Holiday Part 3 – Jurassic Coast Video

Here is a little video of the back end of our tour. I really was so chilled out I forgot to film anything until later in the holiday. Hopefully this captures the vibe of our holiday.

We did see a few more campsites in our journey so I thought I would mention them too.

Monkton Wyld, Charmouth

http://www.monktonwyld.co.uk

First thing I will say is if you are planning to use Monkton Wylde make sure you read their directions on the site and follow them. Don’t rely on a satnav or follow signs for Monkton Wyld, because it may take you up a very very steep hill not suitable for caravans or vintage engines. Thankfully we did read the advice and had an uneventful trip to the site.

Image linked from Monkton Wyld SiteFirst impressions were great, the site is extremely well kept and quite beautiful and feels relatively empty even though there were 500 people onsite. The staff were helpful and even though we turned up around 7 after they had gone there was a clear sign on reception detailing which pitches were clear and that it was fine to park up and pay in the morning. It is one thing that always struck me on this coast, everyone was very trusting and it was a really nice thing in todays world. Not only that but the site only cost us £13.85 with hard standing and hookup. The site is part of the Camping and Caravanning club and that price was without members discount :o, despite the low prices the facilities were great and the site extremely well organised, friendly and clean. The only downside is the nearest pub The Hunters Lodge is about a mile away but its a pleasant and quiet walk and the food was great.

Minehead/Brean Sands/Weston Super Mare

We decided to start working our way home, heading north up into Minehead and then we thought we would stay the night at Brean Sands or Weston Super Mare. The one thing that instantly struck us as we headed north and arrived in Minehead was the massive hike in parking fees. Not surprisingly most of the parking spots were empty despite the glorious weather, it’s one thing that frustrates me about some UK councils who hammer motorists and damage tourism in many cases. In the south the most expensive parking we paid was £1.70 for a whole day, on the north coast where to be frank it was over commercialised and not as nice, it was many times this with no discernible extra value for 3 or 4 times the charge.

On one side Minehead is gorgeous, tree covered hillsides with pretty cottages and houses looking out over the sea. Quite charming in that traditionally English way. Sadly on the other side of the bay, business has done its best to scar the landscape in the name of profit. To be frank the worst of which is the eyesore that is Butlins and the over commercialised tacky shops and cafes that lead upto it.  I really wanted to love Minehead but sorry you really were a big disappointment, the charm is still there you just have to try to avoid looking towards Butlins to jar you out of the illusion. For that reason we decided to speed up our plans and head onto Brean Sands which was recommended to us. Oh dear, Brean sands far far worse, clearly it was once a beautiful spot and sadly that has resulted in them cramming as many caravans and arcades in as they could. Suffice to say we didn’t stay and just decided to head straight through and onto  Cheddar gorge, an old favourite of mine and one of my first childhood holiday memories.

Cheddar Gorge, Broadway Cottage Caravan And Camping

2013-07-14_1373805110Cheddar is a natural wonder and I am glad to say although there is tourist attractions they haven’t destroyed the charm of the place in doing so. The height of the gorge is impressive and you often see goats on the cliffs high above. The climb is steep however so be wary in a weak engined vehicle, as you will see in the video, we were certainly holding up more modern vehicles.

I really recommend the cheese shop, their cheeses are amazing as are their chilli jams. We didn’t get time to check out the caves as they were closed but again if my memory serves me right its well worth a visit and quite a natural wonder.

Onto the campsite for that evening and we stopped off at a site after struggling to find a garage or shop that sold anything that could resemble a dinner. The first site next door to Broadway Cottage but sorry I cannot find out the name, looked good but the owner kindly warned us that they had a huge group of teenagers coming in and that if we wanted a quiet night the next campsite along may be more to our liking. This we felt was a really good piece of customer service even though we didn’t end up staying there, we will certainly remember them for next time. So we drove next door to the second site right next door.

Our first impression of the Broadway Cottage site may have tainted our view of it, but the lady who greeted us was quite rude and blunt and we didn’t find the site had much going for it other than its convenience for Cheddar. For £15 without a hookup and bathrooms that were of a low quality it was disappointing, there were only 2 other families there so it was at least quiet (other than the busy road noise). V reported the ladies showers were spider filled and gents showers seemed quite nice in appearance but when I showered the fixed head sprayed more water over the top of the curtains than on me and this soaked all my clothes hung on the provided pegs.  We can’t really recommend it, spend your money elsewhere. We got far better experiences for less money elsewhere, so this site is NOT recommended.

So that was our last stay, after this we headed upto Bristol to visit friends and have a wander around the Pride festival on the sunday. Sadly the day after we got home a lowlife tried to steal V’s van, attempting to drive it off despite two steering locks being in place. Subsequently they didn’t get away with the van but they did manage to crash her into a parked car and damage several panels. Now we wait to see if the insurance will fix her or it will be the end of Priscilla, sadly as they become more popular and gain in value there will always be scumbags looking to make cash selling them for parts or ringing them. Be careful where you buy your van and your parts from. 🙁

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Posted on July 20, 2013 in Road trips, Videos

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Matt loves campervans, the outdoors and photography. Combining the 3 is a recipe for happiness.

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