A two site'er. First up the Caravan Club site at Cherry Hinton in Cambridge, my old home town.
An allocated pitch, a short walk from the facilities block, hardstanding and supposedly an awning pitch but quite small and accesible by soggy grass.
Hetty towed really well managing, for the first time, over 30mpg on the 128 mile journey, despite carrying an awning and all the necessary gear for a longer trip, like long leather coats, jeans and boots...
There was some inevitable condensation as Patsy warmed up but she was soon cosy, my little home from home, it was great to be away again after another few trying weeks at work.
Saturday saw me head back down south - at least partially - as I boarded a train at Cambridge after necking a delicious pint in the adjacent bar.
My destination was Stevenage and the Winter Wonderland just a short walk over the railway bridge.
It looked fabulous all lit up up but of course I was there for the Waltzer, and bagged my 21st different machine of the year and 31st in total, in the shape of Joey Manning's 1989 A.R.M. Great ride with a generous ride time, though I tried to block out the cheesy Christmas songs!
I had a voucher that was about to expire so I booked myself in for Sunday lunch at the Robin Hood pub, a few minutes walk from the site.
I was undoubtedly well overdressed for what is essentially a village boozer but what the hell, I like what I wear and I wear what I like - except at work of course!
Fair to say, after a heavy lunch in more ways than one a lazy afternoon and evening ensued, doing little more than putting up the ageing - sorry, retro - filament Christmas lights in Patsy's front windows, no doubt contributing to the destruction of the planet..
Monday and tuesday were spent catching up with a few friends and family, including a curry at a 'dry' restaurant - not even BYO! Very tasty though.
Wednesday saw me back on the train to London and the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. Research had revealed that I'd bag my 32nd Waltzer and get to ride an old favourite.
With six platforms out of action at Liverpool St station, and the train in a queue at Finsbury Park I bailed out and got the tube to Hyde Park.
There was time for a pint - well, 500ml as no draught beer was on offer, and the opportunity to attend to the plumbing before I headed over to the park.
I must say it all looked fantastic under the lights as I headed for the Waltzers.
Wiliam Thurston Jnr's 1978 Maxwell was first up and also my 22nd of the year and 32nd in total.
A short walk away was Irvin's 2012 Fairtrade machine, ridden many times at Crystal Palace.
Friday saw me heading back to the station, but in the car this time, to pick up Sandra who would be joining me for the night. After a meal at Chez Patsy we headed back into town - not to our usual destination, the Arts Theatre, recently reopened after a year long refurb, but to the nearby Corn Exchange.
I hadn't been here for well over 30 years, but back in the day saw the likes of Kenny Ball, Freddie Starr, The Three Degrees and er, Gary Glitter!
Sandra recalls:
Christmas celebrations started off with an overnight dash, on my part at least, with a visit to Cambridge where Richard was staying for a few days before our main holiday began. We were going to see Down for the Count Band at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. It was a venue I had not been too although we had both seen the band in another venue in Cambridge a few years ago. They are a jazz orchestra and are superb. If anything their show was an improvement on our last visit – they obviously get on very well and the humour and bon homee only added to the overall production. An enjoyable start to our Xmas and New Year break.
Little of note to report Friday, other than returning Sandra to the station, in the knowledge that in just over a day we would be meeting up again, for Christmas proper. With only an hour and a bits' journey to the next site on Saturday I did little in way of packing up either.
A late (for me) departure from site and a trouble free trundle up the A14 then A1. There was sun for most of the way but by the time I'd reached Stretton Lakes - a lovely private site in Rutland - the fog had come down. It's appeal was easy access for both Sandra and me, a nice looking setting, reasonable price and a large fully serviced pitch. Despite the gloom it looked like we had chosen well.
I'd barely finished initial set up when Sandra arrived with her gorgeous Westie; Skye. No Iona this time, after latterly battling arthritis, diabetes and old age in general, she'd gone over the rainbow bridge in September. Skye was initially a little unsettled - all her memories of her time in Patsy included her sister, but she soon settled down.
A quick cuppa then time for an erection - the Isabella awning that a purchase just under a year ago. There followed another cuppa then a stroll over to the facilities block - very smart indeed. Underfloor heated spacious ensuite cubicles. Very nice indeed.
Nothing much to report over the next couple of days, groceries including everything for Christmas dinner were picked up from Stamford, I replaced the rocker switch on one of Patsy's lights, some new Christmas lights were put up outside, and a took advantage of the on site shop which stock some English Red from the Halfpenny Green estate which Sandra and I visited a few years ago.
Christmas Eve saw us in Oakham briefly to procure the groceries we'd forgotten to order, Skye got a new winter coat and I had a lovely lunchtime pint.
A somewhat broken night; Skye was ill and and one point we thought we'd need a Vet, however thankfully she settled down in the early hours and all functions had er, returned to normal by mid morning and she was back on her food. Phew.
The Christmas dinner went down well, and I thoroughly enjoyed preparing it with Sandra's help. Pretty much the full works with only the turkey crwon gracing the gas oven, Everything else was juggled between the air fryer, microwave and electric saucepan. Considering the washing up we created, the service pitch was well worth it.
Sadly it was Sandra's turn to be bad Christmas night and first thing Boxing Day morning I scurried off to Stamford to get some medication. Again, thankfully the symptons eased as the day progressed but understandably she felt pretty washed out for a while.
After a quiet day in the 'van we were getting a bit of cabin fever so headed up the the road to the village of Clipsham and Yew Tree Avenue.
Once the carriage driveway to Clipsham Hall, the avenue is over 200 years old and features over 137 Yew Trees (funny that) carefully clipped to all manner of shapes. Well worth a visit and there are picnic tables at the far end, indeed one family had clearly brought breakfast and laid out quite a feast.
For the 28th December Sandra takes up the narrative:
One of the highlights of our Christmas Trip was a visit to
the, currently, other half of the Grand Central Heritage Railway. We had visited the Loughborough end a few
years ago and had a very enjoyable evening meal on the train. A little side history. The Grand Central Heritage Railway is a long-preserved
railway in the East Midlands between Nottingham and
Loughborough/Leicester. Following the
Beeching Report in the 1960s it was deemed surplus to requirements and this saw
the downgrading of London Marylebone station too, its once terminus in
London. The sections between Nottingham
and Leicester/Loughborough have gradually been rebuilt and they are now divided
by a small 300m section which is in the final stages of redevelopment. Fund raising is going on at pace and with
planning permission granted last year and now all the technical reports/requirements
completed – it will be going out to tender.
Anyway, I digress but it had long been my ambition to do the northern
half and this trip was the perfect opportunity to do so.
The trains currently run from Ruddington and then go
south to the current end of the line. My
only disappointment was that there was not a temporary viewing platform at
either end of the split line – it is so close that you can certainly see each
end. All was not lost, however, as we
were in a 1950s DMU, recently lovingly restored – perhaps not the train of
choice for steam enthusiasts but these DMU’s certainly afford you superb views
and the front seats are much prized for the best views. As a result, I was able to get a couple of
pictures. One thing which hit you
immediately upon boarding was the heating – given it was a mid-winter day; it
was very warm indeed. I did comment at
the time that I bet the heater never worked as well as it was that day when it
was back in service. I hope to be able
to return once the line is reunited.
There is ample parking although it is currently not tarmacked
so care is required and there can be some large puddles to navigate. There are accessible parking and
facilities. There are the usual sheds
and demonstrations to be seen on certain days.
There is a lovely café which serves great hot sausage baps, bacon baps,
and a whole menu of food. The coffee is
good too. Yes there were the usual range
of very tempting cakes and pastries but we declined on this occasion. It was certainly well patronised.
Finally, there is a lovely miniature railway which
goes round the site at Ruddington. It
was certainly attracting young and old – perhaps the latter were glad of a ‘reason’
to have a go!!
It was a chilly day, so we could have stayed longer
had it been warmer. A very interesting day
out, well worth the 45-minute drive from the site.
The next day saw us back in Oakham for more of a look around following, at least partially a heritage trail on the Discover Rutland Website. It's an attractive little town as you will see but one of the highlights was certainly the castle its collection of massive horseshoes.
We had a brief visit to Stamford the next morning, then on New Years' Eve headed up the A1 to Grantham, a town I've passed many times on the aformentioned A1, or on the East Coast Main Line, but never visited.
Sandra had found a free trail to follow through the TrailTale app and we had an enjoyable hour and half or so, getting probably three-quarters of the way through until the cold, aching feet and the need for caffeine brought a halt. I liked what I saw though and a search on Estate Agents' websites was very thought provoking indeed.
Back at the site I procured another bottle of English Red for the
evening and committed a few more images of the site to digital memory,
it certainly looked attractive in the afternoon winter sun.
We
didn't bother to stay up to see in the New Year, lights were out by
10:30pm after a good evenings' telly, i.e nothing that was being
broadcast live!
The
weather was kind the next day, with the sun helping to ensure the
awning was packed away dry - always a win - and the next day we
departed and headed off in opposite directions on the A1. It had been a
lovely trip, a little bout of illness aside, and to be honest, all that I
was looking for in a Christmas break - catch up with friends, a few
trips out, good food and cosy nights in Patsy. Just the job.
.jpg)
