The Google Earth image shows the River Great Ouse on the left flowing up towards St. Neots. Caravans are visible on the CL, center right.

Five, members vans only, are allowed by law at a CL, (Certificated Location) for a maximum stay of 28 days.

To quote from the Caravan Club. "Less formal .... quiet pitch in an orchard or farm .... in a farmers field ....find out first hand just what it's like 'down on the farm' ..... have the standard basic facilities."

This is where I am at odds with the Caravan Club. I have enjoyed CL's for 40 years due to the criteria above. So why are they now encouraging owners to install electricity points, toilets and showers?

To make more money is the answer, the Club tell me they do not suggest it to Owners. From Owners I hear a different story, some apologising profusely for being 'behind the times.' To quote an owner "They keep telling us we will make more money if we get electric hook ups installed."

The Caravan Club in my opinion welcomed the EU Regulations on the resale of electricity as another excuse to raise prices. Creating the situation where the charge for electricity must be transparent, merely one of the facilities included in the price. This gives rise to an unfair practice whereby I pay an inflated price for electricity which I do not even use. I would like to take this one back to the EU as an abuse of my human rights.

I asked the Club the question. 'If the electricity is not being re-sold at a profit and is merely part of a standard charge. How come some sites charge more in the winter months and openly display a notice which says, this is to cover the extra use of electricity. A reverse of normal seasonal charging for camping sites.'

Their reply was unsatisfactory. "It is entirely up to the site owners what they wish to charge."

Not so, they were instructed to charge the all in price by the Club on their interpretation of the 'new' EU law which sensibly is ignored in the rest of Europe. Rip off Britain strikes again.

Whilst on the subject of the Caravan Club. I am a happy member incidentally, but that does not mean I cannot criticize what they do. They are a club for caravanners, many members have migrated to campingcars. The treatment in the monthly magazine of  motor vans as opposed to caravans is markedly different.

Members take a look at your magazine. If the review is of a caravan, then the pictures will feature a family relaxing enjoying the hobby. If it is of a motor-home, a lone man will sit in his rugged outdoor clothing contemplating a carefully arranged table with two bowls of soup and two apples.
The assumed, wife, is never seen. I no longer take these reviews seriously as I have been awaiting the write up to include the arrival of the police to arrest said lone man for the murder of his spouse, several years ago. A bit like Psycho, you know? But obviously there is no enjoyment in motor home'ing and no drama either. They should come with us.

That is nice, I had an e-mail from vnvfabs requesting more information on Great Barford.

It used to be just another village on the A421 that slowed you down on the way from Bedford to the A1. Now bypassed by one of those horrible fast 4 lane roads with no hard shoulder. A new peace has been restored.
The traffic was solid for miles on the A1, there was a fatal accident, and the westbound carriageway of the bypass was closed.

GOOGLE MAPS will give you an aerial view.

The atractive part of the village in my photographs is on the Blunham Road. Now how many arches are there on that narrow bridge over the River Great Ouse..

The meadows looking East from the moorings at the bridge.

No boaters were mored when we were there, this is the area with water supply and picnic tables. Hmm and the pub just accross the road. Nice.

Both Barford and Blunham have some attractive stone built houses and other buildings of interest. A narrow river runs round Blunham made navigable many years ago. The pathway by this channel is a very atractive walk.

The butcher in Blunham produces his own sausages, venison when in season, we tried the pork, they are very good.

Today we had hail and snow, typical for this time of year. Who would have though that on the 2nd and 3rd of March we were out in the 'van in the sunshine.

You have to grab it when you can at this time of year. Near Great Barford was our destination.

The river was nearly into flood but the sun was warm, good enough for sitting out.

They say good weather for ducks when it rains, well we had to put up with swans.

We called in at our gas cylinder supplier on the way, 'sorry none of you size in stock.'
So it was eyes open all the way for a garage or store with cylinders. Where have they all gone? Once again we feel like a minority, most garages used to have gas. We got to our site without seeing any, so we asked the site owner, 'the butchers in the village,' she said.

'Used to keep them, not enough demand now, the garage on the A1 is the place to go.'

A couple of miles round trip to visit there, but it is better than facing a weekend with no spare. A good display of all size cylinders cheered me up until I asked for one.

'Indeed to goodness, they are all empty sir."

"You won't sell many then, goodbye." 

We didn't run out so we had gas to cook the venison from the butchers.

It was a great place to be, away from the light polution to observe the total eclipse of the moon. Sue went out at totallity. 'Its still there,' she said 'but its red, why is it red?'

'Er, um, refraction of light by the earth's atmosphere, er, blue attenuated by the atmosphere leaving red to illuminate the moon,'
I looked it up on the web next day, blimey I was right too.
 
I would like a pound for all the places that Sue says, 'I want to come here again.'

The weather forecast was spot on, Sunday saw us brolly up, dodging the puddles in Olney then home..

Having completed the write up of our six month trip in France, I would like to leave that tome intact.

Therefore we have migrated here. This will be the home for new Campingcar stuff.

If you would like to read about the 6th month follow you nose trip round France. Go to Campingcar.

For some pastel art try Pastels/Portraits/Landscapes