Big Pit National Museum

 June 6, 7th and 8th

A lovely weekend was spent with Alan and Angela; it went ever so quickly. During our stay we spent time at a massive garden centre, walked to Upton upon Severn Marina where coffee was had, looked at a park home site to get more ideas of what we may end up with when we come off the water, and had a really fabulous Sunday Lunch at a nearby pub. All too soon, it was time for us to head off, and we decided, instead of heading back toward the midlands, to take a longish excursion to Wales to see the Big Pit National Mine Museum at Blaenavon.

Our plan was to wild camp at Llandegfedd Reservoir near Pontypool, and it would have been ideal except for one thing, the car park gates were closed at 5 pm, with no overnight parking permitted. The lay-bys leading to the car park could have been an option, but Ian checked the Park4night site, which mentioned boy and girl racers tearing along the causeway during the evening. Not for us then, so a look at a CC website showed one about 5 minutes drive away on the other side of the reservoir. £12 a night was a bargain, although no electric hookup or toilets. But it had water and an Elsan disposal, so what more did we need? We booked for 2 nights.

 

June 9th

In a mix of sunshine and showers, we headed off toward the museum. Cost to enter was free, and a tour underground was also available for the exorbitant sum of £3 each! 

 

We booked on the 11.30 am, had high hopes of taking photos of mine workings underground, but it was not to be. The rule was that no batteries were to be allowed in the mine; it was all to do with the dangers of gas. This is from their website,

Standard batteries and electronic devices are prohibited as "contraband" because the tunnels are legally classified as a working coal mine. This subjects the site to strict coal mine regulations, banning any unapproved electrical equipment that could spark and ignite dangerous methane gas in the air. 

The ban extends to all dry-cell batteries, including Mobile phones, cameras, watches, car keys and fobs, calculators and radios.

Having been given a bag to place our phones and my camera, we were then kitted out with specialised certified safety lamps and heavy-duty sealed battery packs to keep explosive gases out. With 18 people on the tour, I did wonder how we would all fit into the cage taking us 90 meters down. A can of Sardines came to mind as we were pushed and shoved until everyone was in! Claustrophobic people beware! Anyway, the tour took about an hour. Peter, our guide, was informative, having worked in a mine himself, and very funny. He didn't hold back from speaking his mind to any of us if he felt we weren't listening, and many were the butt of his jokes. It was brilliant and had us all in stitches!

One of the cages

 The exhibits were very good, and reading stories of those who worked down the mine, especially the conditions, was harrowing. For me, the pit ponies' plight was especially sad. From the age of 4 until the end of their working life, they were kept underground, never seeing daylight until they were taken above to be slaughtered. Thank God that will never happen again in the UK. I found this on Dr. M.F.Khan's website. Please click on the link to see what he said about the working conditions of the pit ponies. HERE

One very interesting historic building was the Pit Baths. It was installed at the mine in 1939, meaning miners no longer had to trudge home to their families caked in dirt, which risked illness and required the time-consuming manual filling of baths at home.

We managed to dodge the showers by ducking into the cafe and the winding hall. Gosh, that was noisy, the wheels making an awful screeching noise. Showers or no, I couldn't stand it and had to get out quick! Anyway, here are a few more photos of today's outing.

Medical centre

Canaries are still at the mine as a reminder of their importance in detecting gas. 

One of the modern coal face drills

 

Blenheim Palace

 June 4th

Sunshine and showers were forecast for today, waterproofs at the ready then. Arriving at the Palace by 10.30, we were amazed to have to queue to get in. Surely mid-week and a miserable day weather-wise would put people off, but obviously not.

Parking the motorhome was easy; we were shown to a section of the field well away from the main carpark. a bit of a walk to the house, but from the walled garden, much nearer. Anyway, we headed for the house, which was very quiet, surprisingly, considering the number of cars parked in the car park. A bonus in our favour, though, because we could go around at our leisure and take photographs without too many people getting in the way. I was mightily impressed by the rooms, even though restoration was very evident in some places.  It was a magnificent house.

 

The walled garden was about a 10-minute walk from the main house, and on the way,  we took a slight detour to see the formal gardens where a bust of Winston Churchill stood. 

Blenheim Palace was the home of Churchill. Below is an excerpt from this LINK

One of grandest homes in England, Blenheim Palace is the ancestral home of the Churchill family. Built between 1705–1722 for John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, and his wife, Sarah, the land was a gift from Queen Anne on behalf of a grateful nation for the duke's victory at the Battle of Blenheim during War of Spanish Succession. 

The walled garden was a massive disappointment. So much could be done to make it stunning, a few beds of wild flowers doesen't hack it in my book. 

 

Toward one end was a maze, we did go in, and yes, we got lost.  Luckily a small bridge showed us a way to the centre and thankfully we made it out before the rain started. We sought refuge in a cafe, a cup of tea and cake just had to be purchased. It was a good way to sit out the storm.

 From the cafe, we made our way to a Butterfly house. Gosh, it was hot and humid in there. Glasses steamed up, and several times I had to wipe the camera lens. Fifteen minutes was all we could tolerate, and it was a relief to get outside into the fresh air again.

 5 hours were spent at Blenheim; no way would I have managed that a year ago. Having a new knee has improved my quality of life no end, I just hope my left knee stays okay too. I certainly won't hesitate to have that one replaced in the future if needs be.

 Off to see Ian's brother Alan and sister-in-law Angela tomorrow at Upton on Severn, and next weekend Stoneleigh is our destination. We will be checking out residential parks and mobile retirement homes at the Park and Leisure Homes show as our plans to come off the water are still a possibility.

And a few more photos

In one of the many old Oaks

Away again after dry docking.

 23rd May

 It was that time of year again, black FS's bottom! It happened to coincide with one of the hottest weeks May has experienced in the UK, breaking the record of 32.8 °C in London set in 1922. Kew Gardens reached 35.1 °C on the 26th May 2026, and we sweltered in the dock with our thermometer reaching nearly 40 °C. The 4 high walls acted like a suntrap, and the only time we could bitumen the hull was before 8 am. For 4 days, we had some very early starts, but when the heat continued, the early starts were extended for painting the gunwales and the tunnel bands.

 Our time on the dock was longer than usual. Dan and Vicci (owners of the dock) went away over the Bank holiday and couldn't refloat us until their return. Instead of rushing to get everything done in 5 days, we had 8 days to titivate. We came off the dock on the evening of the 29th. (Sunday) and Monday morning was spent cleaning the superstructure. After lunch, we took FS into the basin. Ian then went to fetch the motorhome, yep, we were going away again! 

Last June, we took a trip to Blenheim Palace, but because of my dodgy knee, we didn't get the full benefit of our ticket. I struggled massively then with walking, and the thought of going around the Palace with the pain I was in made me cringe. The ticket was valid for a year, and the 6th of June this year was when it ran out, so the decision was made to try again. Now that my knee has been replaced and all pain is gone, it was an easy decision to make. We packed the van and set off yesterday. The heat wave had well and truly broken, and rain of biblical proportions was experienced on the way to Kidlington.

 

The site was very basic, no toilets or showers, but fresh water and elsan were at our disposal. What we didn't know was that the London Oxford airfield, as well as the Oxford Parkway rail line transport hub (opened in 2015), was located in Water Eaton, just south of Kidlington and was very close. The planes stopped around 9 pm, but the trains continued to run until well after 11 pm. Groan... we had booked two nights! Still, it was only about 5 miles from Blenheim, so convenient, and the site was rural and really quite lovely. 

 Oh, and our family has grown. The motorhome now has our South African stuffed animals adorning the dashboard.