Somerset for a week

So here we are plonked sideways in the yard outside the RV dealers 3 days early...

The weekend RV with chums 'The Nobbies' is put back a week after the site in Poole thankfully agreed to rearrange our arrival dates

We have lekky and water and Nick, a staff member calls to see we are OK next day

Monday arrives and we discuss the remedial work to be done to the RV which is minor really and Brad the Tekky gets on with the work

We walk to the nearby Old Down Inn, have a nice lunch and are advised that the bus stops opposite the pub that will take us to nearby Wells

Max is trapped on the back of the van and we are unable to release him via the ramp as we are next to the fence so we find ourselves paying a hefty fare for two return tickets to Wells

The cost was worth it!

What a beautiful traditional old English City

Barely big enough to be called a town but its Cathedral makes it the smallest City in England

Preserved and mostly lived in by professional singers and vocalists, this street near the Cathedral had us admiring the work of the masons

On the Tuesday the half shaft is reconnected and Tasca is driven in to the workshop with trepidation before we head out for the day locally on Max

Later in the day we discover a failed jubilee clip is the cause of the coolant loss and our unfortunate breakdown. Chris the mechanic sets about replacing other clips and giving the engine a tweak after Brad discovers the source of annoying fault codes that have shown up on his diagnostic check

Valve extenders, new burner electrodes, toilet valves and the like are fitted and Brad spends a day rebuilding the door lock internally to correct a problem

The fault list gets smaller with each passing day

The big reservoir at Cheddar

Wookey Hole gets a brief visit but we don't stay as its for kids really

The days are spent out on Max touring the local area with visits to Bath, Wells and the Cheddar Gorge which was good fun to buzz through

More Wells, more strolling...

We take a jaunt to Bradford on Avon on the Saturday to meet up with Emilja & Richard and their friends who have made an appointment to see a renowned wedding dress designer

The whole episode has Emilja and the girls in rapture discussing at length the merits of a 'perfect' dress she tries on...

The Boys went to the pub.....

The bike cover fits nicely on to Max and its a relief it fits so well

The slit up the back was the main issue but easy peasy for the guys at Bags4Everything

Paul the boss did all the vital measurements and his staff came up with a bespoke heavy duty PVC cover completely fit for purpose

I have the obligatory warning sign (to my knowledge only mandatory in Spain & Italy) ready on bungee cords for use in those countries later

 I didn't want a clear plastic holder built in to the rear to hold it as these break down early and don't hold up to the UV light and rain too well

Paul says we'll get many years of use from it, not cheap at £300.00 but better than the Fiamma equivalent of which I've had 4 that all end in shreds....

So we are mobile...

We are currently sat on a great site at Thurston near Emilja & Richard after a very easy pleasant drive across country from Poole (see next post) with no issues

The real test of Tasca awaits now

He's been stood unused for 6 years and now he's being put through his paces, but gently of course

I'm fully expecting further issues, who wouldn't? but will cross them as and when they occur

We are in this for the long term so anything that goes 'bang' now (under warranty) although annoying should see us better future proofed for the years ahead

The ferry to the Hook of Holland is on Saturday so guess thats when part two of our travels take off in earnest