Watching with a nice cuppa tea 🍵 😋 & have to say I've never heard about these tunnels before watching your vlog..very enlightening! shame about the no filming but rules are rules..very relaxed watching & bodes well for a good series..by the way it only dawned on me the other day you've ordered your new campervan locally so that is a very very good idea in my Book..good one 👍 👏
The caves. Shame you weren’t able to film. I reckon you would have done that well. Eltham palace is beautiful. Don’t normally see you driving in London 😮. Nice Chinese food. Thanks both. 👍🧙♂️
Never heard of those tunnels and looked an interesting tour - if ever you are Liverpool way they do a tour taking you to all the car tunnels and the whole history - really interesting Thanks for producing
Can't believe we never knew about the tunnels/caves..seems like the sort of thing everyone should know about. Some interesting features in the 'palace' and the gardens looked lovely. Epping forest is good for reptiles apparently although we've never been. Take care and safe, happy travels x
Cor how that has changed, I went there years ago,, it was a dump. The ticket office was a shed., they filmed Doctor Who there at some point , very interesting
Fun to see Eltham Palace. Originally from Eltham I always loved the history of Eltham. Being the largest and most frequented royal residence in the 1300s. Always sparked my imagination of what it must have been like.
Hari OM Loved the look at Eltham house... but you can keep those caves! (Though I do appreciate the history, of course.) Looking forward to seeing where all you got to. YAM xx
Live very close to Eltham Palace ( you drove past the end of my road!) , it's a hidden treasure. The round entrance is my favourite part. Sorry you were bored Ken, it did look hot. The house has a fascinating history as the childhood home of Henry VIII. We go on school trips there regularly and particularly enjoy the gardens for a picnic. As for Chislehurst Caves, scary place, my 7 year old son was terrified and screamed the place down! Enjoyed this vlog, thank you.
Wish we could have filmed in the caves, the guide was really good. Eltham Palace has been on our to do list as members of English Heritage for ages. It was a fascinating mix of the historic old building and art deco.
What a lovely interesting video a lot of history with it. Really like your videos each week. Hope your feeling better Carol now. See you both next time😊
Lovely vidéo. Beautiful estate, thank you for sharing. We love to ride along with you. You give us the opportunité ti see beautiful places in England and abroad that we Will never Get to see otherwise. Love your little Red camper, would take it anytime. We are in a Grand Caravan with à Roadloft kit. It permits us to travel, especially at 76, 79. Keep up the good work. Happy trails.
And one of the members of the Courtauld family, William Julien, was a very high profile character here in Braintree. He had a massive factory and built houses for his employees (not very attractive, flat roof, blocks) plus a hospital which became a maternity hospital, alas now no more (housing estate). I haven’t been through the Blackwall Tunnel for very many years now but was my local go-through to the south of the river from Walthamstow in the days before the QEII Bridge. So much has changed!
Complete change of topic.... you have a clear parking reciept holder for the wondowscreen so it doesn't get covered in condensation. Can I ask where you get them from please?
Thanks for sharing guys . I used to travel through London when I stayed in Lutton and worked in I think it was Healy on Thames ,probably spelt it wrong. 😀 . But I don't miss going through London traffic.
Monday afternoons are usually the best time to drive, particularly on that route northbound through the Blackwall Tunnel. It's a strange phenomenon as anyone who drives for a living will agree (and I live in Nottingham, but drive all round the country) that Monday Mornings and Friday Afternoons are not the best driving times, and yet the flip side of that - Friday Mornings and Monday Afternoons are. It's generally to do with commuters heading to and from work at weekends, that the roads differ. And most accidents happen during the rush hour, and usually in the outside lane of Motorways and dual carriageways. So best advice for holidaymakers is to set off on Friday morning rather than afternoon.
You were in my patch. I live in Loughton, on edge of Epping Forest. The forest is the saving grace of the area. Can't say the same for all the potholes besetting local roads at the moment. Just having to have my suspension repaired and it is not cheap. Don't know where our tax money goes. Take care you two. Love Linda
Looking forward to your latest series of vlogs, especially Eltham Palace. I used to go there regularly when I worked on the Sleeper train from Aberdeen to London. Art Deco Masterpiece
That was great!!! Thank you. I will bet the palace turned Art Deco Estate (Eltham Palace?) was absolutely stunning when the owners were still there! If they brought a Lemur home, you KNOW they had treasures from around the world in that place and in the gardens. Maybe those pieces are in museums around the UK now. Maybe some were returned to the country of origin. Some private bequeaths, as well. I should have done my homework instead of theorizing but I have never studied up before one of your videos before. I will certainly do some now but I tend to go down these rabbit holes and would forget to return and comment. That was absolutely brilliant and I am going to add both of those places to a not yet created list of things I would like to see when I visit the UK. I am also fascinated by the caves and I would love to have a cave home hidden behind a small cabin or hidden underneath, under the floor. I am NOT a spelunker but would like the security of a home that no one knew existed. My psyche is showing. Sorry about that!
Well we are pleased it sparked your interest. Actually there was a secret door into the caves. It led from a house above ground and the man used to grow mushrooms in one of the tunnels 👍
I loved the house, nice to see a more modern style just for a change. How hot is considered 'boiling' in England? I woke up to 6 inches of snow in Utah, USA today. Spring! I also loved the background music, beautiful, almost haunting.
@@LifeistooshortCK I have a solar panel on the roof, don't know it's capacity but it is at least 100 watts. Two 95 amp hour gel batteries in the van, which i will probably change to lithium ion phosphate when they eventually degrade. I have just bought an ecoflow delta 2 and a dokio 200 watt portable solar panel. I am going to Bridlington for a few days in the van. My plan is to not use the hook up but instead as a trial, connect the ecoflow to the van hook up inlet, with the ecoflow fed from the 200 watt solar panel. and the van fed as well from the roof solar panel. If all goes well, I am hoping to save hook up fees and increased site metered electricity charges completely, as well as using the set up as a feed for off grid. I have also bought an 1800 watt limited electric kettle, to suit the ecoflow max load but have a gas kettle as a back up if the electric kettle is using too much electricity ? My storage capacity using 1/2 the gel batteries capacity plus the ecoflow is about 2.2 kwhrs.
Lithium is the answer. It can drink every drop of power all the way up to 100% charge so we nearly always end the day at 100%. We drive most days so that helps. I bought an Ecoflow Delta Pro in case of power cuts this winter to keep my freezer going. It’s good but I hate the noise of the fan when charging/discharging. I experimented at home doing all our cooking on it, cups of tea etc but it always ran out before everything was done. Not taken it in our NV200 as not enough room but will integrate it into the next van 👍
Carol & Ken, I’d really appreciate your advice on one thing - freshening up in the morning. Personally, I don’t feel human unless I have a shower every day. If I were in a van like yours, I’d have to do the next best thing: wash my hair every morning. Even that can’t be easy in a small van, by the side of the road or in a city, while trying not to be seen. In contrast, you seem to survive with a rub down. My question: Of course we are all different but do you feel as I do (needing a shower every day at home) but you compromise in the van because you have to? Or do you not feel the need, at home, to have a shower every morning (if you don’t mind me asking)? I am wondering if you cope with a rub down because you are different to me or if you are similar but simply compromise because you have to. The reason I ask is that I’m looking at buying a van and whether to have one with an internal shower has massive repercussions (space, design & cost). Incidentally, I feel no need for a toilet (yet most people want that rather than a shower). I will of course hire a van without a shower to see how I feel on the road but I would still appreciate your advice. Thanks.
It’s a good question. I will answer from my point of view (Ken) and perhaps Carol will add hers later. I have never felt the need to shower everyday but I shower quite often at home. I believe you simply don’t need a shower to keep clean in the van as a flannel wash can keep you smelling fresh. The critical thing is to steam your cloths otherwise they will soon smell bad and so will you if you use them. I have very short hair so washing that is very easy with a flannel and ordinary soap. Most days though I just use water. One thing a shower is good for is hanging wet clothes. We did that all the time in our caravan. Now we have adapted. Umbrellas really help to keep our coats fairly dry but we also tend to avoid getting soaking wet. No need to hire a van without a shower. Adopt the flannel routine at home for a week and see how you get on with it. It will be just the same in the van. Of course this only really matters if you wild camp. Campsites provide showers and you don’t have to lug the water around. To use showers on the road you will be forever filling up the tank and dragging a lot of unnecessary weight around. One thing I should add is if you are considering going full time then you need it all. Ability to stand up, shower, decent toilet system.
Hi, Carol here. I do shower every day when at home. When we are in the van, an all over body rub with a hot flannel is just as good as a shower and I never feel dirty. Having short hair I can get by with only washing it once a week and I don’t bother with a hair dryer. I would much rather have useable space in my campervan than a shower/toilet room. My opinion will probably change as I get older and I can see us getting a motorhome with a fixed bed and shower room with toilet one day 😊
@@LifeistooshortCK Thank you so much for replying, Carol. One difference between you and many other CZcamsrs is that you reply to questions. It is very much appreciated as we can benefit from your considerable experience. Thanks again.
How does one pay for road , bridge, and and tunnel taxes. If I come over with my motorhome what routes are best? Here we use a little electronic gadget that pulls the money straight from our account. So easy.
I believe most of them you can pay for online now within 24 hours. The only major toll road is the M6 between junctions 3a and 11a (27 miles) which you pay for by card or prepaid TAG, no cash accepted.
It seems like all the cave attractions are going the way of no filming. Kents Cavern in Devon is the same. Probably best to call and check some attractions, if you go specifically to film.
That area of London did you have to pay congestion charge? I only live 36 miles from London but can't remember the last time I went 🤔 Hope you are both feeling well now.👍
I SHOULD have done my homework, this time, before I commented. Just as I cannot imagine handing my house to someone, even or especially the King, (I did not live during that time period and am too far removed from that mindset) it also failed to occur to me that one would buy a palace and then build a house next to it and then just move. They moved from there to Scotland and then to Zimbabwe. So they would have taken their treasures with them. Not only am I too far removed from the politics of 1300’s England as well as being personally acquainted with a King or Queen but I have no concept of having the wherewithal to build an estate next to a palace and then abandon it. No more theorizing on this one. I’m not on the same planet, orbit or universe.
Lovely to see the sunshine ,great video thanks😊
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Good to see Carol sounds a tad better.. another good video, thanks for sharing.
Cheers
Great video to start the new series with.... thanks for sharing
Cheers Lee 🙂👍
Getting caught up ,love your journey. Elaine from Queensland,Australia.
Thanks for watching, Elaine 🙂❤️
I love your pink t-shirt Charlie
Thank you 😊
Cool
Watching with a nice cuppa tea 🍵 😋 & have to say I've never heard about these tunnels before watching your vlog..very enlightening! shame about the no filming but rules are rules..very relaxed watching & bodes well for a good series..by the way it only dawned on me the other day you've ordered your new campervan locally so that is a very very good idea in my Book..good one 👍 👏
We had never heard of the tunnels either until researching for this trip last year! Yes, we definitely wanted to get the van locally 🙂👍
Eltham was the home of HenryVIII when he was a child
Love the Kiwi on your shirt it looks very NZ 😊
It is!👍
The caves. Shame you weren’t able to film. I reckon you would have done that well. Eltham palace is beautiful. Don’t normally see you driving in London 😮. Nice Chinese food. Thanks both. 👍🧙♂️
Cheers 👍
Hi guys. Hope Carol is well again.😊
Much better. 1 more week 👍
Always enjoyable to watch.
Thanks 👍
O went to music sessions in the caves in 60s.
The Couthaulds money was made from the carpet industry. Mum & Dad always had Courthaulds carpets.
Glad to bring back some memories for you ☺️
Shame they don't let you film in the caves, but you made the best of it and still very interesting to see👍
The memo app on the iphone is useful in these circumstances but a bit of a pain to edit 😁👍
Ken, you do an excellent job editing and scoring your episodes. Very professional.
Thanks Jay 🙂
This was a lovely episode 😊 Love seeing these stately homes. Looking forward to seeing the whole series. Have a great weekend 🖐
Thank you! You too!
This video had such a relaxed vibe about it. Love your adventures. Mary
Glad you enjoyed it, Mary 🙂
Never heard of those tunnels and looked an interesting tour - if ever you are Liverpool way they do a tour taking you to all the car tunnels and the whole history - really interesting
Thanks for producing
Thanks for watching. Will bear that in mind next time we are up in Liverpool, sounds interesting 🙂👍
Can't believe we never knew about the tunnels/caves..seems like the sort of thing everyone should know about. Some interesting features in the 'palace' and the gardens looked lovely. Epping forest is good for reptiles apparently although we've never been. Take care and safe, happy travels x
Caves were better than I expected 👍
Great video, really enjoy following you guys on your adventures.👍👍👍👍
Thanks 👍
Hi guys, you should definitely consider a trip to Didly squat farm? 😊
Yes that would be fun. We were near to it recently but didn’t realise it 👍
Cor how that has changed, I went there years ago,, it was a dump. The ticket office was a shed., they filmed Doctor Who there at some point , very interesting
Yes a few people have said how much it’s changed 😁👍
Fun to see Eltham Palace. Originally from Eltham I always loved the history of Eltham. Being the largest and most frequented royal residence in the 1300s. Always sparked my imagination of what it must have been like.
Hari OM
Loved the look at Eltham house... but you can keep those caves! (Though I do appreciate the history, of course.) Looking forward to seeing where all you got to. YAM xx
Thanks for watching. Plenty more history to come ☺️👍
O we've driven that route more often than you've has hot dinners!
No payment - I used to work at the side of the tunnel
Live very close to Eltham Palace ( you drove past the end of my road!) , it's a hidden treasure. The round entrance is my favourite part. Sorry you were bored Ken, it did look hot. The house has a fascinating history as the childhood home of Henry VIII. We go on school trips there regularly and particularly enjoy the gardens for a picnic. As for Chislehurst Caves, scary place, my 7 year old son was terrified and screamed the place down! Enjoyed this vlog, thank you.
Wish we could have filmed in the caves, the guide was really good. Eltham Palace has been on our to do list as members of English Heritage for ages. It was a fascinating mix of the historic old building and art deco.
Very interesting never heard of most of the places.
What a lovely interesting video a lot of history with it.
Really like your videos each week.
Hope your feeling better Carol now.
See you both next time😊
Thanks. Carol is well on the mend 👍
Lovely vidéo. Beautiful estate, thank you for sharing. We love to ride along with you. You give us the opportunité ti see beautiful places in England and abroad that we Will never Get to see otherwise. Love your little Red camper, would take it anytime. We are in a Grand Caravan with à Roadloft kit. It permits us to travel, especially at 76, 79. Keep up the good work. Happy trails.
Thank you for watching and good to hear you are both enjoying touring in your van. Happy travels ❤️
Those caves looked amazing. And fun watching your driving round Epping Forest, where I did a lot of my Class One HGV training
Happy days I bet 👍
Chislehurst Caves brings back memories - I took my kids there a couple of times when they were young - no fancy reception centre then !
Glad to bring back some good memories 👍
And one of the members of the Courtauld family, William Julien, was a very high profile character here in Braintree. He had a massive factory and built houses for his employees (not very attractive, flat roof, blocks) plus a hospital which became a maternity hospital, alas now no more (housing estate). I haven’t been through the Blackwall Tunnel for very many years now but was my local go-through to the south of the river from Walthamstow in the days before the QEII Bridge. So much has changed!
Yes nothing stands still for long 👍
Complete change of topic.... you have a clear parking reciept holder for the wondowscreen so it doesn't get covered in condensation. Can I ask where you get them from please?
Carol. Your tee shirt looked like a kiwi. Kia kaha from NZ
We loved our visit to New Zealand. We hope the country is recovering well from that cyclone. Kia Kaha ❤️
Thanks for sharing guys . I used to travel through London when I stayed in Lutton and worked in I think it was Healy on Thames ,probably spelt it wrong. 😀 . But I don't miss going through London traffic.
We were expecting it to be much worse than it was 👍
❤❤❤❤❤
We've been to the Chislehurst caves very interesting, we live in south East London not far from the caves. 😁
Well worth a visit for sure 👍
Monday afternoons are usually the best time to drive, particularly on that route northbound through the Blackwall Tunnel. It's a strange phenomenon as anyone who drives for a living will agree (and I live in Nottingham, but drive all round the country) that Monday Mornings and Friday Afternoons are not the best driving times, and yet the flip side of that - Friday Mornings and Monday Afternoons are. It's generally to do with commuters heading to and from work at weekends, that the roads differ. And most accidents happen during the rush hour, and usually in the outside lane of Motorways and dual carriageways. So best advice for holidaymakers is to set off on Friday morning rather than afternoon.
Good advice Joseph 👍
You were in my patch. I live in Loughton, on edge of Epping Forest. The forest is the saving grace of the area. Can't say the same for all the potholes besetting local roads at the moment. Just having to have my suspension repaired and it is not cheap. Don't know where our tax money goes. Take care you two. Love Linda
My Volvo recently hit a pothole. Damaged the front wheel and both tyres on the nearside. Cost a fortune. 👍
Pot holes, we have the same problem in Canada😂
No one wants to stay where it gets... "a bit lairy". Wise move again guys. 👍🐕🚙
Very true 😁👍
You sold the caves to me, a great day out.
Good. I think showing what they are like will bring more people in to an attraction 😁👍
Looking forward to your latest series of vlogs, especially Eltham Palace. I used to go there regularly when I worked on the Sleeper train from Aberdeen to London. Art Deco Masterpiece
First time for us. Would love to have been a fly on the wall during their glamorous parties 👍
more than a fly!!!!
😁👍 yes that was setting our sights a bit a low
Great vid very interesting 😁
Cheers👍
That was great!!! Thank you. I will bet the palace turned Art Deco Estate (Eltham Palace?) was absolutely stunning when the owners were still there! If they brought a Lemur home, you KNOW they had treasures from around the world in that place and in the gardens. Maybe those pieces are in museums around the UK now. Maybe some were returned to the country of origin. Some private bequeaths, as well. I should have done my homework instead of theorizing but I have never studied up before one of your videos before. I will certainly do some now but I tend to go down these rabbit holes and would forget to return and comment. That was absolutely brilliant and I am going to add both of those places to a not yet created list of things I would like to see when I visit the UK. I am also fascinated by the caves and I would love to have a cave home hidden behind a small cabin or hidden underneath, under the floor. I am NOT a spelunker but would like the security of a home that no one knew existed. My psyche is showing. Sorry about that!
Well we are pleased it sparked your interest. Actually there was a secret door into the caves. It led from a house above ground and the man used to grow mushrooms in one of the tunnels 👍
Chislehurst caves that is
I loved the house, nice to see a more modern style just for a change. How hot is considered 'boiling' in England? I woke up to 6 inches of snow in Utah, USA today. Spring! I also loved the background music, beautiful, almost haunting.
I was just being a wimp. About 27c. 😁👍
An EV post to electric hook up inlet cable would be an ideal addition for times you didn't want to travel that day for battery top up.
Really not necessary with a decent solar panel.
We have never had to plug in our van so far 👍
@@LifeistooshortCK I have a solar panel on the roof, don't know it's capacity but it is at least 100 watts. Two 95 amp hour gel batteries in the van, which i will probably change to lithium ion phosphate when they eventually degrade. I have just bought an ecoflow delta 2 and a dokio 200 watt portable solar panel. I am going to Bridlington for a few days in the van. My plan is to not use the hook up but instead as a trial, connect the ecoflow to the van hook up inlet, with the ecoflow fed from the 200 watt solar panel. and the van fed as well from the roof solar panel. If all goes well, I am hoping to save hook up fees and increased site metered electricity charges completely, as well as using the set up as a feed for off grid. I have also bought an 1800 watt limited electric kettle, to suit the ecoflow max load but have a gas kettle as a back up if the electric kettle is using too much electricity ?
My storage capacity using 1/2 the gel batteries capacity plus the ecoflow is about 2.2 kwhrs.
Lithium is the answer. It can drink every drop of power all the way up to 100% charge so we nearly always end the day at 100%. We drive most days so that helps.
I bought an Ecoflow Delta Pro in case of power cuts this winter to keep my freezer going. It’s good but I hate the noise of the fan when charging/discharging. I experimented at home doing all our cooking on it, cups of tea etc but it always ran out before everything was done. Not taken it in our NV200 as not enough room but will integrate it into the next van 👍
Carol & Ken, I’d really appreciate your advice on one thing - freshening up in the morning.
Personally, I don’t feel human unless I have a shower every day. If I were in a van like yours, I’d have to do the next best thing: wash my hair every morning. Even that can’t be easy in a small van, by the side of the road or in a city, while trying not to be seen.
In contrast, you seem to survive with a rub down. My question: Of course we are all different but do you feel as I do (needing a shower every day at home) but you compromise in the van because you have to? Or do you not feel the need, at home, to have a shower every morning (if you don’t mind me asking)? I am wondering if you cope with a rub down because you are different to me or if you are similar but simply compromise because you have to.
The reason I ask is that I’m looking at buying a van and whether to have one with an internal shower has massive repercussions (space, design & cost). Incidentally, I feel no need for a toilet (yet most people want that rather than a shower). I will of course hire a van without a shower to see how I feel on the road but I would still appreciate your advice. Thanks.
It’s a good question.
I will answer from my point of view (Ken) and perhaps Carol will add hers later.
I have never felt the need to shower everyday but I shower quite often at home. I believe you simply don’t need a shower to keep clean in the van as a flannel wash can keep you smelling fresh. The critical thing is to steam your cloths otherwise they will soon smell bad and so will you if you use them.
I have very short hair so washing that is very easy with a flannel and ordinary soap. Most days though I just use water.
One thing a shower is good for is hanging wet clothes. We did that all the time in our caravan. Now we have adapted. Umbrellas really help to keep our coats fairly dry but we also tend to avoid getting soaking wet.
No need to hire a van without a shower. Adopt the flannel routine at home for a week and see how you get on with it. It will be just the same in the van.
Of course this only really matters if you wild camp. Campsites provide showers and you don’t have to lug the water around.
To use showers on the road you will be forever filling up the tank and dragging a lot of unnecessary weight around.
One thing I should add is if you are considering going full time then you need it all. Ability to stand up, shower, decent toilet system.
Hi, Carol here. I do shower every day when at home. When we are in the van, an all over body rub with a hot flannel is just as good as a shower and I never feel dirty. Having short hair I can get by with only washing it once a week and I don’t bother with a hair dryer. I would much rather have useable space in my campervan than a shower/toilet room. My opinion will probably change as I get older and I can see us getting a motorhome with a fixed bed and shower room with toilet one day 😊
@@LifeistooshortCK Thank you so much for replying, Carol.
One difference between you and many other CZcamsrs is that you reply to questions. It is very much appreciated as we can benefit from your considerable experience.
Thanks again.
How does one pay for road , bridge, and and tunnel taxes. If I come over with my motorhome what routes are best? Here we use a little electronic gadget that pulls the money straight from our account. So easy.
I believe most of them you can pay for online now within 24 hours.
The only major toll road is the M6 between junctions 3a and 11a (27 miles) which you pay for by card or prepaid TAG, no cash accepted.
It seems like all the cave attractions are going the way of no filming. Kents Cavern in Devon is the same. Probably best to call and check some attractions, if you go specifically to film.
Yes I guess they are worried that people may not visit. It works the opposite on us when we see others film places. Makes us want to go.
another good one guys, just subbed yous,
Thanks for the sub!
@LifeistooshortCK no problem you guys stay safe
🙏🌹😃
What reason did they give for no. Filming allowed? That was a very nice looking and healthy wrap.
They didn’t give a reason Larry. 👍
Will you still be putting out your Denmark etc vlogs?
After this series yes 👍
That area of London did you have to pay congestion charge? I only live 36 miles from London but can't remember the last time I went 🤔 Hope you are both feeling well now.👍
No our van was exempt. Much better thanks 👍
No congestion charge but will need to pay ULEZ charge (if car not compliant) if you use the South Circular.
🤍🤍🤍
I SHOULD have done my homework, this time, before I commented. Just as I cannot imagine handing my house to someone, even or especially the King, (I did not live during that time period and am too far removed from that mindset) it also failed to occur to me that one would buy a palace and then build a house next to it and then just move. They moved from there to Scotland and then to Zimbabwe. So they would have taken their treasures with them. Not only am I too far removed from the politics of 1300’s England as well as being personally acquainted with a King or Queen but I have no concept of having the wherewithal to build an estate next to a palace and then abandon it. No more theorizing on this one. I’m not on the same planet, orbit or universe.
😁👍