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We are now dipping into the start of March, and the lock-down here in the UK is still in full force. To say we are all getting itchy feet is a massive understatement! There is talk of easing lock-down in April, dependent upon certain criteria being reached. Schools go back this week, so we will see if another Covid spike occurs, which would again delay our release! With vaccinations in full swing now, there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

There is a government promise that things will return to some sort of normality in late June. It will be interesting to see whether or not this actually happens, as policies on Covid change like the weather. With that in mind, a lot of planning is afoot in our household. As it looks like foreign travel will need to be avoided for a while longer, a ‘Staycation’ along with many day trips and over-niter’s are in the pipeline.

The cars are not enjoying being stationary. The Freelander is actually growing moss on it! Once the weather cheers up, I will give them both a good valeting and see if we can sort the old Hippo out and make her roadworthy again. We are gearing up for some Country Fairs in the summer, and the camping gear is getting dusted down. I even risked investing in a new 2021 AA road map. A good idea? Ask me in 6 months time…..

Well, what can be said about 2020. Here in the UK, we have pretty much been locked down since March. We have had a couple of trips out but nothing momentous. I will concentrate on updating the kit reviews, as we now have our own online brand/store: https://www.fordandfield.co.uk

Lots of the items on that site (in fact, most of them) are ideal for days out (other uses are available!). If you survive Brexit, Covid and the US Elections, we will see you in 2021!!

As 2019 was dwindling away, and Election chaos was in the air, we decided to take a time out and look for some fun back roads and Green Lanes to try out. Not limited t any one particular day, we spent a bit of time looking for places we had not been before. One was (is) literally just down the road from us and is an impressive, yet driveable, ford. This is on Scoborough Road,just outside Theddingworth on the way to Market Harborough.

Do NOT try this without a capable vehicle. The water flows well and is deeper than it looks. The road itself is also hard on the suspension, but good fun nonetheless. The other lanes were in the east/north east of Leicestershire. I will post co-ordinates as soon as I work them out. Pictures also to follow (and hopefully a video!).

We have had a rather hectic year or so, with the loss of another family member and a lot of work that involved travelling overseas. As a result, we took a short break from our travels to concentrate on other things. We are now back! Look out for more trip blogging, lots of YouTube videos linked to these blogs as well as more kit reviews (with video). We also have an outdoor lifestyle brand/shop called ‘Ford & Field’. It can be found by clicking here. We will be utilising lots of their products and reviewing it in our kit section. Exciting times lay ahead! Please visit us, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Saturday 3rd February 2018. We had the intention of heading up to Whitby in north Yorkshire, but by the time we were ready ad had fetched Ash from Leicester, the weather was truly against us. Rain and snow all the way. After two stops on the motorway, we decided to take a detour and ended up on the South Yorkshire moors. We peeled off the M1 at junction 35 and headed for Bradfield Dale.

Let It Snow!

Sunday 10th December 2017. Snow seemed to be the order of the day, and taking the Freelander out in it was something I had been wanting to do for a while. Luckily for me, it snowed a lot at the start of December. The only opportunity I had to drive any distance in it was to a Fish gig in Leamington Spa. I went with a friend of mine who lives out in the sticks and the sad fact of the matter is that that was the trickiest part of the drive. The Freelander handles well in snow. It is just the right weight and the power matches the car perfectly for snowy conditions. Slow and steady is the way forward. Once we got onto main roads, there and back, it was clear running. Basically it was a bit of a let down on the driving front. The gig was brilliant, however, and he played all of the old Marillion album ‘Clutching At Straws’. Was this the end of the snow? Time will tell….

Sunday 29th October 2017. Winter is officially here as the clocks went back last night. We thought it would be a good idea to squeeze in one more National Trust property before winter fully landed on us. We decided on Charlecote Park in Warwickshire. Before we got there we had to do our usual run into Leicester to get Ash, which led to the inevitable breakfast at the Phoenix and then grabbing some snacks from Lidl. Once we eventually set off it took about 40 minutes to get there by going through Leicester then onto the M69 and then A45.

Once there, they let us park up by the house as Shani had her Blue Badge. The house was built around 1558 and has incredible walks to enjoy around the grounds. The house contains many historical items from different periods in British history from Tudor times, through to Victorian time and the First World War. The Lucy family who built the house all those years ago still reside in one wing, and there is even a holiday flat that is available to rent if you fancy staying there. Friendly as ever staff were on hand in each room to provide information on all aspects of each room, the house and the family.

We did the usual pit stop at the coffee shop before hitting the gift shop and departing. There is a Garden Centre opposite which we had a quick look at before heading home. During the trip home we ducked into TGI Fridays at Coventry for dinner, then went back to Leicester to drop off Ash. A short, but satisfying, day out. It also turned out to be our last proper trip of the year as the weather, and nights, closed in.

Total Miles 118.3

Saturday, 14th October 2017. We were off to Bristol for the weekend to take part in the ‘BBC Countryfile Ramble For Children In Need’. The Ramble wasn’t until the Sunday morning, however it was early Sunday morning so staying down seemed to be the sensible option. Owing to the fact we had to traipse into Leicester to fetch Ashley first, we were up around half 6. It was an overcast, yet warm start. Once we had Ash we began the monotonous motorway run down to Bristol – M69, M6, M42 and then the M5. The boredom of the drive was broken briefly by a pit stop for breakfast on the M5 services. It was only 9 am when we reached the services. We all had a full fry up, then did a bit of shopping! The sky was still very grey, which did not bode well for the weekend.

After an hour or so we set off to see some friends in Gloucester, then we went off to the National Arbouritum. It has hundreds of different tree and plant species and all were a multitude of Autumn colours. We spent over an hour exploring the place, and as with everywhere we go, we ended up in the gift shop. We did not leave ourselves enough time to fully explore this huge attraction, as the grounds stretch out for miles (so it seems), so it is on our Re-Visit list. The hotel was another half hour drive from the Arbouritum. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Filton. A very odd building, and relatively dilapidated. Big car park though! Once settled in, Erin and I went for a swim, then it was drinks and dinner and a relatively early night in anticipation of tomorrows Ramble.

Adam Henson posing with us

Sunday 15th October 2017. We were up at the crack of dawn (well, 10 to 7). Following a quick coffee and a shower, we got the car packed up and checked out. As Shani was doing the ramble in her wheelchair, we had to drive to the finish point, Ashton Court, and then a mini bus ferried us, and others with mobility issues, to the start point. The start point was the Observatory next to the Clifton Suspension bridge. With the exception of a minor mishap involving the wheelchar, lining up correctly and bus ramp (use your imagination), we got to the base of the observatory in one piece.

The physical trials of a ramble hit us earlier than everyone else as we had to push Shani around to the base of the observatory and then up the hill. I about died doing that, having no help from anyone. Once up there we had to check in and hang around in what amounted to a holding pen, where we could buy food and be entertained by some local variety acts of one sort or another. Whilst there we did manage to meet Adam Henson, the Countryfile presenter assigned to our ramble, and have a selfie/chat with him. Very amiable bloke. Due to the joys of television, we had to hang around for hours. We eventually set off at half eleven. We all walked back down the hill – to another holding pen! Luckily I spotted a Discovery which was being used as the event ambulance so all was not lost! Once at the second holding pen, they were letting us walk across the Clifton Suspension Bridge in groups. They had actually closed the bridge for this event, so it was awesome walking down the middle of it. We were all told not to look up as we were being filmed by a drone. Also awesome. The rest of the ramble was very slow. We had to stop at regular intervals for 10 to 15 minutes or more while they filmed segments for the TV show.

It took the 623 of us who turned up (1200 were meant to be there) around 2 and a half hours to walk the 4.5 k route. Without TV stops it would have taken about an hour! As we crossed the finish line, we all got  a certificate for completing it. By now it was 2 pm and we were all knackered after the early start and the long walk. Everyone was glad it didn’t rain, although the skies were dull and threatening most of the way. We decided not to waste the rest of the day and headed down to the quayside, near the SS Great Britain. Had a stroll along the river and had a great meal in a  Greek street restaurant, which was part of a complex of restaurants house in old shipping containers. Very trendy!

We said our goodbyes to Bristol at 5 and headed home. We had a quick coffee pit-stop on the M42, dropped Ash home and eventually got to our abode by 10 pm. A long weekend indeed, but such fun!

Total Miles 319.8

After all the running around we have done so far this year, the car went in for a well earned service. I had heard a weird noise, like wind blowing through a pipe, for many months but paid little attention. When we investigated this during the service it turns out we had driven for over 6 months (including around France) with a very knackered prop shaft.

As a result, we did no trips in either Land Rover in September. We did nip to London once, but took the Nissan, so it doesn’t count! Erin did manage to meet Miranda Hart and get an autograph during that trip, but it still doesn’t count towards the Land Rover adventures. The Y reg Freelander was back on the road at the end of September and we took it for a quick spin to Mount St Bernards Monastery and Swithland Woods. We are now waiting on getting the clutch fixed on the 54 plate.