That's All Folks!

Dai has gone to a new home with a lovely family, I hope they can sort the problems and enjoy their trips as much as I have.

The new camper has arrived, with a new Blog, so head to www.sablecamper.blogspot.com to keep following me.

I've had 3 good seasons of holidays with Dai, and I'm pleased I made the effort to blog them as it's a reminder to me as well.

Goodbye Little Dai...

Sadly following Dai's MOT failure I've decided it's time for a change. It's a difficult one, as the main fail point is emissions. A good run and service could sort that, but equally I could spend a lot  of money and it still wouldn't pass. With everything else such as the front brakes needing doing I've decided it's not worth the expenditure.

I don't regret buying Dai. I'd have liked to get another season or have a decent resale value but overall the costs have been manageable. I've learnt a lot, not least that a small campervan is exactly right for me. There may, depending on timings, be one last trip to come and I'll be starting a new chapter in my campervanning, and a new blog, very soon.

Water, water and Plans

I've finally got round to sorting the water pump out ready for the new season. As I anticipated the old pump was seized so I simply ordered a new one, fitting was no problem and the fuses are now all in place (with spares). I do feel the wiring on the tap really isn't up to the job, given the current required, although of course usage is only for short periods. As some point I may fit a relay to protect both the wiring and the microswitch.

Plans for this year are about sorted, with a week in Durham and Northumberland during May then a few days in Somerset at Minehead. That does assume the MOT in April goes OK. There's always a fear that a relatively minor problem could prove too expensive due to the cost of importing parts.

I've been debating changing unit this year. Dai is great in many respects but there is one critical flaw in the layout, the lack of a long seat for relaxing on in daytime. I also can't easily get a bike rack to fit, I'm not at all keen on the strap-on ones having seen the results of when they fall off, a very new and very dented Mercedes and two wrecked bikes! I would have to buy a fitted one then hope I could alter it to fit which will cost £200 or so with no certainty of success.

At the moment though I haven't found an ideal replacement (or at least not at a price I can afford) so I think I'll just keep Dai until it's time to visit the scrapyard. I may yet change my mind though!

The Scottish Trip - The End

I didn't get a great night's sleep for various reasons and, as I was awake at 6, I got moving very early. I left site a bit after 7, very quietly. The A68 is definitely a better drive in daylight but it wasn't too long until dawn. I'd really like to visit the Borders again but I don't think a long trip there is on for a few years unless I rearrange things. After that it was just a slog back down the A1. It was very misty at the start, and damp much of the way, so not very pleasant.

This trip was a bit of an experiment in terms of going away in winter and also in terms of the distance travelled. I managed fine in terms of the conditions, a thicker sleeping bag than usual and the fan heater were sufficient to keep me warm and cosy. The downside though was the much shorter days, especially being in the north. I really wanted to be on the sites in daylight which, with the long drives, meant there wasn't a lot of time for visiting. Today's 6+ hours was definitely too long a drive without a decent stop. It would have been less if I'd travelled further yesterday but that wouldn't have left time for a worthwhile visit to Stirling Castle (and even then I didn't really get a chance to walk round the town).

Dai isn't the greatest vehicle on motorways, being really a city van, that's fixable of course by buying a new 'van. That's on the cards for next year or, more likely, the year after. I will bear driveability in mind with the replacement (at the moment that looks like being a Citroen Berlingo).

To conclude I doubt I'll go so far from home in winter again, at least not until I've retired and have a lot more time. For now I've got to give Dai a really good wash and sort out the water pump. I may have a night away in January but that won't be too far away.

The Scottish Trip - Another Castle

I didn't blog yesterday as I was in a hotel and in any case it would be boring (eat, drink, talk, repeat).

Having seen Stirling Castle from afar a couple of years back I decided it justified a visit. It wasn't quite on the way back from Perth but was a reasonable detour. I'm really glad I did go, it's quite spectacular in places. One of my first calls was to the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders regimental museum. The regiment only moved out of the castle in the late 1960s having had a long connection with it.

I don't generally go for the guided tours but this one was free and the timing worked out. There's only one thing that makes a good guided tour and that's a good guide, this one was excellent. He knew his history (he claims to watch BBC 4) and could put it across in an interesting and enthusiastic way.

The cafe had less to recommend it, £4 for a slice of cake is steep and it wasn't great. One thing that did impress me was that all the staff throughout were friendly, even if the were just walking through one of the courtyards they'd say, "Good morning!"

It was under 2 hours from Stirling to Melrose. The caravan site is right on the edge of the town, but quiet enough. It's fairly empty this time of year so I've pitched handy for the toilet block and water! It's got me a bit on the way to home, but it's still 5-6 hours so I'll be away reasonably early.

First job if I'm back early enough and weather permitting will be to give the 'van a good wash! It's absolutely filthy sheet the last few days of damp weather. I also need to look at removing the water pump to see if I can find what's wrong. I may have a night away in January so I can't leave it too long to sort.

The Scottish Trip - Eeek!

I wasn't quite as early away from site as I'd planned but it really didn't matter. It was straight back on the A1 past some familiar places to Berwick. I'd have liked to spend more time in Northumberland but I'm heading that way next year.

Berwick itself is a lovely town, spoilt only by the weather. You can tell it's in the north, even little old ladies were walking around without anoraks or umbrellas.

The A1 north was closed for some reason so I followed the SatNav, I think it was a public road it took me along, but at one point it became a muddy track. If you're going to close a major road at least make sure the diversion is well signposted.

People who know me very very well will know that I don't to heights, at all. I was getting fairly uncomfortable on the approach to the current Forth Road Bridge. In the end the traffic was steady anyway and I did get the chance to see the progress on the new crossing*.

From there it was a reasonable run up to the hotel in Perth. The food isn't great, after all who'd want a Black Pudding Stack with Crispy Bacon and a Poached Egg as a starter? :) I may have a voice left tomorrow after all the talking tonight but it was a lovely evening with friends old and new.

*You can look up the details but it's the longest 3 tower cable stayed bridge with cross over cables in the spans.

Whatever,, it's impressive!

Water, Water, Everywhere...

After yesterday's trip blog I hit what is, I think, the first real failure in 3 seasons using Dai. I turned the tap on and immediately the supply fuse blew. I'll check when I'm home but I suspect the pump has failed. Not a major issue, more a nuisance, I'm on full facility sites for the two nights away so I can manage.

One of the downsides of campervan conversions is that they tend to have slightly quirky electrics. Dai is even worse as there are my alterations involved. Had I been starting from scratch I'd have ensured there was a separate switch and fuse for the water pump, as it is there isn't so the lights went out as well.

Easy enough temporary fix, I just switched over to the engine battery whilst I replaced the blown fuse, but I'm glad I made provision to do that. When I get home I'll check things out, see if I've got a spare pump (I may have) and get another pack of spare fuses.

This has made me think about the electrical setup on the next campervan though. If, as is possible, I get a conversion done to suit I'll have to check out how the wiring is done and consider changes.

The Scottish Trip - It'll be Nice when it's Finished!

The Scottish Trip - It'll be Nice when it's Finished!

Although this isn't entirely a camping weekend I've turned a trip to Perth (the Scottish one) into a road trip with a couple of nights in Dai on the way to and from the hotel. I'd decided Durham would make a reasonable break point on the journey up so looked at the map for a suitable stop on the way. I've never been to Pontefract, it's got a castle, so I thought, "Why not?"

Unfortunately the castle is undergoing a multi-million pound restoration at the moment so much of it is inaccessible. Genuinely, it'll be fantastic when done and the new visitor centre, in a restored Arts and Crafts building, will be a huge improvement. As it is though it was a bit of a disappointment.

I had a stroll round the town centre and picked up a few bits of fresh food for lunch/dinner (the latter in the end) before rejoining the A1. I was thinking of calling in at Ripon but with deteriorating weather (it had gone from a bit drizzly to torrential) I didn't bother. I stopped at Scotch Corner for lunch as I was a bit early then got on site.

The Durham Grange CC site is an ideal stop over, being only a couple of hundred yards off the A1M. That does also mean it's noisy. It's also very handy for visiting the City as there's a park and ride in easy walking distance.

Having got pitched, which now takes all of 5 minutes, I sat down with my usual beer (a tradition I've kept on from when I had the folding camper, but that took a lot more effort to get sorted) thinking I'd just relax. Miraculously the rain stopped a few minutes later and the sun came out so I decided to explore. There's only one way to go on foot, that's out of the site, across both carriageways of the A690 and across two slip roads, not for the faint hearted. The view from the bridge over the A1M, shown above, is one that makes a lot of people realise they're nearly home! Penshaw Monument is certainly an icon from my childhood and probably that of many others.

With the sun setting, the temperature dropping and the traffic getting busier I decided it was time to brave the road crossings again, get back to the campervan and finish my beer. I don't need a very early start in the morning as it's a bit under 4 hours to Perth but I'll probably stop somewhere on the way.

Rally Antics

Not a typical weekend away as I was stopping at a boat rally. It's an event I've attended for many years, even though I no longer have a boat!

The rally was at the Blue Lias in Warwickshire. When we first started going there they had a caravan events field, but I generally stopped in what was known as the Donkey Field next to the canal. Since then this has been developed into a full facility caravan site, they've made a very good job of it, too.

Having arrived from work on the Friday it didn't take looking to down a pint and get booked in. Setting up Dai never takes long but this was also the first time I've pitched the awning properly for my guests to sleep in. It was a bit breezy but the pitch was well sheltered by a hedge. The only error was having the awning slightly too far from the camper which made getting the figure 8 strips tricky to get in to the j rail, the plus point though was they weren't going to come off again easily!

For the rest of the weekend Dai behaved impeccably, the awning worked as sleeping accommodation, just large enough to get the two camp beds in (really it could do with being very slightly larger). It was quite good being able to sit with the side door of Dai open and chat over breakfast out of the wind and rain. I took the awning down in the dry on the Sunday although I'll try and get it spread out to air as it won't be used again this year.

That's probably my last trip of the season, depending on booking train tickets to Perth. I've got a fall back of driving up there, probably stopping overnight on the way back. It will be interesting as my first winter trip.

The awning will definitely be used again. I think anywhere that I'm stopping for a few nights it will be useful as I'll be able to take more stuff such as the Cadac and a comfy chair.

Snowdonia Day 5 - The End

A belated post as having left the campsite and moved to a hotel in Llanberis I couldn't upload on either mobile data or the hotel WiFi. Although I stayed in Wales this was the last day in the campervan so this is the final blog post of the trip.

I'd part packed up on the Thursday night as I wanted a reasonably early start to get over to Llanberis. I was able to park in the hotel car park (I did check it was OK) which saved me about £7! I'd booked for the steam train up Snowdon, good timing as it was their 120th anniversary weekend. Originally the train was at 9:30 but they'd changed it to 10:30 which gave me a bit more time in hand. One advantage of being early is I end up talking to people, in particular I had a chat with the hog-roast man. Around 50 years ago he was there selling bunches of heather to the tourists for tuppence ha'penny, now he sells them pig sandwiches for £5 (and very good they are too, I sampled them later).

For me the steam train was definitely worth the extra over the diesel. Our loco for the day was Enid, the only survivor from the opening day in 1896 (literally, loco No. 1 crashed that day, the only significant accident they've ever had).



The heritage coaches have been rebuilt recently on original chassis, they're very well done though. It's not so much the visual impact of the steam, it's the sound. I mentioned this earlier in the week but there really is no better sound than an engine under load, and of course they're really working up the mountain.

The summit itself was in the clouds, and it was windy (although not as bad as the Saturday) but I did make the effort to climb the last bit to the trig point.



You don't get very long at the summit, around 30 minutes, as you have to return on the same train, I found the downhill run a bit nerve racking, although in truth it's quite safe. The loco and coach are not coupled, if the loco runs away an emergency brake will stop the coach.

After lunch and a couple of pints I walked round to the National Slate Museum. It's worth the entrance fee (there's no charge) and was interesting enough.



On the way back to the hotel I took a couple of photos of the Llanberis Lake Railway (I'll go back for a ride another day) and visited Dolbadarn, a fortified tower, just to complete the mix of castles and trains for the week.



The rest of the weekend was spent with friends old and new as we attacked the mountain to raise money for charity. Unfortunately Saturday's weather didn't match Friday and in the end the summit was beyond most of the walkers. We achieved our main aim though of remembering our late friend Carol and, as at the time of writing, raising nearly £3,000 for Children in Need and MacMillan.

The journey home was mostly along the A5 and was uneventful apart from a Volkswagen nearly taking me out on a roundabout. The campervan behaved impeccably throughout the week with no problems.

The only issue really proved to be storage again. Having to have kit for both the camping and the hotel, plus doing a bit of shopping, left me with kit stuffed into every available space, but I coped. It's something I'll be thinking about over the winter although at the moment unless I find a perfect unit I'm keeping Dai until the end of next season at least.

Snowdonia Day 4 - Castles and The Village with the Long Name

I decided to have a history day instead of railways, just for a change, I also wanted some non-tourist shopping (decent snacks for the next coupe of days) so I drove up to Conwy (or Conway as it used to be known).

You can't miss the history, partly due to the extent of the town walls which you're driving in and out of (in my case, while trying to find a car park with reasonable rates). I did find one just outside the walls.

The first thing, once I'd walked up into the town was coffee and Bara Brith. I also located a very good deli for later. I had a wander round, down to the harbour and round by the castle and walls.



Of course I was more interested in the bridges!



You can just see the end of the railway bridge as well in that shot. I did the shopping, including lunch, then headed down the coast, looking out for somewhere to stop and eat. That turned out to be Llanfairfechan, where I could park next to the prom for free. There was a breeze blowing but I had my Pork and Stilton pie and Cheese and Ham roll listening to the surf and watching the world go by. I have to say if I was going out onto the sea there I'd want something bigger than this:



He didn't go far offshore, presumably he was fishing, but even so, it's not a part of the coast to treat lightly.

The next stage was to pop across to Anglesey, just for the sake of it, and visit, as it says on their signs, The Village with the Long Name, Llanfair PG (not risking typing it all). Having missed the parking I looped round by a back lane to a level crossing, as chance would have it a train was due and the keeper was just shutting the gates (no automation here). It did give me a photo opportunity although in the end I only got one chance at this, I think it worked:



After opening the gates the keeper came for a chat, it can't be an interesting job really as he doesn't even have any control, he has to wait for the main box to pull off the locks (lever 37 apparently) on the gates.

I did get some photos of the now virtually redundant station as well before continuing back across to the mainland and down to Caernarfon. I'm quite impressed with my sat-nav's Welsh pronunciation. More driving around to find parking, as I didn't want to pay £5 for all day when I was only going to be a couple of hours at the most, but I got the last space in a small car park on the edge of the town. The weather took a turn for the worse with some brief rain, but it wasn't too bad. The castle itself is difficult to photograph as you can't get far enough away! It must have been terrifying for attackers to realise you'd be caught in a cross fire as soon as you approached the walls.



Tomorrow it's pack up and off to Snowdon. I'm just hoping the weather is good enough for the train to make it all the way to the summit, I'm not convinced it will be, then Saturday we do it the harder way, on foot.

Snowdonia Day 3 - Betsy Cood and Bedly Gert...

Which is exactly how not to pronounce two Welsh place names (but our late friend Cyril always called them that).

The rearranged plan for today was to visit Betws-y-Coed to go to the railway museum and have a look round the town. I was fortunate to be early enough to avoid paying for parking, finding space in the road down to the museum. As I was a bit early I went for a short wander down to the river and had a look round the 14th C church:



The museum itself is small, but reasonable for £1.50. There are a few full size artefacts and various models and dioramas. The model shop is decent and the tea room, in an old buffet carriage, is excellent - I deviated from my usual habit by having Bara Brith with my coffee instead of carrot cake (I returned later for a lunchtime baguette).

For some reason the town has become the home for several outdoor equipment companies, and in particular for their outlet stores. I ended up with a new rucksack, t-shirt and fleece for the Snowdon walk, they'll all be useful later though.

Before lunch I did have a ride on the miniature railway around the site, well I can never resist!



For the afternoon I drove up through Capel Curig and round to Beddgelert. It's a bit of a nostalgia trip round there, I even passed the campsite we first stopped at in about 1970 (a borrowed pair of ridge tents with a joining canopy, very effective). It's still much the same except the old corrugated tin toilets have been replaced by a stone facilities block - wonder if it's still Elsans inside? I did stop a couple of times for photos including this one of the Cym Dyli hydro-electric plant which is fed from Llyn Llydaw on the side of Snowdon.



I nearly got away without paying to park in Beddgelert as well since someone handed me a ticket, but then I noticed the Ranger wandering with his notebook, not sure if he'd seen but decided I'd best go and pay. I don't begrudge £2.50 to help the upkeep of the park and facilities.

I walked down to Gelert's Grave (if you don't know the story, Google it) as it's sort of compulsory:



There's a station for the Welsh Highland Railway just by the car park, as a train was due I nipped up the steep path. It turned out to be the Beyer Garratt no. 87 from yesterday. I took a few more photos anyway.

From there it was a wend back to site. I've raided the wardens' shop for some bacon so I'll fry a couple of rashers with sliced shallot and add it to cheesy pasta. I must get a few rolls tomorrow, I'll have the last Stottie for breakfast but of course I don't need much.

Snowdonia Day 2 - It Never Rains...

In Southern California, but by heck it does in North Wales!

I'd planned a walk up the Snowdon Ranger path today but a combination of a sore back and poor weather suggested a change of plan. I decided to "do" the Ffestiniog today and see how things are tomorrow.

I wanted to visit Blaenau anyway so was early for the first train. I had a wander round and took a few photos to try and show just how dominating the surrounding mountains are. The train appears to be coming out of one mountain:



I was pleased we had one of the Fairlies for the trip but you don't get the best of the sound on the downhill trip (the return was unfortunately a conventional tank engine).



It's a long time since I've been on the railway, and I'd never travelled the whole length that's now open, so it was all interesting. Going down I was in an enclosed carriage and photo opportunities were limited but at least I got a hot chocolate on the way.

Port Madoc wasn't a new experience, and was very busy. I had a wander round the small, but excellent, maritime museum, looked around the town and ended up back at the Harbour Station. This is also the terminus of the Welsh Highland Railway from Carnarvon, which was running another interesting loco, a Beyer Garrat articulated (see last year's blog for more on these):



I sat in the open sided coach for the return journey, I had the "compartment" to myself for a bit until a family joined me, I think the train was about full, annoyingly the person on the next seat forward spent the whole journey half leaning out which limited photo opportunities of the loco round the bends. I can't fault the catering on these trains, there's no connection to the open carriages so before we left one of the staff came and asked of anyone wanted a hot drink delivering at Tan y Bwlch.

I'll decide what to do tomorrow in the morning but I'm thinking of a drive to Betws-y-Coed (there's a railway museum) and possibly on to Beddgelert.

Snowdonia Day 1 - Trains, etc.

I made an early start as I wanted to visit a railway on the way, so left before 7, set the SatNav to "Avoid Motorways" and headed for the A5. There was only one very minor delay caused by a Steam Rally, plus quick stops for a breakfast sandwich and fuel, before I reached the Bala Lake Railway. I will admit to getting the yips on the road over the tops, you're climbing a steep unguarded road with a heck of a drop on your left side.

It's a pleasant tourist line, although there was a bit of a breeze coming off the lake into the open carriages. I've got quite a few photos for later publication. There's a 1 in 81 gradient back to the main terminus, the Quarry Hunslet pulling us didn't half sound good taking the load. The 1pm train, which was fully laden, was double headed which may have been even better.

It was their steam gala but there wasn't a lot more going on, I had a good wander and some lunch before making tracks round the other side of the lake to the caravan site.

For a Caravan Club site the warden seemed particularly relaxed, although I'd booked a non-awning pitch she wasn't bothered (it's quietening down after the bank holiday) and in fact recommended a quiet awning pitch and said not too worry too much about positioning.

I've had a wander round the village, taken a couple of photos, and I'm now having a couple of Doombars before deciding whether to eat in the pub or cook something. Should mention the pub is odd but friendly. It doesn't look much, more like a village hall building, and is a barn inside, but the landlord and locals have been chatty.

Awnings Away

Well it very nearly was!

A couple of weekends ago I managed to get some J-Rail fitted to the campervan. Having ordered a single length of aluminium rail (and been charged £12 carriage for it) the supplier then decided they couldn't do it mail order but it would have to be collected. It was too far away for that so I had no choice but to cancel and go elsewhere. I ended up with two pieces of black powder coated steel rail from a VW parts supplier.

Fitting was time consuming, if relatively pain free. The instructions with the rail suggested just bonding it to the roof but I wasn't convinced so I decided to rivet it on.

It was undrilled so I set to, cut it to length and then marked and drilled the holes (3.5mm initially for 3.2mm rivets at 150mm intervals). It's useful, but far from essential, having a pillar drill for this. I then positioned the two lengths on the side of the 'van, drilled pilot holes at the ends and secured it with self-tappers do I could use the rail as a jig for drilling the rest of the holes. Again these were 3.5mm as I intended to paint the bare metal and wanted the clearance. To give me a little bit of extra clearance I then opened out the holes in the rail to 4mm so I wouldn't have any problems when rivetting it.

I then painted over all the cut ends and holes in both the rail and 'van with black Hammerite, the latter wouldn't be seen anyway. Once that dried I located the rail temporarily and masked where the top edge would be with tape (should have done it while it was screwed on). A good thick bead of Sikaflex on the back of the first length, and especially round the holes and it was ready for assembly. I was using closed end rivets for the job as they won't let water in, with the generous amount of sealant i don't anticipate any problems. A few minutes with the rivet gun and repeat for the second length. The masking tape made it easier to remove the excess Sikaflex, along with some wiping where it had escaped around the rivets (a good thing it shows it was well sealed). 

Today I took the opportunity of moderately calm weather to actually put the awning up. No pictures yet as it was really still a bit breezy and I had to be quick but it was OK. It's not a great piece of kit, but a third of the price and half the size and weight of the Vango that I'd prefer. It works and it will do as somewhere to store things if I'm going to be on a site for several days or, the main purpose, as an occasional bedroom for guests.

We are Sailing...

And Kayaking. A friend organises a day of watery activities each year for the TOGs (Terry's Old Geezers and Gals) at the Water Sports Centre she's involved with. As they have the space I took Dai and stopped over for the night. It was a pleasant cross-country drive down through Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire to the centre near Waltham Abbey.

After a day of playing in sailing dinghies, kayaks and on rafts we sat out eating fish and chips and generally put the world to rights. Unfortunately the insects were definitely in a biting mood so we retired relatively early. Unusually I hadn't really set things up so it was a while before I actually headed to bed (it only really takes 5 or 10 minutes but I was definitely stiffening up and took my time). Can't say it was a good night's sleep but never mind. That wasn't helped by a dog fox starting barking just as I was about to settle.

As always I awoke early but the great advantage of having my own facilities is that I could make my bacon rolls and coffee without disturbing anyone else. I did have to apologise to a friend for not making her a drink, I only carry one mug! Nice to be able to sit looking out over the water in the relative peace and quiet though. Having spent the morning just chilling I again went cross country to home via Venture Caravans at Hitchin. There was no particular reason for visiting, just a look round. The trouble is that as usual I saw a large motorhome for a price I could afford but nothing small enough for what I need (except a couple of overpriced VW conversions).

I'm not out again until the end of August when I head for Snowdonia, but I have ordered the awning mentioned in the previous post. I still need to work out how to attach it to the 'van. I'll probably have to take it all up to parents' drive as I haven't got room here.

The Kit List Grows!

I'm well into my third season with Dai now, and I've been debating whether to replace or not next spring. As of this weekend I've decided I'll give it at least one more year (God and MOT inspectors willing).

One of the advantages of the campervan is the ability to change sites easily, which I've found means I'm tending to only travel short distances each day, often 10-15 miles. The downside of course is that it does take a few minutes to pack away completely each time. As a result I've bought an electric bike. It folds small enough (just) to fit inside the camper, although a bike rack may well be added anyway, and should give me a comfortable 40-60 mile range with a reasonable amount of pedalling whilst not going too slowly up hills.

I've also decided it's time to add an awning. It's something I've been debating for the last 3 years but managed without. I'm away for a weekend at a rally in September and it would be useful to accommodate a couple of guests, so that's the primary excuse. It would also give me a bit more flexibility on sites, currently I really need facilities as the toilet provision is only adequate for a couple of nights - with an awning I can take the large Porta Potti. Then I can also consider sorting out the Cadac barbecue and various other things that can be carried then stowed under cover. So now it's a case of finding the right one. The Vango Airbeam that I'd really like is too big and too expensive so it's back to searching and hoping I get a bargain.

Go West - The End

As I'm now ensconced in a hotel for a few days this will be the last Dai post of the trip. The day didn't start very well. A bad night's sleep meant I was a bit later than planned, I snapped a shoelace and the water ran out. Nothing major!

As a result I decided to spend a couple of hours in Totnes instead of going for a walk on Dartmoor (which wouldn't have happened anyway due to thick mist). It's a nice, if somewhat hilly, town. Having procured a couple of pairs of laces I visited the town museum. As usual with such places the people were very friendly and enthusiastic.

A bonus for me was a room dedicated to Charles Babbage who came from the town. The display is probably overdue for an update but no less informative for that.

After that I still headed up onto the Moor but couldn't see much! I will admit that the Devon lanes have become a bit wearing after a few days, especially when you're stuck behind a tractor for several miles.

Overall it's been a good few days away. There's only been one, very minor, fault with the campervan (the waste pipe fitting has broken but the pipe stays on on). Slightly better planning would have seen me stop at Steamer Quay in Totnes, it would have saved me two day's driving and some parking fees.

There was a car/campervan dealer up the road from the site who had a couple of Mercedes Vito conversions in stock. They were R reg and showing their age a bit but if I'd seen them a could of years ago before I bought Dai I might have been tempted.

Anybody remember which day this is?

Here goes an attempt at text and photos on one go!

Today was all about trains, no boats, buses or much walking involved. I've visited the South Devon Railway before, but I wanted to spend a bit more time there. I was, as usual, reasonably early (frequently a good way of being to talk to the people involved). There's a small museum at Buckfastleigh, which includes gems such as the only original broad gauge loco still in existence (the others are replicas).



The running engine was one of the ubiquitous GWR Pannier Tanks, albeit in BR black livery.



One of the major reasons for the visit was to stop at Staverton station which is the prototype for the model on my coffee table layout. I was able to get a good few pictures which will help with the scenery setting. I also had a chat with some of the "staff". It's their model and miniatures show in a few weeks, having discussed what I'm doing it was suggested I may like to take the model when it's finished. I did point out that may be in several years' time! They had a small bookstall which has to be raided. I picked up a couple of books and didn't even accept the change from the fiver.



I caught the next train to Totnes (again) and back to the start so I did most of the line twice in each direction. Back at Buckfastleigh I had lunch and visited their model shop before getting a few more pics around the site, mainly for reference in the future. They've got two static Pecketts which I photographed as it may help with the model I'm working on.



From the station I drove up into the town to visit the Ratio Models factory shop. They're part of Peco these days and have quite a good range. I bought some coal! It's been on my shopping list for a while as nothing else looks quite right. The one thing I can't get is a Tin Tabernacle, you can get them in OO Gauge but not N.

I was tiring by this stage (the bottle of beer I had on the train probably wasn't helping) so I headed back to site calling in at the Riverford farm shop for tea - scotch egg and salad leaves washed down with local beer.