Summer is here and thankfully the start of a return to a normal (ish) life
Double jabbed and with a full tank of diesel we take the four hour drive down to Suffolk to stay on the site near Emilja and Richard for the next six weeks
Safely settled in and with the use of Emilja's car for the duration we start to make some radical plans about our future touring
Early on in our stay good friends Pat & Jane come to stay in the motorhome and a Suffolk itinery is planned to make the most of their stay
Obviously this was on the list!
Southwold too
An evening pigging out at The Four Horseshoes in Thornham Magna
Keith (Richard's Brother) runs a very nice cafe in Stowmarket so we take our chums to sample the delights of his establishment
After saying our farewells our next few days are spent soaking up the sun visiting the local parks and nature reserves to help with Nina's rehab
Nice to get out and about in the car as well after having made and executed a tough decision
So here's the thing.....
After much soul searching and facing up to the reality that Nina just isn't going to be comfortable riding the bike here or in Europe I ride to the dealership one saturday morning to discuss them selling the bike for me in their showroom
Totally top of the range bike with low mileage (thanks Covid) and kitted out with the very best it sells that first weekend and we are left feeling gutted...
Nina's ability to walk any real distance has been cruely taken from her and we have stumbled across an idea to return to touring both the UK and Europe effectively in the near future
Keeping us going throughout those long winter months with the bike tucked up in the garage was viewing many bike touring vids on Youtube
One particular guy (Richy Vida) and his mates put out several touring vids of Norway and we noticed in most of his stills of bikes lined up there were campervans (Ducato Van conversions) parked up in the background at various viewpoints and stopovers...
An epic light bulb moment for us both!
A life changing injury and Brexit restrictions have really stuffed us so some creative thinking was required
Why not buy a van conversion, do three month tours of Europe in that and return for effectively six months in the RV set up in different UK locations?
Use the van as daily transport here in the UK and indeed discover the far flung areas of our own Isles as well as six months overseas
Two vans! Well why not?
Viewing suitable campervans in the UK at the moment is almost a non event as most available have been sold including the demonstrators leaving dealers with nothing to take to shows or have available on forecourts for prospective purchasers to view
With a mere 24hrs to spare we managed recently to secure the last available build spot for a Dreamer van conversion for 2022 so now have a very long wait until next spring/summer to take delivery
We feel its an excellent way forward for us to rekindle our love of travel and visit the places we could not get to even with our first motorhome
The possibilities for us are endless and it will enable Nina to make the best of the situation having had the freedom to walk all day where she wanted taken away so cruelly
Flat Eric...bless him
Adorning the wall of neighbour Martin's barn where he kindly serviced Emilja's car which was long overdue
A day out in Felixtowe turned in to a really nice experience having begun with this monster of a meal at the Regal on the seafront
She's a lucky girl!
Sothwold pier on another gloriously sunny day
Old Felixtowe
In Nowton Park close to Bury St Edmunds
Several trips here for Nina to do her rehab
I'm let loose one day with Lola in nearby Bradfield Woods
A fine pooch...
Afternoon scones taken in Lavenham
Part of my daily walking route near the site at Beyton
A pleasant afternoon spent in Aldeburgh
Amid it all the drama of England's epic run in the Euro 2020 competition
Well done Lads each and every one of you!
Snape Maltings just outside Aldeburgh
Finally we get to enjoy our Christmas 2019 gift from Emilja & Richard
A 'Covid safe' Adnams factory tour
A shortened tour was amply compensated for by extra free beer at the end
RV dramas on the trip were:
- Constant high pitched low air warning buzzer on the way down
- 240v RCD tripping resulting in no sockets in use
- Windscreen shaking loose on our return
Thankfully the first two were fixed early doors on site and the latter very recently here back 'home' in Derbyshire by National Windscreens
