Category: 2021 Trips

Festive Fun in London

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Gandalf the VW is parked at one of our favourite city break campsite- Crystal Palace on the outskirts of London. We made it to the end of term, dodged Covid (touch wood), gone through illness and sudden family bereavement. And that’s just been the last week. 

I don’t think I can remember ever needing a break like we needed this one. With constant reminders of life being short, yet the fear of travelling to the capital due to Covid high, we found ourselves at a moral crossroads as to whether we would make the trip that had been planned and booked for months on end, but in the end, we decided we would but with caution. And I’m really glad we did.

I’ll just mention about our journey into Crystal Palace – as a reminder for our future trips more than anything, but this may benefit you too. As some will know, London has expanded its LEZ zone to the ULEZ which impacts on driving older vehicles or those with diesel emissions around Greater and Central London. We were worried about how this would impact our trips to Crystal Palace. Well- we can now say, it didn’t. Our route from M25 (east- Dartford) was this. Come off M25 on the A2- turned left onto the A205 (south circular). This is the boundary of the ULEZ and providing you don’t turn right from it (inside it so to speak) you are fine. We stayed on the A205 until Sydenham Hill and then Westwood Hill towards the site.  This has to be the best route we’ve ever taken (granted the traffic was smooth) but we avoided the ULEZ- which was very well sign posted and hard to get muddled up in.

Our first night at Crystal Palace was spent in Crystal Palace. We had tickets for the Lightopia event- an illuminated light trail around the park. It was terrific. A real mix of bright and beautiful shapes and a real comfort to us – we’d both been in a dark place the previous few days due to the sudden death of my step brother which had taken a toll on us. 

Keith also took a trip down memory Lane as a Croydon boy, Crystal Palace Park – and it’s listed dinosaurs dating from the Victorian era featured heavily in his childhood. It was the first time I had seen them and I was blown away by their size and beauty- especially considering their age.

We really enjoyed Lightopia and would recommend it for all ages as a great alternative Light trail.

Next morning and the highlight of our trip. Keith, as some of you know, is a huge film fan. He adores the story of A Christmas Carol and lovingly watches every single version, every single year. Earlier this year he dreamt up, with the help of this an “A Christmas Carol “ themed” day.

We started at The Charles Dickens museum, sited in his old house on Doughty Street, and were in awe as we saw artefacts from Charles Dickens’ life. The absolute highlight was his writing desk and chair- which Dickens used whilst writing Oliver Twist amongst others. Just incredible. The house is beautifully decked out for Christmas in a very traditional style. It set the perfect mood for our Dickens inspired afternoon.

From the museum on Doughty Street, Keefy guided us to the Bank Area of town, pointing out landmarks such as workhouses and prisons which may well have inspired Dickens. “Are there no Prisons? Union Workhouses?” He used the map – and his knowledge of the story to guide us the couple of miles to Bank.

The alleyways and side streets in this area are thought to have inspired Dickens- and having spent the day exploring by them we can absolutely get on board with this idea.

We’d pre booked lunch at the chop house, which was likely to have been inspiration for the location of Scrooge’s office due to the description of the church tower from the window. Having never been to a chop house before we had no idea what to expect. It was small, comprising of benches and booths and oozed atmosphere. The menu was small and to the point- meat; Barnsley chops, pork chops, rump steak, gammon and sausages then you pick your side of mash, bubble and squeak etc. We had a great meal- Barnsley chop for me, sausage for Keith served with mash and bubble and squeak. For desert we had Stewed cheese. Oh wow we were in heaven!

After a great dining experience we followed our map around the back alleys of Bank, passing The Jamaica Inn – site of the first coffee shop location in London and also White Lion Yard which was said to be the inspiration behind Scrooge’s house. 

We really were enjoying ourselves, and despite walking through this area more times than we can remember, by exploring the nooks and crannies  we felt like we were having a real adventure!

We stopped for a couple of refreshment stops, highlights were Leadenhall Market, which is believed to be where Scrooge sent the young boy on Xmas day to purchase the “prized bird”.

We also indulged in a glass of champers at the Fortnum and Masons pop up champagne bar in the Royal Exchange following our dinner of mini pies and mash in The Counting House. In keeping with our “A Christmas Carol” themed walk, The Royal Exchange would have likely been the place in which the fellow bankers were discussing Scrooge’s funeral plans during the ghost of Christmas Future’s outlook.

What an utterly splendid afternoon we’d had- and we still had Kenwood House to look forward too! 

We took the tube to Hampstead Heath, and walked about 2 miles to Kenwood House in time for our 7.30pm tickets. Kenwood House is a 17th Century Villa and for the first time this year offered a ticketed Christmas light trail. We really enjoyed how the trail felt inspired by the nature surrounding the grounds, with a lime tree avenue lit up in lights and fire displays, it felt natural and lovely.

Our favourite was the immersive laser display which was just superb. The projections on the rear of the house were just incredible too. It really got us in the Christmas mood and we just had the most lovely of evenings.

By now we had clocked up almost 10 miles on foot, and it was a tricky journey back to Crystal Palace, with bus, tube, bus etc. So we investigated the price of an UBER from door to door- and were surprised it was less than £30, so went for the taxi ride home instead which worked really really well!

The next morning arrived and we hadn’t got to rush off quite so quickly this morning so we had a bit of a chill, reading and snoozing. We set off towards London on the number 3 bus, getting off at Lambeth Palace where we enjoyed a walk along the Thames along the southbank. Big Ben has started to emerged from his scaffolding which has been up for years now, and is looking really shiny and sparkly, despite the grey clouds above. 

Our first stop was the Southbank Xmas market, which was noticeably smaller this year, presumably a result of Covid and the uncertainty of restrictions this festive period. We did however eat some lovely food, and actually had show our Covid passport to gain access to a food area.

From here we crossed the Millennium Bridge and wandered towards Covent Garden via Trafalger Square where there was another Xmas Market. Sadly the stalls were absolutely identical to those on the Southbank which I felt was a shame, so we continued to Covent Garden to sniff out some hidden alleys.

We continued on foot from Covent Garden all the way to Knightsbridge and more specifically Harrods, Via Picadilly and a browse in Fortnum and Masons flagship department store.

We brought some posh coffee from F&M and in Harrods stocked up on Cranberry Sauce for the Xmas Dinner.

At Harrods we enjoyed a drink in the basement bar called Baccarats. It’s a lovely art deco space which felt like an oasis compared to the hustle and bustle of Harrods. 

From Harrods we made our way back to Trafalger Square via Regent Street to see the Xmas lights which were now sparkling away beautifully before having dinner at Thai Square just off Trafalger Square.

We finished our day of festive fun with a drink on The Tattishall Castle, our favourite London pub with a terrific view over the Thames.

All too soon our adventures were over and it was time to head home to Jazz who had been having fun with my Mum. We were really pleased to have enjoyed a couple of days in London despite Covid taking hold again and the mood in the city being uncertain to say the least. The change of scenery had done us both good and we had tried to enjoy it as much as we could in case its the last time we are away for a while. 

Wishing you all a WONDERFUL Christmas and New Year – here’s hoping for happy and healthy 2022 filled to the brim with adventures far and wide. 

All being well, although we’re not away for New Year this year, we hope to snatch a trip before the schools go back…

You’ll have to stay tuned to see where to!

Until next time 

Lx

Adventures in Cirencester

Posted in 2021 Trips, Cotswolds2 Comments

Monday night

Gandalf the VW is nestled beneath the autumnal hues on a lovely woodland glad on the edge of the Cirencester Park C&MC club site. During the summer months we’ve been trying to avoid club sites where possible, finding them a bit busy for our liking but now with Autumn firmly here and Winter on its way, we like the reliability of nice hot showers in a heated block and hard standing spacious pitches. With the nights drawing in we find them quieter than the summer months- as the sun drops fellow campers seem to retreat back to the cosiness of their own units rather than making noise outside. (I promise we’re not antisocial- we just like some peace and quiet to recover from the noise we encounter teaching music in and out of school during term time)

Our first evening here was spent enjoying long hot showers and a simple supper of chicken fillets in the Remoska and vegetable rice. We’re still recovering after a crazy half term so the Remoska has come into its own, being able to just dump food in it with zero effort and watch it cook with absolutely minimal effort is just what we need right now.

We spent the evening reading and enjoying the stillness of the campsite, whilst digesting our exciting day of exploring the Cotswolds today.

Tuesday

Tuesday soon arrived and we awoke to more dry weather after some rain during the night. We showered before our morning tea as the club site facilities are closed between 10:15-12:15 (I’m sure there is a calculated reason for this schedule, but it always feels a strange point in the day to close; particularly a two hour closure this early in the day!) but regardless, anticipating a queue we decided to get on with the mornings ablutions which worked well.

After breakfast we made the short walk under the underpass and to the Roman Amphitheatre site. Cirencester (or Corinium Dobunnorum as it was known as then) was a Roman inhabited town, and actually had 18,000 Romans living here in its day (interestingly it only has 20,000 population now according to the Corinium Museum). The Roman Amphitheatre which was sited here was a large one, seating 8000. Whilst there is nothing structurally to see now, you get a very good idea of its size and it’s shape remains with steep banks still encompassing the arena.

From here we picked up a published walk, the Cotswold Gateway walk, which took us through some pretty woods and back under the underpass and down into the town centre.

As we became closer to the town the building became prettier, once more with that flagship Cotswold stone gleaming in the autumnal sunlight (well it did when the sun popped out from behind the cloud!)

Keith visited the Corinium museum whilst I dog sat in the cafe next door.

He really enjoyed the museum and learnt some bits and bobs about Roman life in Cirencester; and saw some interesting artefacts. His stand out item was a rare bronze table lamp that was made in Italy but found here in Britain. He also learnt that Romans typically would start an evening meal with a mouse kebab – they would eat anything and everything. This made us both recount fondly our visit to Wuhan and Beijing several years ago, where the markets all sold bats, Scorpions and spider kebabs. Of course that market in Wuhan has become well known more recently for other reasons hasn’t it.

From the museum we went in hunt for lunch. Cirencester appears to be exceptionally dog friendly and there was no problem in finding a place to eat. Sadly Covid has left the hospitality industry struggling with service staff and therefore it took us a couple of go’s to find a pub serving food without a huge huge wait. We did find a nice place on the very pretty Blackjack street through and their Cotswolds Poutine was absolutely delicious.

After lunch we continued with the walk we were following which took us through the Abby Gardens to see the 12C Norman arch, and a surviving section of Roman wall.

We then broke away from the published walk to explore the town centre some more

before making our way back to Gandalf via the very grand and typically Georgian Cirencester Park.

We did nearly get stuck here as the gates close at 5pm! Luckily a warden spotted us and waited for us before he locked us in! In hindsight we should have navigated away from the published walk earlier today and used this route into town rather than along the road as per the published route.

Nevertheless; we’d had a great day exploring. Cirencester is smaller than I’d imagined but prettier. I feel like it’s possibly missed off when people come to the Cotswolds, despite being the “Cotswolds Capital” which is a shame as it has a lot to offer including some lovely independent shops and quaint, picturesque lanes.

Of course, if you’re a Roman History enthusiast like Keith then it’s an essential place to visit. The highlight for me was definitely seeing the amphitheater site.

Those who know, know!

Dinner tonight was another Remoska special! (We’re getting lazy!) We cooked up some Game burgers which we picked up on our route into the Cotswolds last week along with chips.

They were AMAZING! I’m not sure if we’ve had game burgers before but we said if our route home takes us past that butchers then we’ll be stopping to stock up our freezer!

Wednesday

After another great nights sleep (we’re really catching up on rest- hurrah!) we woke to grey but dry skies above. Todays plan was taking the bikes for an explore of the wider Cirencester area. We ended up having a fairly early (for us) start! Waving bye to Gandalf as early at 1015am was unusual for us!

We took inspiration from a published bike ride but adapted it slightly to include a couple of Roman Roads.

Cycling on one of two Roman Roads in the area

We had a lunch stop at the newly reopened Crown Inn at Cerney Wick, which was absolutely amazing by the way, and passed lots of lovely Cotswold countryside on our 33 mile – yes, 33 mile *shocked* route.

Our particular highlights, other than lunch of course! – we passing a couple of traditional Cotswolds Roundhouses, and even more amazingly, and totally spontaneously, passing one of our favourite composer’s birth house- we’re talking about Ralph Vaughan Williams, composer of The Lark Ascending plus many more who was born in Down Ampney.

The Roundhouse at Cerney Wick
The house in which Ralph Vaughan Williams was born (now a private residence)

We really enjoyed the cycle, and were impressed with ourselves at the distance we covered. Having the electric bikes has transformed our travelling.

Once back at the van, we took early showers and had a chill (for a change!). I finished another book and Keefy enjoyed a couple of films. The site is so peaceful at this time of year, it really was a great place to unwind and we’ve enjoyed our stay here immensely.

Thursday

Time to pack up Gandalf sadly! Not having the awning up made our pre departure routine much quicker, and we were on the road for 10am. We pre booked tickets to National Trust Chedworth Roman Villa as a stop on our journey home – we’ve visited here before but it must be 10 years ago, so we felt it deserved another visit. It’s not dog friendly so Jazz had a chill in the van whilst we donned our walking boots for an explore.

We are so pleased we returned as the exhibition has been updated and we couldn’t remember much from our previous adventure here.

The highlight was unquestionably the bath house. The remains of the brick and underfloor heating system are brilliant, and you can get a fantastic feel for the layout and atmosphere of what used to be the Bath house in this large residential Roman estate.

You can also see the original spring, which would have been the reason why they built a villa here in the first place. We found that really interesting – it’s still dispensing water now despite being a small trickle.

From here we made our way to Chastleton House, another National Trust property. En route we made an impromptu stop at a farm shop, distillery/ brewery and smokehouse to have a nosey. Upton Smokery had a fantastic selection of smoked items- so we brought some trout for lunch, and the distillery and brewery had a taproom so we had a swift “one for the road” which resulted in me buying some gin as it was absolutely delicious. The staff were great and showed us around the brewery as the brewer was actually mid brew!

We drove past Jeremy Clarkson’ farm shop ‘Diddly Squat’ which was RAMMED so we gave that a miss before arriving at Chastleton in time for a car park lunch of cheese, smoked trout, sausage rolls, scotch eggs. All delicious!

Chastleton was also not dog friendly sadly so Jazz had another rest in the van whilst we nipped down to the house.

Chastleton is a unique insight into the Jacobean period- the entire house is a time capsule as it hasn’t changed since the 1600s. It has a tired feel to it- something which the National trust are embracing to show it in its authenticity of when it was lived in as a private residence. There are some fine examples of Jacobean decor, which is unusual as most Jacobean interiors got updated in the Victorian era- this did not as the family who lived here lost their fortune and therefore couldn’t afford to make any changes.

The whole place had a somewhat mysterious feel to it but we enjoyed our visit. Following our visit here we hit the road back to Norfolk. We’ve got a few more days of half term but have a few bits happening in the village that we are organising for Halloween so we are making our retreat back home in time. We’ve had a brilliant break and very much enjoyed our time in the Cotswolds.

We’ve got a few things planned for the next few weeks, including some winter camping, so it won’t be long before we are back out and about!

Until next time.

Lx

Road tripping in the Cotswolds

Posted in 2021 Trips, Cotswolds2 Comments

Monday morning soon dawned after a groggy night in Gandalf. A little too much overindulgence perhaps for my birthday celebrations resulted in a broken sleep as we both tossed and turned with indigestion in the early hours. Still, we’d had a brilliant day in Chipping Norton and were excited about our adventures to come today.

We left the delightful Nuhulme Certified campsite around 10:30, and as we had no firm plans hit “trendy places” on the Garmin Campervan Sat Nav device.

Our first stop; a point of interest just a couple of miles down the road was the Rollright Stones, which absolutely blew us away. They are a collection of amazing (and large) prehistoric megalithic monuments built from large natural boulders found within about 500m of the site. They consist of a large Stone circle, which legend goes, is impossible to count how many stones make up the circle, and if you do manage it three times you have to make a wish; a kings stone and three whispering knights.

They are sited with a beautiful backdrop of Cotswold countryside and we found the whole site extremely atmospheric. Roadside parking made this site easy to visit with Gandalf, and there is a suggested donation of £1 pp.

From here we continued a short distance to Batsford Arboretum. Wow. What a splendid way to get our steps in for the day. The autumn colours were at their peak, and we thoroughly enjoyed our walk around the Arboretum drinking the colours in. We were exceptionally lucky with the weather. The blue sky provided these autumnal trees with the most perfect backdrop and we both agreed that this was the best display of Autumn colours we’ve seen in the UK.

After a quick lunch in Gandalf, we continued to the tiny village of Lower Slaughter. Parking here was a bit more problematic- the village is tiny and very traditional, and understandably doesn’t cater so well for tourists. After a couple of loops backwards and forwards though we got lucky and timed our pass through with someone leaving.

The village of Lower Slaughter is just beautiful and brims with Cotswold beauty. There is a small stream that runs along the main road and with lovely little cottages sat in front of it, and a beautiful under slung working mill, it’s just perfection. We would have loved to have had a drink here but sadly both the mill tea room and pub were closed.

From here we made our way to Bibury, another very small traditional village with some picturesque National Trust managed cottages, Arlington Row .

Arlington Row was originally built in the 14th century as a monastic wool store. It was later converted in the 17th century into a row of weavers’ cottages. Parking here was available, although it was very busy with tourists and Instagrammers striking poses!

Sadly the weather took a brief turn here so we didn’t spend a great amount of time exploring Bibury, but, we managed a hot sausage roll from the local stores!

After a brilliant day of exploring, it was time to find our way to the campsite via a quick food shop.

One of the best features of the Garmin Campervan device is the ability to shape our route to include places such as supermarkets and farm shops etc. At just a very quick press of the button we discovered a Tesco Extra pretty much on our route (but not visible enough for us to have found it without us knowing it was there). It saves us a lot of time, where we used to have to find addresses for supermarkets and then find where they are on the route. It also came into its own today as several times we were without phone signal meaning Apple and Google maps were impossible.

We are thoroughly enjoying using it for our road trips 6 months on!

We arrived at Cirencester Park C&MC club site late afternoon, first impressions are good. More on our adventures in Cirencester next time!

Until next time

Lx

Adventures in the Cotswolds – Part 1

Posted in 2021 Trips, Cotswolds, cycling2 Comments

Friday

October half term is here at last and we can press pause on work for a few days and recharge. I’m not going to lie; the last week or two have been stressful. Covid has become rife in some of our schools and whilst we’ve been able to carry on (thankfully for the bank balance) emotionally it’s been a rollercoaster to say the least, and quite frankly we’re feeling like, somehow, we’ve successfully dodged the bullet. For now.

Keefy and I worked as a true team over the last few days, we’ve both had very little free time, so with any spare ten mins we had here and there being carefully booked out to pack items and tick off our to do list. As such our clothes have been packed in bags since Monday, the wine and beer and gin have been touring in Gandalf around Norfolk as we’ve gone from school to school, the bikes were loaded on between lessons yesterday and therefore all we needed to do this morning was load the fridge and drive off, which was good as we were both a little bit fragile from some early birthday celebrations with friends last night!

We had a decent journey to the Cotswolds, with a brief stop at Deddington because we passed a deli and butchers and couldn’t drive by! Somehow we ended up with a very modest haul- I blame the hangover, but we managed to get some local sausages , game burgers and a local gin and whiskey miniature.

My beautiful birthday flowers have come on tour with us. Thanks Keefy

We arrived on site, a very lovely C&CC Certified Location on the outskirts of Chipping Norton just after 3pm.

The campsite, Nuhulme, has a shower cubicle and toilet so we made the decision to use these rather than set out our tailgate awning this weekend. When we spoke to the owner we were surprised to learn that we are the only people booked on this weekend. So no worries about noisy neighbours!

Once set up, we settled in for a long chill. Dinner was a pre home made pie which we heated up in the Remoska along with some roasted veg and mash. Delicious! After which we hit the sack – at 8:50pm!

Saturday

We had a great sleep last night and enjoyed a chill again for the first part of the morning. We utilised the on site shower cabin to freshen up – its nice to have this option rather than using the awning and 12v shower at this time of year – before prepping tonight’s dinner, a Cotswold sausage cassoulet in the slow cooker, and enjoying a bacon bap.

Keefy got the bikes off the rack whilst I washed up, and despite a lazy morning we were on our way for an explore by 11:30am.

Our first port of call was the next village along, Salford, where we admired the pretty Cotswold stone masonry,

before we made our way on back roads through Churchill and then Kingham.

Both beautifully quant and unspoilt, Kingham was declared the prettiest village in the UK at one time and has a lovely green which picture perfect cottages, some thatched.

Best of all a pub, two in fact, but so popular they are, we were unable to eat lunch in either with no booking. We did manage a drink outside under the heater at the Plough; Keefy enjoyed his first Hook Norton (the local) ale and I had a Cotswold G&T.

We continued on to Bledington where we succeeded in grabbing a table at the charming Kings Head in front of the fire where we enjoyed a light lunch of open chicken chipotle and slaw sandwich. I tried another gin, this time one from the village distillery before we made our way back via Chipping Norton to the campsite.

Gandalf smelt delicious, the sausages were cooking a treat in the slow cooker. We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling and reading before enjoying dinner and some more chill time.

Today has been a perfect mix of exploring and chilling. Something we need more of!

Sunday – Lydia’s birthday 🎂

After a terrific sleep, we both woke up to glorious blue skies – a treat as it went against all the weather forecasts! Today was a special day in Gandalf, it was my birthday and waking up in a huge open space with absolutely no one else around was the most perfect start to it! (We’re not antisocial, I promise)

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The day started with bday cake, presents and tea, before donning our walking boots – I was proudly in my new boots, a welcome and generous present from Dad and Jenny, thank you.

We made our way into Chipping Norton – about a mile or so on footpath,

for breakfast and cocktails at the terrific Bitter and Twisted bar (extremely dog friendly) and enjoyed a scrumptious full English accompanied with a cocktail each.

Following our lazy brunch, we followed the historic town trail around Chipping Norton, admiring the many Cotswold stone buildings along the way, and of course enjoying a few pub stops on our way. Chipping Norton was very dog friendly by the way.

After a good few hours ambling the streets, we walked back to Gandalf for a chill and more cake! I’m reading a gripping book at the moment (The Light between two oceans) and therefore a couple of hours of undisturbed reading time with nice views was a real luxury!

As the sun set, we donned our glad rags and got a taxi back into town, for a delicious evening meal at the Blue Boar, a historic pub with a wonderful game menu. The meal was splendid and I couldn’t believe how busy the pub was for a Sunday night. Thanks goodness Keefy booked! Jazz was spoilt rotten by the bar maids, it’s so great to be in such a dog friendly part of the world.

I was on high alert for celeb spotting; apparently Chipping Norton is a magnet for the, with Jeremy Clarkson, The Beckhams, David Cameron, Amanda Holden and more all residing close by. Jeremy Clarkson’s famous farm and farm shop is also on the outskirts of Chippy – and next to the C&CC club site for those who are interested.

Tomorrow it’s time for us to wave goodbye to what’s felt like our own private retreat. We’re off to Cirencester club site via a bit of a mystery sightseeing tour. We’ve had a great time based here though and it’s been a great place to unwind yet enjoy some bday celebrations in civilisation too.

Thanks Keefy for spoiling me rotten, I’ve had a brilliant weekend ❤️

Until next time

Lx

Adventures in Suffolk – time to unwind

Posted in 2021 Trips, Caravan Club CL, suffolk3 Comments

Gandalf the VW is parked on a beautiful C&MC CL, deep in the heart of the picturesque Suffolk countryside, on the outskirts of Framlingham. We’re staying at Waterpump CL, a newly opened CL this year, and it is a real gem. The pitches are huge- 5 hardstanding (with two grass ones available throughout the summer to replace 2 hardstanding ones which are closed for summer), electric and Water (with a water point on each double pitch) and peace and quiet in its bucketloads. 

We’ve whisked ourselves away for a recharge weekend – we’re only 2 weeks into term and already about running on empty! This site is perfect as its 45 minutes from home. It also has a very good 4 minute fieldwalk to the local pub. Happy days! 

We arrived at 2pm on Friday and spent the afternoon enjoying the late September sunshine and utter peace and quiet.

Around 5pm we took a short wander to the pub, a very pretty Suffolk inn – and very popular too- we’d missed our opportunity to eat there as we hadn’t booked and the whole weekend was fully booked. To be fair the campsite website did warn us to pre book! Luckily, we had some emergency bbq supplies, and the weather was great, so we enjoyed a couple of beers before cooking up bbq’ed venison steaks, lemon chicken kebabs and a nice salad. Followed by marshmallows on the campsite to finish. Perfect.

The night sky here was spectacular, and this time of year allows for star gazing at a sociable hour too! Which is good as we were fast asleep by 9pm!

Saturday morning brought with it another glorious morning. It was boiling!

We enjoyed a cooked breakfast, before donning our walking boots and taking a 3 mile walk across the fields to nearby Framlingham.

Framlingham has a really impressive castle, managed now by English Heritage – it is well worth a visit. The wall walk is really excellent. We have visited before so gave it a miss today, instead enjoying the grounds around the moat area and admiring the very impressively conserved walls.

More recently, Framlingham has become well known as it features in the Ed Sheeran song ‘ Castle on a Hill’. Ed Sheeran grew up here and wrote the song about his hometown. 

We enjoyed a wander around the small shops and market – stocking up on fresh vegetables for dinner and some nice bread and cakes. Plus a couple of refreshment stops of course.

We decided to take a cab back as we were laden down, plus my foot still isn’t quite right. But it was a lovely walk, and the none injured Lydia and Keith would have no problem in doing this as a round trip another time. 

Keith was rather excited to discover this campsite is as near as dammit located onto the old course of a roman road. Those who follow our adventures know Keith is a Roman History enthusiast, and his imagination was running in overdrive as we settled down for a bread, cheese and wine lunch on our return to the site after our expedition into town.

The remainder of Saturday afternoon was spent reading and soaking up the sunshine on our pitch, even squeezing in a nap – hurrah!- before enjoying a home cooked pie with local fresh veg for dinner. I’d pre made these pies at home, and popped a couple in the freezer in case we didn’t fancy/couldn’t eat out- they cooked perfectly in the remoska from frozen. Once nightfall fell, we settled down to watch a film before another early night. 

We had to leave fairly early on Sunday morning as we had tickets for a vineyard tasting event at Chilford Hall vineyard in Cambridgeshire, but our trip into Suffolk had been a perfect excursion to recharge our batteries for a day or so.

We will definitely return. There is a vineyard that is walkable, which we fancy trying next time, and lots of on site wildlife to watch. We heard the little owl and barn owls, but despite being on high alert watching we didn’t catch a glimpse. For those who tow a car, or don’t mind taking their vans off site, the site is located close to Orford which also has a great castle to visit, Snape Maltings which is a good place to visit and enjoy the arts, and of course Southwold and Aldeburgh.

Congratulations to the site owners, who are also campervanners, for setting up such a lovely jewel in the C&MC network. As Arnie says… “I’ll (or we’ll) be back”

Adventures in  London 

Posted in 2021 Trips, Historical places, London, SightseeingLeave a comment

(backdated from the beginning of September- Sorry for the delay!

Friday 10 September

Gandalf the VW Campervan is parked up on an old favourite site of ours, the C&MC Club site at Crystal Palace. Its usually an oasis of calm in the middle of suburban south London, however something tells us that this time may be different. Our spider senses were tingling as we made our way towards the site, and road closures became apparent, and then came the vast amounts of teenagers, many wearing less than I’d wear on the beach, swarming towards Crystal Palace! We felt old as we arrived at the campsite, and were utterly confused as to what was going on. The wardens soon set us straight. The Wireless festival was being held just metres behind the campsite for the whole weekend. DRAT! “Don’t worry” they said, “the music * stops at 10pm”.

*Music – Thats one word to describe it!!! Good grief!!!

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The festival began at midday and therefore we were treated to its opening act as we set up. Our pitch was the closest to the stage. My goodness me- it was LOUD. We could NOT stop laughing. It was just so bad/loud. All we could do was laugh and thank our lucky stars we’d not planned to go to this site for a relax. Our neighbours, who arrived just after us, lasted a whole 30 mins before they threw the towel in and moved on to a different site. We left Gandalf to vibrate to the drum and bass beat, and hopped on the next bus into London. This site is soooo convenient for city breaks – the bus goes directly to Horse Guards Parade and runs 24 hours a day. Wireless wasn’t going to ruin our break.

Our first stop in London was the house in which Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s founding Fathers, resided during his time in London.

Benjamin Franklin’s House was situated in a lovely Geogian town house just behind Charing Cross, and we really enjoyed a pre booked tour around the house, which included lots of original Georgian features such as a terrific marble fireplace and wooden staircase which bore the weight of Franklin’s weight lifting efforts.

It was a terrific tour, and we learnt loads about the life of Benjamin Franklin – and also his inventions, including the interesting Glass Armonia, a musical instruments that uses glass and a rubbing technique to create different notes.

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After our visit we had a quick drink before making our way towards The British Museum. The main feature of our trip to London was to visit the Nero Exhibition.  

The exhibition showcased hundreds of absolutely INCREDIBLE artefacts, many in pristine condition which dated from as early as AD30. Many looked like brand new.

The exhibition completely and utterly blew our minds. In fact, I actually thought Keith was about to collapse when he saw the ORIGINAL Praetorian Guard relief, dating from AD51. He was beyond emotional.

Other highlights of the exhibition were the wall paintings brought over from Pompei- the colours still outstanding.

We saw hundreds of coins, again as new, and depicting all sorts of scenes from Nero’s reign.

We even saw a writing slate that had imprints of Roman handwriting on. It was truly wonderful and if you have any interest in Roman history whatsoever it is vital that you go and see this exhibition – however be quick as it ends on 24th October!

After a couple of hours of having our minds blown, we wandered down into Soho and found a lovely Italian – it seemed appropriate – for dinner. We discussed the exhibition over a bottle of Italian red wine and a lasagne. It had been a great day!

Even better that when we arrived back to site at 11pm, all signs of Drum and Bass and underdressed teenagers had disappeared and our campsite was lovely and peaceful once more.

Saturday dawned a little earlier than hoped – as we were so close to the main stage and artist area, we were woken by hoovers from 5am which went on til 8am. Then we had sound checks from 9am. Not quite the morning we’d anticipated but it gave us a kick to get up and out and so we were on the bus by 10am! 

Today’s agenda was more Roman history sites. But before that we treated ourselves to a drink in our “London Office” – the Tattishall Castle – the best view for your drink on ground level London.

We toasted Londinium and watched the world go by on the Thames for a while before carrying on to Chinatown for a Dim Sung lunch.

We then walked from Soho to Bank, along the Strand and Fleet Street. We just love exploring London by foot. There is always something cool to see, somewhere new to take a picture and a new pub to try a pint in. We got great views of St Pauls as we wandered by.

We arrived at Bloomberg Space ready for a (free) tour of the London Mithraeum.

This site was discovered when the underground was being constructed nearby in the late 1800s. The temple of Mithras as it was also known, would have been a mysterious place to visit, with the mystical temple being underground and frequented by men who wore masks and worshipped scenes depicting Mithras killing a bull within a cave. The cult remained fairly secretive despite spreading across Europe over the period of around 300 years.

The remains of the Temple of Mithras were really great to see – but the highlight was how the site was displayed with a fantastic audio light show making the underground cave ooze in atmosphere. The vapoured light column were ingenious, and we really REALLY enjoyed our visit. 

From here, we had a drink on nearby Watling Street – an original Roman Road which also has great views of St Pauls Cathedral.

We then walked all the way back to Soho, via Millennium Bridge and a couple of really cool historical pubs – The Blackfriars being a highlight with its very instagrammable architecture and really great original decor.

We had a Thai meal for dinner before making our way back to Gandalf.

We’d walked miles but had a BRILLIANT day. We haven’t had much of plan for today other than the temple of Mithras and so it was especially good to have had a spontaneous mooch, going where our noses took us. Since Covid, there’s been a shift in spontaneity- most things have to be pre booked well in advance so today felt really good. We enjoyed using a book which Keith got for Xmas – it helped us find some hidden gems for sure. London for Instagrammers – would make a good Christmas pressie for those who like exploring London by foot.

London, you never fail to disappoint. We can’t wait to be back again! 

Until Next Time 

L x

Adventures IN Thame

Posted in 2021 Trips, Caravan and Motorhome Club, Caravan Club CL, Cycling trails, Disused railways, OxfordshireLeave a comment

Gandalf the VW Campervan is parked up on another gem of a CL, this time just 40 mins down the road from Newbridge, which is ON the Thames, to Thame which is NOT on the Thames, but in fact the River Thame. This fact alone blew our minds the entire 40 minute journey!

We’re staying on Lashlake Barn CL, a C&MC CL within walking distance of Thame. The campsite is lovely – each pitch has electric and a water tap, and the site is very secure – it’s situated behind electric gates which we all have a fob to give us access on foot or wheels. At the far end of the campsite The River Thame runs and there is a stream runnning off it which was the backdrop of our pitch. The price of the pitch is £18 pn which feels a reasonable and fair amount.

We ended up meeting Dad and Jenny as we arrived which was handy and it didn’t take us all long to get our vans into relaxing mode, soon cracking open a gin and having some lunch.

After lunch, we were treated to a rare sight… the sun, which I think has been missing in action recently. We hailed its return and set off for a wander around Thame.

Just behind the campsite is St Mary’s Church, final resting place to the incredible Robin and Andy Gibb (Beegees).

Opposite their graves is Robin Gibb’s former house, Prebendal – an absolutely stunning medieval property with its own collection of impressive historical events that it has played host to, including it being the place in which the decision that Joan of Ark was to be sentenced to her death was made.

Keith found this really great video of Robin Gibb showing a camera crew around the house which we found fascinating.

From here we continued up to the high street, admiring all of the listed houses as we went. Thame was actually used in Midsomer Murders as a filming location. It’s easy to see why, there are many medieval houses with brilliantly preserved fascias.

Thame was also home to the famous poet – and Keith’s favourite Poet – Yeats. We saw the house in which he lived, and Keith even recited an extract of his favourite Yeats poem outside.

We spent some time indulging in our family hobby – charity shop hunting! All the shops were brilliantly dog friendly, and we all picked up one or two bits and bobs!

After a couple of drinks, we nipped back to the campsite to change for dinner, before heading back to town. We had a table booked in the Black Horse, a really lovely gastro pub bistro, which amazing also was dog friendly. The food and service was great and we really enjoyed our evening.

Friday dawned sunny! Yes Sunny!

After a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs and salmon on toast, we got our bikes unhooked and set off on the Phoenix Trail, an off road, disused railway path between Thame and Princes Risborough. The trail runs for just over 7 miles and has a number of sculptures to enjoy on route, along with great views of the Chilterns.

We had lunch and some more charity shop hunting in Princes Risborough before making our way back in record time to Thame. Dad was on the only non electric bike and did a sterling job setting the fast pace on our return! I was on high assist to keep up!

Apparently Jamiroquai lives opposite here!

Before making our way back to the campsite from Thame, I picked up some butchers lamb, and when we got back I knocked up a Lamb Dhansak in the Remoska, along with a chicken saag. That’s right, Friday night is Curry night! We enjoyed our feast of curry’s outside as it was still fairly mild before settling down in front of the campfire as the stars came out. What a lovely day we’d all had.

Saturday soon arrived and our time was up. Before we left though, Keith spotted some enormous crayfish in the stream behind us. Having never seen these before (me and Keith anyway) they kept us amused for quite some time.

This one only had one claw, but if you click on the photo you can see it’s got a new claw growing back.

Dad had accidentally sent some of our bacon flying into the steam and they were enjoying it massively! We also had some other new friends on site- the free range chickens although Jazz wasn’t sure about these!

We’d had a wonderful couple of days and really enjoyed our time in Thame, despite our mind being blown that it wasn’t on The Thames.

Until next time

Adventures on the Thames

Posted in 2021 Trips, Caravan and Motorhome Club, Caravan Club CL, Historical places, Oxfordshire, River Thames, Thames Path3 Comments

Gandalf the VW Campervan is parked up a stones throw from the River Thames in Newbridge, a tiny hamlet consisting of 800 year old bridge, two pubs and a farm, who’s field we are camped on! We’re on Newbridge Farm, a C&MC CL, with no facilities other than a loo disposal, tap and bin. We’ve come for a last hurrah before we return to work next week, after a terrific summer of travel and adventures. The first part of this trip is a bit of a “working holiday” as we both attacked our return to work admin and time tabling for the term ahead. However, as all we needed for this was a phone, iPad and 4g, we decided a change of scenery out of our office window would be nice. Also there is something really liberating about being off hook up- it does something (positive) to our mind and so we’ve found the headspace here that we needed to crack on with admin.

The site itself is a medium sized field, with elson point, tap, and rubbish disposal and views over the fields. There is a footpath which takes you across a field to the Thames and the Thames Path, and not one but two pubs, and a very historical bridge.

There is some road noise, however it didn’t cause us too much of a problem, and at £6pn we just can’t complain at all! It’s packed as you can see…..!

As I said earlier, we just ADORE these off grid sites. It’s also really interesting to see how the solar panel copes as it’s very grey and cloudy- we seem to be stuck in a cloudy tunnel at the moment! (Update – it worked brilliantly! 2 nights off grid with very cloudy skies and we’re still sat at 12.5 v – really chuffed!)

We arrived here on Tuesday afternoon and settled down for some admin time before taking a dog walk to the local for a river view. We enjoyed a pint in the Rose Revived, a green king pub, and as the seasons have apparently shifted to autumn, it would have been rude not to try an Abbots Ale overlooking the bridge and river.

Newbridge, contrary to its name, is actually the oldest original crossing of the River Thames. It’s 800 years old and was built during the reign of King John. It’s a beautiful bridge.

After our pint at The Rose Revived we decided to inspect the bridge from the other side, this time taking a river front seat at The Maybush. Our luck was in as they had declared £1 a pint as they tried to clear some left over beer festival stock.

We returned to Gandalf, had a shower each in the awning and then made beef and potato curry for dinner. Delicious! Before settling down under fairy lights and reading our magazines.

Wednesday dawned grey again, never mind, we cracked on with our admin in the morning, and just before lunchtime went for a 3 mile linear walk from Newbridge towards the sea (which is 153 miles to the east)

In lockdown earlier this year, I spent a considerable amount of time planning a Thames Path adventure using Gandalf and campsites as our base each night. Sadly I got a foot injury and we had to postpone our walk. The Thames Path runs for 183 miles and runs from the source of the Thames just south of Cirencester where it’s just a spring and tiny stream, into the sea at the Thames Barrier. I really really want to walk this, so hope my injury improves for next year. In the meantime I’ll blog about my Thames Path plans separately sometime.

Today’s walk took in a very remote and pretty section of the The Thames. It’s hard to image this picture perfect rural river ending up running through the capital of England with high rises, Parliament etc on each bank.

After our walk we stopped for lunch at The Maybush -unfortunately the staff in The Rose Revived were extremely rude to us, but it was their loss. Plus, the Maybush still had £1 a pint!

As we’d had such a productive couple of days, we decided to treat ourselves to a trip on the Thames, by hiring an electric punt boat from a stall just by the Rose Revived – Oxford Punts. We spent an hour having the most relaxing time making four way towards the source of the Thames. [£25 for 1 hour on electric punt, £3 for dog] I was desperate to see either an otter or a kingfisher but it was not to be. This stretch of the Thames is so quiet and tranquil. Keith did a marvellous job driving the punt- much better than me! It was great to sail under the historic bridge too.

Following our adventure on the Thames we made our way back to Gandalf for a rather large chill. We attempted pizzas on the Cadac using our new pizza stone but they weren’t successful. We followed the instructions of putting the stone directly on the flame, but it soon became obvious that this was a misprint and infact we ended up with a burnt base. Never mind, next time we will know to follow our instincts rather than the instructions!

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Thursday and it’s moving on day! Admin completed, we’re off for an adventure with my Dad and Step mum down the road. Stay tuned for updates!

Until next time

Lx

Adventures along the East Coast – A Wee Summary of our trip 

Posted in 2021 Trips1 Comment

We’ve been back from our wonderful trip ooop north for just over 2 weeks, not that our feet have touched the ground – I’ll come to what we’ve been up to later – and so I thought it was high time that I wrote our end of trip summary. 

We were shocked to learn that during our 15 nights camping in Gandalf, we travelled a total distance of 1386 miles. We made some changes to how we planned this trip; in the hope we would strike a good balance of relaxation and exploring time, we decided to book 3 nights at each of our campsite stops. This for us worked perfectly. We looked forward to two days of no driving and by the time night 3 had passed we often felt ready to move on to a new area. I know some are happy to use their campervans and motorhomes to drive each day from the campsite, but for us, we really try hard to make sure that once pitched up we don’t have to drive again – we cover many miles weekly for our day job, so its the most important factor for us to have time off driving on holiday. 

Fuel wise Gandalf was AMAZING! We filled our tank in Thetford (£90 approx) as we left and by Edinburgh we still had half a tank left. We filled there anyway as we wanted to make sure we didn’t run out somewhere remote, and then still had half a tank left as we passed through Inverness on the day we drove home. We filled in Stirling as we made our way home and when we got home, we still had half a tank left! Considering we were full of luggage and had the bikes on we think this is brilliant. 

Campsites- we absolutely LOVED the smaller Certified Location sites (5 van C&MC or 5 van C&CC sites). The peace and tranquility on these sites cannot be matched. We will ALWAYS try to pick these sites over the larger, busier and nosier sites during the summer months. 

Our electric bikes enhanced our trip more than we could have anticipated. Having the option to explore a few miles further out from our campsite than our sole leg power could manage was just brilliant and we highly recommend travelling with them if you don’t like moving your vans once pitched up. I will talk about these seperately and how we transport them in another post next week.

Catering – We had anticipated on this trip trying to eat out a bit more in an effort to relax more. Whilst we both LOVE cooking, it can get tiring and I hate washing up. Having said that, we struggled, especially in Scotland (except Edinburgh) to find places either open or serving food. So we actually only ended up eating out whilst in Edinburgh. We did however have some DELICIOUS meals that we cooked. Since downsizing to Gandalf (and Ruby before) we’ve had to alter the way that we plan our meals due to the smaller size of our fridge. As this is the longest trip we’ve had Gandalf, this was an experiment really, but one which worked out well. We took our electric toolbox which acted as our drinks fridge. This then meant that the fridge was food only, and we could therefore fit 3 full days of food to cook ( breakfast, lunch and dinner) within it. We then shopped as we drove to the next campsite. This system worked well for us and meant that the driving days, we got the household chores out of the way. We would plan our three days meals the morning that we moved site. We always made sure one of the meals at least could carry forward (date wise on meat etc) in case we found somewhere to eat instead. The electric coolbox charged from the 12v up front when we drove. On site it would plug into the mains power if we were on hook up. If we were not on hook up, it would not be plugged in and lasted well for the two days that we were off grid. Overnight, once the bed was down we moved the coolbox to under the tailgate awning as there is not enough room for cool box to go in the van whilst the bed is down and the toilet is in position. This system was really effective for our needs. 

Showering was done within our tailgate awning fondly named our en suite. My friends could not believe our shower routine when we were telling them at the wedding we attended recently. We’ve got it down to a fine art, and were rewarded with really wonderful hot showers, but to non campers I suppose it sounds a bit hard core! We had* a collapsible bucket which was filled with cold water 3/4s of the way up. This was then topped up with a full kettle of boiling water. On hook up we used this 3.5 litre kettle, which gave us a boiling hot shower (the ratio of hot water to cold was larger than the gas kettle) Without EHU we used this standard smaller gas kettle, which gave us a more lukewarm, but still very acceptable, shower. I say *had because we ended up changing the collapsible bucket to a normal bucket because it kept collapsing with our precious hot shower water in JUST as we had stripped of for a shower! We stood in a foldable paddling pool, which collected the water after we’d washed, and following the last shower we’d pour the “dirty” water into the now empty bucket to pour down the grey drain. I get asked why we do this – its so our shower residue which is made up of non eco shower gel and shampoo doesn’t deposit and dispose onto the pitch. I’m sure if we were to arrive on a pitch which had soap suds on we’d not be too happy- its just about courtesy for the owner and fellow campers really. We did 15 days of two showers a day pp this way. Even at Mortonhall, where there were shower blocks we preferred our ensuite. 

We are reading about SO many people heading to the NC500 this year. You will have noticed that we didn’t touch this – apart from getting up to Brora. We have travelled this route before a few years ago and before it was titled the NC500. It’s great to see such a wonderful renewed interest in Scotland but the success of the route marketing worries us as it has caused divide throughout locals who live on the route. Whilst many we spoke to were pleased at the opportunities it brings, they were equally disappointed and worried about the level of anti socialness it has brought to the area too. We’ve travelled to Scotland almost yearly now for the last 12 years and I can honestly say this year we passed the most campervans and motorhomes we’ve ever seen. I can only hope that everyone tries to be conscientious about camping etiquette because the locals we spoke to talked extensively about witnessing less than acceptable camping etiquette and we worry that if it continues then campers will be made to feel very unwelcome indeed. Also, please remember that Scotland is NOT just the NC500. Aberdeenshire will forever be a favourite for us, and last year’s Cairngorms trip too – just stunning! It is a STUNNING country. 

Since getting home our feet haven’t touched the ground! The day after we arrived back from Scotland, we headed West to my best friend’s in Coventry for her wedding, in which I was honoured to be a bridesmaid. Imagine my surprise and sheer glee when I discovered what was transporting us to the wedding…

After the most wonderful Wedding, we came home for an evening before heading South, and then even Souther…. ON A PLANE! We nabbed a very last minute week in the sun, travelling with Tui to Zakynthos, where we had the most exceptional relax in a 5 star Adults only hotel. It was JUST what we needed. The travelling abroad experience was much smoother than we had envisaged and the airports were absolutely empty.

Whilst the primary objective of this trip was relaxing, us being us managed a couple of adventures whilst in Zakynthos – going on a turtle spotting cruise and lots of snorkelling one day and a trip to the Smugglers Bay with more snorkelling and shipwreck another day. Zante is a beautiful island with stunning coastline. We had a great week.

Lounging around the resort- someone’s got to do it! ⬆️
Turtle Watching trip ⬆️
Shipwreck and Smugglers Bay/ Blue Caves trip ⬆️

We felt very very safe all the time, and most importantly came back fresh as daisies feeing super recharged.

So that brings us up to date with our summary of our big trip and what we’ve been up to since. We still have a bit of time before we start back to work so next week will be pointing Gandalf’s wheels in the direction of another adventure. Stay tuned to find out where!

Until next time

Lx

Adventures in Brora

Posted in 2021 Trips, Camping and Caravan Club CS, Scotland3 Comments

Gandalf the VW is at his most motherly point of this trip. We’re parked up a stones throw from the sea, and it’s glorious. We can hear the waves crashing and smell the salty seaweed as we watch the Artic Turns overhead.

You could be forgiven for thinking that we’re actually in a prison camp with this huge fence and barbed wire; however the reason for the maximum security is that this campsite, a Camping and Caravanning Club Certified Site called SeaBreezes Caravan site, is a former World War 2 Listening Station. In fact it was so top secret that it doesn’t even appear on the map. 40 people from across the UK were stationed here and it was used throughout both World War 2 and the Cold War before being decommissioned in 1986.

The views to the sea are unrivalled and we fell in love with this place as soon as we drove onto our pitch.

Our journey here today was let’s say, stormy! The weather in Inverness as we passed through was so bad that the coop we tried to visit had closed as their roof caved in, B and M bargains had sewerage coming up under the store as the storm drains overflowed and Aldi was evacuated due to flooding inside! It was so bad I honestly thought “sod this, let’s go home!” But then my northern stubborn genes kicked into action and errands finally complete, we made our way north to Brora into more bad weather.

Apart from…. Unbelievably with just 10 mins of our journey remaining, someone switched off the rain tap above, sucked the grey and black clouds out of the sky and we rolled into Brora with not a cloud in the sky and blue skies above us. Absolutely insane and very lucky, as we were DREADING a wet set up!

We celebrated with an emergency bbq (always have meat in the freezer to knock up an unplanned BBQ) which was delicious and enjoyed some outdoor relaxing time after being cooped up inside yesterday. Honestly we could have been in Greece (perhaps the temperature was a touch lower!)

Sunday

Sunday dawned with a dodgy forecast but we were thrilled to wake up to bright blue skies. In fact it was really quite warm! We had a lazy morning enjoying the view before deciding to have a leg stretch around the village of Brora, following the Village Historical trail.

Brora is a really beautiful little spot on the very north east of Scotland. The river Brora meets the North Sea and as such Salmon fishing was once one of the main industries here.

We saw an old Ice House which used to be used to keep salmon cold, and the oldest house in the village, the oldHarbour master’s house which also included an original barometer on the outside dating from the late 1700s.

In the late 1800s, the arrival of the railway here and the beautiful beach brought holidaymakers and as such large villas were built.

We stopped for a drink in the Garden room, part of the hotel marine, one of the for-mentioned villas, and then went for a drink or two, including sampling the very local whisky, at the Sutherland Arms.

It was interesting sat outside there in the glorious sunshine watching the traffic (a lot of motorhomes and Campervans) travelling on the A9/NC500. There were loads and none were stopping here. Please do, it’s a lovely village with some nice little shops and a great pub. Don’t ignore this beautiful Stretch of coast!

We had an early dinner; the weather was sublime- and we enjoyed a smoked haddock and salmon lemony linguine with fish brought from Buckie on our journey yesterday. Ooph, it was delicious! Recipe here

We then did something that we’ve never ever done before! Used a campsite washing machine and washed our bed linen, towels and some underwear as we’re running short!

Keith made a makeshift washing line from bungies and we let the campsite name (Sea Breezes) work it’s magic!

What a lovely day we’ve had!

Monday

After crashing out quite early last night, we slept really well but Monday soon arrived, and we felt sad about it’s arrival. It’s our last full day here – and indeed in Scotland for a while.

We decided to have a cooked breakfast, and do a coastal walk to Golspie, a 6 mile walk that hugged the coastline all the way. We timed our walk with a return journey via either train or public bus – this is fiddly but manageable as they are quite sporadic (although more available than where we live in Norfolk!£

The first section of walk was slightly rocky underfoot and we found ourselves concentrating more on our step than the view. But we kept plodding along and it became an easier path the further we went.

Unlike the South West coastal path the gradient is very low, most of the path is on field edges and so no mass ascents to worry about.

The Sandy beach turns into pebbles and about 3 miles in we saw possibly 70 seals having a little sunbathe. What a remarkable sight- it was a joy to watch them from a far for some time.

Round the next bit of headland we went and were faced with a wonderful vista – the stunning Dunrobin Castle- which in our opinion transported us to Bavaria and then France.

Dunrobin Castle is the most northerly of Scotland’s great houses and the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Dunrobin Castle is also one of Britain’s oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s, home to the Earls and later, the Dukes of Sutherland.

The coastal path goes right behind the castle so we were treated to amazing views. You can easily visit the castle from the path we were on however it doesn’t allow dogs into the grounds so we just enjoyed the view.

By now we were only 2 miles from Golspie, and as the weather was looking moody, we picked up our pace, arriving into Golspie just ahead of the rain.

We grabbed a quick drink at the Golspie Inn before making our way towards the train station, but instead Intercepting a bus heading our way for just £3pp.

By the time we reached Brora and Gandalf we looked like drowned rats as the rain had caught up with us, but it didn’t matter- we’d really enjoyed the walk – route found here.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening chilling and watching Breaking Bad which we are utterly hooked on! As the sun set (much later than down south- it’s still light at 10pm), we have enjoyed watching the lighthouse across the water wake up. The lighthouse is Tarbet Ness Lighthouse and looks like this

Not my picture – taken from Wikipedia

Isn’t it amazing how effective just one bulb and lots of reflectors is.

Tomorrow is our big journey home. In a bid to avoid traffic jams we are planning on leaving mid afternoon rather than first thing and travelling into the night.

So with some time to kill tomorrow we’ve hopefully got one more adventure up our sleeve!

Tuesday

Tuesday travel day dawned overcast but dry. Despite our long day ahead we decided to get up and on, Keith being keen to get the kit packed up on the dry. No rain was forecast but the second we’d closed the boot, the heavens opened. Top tip, never trust the weather forecast and if it’s dry on pack up day- just get on! We’d been having some issues with our bike cover – and which I’ll cover on a separate post when it’s resolved 😳 so that delayed our departure a touch but it felt good to be able to take our time and not rush to a time schedule of “oh we really should be on the road by now”.

We did however roll off the site at 10:30, waving goodbye to the very friendly and hard working owner of SeaBreezes. We made our way an hour and 20 mins south to the outskirts of Inverness- our destination to “hang out in” until later in the day was Chanory Point – on the Black Isle. Chanory Point is reportedly one of the best places in the world to see wild dolphins. Access is tight; as the name suggests it’s at the point of a rather slim bit of headland – the road leading to the car park is single track with a golf course on each side and with holiday traffic and the bin man causing havoc, getting there wasn’t quite as stress free as I’d have hoped. But- we persevered and we’re rewarded with bagging a car park space immediately. Which was good because the best time to see the dolphins, I’d read – was 2 hours before high tide, and the clock had just crossed that marker!

I’m not lying, I actually RAN from the van to the beach whilst Keith sorted paying etc out, and therefore couldn’t believe my eyes (through the binoculars which I’d hastily grabbed) when less than a minute after looking I could see a pod of dolphins about 100m out having the time of their lives.

Keith soon caught up and we spent a good twenty mins or so along with a significant number of others admiring these beautiful creatures playing blissfully in the Moray Firth.

I honestly could have stood there all day, and have already eyed up a caravan park for future reference to stay at along with a boat trip I want to take. Here’s a slightly bad video which doesn’t capture the moment properly but gives you an idea. (Look near the white boat)

Around 1pm we decided to make lunch in the car park – a large plate of spaghetti bol to keep us going through the night, and around 3pm we hit the road- stopping at Halfords Inverness to try and rectify our cover problem.

Our journey home took just over 10 hours with us taking 2.5 hour driving shifts. The roads moved freely and the journey was actually really pleasant indeed and rather scenic, passing through the Cairngorms and then the lowlands and the Pennines. We’d far rather this approach to a near 600 mile journey home.

We have had the most amazing trip- Scotland’s East Coast has been everything we could have hoped for and more. Stayed tuned for a debrief post with some hints, and a summary of our trip in a few days- but for now it’s time to get the washing on and get my “Bridesmaid” hat on as I’ve the honour of being a bridesmaid my best friend this weekend near Coventry.

Until next time

Lx