Willow and Kitty go Adventuring

sorry it has taken me so long to tell you about my adventures in Kitty Campa(van).  I have no excuses.  I just didn't get round to it.  shame on me!

as you know from other posts I bought Kitty on the Wednesday and washed out her cupboards and fridge and packed her up and set off for a campsite near Avebury over 200 miles away... the very next day... the Thursday lol.   I was meeting up with dozens of lovely Stonewylder friends.  we've all read the series of books by Kit Berry and we meet up at least once a year to camp and several times have local meet-ups for a picnic or a meal in a pub. (Kit's latest book about Stonewylde is about to be launched on 18th October.... and is number five in the series.... and the last one)

I set off from home and headed for the big Tescos 15 miles away (it is en-route... sort of).  I had a money-off voucher for fuel at Tescos so I thought I should fill Kitty up with cut-priced fuel for our journey down south.  I also bought a sandwich and put it in my fridge as I thought it would save time when I had 'comfort' stops.

so ..... I was ready to go.  nervous, because I'd just bought Kitty and was hoping all was well with her.  (I did buy her from a reputable garage so there shouldn't have been any problems but you just don't know with mechanical things).

anyway...... I set off from Tescos and got myself on the motorway and turned on the radio.  but all I could hear was static..... no radio..... and I hadn't brought any cds.  humph!  no music or chat then :-(     oh well.... I thought.... I'll just have to sing sing sing ..... and so I did.  and talked to Kitty... encouraging her.  and I also talked to Stephen.  I haven't introduced you to Stephen yet.  he is my SatNav which has the voice of Stephen Fry.  he is a great travelling companion and makes sure I stay on the right road and get to my destination.

I hadn't realised that old campervans go slowly coz they can't go fast!  that had not occured to me when driving my little car behind one especially on a hill.  but they do go slowly.  I thought that there was something wrong with Kitty when we were on the motorway but came to a slight incline and the speed slowed from 55mph to 45mph then to 40mph and then to 35mph.  "oh Kitty don't give out on me" I cried.  but sure enough as soon as we came back onto the flat my speed zoomed up to an exhillarating 50mph!!!

but then it is all about the journey..... not the destination isn't it?

after a couple of hours I would normally have stopped if I'd been in the car.... but I was enjoying tootling along in Kitty and having other campervans flash lights at me and wave (friendly lot).  so I carried on.  thinking I would stop at the next services and then the next and the next..... but never actually stopping.  but eventually after 4 hours of driving my bladder decided that I should stop.  by this time I'd left the motorway and was driving on A roads.  when suddenly it hit me like a cricket bat!  I didn't NEED a service station.... I had a toilet onboard..... and a sandwich in the fridge...... and a kettle and stove to make a cuppa.   so I stopped at the next layby ... closed all the back curtains and got the toilet out of it's little cupboard :-)  .... hands washed, I got my sandwich and put water in the kettle and put it on to boil.  wow!  this is the life!

suitably refreshed I carried on at speeds of up to 45mph...... just cruising :-)

I'd been travelling most of the day and the light was begining to fade.... but I was still 20 miles from the campsite.  I'd been using my indicators all day and assumed the headlights were on the same switch.... but .... panic.... no they weren't.  "how the heck do you turn the lights on?"  I wondered.  

no time to worry about that as I encountered a closed road.  "but I want to go down there" I almost wailed.  but obvously I couldn't so tried an alternative .... "turn around when possible" said Stephen.  "I can't" was my reply.  he'll pick it up I thought.  "turn around when possible" repeated Stephen.  I tried various roads only to be met with "turn around when possible"  grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr shut up Stephen!!

eventually Stephen picked up a route for me and took me down a single-tracked road which looked like it led to a farm.  it was hardly wide enough for the campervan let alone anything I might meet coming the other way!!!  even a dog-walker would have had to scramble up the banking!

the track eventually led to a reasonable road and we were 'out of danger' .... but still no lights.  everyone coming towards me had their lights on.  just me with no illumination.  scarey.  but now I was less than 10 miles from the campsite.  I had visions of having to stop and camp beside the road only a few short miles from my destination.  but there was hope ... as it wasn't dark yet.... just getting dusk.

on and on I drove down leafy lanes and through tiny villages.... I was begining to think that Stephen was lost..... "in 300 yards turn left...... turn right...... turn left...... straight on!"   then............. I saw the campsite sign........... I was here!!!!  just a few yards more and I was safe from Mr Policeman stopping me for not having my lights on!  or worse still safe from having to stop by the roadside and camp all night because it was too dark to drive without lights!!!  I drove up to the barrier and it lifted.... thankfully and in I went.  we have camped here before so I knew where we would be... what field we were in.  but just before I parked up I just had to................................. stop for a tinkle at the 'facilities'. 

then on I drove to the camping field No.9.  "You've no lights on Willow"  I heard them cry.  Swampy plugged in my hookup...... Andy jumped into Kitty and found the light switch and everything was working fine... just me that couldn't see the switch .... the lovely SolsticeDreamer asked for my cup and made me a hot cuppa while Kit asked if I had a glass to put some wine into.  I was home! 

  

.... and here I am safely camped up for the night.  I wasn't on a slope, I think I had tilted the camera or had too much wine :-)

I slept like a log that night and didn't even realise I'd put the bed cushions together wrong, and was sleeping in the gap between them on the bare board lol.  everyone was already up having breakfast before I managed to even open my eyes.

I'm going to love this campervan life!

with blessings til next time, Willow xXx