{"id":4493,"date":"2013-08-24T12:29:33","date_gmt":"2013-08-24T12:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/?page_id=4493"},"modified":"2013-08-30T08:09:25","modified_gmt":"2013-08-30T08:09:25","slug":"cambridge-and-sandringham","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/?page_id=4493","title":{"rendered":"UK – Summer 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a variety of reasons, including health, family visits etc. we decided not to make our usual summer trip to Europe this year. \u00a0Instead we have spent short periods touring around UK. \u00a0The first trip was to visit Cambridge and meet up with our son who got a couple of days off while over here working.\"DSC02296\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It was great to discover that from our C&CC site we could cycle into the centre of Cambridge by using the old railway line that has now been converted into a local bus service that appeared to be driverless. \u00a0We don’t know that for sure but as the track was built up either side then the bus was not going anywhere other than along the track. \u00a0Unfortunately the project was not complete during our visit so we will leave it until next time to check it out. \u00a0Having been to Cambridge several times we knew how to get around and see the best bits without too much hassle. \u00a0We took in a couple of the colleges and did the obligatory punt on the river. \"DSC02311\"<\/a>\u00a0We ate lunch out overlooking Kings college and BBQ each evening. \u00a0The weather was perfect until the last day when it\u00a0\u00a0simply poured but by that time we were already packing up to go back home.<\/p>\n

Our next trip was to Sandringham to meet up with our long time friends Jenny and Neil. \u00a0We have been meeting up with Jenny and Neil for over 40 years however \u00a012 years ago Jenny suffered a massive stroke leaving here badly disabled. \u00a0The last 5 years Neil has booked them both into the Lenard Cheshire home – The Park Hotel and we have stayed on the nearby Caravan and Camping Club site. \u00a0The Park Hotel is famous for a number of reasons, one being the birthplace of Princess Diana and another is the hotel is specially equipped to cater for the severely handicapped. \u00a0Neil has a specially adapted car that Jenny can be accommodated in her wheelchair while still allowing the three of us to travel. \u00a0Over the years we have visited many of the sights around the area and its great to get both of them out and about. \u00a0This year we timed our visit to co-inside with the Sandringham Flower Show. \u00a0This is a particular favorite of Jenny’s as she gets to meet both Charles and Camilla as well as one or two guests. \"Group\"<\/a>\u00a0This year was the turn of Judy Dench (not a smile or wave to the crowd) and Maggie Smith. \u00a0Although the day went well it just happened to be the wettest day of the month and waiting around for two and a half hours for Charles to arrive in the rain didn’t help. \u00a0 We always take the bikes with us and often go for a ride in the mornings while the nurses sort out Jenny. \u00a0Sandringham Estate has plenty of cycle tracks and is a lovely area to see. \u00a0With a sandy soil even in bad weather the tracks remain usable.\"Flying<\/a><\/p>\n

The Flower Show isn’t just flowers there are all sorts of entertaining side shows, including a family stunt team. \u00a0The son rides motor bikes and leaps over quad bikes while the father climbs a tower and jumps 50 feet while covered in fuel.<\/p>\n

\"Burning<\/a><\/p>\n

There are sheep dog trials, brass bands and several displays by the armed forces. \u00a0We always finish the week with a meal in the Park Hotel before heading back home.<\/p>\n

Our next couple of UK trips took us to Benton Cliffs to see the Puffins (with the hope of seeing a few pufflins) and the surrounding coastline from Flamborough Head to Whitby and then heading inland to Goathland and the Heartbeat country. \u00a0On our previous trip to Benton we didn’t see a thing as the sea mist completely blotted out the area with only a few meters visibility. \u00a0This time we were blessed with clear blue skies and warm weather. \u00a0We saw plenty of Puffins but the experts said we were too early in the year for the Pufflins. \u00a0Better luck next time.<\/p>\n

\"Puffin\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We were surprised to discover that all filming of the Heartbeat series has finished – permanently and that the props etc. have been dismantled.<\/p>\n

\"Goathland<\/a><\/p>\n

This hasn’t stopped the locals from cashing in on the publicity, nor has it stopped the tourists from arriving by the thousand to look around the area. \u00a0\u00a0\"garage\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It was very nostalgic to visit the railway station and see the old steam trains still running between Pickering and the North York Moors. \u00a0There are numerous walks or bike rides around the Goathland area and several places to park up the motorhome.
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

We spent a few days in South Wales visiting our long time friends near Swansea. \u00a0They took us to see the Dolaucothi gold mine – not working now though but interesting place to see the history of it all. \u00a0Part of the National Trust who conduct guided tours around the workings and there are opportunities to “go underground” \u00a0This mine had been in use from Roman times until the 20th century.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For a variety of reasons, including health, family visits etc. we decided not to make our usual summer trip to Europe this year. \u00a0Instead we have spent short periods touring around UK. \u00a0The first trip was to visit Cambridge and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":4136,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4493","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4493"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4517,"href":"https:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4493\/revisions\/4517"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vennwood.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}