Rolling In a Winter Wonderland
Having to be on the road for some minor caravan adaptions, we thought we’d make a weekend of it and head to one of our favourite places in the country for a much needed break - Rutland!
But little did we know, a storm was brewing…
Setting off late on Thursday afternoon, we knew we needed to be in the Nuneaton area for our caravan modifications on Friday morning, but being our usual organised selves we hadn’t booked our campsite yet. Thankfully, the lovely people at Somers Wood Caravan Park had some last minute availability, so we were able to pitch up there for the night before heading to the Coachbuilt workshop the following day.
After a restful nights sleep, we awoke to early signs that Storm Arwen was on his way. Heavy rain showers passed over us and the temperature had dropped from the mild autumnal ones we had been experiencing, to something more appropriate for the depths of winter!
Thankfully, the work that Coachbuilt were doing wouldn’t take long as it was only a very small modification, but the difference it will make for us is huge. They fitted a subtle metal channel along the bottom of our door frame, and modified our ramp so that it securely locks into place and can stay situated throughout the duration of a trip. This may sound insignificant, but in practice, it means that Stephen doesn’t have to assemble my ramp every single time I need to get in and out of the caravan, and I don’t feel like I’m embarking on some treacherous mission going up and down it!
With the work completed and the gloomy November skies growing ever darker, we headed east to the Caravan and Motorhome Club affiliated site - Rutland Caravan and Camping Park. The roads there were kind to us, other than the puddle of mud (I use the word “puddle” loosely, it was more like a lake!) that Stephen assumed was dry.
Upon our arrival, we unhitched the caravan to discover that the mud was in fact very wet, and had cast a tsunami of brown across the front and sides of our used-to-be-white caravan. It was actually quite impressive!
Mud aside, it was great to have arrived and pitched up for our weekend escape, and we quickly settled in before the first flakes of snow began to fall.
Pitter Patter Shake, Pitter Patter Shake
We woke up the following morning with Storm Arwen now in full force, his strong winds nudging our caravan side to side and whipping the icy cold rain into us like natures very own washing machine (just in time to wash off the previous days mud!). Having doubled our workload over the lockdown periods, we wanted this trip to be alllll about relaxing - there was to be no writing, and the only photographs we would take would be our holiday snaps taken on our phones - so we had no problem staying put while the storm raged outside. The beauty of visiting somewhere you’ve been before is that there’s no pressure to rush around and see all of the sights!
By the time we surfaced from bed, lunch was calling us, followed by a cosy afternoon of reading. My book for our weekend away was The Dead Of Winter*, because who doesn’t like a bit of murder to get them into the festive spirit?! Jokes aside, it’s a good book, and reading about snowstorms and Christmas really added to the cosiness of being warm inside the caravan while Mother Nature was throwing a tantrum outside. The story really came to life when the sound of rain on the roof was replaced by church bells from the neighbouring village of Greetham, and little white flakes began to fall around us as the sun set.
By the next morning, we were pleased to see that the skies had cleared a bit, so we made our way down to Rutland Water with a very important stop at Hambleton Bakery on the way. Loaded down with sausage rolls, pastries and tarts, we parked up by the reservoir to enjoy our goodies, with a view that brought back fond memories of our first proper holiday together, where we stayed in a gorgeous accessible wooden cabin just down the road.
Once we’d sufficiently warmed up with the cars heater, we braved the sub-zero temperatures for a short stroll to the waters edge, with the biting winds nibbling away at any exposed bits of skin. Yes it was cold, but because of the storm it was remarkably quiet at the usually-very-popular Rutland Water, and it felt like we were the only two people there, except for the lone fisherman bobbing around in a boat. We sat and watched for a while, enjoying breathing the (very!) fresh air into our lungs and the feeling of contentment that washed over us both. Rutland is a place we fell in love with in our pre-caravan days, so it felt good to be back!
Let It Snow
As if by magic, as soon as we buckled ourselves back into the car it began to snow, and like a little child at Christmas, I insisted that we couldn’t just head back to the campsite now! Wanting to prolong the excitement (snow is a very rare sight for us southerners) we decided on a picturesque drive around the 18 mile perimeter of Rutland Water.
Setting off as the white flakes grew heavier, we passed over hills where they blew sideways like a blizzard, and into stone-clad villages that belonged on the front of Christmas cards. A light dusting began to settle upon the thatched roofs, and gradually festive lights began to twinkle red, gold and green. It was officially starting to feel like Christmas!
Unfortunately we didn’t have a visit from Santa overnight, but we were waking up to another day in Rutland, which felt just as good! It was our last full day in the area, so we wanted to make the most of it with an accessible stroll along an eastern section of Rutland Water that we hadn’t actually completed before. Parking up in Sykes Lane Car Park, we made a conscious effort to note the car park locking time, after a small mishap in Devon back in the summer. The sun was already getting low in the sky, but we calculated that the smooth tarmac path meant we could comfortably go at a good pace, and should make it back just in time to avoid another lock-in!
On The Straight And Narrow
Taking a lesson from the previous day, we wrapped up in an abundance of layers before setting off into the below-freezing temperatures, which were only made colder by the strong wind that was washing up off the water. Our route of choice was an exposed one across the dam - Perhaps not the smartest move with the weather like it was, but it had been on our list for a while, and now was as good a time as any!
Sharing the path with some sheep, we had views that stretched across the countryside on our left, and the sun was setting over the vast expanse of water to our right, filling the skies above us with a pallet of pastel colours. Ahead of us, we could see what we assumed was a water tower, and decided that we would make it our goal to try to reach it before we had to turn back through frostbite or the car park closing (whichever came first).
It felt like we weren’t making any progress, and if anything, the water tower was getting further away the more we continued, but eventually… slowly slowly… it edged closer to us and the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. We couldn’t help but stop periodically to admire the view, keeping a cautious eye on the time as we went.
After what felt like miles (but in reality was just under a mile) we made it to the end, where we swiftly turned around and did it all again, but strolling with more urgency this time. Back at the car park, we paid for our parking, got buckled in and made it out with a WHOLE 5 MINUTES left until the gates were locked. Phew! No more mishaps this time!
Our “weekend escape” proved to be just that. Not only did we escape the clutches of the car park, but we escaped the clutches of life just for a few days. We stuck by our “No work” rules, escaped into nature and recharged our batteries in one of our favourite places. It was exactly what we needed!
*Please note: The book featured within this blog post is an Amazon affiliate link. It won’t cost you any extra, but should you choose to make a purchase after clicking the link then we’ll get a few pennies towards our next trip!