Author: Helen Miller

So Tuesday we had a lazy morning then bibbed off on the push bikes to Lymington early afternoon.

As we entered the town I realised that we’d left the face masks in the bag I’d used for the pub the night before so we stopped at a chemist and I went in (with my cardigan tied around my face looking like a special person about to rob the place 😐) and it was £7 for 2 masks (they didn’t have disposables) and the girl was really nice & advised me to go a little further down the high street to Poundland – where I purchased 2 for £1 !!!

Lymington is a pretty, little market town with cobblestones and a quaint harbour with nautical-based tat shops. So we had a wander then cycled over the bridge to the IOW Ferry ⛴ then stopped at a pub on the way back f Continue reading “Lymington…”

• Location: 50° 45′ 31.75″ N 1° 32′ 12.29″ W

• Location: 50° 43′ 23.64″ N 1° 36′ 2.15″ W

So we got up, packed up, showered and set off from sunny Totnes this morning.

We thought we’d (possibly) find a campsite in between Totnes & Lymington (where we were ultimately heading – for tomorrow night) but when we stopped for lunch on the way and rang a few – they all seemed to be closed or full 😐

So we rang the place we were booked in for tomorrow and they had space so we headed straight there…

No electric hook-up available (but as Dave has sooped up our Van so much with solar panels, inverters (so I can dry my hair with a 13 amp hairdryer when we are “solo”), etc. – it is fine.

So Dave went off to fill up with water and I chatted to Daisy in the camper van next to us who knew the area really well.

Dave returned and we (finally) bibbed off on the (pedal-assisted) push bikes into Lymington.  It was a nice (safe) ride and we ended up at The Sail Inn in the Beer Garden lapping up the end of the sunshine ☀️

2 Wayfarers (or whatever the local beer was called !!!) and 2 pink gin spritzer cocktails later – we did the return journey and I made Slimming World Corned Beef Pie with leftover sausages from last night’s BBQ (instead of Corned Beef) with beans & fresh bread and it was bloody luvley. 😊

Here we are with WIFi (woo hoo – the last site was sh!te AND we paid for it but it didn’t work) so we’re now listening to “da tunes” as we have a little drinkie (it’s not a bad life, is it ? 😊)

Oh and Dave made me put on the photo of me washing the £5 note as I (absent-mindedly) put it in the bin and the only reason we found it was because the bin bag split as we took it out of the bin…

Never mind PRE-senile-dementia – I reckon I’ll get the full blown one before long.. xxx 💗💋

• Location: 50° 45′ 27.47″ N 1° 32′ 54.77″ W

Today we thought we’d check out Brixham – which is basically all set around the harbour-side. A replica Golden Hind and lots of tourist shops, cafes and bars encircling boats galore set to the backdrop of pretty coloured cottage staggered up the hillside…
We parked up, had a little wander and sampled a tiny pot of the local cockles. Then wandered a little more and bagged a bench. Dave fancied a pasty & I wanted chips so I did the honours AND got us a tea & coffee – and we settled down and watched the world go by…
Still cemented to the bench a while later, we indulged in an ice-cream (Dave had a Mr Whippy and I had a “proper” raspberry ripple in a posh cornet – they cost a fortune but were very average 😐
A last wander back to the bike, we then returned to the campsite and My Dave practised his sax whilst I had a G & T… We then had a game of boules – it was close (NOT) but Dave pipped me at the post !!!
We then had a drinkie outside, then had a late BBQ and listened to music whist we put the world to rights…
I love the sky when it’s In “twilight-mode” with items silhouetted… and when the clouds cleared, I reclined my chair (like at The Planetarium) and My Dave pointed out “The Plough” to me (which I had never seen before !!!) and then brought me up to speed on stars, planets and light years in general – very informative !!! ⭐️ 🪐 ⭐️🪐 ⭐️

• Location: 50° 23′ 45.82″ N 3° 30′ 45.8″ W

• Location: 50° 28′ 45.11″ N 3° 30′ 45.24″ W

After the cream tea, we saw a sign for a woodland path leading down to the sea front so got our steps up (!!!) and took a wander – and then wandered back…
It had been cloudy (but still warm) earlier so we hadn’t brought our hats but it cleared and was really hot – so we were grateful for the bottle of water I’d brought – and the shade of the trees 🌳… 💋💗

• Location: 50° 27′ 32.81″ N 3° 33′ 9.92″ W

• Location: 50° 27′ 50.27″ N 3° 33′ 38.4″ W

So we were sitting there – eating a (small) bit of tea – after our enormous fish dinner and we noticed this flashing flagpole !!!
When we looked around – ALL the tents and caravans seemed to have one – a bit like the things lightey-up speaker that we have – you can choose an individual colour or go for the rainbow 🌈 effect – like this…

RainbowCaravanPole

• Location: 50° 27′ 34.9″ N 3° 31′ 50.72″ W

So we leisurely packed up and then headed in the direction of Devon via The Boddinick Ferry in Fowey to cross the estuary (having rung in advance to ensure It could take motor homes).
The lanes got really narrow & lairy and we kept having to pull over and drive into the hedges (Dave was fine and he was driving – it’s me that stresses) but we eventually arrived at the ferry – which was really picturesque (see below)…
I took some piccies whilst we waited for the ferry and chatted to a nice local man originally from Sheffield and then the ferry arrived…
There was another nice (ferry) man who brought the ramp in really close and tried to direct us on but the tow bar hit the ground and the back wheels of the motor home were off the ground and Dave thus had to reverse back off – which was great entertainment for all the foot passengers waiting to board !!! My Dave (as usual) took it all in his stride and chatted to them all out of the window as he carried out his manoeuvres !!!
We then had to drive BACK up the narrow, lairy lanes and go the long way around the outside of the estuary…
… where we encountered a toll bridge anyway and My Dave was not impressed that because he had the bike on the back, they charged us £4.90 instead of £2 😐

• Location: 50° 20′ 25.62″ N 4° 38′ 0.99″ W