MuddiVan

Coniston - April 2009

2009-04-27T09:23:00.001+01:00

We stayed at the Park Coppice Caravan Club site at Coniston. We arrived on the Friday night. It was packed with very few of the 200+ pitches free. The Coniston Hall Site was also very crowded. By Sunday night, it had thinned out and peace had returned. We did a bit of walking and visiting the Black Bull and The Sun.

Rhayader - April 2009

2009-04-16T15:21:00.002+01:00

Stayed for 3 nights at the Doldowlod CC Site. It has a new reception hut! The Vulcan Arms sadly closed and for sale at present. Walked over to Elan Valley Hotel (Sadly closed due to a fire before Xmas) then to the Triangle in Rhayader.

Moffat - March 2009

2009-04-16T15:21:00.001+01:00

Stopped overnight in Moffat CCC site on the way back home.

Glenmore - March 2009

2009-04-16T15:17:00.002+01:00

Stayed at the Glenmore Forestry Commision site for 4 nights. A lovely spot near Loch Morlich but with lousy weather - rain, high winds, sleet, hail, snow and a tiny bit of sun but still freezing cold. Walked through the forest, around the Loch and up to Ryvoan Bothy.

On the morning we travelled back South, we had about 2 inches of Snow.

Braemar - March 2009

2009-04-16T15:15:00.001+01:00

Stayed for 2 nights at Braemar, walked into the village along the river and a great walk up to Birkwood. Very cold with rain, sleet, hail & snow.

Blair Drummond - March 2009

2009-04-16T15:14:00.001+01:00

Stopped at Blair Drummond CC Site on the way up and back from the Cairngorms. Walked along the river to Doone Castle.

Meathop Fell - March 2009

2009-04-16T15:13:00.000+01:00

We stopped overnight at Meathop Fell CC Site on the way up to Scotland.

SCOTLAND - March 2009

2009-04-16T14:45:00.000+01:00

As Easter is late this year we were limited to the number of sites open, so visited the Cairngorms for a change.

Betws-y-Coed - March 2009

2009-04-16T14:44:00.000+01:00

Visited the Riverside Site which has recently joined the CC network. Very good site and handy for the town's fish and chip shop and pubs. Some good walks along the river and in the nearby hills.

Bridgnorth - Feb 2009

2009-02-16T14:12:00.003Z

Despite the snow, travelling wasn't a problem. Walked into town along the river.

Broadway - Jan 2009

2009-02-16T14:11:00.002Z

Pretty quiet at the Broadway site. Very frosty. Great walk (very slippy) along the Cotswold way and had a curry in the village.

Warwick - Dec 2008

2009-02-16T14:10:00.000Z

Last trip of the year. Stopped at the racecourse, Warwick.

Beddgelert - Nov 2008

2009-02-16T14:09:00.002Z

Staying at Beddgelert Forest - walked along the new fishermans path, up Cwm Bychan, then Black rock Sands.

Llanegryn (Tywyn) - Oct 2008

2009-02-16T14:07:00.001Z

A wintery weekend at a CL near Tywyn. Walked along the seawall in Tywyn with Stormy seas.

High Onn - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T14:06:00.003Z

The last weekend of the summer season spent at High Onn. Did a nice walk (collected sloes for gin) but floods the following day.

Eiper - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T14:04:00.002Z

Our final night of this trip in Eiper. The approach to the site wasn't promising but it was great. Walked round the ramparts trail and watched the last post.

Schin op Geul - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T14:03:00.001Z

An overnight stop in the village on the way from Aachen to Eiper.

Wehlen (Bernkastel-Kues) - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T14:01:00.002Z

A convenient stop at the Stellplatz in Wehlen for a walk into Bernkastel along the river.

Riquewihr - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T13:59:00.003Z

Another favourite stop-over needed a couple of nights to include a walk up to the war monument and into the old town. A great spot to top up the wine collection.

Lauterbrunnen - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T13:56:00.004Z

Planned to go to Grindelwald but the site wasn't great so as we had a fantastic time last year, Lauterbrunnen was an easy choice. Weather totally different over the time we were there but had fantastic walks. We will be back!!

Brienz - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T13:54:00.002Z

This was a lucky find. It's a huge site but was very quiet at this time. A nice walk into the village along the lakeside. Great spot.

Fiesch - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T13:51:00.003Z

We only stopped here after reading a sentence in the book about the cable car. It's a fantastic spot to see the great Glacier. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great but we'll certainly try to come back. The trains & cable cars were easy and pretty cheap.

Tasch (Zermatt) - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T13:49:00.004Z

From Kandersteg we took the van on the train through the Lotschberg tunnel to Tasch near Zermatt. Camped there and walked into Zermatt watching the marmots on the way. Heavy rain forced the return journey by train.

Kandersteg - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T13:45:00.002Z

Another change of plan as the Adelboden site was crowded so came to familiar environment. Despite the building of the new cable car station we had a great walk via the cable car again.

Gruyere - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T13:43:00.002Z

We planned to stop in France before entering Switzerland but didn't find anywhere interesting so pressed on to Gruyere. The walk into the old town was superb. The site was very good too.

Langres - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T13:41:00.002Z

Langres is a little oasis in an otherwise unexciting area. A great little walled city on the top of a hill. The campsite resides within the city walls.

Epernay - Sept 2008

2009-02-16T13:39:00.002Z

Heading down through the Champagne area, we stopped over at Epernay and walking into the city. Not a great place but the site was good.

Switzerland - September 2008

2009-02-16T13:38:00.000Z

We managed to get an earlier ferry than expected so instead of spending the night at Dover, we managed to get over and stop at Hondschoote.

Doldowlod, Rhayader - August 2008

2009-02-16T12:44:00.002Z

A favourite site. Did the triangle walk: Site to Elan Valley Hotel, Triangle in Rhayader for Lunch, then back to site.

Ffestiniog - August 2008

2009-02-16T12:42:00.001Z

A great walk up to Rhosydd Quarry near Ffestiniog and a walk to Llyn Trawfynydd.

Staying at Coed-y-Llwyn CC Site.

Blackmore, Great Malvern - July 2008

2009-02-16T12:38:00.002Z

This was summer! A great weekend walking to Upton-on-Severn and Malvern with lots of refreshments!

Presthope, Much Wenlock - July 2008

2009-02-16T12:37:00.000Z

A nice stop at Presthope and walk along Wenlock Edge into the town.

Hawes - July 2008

2009-02-16T12:31:00.002Z

Some pretty mixed weather at Hawes, staying at the clubsite just outside the town. Fortunately the best day was our walk to the pub in Bainbridge.

Brugge - June 2008

2009-02-16T12:28:00.001Z

A visit to a VERY busy Brugge, staying at Camping Memling.

Schin op Geul - June 2008

2009-02-16T12:26:00.002Z

Another stopover, near Valkenburg in the Netherlands. This is after taking Heidi (our dog) to Thomas Koch, our vets in Aachen.

St Goar - June 2008

2009-02-16T12:24:00.003Z

Stopped off at a family favourite on the banks of the Rhine facing the Loreley near Skt Goar.

Rothenburg - June 2008

2009-02-16T12:24:00.001Z

Another great stopover at Rothenburg on the way back.

Soell - June 2008

2009-02-16T10:56:00.003Z

We came here a couple of years ago (staying at a Pension) and it was great to come back. We did lots of walks in the mountains making good use of the cable cars and funicular train. We planned it so we could see the village band play again.

Zell am Ziller - June 2008

2009-02-16T10:38:00.002Z

This was a lovely spot on the outskirts of the village and a short walk along the river to the cable car station. We did some great walks in the mountains and took the train into Mayrhofen.

Langenfeld - June 2008

2009-02-16T10:33:00.003Z

We drove down the Oeztal until we found this site in Langenfeld with the finest facilities. The weather was pretty grim for our walk down the valley.

Leermoos - June 2008

2009-02-16T10:30:00.002Z

We were going to stop over in Bavaria but continued over the border to Leermoos, Austria. Not a great site but a lovely spot.

Rothenburg - June 2008

2009-02-16T10:27:00.001Z

We stayed over at the site in Detwang and walked up into the ancient walled city. A great spot!

Limburg - June 2008

2009-02-16T10:19:00.002Z

We stopped overnight at the riverside site and walked into the town.

Austria - June 2008 (Our Honeymoon)

2009-02-16T10:14:00.002Z

We crossed the channel to Calais and drove to our favourite overnight stop at Hondschoote.

Ferry Meadows - June 2008

2009-02-16T10:12:00.001Z

We had our Wedding Party at the Granary, Peterborough staying at Ferry Meadows.

Hoddom Castle & Gretna Green - June 2008 (Our Wedding!)

2009-02-16T10:06:00.005Z

We stayed at Hoddom Castle (in the muddivan) and travelled to Gretna Green to marry. A fantastic day - just how we wanted it!

Hoddom Castle - April 2008

2009-02-16T10:05:00.002Z

We came to find this place as we would be returning in June. We went into Gretna Green to find the "wrong" blacksmiths shop! Fortunately we did eventually go to the right one.

Ledaig April 2008

2009-02-16T09:54:00.003Z

We were a bit disappointed here (it's a huge site) after 2 such fantastic locations but it's actually still a great spot with a fine beach and great views. Walked along the beach and over the Connel Bridge from here.

Morvich (Shiel Bridge) - April 2008

2009-02-16T09:50:00.003Z

Another repeat visit to a great location. From here we walked up towards the Falls of Glomach and also visited Skye, The Kyle of Lochalsh (for the finest fish and chips) and Eilean Donan Castle.

Bunree (Onich) April 2008

2009-02-16T09:48:00.001Z

This is our second visit to Bunree. It's one of our favourite sites with great views across the Loch and to the mountains. We were lucky enough to get a Lochside pitch. Fantastic.

Scotland - April 2008

2009-02-16T09:42:00.002Z

Blair Drummond
We stopped off at a great spot near Stirling - Blair Drummond Caravan Club Site - but only to break the journey.

Winter 2007/2008

2008-04-10T07:48:00.001+01:00

No longer trips for muddivan over the winter months. Travel restricted to Weekends. This winter we visited :-
Bala,
Blackshaw Moor (Leek),
Bridgnorth (twice),
Beddgelert,
Chirk (For Christmas),
Carrog,
Llanrwst,
Church Stretton and
Llanbrymair.

Kielder Forest

2007-10-18T08:21:00.003+01:00

We stopped at Kielder Water Caravan Club site on the way home.

Dunstan Hill

2007-10-18T08:20:00.001+01:00

From Haltwhistle we went to the Dunstan Hill Camping and Caravan Club site near Craster on the Coast.

Northumberland - Haltwhistle

2007-10-18T08:19:00.001+01:00

We stopped over at Grange over Sands on the way up to Haltwhistle where we walked along Hadrians Wall.

Brugge - September 2007

2007-09-29T16:53:00.001+01:00

It's becoming the norm now to stop ove at Camping Memling in Brugge before the ferry home. So that was the end of the Switzerland trip.

Monschau - Sept 2007

2007-09-29T16:51:00.000+01:00

The MuddiDog was booked into a vet at Aachen for the treatment prior to return to the UK, so we stayed at Camping Perlenau at Monschau. Handy site for the town.

Loesnich - September 2007

2007-09-29T16:50:00.001+01:00

The Stellplatz we planned to stay at was full so we continued along the Mosel and found this great spot.

Riquwhir - Spetember 2007

2007-09-29T16:48:00.000+01:00

We stopped off again here to break the journey on the way back

Lauterbrunnen - September 2007

2007-09-29T16:44:00.000+01:00

Our second site was at Lauterbrunnen - Camping Jungfrau. Another great spot for starting out on our walking expeditions!

Kandersteg - September 2007

2007-09-29T16:40:00.001+01:00

Our first site in Switzerland. Such a beautiful spot just outside the village. A perfect centre for our walking expeditions.

Riquewhir September 2007

2007-09-29T16:37:00.000+01:00

Another place we stayed in June. Nice to spend the afternoon walking through the vineyards and sampling the local produce!

Pont a Moussin - Sept 2007

2007-09-29T16:36:00.000+01:00

We stayed here in June so it was nice to come back with the MuddiDog. A great place to break the journey.

Hondschoote September 2007

2007-09-29T16:32:00.000+01:00

We caught an earlier ferry so we crossed the channel and found a great Aire at Hondschoote. A bonus too - it was local chip van night so dinner was easy!

Switzerland 2007

2007-09-29T16:30:00.000+01:00

Our first trip abroad with the MuddiDog. We're off to Switzerland!

Llanbrynmair - August 2007

2007-09-06T08:43:00.000+01:00

Muddivan spent the bank holiday weekend at the Gwern-y-Bwlch club site at Llanbrunmair. Site full but quiet!

Rhayader July 2007

2007-09-06T08:41:00.000+01:00

Muddivan had a couple of restful weekends at Doldowlod Caravan Club site at Rhayader while we did some walking.

Derwentwater July 2007

2007-09-02T11:24:00.001+01:00

We moved up from Coniston to Low Manesty, Derwentwater. Unfortunately the weather did not last.

Coniston July 2007

2007-09-02T11:20:00.000+01:00

Muddivan stayed at Park Coppice for a few days while we explored the area, climbing the Old Man of Coniston and the legendary "Black Bull" Pub on a number of occasions.

Brugge June 2007

2007-09-02T11:14:00.000+01:00

Our last night of this trip was spent at Brugge. Camping Memling was pretty busy but spaces left.

Neufchateaux June 2007

2007-09-02T11:09:00.001+01:00

We stopped just one night here, breaking the journey back home. Very popular with the Dutch Caravanners and our Barbeque popular with the Ducks!

Riquewhir June 2007

2007-09-02T11:04:00.000+01:00

We enjoyed the Alsace so much, we decided to stay local and only moved a few miles over to the site outside Riquewhir. A highlight of this site was being visited by storks! We also had a lovely walk through the vineyards and the villages near the site.

Kaysersburg June 2007

2007-09-02T11:01:00.001+01:00

We stayed at Kaysersberg for 3 nights. Muddivan rested while we walked to Riquewhir one day and into Kaysersberg the next.

Destination: The Alsace June 2007

2007-09-02T10:56:00.001+01:00

An early ferry and we travelled through Belgium towards the Alsace, stopping at the Aire de Service at Pont a Moussin right on the Banks of the River Moselle.

Beddgelert Forest May 2007

2007-09-02T10:43:00.000+01:00

This was a challenge for Muddivan III. We were looking after my parent's two Labradors making the passenger list: Two adults and Three big dogs. No problem - plenty of room and a bed for everyone!

Bala - April 2007

2007-09-02T10:38:00.001+01:00

A relaxing weekend in Bala. Muddivan took it eassy as we walked up into the Hills from site.

Brugge March 2007

2007-09-02T10:35:00.001+01:00

From Bernkastel-Kues we drove back up towards home. We stopped overnight at Camping Memling in St Kruis, Brugge. We had a "good" walk into Brugge old town.

Bernkastel-Kues March 2007

2007-09-02T10:31:00.000+01:00

From the Loreley, we drove along the Rhine and down the Mosel River, stopping for a few nights at Camping Schenk, a couple of miles outside Bernkastel-Kues. Muddivan had a good rest here while we explored the area on foot.

Left: Benkastel-Kues Below: Camping Schenk

Camping Loreleiblick March 2007

2007-09-02T10:26:00.000+01:00

From Velkenburg we drove through Germany, over the Mosel and to the Rhine, camping at Loreleiblick, overlooking the Loreley. Muddivan had a rest while we crossed the river and walked up to the Loreley.

Pictures: Left: Camping Loreleiblick Below: Above Burg Katz

Valkenburg March 2007

2007-09-02T10:05:00.001+01:00

We spent a couple of nights at Camping Vinkenhof, about 4 miles from Valkenburg in the Netherlands. This gave Muddivan a day to relax while we walked into the town.

Pictures Left: Camping Vinkenhof Below: Valkenburg Castle

Across the Channel - March 2007

2007-09-02T07:47:00.000+01:00

MuddiVan III's first trip to the continent. We set off on an early crossing, driving to Valkenburg in the Netherlands.

Picture: Waiting to board the ferry at Dover

Carrog - March 2007

2007-09-01T20:26:00.000+01:00

Just before the majority of sites start to open, we had this weekend at Carrog, between Llangollen and Corwen in North Wales. Found out about wildcamping.co.uk from Grath here. A lovely area - just 25 miles from home.

Castleton Feb 2007

2007-09-01T20:18:00.000+01:00

Muddivan took us to Castleton in the North of the Peak District in Feb 2007.

A mixed week weatherwise but the van did us proud. We did lots of walking from the Caravan club site and also visited Holmfirth, Last of the Summer wine country.

New Year 2007!

2007-09-01T20:14:00.000+01:00

We spent the New Year at the Beddgelert Forest Site. From the site, we watched the fireworks down in the village. Superb!

On the way home we stopped at the Snowdon Viewpoint and wondered why the cars coming the other way had snow all over them!!

Pictured here: At the Snowdon Viewpoint

Christmas 2006

2007-09-01T20:09:00.000+01:00

Having spent the last 3 Christmas's away in the vans, this year we had a fantastic time at the Lady Margaret Caravan Club Site at Chirk, North Wales. This was an amazing 7 miles from Home! It was a great Christmas. The wardens invited everyone round for drinks in the reception office. Packed but friendly.

Muddivan III - First trip

2007-09-01T20:01:00.000+01:00

Of course, November is out of season for most of our favourite sites, so our first trip in our new Muddivan (Muddivan III) was to Leek, Staffordshire. Wow - So much space spoiled us!! A great weekend away - the first of so many!

The hunt for Muddivan III

2007-09-01T19:47:00.000+01:00

There were three main requirements when looking for a replacement for Muddivan II:-

It had to have More Space
It couldn't be much longer than Muddivan II
It had to have bedding for the two of us plus a good bed for our Muddidog

After looking around plenty of second hand Autosleepers, Autocruise motorhomes which didn't quite fit the bill, we stumbled on the Elddis. It fit every one of our requirements and more. And in the end of season sale, I think we got a great deal!

November 2006: It was sad to leave Muddivan II at Brownhills after the years of good service, but Muddivan III was ready for new adventures.

Pictured here: MuddiVan III at Brownhills, Cannock

MuddiVan II

2007-09-01T19:40:00.000+01:00

I bought Muddivan II from new in 1999. Having had so much fun with Muddivan I, the Peugeot Harmony was an ideal van to replace it.

Muddivan II never left the UK but travelled extensively throughout from the North of Scotland to the South Coast of England and so many places in between.

It saw extensive use and it has taken us on so many excellent trips with no problems whatsoever.
However, a final holiday in 2006 in the Highlands of Scotland, in dreadful weather made me realise that a little more space would be really handy.

MuddiVan I

2007-09-01T19:28:00.001+01:00

In 1994, after 5 years of good use, I sold the caravan & car and bought my first MuddiVan. It was a G registration, Talbot Autosleeper Rambler.

Muddivan I travelled onto the continent a number of times into Belgium, The Netherland, Luxembourg, Germany, The west coast of France, The Pyrenees and into Eastern Germany.

Muddivan I served very well and it was sad to see it go in 1999.

Pictured here : Muddivan I sits on a campsite in Glen Coe

Pre Muddivan Days

2007-09-01T19:17:00.000+01:00

I have grown up with holidays and weekends away in Caravans and Motorhomes belonging to my parents.

In 1989 I bought my first Caravan. It was a 1971 Sprite 400 which had already seen lots of use. I had some great trips with this van from the South of England in Devon, right up to Scotland.

Pictured Here at Glyn Uchaf CL , Roewen near Conwy, North Wales.