Through the Midlands to the South

Tuesday, 24^th Sept. :  The heavy mist which rolled in over the hills last night lingered on this morning and was still hanging around when we left Hawes at midday to head east towards York, a slow journey because of the narrow, winding roads along the way, causing several stops to pull off to the side to enable oncoming traffic to pass.  The caravan park almost in the centre of York, where we had hoped to stay, was full but the lady at reception gave us details of 3 others in the area, we chose one about 5 miles south and booked in.  After choosing our site we took a bus ride into the city where we visited Clifford’s Tower, the York Minster, The Shambles and walked along the River Ouse, stopping at a pub for that elusive beer, the one that Mike can’t drink! (He hasn’t found it yet!) Because we missed the last bus back to camp, we took a taxi ride costing 10 pounds, not much more than bus fares for two people!

Another slow morning on Wednesday 25^th, not getting out of bed until 9am!  We’re beginning to wind down now as our travels with Boris are nearing an end for 2013.  After showers and breakfast we strolled down to the river, just behind the caravan park to have a look at the lock.  There is a boat cruise which goes into York from the lock but unfortunately it only operates on weekends.  Still, we’d had a pleasant visit the previous afternoon/evening so weren’t too disappointed in missing out on the cruise. 

Leaving at about 11.30am we headed south to visit the magnificent Brodsworth Hall & Gardens in South Yorkshire.  Built in the 1860s by the fabulously wealthy Charles Thellusson and occupied by his family for over 120 years, the house was left to English Heritage who took the bold decision to conserve the interiors as they were found, rather than restoring them.  It was requisitioned by the army during WWII, the lady of the house was a volunteer nurse in both world wars as was her daughter in the second world war and there are many similarities between the lives of the household and those at ‘Downton Abbey’.  I wonder if the creator of ‘Downton’ was inspired by Brodsworth and/or similar stately homes? 

As has been the case at other attractions, photos are actively discouraged but we compensated by taking zillions of snaps of the glorious gardens.  Definitely a highlight!

After a two hour visit which could easily have taken a lot longer, we hopped on to the motorway for the journey to Hulme End, near Buxton in the Peak National Park.  A heavy haze enveloped us for most of the way which was a pity as once we left the motorway, we drove through stunning scenery which was almost obscured by the haze.  We stayed the night on a farm which caters for campers so apart from the occasional baaa from the resident sheep and moooo from the cattle, it was a very peaceful night.

Thursday, 26^th dawned bright and clear, no sign of haze or mist and the sun shone.  We set off reasonably early to drive through the Peak National Park and stopped at Blaze Farm, a sheep and dairy farm overlooking Wildboarclough Valley, where we had morning tea and sampled their home made yummy, creamy icecream.

It was a long drive then through a couple of counties to Kenilworth in Warwickshire, and a visit to Kenilworth Castle,

whose buildings span more than five centuries and was gifted to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester by Queen Elizabeth 1.  Dudley created a fabulous garden especially for his Queen’s 1575 visit which has been recreated after extensive excavations, research and development.  We stayed there until almost closing time, then went looking for an overnight stopping spot which we have found in Hockley Heath, at a pub in the rear of their very large car park.  As there is no charge to stay here, we thought it only fair that we should take advantage of their two for one meal deal!

Friday, 28^th :  A lot of travel today and a 3 hour visit to the Heritage Motor Centre in

Gaydon, Warwickshire which houses a priceless exhibition of motor cars and provides an insight into the history of Britain’s motor industry.  Mike partook of the Land Rover Experience Demo Ride and was absolutely overawed by it. 

On to the motorway again to Gloucestershire for a visit to Hailes Abbey, a Cistercian Abbey founded in 1246 by Richard Earl of Cornwall, King Henry 111’s brother and Dissolved on Christmas Eve, 1539.

After a wander through the ruins, it was back on the motorway for part of the way to Cheltenham and our overnight camping stop at a top caravan park.  Arriving about 2 seconds after us was a Hampshire couple who’d just taken delivery of their new secondhand motorhome, so we were able to give them lots of friendly advice which they actuall seemed to appreciate! 

It’s Saturday morning now, the 29^th and we’ve just heard the

the very sad news that our AFL football team, the Fremantle Dockers, have lost the Grand Final to Hawthorn …disappointing!!!  Shortly we’ll be heading into Wiltshire to visit friends, staying overnight and tomorrow we will take

Boris to Somerset, where by the end of the week he will go to his winter home to have

A long rest before he does it all again next year.  We’ll be staying with our good friends M & M and after all these months, looking forward to seeing them again.

More to come…..

Lakes District and Yorkshire Dales

Leaving Dumfries on Thurs.19^th in the pouring rain, we drove 8 miles south to New Abbey to pay a visit to the impressive ruins of Sweetheart Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1275 by Dervorguilla of Galloway in memory of her husband John de Balliol, whose embalmed heart was buried beside her when she died – the monks at the Abbey then renamed the Abbey in her honour.

Down the road a little, we detoured off the main road a couple of times, down skinny little lanes to the coast on the Solway Firth, visiting a couple of coastal towns and then headed back to Dumfries with another detour on the way to see the Drumcoltran Tower which has been in the Maxwell Family for hundreds of years. 

After going through Dumfries, our next destination was Caerlaverock Castle, a triangular castle with a real moat! 

A brief stop at Gretna Green Blacksmith'e shop

before leaving Scotland for this green and pleasant land – England!  Down the motorway to Penrith and then into the Lakes District, where we spent the next  four days.  The first night we spent in Pooley Bridge at the northern tip of Ullswater, then we ambled down to Ambleside through the Kirkstone Pass

Stopping at the pub at the top for lunch.

We stayed at Ambleside for the next three nights.

The camp was on the edge of the town where during our stay we went to the cinema, tried out a couple of pubs, patronised the launderette, shopped at Tesco’s, checked out a rock concert on the green, explored the village which was very, very busy all weekend, caught buses to Grasmere, Windermere and Bowness on a 7pound Day Ticket, and took a boat cruise to Bowness on Windermere and wandered through the very, very busy streets before returning to Ambleside with a stop at Brockhole, an adventure playground.  

The boat day, Saturday 21^st, was overcast and misty which gave the lake an ethereal feel, we kept looking for a hand emerging from the water holding a sword but were disappointed…no Lady of the Lake!! 

The bus day, Sunday 22^nd,

was gloriously warm and sunny, with the temperature reaching 21 degrees…we actually sat outside in the afternoon.  It was a lovely, lovely little holiday which we thoroughly enjoyed…Mike and Boris particularly enjoyed the no driving part.

This morning, Mon.23^rd, we left Ambleside and drove to Coniston, stopping for coffee and scones with jam and cream and a walk down to the boat jetty,

then along Coniston Water, stopping when and where we could to take in the scenery and to take photos.  Any one who has visited the Lake District will know how stunningly beautiful it is and how difficult it is to describe that beauty.  Some photos may help…..

Now we are in Yorkshire, in the Dales this time in the town of Hawes.  Quite different from the Lakes, but also beautiful countryside. 

On our arrival here, we strolled down the hill to town for a beer at one of the four pubs…Mike still hasn’t found a beer he can’t drink…but no doubt will continue the search!

Dumfries

Sunday 15^th was an enforced day of rest as the bad weather came in earlier than predicted…Boris rocked and rolled in the strong winds most of Saturday night, it rained heavily all night and continued through much of the day which was spent indoors reading, watching television, sleeping, eating and doing little odd jobs to pass the time.  It was still raining heavily on Monday morning though the wind had eased to very, very light, so we packed and left, had a drive through tour of Oban as we couldn’t see much point in walking around in the rain and headed for Kilmartin, recommended to us by Michelle.  On the way there we stopped to walk the ¾ mile uphill to Carnassarie Castle and we arrived at the very same time as the rain!

          

By the time we reached Kilmartin, it was pelting down so we opted for coffee and cake in the warm and dry café, hoping that it would clear up enough for us to go exploring but no…it just went on and on.  As there had been heavy rain for about 48 hours and the ground was boggy, we really didn’t fancy squishing through the mire getting soaked through so thought we’d just have a look inside the church before moving on.  However, there was a funeral in progress so it was not good timing.  We stopped at Cairnbaan to have a look at the Crinan Canal and then followed the A83 along Loch Fyne to Inverary where we parked Boris and had a wander around the town, as by this time the weather had improved enough for us to venture outdoors, albeit rugged up to keep out the cold and rainjacketed to keep out the now light showers.  As we’ve found in many towns, the Woollen Mills Shop was very busy, with coach loads of tourists flocking in to spend their cash but we managed to resist the temptation. Ther was even a piper outside. 

  On then through the beautiful Argyll Forest Park to Tarbet on the shores of Loch Lomond and about 9 miles down the road, near the village of Luss, we found our overnight free camp site in a parking bay overlooking the lake and settled down for a quiet night.

Tuesday 17^th began with the sun shining feebly and we were hopeful that it would become stronger as the day got older but alas, it was not to be.  We had decided that we would go on a boat trip on Loch Lomond whatever the weather so with that in mind, headed for Balloch, about 8 miles away on the southern tip of the lake, bought tickets for the two hour cruise on the Silver Marlin leaving at 12.30pm and went to the nearby holiday park to book in for the night, returning in time for the cruise.  We began the cruise out on deck but didn’t last long as it was bitterly cold and raining on and off.  Now and then the sun made an appearance so we rushed back outside each time…it was a lovely boat ride, the lake is enormous, 23 miles long and 5 miles wide at its widest and is awesome. 

Returning to the dock, we then walked through a gorgeous park to the Lomond Shores which is a big shopping village and to make  the walk even more enjoyable, the sun came out!  A walk back to the town, beer at the pub and a drive back to the holiday park and that was our day.  Relaxing and most enjoyable.

This morning, which I believe was Wednesday 18^th, we left Balloch and headed to Dumbarton for a visit to the Scottish Maritime Museum to see the Denny Tank, the world’s first commercial ship model experimental tank which we both, but Mike in particular, found very interesting. 

Then on to a distillery in Clydebank…you can’t come to Scotland and not visit a distillery!…after which we made our way south through lovely, lovely farming land with fat, woolly sheep and contented looking cattle, green hills and valleys, little rivers, sunshine, rain, the occasional village, narrow roads and the odd major road, until we reached Dumfries and our camp by the river, in the long term carpark…another freebie!  After a walk through town and a cheap pub meal, we are about to settle down for the night. 

This bit added by Mike: Yesterday was a real winner.

Several times over the last few months the hinges have come loose on Boris’s entry door and I have been able to tighten them each time with an allan key. However they kept on coming loose again and the door threatened to fall off. I spoke to the man in the tourist info who directed me on to an “ironmonger” who turned out to be a little old fashioned hardware shop with a man in an apron greeting us at the door. When I told him I wanted three new screws he went out the back, found some with the right thread and the cut them off to the right length, then charged me the princely sum of 90 pence. I went back and fitted them and adjusted the door and it is now as good as gold. Very happy.

Remember the smashed mirror? I went to a repair shop and they directed me to a spares shop who had nothing but directed me to a “breaker”. After getting lost trying to find them from his directions, I went “online” and found their address. There I met a most helpful chap who went away for quite some time and came back with a mirror that would fit, although not exactly the same, and fitted it for me. Even though I offered he wouldn’t take any money so all in a great day in Boris’s life. 

Falkirk and the Trossachs

Leaving Edinburgh

Fri.13^th Sept :  After taking till midnight to write up the blog, I couldn’t then get to sleep for the best part of some time, going over and over the walk from the castle to Boot’s, trying to figure out how and when my cash was stolen.  It did me no good, I’ll never know…I did eventually fall asleep but slept for only a few hours and while Mike was doing the blog photos after breakfast and showers, I walked in the misty rain to the village post office and to the ATM to extract more cash as I was now broke.  It was midday before we ‘broke’ camp and headed west from Edinburgh towards The Trossachs.  On the way there we paid a visit to and experienced the wonder of the Falkirk Wheel, the World’s first and only rotating boat lift, an awe inspiring 35 metre high structure…see www.falkirkwheel.co.uk for more info.

After spending a couple of hours at the Wheel, we continued on to Aberfoyle, the Gateway to The Trossachs.  Our camp was about 3 miles down the road and after the long day we had yesterday, we both enjoyed a lazy late afternoon and evening.

Sat.14^th Sept :  It was cold this morning, 6 degrees at 6.30am but the sun shone for an hour or two.  We went into Aberfoyle, a lovely little town which was rather busy, mostly at the Woollen Mill Shop by the green where a farmer was putting his border collie through his paces, rounding up a gaggle of geese and then a few random sheep, which was very entertaining.

 The sun was still shining as we drove around the lakes, Achray, Katrine, Venachar and Lubnaig, enjoying the gorgeous scenery and then just after driving through Strathyre, we noticed in the oncoming traffic a car towing a caravan which was encroaching on to our side of the road, didn’t move over and although we were on our side of the road he clipped Boris’s side mirror which shattered when it knocked against the passenger side window.  So now we have a side mirror held in place by duct tape until we can find a replacement and being a weekend, that is not likely to be easy.

We continued on past Loch Earn to the scenic village of Killin and the Falls of Dochart,

where we also chanced upon a wedding

before carrying on towards the west coast, passing Loch Lubhair and Loch Awe on our way to Oban, a very popular and busy town through which we drove to the camp site at Gallanach, a few miles down a narrow road.  The weather forecast for tomorrow is not good, with rain and extremely strong winds predicted (60mph) so we plan to leave early to have a wander around Oban before heading south to see what we can see before we have to find a safe haven.

Further North across Hadrian's Wall and on to Edinburgh

Further North

Mon.9^th Sept :  A lovely sunny morning, though with a chill in the air early on.  We went for a stroll down the high street in Kirmington before heading off to Thornton Abbey, which has an enormous and ornate fortified gatehouse, the largest of all English monastic gatehouses.  Unfortunately, we didn’t read all the details re opening times and found on our arrival that in September, it is only open from Fridays to Sundays.  So…we could see and photograph the gatehouse,

but weren’t able to explore the Abbey ruins…however, there was a picnic spot next to the car park, the sun was shining so we put the kettle on, made coffee and had ourselves a little picnic.

The next stop was Skipsea to see the ‘impressive’ earthwork remains of a big Norman motte and bailey castle, dating from the 1070s, but this was a disappointment as all we could see was a field with mounds of earth which may have been of some interest had we ventured further into the field and managed to dodge the countless cow pats and the cows responsible!  Mike had already stepped in some doggy do which necessitated a major clean up and deodorising in the van!

On then to Scarborough, with a brief stop at the Bempton Cliffs along the way.

By this time, the sun had disappeared from view to be replaced by grey sky and drizzle.  What was a lovely scenic drive was marred a little by the now steady rain but by the time we reached Scarborough, the rain had ceased and the sun had reappeared, though the stiff breeze coming off the water kept the temperature down so jumpers were needed.  There was no disappointment with Scarborough Castle which defends a prominent headland between two bays and offers panoramic views.

We stayed the night in a caravan park on the outskirts of Scarborough, cycled from there to nearby Burniston for a delicious pub meal and returned to camp just before the rain began again.

Tues.10^th Sept : Today was a day of the long drive…heading west along the border of the North York Moors and although it was raining for much of the time, we could still admire and appreciate the stunning scenery.   After negotiating the traffic on the ring road around Middlesborough, we headed north and a little bit west to our camp site at Acomb, near Hexham.  There we spent a quiet night in the woods, not too far from Hadrian’s Wall.

Wed.11^th Sept :  It was a short drive to our first port of call, Chesters Roman Fort and Museum, set in the beautiful valley of the River North Tyne and the best preserved example of a Roman cavalry fort in Britain.  It was one of the series of permanent forts added during the construction of Hadrian’s Wall.  There is so much to see and we happily wandered through the drizzle and the wet grass, totally amazed by the ingenuity of the Romans of almost two centuries ago.

The next was to the Birdoswald Roman Fort which is one of the best places to gain an overview of Hadrian’s Wall at one single site with a Roman fort, turret and milecastle while nearby is the longest continuous stretch of the Wall still visible today.

About five miles down the narrow road is Lanercost Priory, the best preserved of Cumbrian monasteries and our last visit for the day.  After an interesting roam around the impressive monastery ruins and the simple but lovely church,

we began another long drive,  crossing the Scottish border after 6 miles on the motorway which although quick, was ever so slightly boring but from Junction 13 at Abingdon,  we followed the very scenic Clyde Valley Tourist Route so we had our happy faces on by the time we reached our camp site, about 8 miles out of Edinburgh.  It was a long but most enjoyable day.

Thurs.12^th Sept :  A crisp, cool morning.  We set off just after 9am to the nearby bus stop to catch the bus which would take us into Edinburgh.  This journey took about 35 – 40 minutes as the bus stops are only a short distance apart, the streets are narrow and the driver has to negotiate his way through parked cars, stop at numerous traffic lights, pedestrian crossings etc. but we got there!  We went first to the Royal Yacht Brittania at the Ocean Terminal and spent a couple of hours there, including having a light lunch in the tea rooms on board. 

The ship is open to the public, hand held audio devices are supplied and photos are permitted, many of the Royal Family’s personal possessions are on display…it is just awesome.

Returning to the city, we made our way up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle.  It too is totally awesome and we spent most of the afternoon there. 

Towards the end of our fabulous day and by which time all other attractions were closed, we headed back down the hill towards Princes Street to catch the bus ‘home’, stopping at Boots’ to make a small purchase.  On opening my purse to pay for said purchase, I discovered to my horror that there was no money inside…some thieving b…..d had stolen it!  How he/she/they did it I cannot fathom.   Those who know me well know how careful I am with my belongings, I know the cash was there when I made a purchase shortly after leaving the castle, I am absolutely certain I didn’t leave my bag open (I always make sure it’s closed even when I’m at home so the contents won’t fall out if moved),  yet somehow the purse was taken out, emptied and put back without my being aware of it.  It’s very strange, mystifying, I keep asking myself why did he/she/they bother putting the purse back and why did they leave the cards??    Well, I guess the cards are difficult to pull out of their slots in a hurry by why not take the purse and dispose of it later?  It was raining, I was wearing my rain jacket and hood, we stopped twice on the way down at traffic lights which is the only time it could have happened, I think…I’ll never know.   I’m not happy!