Summer road trip 2026

On Wednesday 15th July we left home just before 6pm to begin our journey.  Unable to leave home earlier I was still determined to cover as many miles as i could.  After a very brief stop at Exeter to see Luke and Clair we headed on up the A303.  It was a good road with no holdups.  I was very pleased when we finally went on the M3 and then the M25.

I was amazed at how much traffic was on the M25 but it was still free flowing but they seemed to want to limit it to 50 mph.  Once on the M11 we finally reached our stop for the night.  It was a service station called Birchanger Green   and we were pleased to have reached our stop for the night.  It was just before midnight.

16th July 2026

So here we are at last, fully parked not too far from the arena on Norfolk Showground.  Long Journey but not a bad one, traffic was light and we made good time.  Our milage after the complete journey stands at 18999.  The showground is already looking very full.

So as  you can see from the map the Norfolk showground is huge.  We are camped in the blue area which is quite close to the stalls but a bit of a walk from the entertainment.

We have had a lazy day around the van.  We did go for a walk around earlier to help loosen up Leighs back which has been causing her a lot of pain.  We have put out the awning and now also the windbreak.  It will give us some outdoor private space.

We managed to crack the best kept secret tonight in finding the evening entertainment.  Its going to be a Rock and Roll evening.

We had two bands.  As it was a rock and roll night it was very high energy and really very good but of course you do tend to get some duplication.

Friday 17th July 2026

So after another very good sleep we got up and had a shower.  After breakfast we decided to tour the varous stalls and were surprised at the number of Vans and Motor Homes that were displayed.  Lots of second hand ones as well.  We saw a 2008 Auto-trail Delaware that was going for £35,995.  

We have thrown caution to the wind and made what can only be described a massive purchase.  We bought 10 heavy duty tent pegs for our new windbreak.

Here we have a photo of Sheila Mark 2. Perfection comes at a price.  Due to her inability to eat too much of the wrong things a simple bi product of this has been significant weight loss.  What we are left with is a slimmer more healthy looking Leigh.  

So the entertainment tonight starts with Sharlene Spitari who used to sing in the group Texas but is now in her own tribute band Ultimate Texas.  She was okay but no better than that.

The Britt Pop Boys

This was a group of lads with lots of energy and a good choice of music from the 1990,s and 2000.  I was surprised at how much I liked them but of course they were performing the best songs of their era.

Saturday18th July 

Woke up quite late this morning to a grey sky and a nip in the air.  It rained a little bit just before we went into the big top for our lunchtime music.

This was by a duo called the 'Beale Street Brothers.  They were high energy Rock and Roll and very good.  They really got the crowd going and my only critism of them was that the singer spent a lot of the time singing to his brother on the organ with his back to 50% of the audience.  

Having said that we both thought they were great.

Although the day started out dull and grey the sun has now come out and we are taking advantage of our outdoor space.  Sitting down with a good book and a Pimms seems just right.

So the wind has picked up a bit and we have been a little worried about the awning.  At first i tried several times to get a screw anchor into the ground but the earth is too dry with too many stones so we had to by a different one that can be hammered into the ground.  We have finally got our new storm straps in place.

The rachet allows you to tighten the strap and the spring gives just enough movement to prevent something snapping.  I am very proud of my work and now feel confident nothing nasty is going to surprise me with a sudden gust of wind.

So the entertainment for this evening starts with DMF who are into techno and anthems.  I am sure they are very good but just in the wrong place.  Considering most of the audience is 60 plus the music does not seem to quite grab their attention.  We did however get a very short exert of 'no,no,no theres no limit.

The next act is a lady who had a few hits in the 90,s called Angie Brown.  She is from south London with the accent that goes with it.

She knows how to work an audience but the music is just not us.  It would be more suited to a disco.  Still we all have our own likes and dislikes.

This group is called Disco Classical.

This next group were just a bit bizarre.  They had four girls with violins and then two in bikinis.  These two did nothing but dance.  They played disco music and there must have been at least a dozen of them.

We stayed for a while but then decided it was not worth having a late night so left.  The evenings entertainment was a real disapointment however I did find somewhere to plug in and charge the scooter,  so not all bad. 

Sunday 19th July 2026.

We have had a walk around and are now in the big top waiting for the lunchtime entertainment. 

River Rea Duo

Just listened to the first set and now they have gone off for a quick break.  These lads have a lot of energy and are using it well. Their music is mainly 80's like Madness and Bad Manners.  They are very good so we will stay for the next set.

This is the last evenings entertainment we will have here as we will be leaving here tomorrow.  The first group on is going to be the outsiders.

They are a rock and roll band singing songs from the 50's.

So this is a tribute band called Complete Madness, I think the clue is in the title.  I am looking forward to this group as I expect them to be very good.