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A little escape to Purbeck country
24th February 2025
Fed up of the weather and unable to go abroad for the time
being, we bolt for the Isle of Purbeck for a week away in Bryony. A sudden impulse thing.
We are away by 0930 from our storage site and by 1015 have
come to a halt at the top of Halden Hill for a bacon roll at Coffee at Costa.
At 1235 we roll onto our site for the next few days – Wareham Forest Tourist Park. All sorted and hooked up by 1300 and we are out for a walk by 1330. The idea is to head to a near by old Bronze age hill fort.
We head up the path out the back of the campsite. Arriving
at the gate which gives access onto one of the bridleways we meet our first
challenge. Huge flooded puddles. We negotiate the bog hopping and keep dry
walking boots only to be confronted with challenge two and three. Within 20m in
either direction, the bridleway is badly flooded. Walking boots are just not
going to do it – its full on wellies and even those might be overtopped. How
much rain has this place had over winter? Jeez, its drier on Dartmoor where we
hail from and that’s saying something!
We retreat back to the hard standings. Call in at the
office, get a tip to proceed 200m up the road and try that path.
Fifteen minutes later, that plan is thrown out. More flood
puddles. Frankly it's like a swamp; one of those Florida swamps you see on
nature programmes! Our second retreat sees us back at the road, where,
undeterred we walk a further 50m up and finally find a gravel track which has a
small stream flowing down the middle of it; but sufficient dry areas either side
that we can make some progress.
Good news! We reach the ancient fortifications. The area as
far as the eye can see is pine forest, swampy dips and not that enticing to be
honest. The attraction of a warm cuppa and some chocolate coated malted
biscuits back in warm, cosy Bryony, seems so much more appealing.
And that is it. The sum of the afternoon escapades.
Later that evening during and just after blue hour, I try out my newly modded camera. I got it astro-modded for astrophotography. I have a short window of one hour in which to work out what changes I need to make to settings. Lots it would seem as all the images I caught have a very strange horrible tangerine glow about them! It is hard work this astrophotography malarkey.
At this juncture, I should mention, that those of you
interested in astrophotography and astronomy, and some blog readers have
indicated this, then I have started new
blog all about these topics and you can find it at www.UnderSouthWestSkies.blogspot.com Pop across and see if there is anything useful
there for you.
Tuesday 25th February
The sun is shining and we are off on a cycle ride. However,
we did have a late start. For some reason, at 0230 this morning, one of us woke
to find the Thetford fridge panel flashing angrily. Non functioning. I tried
gas, electric, auto – all came back with various error codes. So I switched it
off overnight. The fridge, as regular blog readers will know, is becoming a
right pain in the a…… never mind!
After breakfast, I pull the various manuals and eventually
discover that the fridge just wont work on electric. If I switch to mix 2 on
the panel – electric/gas – the fridge automatically switches itself to gas and
runs perfectly. So, it seems to be an electric issue. I replace the fuse and
still nothing. Good job we have plenty of gas onboard then! Another thing for our local Motorhome service
centre to investigate for us. Possibly new control panel? Faulty wiring? New
fridge? Who knows – but we want it fixed!
A round trip of just over 20 miles on e-bikes. Down to
Wareham and along the road to Corfe Castle. Stop off for coffee at a café and a
return trip up over the chalk ridge and then back to Wareham and home. The flat
moorland areas are flooded and the roads there closed.
Back in Bryony by 1400, we have a meal, and spend the afternoon reading, photo editing, blog writing and I prepare my photo gear for a second night of astrophotography. It is promising to be crystal clear and moonless until 0100. Such a rare luxury this winter season – I’ll gratefully take it.
Wednesday 26th February
Heavy rain overnight and puddles on the hard standing beneath us. We opt for a road trip down to a deserted Swanage. Fortunately, we find a BP petrol station on the way down selling Autogas. £9 top up of the tank. So much used by the fridge!
Down at Swanage in the Main Beach car park, the ticket machines
malfunction. The app malfunctions. Can't pay the over 4.8m rate but can pay for
under 4.8m so I get two tickets, video the malfunctioning machines and
screenshots the app failures. Ridiculous that I must do this but there we go.
A blustery wet walk
into town with quick stop off to admire the two steam engines at the railway
station. Coffee and cake in the Brooke Tea Room on the sea front. Great view,
warm welcome, nice coffee and the honeycombed tiffin…..scrumptious! Stroll the
shops and head back to Bryony in a deserted car park.
Later the afternoon is spent with a friend touring Corfe
Castle and having a pub evening meal in Wareham. Can recommend the Horse and
Groom. Convivial and good food with great service.
Later, I am back out again star gazing. Three consecutive clear nights – has not happened once this winter so I need to grab these opportunities when they arise. Another night focusing on the Orion Molecular Cloud using my newly astro modded DSLR.
Thursday 27th February
We move to Martleaves Farm at Weymouth. We are visiting
family in the area. We stop in at Sainsbury's on way in to stock up for
weekend.
The site is expensive and normally I'd baulk at paying £39
per night for HS and EHU. The views however are stunning. Out across the fields
and down to the Fleet. Across to Portland and out to sea. The site slopes and
my tip is to look at the map on the website and choose your pitch carefully. We
had pitch 7. In the field out the front of us, immediately behind the wooden
railing fence, alpacas. Maggie is very happy. Entertainment right there of the
cutest kind.
Campsite facilities are clean but cramped. In summer, there
would be queues for the three showers without doubt. Access out onto the cliff
top is alongside. You can cycle into Weymouth or across the tombolo to Portland
with no problem. There is a motorhome services area, easily accessible. I actually really like this site despite its price.
All set up by 1pm, the afternoon and evening are spent with
family, strolling to a local beach and having an evening meal back at their
house.
Friday 28th February
A family trip to Portland for coffee and cake and a
geography fix for yours truly. Can't resist a good wave cut platform, fossil
rock or tidal race. Some of the limestone rocks have oyster shell fossils.
Today it is the calmest I have ever seen Portland Races. Nothing. A few ripples
on a mirror calm sea in lovely sunshine. Chilly mind.
The afternoon is spent strolling Weymouth admiring the beach
and the redevelopment and gentrification of the old brewery buildings. We get
to see the old bridge splitting and rising as well.
It has been a chilled relaxed day. I finish with another stargazing episode. Same target, different focal length lenses.
Saturday 1st March
Having booked another night here, we have to move pitch as
someone else has booked pitch 7 for the weekend. I gently reverse back into
pitch 4 with no problem at all and so we don’t have to pack up the inside. Another bike riding day in lovely sunshine
but chilly conditions. We have had three days of sunshine now. Wonderful. We go
down the Chesil beach tombolo to grab a coffee and read the Saturday papers
down near the national sailing centre. We want to see reaction to the awful,
disgraceful scenes from the Oval Office when Trump and Vance met President
Zelensky on the now infamous Friday meeting. It makes gloomy reading.
Fortified with lattes and Americanos , we go back along the
Roswell cycle trail to the end and then down to the sea front at the Preston
end of the bay. Up the hill to the Lookout Café and chips, Bacon sandwiches and
lovely views of the bay and beach from a sheltered picnic table. The sun gleams
off the sea making it look like finely woven golden silk. Barely a ripple.
The rest of the afternoon is in a warm and sunlit Bryony,
reading, photo editing and snoozing after our exertions.
The fridge has continued to play up all week. It won't work
on electric but will on 12v and gas. Phone call to our local motorhome repair
team next week then. New back unit it seems.
Sunday 2nd March
Away at 0900 and home by midday. Easy driving. Everything
unpacked and sorted by 1500 and an afternoon with the Sunday papers. We like
these periodic little week escapes. Must do more of them this year.
So, trip stats – here they are:
Costs for this trip:
3 nights x 30 = £90
3 nights x 39 = £117
Car parking £4
Gas tank top up £10
Fuel top up £30
Total costs = £251
Cost per day = £32 approx
Distance driven 258 miles
Postscript:
Monday, we call in at the motorhome servicing centre down
the road. They surmise it could be a PCB failure or an insulator failure. They
book Bryony in for initial investigations in a week’s time. At that point we
will make decisions. All being well, they can access everything from outside by
taking off the vents. If they must take out the fridge it will be three hours
labour costs immediately!
We will update the post when we know more. Fingers crossed
its just an insulator then!
Postscript 2:
The PCB unit has gone - it will £400 to replace it - will take a couple of hours labour. Ouch!
And my astrophotography photos?
Well, first time using a modded camera and still very much learning the art of photo editing, here are my best images; which isn't saying much is it. So much to learn about how to successfully create tracked, stacked, composite images 😕
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Hi, we always look forward to hearing your comments, tips and thoughts. Drop us a line or two below. Take care now. Steve and Maggie