Let The Adventure Begin
So says the motto on the side of Bobbo the Motorhome and so it was on Thursday 5th May when we ventured out on our first adventure.
Bobbo is an eight year old Autocruise Stardream, built on a Peugot Boxer van. The interior is well laid out for us with a rear lounge, mid kitchen and washroom with a full size shower. There are a number of extras such as a cycle rack, awning, roof rails, solar panel and tow bar.
We had decided on a trip to a Caravan Club Affiliated site at Lydford on the edge of Dartmoor, approximately an hour away, just far enough to feel that we had actually left home but not too far if things were not working properly. We booked for two nights as that would give us a good idea if there was anything that needed fixing and that the beds were comfortable.
We set off around 2.30 having picked up Bobbo from storage and loaded up with food and other personal items. John thought he would need the comfort of his travel bag and I just put my things in the drawers and cupboards. The journey was smooth and uneventful apart from a strange noise around Tavistock, which we ignored and turned up the radio. The sun was shining and the moor was looking at its very best.
We found the site with no problem at all and received a very friendly welcome from Shirley at the gate. She directed us to the Motorhome service point to pick up water and then gave us a choice of pitches, after assuring us of lots of help should we require it we reversed into our new home. We did discover that there are a variety of Hoselock connections, however, John managed to sort out the right combination and we filled up through the window which seems to be the quickest way. We did decide to change around where we keep the hoses and leads to make arrival quicker and easier.
A quick inspection of the site facilities revealed immaculate toilets and showers a washing up area with large sinks and lots of tourist information. The pitches were spacious with good hard standings. The site was busier than anticipated but by no means full, there seemed to be an even mix of caravans and motorhomes, with grassy padlocks and lots of flowers around the site.
With water on board it was time to set up the toilet which was very easily achieved and it was then time to put the kettle on. The cooker worked perfectly and we enjoyed our very first cup of tea, the first of many we hope.
Whilst preparing dinner (pizza and salad) I managed to slice my finger with the new knife and it was then we discovered we had overlooked a first aid kit, however, the lady in Reception kindly provided some plasters and the finger was patched up although it did hamper domestic chores somewhat and John had to do the washing up!
After achieving an excellent reception on the television we decided it was time to test the bed making routine. This did take some while but was finally achieved and we fell into our new snug beds at about 11.00. I did not sleep particularly well but John had a good night's sleep, it was quite cold in the morning so after making a quick cup of tea I explored how the heating worked. It worked a little too well and we had to turn it off after about half an hour as it was too hot! We had a leisurely breakfast, did the washing up in the wash up area and were a bit surprised to find the water level was quite low this was probably because we had been fiddling about trying to get the hot water to work and had wasted quite a bit. We drove over to the water and filled up again on returning to the pitch we attempted to get the van levelled up on the ramps, this did not work too well as the motorhome wouldn't stay on the ramp and kept rolling backwards. We will have to investigate this later.
As lunchtime was approaching we set off to walk down to 'The Castle' in Lydford, about 10 minutes. The pub was busy as there was a wedding in progress and only a few tables available, however, we managed to squeeze in and the meal was very good with lots of choice. We beat a retreat when the guests arrived in the bar as we were feeling decidely underdressed. We had a look around the castle itself and then took a slow walk back to the site. After a cuppa and a sit down, we set off for another walk to look at the viaduct over the river Lyd and explore a little further past the site. Unfortunately although it was dry there was a strong wind blowing which gradually increased as the day drew on.
After tea we watched some television and agreed that it would be good to bring Scrabble to play. Bedtime was much quicker and we were in bed by 10.00 for a much better nighs sleep. The site filled up considerably with weekenders during the evening and unfortunately the girls in the 'butty' van did not come on Saturday morning so it was usual breakfast. After washing up we shut the gas etc down and drained the tanks at the disposal point. We left at about 11.00 just as it started to rain which was a shame for all those people who had turned up for the weekend.
All in all it was a very successful first trip out and we were pleased that everything worked so well. We had a long list of things to bring next time just to make life a little easier.
Here's to our second adventure!
Whilst preparing dinner (pizza and salad) I managed to slice my finger with the new knife and it was then we discovered we had overlooked a first aid kit, however, the lady in Reception kindly provided some plasters and the finger was patched up although it did hamper domestic chores somewhat and John had to do the washing up!
After achieving an excellent reception on the television we decided it was time to test the bed making routine. This did take some while but was finally achieved and we fell into our new snug beds at about 11.00. I did not sleep particularly well but John had a good night's sleep, it was quite cold in the morning so after making a quick cup of tea I explored how the heating worked. It worked a little too well and we had to turn it off after about half an hour as it was too hot! We had a leisurely breakfast, did the washing up in the wash up area and were a bit surprised to find the water level was quite low this was probably because we had been fiddling about trying to get the hot water to work and had wasted quite a bit. We drove over to the water and filled up again on returning to the pitch we attempted to get the van levelled up on the ramps, this did not work too well as the motorhome wouldn't stay on the ramp and kept rolling backwards. We will have to investigate this later.
As lunchtime was approaching we set off to walk down to 'The Castle' in Lydford, about 10 minutes. The pub was busy as there was a wedding in progress and only a few tables available, however, we managed to squeeze in and the meal was very good with lots of choice. We beat a retreat when the guests arrived in the bar as we were feeling decidely underdressed. We had a look around the castle itself and then took a slow walk back to the site. After a cuppa and a sit down, we set off for another walk to look at the viaduct over the river Lyd and explore a little further past the site. Unfortunately although it was dry there was a strong wind blowing which gradually increased as the day drew on.
After tea we watched some television and agreed that it would be good to bring Scrabble to play. Bedtime was much quicker and we were in bed by 10.00 for a much better nighs sleep. The site filled up considerably with weekenders during the evening and unfortunately the girls in the 'butty' van did not come on Saturday morning so it was usual breakfast. After washing up we shut the gas etc down and drained the tanks at the disposal point. We left at about 11.00 just as it started to rain which was a shame for all those people who had turned up for the weekend.
All in all it was a very successful first trip out and we were pleased that everything worked so well. We had a long list of things to bring next time just to make life a little easier.
Here's to our second adventure!
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