CMC Norfolk Broads

 

Just coming to the end of three glorious weeks at the above site,one we have visited many times before and one the wardens work very hard to keep pristine.

The weather of course has been marvellous with only a couple of sessions of rain.

Never has three weeks passed so quickly. 

I have never seen so many dogs on a site,it's like Crufts,which wouldn't be so bad if they weren't yapping and crapping all over the place.

There really should be a limit of one dog per van or motorhome and not two or three or more,it is hardly surprising that the Club is starting to introduce dog free sites and dog free areas on other sites.

 

No problems at all with the Cadiz I am glad to say 

 

Had a bit of a hiccup when SWMBO fell off her bike on a recently gravelled lane and cut her knee,leg and arm necessitating a journey to Norfolk and Norwich Hospital for it cleaning and dressing.

Unfortunately they didn't start her on antibiotics for such a dirty wound so two days later she developed cellulitis requiring a late night trip back to hospital,a fresh dressing and,this time,antibiotics.

The incident really shook her up and it took a few days for the generalised aches and pains to subside.

 

This really is a site worth visiting if you are in this neck of the woods,you won't be disappointed.

 

Ian 

CMC The Firs

 Just had a week at the above site in Derbyshire which is one we  have been to a few times before.

Since our last visit it has,thankfully,become adults only which has made it much more pleasant and peaceful.

 Let's hope a few more CMC sites go the same way.

One downside of what seems to be becoming prevalent at CMC sites is the reduction in the number of site shops.

This site had zilch in the "shop" apart from some toilet fluid so if you want to knock up a quick meal after a late arrival or simply an ice cream then you're out of luck.

As it is the middle of nowhere there is no local shop,not very good. 

No problems with the Cadiz fortunately,the repaired toilet flush worked fine

Very little else to say as we only ventured into Belper a couple of times and went out with some friends to some shopping outlet ( forget the name ).

Away for three weeks in Norfolk for our next trip.

Ian 

 

Yearly Service

Had the yearly service done today.

Remains bone dry fortunately.

 Only one thing found and that was the flush tank pump had taken its bat home.

Was OK on last trip,anyway got it replaced so all OK now,I don't suppose it owes us a great deal after eleven years.

Ian 

Kitchen Roll Holder

We always seem to trying to find a place for the kitchen roll,we have an Isabella dispenser but this takes up room on the front shelf.

Fitted one of these today:-

Sorry the picture is upside down.

Located it to the bottom of the cupboard over the sink:-

Easy to fit with an adhesive pad or screws,I did both.

If using the screws use some a little shorter than those supplied as if not they go through to the cupboard base  above.

Cost about £15 from Amazon.

Ian

CMC Beechwood Grange

 Just coming to the end of six nights at the above site being our first trip away for 2026.

Been here many times before as it is our "local" CMC site being only about forty five minutes from home.

Weather has been very kind,

Still as pleasant a site as ever,now with the addition of ten seasonal pitches,

No Cadiz problems after the winter lay up fortunately.

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If anyone is after a caravan vacuum cleaner as I was recently after our Dyson handheld bit the dust,then try one of these:

Only £20 from Dunelm but other outlets are available as they say.

Excellent for the caravan and car.

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Chap on the neighbouring pitch was using one of these connected to his waste water pipes:

The blue cable is nothing to do with it,just an electric cable.

The waste water drains into the grey box,a filter inside filters all the crap out of the water then the clean water drains out of holes underneath into the ground,remove the filter periodically to clean it.

No need for a Wastemaster.

Said he has used it for two years with no problem.

Costs about £27 off E Bay.

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Finally a chap opposite wanted a new Whale water pump.

He found a place in Wetherby called Caratech whose prices are reasonable and there is free shipping for on line purchases.

Caratech

They appear to stock most leading brands so might be worth a look.

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Ian

Done and Dusted

Well that's it for this year, wheels off cleaned and in the garage.

Door locks squirted with silicone spray, window rubbers to follow. 

Chap coming to give it a good clean in a few weeks. 

Most importantly all water drained off via the Floe. 

Even the doormat has been washed. 

Looking forward to next spring. 

Ian

CMC Chatsworth Park

 Just coming to the end of a stay at the above site which may be our last as there is a strong possibility that this is the last year as the lease with the Chatsworth Estate runs out next year,

There are no bookings available after the beginning of March next year.

Various scenarios have been put forward as to its future from being a car park to bringing the farm shop down to the Chatsworth Estate running its own site.

The site doesn't seem quite as well cared for as it has in the past so the writing may be on the wall.

There may still be an outside chance that the CMC will continue as before so we will have to see.

It was the weekend of the Chatsworth Country Fair which we managed to blag our way into for free for the last couple of hours on Sunday and very good it was.

No problems with the Cadiz to report despite torrential rain.

Have had the door  lock barrel replaced and the faulty tail light fixed which went AWOL in Norfolk.

Can't believe where this year has gone,its September already.

Ian

September already

Repairs

 Took the van today to DTH  A19 Caravans at Eggborough (my mobile mans workshop) for a new door lock,the duff near side road light fixing and a new high level brake light which I noticed had a few duff LED's in it.

Ian

CMC Norfolk Broads

 Just returned from three weeks on this delightful site at Ludham Bridge in Norfolk.

We have visited many times before and it never ceases to be a very pleasurable experience.

The wardens are very friendly and work hard to keep the site pristine and,unlike Durham Grange,have a well stocked shop on site.

Unfortunately the Cadiz wasn't without a couple of problems.

Firstly the near side rear road/brake light gave up the ghost the day prior to leaving, changed the bulb ( not an easy job the new bulb is very difficult to get into the holder,I broke one in the attempt).

Checked the fuses,all OK.

When we came to depart I thought it had sorted itself out as the car wasn't displaying a fault.

However when we came to go home it was not working again.

Secondly the door lock broke and wouldn't accept the key.completely jammed.

Got a chap out to look at it who said he couldn't fix it as it needed a whole new lock,fortunately he didn't charge me.

E-mailed Bailey to clarify if the one shown on Prima Leisure came with a barrel and keys as it wasn't made clear.

Still waiting for a reply a fortnight later.

Anyway taking it to my mobile chaps facility as he is booked solid for two months at least for site visits.

He thinks it might just need a new barrel.

Oh and just to put the top hat on it I got stung on the tongue by a wasp,boy that was painful.

 but I was a brave little soldier.

Come caravanning for a relaxing holiday!

Ian

More Silky

 Another little job for the Silky arose today,

Tried it on the barbecue gas output lid which had become very yellow over time,

Came up a treat.

Not quite as new but much better than it was,

Incidentally I have no connection with Silky,bought it myself from my hard earned pension.

Ian

Bits and Bobs

 As mentioned in the previous blog the two rubbery corner pieces to the left and right of the two outer front windows,came adrift.

After soaking them in bleach for a week to clean them up ( came up very well ) decided to reaffix them today.

I used some of this from Poundland (£2):-

It seemed to work very well.

The bottom lip should fit in the panel gap between the body of the van and the panel where the light is but I couldn't get it to fit so just stuck it on and sealed around the edges.

It all looked OK when I had finished.

The Unicorn across from us in storage had also lost one I noticed,perhaps worth keeping an eye on.

New ones are about £8 a pair plus P&P from Prima Leisure.

Plugged in the new ATC light and all worked.

Just waiting for a new little plate as I buggered the original up trying to clean it up,all the lettering came off.

Whilst in that area there was a cable hanging down whose support had presumably come away.

Bought some of these from E Bay to reattach it:-

Seems to do the job,

The piece of body work under the front window ( the bit with the badge on ) always seems grubby for some reason and is difficult to clean.

Thought I would try some Silky ( £10 or so off Amazon ):-

It is non abrasive and did a good job.removed a lot of grime:-

You can also use it on a boat if you've got one.

Hope these little adventures might help someone,

Ian

Shower Fly Screen

 David Mantell,a subscriber of this parish,got fed up with the retaing lugs on the shower vent fly screen breaking.

He came up with an idea of using magnets to hold it shut.

I shall let David explain in his own words :

I got fed up with replacing the shower top vent mesh screen because the silly little fixing clips break off, leaving it flapping down.

My solution is to glue two small magnets (tiny coin shaped) on the frame and screen so they hold it up. Works well!

Bought a couple of small coin shaped magnets ( about 15mm diameter by 2mm thick) and broke one of them in half (just using 2 pairs of pliers) I then used these two halves to glue on.

If you don't want to break the magnet, then you could use a full circular magnet, but it would hang down below the bottom of the screen. Breaking the magnet in half is easy as they are sintered and hence brittle.

Anyone else with any hints or tips,get in touch.

Ian

CMC Durham Grange

Just returned after six nights at the above site,a perfectly maintained and well run site which we have visited previously,there is just one major drawback to it in my opinion and that is the lack of an on site shop.

There is absolutely nothing in reception apart from some toilet fluid,not even a lolly,asked about some gas ( more later ) nope no gas either.

It isn't as if it is near any shops,there.s nothing much before Durham itself.

Anyway with that off my chest  back to it.

It was incredibly windy at times,most of the time actually,with a bit of sun and rain in between. 

Had to take the canopy down after three days,it hadn't moved in the wind but the thoughts of getting up at 2am and fighting with it in the dark didn't appeal somehow.

Over the winter I checked everything in the van to make sure it was all ready for the new season,everything that is apart from the gas bottle.

Arrived on site,no gas,the servicing man must have used the last drop,

As mentioned none on site but luckily we also carry a small 3.9Kg  bottle so we had to switch to that.

Left the end panel for the Eclipse canopy at home,good start after the gas fiasco.

Had a slight problem with the water as it kept switching the pump off,if I turned it off and on again and it was OK till the next time,puzzling.

We are away again in a few weeks so will give it another go,the water pressure on the site was very low so perhaps that had something to do with it.

Will also try a different water pump.

The next little incident was that the two "bumpers" just to the right and left outer corners of the front windows both fell off,hardly surprising as they were both full of muck and crap.

Have put them to soak in some bleach to see if I can smarten them up a bit,two replacements from Bailey are about £8 plus I suppose their exorbitant postage,but delivery isn't until some time at the end of July,barmy.I

I can get most parts for the car next day.

The final problem was when we returned to storage,SWMBO noticed a loose cable end dragging on the ground under the draw bar.

This turned out to be the remains of the cable to the ATC light which had detached itself from the bulb.

Another one is on order,incidentally when I removed the small name plate to release the bulb it was absolutely filthy underneath it.

Well that's it another tale of pain and woe,and they say go caravanning for a relaxing holiday.

Ian

Yearly Service

Had the van serviced today by DTH Caravan Services and gladly all was well and best of all it is as dry as a bone.

One thing arose though which might be useful to somebody.

In a previous post I mentioned that I wanted the frame that houses the electrical consumer unit replacing as the "feet" that are secured by screws had broken so the unit was loose in its housing,

It turns out that vans of our age are hard wired into the unit unlike newer ones in which the wiring simply plugs into the unit making removal considerably simpler.

This hard wiring involves about five hours labour to remove and replace all the wiring along with a hefty bill for the said labour.

On the plus side my service man noticed there were some lugs on the back of the unit which could be secured to the back board of the housing so these were used and hey presto the unit is now solidly anchored.

This operation only took a few minutes but involves a very long screwdriver attachment to a drill.

I think this is the same method that was used by David Mantell one ( the only one ) of my correspondents.

Hope this helps someone as the breakage of the units feet is rather common.

Ian

CMC York Beechwood Grange

 Just returned from our first outing of the year which was delayed due to medical issues.

Been to this site many times before as it is only about forty five minutes from home,happily the weather was very kind with sunshine every day,

Did the usual trip round York and had a visit to Beningborough Hall which is worth a visit

Surprisingly after the winter lay up everything worked as it should with no problems.

Had a problem getting the TV to work properly on satellite so I might give up on that one,may go down the internet/Firestick route,I will nave a word with my service man and see what is what.

For a change we are boating on the Norfolk Broads in a couple of weeks,normal caravan service resumes with a trip to Durham in a month or so.

Ian

Consumer Unit Frame

 

 

As can be seen from the above { not very good }picture the lugs on the side of the consumer unit frame have broken leaving the unit unsecured.

My service man is going to replace it in May but if anyone else has s similar problem the part number from Prima Leisure is 1000187.

This is a link of what you are ordering:-

https://www.primaleisure.com/product/1000187

Price is £41.81 plus P&P.

Ian

Caravan Wheels

 Put the wheels back on the van yesterday after the winter lay up and medical procedures.

How I wish Bailey,and probably other manufacturers,would put threaded studs on their wheels instead of using bolts.

It would be much easier to locate the wheel on the studs and bolt it up rather than having to locate the wheel in the right place and put the bolts in,

Going to have to invest in some of those screw in things to put the wheel on.

I had some somewhere but. Lord knows where they have vanished to.

Ian

All Cleaned

Had the Cadiz cleaned today,it's the cleanest on our storage now. 

Have had to put back the start of our season by a few weeks due to surgery for both myself and SWMBO, should be on the road again late April. 

Ian

Protec Wheel Covers

Protec are selling wheel covers at two for £8 hslf price.(£5 ish P&P) 

Have got two blue ones seem good quality. elasticated for a good fit. 

Ian 

CMC Scarborough West Ayton

Just had five nights at this lovely site just outside Scarborough.

A lot of money has been spent modernising it to good effect. 

Treated us to a premium pitch with a picnic table and umbrella which was surprisingly useful for alfresco dining in the sun

The site is very far from full with many empty pitches. 

If you ever visit Scarborough, take a trip round the castle, preferably on a guided tour, very interesting. 

Anne Bronte's grave is also close by. 

The Cadiz behaved itself with no problems rearing their head. 

This will be our last trip for this year. We usually visit the NEC show in October but have decided to give it a miss this year. 

Got one or two cottage and hotel stays in the pipeline plus I have to fit in a spot of minor surgery somewhere. 

Anyway thanks for reading. 

Ian