Trip 12: On track for Bridgnorth
After we came back from Stratford I ordered a new dual step from Milenco. Although the motorhome has an electronic step we have been using a small plastic single step at about the same height, this is ok but on uneven ground , especially when we use the ramps, the distance between the motorhome and the step is quite big. The new dual step eliminates the drop and makes getting in and out much easier.
Bridgnorth is about three hours away so we left the house at 10.00am, a little bit later than planned.We just had to feed and let out a neighbour’s horse as they were away the day before and also check ours had water available which put us behind a bit due to my poor planning.
We arrived at lunchtime without any problems. Our worries about the site being full were groundless, everyone seemed to be leaving. We were able to pick our own site and as luck would have it I parked perfectly level. It had started to rain so we had a bite to eat and once the rain had stopped we put the Gazebo up and finished off setting up.
I persuaded Sue to go for a walk to see where Rich was staying and we found it just down from the bridge over the Severn in what is called Low Town Bridgnorth. We walked around the block and then, for some reason we were over the bridge and heading for high town. We went the hard way up the very steep Cartway.
On the way we passed our favourite pub The Black Boy, this pub is the last one on Cartway when in days gone by the Cartway was full of pubs and whore houses. Once at high town, we wandered about and I found some cheap trainers that I may buy later in the week. We also found a number of fibreglass trains painted individually by different artists , these formed a trail around the town.
We found one halfway to high town and here we met a German lady who had the map and was following the trail. The city of Lincoln have done a similar project twice, first with the Barons and then with Knights on horseback. It is a great way of seeing the town/city if you are visiting for the first time.
On the way back we stopped at The Black Boy pub and I admit we had two pints, well Sue had two Rose wines and we sat outside an enjoyed the limited view across the Severn valley. At last it was time to leave and we made our way back to Iona.
We finished off the day with a Chinese style chicken curry cooked in Iona.
Day 2:
We were woken by heavy rain but it did not last long although showers are forecast throughout the day. Richard and Martha have planned to arrive this morning so the plans are in limbo depending on Martha and the weather.
Richard and Martha arrived at the planned time, and from then on it was constant role plays for Sue and then games for us all. The weather held and at four o’clock Richard and I found our way to his Airbnb on the Cartway. The route meant a giant circle around the town, up the high street and down the narrow Cartway. The actual house was one we walked past yesterday and we commented on the uneven parking space, yes that was Richards. We went in and checked the place out and I was impressed, it is really pleasant and only 30 yards from the Black Boy pub.
When we got back to Iona it started to rain but soon stopped and the Cadac bar-b-que was set up and I cooked tea.
It was a great day and tomorrow we hit the Severn valley railway.
Day 3:
It rained in the night but by 9.00am the sun was out and a dry day is forecast. Richard and Martha arrived at 10.00am to pick us up. We caught the first steam train at 10.40am , our first stop was Bewdley where we left the train and walked into town to get lunch.
We chose a pub by the river that had been refurbished, it even had a model tramway around the ceiling although it was called the Duck & Drake. We then walked around the town looking for a towel shop but a couple of local ladies told us there was nothing like that in the town.
We headed for the museum and there was a children’s craft workshop. Martha painted a baseball cap over the 20 minute session. We left the museum and then headed back to the station to catch the train into Kidderminster.
We walked around Kidderminster station before going to the museum which was really a collection of train memorabilia. We were going to spend a couple of hours in Kidderminster but we all felt it would be best to get back on the train and head home so we had time to have a drink and cook tea at Richard’s cottage.
We chose a carriage near the back, luckily it was next to the buffet car so Richard and I had a pint of bitter to start the return journey.
Just over an hour later we arrived back at Bridgnorth, where we collected the car and went back to the cottage. The first job was to walk the 25 yards to the Black Boy pub for a pint and a wine for Sue. Martha took her colouring books and we were sorted for half an hour. Richard then walked into town to get tea, which turned out to be Chinese meal deal. He cooked it and we washed up, and then we walked the back to Iona which only took 15 minutes. A great day out now to relax before bed.
Day 4:
We walked to Richard’s rented cottage on the Cartway and then up to high town. Richard took Martha to the toy shop and we went shopping for some trainer type shoes for me and Sue wanted some sunglasses.
When we got back to the cottage on Cartway we helped Richard make a video presentation for work.
We all walked to the campsite and spent the day entertaining our granddaughter. Tonight we are having a bar-b-que before Richard and Martha go home.
We head home tomorrow after an entertaining but tiring four days.
Day 5:
A change of plans. We decided to stay another day, purely to relax around the motorhome before heading home tomorrow. Although when I got up and turned on the water pump nothing happened. I immediately thought that we would be going home straight away. There is one thing you need to work and that is the water pump.
Last year we had a couple of leaks around the water pump and the contacts had got corroded so that was the first thing I checked; sure enough after a bit of moving, the contacts the pump started and stopped. I spent a few minutes wiggling the contacts and I got it working properly. The pump will need to come out to get proper access to the terminals but it is not something to do while away. Hopefully it will keep going for the next 24 hours.
We spent nearly all day sitting outside and reading. I took the gazebo down after lunch and Sue helped me pack it away. At 6.00pm we walked into town to get some milk and we found a fish & chip shop opposite the Co-op so that sorted tea. We walked back to the parkland by the river and ate supper accompanied every now and then by a dog, eager for a chip.
We sat outside until the sun went down. The end of another adventure.
Trip 12: 235 miles, 28.2mpg, 40mph, 5hr 48m
Iona’s Travels 