During the month of November while Angela was at work I had a chance to meet up with family and friends. Also it gave me plenty of time to sort the van out ready for our travels.
We are very fortunate to be able to store things at my mum’s house. While we are both working we bring various items back to the van and before we set off on our travels we lighten the load by taking any unwanted items back again. We are only allowed to weigh a total of 4,000kg which is not a lot of payload really but we’re pretty much there!
After saying our farewells in Oxford we set off and have just spent the weekend
with friends in Chichester. We all had big hugs on arrival as they have recently lost Hamish their lovely little Scottish Terrier. Angela and I grew very fond of him and we were fortunate to have had the pleasure of him visiting us on many occasions during our friendship. Not only here in the UK but also while we were all in Spain together. He will be deeply missed.
We chatted for ages before having lunch followed by warm mince pies and coffee!
Isabel cooked us a lovely meal Saturday evening that was accompanied by Prosecco, red wine and more chatting and laughing.
We eventually went back to our van for the night but Angela and I did not sleep that much. Partly due to the gusting winds, and partly because I didn’t position the van head on to the direction of the wind that we knew was coming!
One thing us motorhomers keep an eye on is the weather, especially when gusting winds are forecast. Being side swiped by 30mph + winds does not lead to a good nights sleep 
Sunday morning we went for a stroll and breakfast at Chichester Harbour followed by an afternoon of snoozing and a bit of sorting in the garage. Al and Isabel are kindly looking after our car while we are away and I managed to sort out a few more storage boxes of items we can leave until our return. Hopefully we will be able to bring some wine back now I have sorted out more space.
Our last evening with them was spent over a lovely meal at a local pub called The Walnut Tree. With all of their Christmas decorations up, seasonal music playing in the background and tables full of people eating and laughing it made for a lovely atmosphere. My rib eye steak was amazing as were the other meals.
This morning Isabel kindly invited us to a breakfast of warm croissants, homemade jam (of which we have been given a large jar), fruit, fruit juice and coffee. A perfect start to the day before we head off to Folkestone.
After breakfast we stowed the last few items and drained down before saying our goodbyes. We left them at 10:15am and had a fairly straightforward journey. We filled up with diesel on the last service station before the campsite here in Folkestone and it should last us until we get to Germany.
After 2 hrs 45 mins driving time we arrived at the campsite. Black Horse Farm CAMC (Caravan and Motorhome Club) is an ideal place to stay if you are going on the Eurotunnel. Angela does one last load of washing and drying so that we are clear for the start of our adventures. It is only a 15 minute drive to the check in area so there should be no traffic problems to worry about.
We are on the 08:51 am train tomorrow and our first stop is Bruges, Belgium……………watch this space.
Safe travels x