Burrs Country Park

Saturday 18/05/13.The weather was better than predicted but it was still continuous light showers from the time we woke up. We loaded up as normal and set off to collect the caravan. Gareth (My son and fishing buddy) had suggested I take my fishing gear in case there were any ponds nearby but looking at the pile of equipment filling the back of the Touareg including the back seat area, I could not have taken a rod let alone my fishing box. We only got as far as Skirlaugh when I remembered I had not picked up the awning stops for the porch awning. We turned the car around and headed for home about half hour later we were on our way again.

It was an uneventful journey until about five miles from the motorway turn off when two sheep brought all lanes of the M62 heading in both directions to a complete standstill, for about half an hour.  We used the site guide and the sat nav to weave our way through Bury town centre, trying our best to get in the appropriate lane for where we were going. A word of warning! As you approach the entrance you leave the cobbles onto a tarmac road over the bridges then go back onto the cobles. As you go back onto the cobles go very slow as a concealed hump will cause you to bottom out.

We were pleased with the site and the surrounding area and wasted no time in getting settled in. the rain stopped and we decided to put up the porch awning as we were on site for the full ten days and wanted somewhere to store our bikes. We very rarely use the awning in fact this is the second time. The first time we were caught out by a storm which ended up in a big argument with Dorema over shoddy workmanship.

The evening was spent watching TV we normally take a walk around the site when we arrive but it was too cold and wet so we gave it a miss.

Sunday morning was sunny and noticeably warmer than the past few days. We had a quick breakfast before heading for the Haworth forties event. As we got closer the traffic got heavier and cars seem to have been abandoned nose to tail from about two miles outside of the town. After driving around for a while we managed to find a suitable parking place. This event must keep the town thriving. All the traders had big smiles on their faces as they sold their various wares. By now the sun was shining and the whole town had a party atmosphere. Especially in the park where the beer tent and dance floor were set up. Britain is often praised for being multicultural and when we had lunch I contributed my two penne’th by ordering a Cornish pasty (A Yorkshire man passing up fish and chips to eat Cornish pasties in Yorkshire) although we ate Yorkshire ice creams as we worked our way back through the crowds to the car.

 Monday we decided to stay local and visit a couple of garden centres. I can recommend Newbank Garden centre (Post code M26 2XW) if you like that sort of thing. It is one of the new style garden centres that have everything including a café etc. all under one roof. This suits our needs, the other half can look around the various bits and pieces whilst I can take my time meandering through the plants. I found a clematis named “Avalanche” which I had been tempted to buy in York last year. In York it was a much bigger plant but was £30 this one was £12 and would be as big as the York one by next year. I like to buy a plant from various places that we visit as a reminder. When I walk around the garden they bring the memories flooding back. Although, I am struggling to find a space to put any plants that we buy now. We had our tea at the Robin Hood pub in Tottington (BL8 4AA) the menu is available from the information room next to the site library. If you use the sat nav do not take the left turn after the fork to the left unless in a 4X4 as it is no more than a dirt track. The meals are very good value I had the mixed grill and struggled to finish it. My sister in law Cheryl had the 8oz steak and a drink for £4.99 (Only available Monday and Tuesday)

Tuesday a bit damp when we got up we decided to go to Liverpool for the day about 80 miles round trip. We like Liverpool and spent quite a few days there whilst our daughter was studying at the university. We found a small car park near the refurbished library. If you like modern architecture this is very impressive. To look at from the front it does not look like it has had any work done as they have kept the original façade  which makes it all the more impressive when you walk in. to use a Scouse term “it’s gob smacking”. We caught the open top tour bus right outside the library which you can hop on and off at any of the stops. (The busses run every 30 minutes) A bit over priced at £8.00 each but very convenient and the tour guides are entertaining and informative. It was too cold and breezy to sit upstairs on the open top. We were sat chatting to the driver when a couple sat behind recognised our accent and asked if we were from Hull. (Small world they live a few miles up the road from us) We got off at Albert dock to visit the Beatles museum but it looked very tacky and touristy so we decided to give it a miss at about £18.00 per head. We got back on the bus and went to visit the Cavern Club if you have any memories of the Beatles this is probably a better place to visit than the Museum and entry is free. With our heads full of nostalgia we caught the bus back to the Library where the car was parked and had a Costa coffee before heading back to the van. We had eaten lunch out so we had a light tea and settled down to watch Chelsea Flower Show on the TV.

Wednesday another day planned for staying local. When drove through Bury on the first day we saw signs saying “visit Bury’s famous market” so we thought we would take a look to see what had made it famous. I am not a shopper but I was impressed. It is the largest market I have seen. There was all sorts of stalls even hair dressers and barbers not that I need them these days. The fresh food was very good. If you like cheese you will be spoilt for choice but you can sample what is on offer to help you decide. A butcher was offering pork and black pudding sausage samples which tasted lovely. The fresh fish stalls were well stocked with a large variety of sea food. We bought a few pastries to go with lunch and then headed back to the site. After a late lunch we explored the country park. Starting from the field opposite the brown Cow pub we walked down by the river to a farm. At this point we cut under the rail line turned right following a signed path through someone’s garden into the village, then down across a field to the site across the rail line and back to the Brown Cow pub. It took about an hour from start to finish.  The wind was starting to get quite strong and I was debating whether to take down the awning. After a bit of discussion we decided to leave it up. The original problem was caused by shoddy workmanship. The storm guy anchorage had not been sewn in properly and had pulled free from the stitching. I had repaired it by stitching it properly by hand. Dorema had always denied this was the cause of the problem so this would be the acid test. I had also reinforced the frame as the guy from Dorema had more or less said “what do you expect from a light weight frame” Indicating that lightweight meant weak rather than easy to carry.

Thursday not the best night’s sleep I have had. I was woken by every noise and shake of the caravan but the awning was still standing and in one piece. We had planned to go to Holmfirth (Last of the Summer Wine country) today but the forecast of showers and more strong winds changed our minds. We have been to Holmfirth before and you really need a nice day to enjoy it. We decided to chill until after lunch then have a ride into Bury to find a bit of information on the forties weekend. And do a bit more shopping. The wind was getting stronger by now and the 18:30 weather forecast gave a severe weather warning for strong winds from the North West gusting to 50 or 60 MPH. I did not like the idea of taking down the awning in the strong wind that was already blowing and encouraged by the fact that my repairs had proved to be stronger than Dorema’s original I decided to leave it up. I bought a few more rock pegs and put a few strategically placed bungee straps in place and got ready for another restless night.

Friday 24/05/13 May’s Birthday I am too much of a gentleman to say which one. The wind continues to blow and the weather warning is still in place the forecast says it will have gone by tomorrow. This is worse than the day it got wrecked and has already been blowing for twice as long.  I think this must prove that if Dorema had stitched the anchorage for the storm guy in properly in the first place it would have survived the storm and I would not be £650.00 out of pocket for the repairs to the caravan.

We have gone away for May’s Birthday for as long as I can remember and we usually get good weather. This was the worst weather we have ever had. It has been cold, wet and very windy for three days now getting progressively worse each day. We decided to stay with the caravan and keep an eye on the awning as the only options would have to be indoors. The wind eventually eased off by about 18:00 hours and we decided to go to the Brown cow Pub for a Birthday tea. We all had different meals and all said we would recommend it to others so I would say you could eat here in confidence of an enjoyable meal.

Saturday here comes the sun, at last. The main reason for crossing the country and choosing Burrs Wood was the forties weekend at Bury so our plans were made. We got day rover tickets for the steam train at £18.00 each (Normally £14.00 and 2-4-1 with the club days out vouchers) we started by heading to Rawtenstall at the far end of the track and work our way back along the stations. This was a mistake as they were not taking part at Rawtenstall; in fact instead of us paying extra for the tickets we should have got a discount as we were the only attraction on the station as we sat in our uniforms with people taking pictures from all directions. The time we wasted there meant that we decided to miss out Irwell Vale and head straight to Ramsbottom. We spent the biggest part of the day here with entertainment and re-enactments to watch. On the plus side I managed to find a hat to go with the uniform I was wearing at a reasonable price. Then it was a case of squeezing onto the train (Standing room only) and returning to Bury for the fly past by a Spitfire and Hurricane aeroplanes.

Having been to Pickering for the last 3 years and Haworth last weekend I have to admit to been a bit disappointed with Bury as a forties weekend. It has a lot of potential and Rawtenstall in particular are missing out on a real money spinner for the town. The events in Bury are mainly restricted to the station and at the end of the day when we stepped out of the station it was like walking back into 2013 through a time warp suddenly there was no one dressed up and no stalls anywhere in sight.

Sunday we woke to another sunny day with no wind. Originally we had planned to go back into Bury for another day in uniform as we do at Pickering. But, we all agreed that we thought we had seen all there was to see on the Saturday. So we made the most of the weather soaking up the sun before visiting another local garden centre. I took down the awning as it was bone dry and rain was forecast for Monday. We went back to the Robin Hood pub for a Sunday lunch (£4.99 per head) with a choice of beef or half a chicken (And you can top up the vegies if you are still hungry) which my brother-in-law did. I would have liked a better selection of veg and some Mashed spud but you could not expect it at these prices. I would gladly have paid more.

Monday, the last day of our holidays. Over cast with rain forecast for after lunch. Rob (The Brother-in-law) had a few things he wanted to do on his van so we did the walk we had done on Wednesday but extended it slightly. We returned at about two o clock just as the rain started. The forecast is rain for the rest of the day and it is raining still as I am typing at 18:00 hours. We have had a very enjoyable ten days and will probably come back again in the future. We would like to have done more walks as there are plenty to choose from and we never got to use our bikes despite getting them ready to ride on day one. We found the wardens to be very friendly and helpful and always ready to help and assist.