Finally got around to blogging our last trip ......

Happy Friday ........

I hope you've had a lovely week ..... its been a nice quiet one here, and I'm looking forward to a bit of the same over the weekend.  

Can you believe we're almost half way through October already ........ that means there's something like 10 more Fridays before Christmas.  I'd better make a start on some Christmas cards soon!

A certain someone keeps reminding me that I haven't blogged our last trip in the van ........ and they're right!  So, before the silly season starts and everything goes all festive, here's a quick(ish) round up of what we got up to all those weeks ago ....... if I can remember!!

Here goes ........ We started our trip back in August, with a fantastic 4 nights in Walesby Forest, right in the heart of Robin Hood country, for the Torchlight Festival of Camping.  

Around 2000 campervans and motorhomes gathered for a great family weekend of music and entertainment.  The weather was amazing ......

We arrived a day early and managed to get a great spot ....... level, which is always a bonus, not far from the main stage, and only a short walk from all the other attractions ..... perfect!

There were campfires in the evenings and magical light trails through the forest .....

There were fairground rides and lots of things for families with kids.  A Wellness Sanctuary in the forest to relax and unwind.  The Club Pub with music everyday, where you could go for a good old party and singalong.   And then on the main stage we saw Gabrielle, Noasis ...... an Oasis tribute band who were really good, The Wurzels (now there's a blast from the past!) and Craig Charles.

We had the Ed Sheeran Experience, and Squeeze ..... another band from the 70's .......

On the Sunday afternoon we had Last Night of the Proms with the Camping and Caravaning Club Brass Band .....

Can't beat a bit of Bolly in the sunshine .....

And my favourite was Boyzlife .......

Keith Duffy from Boyzone and Brian McFadden from Westlife ....... 

 

It was a fantastic weekend, we really enjoyed it and we're looking forward to doing it all again next year.

From there we went on to Welwyn Garden City for a couple of nights.  Hubby had to work,  and needed to go into London so the campsite in Welwyn was ideal.  It was a nice little site,  not far from a railway station where the trains went straight into Kings Cross, perfect for where he needed to be. 

Next time we stay there though, we won't be parking under the trees ........ squirrels dropping acorns on the van roof is not something I like first thing in the morning!!!  Great wake up call when you need to catch a train though so it wasn't too bad.

London was just as I remember it ...... very busy!!  Nice restaurants though ....... we met one of hubby's work colleagues one evening and had a fabulous Indian meal at a place called Dishoom at Kings Cross. 

The food was amazing ..... definitely one for the return to list.

We were also treated to an evening in Vagabonds, a rather nice wine bar in the centre of London.  Nice food, lots of small plates so you can try everything, a good selection of craft beers, and over 160 wines you could try by the glass.  Again, another place to add to the list!

From Welwyn we went on to one of our favourite parts of the UK ........ the Cotswolds, returning to the Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Moreton in Marsh.  We ended up staying 5 nights here it was so nice.  Hubby was still working from the van in the mornings, and we would go out in the evenings. 

And I managed to spend some time with my journal which was nice.  I finally got around to finishing off this workshop by the lovely Tracy Scott ...... 

All drawn by hand onto Kraft pages in my Dylusions journal ....... the lettering was done using one of Tracy's stencils ...... and everything was coloured using Prismacolor pencils.

It took me a while but, it was so relaxing to do ...... I loved it!  It kept me busy whilst hubby was working.

We did have a day out to Chipping Campden ..... another beautiful town in the Cotswolds that we hadn't been to before.

We started the day at the Little Oak Vineyard.  You know how we love our wine so when I discovered this place on the internet we had to go, seeing as we were so close.  

We left the van in Moreton and got a cab there.  They were really easy to find, just outside of the town, and as you can see from the photo it was a beautiful  day ..... perfect weather for a wine tasting!

Gemma, one of the owners, was lovely.  She took us on a tour of the vines .....

she obviously knows her grapes .....

and is so proud of what they produce ...... and rightly so ..... the wine is lovely!  

Once the tour was finished we sat in the gardens, tasted the wines, and had a lovely lunch.  I can see this becoming a regular stop off on our Cotswolds visits!

Still in the Cotswolds, our next stop was Broadway ....... we were looking forward to this campsite.

It was another site that wasn't far from the actual town and we got ourselves a great little spot.

We'd been reading the reviews on this site and most were really good but, there's a railway line that runs by the side of the site and this was mentioned quite a bit.

Apparently the Broadway Railway Station was rebuilt a few years ago, and the steam trains have returned running to and from Broadway to Cheltenham Racecourse, and these run regularly over the course of the day.  Now, I suppose if you don't like trains then this wouldn't be the site for you, although there are pitches away from the railway line, so you can get away from it if you want to.  

We on the other hand loved the steam train going by, so we were pleased when we managed to get a pitch by the railway line.

We would watch the last train go,

and then at the end of the day, we would wander over there with a small glass of something else we got from the Little Oak Vineyard,  and watch the sun go down!

We had four nights at Broadway and loved it but, we had to return home at some point!

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely weekend.

Cheerio until next time ......