A wet day in Brighton - 6th December ‘21

Well to be fair, a wet afternoon. The morning was cold and cloudy but the rain stayed away until I had made the cycle journey into Brighton - arriving at 11.30. The bike trip is getting quicker each time I do it. My legs are getting stronger but my bum continues to ache!

Brunnehilda is just a big bed this trip. In fact I don’t think I’ve sat in the lounge seats at all and I certainly haven’t used the kettle / microwave. The buggered boiler also meant I haven’t had a wash in Brunnehilda either!

The cycle trip was good and bad for my heart. It was good to get the exercise to get it pumping but seeing a lot of couples walking happily along the front made it pine for what (who) it was missing. As soon as I got to Hollybobs though things got quickly back on an even keel!

I probably shouldn’t be using the portmanteau word of Hollybobs but it’s a lot easier than Holly and Bobby and it didn’t do Jedward, Billary and Kimye any harm?!

Holly was working all day so after I had a shower (to wash the cycling sweat from me) and a cup of tea, Bobby and I braved the weather and hit the town.

First stop was a magnificent cup of coffee at the glorious Bond Street Coffee shop. Then a Thai Vegan pasty from The Pasty Shop and then finishing our coffee crawl with another splendid cup at The Flour Pot Kitchen on the front. 

A very Pitts trip. Trawling the eating and drinking establishments whilst ignoring the plethora of shops and entertainment facilities!

We picked some pebbles from the beach in homage to the person always in our thoughts. By this time the rain was beginning to bleed into our veins and bones so we headed for home.

Bobby joined Holly at the work table and I did a few emails before facing the cycle journey home. By this time, 4.30pm, the rain had stopped and it was quite a pleasant, albeit bloody freezing, early evening. It was the quickest yet - until I got lost crossing the main road at the Marina and added 10 mins to the journey.

Finished Series 5 of The Wire under the duvet. Did some more unsuccessful net surfing about caravan boiler faults, had a quick spruce up and headed back (in the car) to Brighton to grab a post 8pm free parking spot!

We had dinner at Honest Burger. Plant burgers all round - and they were bloody smashing. The kept us waiting so they kindly gave us a free portion of onion rings. So i got more time to chat with 2 of my favourite people and we got free food - that’s what I call a “win/win”!

A cup of tea back at Hollybobs watching the Arsenal self implode on the laptop! Poor old Bobby, but at least we had a lovely evening.

Back in Brunnehilda for my secret pleasure under the covers - the latest episode of Succesion. That show just gets better and better! The latest storm is due in at 9 tomorrow morning so the plan is to get an early start - we’ll see?!?

The Brighton Caravan Club Site - Pros and Cons:

Pros:

1) Lovely spaced out and clean site

2) Perfect position near the Marina and just off the cycle path

3) Super clean and well equipped toilet block 

4) Very friendly check in staff

Cons:

1) Although it got better, 4G was a bit dodgy on Sunday night!

2) Loads of moterhomes. Out numbered caravans by about 8 to 1!! I noticed most were large and modern - there’s been a lot of money spent over lockdown!!

A Trip on the i360 and a day in Brighton - 5th December ‘21

Writing a “Travel with Brunnehilda” blog and starting the day from a put-me-up bed in a warm and cozy Brighton basement flat seems a little fraudulent!

We met up with the MacArthurs after they had enjoyed their Holiday Inn breakfast. The weather was as good as could be expected at the start of December - dry, cold but a lot of cloud with a bit of sunshine.

Obviously with 7 year old Twins in tow the agenda had less of a cultural / historical flavour but more of a focus on having fun. The fun started with the Upside Down house - on the prom just at the bottom of Hollybobs’ road. George took the kids in an took some great pictures. The Twinnies loved it, although Charlie, with classic teenage indifference, could have taken it or left it!!

It was hard to ignore the i360 tower looming above us so we took the plunge and bought 8 tickets for the noon flight. Yes, they call it a flight and play up on the connection with staff in BA uniform, an airport security check before going in and a very comfortable lounge with expensive drinks for sale!

The flight up and down the tower lasted 20 minutes. You could easily move around and see what you wanted to - although, unlike the London Eye, being on the south coast, 180 degrees of the i360 degrees was just sea! Without being rude to the fine city of Brighton, there is a lot less to see when you look inland in comparison to looking over London.

It was good to do it but it wasn’t particularly good value and everybody agreed that they were happy it was done but would not be rushing back to do it again!

As if to prove the old adage about the cost of happiness… we then spent a wonderful 45 mins drinking coffee / hot chocolate sitting on Brighton’s pebbled beach watching the kids, unsuccessfully, trying to avoid the waves and getting their feet soaking wet, making wishes and throwing pebbles into a coffee cup from 3 metres and, the rather child social services worrying, throwing pebbles at children as they ran by trying to dodge them. I guess I need to say here that they were our children, all was done willingly and no children were hurt during the game!

After that much fun we were starving! We found a Harry Ramsdons restaurant further along the front so we squeezed onto a table for 8 and started the rather painful and frustratingly long process of ordering food on an App while the waitress sat around talking! You know you are getting old when you think the world has gone completely stark raving mad at least 2 times a day!

Have to say though, the pain was worth it. The food was good  and fortified us for the downturn in the weather. The wind and cold continued but it was now joined by drizzle! So we headed out to the even more weather exposed Brighton Pier!

George charged up a fair ride payment card as the DJ, nice and cosy in a heated hut, blasted out summer hits to make us forget the weather. It made it that much better that he did it with a huge grin on his face and grooving on down to his own tracks. It made you feel better for about 30 seconds and then the drizzle and cold kicked back in!

The twins and Charlie (and accompanying adults) blasted through a number of rides including the ghost train and some scary looking thing that threw you upside down for an alarming amount of time - stops you getting wet though!!

Finners is certainly more hardcore than his “big brother” twin - nothing seems to scare him. I guess being the smallest he needs to be the most fearless!?

The fair rides were finished off with a helping ice cream and candy floss - of course! Mind you, I’m the first to agree that there is no such thing as inappropriate ice cream weather!

By the time we got back to the flat / hotel it was well gone 3 and time for The MacArthurs to hit the road back to The Shire. Holly, Bobby and I relaxed with a cuppa and then, in the gloaming, I hopped on the bike and headed (wind with) back home 3 miles along the coastal cycle path to Brunnehilda.

The return trip was easier (wind with) so took about 25 minutes. I spent a couple of hours lazing around and watching an episode of The Wire. When I went to have a wash I noticed the hot water boiler is not working. I tried YouTube and fiddling around a bit and then it made a clunking noise and the light went out altogether- oops! It sounds and feels expensive but I’m putting it to the back of my mind for now. I certainly don’t need hot water this trip - the site has a lovely toilet / shower block / as do Holly and Bobby!!

I drove back to Hollybobs at about 7.30. There is free nonresident parking in their road after 8pm!

Holly made an absolutely gorgeous Pasta Bake which the 3 of us demolished in no time. The after dinner cup of tea prompted the timeless debate about milk with Earl Grey tea. I think I prefer it with just a smidge of the white stuff.

It was gone 10.30 when I said my goodbyes and headed back to Brunnehilda. I climbed under the covers and watched another episode of The Wire before turning LBC on the radio and snuggling up to get to sleep. 

Another lovely day. Missed Kim loads today. I have a lovely picture taken on Brighton pier last October. Although she was poorly we didn’t have a diagnosis. This was the only nice / happy / feeling healthy day of the whole week in Sussex. Having lunch with T/R/B/H and a walk along the pier. The twins made it hard to be too upset today though!

Off to Brighton - 4th December ‘21

This is a strange one … after a lot of consideration I decided to take Brunnehilda down on my trip to see Bobby and Holly at Brighton. I was going to take a trip in Brunnehilda to the Peak District a couple of weeks ago but I “bottled out”.

The thought of time spent in Brunnehilda on my own was a little too much. It’s weird but I feel closer to Kim in Brunnehilda than I do at home!? The feelings of missing her seem to be getting greater as we get nearer Christmas! My plan was to take Brunnehilda to Brighton so I could spend the day with the family before going back home to Brunnehilda. A sort of “half way” to get me back on the horse! All that said, I didn’t spend the night in her tonight!

I dropped the dogs off at the kennels at 8.30. They had only been back 2 days since their visit earlier in the week - I was at Thom and Rachel’s in County Donegal. As you might expect, Matilda was none too happy with such a speedy return visit!

I got hooked Brunnehilda up relatively quickly. Kim is particularly missed when I’m checking if my lights are working! It involves a brick wedged on the accelerator and a lot of walking between the car and the back of the van and back again!

A quick stop at Cobham Services and I was arriving at Brighton Caravan Club Site at about 2.30pm. The M25 was very busy and I missed my co-pilot keeping me focussed on the job in hand! It is noticeable that a lot more folks are masked up. A month ago when I stopped at Cobham going to Brighton about 10% wore masks. More like 70% now. This new variant is clearly putting folks back on their guard.

Setting up Brunnehilda is a particularly miserable task now. Kim and I had it down to a fine art - I did outside, she did inside and we treated ourselves to a cup of tea at the end of it! I did outside, I did a superficial job inside and then got on my bike and headed off for Bobby and Holly’s flat in the centre of Brighton - 50 yards from the beach, 100 yards from the i360 tower.

It was quite a tough 30 minute bike ride along the front. As you would imagine it’s fairly flat but there was a strong head wind. The caravan park is the other side of the Marina. There is a very impressive cycle lane for about 90% of the journey. I arrived at their flat very sweaty so a shower was in order - and borrowing a tea shirt from Bobby.

They’ve done a great job with their new flat - it looks fabulous. A shower and cup of tea and The MacArthurs arrived at about 4.30. 

We headed out for a nice evening walk along the front and into the City Centre. Ended up at Phoo and had a wonderful meal - great food and fabulous company. The boys were on particularly good form. Kim would have absolutely loved it!

We walked onto the Christmas Fair and the boys had some toasted marshmallows. 

Then on to the skating rink outside The Royal Pavilion- it felt very Christmassy! Home to the flat for a bit before the MacArthurs went back over the road (literally!) to the Holiday Inn.

A bit of tele (the Beatles documentary on Disney+) but all 3 of us were tired so we had an early night. I was persuaded to stay at Bobby and Hollys rather than make the cold, wet journey back to Brunnehilda along the coastal cycle path. To be honest it didn’t take a lot of effort to convince me to stay in a nice warm flat rather than face the cold and the wet!

Fimber, Sledmere House & Home - 1st October ‘21

The rain woke me up this morning but I waited it out and was walking the dog by 8pm.

A quick “pack up” and off to Fodder next door for their 9 am opening. 

Given the vegetarian breakfast was a big favourite last time, it was very disappointing. Over cooked poached eggs and they had changed the way they prepared the mushrooms - all very average.

I was on the road to Fimber by 9.45 after filling up (no waiting!) with some very cheap Sainos petrol. There is something not making sense about this fuel crisis - zero problems up here and then empty motorway fuel stations as I travelled further south? Never mind this will all be forgotten by the 70 plus demographic when they vote good all Bojo back in again - amazing!

It was great to see and catch up with brother in law. Ray lost his wife (my sister Jenny) nearly 2 years ago, so it was so helpful to hear his experiences and advice first hand. We had a cuppa in the paddock as the collies got to know each other.

Then after a bit of expert caravan reversing (helped by Ray’s instruction) I negotiated a very tricky manoeuvre so Brunnehilda was out the way and ready to go later. We packed the dogs in Ray’s van and headed out to the beautiful Sledmere House, about 10 minutes drive away.

We walked Tilly and 2 of Ray’s dogs around the magnificently kept gardens and grounds before eating a very pleasant lunch outside a very busy cafe on site. The Whitby scampi and chips was very acceptable!

Back to Fimber and another cup of coffee sitting in the sun with the dogs. I was on the road heading south at about 3.15pm. I stopped at one of the many fuel less service stations half way home. Rather annoyingly, they didn’t have very good caravan lanes and I managed to scrape Brunnehilda’s left hand side through a bush! Doesn’t seem to be too much damage though - phew!

I arrived back at Welton Fields Farm at about 7. By the time I’d tucked Brunnehilda up it was very dark!

The idea of this trip was to determine if I’m going to stick with Brunnehilda. The truth is, I’m still not sure. There is no doubt it had been a better trip this time. The dog was a huge help and not knowing the area and the subsequent Kim based memories made things easier. But, Brunnehilda and Kim will forever be connected. As those memories change and make me smile rather than make me sad (and cross and full of self pity) then it will no doubt get even easier. I think?

One good sign though - as I drove up the farm drive leaving Brunnehilda in my rear view mirrors, I had a sudden feeling of looking forward to the next time! 

Onto Harrogate - 30th September ‘21

No breakfast today just straight out the van at 8.30 to take Tilly for her last beach walk of the week. It had been raining for a couple of hours but cleared up just in time for the walk. We went to the beach we went to on Monday night and walked half on the beach and half on the coastal footpath in the dunes towards Dunstanburgh Castle. Very cold this morning so it was all very “bracing”. Nice though. It looks a lovely Links golf course - I haven’t played for a decade or two but almost made me want to pick up the clubs again!

Then onto buy some Kippers at Craster. I think I was first in the shop at 9.30. They’re nice but not a patch on the ones we got in Wetherby last year! Back to Brunnehilda by 9.45 to start the pack up routine.

I was driving out the site by 10.30 and had a good run - with no stops - down the A1 to Harrogate arriving just before 1.30pm. The site is positioned at the edge of the Yorkshire Showground and right next to a very nice farm shop / cafe called Fodder. Kim was a huge fan.

Another bad patch today. People say I’m brave but I don’t know how to handle this other than to face it! Today’s “down” period lasted longer than recent ones. I was ok this morning - being busy getting the van ready helps - but going to Harrogate hit my quite hard. Kim and I have been here twice before. I was talking the dog for a walk around the very pleasant park at the back of the site. I had done this walk lots of times before on my own but I was then going back to Kim still in bed with her cup of tea or Kim cooking breakfast or Kim getting washed and ready to go out - probably to Fodder next door to eat! I couldn’t get these things out of my head as I headed back to an empty Brunnehilda. I walked through the site with every caravan and camper van there with an old or middle aged couple settling down for the evening. A bout of the annoying “poor me” syndrome was with me for a bit. I had a shower to try and perk myself up and headed off to meet my old buddy Graham for a beer and a night out. That should snap me out of it!

And it did. A very pleasant evening - a couple of beers then a nice meal at a place called Tannin Level. By the time I climbed into a cab, we had spent 4 hours putting the world to rights. I’ve known Graham for 40 years so as you would expect, there was a lot of recollecting to do. The problem is, the older we get, the less we can remember!

A couple of episodes of The Wire and then, before I went to bed I had to make myself some soup. I had had one of the Kippers as a snack when I arrived mid afternoon and I could still taste it and smell it. I really needed some chocolate but the fridge is bare so tomato soup had to do the job!

The regular readers may have noticed - I certainly have - that these blogs are getting longer. Not necessarily more quality but certainly a lot more quantity. The reason, and here’s a continuation of a theme, is me being selfish. I find it quite therapeutic to be thinking about the blog during the day - what I’m going to write / have I got a picture? In the absence of someone to discuss things with during the day this gives me a useful alternative narrative going on in my head. Works for me but unfortunately just more drivel for you to read!

Early start in the morning but before I sign off here are the scores on the doors for Embleton Bay Caravan CL Site:

Pros:

1) Great position. You could walk to beach but lots of stuff just a 5 minute drive away.

2) Private water supply and nice spacey pitches.

3) Quiet. No owners around so if you want no one to bother you that worked well.

4) Ok 4G.

5) Friendly fellow campers  on site and locals in village pub.

Cons:

1) £20 is quite expensive for no facilities.

2) Having to open and shut the gate to get in was a little annoying - especially on your own!

Bamburgh and Holy Island - 29th September ‘21

Another busy day - just the way I like them! The weather was perfect today. Sunshine all day but with a nice crisp cool air - between 10 and 14 degrees.

As yesterday, an early rise and off the site by 9.30. A better breakfast this time. I cooked a bit of bacon and the bagels, with butter this time, made a pleasant start to the day - no Kimbo cheese and mushroom omelette but …

Tilly was keen to begin the day with another beach walk and I didn’t want to disappoint her! We made the 30 minute journey up the coast, through Beadnell and Seahouses and on to Bamburgh and it’s castle. What a place? It’s an impressive site at the best of times but with a beautiful clear blue sky as a back drop it was quite literally breathtaking.

We walked along the beach in the Autumn sunshine - 40 mins south and then 40 minutes north and back to the beach car park just north of the town. The beach was busier than yesterday - partly down to the weather but mainly as this place is such a draw for locals and tourists alike. Tilly had a lot of fun barking at the birds and splashing through the surf.

I drove up the hill to the Castle Car Park. Unlike Alnwick Castle yesterday, Bamburgh seemed much happier to welcome four legged visitors. So one man (that’s me) and his dog (that’s Tilly) paid our £12 and stepped back into history. Bamburgh Castle has had a number of owners over the last 14 centuries. Turns out it’s main claim to fame was that it was the first castle in history to fall to gunpowder based attack during the Wars of The Roses. Every day’s a school day, eh?

Tilly and I walked round the whole site taking in the magnificent vistas. Well to be truthful, Tilly was more interested in eye balling the many other dogs and for no apparent reason, taking a dislike to about 1 in 6 of them! As yesterday, we shared a sausage roll and I had a rather nice coffee which Tilly managed to knock out my hands during one of her aggressive “Billy big bollocks” moments!

Dogs weren’t allowed in the state rooms so I popped her back to the car and went back on my own to have a look around. Given that the castle had stood ruined for many centuries there wasn’t a lot of relevant history inside. All the rooms were restored by a wealthy industrialist (family name of Armstrong) in the 19th century. They had some interesting pieces but it was no Canons Ashby!

By 1.30 we were about done and headed north again to Holy Island. I had checked the tide tables and the causeway linking the island to the mainland was open between 10am and 8pm so perfect timing for the visit. We parked up at the edge of the village and walked in. It was very busy but thankfully Matilda was now behaving herself. I walked around the priory before heading off towards Lindisfarne Castle. 

Russell, Nicky, Simon (old Volvo amigos) and I have a regular monthly catch up on WhatsApp.  This month’s one was scheduled for 2.45pm today so Tilly and I made ourselves comfortable among some old boats in the boatyard with a stunning view of the Castle and enjoyed our 60 minute catch up. Simon joined the call from Watford Gap Services car park - no prizes for who had the best view?!

After the call we headed up to the Castle. I thought I might go in but it said pre-booked only. Tilly and I weren’t too disappointed as the views from the edge of the island were fabulous and definitely worth the walk. We headed back to the car picking up an ice cream on the way.

I was planning another trip to the village pub for dinner but I had the thought of local fish and chips in my mind so that’s what I did. After checking Trip Advisor I settled on Neptune’s in Seahouses - a proper fish shop, 100 yards from the quay the fish were being landed on! I took it back to Brunnehilda to enjoy in front of an episode of The Wire. Not the best fish I’ve had but very good nevertheless.

More episodes of The Wire,  phone calls and, to my shame, 2 bars of Wispa Gold before going to bed to blog.

Today has been ok but not as easy as yesterday. I had a moment on Bamburgh beach. I kept thinking how much better it would be if Kim was experiencing everything with me. Just to hold her hand, give her a cuddle and have a discussion about where to eat and what to do next would have been wonderful and would have turned a nice day into a memorable one. Interestingly I wasn’t sad for Kim that she wasn’t there to experience it but sad for myself that my experience was not as wonderful as it could have been. Nice eh? Tilly got a bit flustered with my sudden change of mood and jumped up at me. A smelly damp dog covered in cold North Sea water is a very effective way of knocking you out of a melancholic mood! I’ve got to say, having Tilly in tow has made a huge difference. I’m not sure how the last 2 days would have gone without her.

For all the times I’ve missed Kim today there was one good thing to report on … She would have never let me walk around among the public with my beanie hat on - Tilly didn’t seem to mind!

Early start tomorrow. Heading south to Harrogate and another Volvo colleague reunion.