Starting Homeward :(

Today, Monday 19 October 2015, we are turning for home which we both feel is a bit sad. I know this was only ever a very short trip as a shakedown and it is not typical as it is quite structured and timed – there are places we have to be on certain days etc. We had a leisurely start from the hotel having again filled up on hotel brekkies and generally used all the hotel facilities to the max! Then we rolled out of Exeter and headed across country (if the A303 counts as cross country) toward Eileen’s cousin Derek in Swindon. We had arranged to arrive there early afternoon so we reckoned we had plenty of time and did indeed make good progress.  As Bertie’s waterpump was OK there was no need to source a caravan garage/dealer. Happily on our way and making good time, and on a whim, we turned off the main road to visit Lytes Cary Manor (NT) for a while. We knew this  name but had never visited and it was not a long detour from our route. It turned out to be a fascinating small late Tudor house extensively renovated in 1907 by Sir Walter Jenner the last resident and it was he who later gave it to the National Trust. Well worth the visit but we stayed a tad longer than we meant! Vowed to revisit when we can and back on our way again. Now on slightly smaller roads through Trowbridge and Devizes heading for Avebury. We both have a soft spot for Avebury which we think is more impressive than Stonehenge especially as you can get right in amongst the stones at Avebury. The surrounding area includes Silbury Hill and lots of other notable ancient structures and ways. I have included a short video of Bertie driving through the stones. Had the weather been better (drizzle and low cloud) and if we had more time we would have stopped here and walked the ring, even though we have been here many times before.

After a lovely visit and lunch with Derek and Ursula we headed on to our Certificated Site at Steventon near Abingdon (in practice closer to Didcot), wanting to arrive before dark. Derek warned us that the Swindon traffic was bad (it was then 5pm and ‘rush hour’ after all) so we played safe and used the M4 to avoid crossing Swindon and were parked up behind a barn at Hill Farm Steventon around 6pm. Not a special site but fairly cheap with hard standing and electric hook up. Sadly my phone was on the blink so although it reported loads of signal the internet was useless. Thus the report for Monday is being written on Tuesday!

Total distance today: 256 kms
Total distance this trip: 1,023 kms
Odomoter Reading: 112,745 kms
3rd Night On Bertie