We do seem to be getting the hang of this ‘weekend warrior’ / quick getaway thing at the moment. We work every other Saturday – Kev ’til 12 and I work until 2PM. So the rest of those weekends always seem to be full of grass cutting, shopping, housework and laundry. The Saturdays when we are off are a different kettle of fish.
Kev has been shopping on a Wednesday or Thursday after work. We prep clothes on a Wednesday. We then pack Lulu on a Thursday and hook her up to the 240v to charge her leisure battery and turn the fridge on. On Friday, we are away from the office at 17.00 – not 17.01 (or in Kev’s case 17.30). Home by 17.20. Cup of tea, shower and fridge packed – we are away by 18.00! Professional van lifers now!
Arriving at Tyllyn Lakeside
35 minutes and 18 miles later we were pulling onto a CL at Pencarreg, Llanybydder. Just on the A465, Tyllyn Lakeside is a usual CL of just 5 well spaced out pitches. The pitching area is in an enclosed paddock with elevated views across Llyn Pencarreg. The owners also run a horse rescue centre at Tyllyn. The setting would be glorious – if only the sun was out!
Unfortunately, true to Lulu Van Travellers style of late, we were in for a real mixed bag of weather this weekend. We were promised light to heavy showers, light breezes and sunny spells. ALL bloody weekend!!
I gave Marley a quick pee walk around the perimeter of the paddock, which didn’t take long. So we went around again. While Marley and I were rambling, Kev got Lulu set up.
We are the only ones here this weekend so we had our choice of pitches. On a couple of pitches, chocks would be needed. Kev found the flattest pitch available and parked Lulu side on so that her sliding door opened to give a full vista of the gorgeous lakeside views. With his little levelling gizmo he checked our level…….we were spot on! We are getting the hang of this!
Marley loves nothing more than being within 2 feet of ‘his’ people, lying in the open doorway and watching the world go by.
Closing Lulu’s door at about 21.30, we settled down to devour leftover butter chicken, rice and naan bread washed down with a couple of cold ones. We watched an hour of our favourite YouTubers before turning in for bed.
Kev did Marley’s perimeter walk while I made the beds up. Apparently, the adjacent paddocks were full (10 or 12) of rabbits and the only visible lights for miles was from a roof light window in a nearby house and from Lulu’s own skylight. I didn’t see either rabbits or lights when I took Marley out at 03.30 and it was daylight when Kev took him back out at 06.30. I slept in until 08.30 when Kev declared that it was almost time for breakfast.
The bit where we almost when we went home
Time for breakfast! OMG!!!
Of all of the things that we could have forgotten. We left the bloody bacon in the fridge at home! Kev was considerably calm and reasonable about this state of affairs – he only cried for about an hour!
The rest of the morning and early afternoon were spent talking, writing blog notes and various to do lists.
Our previously mentioned ‘grand plan’ remains on track so far and this and our pending 10 counties tour formed much of our conversation over the course of the afternoon.
A lazy Saturday afternoon
We did feel quite guilty as the day wore on, that the weather had kept us inside and that we had not at least gone for a walk or popped into the village of Llanybydder. The guilt soon passed though. Sometimes doing absolutely nothing is just fine and dandy. So that is exactly what we did – nothing!
We watched the rescue horses being led on a longe line and after training, being let out into the adjacent paddock.
Marley had two or three laps of our paddock. We took a call from the vicar who will be officiating at Kev’s Dad’s internment later this week. We watched ‘MIB International’ and a couple of episodes of ‘Motherhood’ on Netflix. We sank a couple of beers and a glass or two of vino collapso. What a bloody lovely afternoon!
We poured ourselves off the seats to prepare a supper of fajita pockets stuffed with veggies and plant based shawarma strips. We followed these with a dessert of a plant based cherry & chocolate pudding. The plant based theme ended here as pudding was accompanied by a dollop of sour cream!
Waxing lyrical about the night sky
Before we turned in, we took a stroll down to the lake waters edge. The dark clouds that had rained on us all afternoon had parted and the sky was clear and starry. With the moon shining on the lake surface, it was really magical.
We saw numerous rabbits, a couple of foxes legging it across the paddock, a heron, a gaggle of geese ‘sleeping’ and just bobbing on the water or on the jetty. It was like being in a Beatrix Potter novel! We do seem to be getting the hang of this!
Reasons to be Cheerful!
Fanfare of Horns! Declare a national holiday!! Arrange fireworks, jugglers and jesters!!!
‘Why?’ I hear you all ask? – MARLEY SLEPT ALL BLOODY NIGHT – that’s why! Woo Hoo!!
Kev took him out for a lap at about 07.30 while I dismantled the bed (got to get a fixed bed upgrade). After a quick breakfast (still no bacon!) and a shower, the CL owners popped up to check if everything was OK and to tell us that we didn’t have to rush off as there was only one other van due in today.
We left Tyllyn Lakeside around 11.00 but we took a small detour on the way home.
Old friends
Between 2008 and 2011 we lived not too far away from here. Our local hostelry was The Alltyrodyn Arms in Rhydowen run by the lovely Russell and Sarah Patterson and Sarah’s mum, the equally lovely Christine Sneath. So, we thought that we would pay them a surprise visit on the way back.
Shortly before we moved, they took the decision to close the pub . Russell trained and became a paramedic and Sarah and Chris reopened the pub building as an antiques centre.
Alltyrodyn Antiques is thriving and has developed a good online presence, especially since lockdown in 2020. The building is full of Victorian and Georgian furniture – pieces of all sizes, object d’art and all manner of wonderous delights. If you’re in the area check them out – just tell them that Mags and Kev sent you!
We spent a pleasant hour around their farmhouse kitchen table with a cup of tea, just catching up with old friends and leaving with an invitation to park Lulu in their carpark and join them for some whiskey tasting around the fire pit. If I remember rightly – that could get quite messy!
Well, that was our weekend. It was calm, relaxing and cheap!
We are not planning another trip until our 10 counties tour in 6 weeks. Kev has a whole list of bits and pieces to do on Lulu before we go and I’m working on Bank Holiday Monday.
We’ll update the blog before we go and maybe even get some camera / video practise in before we bite the bullet on YouTube.
Until then, you lovely people, we wish you safe & happy travels,
Mags, Kev and Marley
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