No Particular Place To Go

It’s over 3 months since we disembarked the ferry and set foot back in the UK, where the familiar British drizzle welcomed us. We planned to hop onto the M20 and make a quick journey over the Dartford crossing but traffic had other ideas. What should be a couple of hours turns into a lengthy, stop-start crawl—perhaps the Friday rush was to blame.

Our first stop is Ridgewell, where it’s “payback time” for our nephew Tom, his wife Leanne, and their boys. We surprise them at their new home, and the look on their faces makes the detour well worth it.

From here a quick trip up to Wroxham follows, where we surprise James and his children we have a few days of family fun— a bike ride around the lanes, helping with homework, and diving into some storybooks. 

With the motorhome booked to go into storage, we head back to Aldington in Kent and settle in with Simon and Sue for a few days and spend our time preparing the motorhome for storage in New Romney for a well-deserved rest whilst we enjoy the comforts of a home.

The next part of our adventure takes us to the scenic grounds of Scotney Castle, where we are house-sitting. Alongside Geoff, Gloria, and a lively 15-week-old puppy named Audrey, we explore the grounds and catch up with family and friends. The castle offers serene walks each day with the charm of historic surroundings. Yet the local roads, especially the notorious A21, demand every bit of our attention!

Our two weeks here fly past and we are once again on the move this time we head to Cardiff Bay, where we visit our son Chay. Our days here include outings for Welsh cakes from the local bakery, a nice dinner, and we get out walking. As a bonus, Chay gives me a crash course on the world of Formula One—I’ve now got the inside scoop on Grand Prix basics!

Leaving Wales we head back across the river Severn for Hampshire where we settle in at Wolverton Common for a cosy house-sitting stint with Mabel and Percy, two adorable Miniature Australian Labradoodles. Mabel, at six, is the dignified older sister, while Percy, just a year old, is full of youthful energy and charm. We’ll be here for the next three weeks, taking care of these two as we explore the area. Our days are punctuated by twice-daily dog walks, making it easy to explore some of Hampshire’s best spots in between.

One of our first outings took us along the famous Watership Down trail, a route steeped in literary history. It was a beautifully scenic walk with gentle hills and wide, sweeping views. Much to our surprise, as we walked along, we discovered that part of the trail actually crosses over land owned by none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber thankfully it’s a foggy day so hopefully he didn’t spot us strolling across his back garden. 

One of the highlights so far has been Chay’s visit, which coincided with John’s birthday. Chay came down specifically for the occasion, and we all headed out to Forrest Motorsport for an afternoon of fast cars. Hampshire has been an interesting place to explore, and with Chay popping in now and then, it’s been a great place to stop. 

Heading back east, we find ourselves once again back in Norfolk, and this time we are house-sitting in Winterton-on-Sea, looking after Willow and Cooper, two lively and lovable Tibetan Terriers who keep us on our toes.

We enjoy daily walks to the beach, where the choppy waves of the North Sea crash against the shore. A special highlight is spotting the seals lounging on the sandbanks—it’s a magical sight. I also take the opportunity to join the local Pilates group in the village hall, a great way to connect with the community and stretch out after our long walks.

One of our favourite pastimes whilst here is visiting Poppy’s tea room, where we enjoy coffee and cake.

And a visit from our grandchildren turns into an impromptu sleepover and a visit to see the annual tractor ride, which our grandson loved. 

We also take a trip along the seafront to Great Yarmouth, which is an experience all of its own and I’m sure when the summer months are here it’s a much brighter place.

From Norfolk, we head inland to Northampton, where we spend two weeks in West Hunsbury. Here, we’re house-sitting for Maximus, an adorable French Bulldog with a personality as big as his name. Max is a real character, with a wardrobe of outfits that would make any dog envious. He certainly knows his likes and dislikes, and he keeps us entertained with his playful antics.

The weather hasn’t been on our side lately, so our activities have been more subdued, apart from daily walks with Max. Thankfully, his boundless energy and love of play brighten even the greyest days.

As our time in Northampton comes to an end, our next stop is Kent. However, first, we have to tackle the M1, navigating road closures and weekend traffic—a true test of patience with “the world and its wife” seemingly out on the roads.

As the year comes full circle, we find ourselves back in the picturesque village of Goudhurst, Kent, house-sitting once again. It feels like we’ve completed a figure of eight, returning to familiar surroundings in Kent where this year’s journey began. This time, our charge is a lively and leggy 18-month-old black Labrador named Raffles, whose boundless energy has kept us on our toes. We quickly discovered that Raffles has a bit of a Houdini streak, deftly finding ways to escape the grounds despite his daily long walks. Suffice it to say, he keeps us well-entertained (and occasionally exasperated) with his Houdini escapades.

Being back in Kent has its perks. It’s the perfect opportunity to catch our breath, get organized for Christmas, and catch up with family and friends. After a year of moving house, travelling and living out of bags for the last few months, it’s good to stop for a few weeks.

We also see in the New Year in Goudhurst and it’s a quiet time of reflection, we toast to the adventures behind us and the unknown chapters ahead. By the first week of January, it’s time to pack up once more and set off for the next destination.

Wherever the road takes us next, we have great memories of the last few months albeit still no decision on the place we plan to call home yet!

Here’s to the next chapter!

Ridgewell, catching up with Tom and his family

Wroxham where everyday is an adventure when our Grandchildren are around

Time to tuck the motorhome in for its long winter rest

Views across the grounds of Scotney castle

These three Amigos keep us on our toes, at dinner time it’s like we have entered a Japanese gameshow trying to feed Geoff, Gloria and Audrey

Welsh cakes from Brutons are the best around Cardiff Bay and apparently the pasties are good too

Percy and Mabel keep us active in Hampshire

On the outskirts of Kingsclere, we walk the Watership Down best known as the setting for Richard Adams’s 1972 novel about rabbits, also called Watership Down. The summit is 778 ft above sea level, one of the highest points in Hampshire.

Market day in Hungerford was another treat. We wandered through stalls filled with local produce, fresh bread, handmade goods and plenty of antique shops. 

The Miller of Mansfield in Goring-on-Thames was a favorite spot of George Michael, who had his own preferred table and dined there regularly – with the service being a little slow I can imagine him saying “wake me up before you go-go” but I suppose you got to have faith!

Our walk along the Thames in Goring where the rich and famous have lived

Stopping off for coffee and cake at Poppy’s tea room after our walk—should’ve had the cake first to walk off the calories!

Winterton-on-sea and I go along to Pilates at the village hall twice a week 

“Good morning from the shoreline! The seals here enjoy basking on the beach what ever the weather”

The beach at Winterton-on-sea is dotted with decorated pebbles and stones

The wind from the North sea doesn’t put Copper and Willow enjoying their daily walk

Before leaving Norfolk, we celebrate James’s birthday in style with a day at Snetterton race circuit, an exhilarating way to mark the occasion.

Looking after this charming French Bulldog in West Hunsbury, I was tempted to keep him, but I’m sure his owners would be hot on my tail to get him back!

Loud and bright but its all for a good cause the young farmers certainly know how to raise money for the Kent Air Ambulance.

Festive vibes in Goudhurst as the Young Farmers’ Christmas Tractor Run brings holiday cheer right past our doorstep!

Daily walks across the fields here are tricky when the river floods making everywhere muddy

but Raffles doesn’t seem to mind what ever the weather is!

Unfortunately I didn’t get photos of everyone we have caught up with but most times it’s been 50% catching up, and 50% laughing at the same old stories but a fun time had by all