Thursday 12 July 2018

Iona's Blog is on the Move



Due to certain restraints on this Blog , we are now moving the whole blog to another platform.
All new activity will now be available  at the new address.

ionastravels.wordpress.com

Please add to your favourites if you wish, to continue to get the updates you can hit the follow button on the new blog home page.

thanks for following us.

Sunday 8 July 2018

Iona goes to York



Trip 11 :

Yesterday we drove to Sleaford and filled up with auto-gas and diesel and then went to the Mountain Transport depot to use the public weighbridge. Our previous post tells of how we got on and we have payload to spare.

This morning we rang the THS at York RUFC to check if they had any space and the stewards said they could fit us on and get us level. So feeling better we packed the last few bits and after waiting for the postie to move his van we set off. The majority of the trip was on the A1 followed by the A64, both of which are dual carriageways. We drove around the York ringroad and headed into the city before turning into the Sports complex.

The THS is on a rugby pitch and by the time we arrived there were several spaces on the flat ground. The steward showed us to a pitch and we were nearly level. In fact I tried the ramps and we were worse, mainly because we were set up on some slightly raised ground. The ramps were packed away and the next hour was spent setting up, including the gazebo.



The sun is out and it is hot, so a chill afternoon by the van today and if the clouds come tomorrow we can walk into the city along the river. We had an early bar-b-que so I could watch the football. I joined Sue outside and we stayed out until about 10pm.

Day 2:

Someone had stolen the sun this morning so we did our jobs and walked into York along the river. We did a bit of tourist sightseeing around the Cathedral and the remains of the old monastery. In the centre of the city there was loud music, so intrigued we walked further and found a Big Band playing, they were a swing band based in Doncaster and they were called EKS Big Band. We listened to them play three or four tunes. Sue nearly bought a cd.



We continued drifting around the city, we walked down the Shambles which is a well known medieval street and a Mecca for tourists. There was a market so we wandered around that, I nearly bought another hat to replace the one that is a little small. In the end we didn’t buy anything and joined the tourists walking towards the Minister. Alongside the Minister was a pop up bar in a tee pee with a steak grill come bar-b-que.

York Minster


Constantine the Great

The War Memorial 

We left the Minister and headed to another park where some men were showing birds of prey, for £3 you could hold one of the birds, it was very popular and there was a group of school children queuing to have a go. We left them and walked past the museum but we made a decision to visit it when the weather was not so good.

The Monastery

After leaving the museum we walked around the remains of a monastery that had very ornate stonework on the walls that were still standing. We continued on our walk and ended up near to where we started, there was a convenient Sainsbury’s so we got some more beer and some dark fruit cider to top up the fridge. The  Dark Fruit cider is very pleasant but  I have lost it to Sue.



We walked back home along the river, by which time the sun was out and it got extremely hot very quickly. So much for the 20 minute walk into the city, it took us over 3/4 hr to walk home. When we eventually sat down we had done 14000 steps about six miles.

The rest of the day was spent around the van, reading and chilling. 

Day 3:
The site is nearly full now and we are going to spend most of the day around the van, tomorrow is forecast to be a bit cooler so we may walk into the city again.



After lunch our neighbours started putting up their Quest Gazebo but they were struggling so I went to help. It was only the second time they had put it up and they had it upside down. After giving them some help they were soon sat in it. 

The sky became a bit cloudy so we went for a walk along the floodbank and somehow came across a church. However when we got to it the Church had been converted to a NHS orthopaedic centre. We continued past the ‘church’ and eventually found the floodbank and the cycle path back to the campsite.

The Minster from the flood plain


With only 4000 steps on the pedometer we continued towards York, once we reached the river we followed it away from the city and then cut back across the flood plain and home. 7000 steps achieved we sat down to relax but by now the sun had gone and was replaced with thick cloud, but it was still warm.


Tonight it is my turn to cook so the Cadac is coming out. The forecast is for it to brighten up which should help, in the meantime I found some beer that I bought from Aldi, ‘Wild Bill’s IPA’ , yeehaa.

Day 4:
Another warm day, we sat around the van for a couple of hours and then walked into York via the main road. The intention was to get a bottle of lemonade and walk back. The weather was so good we decided to carry on walking into York. There must have been a service at The Minister because we met scores of students, teachers and parents walking back to the school that we passed earlier.


We walked into the city but it was heaving with people so we walked through the park to the river and then walked home along the cycle way. Once back at the van we had lunch and read, ducking in and out of the gazebo as the heat increased. At 4.00pm the sky clouded but it remained very hot.


We will put this venue on our list for next year.


Trip 11: 201 miles, 28.8 mpg, 43 mph, 4hr 36m.


Monday 2 July 2018

Weighing Iona for the next trip


Getting ready for the next trip we thought it was time to get Iona weighed. The last time we did it was just after we bought her and since then we have added quite a bit of kit including the gas-it system and the gazebo.

We are off to York soon so we loaded the van with everything we needed, this included all the food and booze as well as the clothes and general equipment, tables,chairs, cadac, gas. 

Before we visited the weigh-bridge we drove to the garage to fill the gas tank to the limit of 24 Litres of LPG and 3/4 fill with diesel, about 60 Litres. Add to this the fresh water system says we are 25% full = 34 Litres. 

We drove to the weigh bridge and after explaining the weights I wanted testing, then handing over £20 I put the van on the weigh-bridge in the three different positions.

The results were fine, the front axle is within 270kg of the max, the rear axle is a lot closer with only 20kg to spare, this is due to the rear overhang and the amount of kit under the beds at the back of the van, however the maximum vehicle weight is 3650kg and our total fully loaded is 3580kg, so we still have 70kg of spare payload.

Next stop York in a fully legal motorhome.





Sunday 24 June 2018

The latest upgrade

After watching the football, England beating Panama , I got bored so I decided to carpet the ‘garage’ in Iona. That will stop everything sliding around and probably stop some rattles.




Saturday 23 June 2018

Grafham Water Deliverance

Trip  10:


The drive down to Grafham Water was easy and trouble free. We were not allowed on the campsite until 2.00 pm so we went to the car park by the Grafton Water visitor centre, here we had lunch and people watched. At 2.00 pm we headed back to the Shooters Hollow campsite.

The site is approached down a farm track and into a yard, however we had followed a tractor with a huge hay turner on the back. He went into the yard to turn around and we had to manoeuvre so he could get by. The farmyard was typical of one that had long since seen daily use. However there were a few newish cars parked about so maybe it was still being worked.



We were met by an elderly lady who explained that the contractors were Polish and they drove very fast so we should be careful if we went out. There was a toilet but Sue and I declined to enter because, rightly or wrongly, we judged it on the state of the surroundings. The owner lived in a static caravan next to the old farmhouse. She reminded me of Grotbags from the children’s TV programme. The Elsan point was basically a lid into the septic tank, gross. The water point was OK.

After filling the water I drove Iona to the pitch, passing under some willows and into an open space where five pitches were marked. In front of me were some leylandis which were about 50’ tall. I picked a pitch, no-one else was here, surprise surprise. The compass came out to check where the sun was and sure enough the leylandi cast a shadow from 3.30pm, so no solar in the afternoon.  Now I wanted to turn around and leave but Sue wanted to give it a try, and she thought is was highly amusing. I am now banned from picking sites without her approval.



Behind us were our neighbours in the form of Caravans stored by the stream. Some had not seen an owner for years. I could have sworn I heard duelling Banjos in the distance and the sound of pigs squealing.

Apart from the lack of sun and the rundown appearance, the site was sheltered with plenty of birdsong. I have been persuaded to stay at least a night here, although I told the owner we were here for two, possibly four nights depending on a phone call. I may have to ring myself tomorrow and ask myself to come home. Typically we have limited solar power yet despite being surrounded by trees and in a valley, we have plenty of TV stations and wi-fi available. The wi-fi has enabled me to find an alternative site if required.

We sat out until about 10.00pm and when I got up to go in it soon became apparent that I had had too much to drink. Sue went to bed and I tried to get on the Internet, but it took several attempts to put the password in, I blamed Sue. I went outside to check the chairs etc before going to bed but somehow I managed to fall backwards into a tree. The result was a cut elbow and grazes, I cleaned it up and went to bed.

Day 2:

I woke up this morning with a very sore elbow and shoulder. Sue applied some anti septic cream and found my shoulder was grazed as well as my elbow. We were planning a walk so Sue put a bandage on me because the cut kept opening when I bent my arm.

The walk took us along some field margins and through a mixed wood some of which looked ancient woodland, we then left the wood and followed the footpath around fields to eventually meet a cycle path which lead to the main road. We crossed the road and we were soon on the path that went around Grafham Water. The path took us across the dam which is about a mile wide, and we ended up at the visitor centre again. We walked around a bit of the shoreline passing the remains of a huge trout that some bird had feasted on. Before we turned back home we saw another two large trout and a carp all partially eaten.








We left the visitor centre and retraced our steps home, stopping on the way to eat the lunch Sue had made for us. Once back at Iona we had walked just over six miles. We sat outside in the sun and watched and listened to the wildlife, a few pheasants , a jay eating cherries, a white cat put in a brief appearance until it saw us.

Sue is cooking Paella on the cadac tonight.


Day 3:

Today it is breezy with sunny intervals and I think we will stay around the site. We were joined by a hen pheasant that seemed remarkably tame and took no notice of Sue as it wandered around Iona.





We have decided to stay for the full four nights so I went and paid the owner. I also checked the toilet which is in an outhouse, it was clean enough but the room had leaves on the floor and cobwebs on the asbestos roof, a typical farm building but not quite what you expect on a campsite.

The weather was breezy with breaks in the clouds so we stayed around the motor home until it was in shade and then we went off for a walk. We followed the same path as the other day but we only went for a couple of miles and then turned back. I showed Sue where the toilet was and we had a nose about the yard. At one time it must have been busy judging by the three huge grain sheds and other buildings. There are a lot of pieces of old farm machinery about and a selection of old ploughs in a lean-to. I wonder if someone does vintage ploughing matches because there was also a restored Massey Ferguson T20 tractor on the back of a lorry.

Tonight we had a bar-b-que , as usual cooked for three, but we managed to eat it all and finished with a burger and blue cheese.


Day 4:

The forecast today is full sun. I got up fairly early and sat outside reading. By 9am I was looking for some shade. It is going to be hot today. From a blog point of view a very boring day, we stayed by the motor home and read our books. We had another bar-b-que for tea and sat outside until dark.

Trip 10: 117 miles, 27.4 mpg, 40 mph, 2.54 hours


The Habitation door

Window Repair

After a great few days away at Bridlington we had a week at home to do all the normal things with the garden and house. It is also half term so we had the grandchildren over for a couple of days. On one of these days it had been raining over night and in the morning I went to check that I had not left the roof vents open.

As I opened the Habitation door of Iona I noticed some water spots on the inside of the door and there was water spray on the door step carpet. I first thought that the door had not been closed properly because this had happened before. However as I shut the door from the inside I noticed that the window vibrated, on further inspection the window, which does not open, was delaminating from the door. This left a gap of 6mm between the two surfaces and this is the route that water running off the roof takes when it rains heavily. 

I made a couple of phone calls and emails and the Auto-Trail customer services recommended a local motorhome dealer, although they do not actually sell new Auto-Trails. I rang them and they were happy to take on this work under warranty. This will take a couple of weeks to organise etc so I asked if I could tape up the window and use the van, to which they agreed this would be ok.

The window has been taped up with tank tape and we should be able to go on our next trip. After that I hope we will have a date for the repair, this will require rebonding the window and door which may take a few days. 

Saturday 9 June 2018

Worcestershire another first


We are off to Cob House Park in Worcestershire despite having a Habitation door window held in with duct tape. The warranty claim is in progress but we cannot wait for a fix.

The route took us to Nottingham then onto the A42/M42 around Birmingham to the M5. I had seen we needed junction 5 on the M5 but the sat nav wanted to keep us on the motorway. Of course I ignored her and followed the A38 which took us around Droitwich and into Worcester, over the river and  up to the A4204. We arrived ok but looking at the map It may have been better to follow ‘Jane’ our navigator.



The Cob House Site is a Park with fishing lakes and a Cafe / restaurant. There are animals to watch and feed and several footpaths according to the information board. 

The Stewards were very friendly as they always are and after filling with water we were told we could park anywhere. We opted to go along a fence near the lakes where it is fairly peaceful. We have a small motorhome  one side and a van conversion has just joined us on the other side. The weather is warm and cloudy with the sun breaking through now and then. We put the gazebo up facing the lakes so we can watch the wildlife and be sheltered from the breeze.

I went for a walk to the cafe to get a wi-fi connection, I got one and downloaded some emails. One was from the Lincoln garage where the warranty work on Iona is going to happen, well it was but Auto-Trail have told them that my chassis is not registered on the system. The next half hour was on the internet and phone trying to sort it out. I have been told that Iona is registered and they (Spinney Motorhomes) are going to put it on the system again. Hopefully that will sort it out.



Tonight Sue had macaroni cheese for tea and I had chicken and a salad. We ate outside in the gazebo. We were going to watch TV at 9.00pm but for the first time we could not get a signal. After several attempts and retunes we could not get any programs so we watched a dvd, the Krays. Fantastic film and we retired to bed later than normal.

The MayFly Cafe

Day 2:
Woke at 8am and once all the jobs were done we left to go for a short walk but we met another camper who explained that the reception had several planned walks. We took all the leaflets and chose a short 5 mile circular route.


The route took us down an old green lane and then onto country lanes towards Martley. At Martley we found the church and apart from looking very picturesque it was open. Inside it was amazing for a village church, with the roof of open woodwork, plaques on the walls with prayers and Psalms from the 15th/16th century. Painted murals on the walls with animals and ornate designs. There is a carving in cedar wood of Jesus , the tree once stood in the churchyard.











In the church there was a system to listen to several explanations and history of the church. It was very interesting learning more about aspects of the building and it’s history. Outside in the millennium meadow is a chair carved from a tree and a couple of ponds where the clergy raised fish for eating.





We left the church and followed a footpath across fields and eventually joined a lane and followed it home. As we entered the park we were going to pass a swan on her nest but the Cob swan was nearby, however I got close enough to see the Pen swan off her nest and 3 or 4 cygnets in the sun, they were fairly small and probably only a few days old. We stopped at the Mayfly cafe for a cup of tea and free wi-if, we got the tea but the wi-fi was too weak to use.

By the time we left she had lost all 4 cygnets

The afternoon was sunny and very hot so not much happened, I went for a stroll around the lake that is being drained, ready to be filled in and become the site of a 21 pitch caravan site. Our neighbour was fishing in an adjacent pond so I had a chat with him while he continually pulled roach and bream out. I left him in peace and went back ‘home’.


On the way home I stopped to talk to another motorhomer who was just putting his Cadac together. He had the latest version so being nosey I was interested to see how it differed from our original model. It turned out it was the first time he had unwrapped it and he had left the instructions at home. So feedback will be another time. Tea tonight is a Bar-b-que on our Cadac.



Day 3:

It is a bit different today, overcast with some dark clouds but the forecast says it should brighten up this afternoon with sunny intervals. We went for a short walk around the park and we found the fish breeding ponds and what appeared to be the original farm yard. Yesterday there was a fishing match on one pond and today it was empty so we had a closer look at the fishing side of the park. The swan we saw the other day had moved ponds and she had one cygnet in the water with her, we assume the others were on her back under her wings.


He liked a scratch



On the way round we found the goats and pigs, the reindeer were in a shelter at the far side of their pen. We saw mistletoe growing on trees near the lakes, something I had not seen before in such thick clumps.

Mistletoe growing in the trees by the lakes

This evening was going to be a bar-b-que but I got distracted by the stewards and then it started raining so Sue cooked inside and we ate tea in the gazebo.



Day 4:

We had a walk around the park and after 6pm we walked around the lakes while no one was fishing. The afternoon was warm so I took the gazebo down while it was dry, we dried the carpet over a fence so that we were virtually packed ready for leaving on Saturday.

The sat nav recommended a different way home avoiding Droitwich and joining the M5 at junction 6 instead of junction 5. The drive home was uneventful and took 3 hours. Our next trip is into Cambridgeshire just south of Duxford.

Trip 8: 239.3 miles,  28.8 mpg, 39 mph, 6 hours driving.