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!

Travelling North

Thurs.5^th Sept:  It was nearly noon when we left Aldeburgh this morning after long, hot showers (usually shower time is limited and not always hot so we made the most of them) and a cycle ride into town to visit the Royal National Lifeboat Association.

One of the volunteers showed Mike over the lifeboat even though members of the public are not permitted on board which made Mike’s day. 

On then to see an English Heritage property nearby, the ruins of Leiston Abbey before taking a detour to the seaside town of Southwold but as the place was chokkers with cars and people, no room for Boris, we did a u-turn and hightailed it out of there.  We pulled in to a snack bar along the road and bought a hot dog, a bacon sandwich and mugs of hot chocolate for lunch which was very naughty of us as it’s not exactly health food and we usually make our own lunches, but it was good!

From there we drove on to Reedham on the River Yare, which flows into Great Yarmouth.  After driving down the narrowest of roads, we came to a ferry crossing where for two pounds, (it should have been four but Mike talked the ferryman into dropping the price!) we were carried across by a chain ferry

 to the other side where we booked into the camping ground for the night, then went on a bike ride to the town, about a mile away.  Then back to the pub by the campsite for a quiet beer while watching the boats go by.

Fri.6^th Sept :  Overcast this morning, some drizzle after raining through the night and we left camp at 9.30ish for the drive to Wroxham where we planned to ride on the Bure Valley Railway to Aylsham and back, a 45 minute each way journey through farming country.

It was an enjoyable ride but we didn’t go into the town as it was too far from the station to walk there and back in the 40 minutes we had before the return…we had opted for the round journey as we wanted to be back in Wroxham for the 2pm boat cruise on the River Bure and Wroxham Broads.  The sun had come out for the train trip but by the time we returned to Wroxham, it was drizzling again, but not for long and we enjoyed the 2 hour boat cruise

…a lovely, lovely relaxing day, ending with a night in the car park of the Fur & Feather Inn, a thatched pub in Woodbastwick in the Norfolk Broads, next door to the Woodforde’s Brewery.

Many English pubs allow motorhomes to stay overnight in their carparks…the motorhomers will usually by drinks and/or meals in the pub as a sort of payment but it’s not always a requirement.

Sat.7^th Sept : On our stroll into the little village after breakfast, we stopped at the Forge and chatted to the smithy,

a retired gentleman who no longer makes a living from his craft but enjoys doing small jobs as a hobby.  We inspected the church and the few houses in the village…only 5 are privately owned, the rest are the property of the ‘lord of the manor’

…and stopped to talk to the smithy again on our way back.  His mate turned up and we had a very lively conversation with the two of them.  We were invited to stay for coffee but we had places to go so said our farewells and departed, heading north to Cromer, then along the coast  to the pebbled beach at Weybourne, a brief stop at the Muckleburgh Collection  followed by a visit inland to Binham Priory, another English Heritage site and close by, Creake Abbey where a young, newly wed couple was having photos taken. 

Back to the coast road then, stopping at Castle Rising Castle ruins, but as there was only 15 minutes left till closing time, we had to do a very quick tour, so unfortunately not able to see it all. The caravan camps at Sandringham were both full, there is some big fair on this weekend so probably not a good time to visit the Queen’s summer house which was disappointing, so we pushed on, finding a quiet camp at a place called Foreman’s Bridge where we spent a quiet night.

Sun.8^th Sept :  I think we crossed into Lincolnshire late yesterday, not sure where the border is.  It was sunny this morning but with a chill wind so warmer clothes than we’ve been used to were needed.  A very happy day was spent visiting the Sibsy Trader Windmill, climbing up the steep steps to the top,

then the remains of Bolingbroke Castle, a 13^th century hexagonal castle, birthplace of King Henry IV

and then off the track a little to spend a couple of hours at the Claythorpe Watermill and Wildfowl Gardens

before resuming our day’s travels.  We are now in Kirmington, I think still in Lincolnshire or North Lincs., and are parked at the rear of the Marrowbone & Cleaver Inn for the night.  The pub has closed for the night, and so will I!

Ferry to England

Tues.3^rd Sept. :  We made good time this morning, arriving in Hook of Holland at just after 11a.m by taking a short cut which involved a small ferry accross the Nieuwe Waterweg

 …the roads were good, the sky was blue and the sun shining…a glorious day, perfect for a ferry crossing across the North Sea.  After collecting our tickets from the office and placing Boris in the queue, we bought fish and chips from the imbiss on the docks, recommended to us by the lady in the ticket office and scoffed them before checking in began at 12.30p.m.  We were on board by 1.00pm, only an hour and a half before sailing time! 

The ferry, Stena Hollandica, is only 3 years old and is a lovely, comfortable ship, with a cinema, restaurants and bars, childrens’ play areas including an enclosed area on deck for ball games, comfortable chairs and cabins for the night crossings.  The actual crossing took about 4 hours or so, it took about ¾ hour to clear the harbour and at the Harwich end, well over an hour to cruise up to and dock at the international terminalfor a total of six hours.  It was a quiet, smooth crossing, the sea was calm and it was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.  On arrival at Harwich,

 remembering to drive on the left, we made our way to nearby Dovercourt where we camped overnight and the owner gave us a 50% discount on seeing our boat ticket. 

Wed.4^th Sept. :  On the way to the Norfolk Broads this morning, we detoured to follow a couple of signs which we thought might lead us to somewhere interesting and came to Stonham Barns, a leisure & retail village, with a golf course, showgrounds, a caravan park and a lovely tea shop where we had coffee and homemade cake and scone.

as well as garnering useful local information from the proprietress and a Yorkshire couple at the next table.  Continuing on, we came to the town of Framlingham and spent a while exploring the late 12^th century Framlingham Castle,

for more than 400 hundred years the residence of the earls and dukes of Norfolk and the place where Mary Tudor was proclaimed Queen of England in 1553. 
Mike decided to join "English Heritage" Which,although a bit expensive, gives us freeentry into hundreds of sites around the UK. A good tip for fellow travellers.
From there it was a short drive on  B road to the seaside town of Aldeburgh,

where we decided we’d stay the night.  Once we’d booked in to the caravan park, we cycled along the coastal path into the town but didn’t join the queue for fish and chips,

which this morning’s acquaintances had told us was simply ‘the best’.  Back to base for bbq dinner, wash up and off to bed.  It is very enjoyable to speak in English after nearly five months of trying to converse in several other languages. We can now finally watch our TV and understand what they are saying! We have scant info on the news of the world and that’s the way we like it. Except

GO DOCKERS1

Last Days on the Continent

Sun.1^st September :  The drive to Brugge this morning was a bumpy one, due to the roads, including a motorway, being less than good, so it was also slower than it should have been, not that we were in a hurry.  On leaving Eeklo, we noticed that one of the side streets was closed off for a ‘flea’ market so we stopped to have a look…didn’t buy anything but it was interesting to see what people had to sell.  We arrived in Brugge and settled in to the camp site, just behind Mark and Mireille from Melbourne who have been travelling in Europe since April and we enjoyed swapping stories with them before cycling into town, a short distance away.  It was very busy, many tourists but we happily strolled around taking photos of the lovely old buildings, canals etc.

We also visited Historium Brugge, a clever recreation of Brugge in the middle ages.  We swapped more stories with Mireille and Mark in the evening, they’ve been to places we haven’t visited yet and vice versa so we were able to exchange information. 

Mon.2^nd September :  We were hoping for a better road out of Brugge this morning and it was, but only marginally…until we reached the Netherlands border when as if by magic it was smooth and comfortable.  We travelled about 120 kms today, driving through the 6.6km long Westerscheldetunnel into Zeeland, over the Zandkreekdam, across the Zeelandbrug causeway

and then across the Brouwersdam to our resting place for our last night in Europe, a camping place near Ouddorp.  Holland has a series of dams, dikes, bridges, tunnels, car ferries and canals which bring the country together and help to make travelling here interesting and we have a couple more to cross tomorrow on our way to Hook of Holland where we will board the afternoon ferry to Harwich.  From there, we plan to head north to Scotland, via the Norfolk Broads and wherever else takes our fancy.  We’re looking forward to being in an English speaking country again, although the Brits and Scots are sometimes hard to understand…and they sometimes have a little difficulty with our Australian accents would you believe?  Still, we’ll be able to read the signs and the menus!

Amsterdam to Hoek Van Holland

Antwerp

Thurs.29^th August:  Leaving Amsterdam on Wednesday morning, we headed south for a little town called Gorinchem, our chosen overnight stop.  As we only travelled about 75 kms, we were there before midday and as we crossed the canal into the town, and Mike successfully squeezed Boris through the skinny streets along which many cars had been parked, just to make life difficult, we were looking forward to settling in and pedalling into the town centre to explore what seemed to be a delightful little village. But…on reaching the yacht harbour camp site, we discovered to our dismay that there was no room for us, camp full!! Disappointment!!  Out came the map and the Camperstop book to peruse and choose an alternate destination.  The streets were so narrow in the town and on the outskirts, there was nowhere to leave Boris while we went exploring so we squeezed our way out again, managing to take a couple of photos on the way

and rejoined the traffic on the motorway heading towards Antwerp, stopping for fuel for Boris and fuel, I mean lunch, for us before leaving the main road for a short drive to the yacht harbour at Etten-Leur.  (There’s a pattern here…we have found camper friendly sites at several boat harbours recently…we like them).

What we thought was a small town, on an investigative bike ride turned out to be quite large, mostly residential with countless apartment blocks in the centre of town, but what do all the people who live there do?

We spent a very relaxing, quiet and peaceful afternoon and night at Etten-Leur.

This morning we drove across the border into Belgium and on to Antwerp, about an hour away from Etten-Leur, settled in to the campsite on the edge of the city, and cycled in. It is easy to get around on bicycles here in Europe, especially in Holland, Germany and Belgium as the cyclist is well catered for with an abundance of dedicated cycle paths which are mostly flat, no big hills to climb and they even have their own traffic lights!  Motorists are courteous to cyclists who seem to have the right of way…it wouldn’t happen in Australia!  We rode right into the centre and enjoyed the ride although it was a bit hairy with the trams, cars and other cyclists, all of whom knew where they were going and are supremely confident in the traffic…not like us novices.  After locking up the bikes, we roamed around taking in the sights and actually enjoyed being in another big city. It was busy but not too crowded, which is probably why we enjoyed it, the weather is lovely at the moment, which adds to the enjoyment and we returned ‘home’ happy to have visited Antwerp.

Friday, 30^th August :  To begin with, it was a slow departure from Antwerp this morning as the motorway was down to one lane due to road works,

but we arrived at our next stop, Eeklo, at 1-ish and after lunch ventured into the town to check out train timetables at the railway station and to visit the supermarket for supplies.  The town is quite large and busy, a little run down but then it’s not a tourist town

and fortunately for us, most of the lovely Belgian people we’ve met speak English.  I say fortunately because the language, which I assume is Flemish in these parts, is totally indecipherable to us, unlike French, German and Italian because we have a sort of working knowledge of each and with the help of dictionaries, can usually figure out what road signs and menu items mean. 

Saturday,31^st August :  This morning was very overcast, with heavy black clouds hovering so we packed the rain-jackets before cycling to the station via one of the town’s cafes for coffee, which was served with a mini muffin, yum.  At the next door café, there was some sort of celebration going on…a young man dressed in a jester’s costume was ‘singing’ to a group of customers to the accompaniment of cheers from a group of young men at another table. 

We discovered what it was all about when he came to our table, spoke to us in Belgian and then in English, and told us that he was getting married in two weeks and this was part of his ‘bucks’ party’.  He sang an Irish song for us as he didn’t know any Australian songs and then Mike had him and all of  his mates doing the Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi thing, amid much laughter.  A good start to our day, even though it was raining heavily by this time. 

After wiping the bike seats dry, we continued to the station, bought return tickets and set out for Gent, a 25 minute train ride away, and spent the afternoon exploring that city with its fabulous old buildings, trams, canals, wide streets and countless cafes.  I had to try a famous Belgian waffle

while Mike forced himself to taste test a Leffe beer

before our return train ride to Eeklo.  He still hasn’t found a beer he can’t drink but bravely continues the search!