We have bought some Milenco Quatro ramps from a lady in Cambridgeshire. We need to pick them up the day before we set off for Epworth. This extra task will shorten the pre trip loading time so Sue has decided to load as much as she can on the Tuesday before we leave on a Thursday.
We drove to Chatteris and collected the ramps. By the time I added on the petrol and a McDonalds lunch it would have been as cheap to order new ones from ebay. Still we did get to see parts of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire that we have not visited for years.
We had quite a good run up to Epworth although it was mainly on twisty A roads. The site itself is just along the high street behind a bungalow that was built in-front of the old farm house. The pitches are on fields behind the old farm yard that is being developed into a house. The fields lead up a hill to a converted windmill and what looks like a fire beacon of some kind.
Our friend Carol is going to join us in her motorhome on friday evening. This will be Carol’s first camping trip off grid. I think it will be quite an eye opener for her because as a caravaner she is used to having electric, and a toilet and shower block. We are going to have to train her in economic use of lights etc.
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| Carol's Motorhome |
We went for a walk and followed a footpath alongside a former railway line although the cuttings had been filled in over the years making a hilly landscape. At the top of an incline we changed direction and headed towards one of two converted windmills.
The town is famous for it’s links with John Wesley and a church in the centre is named after him. We were surprised how many different shops there were, especially hair and beauty based salons. Restaurants are also many and varied, catering for all tastes.
Eventually we ran out of town centre and headed back to the campsite, although I did manage to get Sue into the White Bear public house. Here we sampled a pint and a wine. I have to say the ale was outstanding and it was only the price and time that stopped a second being purchased.
We walked back to Iona and found another gastro pub in a converted school, we bypassed it and soon arrived back at Iona. It is fairly apparent now that without the sunshine and no electric hook up we are going to have to manage the battery use. We limited the TV to a couple of programs and the heating fan needs to be on eco. Sue cooked a prawn risotto tonight but before I remembered to take a we had finished it so all I can show is the finished result.
Day 2: We awoke to rain and it continued throughout the morning. After lunch we decided to go for a walk rain or no rain. Today we started our walk along the same footpath as yesterday. At the top of the hill we turned right along the edge of the hill looking down to the campsite.
The path lead us to the windmill that we thought was converted to a house but it appeared to be intact but uninhabited. A short walk further on there was the beacon that we could see from our campsite. There is a plaque on the post which hopefully you can read in the picture. From here we reached the road and headed back the way we had walked yesterday but we continued past the railway cutting and followed another footpath back towards Epworth.
Along the way I took a picture of the original one roomed Schoolhouse which has now been extended and attache d to a new build Methodist church. It was beginning to look brighter as we got back to Iona but the rain continued as we settled down to a cup of tea, or a beer in my case. Our friend Carol arrived at about six and after setting up she joined us for supper. We had a great evening catching up and with plenty off laughs the evening flew by.
Day 3: No sun or rain just another overcast day. The rain did arrive in the afternoon so the day was spent reading. In the evening we went to Carol’s van for supper and Sue persuaded us to play a children's game of cards where you describe something without saying certain words. Anyway we were confused by the rules so we made it up as we went along. It was not helped by the Jack Daniels liquor that made the game funnier as the evening progressed. Eventually we left Carol and went back to Iona while we could still walk.
Day 4: It was a brighter day and after waving goodbye to Carol we walked into town where there is a garden centre. It was Sunday and the restaurant was very popular but we had the rest of the place virtually to ourselves as we walked around.
Sue spotted a couple of donkeys so we walked over to see them, they were here on 6 weeks holiday before spending the summer on Skegness beach giving children rides. Sue bought an Acer plant and we walked back home via the Co-op, where we bought a few bits for lunch.
On the way home we passed a building that was a Temperance Hall according to the signage on the gable end. Further on there is a spar shop which again has been converted from religious buildings. One is not a style salon while the other houses the spar shop.
Trip 5: 120.6 miles, 33 mph, 27.9 mpg, 3.5 hrs travel.
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