Blogs from Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Leaving Calke Abbey we felt full to bursting. The National Trust kitchens and tea rooms always deliver a decent meal made with fresh and inventive products at a reasonable price in particular nice settings. . We felt though still a bit frustrated that we had failed to see the house in its full un-stately condition. Oh well you win some and you miss others. There is so much to see so perhaps we will get back one day. The Park with its tranquil and welcoming grounds. Ticknall Limeyards where there are the remains of the lime burning industry; the Tramway built between 1799 and 1802 which linked the new canal with the Limeyards; the reservoirs and ponds. But we were moving just down the road to the next county of Leicestershire and to the town of ... read more

Thursday 1st March proved to be an eventful day, especially for Graham. Today was the day he was to drive the car back to Mansfield for it to be stored in the new shed that he and Mark had started building last week. We had left the caravan still in its “camping” position as, when we left Mansfield on Monday, the weather was poor and we didn’t want to put a wet caravan into storage. Graham and Mark thought they’d be able to do that this morning when both car and caravan would be dry enough to deal with. Graham had planned an early departure (about 6:30am) to make sure he arrived in Mansfield at a good time to get all of the preparations done. However, when he awoke to use the loo at about 5:00am ... read more