This is now our second week of travelling around the UK in Buster, (our wonderful Elddis Encore) and we have to say we are loving it. The weather has been as we expected -interesting and for this week while London was sunny, we here on Chesil beach have had a variety of weather, with a fair amount of sea mist and fog.
As we had Luke and Frank, the Elddis film crew here on the Wednesday and Thursday, it made for interesting and somewhat moody shots for them in the fog on the Thursday. That said it did help all of us, but especially Luke with his sunburn from the previous day! It’s quite amazing how we never live and learn with the sun in this country, and I would daresay given the weekend’s weather we have just had, there will be a good few red bits of flesh about tomorrow.
Monday, saw us finish our time on a lovely small CL site in Wareham. The neighbours were lovely and quiet, apart from the church bells which rung all through the night, but that said they weren’t too intrusive. On the Monday we met up with fellow motorhomers, Gilda and Brian who live not far from the area and took us out to a lovely village and country pub, Square and Compass in Worth Travers. The pub was family generations run, with stunning views to the sea, and like most places in Dorset on some walking path or another. The food was simple, homemade pasties and you could have half a dozen free range eggs to take home with you as well, should you feel inclined. There is nothing finer, than a proper traditional English pub, England is famed for them and thankfully there are still some knocking around and that includes city ones as well as the country locals.
We are now in East Fleet, still Dorset and from our window see Chesil Beach. Sparing the full history of its formation, Chesil Beach is basically a sand, gravel, stone barrier beach that is 18 miles long, stretching from West Bay to Portland. It is an iconic landmark in Dorset and a haven for wildlife.
Another famed attraction for Dorset is that it’s forms part of the South West Coastal path, an after our two days of filming we felt that our legs did need a step out. Nearly 17 miles later, as we returned to site at about 7pm, we realised it was fairly ambitious. We have been doing our 10,000 steps more or less each day, but somewhere along the line we seem to have lost the amount of fitness we had in Barbate, Spain. We’re actually blaming the jab for some of it as well, as since that we both have felt that our breathing is somewhat heavier than it used to be.
Plains and lanes, the views have been just stunning around Dorset, with amazing wide undulating hills, farms, coastal views and all so green, the reason for its greenness known so well to all us Brits, but when the sun shines and everything sparkles it’s just beautiful and we don’t honestly expect that to differ in any of the places we are visiting as we continue our journey around the UK.
The lanes are a bit of a different matter. As much as the hedgerowed single track roads are lovely, they are daunting enough in a car, each and every person hoping it’s not them that has to reverse to the passing spot. Add a motorhome to that and it’s even less fun. The views that car drivers don’t get over the hedgerows are lovely, but driving down them is a real bum, oops stomach churning moment. Don’t go on them then, we hear you cry, and we really would love not to, but sometimes there is no alternative when the campsite is down one of them. Or, of course, the dreaded Sat Nav has decided that despite programming it for dual roads, us navigating a single track one will be so much more fun. I have to say I bottled the return journey on one of our film shot outings, as my imagination of where we were going to end up got the better of me and I’m thankful I did, as indeed the Sat nav took us down a single track and it turned into a head-to-head with us and oncoming traffic. The car in front of us took the option that it was us that had to reverse and so with his reverse lights on we had no option but to reverse as well. Thankfully all went well, and as soon as the traffic cleared, we all sped down the track as quick as we safely could. A bit more investigation work is needed we have now decided before we trundle off.
Having said that these single track country roads are also a haven for us cyclists. Lycra clad ones or us electric junkies. No cars or lorries are forgiving on the fast moving A & B roads, and so even with the odd lost misguided motorhome, or locals ducking and diving they are much safer and nicer when using peddle power!.
Plains, lanes and Jersey potato’s, what could be finer. This time last year we were locked down in Turkey and like everyone wondering how this whole pandemic situation was ever going to end. We are of course still wondering that as well, to a degree. But during that period back then, thoughts really turned to home and the tortuous tormenting of folks there going on about my beloved Jersey potatoes. Since my childhood, my life how been dominated at this time for year by these beloved little taste bombs and last year of course there were none for us. The fruit, food in Turkey was outstanding, everything seasonal but there’s not a new potato that can touch a Jersey. Beyond Covid, missing my family and friends, last year without the first expensive crop of them and then the continuing who, where has the best was beyond contemplation, then with F&F’s going on about their Jersey and new recipes involving them, life was hard. This year however, we are here and since arriving back, we have had Jerseys everywhere we possibly can, with those F&F’s ridden with guilt of their torment, piling them on our plates at every opportunity. And for me, once again no shop, supermarket can be passed without them being in my basket, even when there is a pile of them still to be used. Obsessed? Yes for sure, but long live the Jersey.
The sun is still shining here in East Fleet, the sea is sparkling and Chesil beach is looking magnificent. Plus, England have won their first footie game in the Euro’s -life is good!
Katherine Clune says
remember you ‘going on about Jerseys I. Turkey. That and a bacon and pork obsession!
Michael Stanley says
Corfe Castle the highlight of one’s ‘Devonian Age’ in September 2020.
A thousand years on it’s back since the slaying of King Edward by wicked stepmother.
Crown and Regalia held safe though King Edward and Richard II at their peril.
Terrible doin’s in the era of King Charles I with Roundhead besiegement.
Scene of Lady Bankes’ last stand. God bless England for such heroines.
Gilda Baxter says
Hi guys, really enjoyed this post. Sounds like the filming went well and I will be looking forward to seeing the results. I felt sorry for poor Luke getting sunburned…ouch.
Brian and I really enjoyed meeting you again (last time was in Lucca, Italy) and showing some of our favorite hangouts. Jersey potatoes are the best…but that crab sandwich also looks super yummy 🙂
Gary and Zoe says
Weather has indeed been kind to you but looks like it has deffo turned now (Fri pm). Your gremlin tag is back on show! Dorset looked lovely as did the Crab Sarnies! Yummy! And your pictures of the English countryside were beautiful. The South coast is a truly inspiring location at this time of the year!
I sit here now anticipating the Engerland v Scotland game with Covid symptoms and awaiting a PCR test result! Plans for family meet up down the pub scuppered !!! Damnation.
Keep enjoying and let us know when you are over this way again!