A couple of weeks ago we set off for Crediton in Devon. Sounds simple. Actually, before we set off we had to take Thor to the barn and load him up. The weather was entertainingly variable and the Met Office apparently had no idea until a few hours before. So a fine morning dawned, several days before we were due to depart, and we took the chance and Thor went to the barn to be loaded into the trailer.
Arrive, unlock barn side door. Open huge main roller front door. Ride Thor in and park. Drive Horatio out. Manoeuvre trailer out from behind tractor, by hand. Drive Horatio back in. Hook up trailer to Horatio. Open trailer, lift roof, Velcro loading plank into position on top of loading ramp (Thor grounds on threshold without that). Ride Thor into trailer, ideally without riding straight into far wall of trailer. Secure. Put plank back in. Close up. Detach from Horatio and manhandle back behind tractor (now much heavier) by hand. Drive Horatio back out and back in to proper parking place. Secure all doors, go home and have beer. Phew.
We used to put rear stays on trailer down too, but forgot once and found they weren’t necessary – thankfully!
A few days later it was our departure date. Spend 2 hours running in and out of house putting stuff into car – bedding, beer, food, wine, clothes, more beer, water, coffee machine, more wine, shoes, towels, more beer and wine. Drive to barn. Unlock doors (see earlier). Drive car in. Transfer everything. Drive car out. Drive Horiatio out. Get trailer back out from behind tractor. Drive Horatio back in and hook up trailer. Drive out again. Forget to do light check. Drive car in and park. Lock main roller door having already put keys back into Horatio. Go to side door and find owner has locked it. Use Walkie Talkie (yes!) to radio B that I am locked in barn…..
Then set off for Crediton. Time taken so far – half a day.
So, as previously mentioned, we set off for Crediton, trying to relax and chill as Thor trundles behind us in the trailer. Looking good. Mid/late afternoon we arrived at our pre-booked (!) camp site. To get there we had to drive the last half mile down a single track road with quite a few overhanging branches, but luckily no-one came the other way. We found the site, which was on a farm, and drove in.
Disconcertingly the entrance was next to a house which was apparently being dismantled using an angle grinder. The workmen stopped and said they had called the owner, then restarted. It was loud.
The owner arrived and was totally nonchalant. I asked him about the work and he said not to worry, they would not be working at the weekend. It was Wednesday. We decided to try anyway and picked a spot the furthest away from the house being worked on. Seemed OK. Then a train went past. It was very, very close. Mmm. Then what had seemed OK wasn’t as it turned out they had just taken a short break. I went to talk to the owner and found that the advertised showers were being refurbished – ie they were not available. We tried phoning another site. No phone signal! We left and naturally met 2 vehicles coming the other way down the single track road. We did not reverse. Eventually they did….
Of course all these things happen for a reason. An hour and one dodgy turn round in a Forestry Commission driveway (go B, go!) and we were in a lovely field, well away from railways, roads and destruction, watching swallows swoop and cracking a well earned beer. Result!
The weather for the next 3 days was meant to be appalling and indeed there was a thunderstorm (thank you Horatio & Thor), but overall the sun shone (mostly) and we got burnt as no cream required, so we thought.
This is the view from a lovely pub in Instow, on the estuary near Bideford. We rode there on Thor and had a fabulous lunch before riding to the other side and then to Bideford itself. Our site was approx. halfway between Crediton and Barnstaple on an underused winding and scenic road in the Taw valley. Fabulous ride. The next day we went to Croyde Bay, Saunton Sands and Woolacombe. It was almost too hot. The day after, feeling a bit saddle sore, we stayed put and got sunburn. Loved it all and will go there again.
The final night it was due to rain from the early hours. Our field was a tad soggy even before that so we decided to leave early (for us) in case of getting stuck. In the end the worried farmer came and towed the trailer out for us, just in case. B then reversed up the slope and we were out in one go. More gold stars!!
We saw swallows, goldcrests, blackbirds, hawks and a mistle thrush. The birdsong was all around. And one morning I saw a fresh molehill being formed! The final evening the cloud formations were also quite something.
All in all – good for the soul….