Goldies on tour

Christmas and New Year 2022 / 2023

We had a quiet Christmas with our son Jack home from Leeds. A lovely Christmas day and then a trip to Exmouth on Boxing day.

Then our friends Kim (with Talisa and Kyra) and Jen and Pete (with Albert) joined us for New Year. A trip to Saunton Sands on the 30th stopping for coffee on the way back at Heanton Court. Tavistock in the pouring rain on New Year’s Eve stopping off at the Highwayman Inn on the way back and Exmouth on New Years day.

On New Year’s Eve we played party games including pass the parcel with dog treats every few layers. It didn’t take them long to realise that when anyone unwrapped the parcel there was a chance there would be food in it so we got mugged every time.

Saturday 10th December

A very busy but very enjoyable day, We started with a run at Haytor Mutt Mayhem to work off some of their energy, There were our two, Kim’s two (Talisa and Kyra) and Sarah’s two (Gladys and Nellie).

Then on to the Doggy fair in Exeter which had a dog show, activities for the dogs and stalls. It was well laid out so it was easy to get around and the prices of goods were quite reasonable. All the dogs had a go at pass the parcel and finding the sausage.

Then on to Patsy’s to see her and Iona (another of Jenna’s sisters) for a walk and mince pies.

Before finishing up at an exhibition of prints in South Brent.

November

It’s been a quiet few weeks, partly because I’ve had a horrible cold. We haven’t been anywhere new – mainly just our usual visits to Abbetford Woods, Flashdown Woods, Exmouth Beach, Bude beach and Saunton sands.

However, we did visit friends who have just moved to Sidmouth and the girls enjoyed a run on the beach at dusk and we met up with Kim and her two girls at Walkies at Wixenford before having tea at Endsleigh Garden Centre

Birthday weekend – 28th – 31st October

For Jenna and her siblings’ birthday, we spent the weekend away at Quantocks camp site. We had sole use of the BBQ field which meant that we could let the dogs roam free (keeping an eye on them in case they strayed too far) and we had the use of the BBQ hut with all it’s facilities. Two families stayed in glamping units on the site and Patsy and Iona visited us on the Saturday for the day. In total, there were 10 Goldies, all related in one way or another.

The birthday girls and boys had a party with presents, cake and ice-cream.

Kim and I finished the weekend off on Monday by taking our girls to the Sedgemoor Doggy Splash.

12th – 19th October

We met up with Kim (Kyra and Talisa), Jen and Pete (Albert) and Sarah (Gladys and Nellie) at Charwell Dog field in Callington for a hour’s play followed by a lovely lunch at the very dog friendly Manor House Inn at Rilla Mill.

And then again at Siblyback lake two days later on our way to Sennen Cove to celebrate our 42nd anniversary.

We spent 2 nights at the Old Success Inn at Sennen Cove which is just metres from the beach and South West Coast Path.

On our first morning we met a lovely family with their two Golden Retrievers – Luna who is 5 and Millie who is 16 months and the four of them had a great time chasing the ball.

We visited the Lizard, Penlee museum and Art Gallery and Charlestown before returning home.

1st – 6th October

A brilliant visit to Yorkshire to see our son Jack in Leeds.

We started off with two nights in the Bike and Boot hotel at Scarborough (see hotels for review) and spent time on the beach and visited Whitby, coming back over the moors via Goathland (which is Aidensfield in the TV series Heartbeat).

We then moved to Canal Cottage near Skipton (see self-catering for reviews) and spent our first evening having dinner at Jack’s. His Landlord would not allow us to take the dogs into his flat so his colleague Ben and his partner very kindly offered to dog sit for the evening and the girls spent a lovely evening with them.

On Tuesday, we had to pay a return visit to Kibble bakery in Skipton which is still my favourite dog friendly cafe. A second visit on Wednesday was followed by dinner at Bill’s restaurant in Leeds (see Dog friendly pubs and cafes for a review) and then the long drive home on Thursday.

22nd – 25th September

We went away to Briarfields caravan site near Cheltenham (see Caravan sites for what we thought) with Kim (and Kyra and Talisa) and were joined by Jen and Pete (with Albert) and Karen and Tim (with Lenny). We traveled into Cheltenham on the bus and had a wander around the shops and a picnic in a little park. The amount of attention the dogs got was amazing – so many people wanted to stop and say hello. We had coffee at a lovely dog friendly cafe – The coffee dispensary (see dog friendly cafes and pubs for details)

21st September

Very proud of Morwenna who passed her Kennel Club Good Citizen Silver award.

8th – 14th September

A very busy week – we were away in the motorhome at Riverside caravan park in South Molton for 4 nights. Kim (with Talisa and Kyra) were with us and Jen and Pete (with Albert) were staying close by.

We went to Barnstaple on Saturday (see dog friendly cafes for a couple of new ones) and then on Saturday we had a surprise party for Chris’ 74th birthday and Callum and Jay (with Jeff and Harry) and Callum and Kate (with Fin) joined us for that. Kim had ordered a shirt for Chris which had pictures of Morwenna and Jenna on it which looks really good. The dogs enjoyed some home made doggy ice-cream.

On Sunday we went to Lymouth and Lynton, taking the cliff railway between the two.

Then on Monday, we drove to Maer Road car park in Exmouth where you can park motorhomes for £11 for 24 hours and there are special motorhome spaces. Kim and I took Talisa, Kyra, Morwenna and Jenna to the donkey sanctuary at Sidmouth and we finished the day with fish and chips on the promenade.

On Tuesday morning Patsy joined us for an early morning swim in the sea.

And finally, On Wednesday, Jenna took the test for the Kennel Club good citizen’s silver award and passed!

29th August – 5th September

A couple of new walks – Skaigh wood and Ludwell Valley Park (see Devon walks and attractions) and a Cornwall and Devon Goldie meet up at Charwell dog fields near Callington. The girls had a great time despite the rain and the owner’s parrot took rather a fancy to Chris.

22nd – 27th August 2022

We started the week with a meet up with two people from out local dog walking group at pooches paddock in Copplestone. The dogs had a great time and played together well.

Then on Tuesday we met a local couple who have a 20 week old Goldie Cass, along with two border terriers. They felt that Cass was getting a bit boisterous for the smaller dogs and wanted her to have the opportunity to play with some other Goldies. We had a lovely walk around Simmons park followed by coffee at the Pavilion cafe.

On Wednesday they both had obedience training – they are working towards the Kennel Club good citizen silver award and then on Thursday we took them to Exmouth early in the morning for a run on the beach.

8th – 14th August 2022

On Monday we met up with Elspeth, Chris and their Golden Retriever George who were down on holiday. The dogs had a lovely run on Exmouth beach early in the morning.

Then on Thursday 11th we traveled to Pineapple Farm campsite near Bridport to spend 3 nights with our friend Kim and her Goldies Kyra and Talisa with visits from Jen and Pete with Jenna’s brother Albert.

The site is adult only and very friendly and despite the heat, the dogs had a great time including a visit to the nearby cider farm for a picnic and music while relaxing in the orchard in the shade.

1st – 7th August 2022

Well that was an interesting week!

On Monday we met up with Jen and Pete with Albert (Jenna’s brother) who were on their way back from Cornwall. We had breakfast with them then we all went for a walk at Abbeyford Woods

Then on Tuesday we met up with Patsy and Iona (Jenna’s sister) at Barkers unleashed in Brixham followed by coffee at Lupton House cafe.

On Thursday we set off with Kim and Kyra (Jenna’s Mum) and Talisa (Jenna’s Gran) for Woodland Springs touring park. We ended up only staying there for about 3 hours so Kim came back to our place and stayed the weekend here. We went To Exmouth on Friday, Dartmoor on Saturday and Sedgemoor Doggy Splash on Sunday so all in all a lovely week for all of us.

25th – 30th July 2022

At the start of the week we spent 2 days at Waterrow touring park – an adult only park with wonderful facilities especially for dogs. The girls spent a lot of time in the river and we used our dog garden for the first time.

On Saturday we met up with Callum, Kate and Fin (Jenna’s brother) at the Field of Dreams. Even more equipment had been added since our last visit and the 3 of them had a fabulous time running around and trying out the new activities – especially the mini ponds.

7th – 18th July 2022

We had a few quiet weeks after Siblyback Lake as Jenna came into season and I had an operation on my foot. But now that we are all back in action we have been out and about again. First, we spent a day with Kim who was staying at Devon Banks Campsite at Kipscombe – a brilliant site we had been to before and where we would have taken the motorhome but we weren’t sure if my foot would be up to it.

Then we took them to Exmouth in the early morning and Jenna swam out to me – Morwenna will still not willingly go out of her depth although she enjoys swimming once she is in the water.

Then this week Jenna passed her Kennel Club good citizen bronze award.

And then this weekend, Kim came to stay with Kyra and Talisa as it was too hot to take the dogs away in our motorhomes as we had planned, and we took them for early morning walks at Fingle Bridge and Abbeyford Woods.

10th – 13th June Siblyback lake camping trip

Those of you who have followed me for a while will be aware that Kim, who bred Jenna (our youngest) set up a chat group for the owners of all the puppies from Kyra’s last litter. As a result, we have all become good friends and this weekend we all (except Karen who had to drop out at the last minute) met up at Siblyback for the weekend. All except one couple camped and we had a fantastic time. The weather was a bit hit and miss – sunny one minute, cold and windy the next – hence the woolly hats and dry robes. We were very grateful for the shower block which has a large foyer which proved ideal for the evening although it was somewhat of a surprise to the other campers on the site to discover it filled with people and Golden Retrievers. There were 14 people and 13 dogs spread across 8 pitches and we were joined by more on Saturday morning for a Cornwall and Devon meet up.

29th – 31st May trip to Kipscombe campsite near Exmoor.

We spent 3 nights at this small adult only site with our friend Kim who has Kyra (Jenna’s mum) and Talisa (Jenna’s gran). It was Kyra’s birthday so she had presents and they all had ice cream, doggy chocolate and cakes.

We had a really relaxing time, did some training and had an agility lesson.

21st May, Cornwall and Devon Golden Retriever meet up, Callington

Brilliant meet up of 66 Golden Retrievers using all 3 fields at Charwell Dog Adventures (see dog fields for more info). Morwenna and Jenna had a great time, spending most of their time in the Splash field.

13th – 15th May, Riverside Caravan Park, South Molton

Kim came in her motorhome with Kyra (Jenna’s Mum) and Talisa (Jenna’s gran); and Jen and Pete rented a static caravan for themselves and Albert (Jenna’s brother) for the weekend. We had a great few days, especially the BBQ at Jay and Callum’s place on Exmoor with their two dogs Jeff and Harry (Jenna’s brother).

Sunday 8th May – Morwenna family meet up.

We met up at the George V playing fields in Exeter to celebrate the life of Poppy (Morwenna’s gran) who sadly died recently. Morwenna’s brother Buzz was there as well as several half brothers and sisters.

29th /30th April Overnight at Black Rock

We spent the night, along with Kim (Jenna’s breeder) and her dogs at Black Rock beach camp site, Widemouth Bay near Bude.

The beach is dog friendly all year round and we were joined by Dee and 3 of her six dogs for a swim on Friday evening and again by her and another of her dogs for breakfast on the Saturday.

Absolutely perfect trip – the first time Kim and I had used our wetsuits and we loved it. Dee’s dogs enjoyed swimming with their Mum in the sea and we managed to get the four of us plus the 7 dogs in the motorhome for a cup of tea afterwards.

We met up with Jenna’s family and enjoyed a great walk. They enjoyed the mud spa but fortunately cleaned up with a swim in the river. By the time we had relaxed over tea and biscuits in the sunshine, they had dried off and their coats were looking gorgeous.

To see the video of them swimming see my YouTube channel Goldies on tour or click here to go direct to the video https://youtu.be/2MxDxwPbg-I

13th April Babbacombe Model Village

We were having our motorhome and gutters cleaned so decided it was best to be out for the day. It’s getting on for 20 years since we last visited Babbacombe model village and on finding it was dog friendly, we decided it was a good place to take Morwenna and Jenna to give them more experience of being under control in busy situations (it was, after all, the school holidays).

We decided to give them some exercise first to work off some energy and booked Haytor Mutt Mayhem field close to the Newton Abbott junction of the A38 for 1/2 hour to give them a good run around.

They were very well behaved in the model village although we did need to keep them under close control, and it was lovely to revisit old favourites and see the new attractions that had been added since our last visit.

2nd April Family meet up, Plymouth

Fabulous run around at Walkies at Wixenford followed by lunch at Endleigh garden centre. 8 people, 8 Goldies (all of whom are related). I think Albert was a bit taken aback at being the only boy – especially as his sisters are all quite feisty!

Lots of laughs, lots of fun – and quite a bit of reaction as we took the dogs through the garden centre.

23rd March Okehampton and District Canine society

Jenna started working towards her Kennel Club Bronze award. She behaved pretty well – especially on the ‘Wait’ and ‘Stay’.

19th March Cornwall and Devon Golden Retriever meet up

Dee had arranged to book a couple of fields at Mapowders secure dog field near Bude. Although it was very windy, the dogs had a great time playing and we warmed up with coffee at Homeleigh garden centre opposite which has a dog friendly cafe.

15 – 17th March Hillhead Caravan club site, Brixham

Two fantastic nights away with our friend Kim and her two goldies Kyra and Talisa (Kyra is Jenna’s Mum). On the Tuesday afternoon Sarah came over to the site with her son Ben and her two Goldies – Gladys (Morwenna’s half sister) and Nellie (Jenna’s sister).

On Wednesday we caught the bus into Paignton and despite the miserable day, the dogs had a fabulous run on the beach.

Thursday morning was a trip to Berry Head in brilliant weather followed by the trip home.

8th February – used dog walker for the first time

We were meeting a friend at Clark’s village in Street so Morwenna and Jenna would be left alone for quite a long time. I had previously spoken to Emily Mansfield (paddingpaws.co.uk) and she had visited to meet Morwenna and Jenna and explained how she worked and got all the information she needed. After she had been in she messaged me to let me know how they were and sent pictures of them. It’s lovely to be able to go out in the full confidence that they will have a walk and be left happy.

16th January – Field of Dreams meet up

On the 16th we met up with Finn (Jenna’s brother) for a play date at the Field of Dreams near Launceston. Since our last visit, they have aided a maze which they all enjoyed although Finn, deciding that two entrances were not enough leapt straight over the fence and in to the maze. https://youtu.be/GPTJS_iytE0

3rd – 5th January 2022. Replacement floors – trip to Paignton

We had the rest of our floors changed over to luxury vinyl and as this included our bedroom it seemed sensible to be away while it was done.

We booked into the Travelodge on Paignton sea front which accepts dogs and although it was pretty basic it had everything we needed. We had fish and chips on the Pier followed by toffee sundae and a drink at the Hyde Dendy and then on Tuesday met up with Jenna’s sisters, Mum and Gran plus Morwenna’s half sister Gladys.

On Wednesday we traveled to Weymouth to meet up with a friend from Southampton and Morwenna and Jenna had a great run on the beach.

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