2018 – Page 2 – WorldofWills

Middelburg

So, having found Belgium, and been delighted by it, we continued on to the Netherlands, as per Plan A. ….Andrew had a couple of campsites earmarked, and, after a spot of diversionary routes around the town, we arrived at a small campsite, where no-one was at reception, nor was there any response to ringing the bell, so we toodled off to option 2. This turned out be a site run by the council, and what a place! OK, it was a tad “open to the elements”, i.e. damned breezy, but the facilities were top-notch- Villery and Boch toilets, no less, and everything was spotless. The campsite also had a fresh bakery delivery each morning..the cheapest and best croissants so far, this trip!

We biked into town, with some help from a local, who spotted us with a map…”follow me” she cycled ahead, giving us a potted history of her town as we followed…how nice was that? We soon found out her civic pride was very understandable. Middelburg is a very charming town, with a lovely feel to it. There are several grand buildings, including many residential, and as our informal guide had told us, they had been flattened in WW2 and rebuilt to the original style. The central Market Place is a hub of activity, though sadly we narrowly missed the weekly market there. We were able to do our own tour of the town, by bike, punctuated by some stops for liquid refreshment…well, it was still very hot!

You may recall, Andrew had spilled beer on his shorts in Ghent, well, he added to his laundry toll in Middelburg…some ice cream melted from his “Totally Nuts” ice cream cone, onto the same shorts, and…oh, the indignity, a pigeon shat on his shoulders in the Market Place. It was still a fantastic place to visit…we will go back one day, and he’ll get his revenge on that pigeon!

Click on the photo below to see some of our Middelburg photos…g’wan, you know you want to!

A day out in Brussels

A Day of….Cycle, Train, Walk, Bus, Bus, Train, Cycle..oh, and of course plenty of beer.

Wanting to see Brussels but not wanting to move to a closer campsite and travel in from there, we decided to stay camped in Ghent for an extra day and do a day trip to the city. Trains for Brussels departed every 15 minutes from Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station, which was only about 10 minutes by bike from our campsite. We bought the tickets the previous day and on Wednesday morning we cycled to the station, locked the bikes and caught the next train. We were in the big city by 11 o’clock and after a swift look around the Cathedral we boarded the Brussels city sight-seeing bus. We probably spent around 2 hours on the two bus tours, one taking us through Northern Brussels via the European Parliament and Commission building complexes, the other taking us out to Atomium, the Royal Palace and the Basilica.

We found old Brussels by ourselves after the bus tours had finished, and marvelled at the old buildings in the Grand Place. One attraction we were keen to see for ourselves was the famous Manneken Pis statue. We walked miles in the scorching heat looking for it, but we knew it would be worth the effort. Eventually we found it. Err, no, this statue was a real disappointment. It is a stumpy 2ft tall at the most, and certainly not worth the walk. Oh well……

Ghent/Gent

Ghent or Gent, it’s all the same place, a really neat old city in the Flanders region of Belgium, about 40 miles east of Bruges. We arrived at the Blaarmeersen playground (stadium) amidst an international yoof football tournament and the place was absolutely crammed with football teams. Thankfully, Sunday, our arrival day, was the last day of the tournament and by mid afternoon the thumping music had stopped and it was much quieter. Our chosen pitch was good, and the facilities were well maintained, though there was some road noise. Families of bunnies invaded every day…they were quite confident among us humans. Andrew’s threats of an air-rifle seemed lost in translation.

We ventured out on bikes mid afternoon to take a look at the city in the afternoon sunshine. As elsewhere in Belgium, cycling is the way to go, and it was very easy to find the city centre, where we also found a secure, covered cycle park, which was well used. Sitting outside a bar, Andrew managed to lose half his beer onto his shorts, thanks to a sudden gust of wind..as in it was a very breezy day, not a reference to Andrew’s digestion!

Talking of which, we’d arrived almost out of food…forgot the Continental “shops closed on Sundays ” convention…oops…so we found (via Google Maps) a Lidl, and we stocked up with – beer and wine (of course) and a range of other items, it’s amazing what a pannier and a rucksack can hold!

Ghent’s best kept secret is…..their Tourist Information office…we wandered, following the “i” signs…never quite finding it..eventually, we stopped for (another) beer, and asked the waiter…”under the bell tower”, says he..huh, nope, it had been moved to the near the castle….hidden in a corner of the square…blink and you’ll miss it…we did, several times!

Overall, though, Ghent was a wonderful city to visit, it has a real buzz to it, with many interesting churches to visit (yes, a few Euros to light some candles). Some beautiful architecture to admire, and picturesque views of the old city.

Click on the photo below for more images of Ghent.

F****** Bruges (as per the film)

It’s been on the Bucket List for a while, since we first saw the film…”In Bruges”, so it was an obvious destination for the Wills Belgian trip. At Camping Memling, ..Automatic Check-in! We managed it OK, just before the “Full” sign went up, phew! We bussed into Bruges a couple of times, before cycling in on the 3rd day. Had we known just how easy the bike ride was, we’d have ditched the bus sooner. It’s refreshing to see that cyclists seem to take priority over other road-users, a bit un- nerving till you get used to it!

Bruges is picture perfect, with its waterways and cobbled streets. We saw the sights, and topped it up with a really informative bus tour of the town..at a touristy price, but worth dipping into the budget.

The photo opposite shows the Belfort in central Bruges, click on the photo for more images

Prices were generally high in Bruges, but we found a reasonable set 3 course menu, where A indulged in a bunny rabbit dish…no bunnies were harmed in making my beef casserole…and Motown was being played in the restaurant…fine by me! For a bit of culture, on our last day, it was off to the Groeningemuseum, where there was some very interesting art, including some Van Eyck, and the weird and wonderful Bosch. Andrew, of course, has his own take on the religious art….we did a lot of walking around, including spotting some film set locations…Bucket List ticked! I may not mention it, but in every town, I go into at least one church, and pay my Euro (max. spend) and light a candle…A usually mutters a bit, but I have to do it!

Wipers

We took the Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais…then, shock horror…drove through France, to reach Belgium! Fiona managed a couple of hasty photos of the Belgium signpost…then we were on to our first non_french destination- Ypres, or Wipers, if you prefer…

We arrived at our first campsite…luckily Andrew had reserved a spot, it was getting rather busy, due to (we later found out) a huge motoring rally which was hitting town..The pitch was quite roomy, and there was a very handy pathway to the town. First stop was the Menin Gate, quite a stunning monument, both in its size, and the endless list of names on it….all those souls lost during WW1, without a “proper” grave…and all those wreaths, stating “we will never forget” and nor should we.

The photo below is of the Menin Gate, click on the photo for further images taken around Ypres.

Feeling the need for some Euros, we went on an ATM hunt….eventually finding an ING bank, which allowed us €200..woohoo…time for some drinks! In fact, we opted to eat in town..and what a great decision that was! Andrew chose the “scampi in garlic butter”….NOT yer normal deep fried scampi we find in any pub in the UK…no, these were the most succulent king prawns, in a wonderful garlic butter…A has died and gone to heaven! I had a steak, which was also very good, but it wasn’t quite as outstanding as the scampi. After a few drinks and coffee, we were ready to hit the streets and wander more.

Next day, we saw some more of Ypres, including a few hours spent at the In Flanders Field Museum in the town centre. Well, I admit, I had to escape to the Ladies for a few minutes, to wipe my tears….it was the bit where chlorine gas had been deployed, and the accounts of soldiers almost ripping the skin from their faces, in agony…..man’s inhumanity to man….just horrendous…I returned to the exhibits, and continued. Wow, what a museum that was! Well worth the entrance fee…so much has gone into showing what the Belgian people went through…

Home to camp for dinner, then out to experience The Last Post at Menin Gate….a ceremony carried out every single evening at 8pm…a kind gent from Arkansas invited me to stand in front, so I could see things better…(short arse moment) and we got chatting..he too has a Motorhome…a 40 footer! He asked if we tow a car behind our Moho…different world! The ceremony was very moving, with the Last Post, and a few people walking through to lay wreathes, to add to the many, many already there. The crowd is asked for silence, and no applause. Soon, its over and we disperse. Drinks in the main square..which will soon be filled with the Rally stands, and exhibits.

Off on a new adventure

We’re off on our holidays again, with differences….a whole 4 weeks available to us, and we’re going via the Channel Tunnel instead of car ferry. (Quite a bargain, thanks to Tesco Clubcard deals) We spent the first night at Canterbury Park and Ride, here they have a Motorhome Aire..other councils, please note! Having been very impressed by the cathedrals at Winchester, and more recently York, we were keen to see how Canterbury compared. Well, we don’t know, as a.) the exterior was largely covered by scaffolding, and b.) having arrived late afternoon, the £12.50 entrance fee didn’t seem good value..we’d only have about 30 minutes for a whistlestop tour. Unlike the aforementioned cathedrals, you can’t wander round the outside here…only a glimpse without paying the entrance fee…so Chaucer’s tales etc. will have to wait for another visit. Instead, we had a lovely meal at Cote Brasserie, and did some people watching. We had a few drinks at the local (to the Park and Ride) pub in the evening, before our Eurotunnel trip next day.
Here is the best (free ) view of what is acclaimed as a beautiful building.

The best view of Canterbury Cathedral you get without shelling out the £12 or so.

In the wild of the New Forest, May ’18

Ah, the New Forest. Created sometime between 1066 and 1087 on the orders of William the Conqueror. 36 parishes were destroyed in its creation and many people left homeless and destitute just so that William and his pals could enjoy this extensive yet private hunting ground.

The New Forest extends to around 200 sq miles and it’s not just trees; there are numerous glades, ancient woodlands, open moors, heathlands and boggy streams, and it is criss-crossed with roads, walking trails and unpaved cycling paths. There is an abundance of wild life freely wandering the forest including horses, cattle, deer, donkeys and pigs. The forest is home to a wide variety of birdlife including buzzards, cuckoo, wood-peckers, swallows and swifts.

For our May break this year we decided to take the ‘van to the forest and stay at Long Meadow campsite which is just outside Brockenhurst. From Long Meadow it’s a 20 minutes cycle ride on forest trails and minor roads into Brockenhurst, although it’s probably much quicker along the busy A337.

Long Meadow campsite was pretty much empty, out of its 100 pitches less than 20 were occupied so we were able to park far away from everyone else is our usual sociable way. The weekend started off very hot and sunny and this continued into Monday afternoon. Rain was forecast for 3pm on Monday and it delivered in spades bang on cue, chucking it down in torrents. After an hour or so, the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started leaving us with a bright and sunny late afternoon and evening but had soaked our picnic furniture so no BBQ that evening.

Cycling in the forest was easy going on unpaved tracks, no hills, just a few slopes, very few people around and next to no traffic, even on the roads. It’s the sort of countryside you can cycle on all day without getting bored or too tired.

Brockenhurst is a nice village with a number of small shops and tea rooms. There is a butcher, a baker, a green-grocer, but don’t use the Tesco Express where they charge 29p per onion!. Fruit and veg is much cheaper in the green-grocer on Brookley road.

Click on the photo below to see a selection of the photos we took while out and about in the New Forest.

A shaded glade in the New Forest, somewhere near Brockenhurst

York

Going North for a holiday

York is a long journey north for us. We have visited the area once before when we attended Richard & Ann’s wedding back in the early 80’s, but we have never been back. I’ve always wanted to visit the York railway museum and crawl around the old railway locomotives, but it was always too far to go. Now that we have more time on our hands we decided finally to bite the bullet and head off up north. We booked our campsites, 2 nights outside Burton, followed by 4 nights at an ‘adults only‘ campsite just outside York. We waited with anticipation for the dates to arrive.

On the morning of our planned departure we awoke to a snow covered landscape.

It was freezing cold and we were worried about driving in the snow; we waited until the roads had cleared and then headed off.

The countryside was snow covered all the way but presented no problems. The ‘Conkers’ campsite roads were iced over, but we managed OK.

We spent 2 nights at Conkers which is in the National Forest, our stay was really just a stop-over on the long trek up to York, but gave us a day to hike around the forest trails.

The snow had all but disappeared and the sun was shining when we set off for York on Tuesday morning.

Fiona had her foot down all the way so we arrived in York much earlier than anticipated. A short stop at the large Asda on York’s Monks Cross retail park to replenish our food and then on to York Caravan park to settle in.

York Caravan park is nice with level pitches and large heated private bathrooms. It is an adult-only site so no noisy kids. There is a bus stop right outside for a 10 minute bus-ride to the centre of York, we became regular users of the 10:30 bus into York and the 16:38 back out again.

The Minster and City of York

We knew that the Minster was going to be well worth a visit as we’d done our homework and read-up on its history. We’ve visited Winchester cathedral a few times so thought we knew what was in store for us.

The city streets leading to the Minster were wonderfully Medieval, very reminiscent of towns in Normandy. We meandered in the general direction of the Minster, which was hidden behind streets of Colombage style houses while all the time anticipating shouts of ‘gardez l’eau‘; thankfully no such shouts came. We explored the old narrow streets with names such as ‘The Shambles’, ‘Swinegate’ and many other roads ending with ‘gate’. In old germanic/viking ‘gate’ meant road so these were road names and not gate names.

Wow, the Minster was so much more stunning in than we’d expected. We decided very quickly to splash out on tickets, go in for a visit and join in one of the Minster tours.

The Occidental or western end of the Cathedral.

Just think, this marvellous creation of Man was completed in 1472; it really is stunning. It’s 520 ft long and 222 ft wide, the height of the nave is 99ft and the towers extend to 196 and 225 ft. Unbelievable, and all built without the aid of a computer, JCB, bulldozers, machine tools etc, and apparently without an overall design, though I do find that bit hard to believe.

York is a really lovely city, nice and compact so easy to get around, plenty to see, and with fascinating history. There were a good number of independent small cafes and coffee shops so finding lunch or a snack was easy. During the week it seems to be a ‘gentle’ place but it really came alive at the weekend with an influx of hen-parties and stag do’s. With its numerous old pubs it looked like a great place for a night out.

Sightseeing around York

Rather than plod around York on foot seeking out the interesting parts we treated ourselves to a 24 hour sightseeing bus pass each and toured the city in an open topped bus. The weather was cold but dry and we got a much better view from the top of a double-decker bus than we would have walking the streets. So much so that we went around the city twice before getting off the bus. The following day we leapt back on the bus for another final tour before our bus passes expired.

This is Micklegate Bar where in 1460, the head of Richard the 3rd Duke of York was stuck on a pike for all to see.

Below are some of the photos we took of York.

National Railway Museum

This is what I really came here for; it’s billed as the best railway museum in the world and its admission is free. There was a lot to see there, steam locomotives, royal trains, Mallard among numerous other engines. The ‘Mallard’ simulator was a bit of a let down, good job we managed to get concession tickets for it, the rest of it was marvellous. There were many restored locomotives and a few restored royal coaches, even a few diesel engines too. The station hall and great hall exhibits were superb, however, the warehouse was stuffed with railway artefacts including dining crockery, silver tea sets, seats, models of trains and ships, clothing – uniforms and tons more leftovers from a bygone age. I could have crawled around the warehouse exhibits all day long.

The Evening Star, loco number 92220,the last steam loco built for BR; it’s hard to believe they were still making steam locos in 1960.

Here is a gallery of photos we took as we wandered around the exhibition halls, click on them for a better view.

Jorvik Viking Centre

We hum’d and ha’d about visiting the Jorvik Viking centre before heading over there on the Saturday afternoon only to find a long queue outside so decided to give it a miss. The following morning after getting off the bus we went straight over to Coppergate and found there was no queue at all so we bought the tickets and went in. The exhibition has two distinct parts. The first is a ride (at walking pace) through reconstructed Viking streets featuring huts, pigsties, animal pens, a fish market and shops, all with ‘authentic’ smells, and populated by Viking mannequins. The ride lasts about 15 minutes is accompanied by an informative sound track explaining each of the exhibits.

The second part of the exhibition is a museum showing some of 40,000 or so artefacts discovered when Coppergate was excavated back in the ’80’s, as well as some exhibits on loan from other museums.

Burton water

Our holiday is now over and we are heading back south. We’ll break our journey with one night at the Conkers campsite which is a handful of miles from Burton on Trent.

It’s a long drive from home to York, 279 miles in total according to google broken down as 116 from York to Conkers and a further 163 miles to home. Fiona has lost her fear of driving the van so she drove from Conkers to York and then drove all the way home.

Before we set off from Conkers, we fill the motorhome fresh water tank with Burton water which I will use in my home brewing once I get home. Burton water doesn’t contain anywhere near the amount of calcium or magnesium as our own domestic supply and should be far better for making lighter beers. Let’s wait and see.

Sore back

Before setting off on holiday I manage to hurt myself probably by twisting or stretching before a run or while cycling. This left me with an awful pain in my right hand side, just below my ribs, at and around my kidneys. Having already been told not to ruin the holiday by rushing off to A&E I decided to grin and bear it. However, it was so painful that I had to visit my doctor on my return home. Thankfully, it was my ribs and nothing to do with my kidneys. With the right drugs and free prescription, the pain will go away in time.