As planned I spent the day at Crich Tramways Museum. They were holding s '40s Home Front weekend so lots of reenactors and veterans around the place. All good fun, everyone pleasant, and a jolly decent day out.
Highlight for me was in the bar, young lad in US Army uniform bought a drink for a D-Day veteran that he'd obviously never met before and then spent some time with him just talking.
By about 2 o'clock I'd had about enough and was tiring, I could have taken a couple of painkillers and carried on but I'd about seen everything anyway so headed back to site via the scenic route through Cromford. I didn't stop this time, but I'll be back soon for a proper visit to that part of the area. The great thing with having Dai is I can head up here first thing Saturday, do some visiting, stop the night and then do more visiting before driving home, all for the sake of under £40 in petrol and around £15 for the site.
Spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing with the Kindle and a couple of beers, now just debating whether to wander down the pub or not having had ham, sweet corn and new tatties for dinner.
Sunday, 5 April 2015
Saturday, 4 April 2015
Who were the Quarrymen?
I'd planned to visit Peak Rail today but decided you can have too much of s good thing and would do something else - play Brown Sign Bingo (that's where you just follow brown tourist signs and see what you find). Without g trying I ended up back much where I was yesterday. The first brown sign, for a heritage centre, was a fail as it had closed. I did get a rather nice looking Pork Pie at the farmers' market though. The next brown sign took me to the National Rock Centre. It's another of those lottery funded educational type places that sprung up a few years ago.
Before I even got to the centre though I saw a sign saying Light Railway, so much for not doing trains! The Steeple Grange Light Railway is an 18" gauge rebuild on former standard gauge quarry lines. You get two rides for your money plus an interesting talk on Limestone and quarrying.
After playing trains and generally chatting I headed down to the Stone Centre itself. There's not a huge amount there but it would be good for, and is aimed at, kids. From there I wended my way back to the site for a reasonably early finish to the day. I did a quick camper sort, doing the water and connecting the mains electric. I'd not bothered with the latter last night and regretted it this morning when running the fan heater for a few minutes might have got me out of bed a bit quicker.
I've had a couple of doh moments this trip. Last night I kept seeing cars stopped in odd places and driving slowly, it was ages before I realised that it was a treasure hunt. Then today I saw someone behaving oddly in a field. Then I noticed the metal detector in his hand.
Tomorrow I still plan to visit the Tramways Museum but might yet change my mind -you'll have to wait and see (and so will I).
Before I even got to the centre though I saw a sign saying Light Railway, so much for not doing trains! The Steeple Grange Light Railway is an 18" gauge rebuild on former standard gauge quarry lines. You get two rides for your money plus an interesting talk on Limestone and quarrying.
After playing trains and generally chatting I headed down to the Stone Centre itself. There's not a huge amount there but it would be good for, and is aimed at, kids. From there I wended my way back to the site for a reasonably early finish to the day. I did a quick camper sort, doing the water and connecting the mains electric. I'd not bothered with the latter last night and regretted it this morning when running the fan heater for a few minutes might have got me out of bed a bit quicker.
I've had a couple of doh moments this trip. Last night I kept seeing cars stopped in odd places and driving slowly, it was ages before I realised that it was a treasure hunt. Then today I saw someone behaving oddly in a field. Then I noticed the metal detector in his hand.
Tomorrow I still plan to visit the Tramways Museum but might yet change my mind -you'll have to wait and see (and so will I).
Friday, 3 April 2015
Rainy Days in Derbyshire
Doesn't really look like it'll make a song title, does it?
First trip of the year is to the Caravan Club site near Belper, mainly 'cause there are several railway attractions nearby. I got on the road reasonably early and actually, apart from the weather, had no real delays from the A14 and M1 works.
Was a bit early for the Ecclesbourne Valley railway but a local coffee shop took care of that. It's not a typical heritage line (actually they prefer the term Community Railway) running mainly diesel railcars. I had a bit chat with the gentleman seeking the tickets from what is basically a steel garden shed. After I'd been for a wander he pointed me to a pleasant couple who're looking at campervans st the moment. They'd noticed Dai and obviously said something. We had a bit chat anyway and I have them a couple of pointers.
Having travelled the line up to Wirksworth I had time for a good wander round, a bit of a chat with people and a trip up the highlight of their efforts. The incline up to Ravenstore is 1 in 27, not much in car terms (although you'd notice it) but the steepest conventional line in the country. We were pushed by a Barclay's steam loco, it was very juddery with a lot of slippage. They're currently using the line to test some battery/3rd rail maintenance locos for London Underground (apparently a lot of the stations have steep grades in and out to aid deceleration and acceleration.
Having spent enough time playing it was time to head up to the caravan site . It's a nice site, but I'm in the middle of a huge pitch with my own water and drainage due to a rearrangement over there winter.
After pitching I walked down into Belper for dinner, fish and chips, very nice to but it was a bit further than I thought and it rained! Having walked back up the hill I then went down the other side to the pub. Nice point of Thwaites though, might go for dinner tomorrow.
One job had become apparent already, I'm going to have to replace the gas struts on the pop-top. I wasn't convinced last year, having tried a rearrangement on the packing they're definitely not up to the job. It's an easy fix once I measure them
First trip of the year is to the Caravan Club site near Belper, mainly 'cause there are several railway attractions nearby. I got on the road reasonably early and actually, apart from the weather, had no real delays from the A14 and M1 works.
Was a bit early for the Ecclesbourne Valley railway but a local coffee shop took care of that. It's not a typical heritage line (actually they prefer the term Community Railway) running mainly diesel railcars. I had a bit chat with the gentleman seeking the tickets from what is basically a steel garden shed. After I'd been for a wander he pointed me to a pleasant couple who're looking at campervans st the moment. They'd noticed Dai and obviously said something. We had a bit chat anyway and I have them a couple of pointers.
Having travelled the line up to Wirksworth I had time for a good wander round, a bit of a chat with people and a trip up the highlight of their efforts. The incline up to Ravenstore is 1 in 27, not much in car terms (although you'd notice it) but the steepest conventional line in the country. We were pushed by a Barclay's steam loco, it was very juddery with a lot of slippage. They're currently using the line to test some battery/3rd rail maintenance locos for London Underground (apparently a lot of the stations have steep grades in and out to aid deceleration and acceleration.
Having spent enough time playing it was time to head up to the caravan site . It's a nice site, but I'm in the middle of a huge pitch with my own water and drainage due to a rearrangement over there winter.
After pitching I walked down into Belper for dinner, fish and chips, very nice to but it was a bit further than I thought and it rained! Having walked back up the hill I then went down the other side to the pub. Nice point of Thwaites though, might go for dinner tomorrow.
One job had become apparent already, I'm going to have to replace the gas struts on the pop-top. I wasn't convinced last year, having tried a rearrangement on the packing they're definitely not up to the job. It's an easy fix once I measure them
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Too much weather!
With jobs needing doing this weekend ready for the first trip of the year away I really could have done without the rain. This morning I was seriously working out whether I could get away with not doing the most urgent job, wiring for the charger to the leisure battery and putting the panelling back together, when there was a brief break in the wind and rain. A slightly hurried bit of sorting and that was done without me getting too wet.
I've also washed all the crockery and cooking stuff, repacked it and restocked the tinned and packet food. There are a few jobs I didn't manage to get done but nothing urgent. All that's left to do now is pack the personal bits and fresh food and hit the road - but there are a few days at work first!
Sunday, 22 March 2015
Charging Ahead
They do say make hay while the sun shines, bit early in the year for that (although the grass is close to needing a cut) but today's fine weather gave me an ideal opportunity to complete the electrics I've been working on.
It turned into another slightly frustrating job and took all day, including a quick shopping trip, but we nearly got there. Put simply what I've done is installed a lighter socket and a twin USB charger into one of the back seat lockers. I've also installed a USB outlet between the back seats that will plug into the charger and a switch so I can power it all either from the engine running feed or from the leisure battery.
One mistake , which I'll rectify, was using too small a size of trunking to protect it all. I hadn't really thought that whilst you can just about get the 3 runs off 1.5mm2 cable through the stuff you can't get it round any corners. It'll come back out early enough and I'll go up a size.
There's one remaining job to do before it all goes back together which is to provide a feed to the leisure battery for the mains charger. It shouldn't ever be needed really as it charges when driving and my usage is very low but just in case! As the battery is in a solid compartment and it's a pain to get to I need to put a fixed feed in.
Next week will be final sorting and packing before I finally get to go away to Derbyshire.
Sunday, 1 March 2015
And The Lord Said, "Let there be light!"
I've mentioned previously that I wasn't happy with the interior lighting on Dai. Basically there were just two spotlights at the back plus the vehicle interior light, none of which was that much use when during at the table or reading. Having tried some battery led lights last week (they were useless) I decided I somehow needed to get a 12v light fitted, the difficulty being the wiring.
Some lateral thinking made me realise that it should be possible to feed the wires behind the headlining from one of the spotlights but it wasn't going to be the easiest of jobs. I got a 12v led strip light ordered and made a quick call to my brother to see if he'd for a set of fishing rods (the electrician's type, not piscatorial). He hadn't, but was prepared to get some as he'd got a couple of jobs that he would need them for (he's a marine electrician).
Fortunately the light arrived Friday and brother brought the rods over Saturday after lunch. As expected it took quite a while but some lateral thinking from both of us saw a wire through with no real drama. This morning I was able to get the light wired up and fitted, I've just been out and had a look now it's dark and it lights up the interior brilliantly (pun intended).
I did carry on with the other electrics from last week for a while today but it was fairly breezy which made the job too dangerous - the tailgate wouldn't stay open! I know what I need to pick up to finish that job though and it won't take too long.
Sunday, 22 February 2015
What a Load of Rubbish...
I hear you cry!
One of the things that's been a problem with Dai is where the heck I can put a rubbish bin. Last year I ended up with just a bin bag stuck in the back cupboard, OK but far from ideal. The problem is the very limited space. If I hadn't done the mains electrics it would have been easier but that was an essential job in my view.
Taking advantage of some slightly nicer weather this weekend I did a quick trawl of the local caravan shops in Wellingborough and Rushden. I wasn't after much (so wasn't disappointed)! I did finally find a nice slimline rubbish bin though. It's designed to hang on a cupboard or wall with a bracket that it will lift off but a bit of experimenting and I found it actually sits nicely against the coolbox. The bracket is only on with sticky-fixers at the moment but I'm not averse to dropping a couple of self-tappers into the sides of the box. It's not going to hold a lot, but ideal for the bits of kitchen roll and tissue, etc. More disappointing was the cheap LED battery lights I bought. I really want some additional lighting over the table and seats but I tried one of these last night and a glow-worm would be more effective. They cost very little though and I'm not surprised. I'll keep thinking on that one but at the moment I'm struggling to work out how to get a power feed to the relevant place without dismantling half the interior.
Another job I'd got on the list was improving the charging provision for phones, etc. I haven't finished this (partly because it's now raining) but the prep work is done. I found a panel mount USB charger and "lighter" socket combo on the 'net recently. The USB has a 1A and a 2.1A output, so will power just about anything and the separate socket is ideal for things like the camera battery charger. I'm part way through mounting these in the spare seat locker so I can leave things concealed on charge. I will bring one of the USB outputs to the area by the seats though so I can plug the mobile in when I'm in bed. Just to complicate the job slightly more I'm installing a switch so that these sockets can run only when the engine is running or be switched to the leisure battery. I could run them permanently from the leisure battery but the USB would drain it slightly so I decided to cover all bases.
Another recent acquisition was a rechargeable LED torch which also functions as a USB stand-by power supply - useful if it's pub o'clock and the phone (or Kindle) battery is dying. That will stay plugged in to the charger in the locker normally so always be ready for use.
The final purchase of the weekend may seem strange - a hot water bottle. We've found on the yacht that they're ideal for warming the bed when it's cold and as I only have limited heating on mains electric I thought it would be a good idea. Whether it will ever be used is another matter but at £1.99 (reduced from £2.99) in the cheap stores I reckoned it's worth a try.
One of the things that's been a problem with Dai is where the heck I can put a rubbish bin. Last year I ended up with just a bin bag stuck in the back cupboard, OK but far from ideal. The problem is the very limited space. If I hadn't done the mains electrics it would have been easier but that was an essential job in my view.
Taking advantage of some slightly nicer weather this weekend I did a quick trawl of the local caravan shops in Wellingborough and Rushden. I wasn't after much (so wasn't disappointed)! I did finally find a nice slimline rubbish bin though. It's designed to hang on a cupboard or wall with a bracket that it will lift off but a bit of experimenting and I found it actually sits nicely against the coolbox. The bracket is only on with sticky-fixers at the moment but I'm not averse to dropping a couple of self-tappers into the sides of the box. It's not going to hold a lot, but ideal for the bits of kitchen roll and tissue, etc. More disappointing was the cheap LED battery lights I bought. I really want some additional lighting over the table and seats but I tried one of these last night and a glow-worm would be more effective. They cost very little though and I'm not surprised. I'll keep thinking on that one but at the moment I'm struggling to work out how to get a power feed to the relevant place without dismantling half the interior.
Another job I'd got on the list was improving the charging provision for phones, etc. I haven't finished this (partly because it's now raining) but the prep work is done. I found a panel mount USB charger and "lighter" socket combo on the 'net recently. The USB has a 1A and a 2.1A output, so will power just about anything and the separate socket is ideal for things like the camera battery charger. I'm part way through mounting these in the spare seat locker so I can leave things concealed on charge. I will bring one of the USB outputs to the area by the seats though so I can plug the mobile in when I'm in bed. Just to complicate the job slightly more I'm installing a switch so that these sockets can run only when the engine is running or be switched to the leisure battery. I could run them permanently from the leisure battery but the USB would drain it slightly so I decided to cover all bases.
Another recent acquisition was a rechargeable LED torch which also functions as a USB stand-by power supply - useful if it's pub o'clock and the phone (or Kindle) battery is dying. That will stay plugged in to the charger in the locker normally so always be ready for use.
The final purchase of the weekend may seem strange - a hot water bottle. We've found on the yacht that they're ideal for warming the bed when it's cold and as I only have limited heating on mains electric I thought it would be a good idea. Whether it will ever be used is another matter but at £1.99 (reduced from £2.99) in the cheap stores I reckoned it's worth a try.
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