Category Archives: Sites

Wyatts Covert in Denham does it for me.

13 Sunday Aug 2017

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Simples really. Open all year. Fifty hardstanding pitches. An oasis north west of London and within the M25. Immaculately maintained by wardens Marie and Paul. Bus actually comes into the site for local travel. Small private airfield adjacent if you like something to watch.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Grove Lock Marina CL on the Grand Union Canal.

03 Thursday Aug 2017

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This week I spent time at Grove Lock Marina CL on the Grand Union Canal near Leighton Buzzard. It is CL number 11 on page 283 of the 2017/2018 Caravan and Motorhome Club Sites Directory and Handbook.

The reason I like it so much is the setting; on the canal, part of a narrow boat marina with the very good Grove Lock Public House (a Fullers house) adjacent to the marina with your own key access to it from the CL and the marina. Excellent facilities, WiFi and the grass pitches have electricity and water to hand. For the security conscious it has electric gate access and since the last time I stayed here the owners have opened up a thirteen pitch site adjoining the CL but separate from it.

As a train enthusiast I love seeing the Virgin passenger trains and quite a few freight trains coming in and out of Milton Keynes but I know there will be some motorhome owners who would find that a tad noisy so I guess I am a bit biased on this feature.

The same company owns CL number 1456 which is the Kings Orchard Marina near Lichfield. The owners, Pridewater Estates Ltd, can be found HERE

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Close to home – and none the worse for that.

20 Thursday Jul 2017

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The snag with sites close to home is that I rarely visit them. With much of my time spent in France and Germany all too often I am driving past local sites and not actually visiting them.

But this week I have been at the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Commons Wood site near Welwyn Garden City and it turns out to be an attractive oasis of calm not far from the madness of the M25, A1M, Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City. Really quiet and peaceful it has just 68 pitches spread over six acres so quite small and intimate and, as you would expect, beautifully maintained by the wardens with excellent facilities. 

And a five minute taxi ride will take you to the station and forty five minutes later you are at Kings Cross if peace and quiet is not you scene.

So it’s quite a find and reminds me once again not to drive past local sites!

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Hawes, Wensleydale, Yorkshire.

16 Sunday Apr 2017

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The Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Hawes is within a ten minute walk of the town centre which is a delight and has a wide range of shops and no less than four pubs. I randomly selected The White Hart and only just managed to get back to the motorhome by midnight which I think speaks volumes for the establishment.

The site itself is undergoing a huge upgrade and only half the site is open at the moment but it is easy to see how good it will be on completion. Because it is where it is, the Club is upgrading the site totally in keeping with the beautiful area in which it sits and on completion I can imagine it will be in even greater demand than before.

As my photo shows, I also stopped by the amazing Ribblehead Viaduct. The site wardens gave me the tip that the B6255 Hawes to Ingleton road was a beautiful run and how right they were – simply stunning.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Sunshine, blue skies and a super site. Anything else needed?

23 Thursday Mar 2017

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Am spending time at the Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Peterborough – Ferry Meadows – and I’m enjoying super weather, the country park next door and, for me, the restored seven and a half miles long Nene Valley Railway with one of the stations actually at Ferry Meadows. 

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

A visit to Scotland.

05 Sunday Feb 2017

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I was in Scotland earlier this week. I stayed at four Caravan Club sites; Coniston in the Lake District on my way to Scotland, Strathclyde which put me in the right place for the Scottish Show at the SEC in Glasgow, then a night at the delightful “The Woods” Affiliated Site in Alloa about twenty miles north east of Edinburgh and finally at Melrose which is a favourite.

My four photographs are:

1. Sunrise in The Borders not far from the Scottish English border.

2. The idyllic setting you find at The Woods – with a restaurant thrown in for good measure.

3. The Caravan Club stand at the show – as always busy and very well presented.

4. The new and still under construction Forth Road Bridge is a thing of beauty and because it is so close to the world famous rail bridge it makes you realise just how outstanding those Victorian engineers were. I am reliably informed the rail bridge no longer needs to be continually repainted as science has developed a long life coating which will last for ages. Doubtless the complaining and weary phrase most often heard in offices “it’s like painting the Forth Bridge” will live on anyway.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Not very warm – but very enjoyable….

13 Friday Jan 2017

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A bit chilly here at The Caravan Club’s Moreton-in-Marsh site but very enjoyable nonetheless. It is one of my favourites and is undergoing an upgrade during the quieter winter months – among other things many of the hard standings are being given a new lease of life.

A ten minute walk into Moreton-in-Marsh and there you find a range of pubs and restaurants including as ASK Italian pizza outlet for when I’m looking for something simple and reliable. This stay however I frequented the Redesdale Arms hotel at http://www.redesdalearms.com and enjoyed the atmosphere in the main bar. There are other places of course; in fact you are spoilt for choice. 

The Cotswolds remain a huge tourist attraction and for very obvious reasons. I frequently struggle whether to stay here at Moreton or stay at equally attractive Broadway. A tough choice with two excellent CC sites and for us motorhomers a ten minute walk to the town in each case.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Stay on the A35 stupid!

18 Sunday Dec 2016

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None of us much like being told what to do and us motorhomers are of an independent disposition and we in particular do not like being bossed about – we can always just drive away to a better attraction or a better site or, at this time of year, a more friendly relative. Remember over Christmas my mother’s adage that “Fish and friends go off after two days.”

However, as a mature adult we all learn that some rules are good to follow. Best not to murder anyone over Christmas if you can avoid it, pay your VAT on time and don’t drink and drive. 

And, follow the directions to a Caravan Club site as printed in the Sites Directory and Handbook. 

I have been at Hunter’s Moon this week which is near Wareham and despite having an all singing and dancing satnav with the sites pre-programmed, it would have had be wandering round Poole and Wareham given half a chance whereas by staying on the A35 as specified in the directory everything is kept simple and in no time you arrive at the site.

Simples. But am I and others tempted to pop the address into the satnav and hope for the best? Of course we are – but over time we have learned to do the right thing. Even as a motorhomer.

I wish you a very Happy Christmas. Try not to muder anyone over this very stressful period; plan a nice January trip instead!

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

And so to the Poolsbrook Caravan Club site……

11 Sunday Dec 2016

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I am a fan of the Poolsbrook Caravan Club site in Staveley near Chesterfield. I stayed last week on my way to York Rowntree Park and once again it reminded me how good it is. Close to the M1 – but not too close – it has a touch of the Strathclyde about it and is not only a good transit stopover but also a destination site in its own right.

Here is the blurb – which unlike most blurb is spot on:

“You will be delighted by Poolsbrook Country Park Caravan Club Site – situated at the heart of the 165-acre Poolsbrook Country Park, it was previously the location of an active colliery. The land has now been magnificently transformed into an extensive country park, including a children’s adventure play area, visitor centre, cafe for refreshments and many well stocked lakes for fishing. There are also many trails to explore, be it by foot, by cycle or with your dog, with the added bonus that the caravan park adjoins the Trans-Pennine Trail. Poolsbrook Country Park Caravan Club Site uses a number of sustainable resource and energy features, making it an appealing destination for the environmentally aware concerned with kindness to our planet. The caravan site is also just 2 miles south of Staveley town centre, where you can absorb the area’s industrial heritage. The entire area offers the opportunity to observe the interesting local wildlife – it is rich with a large variety of birds and animals. Easily accessible and conveniently located from the M1 motorway, the site is conveniently placed for stopover visits.”

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews