CAMPERVAN CAPERS 2 – Launch Celebration!

AFTER the recent launch of Campervan Capers, I’m happy to be able to announce the release of a free sequel, CAMPERVAN CAPERS 2.

As many of you will know by now, the book is an adaptation of the Campervan Capers blog entries from 2011, which I wanted to publish for free in a handy eBook format.

Now, I know the word ‘eBook’ will send shivers down the spine of a few folk who still haven’t got an eReader (ironically, you can count me in!), so it might come as a surprise to know that my publisher, Smashwords, offers all my work in formats not only for eReaders – like the Kindle & iPad – but also in formats for home printing – eg PDF – and reading on your computer screen.

Why release the Campervan Capers blog entries in book format? you may be wondering.  Well, although the blog is free to read for anyone with a computer or other internet-enabled device, publishing as an eBook will open our travel stories up to a-whole-nother audience.  In fact, since the publication date, only a few days ago, I’m amazed to see that the new book has already been downloaded 32 times!

For those who are new to this blog, it’s worth mentioning here that there’s also an original Campervan Capers book and, as with the blog/sequel, the stories follow me & my partner, Steve, as we embark on various mini adventures in our campervan.  My aim is to write in a style which is both light-hearted and practical, so as to entertain as well as pass on tips we’ve picked up along the way.

Now, I hope you’ll all forgive me for publishing Campervan Capers 2 slightly later than anticipated – my excuse being that I’ve been putting together more photos of our travels on Flickr and short videos for the Campervan Capers books on my new YouTube channel.

WHAT TO DO NEXT?

Well, why not visit my Smashwords Author page direct, where all my published works are listed.  Some, like Campervan Capers 2 and The Welsh Leek Conspiracy (adapted from the original Campervan Capers book), are free.  And you can sample 20-30% of the rest for free, too.

Alternatively, you can go to my Foley’s Forum website, where there’s information on all my books as well as a whole load of other free-to-view stuff such as short stories, articles, poetry & photography.

SUMMER SALE!

Did you read the recent blog about the Smashwords Summer Sale?  If not, just click the link to find out how to get discounts on all my books for the entire month of July!

COMING UP (SOON?)…

Steve’s still doing a fair bit of cycle training at this time of year, but I haven’t given up hope of pinning him down at some point to write something for the next Steve’s Cycle Shorts.  Once I do that, you can rest assured you’ll be reading about our latest trip up north in ‘Old Bessie’ (as Steve calls our campervan)…

In the meantime, if you missed the last Tour of Flanders blog, along with a ‘words & pictures’ video treat, then why not click the link to check it out?

As ever, I remind readers that, if you’d like to be kept informed of the latest news & offers, why not subscribe to the blog to automatically receive an email whenever new posts appear – thus saving you the hassle of checking for updates?

Hope you enjoy reading!

Wheals of Clay

 WHEAL MARTYN
China Clay Country Park
 St Austell, Cornwall

Daytrip – Mid-October 2011

Ever wondered who made the ‘pyramids of Cornwall’?  Or what Cornish commodity could possibly be more lucrative than the pasty?  Stay tuned to find out…

For two days in October, members of the local Friends of Luxulyan Valley (like ourselves), were granted free entry to Wheal Martyn, just a few miles from St Austell in mid-Cornwall.  Thanks to them, I can pass on these insights into this China Clay site which is a combination of museum, showcase of past & present clay working, and nature park.

IT’S MINE – ALL MINE!

Barely had Steve & I crossed the threshold into the visitor centre than we were greeted by a kindly volunteer guide who told us a bit about Wheal Martyn – ‘wheal’ being a Cornish word meaning ‘mine’ or ‘pit’.  We were surprised to discover that the slopes surrounding the site are the result of waste materials being piled up over the years. 

Just in case you weren't sure... This is a dummy, not Steve! (Steve hasn't got a moustache.)

After walking through the gift shop reception, we were led through a series of inventive displays relating the story of Cornwall’s China Clay heritage…  A ‘talking portrait’ of William Cookworthy telling you how he first found local clay in 1746…  A Victorian ‘Kettle Boy’ at the door of a work shed painting a picture of his working day…  Videos showing how the clay was (and still is) taken from the opencast mines and processed before it heads off to various countries around the world…  And much, much more…

Before Cookworthy discovered that vast amounts of clay could be obtained from Cornwall, the British got their clay from China – hence the name given to crockery made from it.  However, it’s used in countless products (eg paper, paint & cosmetics) and Cornwall now exports clay to the rest of the world.  Unfortunately, the pasty hasn’t fared so well!

 

Spot the tiny Tonka truck! (Clue: it's yellow & it's somewhere in the bottom left-hand corner.)

WHAT A SITE!

The indoor exhibitions give you a great introduction as to what lies outdoors on the 26-acre site, where you get to explore the separation tanks, drying areas, etc used to process clay, as well as Cornwall’s largest working waterwheel.

 

Taking a walk through the forest nature trail, we eventually came to Pit View which overlooks a working quarry.  From here, work vehicles look like tiny Tonka trucks.  If you have kids, you can double-back to the play area or have lunch in the café – it certainly smelled good when we were there, though alas, we’d already made sandwiches to eat in the camper!

As we left the centre, we looked around.  It was quite something to get your head round the fact that all these hills were the result of years of clay mining.  Wherever there is Cornish clay mining, you’ll also see the huge ‘sky tips’.  These ‘pyramids of Cornwall’, made of waste from the mining process, no doubt gave the Egyptian tourist board something to worry about when they first appeared!

The Eden Project (also near St Austell), has turned another of the county’s legacies – an old quarry – into a thriving tourist attraction with its famous, iconic biomes housing tropical and Mediterranean plants.  And a whole network of Clay Trail routes has been created in the area – you can even walk or cycle from Wheal Martyn to St Austell and the Eden Project after your lunch if you fancy it.

We’d definitely recommend a visit to Wheal Martyn China Country Clay Park: Cornwall is about much more than scenic cliff-top views and beach resorts… although there’s no harm in checking all that out while you’re down here as well!

 

Again, a big thank you goes to Wheal Martyn and the Friends of Luxulyan Valley (click links for more info).  There are also a couple of articles on my website referring to the Luxulyan Valley, if interested.

 

TAKE A CHILL PILL!

Cluey readers among you will probably have noticed how shockingly long it’s taken me to post this blog.  All I can do is apologise to my faithful subscribers, who have no doubt been pulling their hair out waiting for it (not!).  Unfortunately, my blog entries have had to take a backseat to other things on my list lately…

 

COOKING THE BOOKS

I’m still plugging away at the Campervan Capers book as well as getting sets of photos ready to accompany it.  And as I’ve also been spending time publicising my other recently-released eBooks (click links for more info), I’ve put back the release date to around springtime next year.

COMING SOON…?

I’ll keep you all informed as things progress…  We’re still popping out in our camper occasionally, but nothing significant enough to write about at the moment.  In the meantime, have a fantastic Christmas break and we look forward to more CC blogging in the new year!

PS  Do you remember our Underground, Overground trip where Castle Drogo needed a decent wedge of money to fix its leaky roof?  Well, the good news, according to the National Trust, is that they’ve had a cash injection now of just over half a million.  The bad news?  They are still a few million down.  Luckily, lottery funding may able to help to ‘plug the gap’ – err… both literally and metaphorically!  Click for more info about the appeal.

The Land of Arthurian Legend

Journey Date

Daytrip – 30^th Sept 2011

Destination

Tintagel, Cornwall

When it comes to holidaying, people are renowned for neglecting their own locale in favour of somewhere farther afield.  Over more recent times, however, we’ve been making a point of sucking the marrow out of the local tourist destinations (as it were).  And, as we had a visitor over from Down Under who was keen to visit Tintagel Castle, we fired up the campervan for another daytrip.

MONEY FOR MYTH…?

The site of Tintagel Castle, set on Cornwall’s north coast, is now owned by English Heritage and, as most of you will know, it’s the birthplace of King Arthur – or, should I say, the legendary King Arthur…?

Having paid our entrance fee, we were treated to a short video about the site, which made it clear that the story of King Arthur is not necessarily fact, but may actually fall into the realm of myth.

Hmm…, I thought, we fork out good money to see King Arthur’s birthplace, and then we find out the guy might never have existed!?  Well, we were here now, so I guess we’d have to make the most of our day – King Arthur or no King Arthur.

ARTHURIAN ATMOSPHERE

Now, I could have regaled you with tales about having visited a bleak, windswept coastline and it might have sounded quite atmospheric, what with romantic monarchic legends haunting the landscape.  Unfortunately, it was a beautiful day which showed off the last of the summer sunshine, so much so that our Ozzie visitor probably thought he was back home.  I apologised for the good weather, promising that it actually was normally much more overcast and gloomy here in England.  Better luck next time, eh?

Apparently, Tintagel Castle was built about 500 years ago (some time after the not-sure-he-even-existed King Arthur was supposed to have lived).  However, before we were to see any of the ruins, we would have to scale a heckuva lot of steps.  And I don’t use the word ‘scale’ here lightly.  The steps were so steep that one lady had to lift her dog up them.  And don’t get me started on wheelchair access – which would have been impossible unless you had a winch.

At the top of the first flight of steps were the remains of a fortification, now home to a solitary seagull.  Looking over the walls, it was clear that the sheer cliffs and lashing seas would have afforded strong protection against marauders – and, if nothing else, the steep incline would have wheedled out the unfit ones.

DOORWAY TO THE PAST

Descending the steps was almost as hairy as the ascent, and we moved on to another set of slightly-less-steep steps which led, through a medieval-looking doorway, to the main headland.  Here were the ruins of a stronghold built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in the early 13^th Century.

Over the years, the headland has apparently seen many constructions come and go; and outlines of old buildings can be seen dotted about.  Thousands of pieces of pottery have been found in the area, which have led archaeologists to believe that Tintagel was the centre of a luxury goods trade, the likes of which are unknown in the rest of Cornwall.

On such a sunny day, the views from the cliffs were glorious; and I had to wonder what it must have been like living on the headland all those years ago, especially when it was cold, wet and windy.  Squalling winter days might make an atmospheric backdrop to films and TV shows about King Arthur and the (also legendary) wizard, Merlin (whose dwelling cave is said to have been somewhere down below the cliffs), but they can’t have been that pleasant to endure.

Can YOU spot the clot?

CLOTTED CORNISH…?

After we’d had enough exploration, it was time to head off to town so our friend from Down Under could experience a traditional Cornish Cream Tea.  Now, some say that Cornish folk aren’t that bright, but Steve & I have always thought that anyone who can charge a fiver for a bit of hot water, a couple of teabags plus scones, cream & jam – all of which are pretty cheap and left to the customer to look after – has got to be pretty canny!

Fully refreshed, we made our way home and our Ozzie friend spotted a sign for ‘Arthur’s Stone’, so we turned off to investigate.  No doubt, he was keen to see if this would lead us to the stone from which King Arthur pulled out his legendary (and possibly non-existent) sword, Excalibur.

Unfortunately, time was getting on and the entrance gates were locked.  We turned round and drove off.  My friend might not have shown it, but deep down I think he was disappointed at not having had a chance at trying to pull the sword from the stone.  Oh, well…  At least he’d been to see Tintagel Castle… even if Arthur was the stuff of legends and might not even have existed in the first place!

 

TIPS & CONCLUSIONS

• Since there is no parking at Tintagel Castle, you need to find alternative parking.  We found a spot just before the town which was cheap at only £1.50 a day.  The Pay & Displays in town would probably cost a bit more.
• Rather than take extended holidays, why not go for shorter local breaks and learn something about your area.  The money you’d normally spend on fuel can either be saved or spent on a treat and you avoid the hassle of having to load up the campervan.

For the foreseeable future, we’ll be taking our own advice and getting the most out of the campervan by making daytrips.  It’s a great way of exploring the local area whilst letting the van stretch its wheels every now and then.

COMING SOON…

We recently made a short trip out in the camper to undertake what would no doubt have looked to some like ‘strange goings-on’ off the A30 – all of which will be the focal point of another Steve’s Cycle Shorts soon.

Advice to Cycling Widows: To avoid disappointment, never ask your fanatical cycling spouse if he loves you more than his bike! You may not like the answer you get.

If you enjoy reading the Campervan Capers blog but don’t want to be bothered checking for new posts, then why not become a subscriber and get it sent to you by email?  Just enter your details under ‘Subscribe Here’ (on the right) and let our ‘virtual secretary’ post one out to you automatically.

WHAT?…  THERE’S MORE?…

If you noticed the date of our trip to Tintagel, you’ll probably be wondering why it’s taken me so long to post.  What have I been doing all this time?…  Sitting on my backside?  Err…  Well, the answer is YES, actually, I have!

As it happens, I’ve been beavering away on my other writing projects so I can finally get round to working up a first draft for my Campervan Capers book.

I know some of my readers are interested in my projects, so here’s a quick run-down of  the stuff I’ve now published, along with links so you can check out free samples.  These are all available in digital format – to download for eReaders or for home printing:

 

CYCLING WIDOWS

Lifting the Veil on Living with an Obsessive Cyclist (I think you can guess who that is!?)

Click to read a free sample or buy with Smashwords.

 

 SHADES

A Collection of Short Fictional Works

Click to read a free sample or buy with Smashwords.  You can also read some free short stories from the book on the Short Stories page of my Foley’s Forum website.

 

THE JACARANDA TRAIL

A Journey of Discovery Down Under

Click to read a free sample or buy with Smashwords.

 

FANCY A FREEBIE?

There are also occasional free and discounted offers on The Foley’s Forum Blog, plus lots more.  So if you’re interested in my work, why not subscribe to receive posts via email?  If you’re quick, you might even catch this week’s offer of a free download of The Jacaranda Trail on the blog.

If you belong to an organisation and would like to raffle off a copy of any of these books, please get in touch by email via the Contact/Links page of my website.  Similarly, if you have a blog about cycling, family history or fiction and would like to post a review or do an author interview, I look forward to hearing from you.

Hope you enjoy reading!

Trusting the Locals

Journey Date

Two-nighter - Late September 2011

Destination

South West Cornwall

The saying goes that too much work can make Jack a dull boy – and it’s no different for Jill…  Having worked hard on my writing projects (as well as catching up on long-overdue household jobs) over the past months, a break in the camper was well overdue for Jack & Jill (ie Steve & me), so we booked a pitch down in West Cornwall for a few nights and headed off.

There was no let-up in the rain as we made our way down west, but rather than drive straight to our site, we decided to do a spot of sight-seeing instead.  After all, our blog readers don’t want to hear about two campervanners huddling inside their van doing nothing all afternoon, do they?  They want to read about a couple of adventuring souls unafraid of battling with the elements and getting soaked to the bone!

JURASSIC PARK & NOAH’S ARK…?

The remit for our break away was to make the most of our soon-to-expire National Trust membership, and a visit to Trengwainton Gardens near Penzance was first on our list.

Covering 25 acres, the Gardens were filled with magnolias, an amazing variety of rhododendrons, banana plants and ferns; and some sections would certainly have made a good background in a Jurassic Park-type film.

At this time of year, we’d missed seeing the place in its full glory.  Still, there was a large, walled kitchen garden to draw the interest.  For some reason, this was built to the dimensions of Noah’s Ark and, given the relentless rain, it looked like we might just need some kind of ark to see us through the afternoon.

One highlight of the kitchen garden was a stunning array of lettuces (looking enviably pristine and snail-free) plus several varieties of squash.  It was heartening to see that a few veggie beds had been cultivated by local school children, despite the fact that everything was now going to seed.

After a few hours wandering about the gardens, we were drenched, and headed off to St Buryan, just a few miles away.  Our site was the same one we stayed on for our Coast & Carn blog back in May.  A pitch in a farmer’s field, it had basic amenities and was away from the hustle & bustle.

A HILL LIKE NO OTHER

The next morning, we awoke to a completely different weather picture of glorious sunshine, which dried all our clothes before we headed off to the coast on another adventure.  Our destination was the Levant Mine & Beam Engine site not far from St Just, but on the way, we made an impromptu stop for a walk up what appeared to be ‘just another hill’.

In fact, it turned out to be the most westerly hill in Britain, with a Bronze Age summit cairn of a sort only found in Scilly and West Cornwall.  Over the centuries, it has had many uses: a site for burials, a hermitage and chapel (hence the hill’s name, Chapel Carn Brea), a beacon for fishermen, and a military observation post.  Pretty amazing!

IN ORE OF THE PAST

Levant Mine and Beam Engine is not only owned by the National Trust but is also a World Heritage Site; and an informative film sets the scene before you wander about the site.  Along this coast, whole networks of old mines exist; and you not only get to look down a few mine shafts but there are still remains of buildings and other installations along the coastline which once played a part in the mining process in one way or another – from getting the people down into the mines, to extracting water (many mines went far out to sea) to bringing ores ‘up top’ and finally to processing them.

Unfortunately, I missed out on seeing the beam engine (used to bring up ore) in operation; and the engine house itself was so chock-a-block with tourists, that I couldn’t see who was doing the talk inside.  The speaker, however, turned out to be the only surviving member of the original ‘Greasy Gang’ who restored the engine after 60 years sitting idle (the engine, that is, not the Greasy Gang).

Walking along the stunning coastline, with the aged buildings looking out to sea in their retirement years, I couldn’t help thinking about the vast differences between past and present…

For those working outdoors in the mining era, days would have been long and hard; and, having lived in this area years ago, I know the coast can have more than its fair share of dreary, wet and windswept days.  Working in the mines meant a long working day, let alone possible dangers such as flooding, arsenic poisoning and pit collapse.

As a tourist visiting Levant today, I had the luxury of basking in the beautiful weather; and the only toiling I did was to lift my camera to take pictures.

A MOUNT OF MONKS & MYTHS

The following day was another sunny delight and we were all set to go home – but not before visiting the third and final National Trust property on our list.

Still home to the St Aubyn family, St Michael’s Mount is set opposite the village of Marazion near Penzance, and is an iconic rocky island reachable via causeway at low tide, and boat at high tide.  Subtropical gardens frill the island at its base and a steep, cobbled incline leads to a medieval church and castle at the summit.

Somewhere along the line, I had got it into my head that the island was once used by pilgrim monks as a stop-off point before heading to the ‘partner island’ of Mont St Michel across the Channel and beyond.  However, the over-riding impression was that the Mount had been used over the years as a battlement – evidenced by the castle’s paintings of soldiers in various eras, numerous weapons on display, and a remaining army defence ‘pillbox’ in the lower grounds.

MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT!

Now, although it turns out that the Mount was indeed a major pilgrimage destination in the Middle Ages, all manner of myth seems to surround the Mount, so you do have to be careful what you believe…  For example, there’s the legend of Jack the Giant Killer, who is said to have slain a giant living on the island.  Apparently his bones were found in the 14^th Century, but conveniently, I saw none on our visit!

After descending from the stunning views and wind sweeping the summit, we had lunch and made our way home.  We might have had only a few days away, but we’d thoroughly enjoyed our break and made good use of our National Trust membership.

CONCLUSIONS & TIPS

• It might seem obvious to say it, but take a trip away even if it’s only for a day or two.  Being out of your everyday environment can be most revitalising.
• Plan ahead with meals.  I made up some nutritious, tasty grub before we went away (soup & pasta sauce) and put it in tubs so we didn’t have to do much food preparation in the evening.  That way, we could make the most of the day and chill out a bit when we were tired later on.
• Take extra wet-weather gear.  If it’s rainy one day, you can be wearing a dry mac the next day while the other one dries.  Window racks or similar (plus pegs) are also invaluable for drying clothes on!
• If it’s in your line of interest join an organisation like the National Trust or English Heritage.  Planning your trips around their destinations will give your trips direction and interest.  Since we’d visited most of the NT properties in our area, we decided not to renew our membership, but even if you join for a year, you’re supporting a good cause whilst getting good value for money.

 

COMING SOON…

Look out for another Steve’s Cycle Shorts which will be in the virtual post soon.  But, answer me this: how can it be that Steve’s doing another one of his Cycle Shorts when he hasn’t even been doing any cycling while we’ve been away?  Solve the enigma in our next blog spot.

This year, we packed in most of our travelling in the early season, to spend some quality time at home over the busy summer.  But we may just manage to fit in a few more trips before the weather closes in on us and we ‘shut up shop’ on our campervan capering for a while.

In the meantime, we have another mini adventure about The Land of Arthurian Legend which will be posted soon.  So stayed tuned if you don’t want to miss it…

 

If you want to check out any of the aforementioned writing projects I’ve been working on, here are a few links:

The Foley’s Forum Blog – Quick tour of my work & latest news

Foley’s Forum – my main website with more info & free-to-read samples

Smashwords Author Page – check out my new Cycling Widows book

To find me on social networking sites like Facebook, visit the Foley’s Forum Contact/Links page.