Rally
We woke early to a beautiful sunrise. The trouble was it was not far past 6:00 so after taking a snap from our bedroom window it was time for a snooze. We woke again at about 8:00 and realised we had parked outside a beautiful park. So it was a quick walk round to take a couple of snaps before we headed off for a look round Naze Tower at Walton on the Naze. Apparently it's the last remaining tower of its kind left in the country and was the predecessor of the Lighthouse.
We headed off towards our destination which was Martello Beach Resort (51°46'35"N - 1°5'52"E) to a Rally with the Motor Caravaners Club, which will be our home for the next three weeks. The site which is a Park Resort is in the village of Jayswick, about 3 miles from Clacton on Sea.
I had the outside of the van set up by mid afternoon but Val was still sorting out the inside well after 5:00. I suppose when you bring so much stuff with you to cope with being almost permanently on the road it takes time to pack everything into the perfect nook and cranny.
Chicken & Cous Cous for diner was washed down with a couple of glasses of Chilean vino and a tot of Spanish Brandy, after all we're still on the continent.
The rest of the evening was warm enough to sit out in our pop up tent to update the blog and send of a few text messages. Livin' the dream.
6 September 2016
Coffee Morning
We attended the coffee morning and had a chat with a couple who were on one of the sites we were on in Portugal earlier in the year. We were told we are not attending a rally we are at a special event, yeah.
After lunch we set off on our bikes to Clacton for a look around the town. After a couple of miles we asked someone directions and found we were going in the opposite direction. So a quick about turn and 40 minutes later we were in Clackton. We had a walk along the front and then to the shops to stock up on Loo Rolls and Hair Conditioner for Val. Then back to our site for a quick shower and
some diner.
The evenings entertainment was spent in out pop up tent enjoying Chicken salad and some blue Stilton. That was washed down with a drop of Merlot, followed by a bottle of Lancaster Blonde Ale whilst enjoying some tunes from the iPod. La vida loca.
7 September 2016
Our pop up tent has been named the conservatory and has been well used since we arrived. It's the second morning I've enjoyed breakfast in there and we have been in there at night till way after dark.
I had a walk round Jaywick this morning. Apparently the village had appeared as a TV documentary called Benefit Street. It is a little bit run down and the houses are tiny. There's a row that run alongside the sea wall and a lot of the residents have used a theme to decorate the outsides. There's an Irish themed house painted white and covered in large painted shamrocks with Irish music playing as you walk by.
After lunch we cycled into Clacton and had a walk round the town. We paid a visit to the local
Spoon's but then remembered we had booked a swimming session and headed back to the site.
After the swimming we chilled out in the sun. Val cooked fish for diner which we washed down with another bottle of the same Chilean Merlot we enjoyed last night. The sweet life.
8 September 2016
After lunch we headed out on the bikes looking for Tesco. We must have took a wrong turn as we ended up on the outskirts of St Osyth. We settled for Plan B and ended up heading into Clacton. We got the groceries we needed but had done about 10 miles by the the time we go back to the site. An ice cool brandy and coke was called for to refresh the parts. Cycle ride, plus brandy and coke equals forty winks in anyone's book.
In the evening we went down to the sites two bars. The quiet one closed at 9:00 and the entertainment bar carried on till I don't know what time as we didn't stay that long as the entertainment was bingo. So back to the van to watch an old episode of New Tricks and another day was over.
9 September 2016
The wind had dropped somewhat from the previous night but for the first time sines we arrived I had breakfast in the van.
I got through some more magazines up till lunchtime and then off we went into Clacton on the bikes. We spent most of the afternoon in the library, online doing admin. I think we have now let everyone know of our change of address.
By the time we got back to the site the coffee and cake event had almost finished, but I just managed to nip down for a piece of sponge cake and a jam tart whilst Val was putting the shopping away. I also got some good advice of where we can leave the van at Alicante when we fly home for Christmas.
Stuffed peppers where this evenings meal and a sit out in the conservatory (pull up tent) till after dark.
10 September 2016
Another breakfast in the conservatory whilst the weather is warm. We had to have a late shower as the gas bottles were being changed when Val went down for the first time. So we got stuck into the magazines we are trying to catch up on. There was a great obituary to Merle Haggard in the week in which it said that it wasn't until he was serving time in San Quentin and he saw Johnny Cash perform live that he took his music seriously.
The afternoon's viewing was dismal. City looked to be playing at a different level than United which doesn't bode well for the season. Let's hope Jose proves me wrong and United move up a gear or two.
The afternoon and evening were cloudy with the odd shower but we took refuge in the conservatory until it got too cold and dark and then retired to the van.
Val cooked us some smoked fish washed down with a couple of glasses of brandy and coke and a quiet evening with a good movie.
11 September 2016
We woke to glorious sunshine and had a lazy morning reading magazines. I've got through all The Week's and Economists, now it's the camping mags.
This afternoon we cycled into Clacton and paid Morrison's a visit. The we cycled back and I went down to the entertainment complex to try and get on the Internet with very little joy.
The late afternoon and early evening we went for a swim and a jacuzzi and then later I got involved with the cooking for the first time as we had kebabs on the Cadac. By the time we had done the washing up darkness had decended but it was still warm enough to sit in the conservatory with a glass of wheat beer.
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