Life’s simple pleasures - toasting bread on an open fire…

I returned from a week’s camping near Stroud on Saturday. My wife, daughter and I enjoyed some great weather and nice to take my brain out for a week, following a manic recent spell at work and finalising the latest issue of the JOURNAL. Chilling out, cooking outdoors, chucking a frisbee around, country walks etc,, what’s not to like!

We had vehicle issues as our bus-like ‘91 Mercedes estate is waiting on a new hydraulic fluid pump from Germany, which meant us taking our ‘01 Audi A2 - economical definitely but a little bijou when it comes to accomodating three of us and all our camping gear! Therefore ‘Old Faithful’ (my ‘74 Motovespa GT160) was pressed into action; transporting me, in style, to Gloucestershire from home in West Hertfordshire, with wife and daughter plus equipment in the A2.

Coffee stop off in Faringdon, Vale of the White Horse

A5 sized AA driver’s atlas tucked in my jacket, I set off Monday morning after 9am before arriving around lunchtime. The weather was warm and dry and B and minor A roads made up my route (the best roads for classic Vespa riding) taking me through Oxfordshire and the Vale of the White Horse, Wiltshire and into Gloucestershire.

12th Century St Sampson’s Church, Cricklade

“Welcome to Gloucestershire” - not far from Tetbury

Following five night’s camping with mostly dry and warm weather, it was time for packing up and the return trip home. Sweating in 30 degree heat, we had the Audi packed up by Saturday lunchtime. I left on the Vespa around 2.20pm, taking a longer return route home, again via similar roads. This time I headed across the River Severn from Gloucestershire and into Wales; enjoying the feeling of being ‘abroad’ with road signs in Welsh and English. The original Severn bridge was closed to traffic necessitating a further ride south to the second crossing.

The two Severn bridges viewed from the Welsh side - Black Rock, Portskewett.

From Black Rock, just outside Portskewett, on to Chepstow along the lovely B4293 and going on reserve, stopping in Monmouth for fuel and a late lunch around 4,30pm. Consulting the driver’s atlas I plotted a loose journey through the Forest of Dean and the Cotswolds..