It was time to wave goodbye to our beloved Scotland after almost four weeks of exploring its wild beauty. It was bittersweet leaving behind the lochs, mountains, and winding roads, but before heading home, we decided on one last hurrah.
And what better place to finish than going full circle and returning to the Peak District?
A Stop at Middleton Top
From our final stop in Scotland, We made our way to Middleton Top campsite near Matlock, an ideal spot for cycling the High Peak Trail. This 17.5-mile route is a disused railway line—the world’s first railway, in fact! Today, it’s been transformed into a fantastic traffic-free cycle path, weaving through the rolling Derbyshire Dales.
We rolled into the campsite just after 2:15pm, and by 3pm we were already pedalling. Conveniently, the trail runs directly behind the site—no faff, just hop on and go!
On the High Peak Trail
The ride was an absolute joy. Smooth, steady paths and glorious open views made it easy to lose ourselves in the scenery. By the end of the afternoon, we had clocked up 30 miles, a satisfying distance for our last big adventure of the trip.
Of course, we couldn’t resist a pub stop at one end of the trail—and another when we got back. After all, a good pint always tastes better after a long cycle!
Winding Down
As the sun set on our final day, we tucked into a hearty plate of campervan sausage and mash—the perfect comfort food after a day on the bike in cooler temperatures. It felt like the perfect full stop to an incredible few weeks on the road.
Scotland gave us endless memories, but the High Peak Trail was the ideal way to round off our travels. A little slice of cycling heaven in the heart of Derbyshire.
✨ High Peak Highlights:
Middleton Top campsite – a good base location wise for the trail. Campsite has showers but they were ratty and dirty, toilets and a washing up area but no electric. £20pn. Very unlevel and if it had been full, also a small space. We didn’t really like it and wouldn’t return.
High Peak Trail – traffic-free, smooth, and scenic Derbyshire Dales views – glorious all the way – 30 miles cycled in one afternoon 🚴
We had an early start on Sunday as we were keen to get to York by late morning. We had booked onto the Leeds DA THS (Temporary Holiday Site); this is a benefit of being a C&CC member, each region hosts its own THS and club meets and these tend to be on large rally fields in interesting locations at a fraction of the cost of mainstream campsites. They tend to have chemical loo disposal, bins and a water tap and can cost between £5-£15 pn.
We stayed on the Bishopsthorpe THS for one night at a cost of £15 which compared to the prices of the club site in York £40pn+ we felt was a bargain.
Bishopsthorpe is just a couple of miles south of York and linked via a very good traffic free but tarmac cycle path. It’s also got a couple of pubs and is within easy access of the solar system. Yes, you read that correctly! York University installed a few years ago, a reduced, but still accurate scale solar system trail along a disused railway path now cycle trail.
You start at the sun, which is about a mile towards York from Bishopsthorpe and then cycle through the solar system for 6 miles! It’s wonderful. Each planet has some interesting info to read and there is even a replica of Voyager 2 along the way. (Click on individual pics to make larger)
We really enjoyed our cycle along here and would totally recommend it. More info here
Having cycled the solar system, we retraced our steps so to speak back into York- which was 10 miles from Pluto 😜 all off road and the last bit took us right through the Racecourse.
We’ve been to York many times so the usual tourist places were skipped this time, our evening was spent catching up with a friend of ours over some beers in some lovely dog friendly historical establishments. We particularly enjoyed a beer in the roof garden of The Habit- which had amazing views over the Cathedral. We also had a delicious toad in the hole dinner at the Guy Fawkes inn. (Where Guy Fawkes was born)
Our York time was short and sweet this time, but it’s one of our favourite cities in the UK and if you’ve not been we’d highly recommend it.
It’s worth keeping an eye out for the THSs as it’s a much cheaper way of visiting. But there are plenty of campsites to choose from for York adventures and it is a very cycle friendly and dog friendly city.
Moving on from York, we hit the A1 north for 4 hours across the border into Scotland and arrived at North Berwick. We have passed by many times but never stopped. We had intended on staying at the THS here but bad planning on my part hadn’t appreciated how far out of N Berwick it actually was and as the weather was rainy we wanted to be closer to town so we cold enjoy some pub action.
“Wild camping” is much more tolerated in Scotland than England so we decided to bypass the THS and find ourselves a spot closer to town instead. We found a great spot on Tantallon terrace just on the outskirts of N Berwick via Park4night app and couldn’t believe our luck when we managed to get a spot which would work only for a side on small van like ours.
Jackpot!
We settled in, and had a walk into town for a few drinks. Our parking spot was free so we were keen to spend some pennies in town. We had a couple of drinks and chatted to locals in the Auld Hoose and then more drinks at the Ship, before going back to the van and drinking in the magnificent views.
Next day and we decided to stay for an additional night- the sun was shining so we offloaded our bikes and had a cycle around the local area. We looked at Tantallon castle and enjoyed the coastal views. We then made our way back into town for a delicious lunch at the Lobster shack. My north Berwick lobster and crab rolls were just Devine!
From here we made our way back to the van for a bit fat chill. It was great and we’d really enjoyed our time here. There were many vans parked up, but everyone seemed to be behaving themselves and locals didn’t seem bothered either.
After our second night we moved on further north, taking nothing but photos and leaving nothing but footprints. A perfect start to our roadtrip and great to be back in Scotland, our spiritual home
Gandalf the VW is parked up with a terrific view of the Moray Firth, in the highlands of Scotland, near to Lossiemouth.
We made the 5 hour journey from Beadnall bay, with a couple of comfort stops en route/ it was a tiring drive but the end result- our pitch at West Bay Caravan Park was worth the drive.
Our drive through the Cairngorms on the A9 enabled us to stop for supplies at an old haunt of ours, the House Of Bruar- a fabulous collection of local food, drink and goodies and we raided their cheese and butchery section as well as their local drinks too. Well worth a stop if you’re passing but perhaps hide your credit card as it’s easy to get carried away in there! Haha
We arrived on site about 5:30 and despite our weariness managed a quick set up. Our pitch had lovely views of the ocean and was close to the facilities block- we both enjoyed long hot showers in a heated shower block having had 6 nights of camping showers in our awning.
Our dinner was sausage and mash- with venison Sausage from the House of Bruar. Absolutely gorgeous and easily done in the Remoska now we were back on electric after 4 nights off grid.
We sat outside until dark, admiring the cruise liner leaving Invergorden just down the coast and slept well – especially after I took down the awning at 2am- the wind off the sea was making a racket through the awning!
Sunday arrived and we were both feeling tired – it had been a full on week of travelling on top of a full on half term of work.
We decided to have a day of doing nothing. We took a gentle walk to the village shop to pick up a couple of supplies and then Keefy made a delicious haggis pizza for lunch.
He started it off on the cadac pizza stone but it was struggling against the wind, so we transferred it to the Remoska for the second half of cooking. It was delicious.
We then took a wander down to the campsite beach and had some time larking around on the paddle board. I enjoyed a swim too. We both enjoyed making use of the on site bar, the Salty Dog when we made our way to the site for a dram.
After a lazy afternoon back at the van we cooked up Cullen skink for dinner which was delicious.
A perfect day of just sitting and watching the sea – something that we had driven all this way for- it really hit the spot.
Monday arrived and despite a not so pleasant weather forecast we were blessed with beautiful sunshine. We unloaded the bikes and cycled along the Moray coastal trail to Lossiemouth (6 miles but sadly not off road like other parts of the trail- although the road wasn’t too busy)
We found the bar/restaurant Harbour Lights immediately and got won over by their position and menu.
Keith had grilled haddock and I enjoyed Cullen skink for the second time in less than 24 hours! I have to say theirs was absolutely exquisite. We then cycled around the harbour, pausing on the wall for a while enjoying the sunshine and also on the look out for dolphins. I’d seen some from the pitch at the campsite yesterday but Keith missed them. I was itching for us both to see them together.
Alas, we were in the wrong place at the wrong time and no dolphins made their appearance- it didn’t matter though, we loved siting there nice and relaxed.
After a quick stop at the Coop we made our way back to the site for a relax. We enjoyed a local cheeseboard and to our delight spotted a pod of dolphins swimming by.
We spent the reminder of the day relaxing watching the sea and another cruise ship- before enjoying dinner- homemade chicken balmoral. (Chicken stuffed with haggis wrapped in bacon) served with neeps and tatties and cooked in the Remoska.
Tuesday arrived and again the weather was better than the forecast! We unloaded the bikes again and made a short but beautiful journey to Burghead. This section of the coastal trail is only 2 miles but is fully off road on a disused railway track – part of the Moray coastal trail.
Burghead is small but very traditional. The harbour is used for fishermen although there is a company operating boat trips, which we would have loved to have done one- sadly they aren’t dog friendly without us chartering the entire boat at almost £500 for 2 hours. A shame really- we’ve always managed a boat trip with Jazz and considering the amount of campers with dogs on our site I’m surprised there isn’t a market for dog friendly boat trips along this stretch of the Moray which is heavily populated with dolphins so would make an exciting family activity. But there we go. We saved ourselves £70 (or £500 for the charter) but for the record we were willing to spend our £70 to a local company for a boat trip.
We picked up a scotch pie and a macaroni pie for a picnic lunch to enjoy on the long journey back to Gandalf – haha! – from the Coop- nowhere else open in Burghead. We also enjoyed a look at the Pictish fort, which had great views along the coast too.
Once back at the van we went back down to the beach for more paddle board fun before enjoying more cheese, dolphin watching and an afternoon snooze.
When we were awake we couldn’t take our eyes off the sea!
Dinner was a slow cooker special of Beef stroganoff. As I went to wash up, We saw more dolphins – a majestic site. I just love them.
After dinner we started packing up as tomorrow was our big drive home. We enjoyed the most spectacular sunset we’ve ever seen I think in Scotland that evening. We could have been in Greece.
We’d very much enjoyed our time at West Beach Caravan Park. Although it was pricier at £37 pn we were pleased with the sea view- despite not being right on the front row (we only booked 10 days prior to arrival- the front row book up months in advance and I can see why!) we had a great view. Some of the pitches on the site in our opinion are better than others. The front row (S then number) are phenomenal location just a stone throw to the water. The ones behind that were ok, but a little hemmed in as were the E pitches in our opinion . We liked the VW pitches which we were on but felt ours #7 was the best of those as it had no van on one whole side so you got a wide view of the sea.
We did feel the rules on site were hit and Miss. No ball games for example but no one monitoring when people were playing ball games and therefore hitting our van. Parking with doors facing a particular way made some A class motorhomes that were LH have their main window away from the view. That must have been annoying.
The showers were well cleaned and nice but the push button was the shortest we’ve ever encountered and could have been a degree or two warmer.
Usually we’re not too fussy on these things but I suppose when you’re paying premium you take more notice of smaller details. Having said all of this- we really enjoyed our stay, it was perfect for our needs and we will likely return at some point.
As we left on Wednesday, we decided to make a morning of it seeing as the weather was so good and we were craving the mountains. We filled with fuel at Elgin which was so cheap (£1.78 haha!) and then made our way to Braemar. The route was splendid passing through Tomintoul – we were in heaven. At Braemar we then headed towards Pitlochry – another extremely scenic route, before joining the A9 which led us on our journey south and back home.
If you’ve never been to the Cairngorms- you need to go! There’s a past blog from our previous stays here. We’ve also got a previous blog from further down the Moray Firth / Moray Coastal trail last year here
We left Pitlochry at 12:30 and we’re back home at 9pm having stopped for some shopping in nearby Thetford. So a very good run indeed!
We’d had a brilliant time on our travels- Scotland once more ticked our boxes- and by staying East… no midges!!!!
Gandalf the VW is parked up alongside his pal, Hiilda the Hymer (my Dad and Step Mum’s) motorhome and we’re nestled behind The Waterloo Inn in Biggin, Derbyshire, cashing in our Christmas present from them- a camping weekend.
We’re staying at the Waterloo Inn campsite, conveniently located just behind the pub. The site is fairly basic, but does have hard standing pitches, heated showers and loos, a washing up shack, usual waste emptying facilities, miles up on miles of walks and bike rides on its doorstep; and of course the (dog friendly) pub complete with log fire within staggering distance. What more could we possibly need?! Some decent weather was on our wish list, but honestly, having been grounded due to a broken big toe and even ending up on crouches for some of January, I really couldn’t care less about the weather. I was just ready for an adventure and to see some hills!
We had a great journey up from Norfolk on Friday morning, arriving at the site just in time for lunch. Following lunch, we had a walk down to Hartington, a pretty little village with a nice and cosy pub, The Devonshire Arms.
We had a quick dram – it had to be a quick one as the daylight was fading fast, before making our way back up the track to Biggin ready for dinner in the pub.
The Waterloo Arms was unpretentious and exceptionally friendly. We instantly were made to feel welcome and the food was nice too. Keith and I enjoyed the local banger of the week from the butchers nearby at Stanage Edge. We enjoyed our evening in the pub catching up with Dad and Jenny, so engrossed we were with our company we had no idea that snow had fallen whilst we’d been inside!
Friday night was exceptionally peaceful on site and we all slept well.
Saturday arrived, and whilst it was a bit blowy and chilly, it was dry- so we unloaded our bikes, and after breakfast baps, hit the very nearby Tissington Trail.
The Tissington Trail is an old disused railway line, now turned into recreational track. The surface was ideal for our E bikes, and the scenery was stunning. The more exposed sections offered panaromic views of the The Peak District, as we whizzed by Alsop dale and beyond.
Some sections had terrifically tall and steep sides- the path (old track) cutting through the limestone like a knife. There were huge railways bridges for us to cycle under too.
The only problem was the rapidly deteriorating weather- it was blowing a hooley to put it lightly, and actually blooming cold wet and a bit miserable. We explored Tissington, a very pretty little village with picture perfect stone cottages and small lanes and a hall now used as a venue, and also a duck pond.
We nipped into the butchers, and enjoyed our picnic lunch…. in the bus shelter, which was a very welcome relief as it was FREEZING.
We had considered carrying on slightly further to Ashbourne, however we had done 7 miles already – some of which were hard work with the high cross winds, and also Dad didn’t have an E Bike so was struggling with the weather conditions on his bike. We all agreed we’d had enough for one day, and would rather finish and feel happy weather than carry on a bit further and begin to feel unhappy/ratty.
So we made our way back the way we came, along the Tissington Trail back to our new temporary local, where the roaring fires awaited us and a top shelf bottle of Jura to warm us up.
Despite the weather, it hadn’t dampened our spirits, and once warmed up I think we all felt a huge satisfaction about our day’s adventure. Keith and I really enjoyed the scenery along the way and I’m sure in warmer and dryer weather this would be a brilliant activity to enjoy.
Dinner was a delicious beef brisket pot roast and we followed this by an earlyish night! Unfortunately our neighbours on the site did NOT have an early night and we were awoken several times by campfire singing and general noise. However – they were in TENTS! So clearly Needed to get wasted I think to cope! 🤣
Sunday dawned, and despite it absolutely lashing it down during the night, we awoke to fairly ok weather, so had a quick early breakfast and donned our walking boots. The campsite we’re being generous and allowing us to have a later check out. We enjoyed a terrific walk down through Biggin Dale- which reminded me and Keefy of something out of Lord of the Rings, with its green mossy banks and stone and scree banks.
As we had set off early we had the place to ourselves. If we had had more time, we could have extended the walk to either Hartington or Milldale in the opposite direction – however the river was a reminder of how rough the weather had been – you could hear it quite a distance away, it was thrashing though the valley.
Our return route was a retracing of our steps, or rather a sliding back to the pub- the grass path was really muddy and slippy in places with both Keefy and Jenny going over a couple of times. Still – we loved it. I really feel invigorated in this scenery, and having had a number of weeks being unable to even do the mile dog walk loop, just being out and feeling the wind and cold on my face and some scenery was brilliant. We had sunday lunch in the pub before retrieving Gandalf the VW and Hiiilda the Hymer, saying our farewells and retreating back to Norfolk, just in time to unload before it got dark.
A splendid weekend away.
We’d recommend the campsite for walking/cycling around the Tissington/Hartington area. Its no frills, but did the job superbly!
Until Next Time – which is in less than 5 days… eek!
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.
Gandalf the VW is parked up with panoramic views of the Moray Firth ahead. Our home for next three nights is Sunny Brae; a C&MC CL on the outskirts of Findlochty. The site is small but very well positioned with all 5 hard standing pitches positioned to give privacy and a view. Once again we have no facilities other than EHU and a tap/emptying point- oh and some shaky WiFi, but at £12pn we can’t help but think this is one of the best priced CLs on the network.
We managed to get set up just before the rain fell, and we enjoyed watching a storm out at sea from the shelter of our sun canopy with a g&t.
We’re starting to feel quite tired – we’ve been on the road and on the go now for two full weeks (bar one night quick changeover) since the end of the school term, and whilst we’ve had a brilliant time, it comes at a cost of beginning to feel worn out!
Dinner tonight was homemade haggis, mushroom and spinach pizzas, made in the Remoska which were delicious and then we settled down for a quiet night of reading and watching Ozark (K).
This morning dawned with beautiful blue skies. Seeing as it looks like our run of good weather may be changing tomorrow we decided to get up and on, in order to enjoy the best of the weather.
After a quick bacon sandwich and some household chores, we got on the bikes. Today’s adventure was cycling some of the Moray Coastal trail; a mostly off road cycle trail. We picked the trail up in Findlochty, just half a mile from our campsite and followed it to Cullen.
The first part was directly on the cliff top and as such had tremendous coastal views.
At Portknockie we opted for the Disused railway track- the coastline between there and Cullen looking more rugged and contouring on the map, and perhaps less suitable for our road E bikes. Plus we do enjoy disused railways tracks (and they tend to be level!)
Our approach into Cullen was spectacular, the weather gods were really on our side, and we enjoyed cycling over the impressive viaduct that dominates the skyline.
We headed up to the castle hill, a former motte and Bailey and enjoyed the views over the coast.
We then cycled back down to the village and onto the beach and harbour area, checking out the viaduct from ground level too.
We considered taking the coastal path back but in the end the Scottish Open being held on Cullen links prevented that so we happily retraced our steps back to Portknockie on the railway path, pausing for lunch at Bow Fiddle, a dramatic rock formation that resembles the upper part of the a violin bow.
We watched (and listened to – they’re noisy so and so’s!) the sea gulls and cormorants that nest here for some time, before making our way to Findlochty. We then continued in the opposite direction to Buckie- again this stretch of the coastal trail is disused railway with lovely views across the sea and a wonderful tarmac path.
At Buckie we picked up fresh fish from Eat Muir and then made our way back to the campsite, via the pub at Findlochty, where we enjoyed a drink overlooking the pretty harbour.
Once back at Gandalf we spent the afternoon enjoying the sunshine: if the weather forecast is to be believed this may be the last of the blue skies we see for some time!
Well the weather forecast was correct for once and rain did indeed fall today! Lots of it! it actually didn’t bother us at all, as I’d mentioned earlier on this list we were beginning to feel exhausted -in a nice way – so we took the rain day as an opportunity to have a duvet day; something which we very VERY rarely do. We stayed in bed til 11:30, then got up and made a brunch cooked breakfast.
We then settled in to begin watching Breaking Bad, which we ended up watching for the remainder of the day, with a break in the middle for a game of monopoly and sweet and sour chicken dinner.
By dinner time the rain had stopped so we were able to cook under the canopy and we were even treated to a glimpse of blue sky.
After dinner, we went for a short leg stretch on the track behind the campsite, before retreating back to Gandalf to continue Breaking Bad .
Sometime I think we get a bit carried away on these trips and forget to give ourselves time to stop and catch our breath. We get so caught up in wanting to make the most of our time, and not wanting to miss anything in the new areas that we travel in, but we forget that our normal day to day life is exceptionally busy, and we’re mainly rushing around and working 12 hour days. At some point we just have to pause! This site has been the perfect place to draw breath as we’ve got wonderful sea views in the distance and it’s lovely and quiet.
We move on tomorrow for our last push north. We’ll definitely return here to cycle more of the Moray a coastal Route and also do a bit of coastal walking and the cliffs and contour gradients are not as dramatic as down south on the South West Coast, yet the views are just as dramatic. I’d also like to do the walk from Cullen to Findlater Castle and cycle to Portgordon and beyond.
Gandalf the VW Campervan is parked at Eves Hill Farm, a C&CC certified site in Norfolk on the outskirts of Reepham. We should have been in Wales this weekend, but two absolutely bonkers weeks at work, along with a middle weekend moving my mum, meant that by the time Thursday came along Keith and I were running on fumes- and I think that’s an overstatement! Sadly we we’re just too tired (and felt quite ill) to make the 5 hour journey each way for just two nights near to Bodnant Gardens, so we had to send our apologies and add the Laburnum archway and stunning gardens that are featured in the newest Secret Garden film onto a list for next year.
Instead we got some well needed rest on Friday and had a regroup. We managed to book a last minute pitch at Eves Hills Farm for the night on Saturday- a mere 40 min drive from home felt much more palatable and we were able to take our new bikes with us to try them out on the nearby Marriott’s Way– a disused railway track now turned into leisure path.
We’ve cycled this a few times before, and it remains a favourite place for us to head off to for just a night.
Eves Hill Farm was a perfect base. Just a couple of miles outside of Reepham – which we stopped at before hand to stock up on local sausages and bacon for breakfast from the butchers, and cheese from the deli next door. What more did we need? Homemade burgers from the campsite of course! Luckily for us Eves Farm have their own herd of Hereford cattle and make their own steaks and burgers. Bbq ready for later, and a cheese board for lunch set us up for an afternoon of cycling. The 2 miles back into Reepham were a doddle on our E bikes and we were soon on our way on the Marriott’s Way.
We decided to head south on the trail and stopped for refreshments after around 7 miles at Whitwell Station.
We enjoy stopping here, there is very often some steam train activity to watch.
We decided to make our way back to the campsite, we’d noticed a charming looking pub at Reepham which we enjoyed a drink at before arriving back at the campsite totalling up 18 Miles’s – a breeze on these e bikes!
The campsite has a fairly decent shower (along with washing up station with hot water!) so we ditched our diy awning shower in favour of an electric shower before dinner, which was a delicious bbq followed by local strawberry’s and clotted cream. Perfection!
Sunday dawned grey however we had a lazy start and enjoyed a full English breakfast before packing up. The campsite was able to accommodate a late check out so we explored more of the Marriott’s way, this time heading north to Aylsham.
We had coffee and cake at Aylsham station, which links with the Bure Valley Way, before taking the back roads to return to the campsite. Aylsham is another good place to watch the steam trains.
The joy of this was when we passed a fantastic French gothic church – Booton church- with its twin towers and phenomenal hammered roof and carved angels.
It’s nickname “the cathedral of the fields” really is accurate. What a fabulous building.
From here we continued past the campsite to Little Witchingham- to another historical church; this one an abandoned church saved from demolition when stunning medieval wall paintings were discovered dating from the 15th century.
The intensity of the paintings was incredible, and the remoteness of the church and its abandonment certainly added to its charm!
We cycled the 2 miles from here back to Eves Hill, clocking up over 21 miles on total.
We are thrilled with our new E Bikes!
Keith held onto his Aldi Vitesse Rush – my Aldi one was faulty so I now have a Pendleton Somerby E bike from Halfords. I’m in love with it!
We’ve got a couple of weeks at home coming up as we have our Mot and then we are having a solar panel fitted to the roof, but on just 3 weeks we’ll be off out on numerous trips. We can’t wait!
Tuesday arrived bright and sunny, just as the weather forecast predicted and after a delicious smoked haddock and poached eggs we packed away in the blistering heat and made our way the short way to Arundel Castle. We were extremely thankful for Gandalf’s air con!
On arrival at Arundel, we parked in the public car park opposite the castle which is large enough for the biggest of motorhomes, and made our way to the Castle entrance. First impressions were absolutely excellent- Arundel Castle looks like a fairytale castle when you scratch the surface, but delve a little deeper and you realise that it’s a mix of both Medieval and Victorian, with a medieval keep high on a motte and then these wonderful big ramparts and towers.
Inside the castle you can see a fair bit. We were particularly interested in the history of the seat of the Duke of Norfolk – as back in the 1600s in the next village to us, Kenninghall- the duke of Norfolk had a Manor House which got destroyed. There is a fair bit of history regarding this Manor House so when we get home we will set about trying to research this some more.
In the pictures above- the one in the bottom right hand corner is a beautiful decorative table made out of tiny mosaic segments. The library is exquisite.
Outside of the castle, the gardens are terrific; and the irises just looked superb. There is a lovely rose garden along with a water garden. We really enjoyed our time visiting!
After our visit we went for lunch at the Red Lion on the high street which was lovely.
We then moved on to our next location of this surprise trip for Keefy’s birthday. 30 mins beyond Arundel is Chichester- and our home for the next two nights was a very lovely C&MC certified called Fir Trees on the outskirts of Chichester.
We settled into our lovely pitch, this time with EHU , and had an hour or two basking in the sun on our inflatable chairs. The site is a huge grass (but very short grass) field -with impeccable chemical loo point, Keefy tells me!
We had a bbq for dinner – chicken kebabs and swordfish, before having a very early night. I was exhausted and my foot was still playing up!
Wednesday arrived and I broke the news to Keefy where we were going today; Fishbourne Roman Palace which was conveniently just 4 miles down the road and an easy cycle. We made our way onto the Salterns Way- a cycle route up to Chichester and down to West Wittering. We rode north past very pretty harbours and house boats and stopped for an early lunch at the amazingly beautiful Dell Quay. We felt like we were at the Mediterranean!
After lunch of crab burgers, we continued up to Fishbourne Roman Palace. We really enjoyed our visit. It was much bigger than Bignor- the size of this plot was huge and there were lots of mosaic to see. The layout of the visitors centre made it very easy to imagine the scale of the site here. They still don’t know who lived here but given it’s size we felt sure the emperor must have visited if not lived here.
From here we joined the aptly named Centurian Way, a disused railway route now turned into a traffic free cycle path. It gets its name from the Roman Road that it loosely follows and has some interesting sculptures not to mention terrific railway bridges along the way.
The Centurian way runs 6 miles each way from Chichester to West Dean.
We stopped a couple of times to pretend we were Roman drinking red wine from travel cups, before just as we turned back my bike broke! 🤦♀️ we’re not entirely sure how it happens but the cog that carries the chain bent at a 45 degree angle. Lucky for us we were near a pub which lent us a mallet and a screwdriver to get me back on the road home.
Had this not have happened, we were intending on following the Saltern way again all the back down to West Wittering, and I’d also hoped to visit Bosham, but we’ll have to save that for another time.
Dinner tonight was ribs, chilli and Mac n cheese – before a big chill. We are moving on again tomorrow and won’t be camping for the actually day of K’s bday. Whilst we both have had an AMAZING week, he has drawn the line at having to deal with chemical loos on his 50th bday. He has no idea where we are going to- but I’ve promised him he won’t have to drop his (or my!) plops 😂
Gandalf the VW is parked high up above the Trans Pennine Trail, overlooking Wogden Moor on the outskirts of Carlecotes, South Yorkshire. Our home for the next three nights is Thurlmoor Farm, a Camping and Caravanning Club Certified Site.
We had a pleasant and easy journey ‘oooop north’ on Friday morning making one slight detour to pick up some supplies from the wonderful Hinchcliff’s Farm shop near Holmfirth. We had lots of fun shopping for local meats, cheeses, local gins and beers to see us through the May Bank Holiday weekend. This place is heaven for local food and drink lovers like ourselves, and we could have easily bought EVERY thing inside. The butchers and deli counters were immense, and the local gins were in abundant supply.
With our supplies purchased and packed away we made the 20 minute journey to the campsite, arriving around 3pm- just as the sun decided to take over from the showers we’d encounter throughout our journey.
The views from Thurlmoor Farm are wonderful. It is situated at 1100 feet and landscaped into two separate terraces. We were given a very friendly welcome by campsite owner Mandy and we were excited to be able to pitch up sideways. We took advantage of the room and set our the canopy as well as our trusty friend the tailgate awning – serving as our ensuite bathroom this weekend again! There are no facilities other than hook up, water and disposal at this site and as such the fee was very low at just £13 pn. The views were just great and we could see in the valley below us the Trans Pennine Trail – our reason for booking this site.
Unfortunately – our neighbours ended up pitching their caravan very much on top of us. I’m not entirely sure it was their fault- pitches wernt marked and at the same time they arrived another van arrived the other side of them. We assumed someone would be coming the other side of us, otherwise we probably would have asked to moved to pitch number 1- which would have left a pitch between us. But as it happened no-one else arrived and the van the other side of our neighbours only stayed one night – so with perhaps a little more planning from the owners it could have been avoided. As it happens though our neighbours were fairly quiet – it just looks obscene on pictures given how much other space there was in the camping field! We were aware of them and I’m sure they were aware of us too. Hey ho – it could have been worse!
Zoom in to see the caravan next to Gandalf!
We had little wander down the local footpath, and a sundowner drink lower on the campsite, a natural slope made a perfect private terrace overlooking the sheep fields, before reheating a spag bol on the cadac for dinner on Friday night. Whilst it was bright and sunny, the wind was fresh, but we managed to cook and eat outside. We were very happy campers indeed!
No walkable pubs from the site right now, so I came prepared with a little help from the farm shop we stopped at beforehand!
Saturday dawned bright and cool and after a full English with goodies from our farm shop haul, we hit the road on our bikes. We cycled 1.4 miles (very much downhill) to nearby Dunford Bridge, which is where we picked up the Trans Pennine Trail. The Trans Pennine Trail is a mainly traffic free Recreational route which spans from Southport on the West Coast to Hornsea on the East Coast. It’s a staggering 215 miles long, runs mainly traffic free and largely follows the route of old railway lines, canals and riversides. The section that we were tackling this weekend ran from Dunford Bridge to Thurgoland – a distance of around 10 miles, all off road, all level* and all very scenic and lovely. It is worth noting that there is a car park at Dunford Bridge if you don’t fancy the ascent back up to the campsite. The reason we had been drawn to this section in particular was the impressive Thurgoland Tunnels, which we’d seen on a tv programme a while back.
We easily settled in to the ride from Dunford Bridge – the route very obviously following an old disused railway like, with steep gauges either side at times, and many original railway bridges to pass under.
We passed by Penistone and soon we arrived at our main feature, the Thurgoland Tunnel; a double bored disused railway tunnel that is 282 metres in length. It has a distinct 4000 foot radius curve which gives it unique 20+ second echo inside. Acoustically its really REALLY cool, and we loved messing around inside making sounds and clapping, listening to the long acoustic reverberating echoes. I wished I had taken my sax! Although it is double bore – one of the tunnels has been blocked in, so now you can only access one of the two tunnels.
See video of our experience in the tunnel…
About a mile or two on from the tunnel, we grabbed a pint at the Bridge Inn, before retracing our route back to the campsite. *The return route was harder by far. We thought we were unfit perhaps – this was our first cycle out for months. As the miles dragged on we became more and worried about the big hill back to the campsite! When we got back, my tracker revealed that actually we had done 10 miles downhill and 10 miles up. No wonder we struggled – but the beauty of tramline engineering is that these gradients are disguised very well and whilst they are gradual, we definitely noticed this one. Thats our excuse for our struggle anyway!!
A refreshment stop at Penistone* gave us that last push we needed and although it was a much slower return, we made it up that hill and back to the campsite by 4pm. We loved the route and were proud to have totted up 20.6 miles. You can see our route video below.
*There is a terrific taproom and brewery in Penistone where we picked up some lovely locally made lager.
It’s worth mentioning, you can still access this spectacular tunnel if you don’t cycle. There is a bus stop immediately outside the campsite which takes/ brings you back to Thurgoland on the number 29 bus every day except Sunday /and bank hol- Timetable here. You could walk 10 miles along the TPT and bus back, or you could bus there and bus back. Either way you do it, if you have an interest in railway history, cool places etc etc, its worth a visit and this site is one of the closest you’ll get to the Thurgoland Tunnel.
After showers in the awning, we settled into Gandalf for the evening, enjoying a delicious Barnsley chop dinner (Fillet Steak for Keefy) before a relatively early night. Barnsley Chop in Barnsley…. my month is made already!
Sunday arrived and we had a slightly lazier start to the day. The weather was still clear, despite being a bit blowy and fresh, and after a scrambled egg breakfast we donned our walking boots and walked to nearby Winscar Reservoir, then back down to the TPT at Dunford Bridge before returning to the site along (or rather up!) a farm land footpath. The reservoir was worth seeing, we enjoyed watching some of the boats from the local sailing club and it was really nice to see so many families out and about. We also were serenaded by Lapwings which was lovely.
Are we nearly there yet?!
After our walk we enjoyed delicious baked Camembert, cooked in my Lakeland Remoska which I still use most days in the Campervan!
Later on we had a bbq for dinner in front of the fire pit – but my gosh it was cold! We couldn’t soak enough of the view up – we’ve really missed hills and high ground during lockdown. Luckily with the terraced positioning of the site we were able to move inside and enjoy the view just as much in the warmth of Gandalf for our final night of this adventure.
All too soon it was time to pack up on Monday morning, but we made an early start and as such missed the horrific rain and wind on both packing up and arriving home. Bonus! We had hoped to make a stop at National Trust’s Wentworth Castle Gardens but the weather god’s had been kind enough during the weekend and our luck ran out on that front.
We really loved this site, and would not hesitate to recommend it to you all. It has no facilities at all, other than EHU and waste and water, and sadly there are no walkable pubs (although this may change if the local one – about a mile away reopens later this month). But if you like peace and quiet, and nice views this one is for you. The bus route outside will take you to Sheffield in one direction (thats the way you need for Thurgoland) and Holmfirth in the other. Electric bikes would probably be an advantage here – these are the next thing on our shopping list.
The Atera Strada bike rack had it’s first outing on Gandalf and worked a treat, as did our tailgate awning shower set up. We returned home from BH weekend refreshed and happy after a brilliant weekend away!
Seeing as the weather forecast for this weekend was so good, we decided to jump into Ruby again for a cheeky night away on Saturday, two weekends away in a row – how lovely!
Our wheels we once again set towards North Norfolk, this time towards The Weavers Way at North Walsham. The Weavers Way is a 61 mile footpath – parts of which are disused railway lines – and it takes it name from the cloth industry that was once one of the areas major industries.
We were staying at another Caravan and Motorhome club CL site, this time with no facilities other than hook up, tap and disposal facilities. Old Bridge Farm is situated conveniently just off the Weavers Way- perfect for our weekend of walking and enjoying the weather.
After a quick lunch, which we enjoyed in the beautiful sunshine, we actually had a quick nap! Feeling much more rested, we don our boots and head towards Aylsham on the Weavers Way.
Less than a mile from the site we came across one of the most well preserved stations we’ve seen on these disused railways; Felmingham Station. Sadly it’s not in use- it would make a wonderful cafe.
The banks along the Weavers Way are steep in places and full of pretty butterflies. We really enjoyed our 3.5 miles stroll to Aylsham before doing an about turn and making our way back to Ruby.
Once again, Keefy found an appropriate blind spot to take a shower, although the wind was a bit fresher than last week so it was a bit cooler.
We sat for a while, enjoying the peace and quiet before moving inside for dinner- that wind was very fresh!
Dinner was teriyaki salmon, noodles and stir fry. I used the Remoska to cook the salmon and it was delicious.
We ended up going to bed at 8.45pm – what party animals lol! And slept soundly until 7am. Must have needed that! These CLs are wonderfully quiet though – a real place to relax and unwind.
The sunrise was spectacular
As we had woken up so early, and the forecast for later in the day was rain, we got up early and went for a walk in the opposite direction, to North Walsham. It was just over a mile, so we walked about 2.4 miles in total. The light was wonderful.
We really enjoyed our time exploring the Weavers Way and highly recommend this campsite – it’s location and serenity were perfect and at just £12pn, we felt a real bargain.
On the way back we stopped for some local potatoes at a nearby farm and then at a farm shop for some leeks. Leek and potato for lunch!
