On Saturday morning after a lovely lay-in and leisurely breakfast we had to pack up and move pitches (we were aware of this when we booked so it wasn't a problem). By 11 am we had moved to another lovely pitch the other side of the site.
It was a bit overcast and much cooler than the day before so we were able to leave Paddy in the camper for an hour or so and walk, via a farm track and public footpath, to the local garden centre where we bought some local cider chutney and cake for our lunch (and good it was too!).
We spent the rest of the afternoon back on site with Paddy (and the local wildlife) enjoying being outside.
That evening we had another lovely meal in the on-site restaurant.
We are usually very lucky with the weather for our September holiday and 2012 did not disappoint! Early September we headed east to Ross Park, Ipplepen for our first 2 nights.
Ross Park has been voted the overall best caravan site of 2012 and we are not at all surprised. It was our first time staying here having been trying to book for the best part of 18 months.
On arrival the skies were blue and it was very warm too, just what the doctor ordered.
We pitched up, got the awning out and sat outside and had our lunch.
They cater very well for dogs and have at least 4 or 5 great dogs walks on site (somewhere they can run free and each with bins and bags provided!). They even have a purpose built dog shower, complete with warm water (!), a hairdryer and ramp to access the table (and it's all free to use). We walked Paddy that afternoon and the views over Dartmoor were stunning.
In the evening we booked a table in their tropical conservatory and had a lovely roast beef dinner - nice way to end a perfect day!
After picking up some supplies in town, for the rest of the day, we returned to the campsite where we spent our time relaxing again (and lovely it was too!). We were visited by a pair of the resident ducks who we fed with some bread. One of the pigeons fancied getting in on the act but I have to say he wasn't too successful!
That night, shortly after we'd gone to bed (or so it felt!), we had a massive thunderstorm. We have never heard thunder so loud, it actually shook the camper. It went on for some time and was followed by some pretty torrential rain. When we got up on Sunday morning the site was bone dry but unfortunately it seems that the lightning had knocked out the campsites phone/tv/wi-fi network!!! It didn't really matter much to us as we were sadly packing up and leaving that morning.
If any of you fancy a superb site with 5* facilities, everything you could need within a short walk and peace and quiet then Exmoor House CC site is for you, but don't tell everyone becuase we'll never get a pitch!!!
Next trip is 'local' to us. We're doing Devon/Cornwall for 8 nights in September so watch this space!!!
We were up early again on Saturday morning so that we could walk up through Burridge Woods to Marsh Bridge and back into Dulverton that way, just to clear our heads after the over indulgence from the night before - and it worked!!!
We came across these two beautiful 'guard dogs' in one of the cottages on the way back - they almost licked us to death!
Finally summer decided to put in an appearance.......albeit a short one! It was perfectly timed for our long weekend on Exmoor though. We stayed on what has to be one of our favourite Caravan Club sites, Exmoor House, just a short wander from the pretty town of Dulverton.
We arrived on site Thursday afternoon, pitched up (we only had a choice of 3 pitches because they were packed!), brewed up and put our feet up! We did nothing other than relax, just what the doctor ordered!
On Friday we had a very early morning wander (so it wasn't too hot for Paddy in the camper), along the River Barle, into town and back via the pretty church (which unfortunately had some scaffolding up due to some repair work that was underway). There was hardly a soul around. We spent the rest of Friday on site enjoying reading in the sunshine until we met up with friends, who were camping on an adults only campsite in the same area, for a meal in one of the many great pubs in Dulverton (The Bridge Inn). A good time was had by all!!!
