New Year's Day January 1st 2015

So we are now up to date with all Evangeline's travels this year :)  It has taken me ages to get organised enough to write all the posts.  Christmas is an ideal time as after all the visits and visitors it is usually a quiet time.

E is all tucked up for winter now and we have SORNed her as it did not seem worth taxing her when we were not going to be going anywhere for a while.  However, she has worked well as an extra fridge/cool box over the festive season!

We were insured with the proviso of no more than 5,000 miles and I am sure we have reached that now in 6 months!

2015 means some more welding and a probable new coat of paint and the fuel gauge to be reset.  Hopefully won't need to spend quite so much money this year?

Want to look into getting an air beam awning (no more poles!!)

http://www.outbacktrading.co.uk/product/vango-kela-air-away-airbeam-awning-tall/?gclid=CK_XicyD88ICFW7MtAodC20A2Q




a rock and roll bed (much easier to put out)
a pull out awning (which attaches to the van)
a small microwave for cooking?
some new storage system for inside the big cupboard
a leisure battery and/or get the fridge working properly on gas!

and of course we need to start planning our next trip around Spain - Summer 2015

Trip 9 28 - 30 November 2014 North Wales

Friday 28th November 2014

We had been wanting to drive up to North Wales for ages, but there never seemed to be time over the summer months.  However, the weather this weekend was unusually warm, around 16 degrees so it seemed the ideal time.  S has links with North Wales as his mother used to own a hotel there and he had not been back for over 25 years.

We headed for Beddgelert as we had seen that there was a campsite there that is open all year round.

http://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/wales/beddgelert-campsite

We followed a route through...............it took over 5 hours though in miles it was not that far!  The scenery was breathtaking and we neared Beddgelert just as the sun was setting

 



We had forgotten just how dark it is by 4.30pm!  So we were safely tucked up in the van with cups of tea and the plug in radiator on by then!

Saturday 29th November 2014

The morning was bright and fresh and a lovely view from the van

First of all we wanted to go and see where the old hotel used to be so we went up the A4085 towards Caernarfon. It was just by the Silver Birches campsite at Betws Garmon.

 



We drove on towards  Llanberis and the Snowdon Mountain Railway

 

The railway was not running as it was out of season, we will just have to go back in the Spring...

 

We wanted to go to Portmeirion and drove there but it was already 1.30 and it got dark around 4 so it did not seem worth paying all that money for a couple of hours, just have to do there in the spring too!

 

http://www.portmeirion-village.com/

 

 

 

After a spot of shopping in Porthmadog, back to the van for homecooked tea :)

 

Sunday 30 November 2014

 

Another fabulously sunny and mild day. The nice man on the entrance desk at Portmeirion had given us a handy  little booklet of interesting places to visit. The pictures looked good so we decided to head to the tip of the Lleyn Peninsular, Hell's Mouth ( Porth Neigwl ).  We followed the road via Criccieth, Pwllheli, Llanbedrog and Abersoch. 

 

It is a fabulous beach and used a lot by surfers.  There were big breakers even though the weather was warm and mild (around 15 degrees).  There had also been a number of shipwrecks there over the years.

 

 

 

On the way back to Porthmadog we called in at Morfa Bychan

 

 

 

and Borth Y Gest

 



 

 

then headed off for home

 

 

 

 

 

 



Trip 8 Sunday 19th October 2014   Day trip to the Forest of Dean

A lovely autumn day so we thought we would head off to the Forest of Dean.  It is always calm and serene in the forest and you can easily get off the paths and head off without meeting anyone else.

http://www.wyedeantourism.co.uk/

 http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/englandgloucestershirenoforestforestofdeanspeechhousewoodland

We parked near Speech House and followed some of the Sculpture Trail

http://www.forestofdean-sculpture.org.uk/