Wheels Around Europe . . . . . . . : 2021

Saturday 16th October 2021

The pub parkup proved to be pretty good, never heard a thing at night, no slamming doors or anything which I'd been expecting.

I was joined by another motorhome and like me, they had planned to park by the Cathedral.

It did get a bit noisey in the morning from the passing traffic.

After breakfast I set off for home with a planned stop at Calke Abbey at Ticknall near Derby, another National Trust site.

It's a place I'd not been to before and was quite impressed. It has very large grounds and lots of interesting things to do and look around.

Today they had an Apple Day, celebrating all things apple. There were stalls selling freshly pressed apple juice, apple pies, apple crumbles, apple chuckney, you name it they did it.

There was also a barbeque. I don't know if there was apple in the hot dogs lol.

I didn't go in the house but instead walked around the grounds in the warm autumn sunshine.

The gardens were looking pretty good considering it's mid October.

Calke Abbey grounds

Calke Abbey

Calke Abbey Church of St Giles

Calke Abbey Apple Day

Calke Abbey gardens

Calke Abbey grounds

Calke Abbey grotto

Calke Abbey grounds

Friday 15th October 2021

My parkup near Mansfield was spookily dark but very quiet until the early morning dog walkers arrived.

It rained a little overnight, but by 9.00am it was glorious sunshine which was very welcome.

Not least because my leisure batteries were pretty depleted by morning time and I need the solar energy to get some juice back into them and charged up again.

I headed further east today and into Newark on Trent, more particularly the Newark Air Museum.

It's an interesting place with lots of vintage aircraft of all types.

They also had an Avro Vulcan B2 bomber which I went to see at RAF Cosford a few years ago to see it when it made a fly past on one of it's last ever flights before they were all grounded on cost and environmental reasons.

It's a very impressive aircraft and the noise from it's huge engines accelerating with the afterburners lit is unforgettable.

After the Air Museum, I headed further east towards Lincoln and stopped for the afternoon at Whisby Nature Park and had a very enjoyable walk around the lakes in fabulous warm sunshine.

I'm not sure we're going to get too many more days like this before winter closes in, so I'm making the most of it !

I'm heading into Lincoln Historic Quarter later where my research tells me there is a motorhome parking area close to the Castle and Cathedral.

My thinking is, to arrive about 4 or 5 pm and all the day shopping parkers will be leaving, so I'll find room to park ........ I'll let you know how that turns out ....

Well, what a nightmare Lincoln turned into.

Firstly it turns out there is a cycle race this evening around the Historic Quarter of the city and my well researched planned parkup next to the Cathedral has been comandered as race HQ for all the cycle teams.

But I didn't know that until after I'd spent about 45 minutes driving around the city trying to find alternative routes to the carpark as there were road closures everywhere.

Eventually I parked by the railway station and walked up Steep Hill to the Historic Quarter, and they wern't joking when that street was named !

Even as a pedestrian it was a nightmare getting around with roads closed and limited opportunities to cross the road due to the lycra clad loons racing around on the cobbled streets.

I bet they were glad it was dry as in the wet I'm sure there would have been some cyclisits kissing the cobbles.

I managed to get some half decent photos I think.

And yes, I did get lost. After walking around the Cathedral exterior, I tried to walk around the castle walls, got completely disorientated, walked in completely the wrong direction.

Louis was absolutely no help whatsoever, eventually I admitted defeat and refered to the all knowing Google Maps to escort me back to Ed.

I'd left Ed on the railway station carpark and whilst in town I'd given thoughts to overnighting there.

Those thoughts quickly dispersed as I made my way back.

I'd left in warm sunshine, but now it was dusk and the feeling of the place had changed as all the drug dealers and ladies of the night appeared, to offer their wares to passerbys.

I really didn't feel like moving, but this place no longer felt like somewhere I wanted to be, so it was back on the app's to find somewhere else.

I came up with a pub, The Swan Holme, about three miles away, that has a large carpark and are happy to welcome motorhomers to parkup overnight.

They like to think you'll use the pub in return of course, and I think most do, but I went in and saw the manager and checked it was ok to overnight and so all was good.

I certainly feel safer here than in the town.

So it was a late tea, a beer, feet up and Paul Simon in concert on TV for me.

Originally I'd planned to spend the day in Lincoln tomorrow, but I'll rethink that as I believe the cycling will be on all weekend.

I really liked Lincoln as I'd never been here before and I'd definately like to return some time when there is no cycle race on.