Heading South

That just about sums up the plan for our main holiday this year. We wanted to be spontaneous. So, with nothing booked, just a glove-box full of camping books, we headed south to see what would happen. Exciting stuff.

So, here's the view from our caravan window. This is Somerset. The Quantocks to be precise. We haven't been before, so it's a new experience. The rain isn't, though.

Here's the thing: the rain in Somerset is the same as rain anywhere else. So after sitting out the best summer for years, in air-conditioned office misery, I get to see the start of the familiar old "unsettled patch" coinciding with the first day of our summer holiday. It will be better tomorrow, I'm sure. In fact it's brightening up on the horizon as I type this.

We're staying on a temporary holiday site run by Somerset DA, to begin with. We'll stay until we've seen enough. It's a well-run site with a marvellous view down to Blue Anchor Bay (when we can see it). Today we visited Minehead, which seems okay, although it's hard to form a fair opinion of a seaside resort during a five-hour deluge. There are plenty of tea shops, and that is an important attribute in times such as these, although right now I'm just about tea'd out.

We also went to Dunster Castle. A good place to hide from the rain, too. Especially as it's free to us, as NT members. At first I thought that it could do with a tea room, too, but the picturesque village of Dunster, a couple of minutes walk away, more than makes up for this. Sarah enjoyed the doll museum in Dunster. I found it a bit creepy. Dolls. It must be a girl thing.

Okay, the rain has eased to a mere drizzle so I'm off to the tap to fill up the aquaroll. Happy days.