The summer certainly took its time to get going this year, so I hope Club members and their doggy chums have managed to enjoy some sunshine.
The chauffeur and the maid came home the other day complaining about people who had left their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in their car, in direct sunshine at lunchtime on one of the scorching days we’ve had recently. The chauffeur rang the police because there was no sign of the owners after 15 minutes and the front windows had only been left open about an inch as the sun beat down on the metal prison.
Luckily, for both dog and owners, they returned before the police arrived. But the maid was furious at, if you’ll pardon the pun, the ‘cavalier’ way they sauntered up to the car with a few garden items from the nearby DIY store. What kind of idiot takes their pet to the shops and leaves it in the car in the baking heat, even for just a few minutes?
So please keep an eye open for dogs who are unfortunate enough to have brainless owners while you are on your travels... you could help to save a little life. There’s plenty of information on the
internet about the best way to go about this.
Anyway, on to happier thoughts, and memories of our most recent staycation on the south coast. When my much-missed pal Molly was with us, we stayed on a campsite near Chesil Beach, and we all laughed when Molly rolled on the remains of an unfortunate badger that had presumably been killed by a car some days earlier.
This time, we ventured slightly inland to a place called Chickerell. We stayed at Blagdon Fruit Farm, a quiet Club Listed Site (
194/45) with good access and spacious, flat pitches. At just £14 a night, including electricity, this was a bargain and provided a peaceful base from which to travel into Weymouth and surrounding areas.
A substantial building a short walk from the camping field housed two toilets, one of which also contained a shower. A family of deer regularly visited the area behind the fruit field and the chauffeur and maid saw a woodpecker on more than one occasion tapping away on posts supporting the fruit canes. A buzzard also made a brief appearance over the site and, to keep me amused, there were a few pet sheep to stare at, as well as chickens and ducks, and horses in the stables and nearby fields.
There was a nice dog walk around the site which, as the name suggests, was nurturing a range of fruits to be picked in the autumn. So if you’re looking to achieve some of your five-a-day of fruit and veg portions while you’re on holiday, this could be a good place to aim for in September!
The unusually named village of Chickerell plays host to two large annual summer events, the
Fun Day and Classic Car Show at the end of June organised by the Transport of Yesteryear Club and the
Chickerell Steam and Vintage Show, which next year will take place on the first weekend in July dates for the diary for anyone interested in vehicles from a bygone age.
Weymouth itself is one of our favourite seaside haunts, not least because of its dog-friendly section of beach. While some resorts ban dogs altogether in the summer months, or banish pets to the outer limits of their sands, Weymouth welcomes everyone and the dog-friendly section is close to the harbour and town centre.
I always make a beeline for the friendly pet shop just tucked away in a side street off the promenade I can sniff out a good pet shop from a long way away!
Next time I’ll tell you about a place not far from Weymouth that the maid said reminded her of the Falkland Islands even though she’s never been there! and about Kizzy’s unexpected trip to a vet in Weymouth.