Par

Marge always draws a crowd, and yesterday evening John proudly showed her off. Men being men, all our fellow van owners were keen for everyone to see inside their van. We all had the 'slam and bang' type, with sliding side doors. We were the only ones who did not live in ours.

There were four vans in total and John thought a good book would be a story about the four of us, where we went on to travel to and whether any of us met up again. In the U.K. chances were we might see each other up in Scotland later in the year.

 Around ten thirty, the tide beating a hasty retreat, our Polish neighbours lit a barbecue on the beach. As you do. They managed to convince a young couple from one of the other vans to join them, and yes they were noisy until the early hours. 

This morning Angela was very, very tired. She is a light sleeper and last nights shenanigans kept her awake so she was well grumpy. Nearby in a lively sea the heads of five male swimmers resembling five plastic footballs bobbed. Conscious not to irritate the locals we were all away by nine thirty, except our Polish friends. It's important not to outstay your welcome when staying overnight as change happens resulting in No Overnight signs going up. First stop Morrisons at Plymton. Angela was administered with a large hot chocolate to boost her sugar levels and mood before we stocked up on essentials including some very nice salad from the salad bar. Our YouTube neighbour Ben from last night appeared having left very early this morning to sort out his problem tyre. He was enroute back to Newton Abbot to buy a rim and tyre from someone on Facebook. It's not just us that has van problems then?

Our lunch stop was the 18^th century open harbour of Charlestown. The rain fell relentlessly and we sat in Marge eating lunch trying to convince ourselves the weather was an improving picture. Have faith Marge. We sat it out and donning waterproofs walked out as the rain eased. The sun broke through and we sweltered in our outdoor gear. English weather, you just have to go with it. 

Tonight we are staying at the pub. The Britannia Inn at Par near to St. Austell. They have a free camping field at the rear with toilets and drinking water. All they ask is you spend money at the bar, so we enjoyed a couple of drinks before returning to Marge for our evening meal. There are vans here from Belgium, Austria and Holland. Our neighbours, two sisters are in the area to attend a music festival at the Eden Project. One of them had recently returned from a trip around the coast of Ireland something we have planned to do so it was interesting to talk to her. 

Today we crossed the Tamar bridge into Cornwall. A sign at the entrance to a layby read, No Pasties Left in this Layby Overnight'. That's as maybe, but is overnight parking allowed? Tomorrow we will head north towards Bodmin Moor, hopefully the drive will be a little less demanding for Marge than that of the last few days. Hang in their Marge you're doing a fine job, just stop immobilising yourself please, we promise to invest in a new ignition key for you when we return home, hopefully that will cure your ills.