Booked the Ferry Meadows site for three nights, to go and see Amber and Ralph for Ambers birthday.
Peterborough
Ferry Meadows, Caravan Club Site
Ham Lane, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE2 0UU
Peterborough is only about 150 miles further south than Billingham but it always seems to be much warmer down there. So when Ralph, Amber and Chelsie arrived for lunch we had a BBQ and spent the day around the van. That night Amber and Chelsie stayed in the van with me and Dot.
Day two, April 19th
Amber's birthday and a big day planed for all of us.
A BBQ party was arranged for the afternoon, so we set off early for a ride on a steam train, on the Nene Valley Railway. The plan, to get a day pass for the railway, head into Peterborough on a diesel, there get a steam train to the end of the line, then back into Peterborough to meet Ralph for a lift to the party, than afterwards get the train back to the campsite.
The station is lass than quarter of a mile walk from the campsite and we arrived on time and got straight on a diesel train (amazing what you can achieve with a time table), at Peterborough the engine was changed to, British Railways standard class 5 steam engine, No. 73050 (now named City of Peterborough).
From Peterborough we travelled to the end of the line at Yarwell Junction with a stop at Wansford Station, at Yarwell Junction the engine changed ends of the train and headed back to Peterborough.
Next to the station in Peterborough, preserved at Railworld, are the last remains of the Tracked Hovercraft test system, the RTV 31 test vehicle and a single portion of its guideway, wikipedia Tracked_Hovercraft.
Ralph met us next to the station and took us to the BBQ, where we had lots of meat and beer, before being dropped back at the station, for a diesel train back to Ferry Meadows station and the short walk back to the campsite.
Day three, April 20th
Ralph, Amber and Chelsie arrived late in the morning and we set off for a walk along the river Nene towards Peterborough, following the route of the Nene Valley Railway. It was warm and sunny and we were in t-shirts remember this as you read on in the summer of this year.
A lovely walk, only you can not get next to the river or even see it for much of the walk, as it is through private land, shame. We left the campsite and headed for the train station as yesterday, then continued passed the station along the footpath. This wooded path has the railway to the south and a stream to the north also it is very straight of course. After about 600 yards the path crosses to the other side of the rail lines via an unmanned level crossing so you have to be careful there. A golf course and eventual Orton Mere are now to the south and the railway and river to the north.
After another half mile we reached Orton Mere station, where we crossed over the lines again, to have a look at the river and lock gates at Orton Staunch. We crossed over the river and under a flyover on the parkway, to the rowing course where we sat and had a snack looking down the 1000 meter course.
We had a walk on the north side of the river then crossed back to the station and continued under the flyover on the parkway again. There, we took a path to the right that led to a housing estate and eventually the mane road, where there just happened to be a very good, very cheep pub. The Botolph Arms, set back from the road in its own grounds, is a fantastic pub and its a Sam Smith's house, and they had the Wheat Beer on draught, what a great walk. After a beer and letting the girls have a run around and play in the playground, we walked back to Orton Mere along the road, a very busy road. We would probably been better off just retracing our steps the way we came and once back at the Mere, that is what we did. A total walk of about 4 miles, with a stop half way for a beer.
Back at the site we had another BBQ at tea time. After tea Me, Dot and the girls went for another walk to one of the lakes, to feed the ducks and let Amber play on the play ground for a while.
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