Devon Camping holidays in Dawlish Warren. Leadstone Camping.
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| The Notice Board for 2003 Telephone: 01626 86 44 11 The phone is answered personally from 8.30
am through till 10.30pm everyday from mid-June until early September. INTERNET VOUCHER Friday, 29th August Phew! Another fantastic Bank Holiday weekend, and how good it was to see all our "Bank Holiday regulars" who come every year to renew old acquaintances over the 3 days. We know it gets very busy but everyone has a great time. Come Monday afternoon there is an element of normality again!
Still plenty of things going on locally, although the Stunt Show that takes place every Thursday has been cancelled tonight as their "action man" has whiplash, from a bad landing earlier in the week. Even the experts can make mistakes... Hope you make a speedy recovery. You have certainly entertained many hundreds of our campers this summer. The "Jesters" were in again on Sunday promoting the Medieval Jousting at Powderham Castle - the kids love their hats and brigh outfits. To horsepower of a different kind now and Teignmouth is staging a round of the "Offshore Circuit Racing" Powerboat championships on 6/7 September. It is our last weekend and we already have a number of people booked to stay with us specially for this exciting event. With speeds of up to 80 mph it is a spectacle! By the way, if you are reading this Charlotte, Bertie really missed you this summer! I will be adding a "30th Anniversary" page over the next few months so please call back and see it. This will probably be my last bulletin for the season so we would like to say a big "Thank you" to all our visitors for making this season such a special one - our 30th. We look forward to seeing you all again in 2004. We open on Friday, 18 June - make it a date. Happy Camping! Thursday, 21 August What a great Carnival last week, here are a selection of entries captured with my camera phone. It took about an hour and a half to pass us and a lot of people really did put a massive effort into their costumes. Carnival week next year runs from 14 - 22 August; make a note now.
Is this what they mean by a "pup" tent!
Got to go as a busy weekend looms! Thursday, 14 August Oops, a bit late this week. Been very busy here (again). I'll keep this short as time is pressing on. Regular readers of this page will have seen the "Headline News" link posted this time last week. It was all about the Prince's and Cartright's who have stayed with us EVERY year since we opened 30 years ago! When the dust has settled here in September I will be adding a page about the site's history which will reveal all. In the meantime, Bill and Enid (Prince) and Colin and Drena (Cartright), thank you so much for your loyalty over the years - you will always be very welcome.
Bertie had a new friend last week - Freckle, a working Cocker Spaniel, he was a fabulous looking dog and in the "beauty stakes" Bertie would have his work cut out to win!
Freckle and family had a lovely time (in the rain one week) and the glorious sun the next week. Bertie says "Thanks for the auto-dispensing water bowl"! The family used (or tried to use) the bus service on occasion - Stagecoach were great but First Bus, actually drove right around them as they tried to flag it down! It was the last bus home so they had to hitch a lift - very stressful for a single mum, a toddler and a baby in a pushchair! If you are thinking of coming at the Bank Holiday we are vitually fully booked - may be able to fit you in if you turn up on the day, but if the visitors due to leave on Sat 23 want another couple of nights then they get priority I am afraid! We are not taking any bookings now until Monday 25th August. Don't forget we close on September 7. I had a day off in the week (first one since June
19!). We went to a beach between Dawlish and Teignmouth at Holcombe,
known as Smugglers beach. Down a very steep, narrow lane. Despite
the number of visitors in the area there were only a couple of dozen
people there - the water was crystal clear and very warm, wish I
was there now!
One of our younger campers decided she wanted to take my job, said she would show everyone to their pitch!
That's it for the moment, as the Red Arrows perform over head - fantastic! Thursday 8th August Leadstone makes headline news! (opens a new window) Tuesday, 5 August What a difference a few days make! "At least the rain is warmer down south", summed up last week, by one of our visitors from "up the road". Friday arrived, and as promissed, so did the heatwave - not sure how hot it is today but it feels like 100 degrees! If you want to "see" the weather virtually live there is a webcam on the pier at Starcross looking onto the River Exe, courtesy of the BBC. Looking ahead to the weekend there is a Grand Firework
Display on the Warren on Saturday eveing, heralding the start of
Carnival Week in town. The Devon and Dorset Regiment will be present
most of the week with Field Gun races, display and recruiting! In
summary the rest of the week looks like this: Something for everyone! Full details in the programme available around town, enjoy. If you are thinking about coming down for Bank Holiday you had better get your booking in quick! Tuesday, 29 July Oh dear, the rain came down over the weekend - at least the grass is looking nice and green! Not to worry the ground may be damp but spirits are high and we hear good news about the weather, and in particular the "golden globe" upsatirs. Fingers crossed. The funfair is in town this week and no doubt there will be fireworks too. It is Teignmouth Carnival on Friday night - always worth seeing. Teignmouth is a seaside resort just 6 or 7 miles from us along the coast. You can take a fishing trip from there or a cruise along the coast to Torquay - you may even see the Dolphins. Just across the estaury (River Teign) lies Shaldon. Their car sticker frequently displayed in car windows is "A quaint little fishing village with a drink problem!" (or something like that!). It has a "1785 themed day" every Wednesday with activities for children free of charge on the Green. Don't forget its Dawlish Carnival week next month, as soon as I have sight of the events list I will let you all know, hopefully the Red Arrows will be back again this year. The camera does not lie! Clear blue sky at Leadstone (taken last week) - just to remind you!
Happy Camping! Monday, July 21 I spoke a little soon last week - we had a couple of nights rain and a few "mixed" days, still very warm though and that is the main thing! Everywhere I wander on the site this afternoon I could smell barbecues. Why is it that someone else's barbi always smell better than your own! If you are going to use a disposable bbq when you visit please ask for some blocks to sit it on - saves the grass being scorched. Having apparently "missed out" on continental campers last year (due to exchange rates?) I am pleased to say that we have a multinational guest list this week: French (Bonjour), Germans (Guten morgen), Italians (not sure... Ciao), Danish (??), Dutch (really should know!) and some visitors from the Emerald Isle - its great to see you all (sorry we cannot take your EUROS - yet!) As we approach the 26th July - our first big week - we already have a number of families staying. Games of cricket and football with allcomers joining in really are a lot of fun. The new climbing frame is also proving popular!
Teignmouth Carnival procession is on Friady August 1st (a week later than usual) and is followed by a firework display - always worth a visit. A "new" event this year is the "Westcountry Garden Festival" at Exeter on 9/10 August. If you are into Flowers, plants, speciality foods and all that goes with gardening it should be "right up your garden path". It is at Westpoint Exhibition centre. Busy week ahead, maybe see you this weekend? Sunday, July 13 What a scorcher, 30 degress plus! Another fantastic
weekend weatherwise, and come to that a fantastic 4 weeks. Fingers
crossed....
Great to see some of the "regulars" again, along with plenty of "new faces" - you are all very welcome. Had a very smart car and tent staying with us the last few days - a VW Touraeg, if you are reading this I thought it looked great and a good colour. Last week, I mentioned the Steam Train that will be running this summer - well here are some more details. This summer it is called the "Torbay Express" (Dawlish Donkey last year) and will run only on 10, 17, 24 and 31 August - ALL SUNDAYS. It starts at Bristol Temple Meads and runs to Kingswear on the River Dart. Looks like £25 per adult and £20 per junior leaving Dawlish Warren at 12.10 and returning here at 16.45 - details at www.past-timerail.co.uk Bertie has been out here on a few occasions this season but is finding it all too hot! He did enjoy the "setting up months" before we opened and he left his mark too, he found me painting as the pic shows!
Saw a fabulous sight the other day on the back lane from Dawlish to Teignmouth, a hen pheasant and her brood of chicks crossing the road. I have been trying to photograph the rabbits that seem to have made the "Sin Bin" (if you are a regular you may know what I am referring to!) their home - as soon as I get the camera or picture phone out they scamper to their burrows!! Some of the images on this site have been taken with a picture phone - thought I'd try and keep up with technology... Bye bye for now. |
Leadstone Camping, Warren Road, Dawlish, South Devon. EX7 0NG. Tel: 01626 864411
