Avoiding the snow

After 3 weeks of being back at home the middle of November  was time for us to hit the road for a winter break in Mo. Having changed the caravan for a motorhome during the summer it was going to be the first time for us being away during the colder months in our own space, previously we have opted for a cruise or a plane ride to warmer climes in our winter months away from site. As the planned departure date neared the weather forecast was looking increasingly worse with storms and snow predicted, our original plan was to drive North to the Lake District and Yorkshire but this was where the worst of the bad weather was headed so a change of plan was called for. The snow was due at home overnight the day before we were due to leave and as predicted we certainly got a fair few inches dumped on us. According to the forecasts it was going to be best to the East so 2 days after originally planned and in an Easterly direction instead of Northerly we were on our way.

We arrived at Ferry Meadows CAMC and had 4 lovely days exploring the town of Peterborough and the Nature Reserve next door. It is a large site which doubles in size during the main season but has the section across the road closed off during the winter, the toilets are spotless and the pitches spacious and flat. Next to the site is Nene Valley Nature Reserve with lakes and pathways, cafes, boat hire and trails. A few minutes in the other direction is Overton Station, a renovated station building and heritage area of the Nene Valley Steam Railway. The station itself houses an authentic cafe and you can walk around the areas manned by the volunteers who run and renovate steam trains. The bus stop is back out on the main road about a 15 minute walk away and whisks you into Peterborough bus station in no time. The Cathedral is definitely worth a visit and the shopping areas are a mix of all the high street chains and individual independent stores.

We may have escaped the snow by heading East but the storms still caused disruption as we departed Ferry Meadows and were booked in at York Rowntree Park for the next 5 nights. The forecasted gale force winds did not disrupt our journey up the A1 too much but we were still glad we were not towing a caravan and had our 4 wheels firmly planted on the ground instead. On arrival at York we were greeted with the news that the site was having to be evacuated and closed due to rising river levels. We parked up and rang Knaresborough site to see if we could stay there instead for a couple of nights in the hope that York would reopen before we were due to head for home at the end of the week. Great news, they could take us so we made our way over to Knaresborough  about 20 miles away. Coincidentally it was Knaresborough site that I had had to cancel due to the snow at the beginning of our trip away so we were actually not disappointed at all in our sudden enforced change of plan. Knaresborough CAMC is a very smart well kept site that has had a recent refurb and the facilities are excellent. There is a bus stop a few yards away from the site entrance and as Knaresborough viaduct has been on my ‘must photograph’ wish list for many years I was most excited to finally get to visit. The wind was still quite fierce but the sky was blue and the sun was shining so a perfect day for the viaduct views. The town is very charming, steeped in history, ancient architecture and picturesque landscapes with plenty of interesting shops to browse around.

Having been at Knaresborough for 2 nights we then had the ok to head back to Rowntree Park as the river had now subsided. The site is in such a great location to explore the City and we had a glorious festive 3 days strolling around the sights, shops and alleyways of York which was all looking very Christmassy and twinkly.

This having been our first road trip in a motorhome where we have moved on from site to site we can now say we have found it much easier than if we had been in a caravan. We had debated the whole caravan versus motorhome scenario many times over the years and didn’t ever think we would swop to a motorhome, we were always worried that it would restrict our options of seeing places but have realised you just have to plan things from a different angle. Town and City breaks have been our options this trip with a good bus or train route if its not walkable to where we want to get. If you are staying in a countryside location then walking and cycling routes would be important things to plan for. We have bought electric bikes to enable us to get to the more remote locations we may want to in future. Also we have found it quicker and easier when arriving and leaving sites in the motorhome compared to the caravan. It is very much a personal decision about whatever works best for you and there are fores and againsts for each of these, no doubt we will come across one soon enough that works against us, but for now we are loving it in Mo.

Catch up with us next time as we take another road trip over New Year.