Day 54 (12th August 2022)

 Last night while checking my route for today, I realised that I wouldn't be able to stay at my booked caravan site as it doesn't have a toilet block. Quite why sites that can accommodate 65 caravans don't is beyond me, and anyway, it was too far away from the stop I had missed 3 days ago before I came to the IoW. So I had to find another which given the weather, was looking decidedly dodgy. However, I managed to get the last pitch here which is near Wickham in Hampshire.  No sooner had I arrived, I was off again.

Before I left the IoW, I checked out the Garlic farm and Quarr Abbey. What an unusual place. It reminded me of the church in the French Town of Albi, a massive red brick stunner of a church. There are ruins of a Meadieval Abbey but these are inaccessible as they are on a private farm.

I then popped in the present day Abbey just after the Monks had start their singing and ringing the bells. It was wonderful. They don't allow you to go very far into the Abbey itself unless you sign up to be an apprentice monk, not something I will be doing any time soon. 

I also visited their little produce shop and was delighted to find that the sell home made Mulberry jam from the fruit of their orchards. 

I was unable to persuade the man at the ferry check in to allow me an earlier crossing so ended up having an underwhelming and over-priced ( and bordering on over-cooked) lunch at the pub near the terminal.

I arrived at camp, bagged that last pitch and set off to find stop #117

A WILTSHIRE FIELD 

Had I taken more notice of my driving atlas, I would have realised that this area of the Hampshire/Wiltshire border is all in the New Forest so fields were non existent.  My pic is taken in the village of Hale, opposite a playing field. Well, it's a field of sorts! I got my boot laces caught in bramble, much to the amusement of two young teenagers who promptly took the piss. Little monsters.

Got back to my signal free pitch so have been catching up with this this morning.

Allons-y 

Douglas Germinal CCXXIV Brain over and