Away in the motorhome

We set off on 27th of July, for our second trip away in the Autosleeper motorhome, this time somewhere unfamiliar, although still with the family connection. Joe and Kate and the girls were at the cottage which has been in Kate's family for years and years and is shared between the extended family during the open season which runs from Spring until late autumn. The cottage is shut up for the winter months and it has been left without having been upgraded to modern conveniences in a number of respects. This makes it somewhere you are forced to adapt to a change in lifestyle and pace.

We set out in the early afternoon with the 5 of us, 3 adults and 2 children, safely accommodated on the motorhome. I had decided to go via the major routes i.e. as much tine on dual carriageway and motorway as possible. It was longer in terms of mileage but theoretically quicker. Given the heavy rain, it was also easier to drive in. 

It proved a good decision and I was pleased with the progress we made. The vehicle is becoming more straightforward to drive which I think is my way of saying I am beginning to relax into it a little more, feeling more confident in how it responds and the way in which it handles.

Alison were to sleep in the motorhome for the duration of the visit and the others were to sleep in the cottage. That worked out well and we had a great four days away.

I can't quite capture here how beautiful the place was, the atmosphere and mood, a sense of almost being transported back in time. Alison and I were both saying it felt like something we'd seen on TV pre-1914, a last golden time before cataclysmic change abruptly alters lives forever. Thankfully, we had the idyll without the tragedy.

The photos show the view from one side of the garden, looking across the fields belonging to the property, the road into the property, over a bridge and the river which lies at the bottom of the garden, a short downhill walk from the cottage. It was stunning. The surrounding countryside was wonderful, hills and woods and open fields. We had to drive along a two mile road, very narrow, seemingly headed nowhere before arriving and the satnav was trying to throw us off to the west which meant the directions we'd been given were invaluable.

I'll say more about the cottage and river later. Day One was done as we sat down for a few drinks and some food and a dark, dark night, out on the lane, a short distance from the cottage. We had plenty of space with the seats spread out giving us a massive double bed which was plenty comfortable.