoying our journey with us. Cheers.

Not far from where we work is a huge big Sculpture park called the British ironwork centre. It’s on the A5 just south of Oswestry. January and February were free to get in so we decided to go and have a look.

You can also buy membership for a year at a very reasonable fee of £7.50 each which entitles you to go as many times as you like in a year plus 10% discount in the cafe and 10% discount in the shop. We bought the membership because we know we will go back again because so many things change there through out the year.

The grounds are huge so be prepared for a nice walk, and they have really thought about how they place the sculptures. Some even being in the water etc. lots of information boards telling you about them. They are very keen on getting the message across about endangered animals under threat of extinction.

The elephant above was made from old car clutches, brake parts, chains etc and was so impressive. The Maori head below from more car parts.

You really need to go there to appreciate the scale of the grounds and we had a lovely lunch at the cafe sitting outside in the sun. We will be going back. And of course the shop which I think if we had a house we would have spent a fortune in.

On one of our walks from the site up to Chirk castle, through the woods we were sitting on a bench taking in the peace and tranquility. A lady walker stopped to say hello and told us a lot of history of the area and told us about a lovely pub which a friend of hers owns.

A pub with views over looking a river and mountains with good food and real ales. I sat up straight and was all ears. We had the next day off so our plan was to visit this pub as the weather was going to be good.

The pub was about half hours drive away in a place called Carrog , the pubs’s called The Grouse inn. I drove there turning off the main road and winding down a single track road, over an old bridge over the river Dee and into the pub carpark. This is where I handed over the car keys to Nikki for her to drive back after our lunch.

The setting is fantastic. We decided to sit outside even though it’s February but we were in the sun and could not miss the view by sitting inside.

The food was very good, The beer was very good, The view was very good, the weather was very good and of course the company was very good. I could have sat there all afternoon to be honest.

Back to work the next day but planning our next day off. We decided we were going to go to Shrewsbury. About a 45 minute drive away. Shrewsbury sits on the river Severn and is the birthplace of Charles Darwin. Lots of old Tudor buildings that have been sat there for so many years and as you look at them you wonder how they have survived. The old beams all leaning and twisted but so much character.

The main shopping area we did not like with all the high street shops in. That’s just the same as any town with main stream shops. But the old parts we found were great and the old market hall with all its independent shops was very nice.

Nikki was chatting to a stall holder and she told her we had missed all the best bits of the old town with a lot of independent shops and at the end of the street was the river which we could have walked all along and back around to where we had parked. So a revisit is on the cards.

Not far from where we parked and crossed the river into the town was a sculpture. It looks like a slinky (remember them) or a cows spine as some of the locals say. It was put there to celebrate Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday. The local council paid for it at a price of one million pounds. This upset a lot of locals obviously.

A walk up to the castle grounds on a sunny afternoon was also rewarded with some nice sights of the grounds and the snowdrops. The castle is close to us so it will be nice going up there on a regular basis to see it all grow and all the plants and trees coming into bloom and changing through the season .

So that’s us up to date. Lots of other things planned for our remaining eight months of work. Work really does get in the way of our life but we need the money to be able to do the things we like to do.

It’s all going well with campsite life. The weather has been kind to us for January and February. And with a a few days of sunrises like the first photo it’s a joy to wake up. Well it’s always a joy to wake up, it’s just nicer on a morning like that.

Our heating is now fixed luckily or unluckily for our bank balance. But at least we are nice and warm in the camper now. Good job really because after paying for the repair we have no money to go out with.

At the end of January we had four days off so decided to go somewhere in the camper to give it a run and to get of site. We decided on Southport, just north of Liverpool. Our managers had worked on site there and knew the area so gave us some recommendations of places to go in the area.

The route we were taking meant we crossed a toll bridge which cost six pounds each way but when Niki tryed booking it on line the payment screen was not working. So she rang up and they explained the system had a glitch and our camper was coming up as a commercial vehicle which the chassis is. So he charged us two pounds each way. Bargain.

Southport is a huge town, some say it’s a posh Liverpool. It’s not the sort of place we would go to in the hight of summer that’s for sure and some of the streets we saw you would not want to go down at night. It’s by the sea and has a huge big amusement park which luckily was closed but still made nice photos.

Southport also has the second longest pier in the U.K. second to Southend but is the longest iron pier. When you see it jutting out to sea you look at and think it’s not that long but then I relized that the same amount is in land. At one stage it would have all been out to sea but the land has been reclaimed. I really wanted to walk out to the end but it was closed for repairs.

We had been told of a fish and chip shop that we had to go to. A family run business for years and the food was the best. So as we like food we wandered off into the town to seek it out. We never booked just took a chance we could get in. Our search took us down some dodgy looking streets but we found it. You would never know where it is unless you were told. It was closed but due to open in an hour. We went and had a drink and then came back to it and to a small group of three peaple waiting to go in. As we walked up to the shop the doors opened and in we went, sat down and all of a sudden peaple were coming in the front door and the back door. Our order was taken and the fish and chips, mushy peas and bread and butter was served. And yes it was very nice.

After our feast we wandered around the corner into Lord street which is the old part with all the chopping arcades with canopy’s over them etc. All very Victorian looking. One shopping arcade was a fantastic building with lots of glass and ironwork but all the shops were empty which was such a shame. A sign of the times I think.

Other parts of the town were not to our liking with rubbish everywhere and just not looked after. There are some beautiful old buildings though. We walked back through the park with the boating lakes and in the summer it would have little tea rooms open beside the lake. The grounds were kept nice apart from the odd bit of graffiti here and there.

There were lots of swans, ducks, geese and of course the seagulls all around the lake all looking for the food handouts. I expect in the summer with all the crowds of peaple they double in size with the amount of handouts they get.

Our four days off was soon gone and we headed back to base. Would we go back to Southport, yes we would but not in the summer.

On another day off I managed to get to the bike park at Llandegla. About half hours drive away. It has some great trails, a skills area, a pump track, a cafe and bike shop so it’s my kind of place and I will be going there a lot over the next few months. I went there yesterday in fact and did twenty miles of ups and downs on the black, red and blue trails. Nikki went for a more sedate walk around Chirk castle.

Today we are off to an Ironworks centre which is a sculpture park not far from here. So that will be in the next blog post.

We left Minehead on the 2nd of January heading for our new base for the season in Chirk. Right on the welsh / English border between Oswestry and Wrexham. About 210 miles away. About a four and half hour drive in the camper.

Nikki was in the car and just before the services on the M5 she overtook me and slowed up in front of me. This means she was going in the services and was hoping I was going to follow. We pulled into the service area and had a comfort break. Nikki was concerned about a light in the dashboard that said low tyre pressure. I assured her not to worry and we continued on our way.

We had agreed to stop at another service area not far from where we were going because I like to top up the fuel so it’s all ready to go out next time. We both arrived within 5 minutes of each other. A quick sandwich and a fuel top up and onwards for the last ten miles.

We arrived on site and got ourselves set up in the compound. Then a quick cup of tea with Simon and Becky the managers and an early night as we had to go to work the next day. The only sound from outside was the owls hooting which we love anyway.

The next morning there was a great sunrise with the sun coming up behind the bare trees.

Off to work and get the feel for the site. There is a pheasant on site which takes a shine to peaple. As they walk by he follows them and will follow them for a fair way. It is funny but when pheasants do this they can be a bit scary as they tent to attack sometimes. So far no humans have been hurt by Freddy the pheasant and I think the more peaple on site and dogs the less he will be around.

A day off so we went for a little walk up the lanes and around the Chirk castle grounds. The castle is a national trust property which we plan to visit on another day off.

This area has so much going for it and I have a huge list of things we want to do and see but we’re here for ten months so hopefully the list will be completed by the end of the season.

We had friends come and stay on site so it was only natural to show them the local pub and how nice the beer and food was. They agreed it was all very nice even though we had to walk home in the rain.

Another day off and a trip out to Llangollen which is about seven miles away. Llangollen has a steam railway line, a canal with horse drawn barges, a river running through the town and lots of small shops and cafes and of course a pub or two.

It’s rained a lot since we have been here so the river at Llangollen was in full flow. We found a small cafe overlooking the river to have lunch which was nice.

The picture shows the river in full flow, the cafe on the left is where we had lunch and on the right is the steam railway station. No trains running at the moment. Not because they are on strike but because it’s a seasonal attraction.

Another day out was to visit the bike park at Llandegla just to get my bearings where it is check out the cafe there and I needed some new elbow and knee pads. Nikki came with me because there was a cafe involved. It’s only half an hour away and this will be my playground on some of my days off.

When we left the bike park I decided to come back a different way over the horseshoe pass. This a famous road which goes up the mountain and is shaped like a horseshoe. The views are fantastic and up the top is a cafe called the ponderosa which is used by a lot of bikers, that’s motor-bikers. It’s used by walkers, road bikers and everyone really. We will be returning to walk from there because the views are so nice.

I went out the other day for a quick blast on my mountain bike, just around the back roads and along the canal path. It was very cold and icy but so peaceful on the canal. All the narrow boats moored up had their wood burners going. Such a nice way to live and the pace of life just slows down.

Houston we have a problem. In the coldest snap for a long time our heating is playing up. We called a mobile engineer out and he came to the conclusion that the controller or the PCB was knackered. Now the trouble is getting hold of these bits but he has managed to get the bits at a hiked up price because of the shortage of bits in the country. But needs must so we just had to bite the bullet and say yes get the bits please and come and fix it. In the mean time we had to go out and buy a small portable electric heater to keep us warm. The heating is being fixed in two days time thankfully.

That’s us up to date, it’s payday next week thankfully as our heating repair is not going to be cheap. The cold snap is over after tomorrow and we are heading in the right direction for spring.

The final countdown has started. No not the song from the 80’s by the band Europe. The final countdown for our winter break being over and going back to work in five days time.

Before we got to Minehead we had a bit of a plan while we were here. A trip to Worthing to visit my dad, a visit to a couple of our favourite pubs, a big hike from Minehead to Porlock , that was me not Nikki and lots of biking up the woods. That was also me alone.

Well like all good plans all the above mentioned have not been completed. The trip to see my dad was done and it was great to see him and his wife. We had a loverly couple of days with them. A long drive both ways and very tiring. The weather was not the best while we were there but we got out for a coffee and I went to see the sea by the pier.

I did manage to get out on my bike a couple of times and even found some snow up on the hills 1000ft above sea level. Coming back down one of the trails I had to stop quickly because there right where I wanted to be going was an Exmoor pony just stood in the way staring at me. I like horses but I prefer a fence between me and them. So there we are both staring at each other, he was proberly thinking the same as me and wishing there was a fence between him and the mad biker.

I started to get my camera out because it was a great photo opportunity and he started to walk towards me. What do I do, take a quick photo and turn around and pedal away as quick as possible bearing in mind it was all uphill back the way I had come from and I new although he wasn’t going to win the grand national he could run quicker than I could pedal.

So I stood my ground and put my camera away, he also stopped. I edged forward, he stood still so I edged forward a bit more and he turned and run off into the heather and gorse. I had won the day and carried on down the hill.

We saw a nice old Hymer motorhome come on to site and then about an hour later I was going to the shower block and bumped into the owners. A couple I have known for at least 35 years but not seen for the last four years. We arranged to go for a meal and a few bears with them the next evening. A good excuse to get another to do item ticked of the list. We went to a local pub and had a great evening. The pub even had a musician on that night who was very good.

The hike to Porlock has been postponed for this year due to bad weather and aching limbs. Although the weather is looking good the day before we leave here I don’t want to go out on a ten mile hike and be aching so much the next day I can’t drive up to north wales.

But we did go to Porlock a couple of days ago before the rain came in. Porlock is such a great place in the winter without the crowds. There were a couple of peaple swimming in the sea in the harbour area. The three cottages were looking so nice in the bit of sunlight that was creeping up over the hill. I love the old wood at the harbour and the sound of the waves lapping on the pebbles.

In Porlock is a cloths shop that Nikki loves and she has to go in there every time we go to Porlock. Luckily we don’t go very often. To get to the beach we have to drive through the town and this particular morning as we drove through the shop was closed. Ah that’s a shame I said, that’s the trouble with Xmas everyone wants a holiday.

So after being at the beach we had to drive back through the town and guess what. The shop was open so a quick diversion to a car park and Nikki got to go in the shop. Another thing she can tick of her to do list.

Yesterday the weather was forecast to rain all day. I can’t just sit in the camper all day so we decided to go to Dunster castle, at least it’s a well built castle with a roof. It’s a national trust property. We have just joined the national trust so our entry fee and parking were free. We plan on visiting more of their properties so it’s good value.

The castle grounds could wait for another day when the sun was out. The castle is a Motte and Bailey and later became a fortified Manor House and a country house. Built in red sandstone. The interior is fantastic and so much history in those walls.

So that’s us up to date and Xmas is over for another year. Five days to go before we are back at work. I wish you all a happy new year and I will be back on here in the new year with a new list of things to do in our work season on our days off. I wonder how many I will tick off. I can guarantee that the ones involving a beer and food will get done. Happy new year.