The Manor House CL, Winterborne Monkton, Dorset

   CL site in small hamlet which includes a small church.  Working farm.  Pheasants also visit and display.  Ground very hard for pegs.  Easy access from main road but can’t hear road noises.

   On arrival on Friday, we went for a walk around Maiden Castle (largest iron age hill fort in Europe) as the CL is very close to the base of it..  Out for 1 half hours so had a good walk.  Just got back before it started raining.

   Mike fished the first Saturday on a boat out of Poole with a friend from Bridport.  He caught 6 Black bream and one big mackerel.  That day I befriended a fellow camper and visited Dorchester and Weymouth.  Parts of Weymouth feel very run down.  Sunday we went for a pub lunch at the River Inn near Upwey.  Quite nice but not good Yorkshires (tasted of chip frying oil)

   I went home on the afternoon (taking the fish for freezing) and Mike stayed for the rest of the week to do some more fishing.  He caught some cod which he froze in the caravan fridge so that was something to look forward to later. (Mike fried them up later in the year and even I liked the batter!)

   I returned the following Friday.  We went to Dorchester and ate lunch in a wild flower garden at the back of a church in the town centre.

   Went to see the Hardy monument (nothing to do with Thomas Hardy but Hardy from Nelson’s ‘Kiss me Hardy’).  Fantastic views

   Looked around Portland and again lovely views  We could see where the tidal flows met and caused really rough seas.  Drove around whole island and stooped at various places.  On way back to Weymouth, stopped at Chesil Cove (Portland end of Chesil beach)  Pebbles here quite large.  Apparently the fishermen use to know what part of the beach they were on by the size of the pebbles.  Smaller pebbles were at the other end of the beach.  The second Friday meal that I had prepared on Thursday evening and it was good! (Mike said so)

   On Saturday, we went to see Redcliff beach and had to park a way off and walk over the cliffs.  Didn’t get down to the beach as it was too hilly and awkward; and Mike’s hip was playing up.  Did see Osmington White Horse with rider (hill carving)

   Burton

Bradstock – small pebbles.  Went to the beach and café had 2 enormous pieces of cake! This is when we decided to publish the caravan diary online in the form of a Blog or Clog - hence the photo of our clogs in front of the caravan.