Category: walking

🚐 Walking the West Highland Way in Comfort: Our Campervan-Based Adventure

Posted in 2025 Trips, Hiking, Scotland, walking, West Highland Way3 Comments

The West Highland Way is one of Scotland’s most iconic long-distance walking routes, stretching 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William. We’ve been gagging to give it a go since we completed Hadrians Wall Path last year.

While many choose to backpack or book accommodation along the route, we decided to take a different approach — combining the freedom of walking with the comforts of our VW campervan.

With no backup crew, just the two of us and our dog, Jazz, we walked the WHW over 8 days, using a mix of strategic campsite bookings, cab transfers, and our trusty campervan as a moving basecamp.

Why This Approach?

Yes, it meant a bit more planning and a few cab fares, but we got the best of both worlds:
• Hot showers every night without setting up a shower tent
• Warm and comfy bed and home-cooked meals after long hikes.
• Dog-friendly and flexible travel.
• Average cost- accommodation and transfers: ~£83/night for two people + dog.

We could have wild camped to save money, but we value a real shower, comfy bed and a proper rest after hiking all day. For us, that trade-off was worth every penny.

📅 Our West Highland Way Itinerary (Campervan-Style)

Style: South to North

Distance: 96 miles

Dates: Started walking Sunday 28th July and finished on Sunday 3rd August 2025

Setup: Campervan + daypacks + pre-booked taxis

With dog: Yes – all campsites and taxis dog-friendly

Day 0 – Arrive & Base at Drymen

We arrived in Drymen and set up the van at Drymen Camping for two nights. It’s a great base to start from, walking distance to pubs and shops. This gave us a buffer day before starting the trail.

Drymen Campsite

Day 1 – Milngavie to Drymen (~12 miles)

OS route here

We took a pre-booked taxi from Drymen to the official WHW start in Milngavie, then walked back to the van at Drymen Camping. Simple start, with easy and flat paths- good to get the legs going on day 1. We walked past Drymen campsite into the village and finished at the pub, The Clahcan. We had to walk back to campsite but saved 1.4 miles off day 2’s walk.

Day 2 – Drymen to Cashel (~11.25 miles)

OS Route here

We moved the van to Cashel campsite on Loch Lomond in the morning (about a 20-min drive), then took a taxi back to Drymen (Clahcan pub) to walk this section.

Can you spot us?!

Cashel Campsite is scenic and a really lovely spot to stay for a couple of nights. We were blessed with amazing weather whilst here and were able to enjoy some million dollar cooking and eating views from our pitch – well worth paying for the premium loch side pitch.

Day 3 – Cashel to Inversnaid (~12 miles)

OS Route here

We walked from the campsite this morning on a beautiful but tougher section along the loch edge to Inversnaid Hotel. We’d pre-booked a taxi to pick us up from there and take us back to Cashel. This is a long and expensive fare because it’s 1hr 15 mins back via road from Inversnaid hotel to Cashel site due to only one mountain pass route down.

Day 4 – Inversnaid to Beinglass Farm (~6.5 miles)

OS Route here

We moved the van to Beinglass Farm campsite early (a long journey -1 hr 15 mins). We were able to set up the van, then had a pre booked cab from Beinglass to Tarbet Pier, where we took a water bus boat across to Inversnaid, and walked back to the van. Slightly more complicated logistics, but it worked smoothly and was governed by the 11:45 water bus, so a later start walking but it felt like a holiday in a holiday! And the ferry journey was lovely!

The walk, despite only being 6 miles was very tough going. The path was very uneven, with clambering over huge boulders, tree roots and more. It was slow going and we were glad to be able to split this into two unlike most people who tack this onto our previous day (and then struggle hugely and in some cases quit the walk!) Despite a hard day/ the views were magnificent.

We very much enjoyed some post walk drinks in the renowned Drovers Inn. Established in 1705, it was originally a resting spot for highland drovers (cattle herders). Today, it’s known for its quirky, atmospheric décor, taxidermy-filled rooms, traditional Scottish hospitality, hearty food, and live music. The inn combines rustic charm with ghostly legends, making it a popular stop for tourists exploring the West Highland Way.

Day 5 – Beinglass to Tyndrum (~12 miles)

OS Route here

We moved the van to Tyndrum Holiday Park in the morning, then got a taxi pick up and dropped back at Beinglass to start the walk. Easy trail day, with lovely views and following the old Military Road.

Day 6 – Tyndrum to Kingshouse (~19.4 miles)

OS Route here

A Long day! We walked the full stretch leaving the campsite Tyndrum Holiday Park at 7am and getting to Kingshouse at 4:30pm with refreshment stops at The Bridge of Orchy hotel, and Inveroran Hotel. Although big on miles, a thoroughly enjoyable and relatively easy walk.

Unfortunately, the A82 was closed due to an incident when it was time to transfer back, so our planned taxi couldn’t reach us. Luckily, we managed to get a lift from a driver who had just dropped someone at Kingshouse. We shared the £50 fare with two other walkers and got back to our van in Tyndrum. A reminder that whilst things had been smooth so far, logistical problems can hinder your day- which wouldn’t affect you if you’re doing a point to point on route approach!

Tyndrum Holiday Park – a great base for 3 nights

Day 7 – Kingshouse to Kinlochleven (~10.5 miles)

OS Route Here

We had a taxi to take us from Tyndrum to Kingshouse in the morning, then walked from there to Kinlochleven. Our taxi came back for us that evening and returned us to the van again in Tyndrum. This was our favourite day on the the trail, the views through Glencoe were absolutely outstanding. (We had amazing weather!)

Tyndrum Holiday Park

Day 8 – Kinlochleven to Fort William (~15.7 miles)

OS Route here

Final day! An early start, We moved the van early to Glen Nevis campsite (very close to the finish line), then took a taxi back to Kinlochleven at 08:15 and walked the final leg to Fort William. A tough day on the trail but we got there, and there was a great atmosphere at the end in the Black Isle Bar with walking friends we’d encountered along the way!

🚕 Taxi Cost Summary

Days 1–3: Drymen Taxi Service – £100

We pre-booked three journeys with Drymen Taxi Service about two months in advance. We paid the full £100 at the end of Day 3. All journeys were prompt and smooth and not at all a reflection of their reviews online. We thoroughly recommend Ian and his team.

Drymen → Milngavie

Cashel → Drymen

Inversnaid → Cashel

Days 4, 5 & 7: Crianlarich Cars – £170

We used Crianlarich Cars for five legs over three days. Ian (owner) and Jimmy (his deputy) were absolutely brilliant — always early, helpful, and flexible when plans had to change due to road closures.

Beinglass → Tarbet Pier ( for the waterbus to Inversnaid)

Tyndrum → Beinglass

Tyndrum → Kingshouse

Kinlochleven → Tyndrum

(Flexible extra support when A82 was shut)

Day 6: Kingshouse → Tyndrum – £50 (shared)

The A82 closure made it tough to coordinate transport. We were supposed to have Crainlarich cars to collect us but a 9 hour road closure between Crainlarich and Tyndrum meant he couldn’t get to us although he was insistent he’d come as soon as the road reopened no matter what time so we were never stranded. Luckily though, we got an on-the-spot taxi from someone who’d just dropped off walkers at Kingshouse. Shared with 2 others, our portion came to £25.

Day 8: Glen Nevis → Kinlochleven – £60

We used Nevis Cars to get us from Glen Nevis Campsite (near the finish) back to Kinlochleven so we could walk into Fort William. Quick, reliable service.

Total Taxi Costs: £380

Jimmy the Cab driver made a point of collecting us from the van each time! Which was welcome

Bus Alternatives – Why We Didn’t Take Them

Let’s talk about buses. Yes, they were an option. A significantly cheaper one, in fact—we reckon we could’ve saved around £175 on transfers by using public transport instead of taxis. Tempting, right?

There’s a solid bus service that runs from Beinglass/Inverarnan all the way up to Glencoe Mountain Resort (which is just about a mile before Kingshouse). Two companies operate this stretch: Citylink and Ember. The problem? Citylink doesn’t allow dogs. Ember does—but their buses are far less frequent.

We looked into it. Properly. But the Ember timetable just didn’t work for us. It would’ve meant either ridiculously early starts or hanging around for hours waiting on connections—particularly tricky when coordinating with things like the waterbus.

At one point, we even considered piecing together a two-bus journey from Glen Nevis to Kinlochleven. But again, dogs were taken at the driver’s discretion. We just couldn’t risk being turned away, especially when that would’ve meant starting a 15-mile day at nearly midday.

In the end, the taxis—while costly—gave us what we needed: flexibility. They worked around our timings, whether we were ahead of schedule or dawdling. So yes, it stung the budget a bit, but we don’t regret it. The ease and adaptability made a big difference, and for us, that was worth the spend.

📝 Final Thoughts

This van + taxi setup worked brilliantly for us. It let us hike light, sleep well, eat brilliantly and keep the dog comfy too. The trade-off was having to manage transport logistics, but it was 100% worth it for the flexibility and rest between days.

This setup would suit anyone who:

-Has a campervan (but not too big as Drymen only take small vans) and doesn’t want to move every day

-Is hiking with a dog or young companion

– Wants to avoid carrying heavy gear

-Prefers campsite comforts to wild camping

-Doesn’t mind organising things ahead of time

Would we do a multi day linear hike again in this fashion? Absolutely! We loved it and for us it couldn’t have been more perfect. It’s fiddly at times, you have to think outside the box sometimes but the satisfaction of completing it with Gandalf the Grey was just brilliant!

The finishing campsite – Glen Nevis

Things we found useful for planning and during our trip!

Please note some of these Amazon items are linked to my affiliate account and if you order through the link I will receive a few pence income per item ordered

West Highland Way Book

Walking poles

Water bottles 1 litre

Blister Plasters

Tick remover for dogs

Toe liner socks – anti blister

Merrell women walking shoe

Merrell Men walking boot

Insta360 camera

Smidge – vital for this time of year

Head net for the midges

If you find this page useful and can see yourselves using it for your own adventure, perhaps you’d consider Buying me a beer 🍺.

Walking Hadrians Wall- with a Campervan as your accommodation and transport! Part 3

Posted in 2024 Trips, Hadrians Wall Path, walking1 Comment

Day 5 on the wall ( a rest day!)

But….

Chollerford to Temple of Mithras, Carrawburgh

4.4 miles all on the wall

Approx 48 left to walk

Today was supposed to be a rest day. It was hard going yesterday particularly in the sun and we all struggled so we decided to have a stop day.

However, we needed to move the van further along, do a few chores and we also wanted time visit the small village of Wall, and town of Corbridge. As we enjoyed a lay in, I was looking at the map and noticing a problem with the bus link and times for tomorrow – Chollerford to Housestead. We only had 6.5 hours between the first bus and last bus of the day yet 9 miles to walk. Originally we would have had Gandalf at the end point as we’d have been moving sites today, but with our rest day, Gandalf would be at the campsite and we didn’t really want to move him. I suggested to Keith that we should consider walking the first 4 miles of tomorrow’s walk, with Gandalf parked at the temple of Mithras and a bus to the start. He agreed this made sense and would still feel relaxed compared to the previous days.

So next thing we know we’re packing up and heading on our way with a plan.

We’d enjoyed our stay at Well house farm, especially our pitch which was overlooking the fields. It wasn’t immediately close to the wall which added miles on for us every day, but we managed accordingly!

So on our way to the end point of today’s short walk, we stopped for a picture stop at Wall, a lovely small village with houses made from stones off the wall. Many of the houses here are listed and it’s very pretty.

We then moved on through Corbridge and stopped for a Quick Look at the Roman ruins of the Roman town. We didn’t have time to visit fully but we snuck a look over the fence 😜

From here we made our way to the car park of the temple of Mithras, had some lunch and waited for the bus back down to Chollerford. The AD122 Bus service runs every 2 hours along this middle section of the wall and costs just £2 for a single journey.

At Chollerford, we got our stamp for our passport as Chester’s fort, then made our way uphill. In fact the path took us mainly uphill today but as such the views suddenly became unbelievably beautiful.

Keith started severely struggling with some nasty blisters so our pace really slowed down, to the point where I wondered if he’d be able to continue.

There was a great stretch of wall at around mile number 3 and we enjoyed a rest and some pics there.

The last mile was a struggle for Keith so when we arrived back at the van in the temple car park we hot footed it to nearby Hexham to Millets to see if we could find a fix. Keith’s boots were really rubbing and so after some advice from the great staff there he’s gone for some summer style breathable walking shoes half a size too big and some lovely soft new socks so hopefully that will improve things for him. We also managed to fix Jazz’s harness which broke yesterday and re stock the non perishables and plasters! So some good jobs done on our day of rest.

I’m still chuckling because in our day of rest we arrived at our next site, Hadrian’s wall campsite at 6pm which is late for us. It’s a lovely site and we have a well landscaped pitch and the sunset was lovely.

I’ve did a load of washing and drying as we’re both running out of sunshine clothes!

After a delicious dinner of Indonesian Nadia goreng with prawns and lots of veg and spinach, and at 9:30pm it was finally time to relax!

If that’s our day of rest, il be glad to be back on the trial full time tomorrow!

Day 6 on the wall, our favourite yet!
Temple of Mithras to Caw Gap
10 miles on the wall, and 12.3 miles in total
I’ve lost count of how far along the wall we are now but know we’re past half way!

Today has just been exceptionally awesome!
We took a bus from near to the Campsite up to the temple of Mithras and then walked all the way back.

The weather was cooler which really helped and Keefy’s new shoes were basically miracles in disguise. The views were amazing and we absolutely whizzed through, going up then down and up and down again.

Most of the time we had the wall alongside us today and we passed the devastation of sycamore gap, I had a few tears I must admit, before getting cross with the amount of people there!!

We deviated off path for a mile to grab a beer and a local gin or two at Twice Brewed. At the point we had the option of busing back to campsite or walking and we decided to make a start on tomorrows miles by walking back. A true testament to how much we’ve loved this section .

We visited Housesteads fort. Jazz has been a superstar grabbing a quick nap at our two mile refresher stops.

It’s just been a wonderful days walking!


And we are so glad we did keep going as we feel so proud of ourselves. It’s hard to put it into words the atmosphere on the wall. Every time we meet someone else doing the trail it’s like a little pocket of loveliness. A five min chat, comparing notes. It really picks us up and we’ve met some really interesting folk!

Day 7 on the wall
Our campsite, Hadrians Wall campsite (which is lovely by the way!) to Banks
12.75 miles walked in total and 11.75 on the wall
No idea how far left but we are very close to Carlisle and today we left Northumberland into Cumbria!

We are bushed! Today was hard. Really hard and we (I!!) nearly opted for an early finish today less than half way. The first 5 miles were just so hard! But- we managed push through (Keefy was a champion support 😘) the route took us over some remaining. Crags but not quite as steep or nasty as yesterday’s.

We mainly travelled on Farm land filled with sheep and cows and we were on high alert tick radar!

The scenery today was just gorgeous. Lush green rolling hills. Lots of cattle and sheep. A suspected tick in Jazz’s paw thankfully turned out to be a false alarm.
2 packets of wine gums, flapjack, cakes egg butties, 6 litres of water and even some Northumbria rum. It all kept us going today!

Logistics 🔽

Day 5

Chollerford to Temple of Mithras, Carrawburgh– 4.4miles (You could do further than this)

➡️ Move van to end point of walk. Ours was Temple of Mithras but originally would have been Housesteads Fort. Catch AD122 Bus back to George hotel Chollerford. Bus runs every two hours with the first being around 10:15 (check times here) £2pp

⬅️ Walk to van.

⛺️ Then drive on to Hadrians Wall Campsite

🧺 Opportunity to grab supplies in Hexham and Haltwhistle on drive to campsite.

Day 6

Temple of Mithras to Hadrians Wall Campsite (exit wall at Saw Gap/Shield on the wall)

12 miles – could do less than this.

➡️ Bus from 0.4 miles from campsite. AD122 To where ever you finished yesterday. Ours was temple of Mithras. £2

⬅️ Walk to campsite (or if you need to stop earlier there are bus stops along the way about 0.5 – 1 mile off the wall)

Easy places to stop beforehand

Housesteads Roman fort

Twice brewed (🍻 nice pub )

Day 7

Hadrians Wall Campsite to Banks

12.7 miles

➡️ start at campsite

⬅️ cab back from Banks. There is a small car park ideal for a meeting point just before you get to Banks.

We used Sproul Taxis and he was amazing, offered us a bit of flexibility and was easy to contact by text. £28 but pre book in advance.

Walking Hadrians Wall- with a Campervan as your accommodation and transport! Part 1

Posted in 2024 Trips, Hadrians Wall Path, Northumbria, walkingLeave a comment

Day 1 of Hadrians Wall walk.

Segedunum, Wallsend to Elswick

7.5 miles on the wall path: 76.5miles to go!

We started at Segedunum which was an interesting place to visit and even saw the end part of the wall which I wasn’t expecting!

It’s time to start the walk!

Today’s walk took us through from the old ship building areas of Newcastle into the central hub of the city. Under all of the bridges and along the Tyne River for most of the way.

We detoured off the path in the centre for a pint in the oldest pub in Newcastle the Old George Inn, which is reported to have had Charles 1 regularly visit during his stay in an open prison nearby. It dates from 1582.

It was an easy and pleasant walk. We finished at a Sicilian bar (Liosi’s) on the banks of the Tyne

We had left Gandalf at Barry and Alison’s (check bottom of this post for detailed logistics of the day)

and Barry picked us before reuniting us with Gandalf and us heading to our first official

Campsite for day 1 and day 2– High Hermitage Caravan Park.

The campsite is nicely set out and we’ve gone for a fully serviced pitch. The only downside is there is one shower per gender and it’s quite a large site. However it’s clean and hot water so we will just factor than in in the morning!

Day 2 of Hadrian’s Wall walk

Elswick to Heddon on the Wall

9 miles on the wall path: 67.5 miles to go!

Today we awoke early and had a slow but calm start to the morning. Packed lunch made, Gandalf chores ticked off, at 09:50 our Uber pet arrived for the journey back to Elswick, Newcastle. We were back on the wall path by 10:20am!

We walked along the river and then through some parkland heading out of the city. We detoured off the path to see some Roman turret ruins at Denton and even walked a little way on the old course of the wall. there is now a housing estate over this area of town but many of roads have roman inspired names.

We had a swift drink at the Vallum pub which resembled a social club but had very cheap prices! Before rejoining the path onto a disused railway line towards Newburn.

Here we rejoined the river path, not before having a drink along water row.

Once we pulled away from the river once more, the path climbed over a golf course and up a hill to Heddon on the Wall where we got to see great views and a wonderful stretch of wall.

This marked the end of today’s walk, which with the detour up to Denton took us to 11.5 miles today so naturally we had a drink in both pubs in Heddon- The Swan and The three tuns. It had been a great walk and although we are tired, we are looking forward to the next bit each time.

🔽 Logistics bit 🔽

Day 1

Segedunum, Wallsend to Elswick

7.5 miles on the wall path: 76.5miles to go!

OS day 1 map link here

We left our van at our friends house and got the metro in to Wallsend (£7.60 for two singles) and a lift back to them afterwards. However before we realised that was an option we had planned to park near to Liosi’s Sicilian Cafe and bar (Elswick) off of Scotswood rd (The A695).

Plenty of free and safe looking parking and close to the Hadrian’s Way path.

After our days walk, we drove 20 mins to High Hermitage Country Park Caravan park, in between Wylam and Ovingham, where we’ll stay for 2 nights.

We went for a fully serviced pitch at £30 pn during August.

Day 2

Kept campervan at campsite. *

*it is possible to stay in a motorhome/campervan in the carpark of The Swan in Heddon- providing you eat in pub. We chose not to as we knew we’d want a shower and for us in our vw this wouldn’t be appropriate in the car park of the pub!

OS Day 2- map link here

➡️ Transport to start of walk ➡️

UBER pet pre booked at 10:00 from campsite to Elswick (Liosi’s bar and cafe). £28 and 20 mins journey.

We could have travelled via bus which would have been:

10 mins walk from campsite to PIPER ROAD stop. Catch 684 Tynedale Links to THROKLEY ROAD stop. Change bus and walk 5 mins to NEWBURN ROAD SAINSBURYS. Catch bus to WILLIAM ARMSTRONG DRIVE- MONARCH RD

(1 hr 5 mins total- £4pp single)

⬅️ Transport back to Gandalf the VW Campervan ⬅️

Finish walk at Heddon on the wall. Bus stop opposite THREE TUNS PUB. An hourly bus (658 Tynedale links) comes to PIPER Road – a 10 min walk back to campsite (although our driver kindly dropped us outside campsite gates!)

Cost for return £2 pp- no charge for dog.

Stay tuned for Part 2- Heddon on the Wall to…………

New Year adventures in The Peak District

Posted in 2022 Trips, Peak District, walking5 Comments

Gandalf the VW is settled on a very lovely campsite in the heart of the Peak District. We’re staying at Upper Hurst Farm, an independently run site with 5 star facilities and views. It’s really great to be out and about again in the van, we’re a big fan of winter camping, providing we’ve got decent facility blocks!

Excuse the colour of Gandalf. Bad weather has prevented washing!

Here at Upper Hurst Farm, we’re spoilt as the campsite has large heated shower and toilet blocks, plus a campers kitchen complete with microwave / kettle/ washing machine and tumble drier (not that we’ll need these!)

Our drive up here was good and we were pleased to arrive before it got dark, which made for an easy set up, but better still, enough daylight to explore the path to the local pub, The Manifold Inn. There is a half a mile off road footpath to the pub- which despite being muddy under foot was easy to navigate and before we knew it we were enjoying a beverage next to the log fire. The pub was charming and cosy, and had a great menu- of soon got earmarked for a meal or two over the coming days.

We got back to Gandalf just before dark, settled in and enjoyed some homemade pies and mash from the freezer cooked in the Remoska for dinner before settling down to a film on the iPad and an early night.

Friday dawned a bit wetter than hoped but we weren’t going to let that stop us. We had bacon and egg sarnies and got our wet gear on. By 10:30 we were heading out for a walk to Thor’s Cave and the Manifold trail. The first section was hard going- it was heavy rain and exceptionally muddy under foot, but after half an hour the rain dried up and left us with a dry day ahead.

The village of Wetton was small and pretty and had an exceptionally converted police station now into a house with original features.

We had hoped for a pint at Wetton but the pub had strange opening hours and was closed, so we continued down the valley (and back up a bit to the cave) and found Thor’s Cave. This large cathedral like cave is imposing and has great views across the Manifold valley.

From the cave we continued descending into the valley floor, and then followed the very easy path (The Manifold Way) through the valley all the way back to the Manifold Inn, just in time for a large plate of chilli topped chips which really hit the spot. [Note the Manifold Inn doesn’t serve food between 3pm – 6pm]

By the time we got back to Gandalf we’d enjoyed the sun going down, a sun downer and clocked up almost 10.5 miles – we’d thoroughly enjoyed it.

Our evening was spent having a big chill- another film and a campsite stew which we’d got out of the freezer and cooked in the remoska.

New Year’s Eve arrived and the weather forecast was awful. We awoke to rain as the forecast had predicted so we had a duvet morning. About 11:30 the rain began to ease and we decided to walk the short distance to the Manifold Inn for an early lunch- we’d both spied local sausage and mash on the menu and it had tempted us. It was very tasty!

Since the weather was dry, we felt guilty about doing nothing, and fancied a leg stretch so we walked the short distance to nearby Hartington (a regular bus services runs Mon- sat- but our timings didn’t work)

Angus grazing on the fields between Hartington and Hulme End

Hartington is a pretty market village, with a number of shops and delis and even a cheese shop. Naturally we brought some cheese, and would have had a pint in the Devonshire arms- a cosy central pub – however it was packed, so we had a pint at the historic YHA bar instead, situated in Hartington Manor. (Thanks to a tip off about this from a couple we met as we walked to Hartington.)

The YHA which has a bar open to public

After a quick refreshment stop we made our way the scenic route back to Gandalf, through Beresford Dale, which was beautiful, and by the time we’d got back, we’d clocked up 6.5 miles! We really enjoyed the walk!

The rest of New Year’s Eve was spent relaxing, we had cheese board and party food, whilst I read and Keith watched some bits on his iPad. Later on we watched a film and enjoyed cheese fondue, and the next thing it was midnight and a new year was here! We’d really enjoyed NYE.

New Year’s Day dawned wet and wild- but thankfully but the time we’d had our cooked brunch it had stopped. We went for a walk towards Alstonefield – a nearby pretty village in our guide book.

The route took us around Narrowdale Hill and down into Alstonefield. It was a little disappointing to not be able to have a refreshment stop at the village pub- it was a pretty pub but doesn’t accept drinkers only, and I image certainly not wet and muddy ones like us! It’s a fine dining restaurant which I’m sure is lovely but in an area full of walkers it felt a shame not to be able to have a pint and a packet of crisps.

Instead we went on an adventure in the 12th century church and graveyard, which hosts one of the oldest legible gravestones in the country apparently. After a good old fashioned hunt, we found it, the gravestone of Anne Green who died in 1517 making the gravestone over 500 years old. Remarkable.

From Alstonefield we dipped down into Wolfscote Dale. The descent from the village in the valley was absolutely spectacular- it really took our breaths away. We were very glad not to be doing the walk in reverse as the ascent would have been unpleasant for us, but the descent was just spectacular.

The walk through Wolfscote Dale really was charming, with the river dove thrashing through the centre of the valley, and steep limestone cliffs towering about us. It’s a real hidden gem if you ask me.

As we emerged from Wolfscote Dale and returned to the van, we felt quite tired – we were surprised to see we’d walked 8.7 miles by the time we got back, but nothing some Christmas cake and a dram or two didn’t fix.

We did however have an easy evening and had tuna pasta for dinner and a very early night.

We have absolutely adored our time here. Thanks Dad and Jenny for the suggestion of this site. It’s a perfect base for winter adventures and I can see us returning as there are miles of walks from the site. With way transport links- the bus route takes you to Ashbourne or Buxton, plus a nice pub relatively close. What’s not to like?!

If you’re interested in this area, we actually had a nice stay just a couple of miles down the road earlier this year. Read about it here.

We made use of two really great guide books on this trip – links below

Click here And Click here

We’ve got a few adventures lined up so it won’t be long until we’re back out again,

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy new year,

Until next time

Lx

b

Adventures in The Peak District

Posted in 2022 Trips, Cycling trails, Disused railways, Peak District, walking1 Comment

February 4th- 6th 

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!

Lx 

Adventures on The Trans Pennine Trail

Posted in 2021 Trips, cycling, Cycling trails, Disused railways, Local Food, Pennines, walking, Yorkshire9 Comments

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! 

Until Next Time 

Lx 

May is National Walking Month – our top 10 Campsites for walks from your door

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Due the current COVID 19 Pandemic and the fact that we are all in Lockdown, National Walking Month is taking a slightly different format to how I’m sure the organisers originally envisaged. However for us, we felt it was an ideal time to update our previous post from 2018 to include some walks we that we did last year and that still fill us with joy when we think back to them. Although we can’t be away right now, we can look back at previous and plan future adventures, so this post is published with that in mind. There is still a NATIONAL WALKING MONTH campaign that is encouraging you to walk for 20 minutes a day along with podcasts etc which can be enjoyed from the safety of your own home.

Remember at the moment it is important that we all stay at home to save lives.

Our Top 10 Campsites for walks from your front door

Camping in the Forest – Norfolk camp and walk

Posted in 2020 trips, Mini Break, Norfolk, suffolk, walking8 Comments

For us when we arrive at a campsite, once we are set up, we don’t want to move the van if we can help it. I spend all week chasing around in between schools and gigs so once the journey is out of way, I want to hang up those car keys and embrace not having to drive. Because of this we are always on the look out for campsites with walks or bike rides from our pitch.

For the second year running Keith and I have signed up to “walk 1000 miles”. Last year we smashed it by walking over 1100 miles which we were thrilled about- crossing the 1000 mile mark in mid November.

As usual its been a busy start to the decade, and with some pretty rough weather and my lingering lurgy, the 40 odd miles walked so far this year by us have been mainly in the dark either first thing in the morning or last thing at night. But this weekend a welcome break in the weather arrived at the same time as a welcome day off.

As we only had the day spare we opted for a local walk just 5 miles away from our front door. However seeing as we have a really rather decent campsite in the middle of the walk and various attractions around us – we felt it was well worth a write up to add to our ‘Campsites with walks from the pitch’ list.

Campsite:

Dower House Camping About 7 miles away from Thetford, Norfolk. Easily accessible from the A11.

This campsite is right in the heart of the forest. The pitches are really pictuesque and there are decent facilities and even an outside pool for the summer months. It gets very busy, we even know neighbours who go there on holiday despite it being 3 miles from our front door. It is open from Mid march to mid October.

The Walk:

9 miles but many shorter (or longer) routes available.

Because we live so close obviously we didn’t camp. We parked Ruby at Knetttishall Heath which has two large and free carparks. Knettishall Heath also has miles of trails to follow and is the start of the Peddars Way.

Our route began in the main car park which we walked away from by turning left out of the main gates, following the road back towards the A1066. After about half a mile we took a small footpath towards Riddlesworth Hall Private School. The path goes behind the school and you get good views of Princess Diana’s former school – the impressive Riddlesworth Hall.

We then crossed the 1066 and took a quiet lane through the forest towards Dower House Campsite. We took the campsite entry road and followed it for the mile or so before breaking off to the left following the path towards Thorpe Woodlands (Forest Holidays). This is a good place for a refreshment stop as there is a pet and child friendly bar/cafe which serves decent food and is open to non residents.

We carried on to the Peddars Way National Trail which we followed all the way back to Knettishall Heath. Our route covered 9 miles and was really enjoyable.

If we were staying at the campsite we would head towards Riddlesworth Hall first then Knettishall Heath as that way you get the road walking (albeit quiet road) done first.

There are enough walks directly from the campsite to occupy you at least 2-3 days so it’s perfect for a weekend break.

East Harling is just about walkable from Dower House – or cyclable on a very quiet lane. There are two decent pubs, one that serves exceptional food – The Nags Head and one that is a drinkers pub, The Swan. There is also a traditional tea room, Peppers, a village store, fish and chip shop and post office. The 2 pubs and the tea room are all all dog friendly. If you don’t fancy the distance, there is a great cab service that is based in the village.

Just outside of East Harling is England’s oldest Whiskey Distillery. Its well worth a trip if you like Whiskey or Baileys – they do a very nice Norfolk Nog which is similar to Baileys. There is also a restaurant and cafe at the distillery too.

A little further afield but less than 10 miles away there is Snetterton Race circuit and also Banham Zoo, or Bressingham Steam Museum.

Did you know that the legendary actor James Stewart was stationed nearby to here in Old Buckenham, about 8 miles away during WW2? You can visit the small museum on the airfield and visit Jimmy’s cafe. Or perhaps come and watch the very popular and really great air show in July.

As you can see we are blessed with where we live. If you decide to come and try the campsite out do let us know, we’ve love to meet up! This truly is our stomping ground! In fact during this walk we bumped into two of our followers randomly! Great to meet you Eric and Pam!

We’re always on the look out for inspiration of where to visit for a night or two which requires no driving once on site. If you have any spots you’d like to share, please do so in the comments below.

Our next Ruby adventure is just 3 weeks away, we’re looking forward to seeing some hills in West Yorkshire.

Until next time

Lx

Adventures on the Marriott’s Way, Norfolk

Posted in 2019 trips, Caravan and Motorhome Club, Caravan Club CL, cycling, Cycling trails, Disused railways, Norfolk, walking2 Comments

It’s been a busy couple of weeks back at school, stress levels have been high and I was itching to get away for a night for a change of scenery. We’ve been meaning to revisit the Marriott’s Way, a disused railway line now turned into recreational track, that runs 26 miles from Aylsham to Norwich. Last time we visited we stayed about half a mile off the Marriotts Way, but whilst cycling along spied a quirky little Caravan and Motorhome club certified site (5 van site) in an old station situated right ON the Marriott’s Way. We made a mental note to revisit sometime – it’s only taken us 4 years!

More info about the Marriott’s Way can be found here

We got a last minute pitch at The Station, Attlebridge, and on Saturday morning left ours around 10am, arriving at the campsite at 11am – we’d checked that we could arrive early. This CL has a small toilet, hookup, tap and emptying facilities, so we decided to make use of the solar shower. What we love about CLs is the flexibility to park however we wish, rather than the more regimented club sites. We took advantage of this and parked side-wards on, and within 5 minutes we were enjoying a cuppa and admiring the view.

The Station Campsite is host to the former platform and station buildings and has lovingly resorted signalling box and gates, and even a small stretch of railway line. It’s ever so quirky and it’s big grassy paddock is perfect for a small quiet campsite.

After lunch, we put our best foot forward, this time opting to walk the Marriotts Way.

We walked as far as the Whitwell and Reepham railway, where there is a museum and cafe/bar – a distance of around 4.5miles.

The trouble with walking the Marriotts Way is that it’s linear, so we retraced our steps back to the campsite, clocking up 9 miles in total. We absolutely loved it though – it’s flat and easy walking. There are some old bridges and railway banks to admire, and at this time of year the tree canopies are really pretty.

Back at the campsite and Keith found a blind spot at the back of Ruby for his solar shower, which had heated up nicely in the sun on the roof of Ruby! We enjoyed a couple of (non alcoholic as we are doing sober September) drinks in the late afternoon sunshine, before knocking up a delicious pasta carbonara with some left over gammon. It was great to be able to cook and eat outside- we do love Indian summers.

We sat outside until the last rays of lights dipped behind the trees, reading and keeping an eye out for owls. We heard two but didn’t see them- before turning in for a early night.

Sunday morning dawned as bright as the day before so we enjoyed breakfast al fresco before walking in the opposite direction towards Norwich.

We covered a further 3 miles reaching Drayton before turning back to Ruby and waving bye to our perfect spot to relax for the weekend.

This campsite is perfect location for the Marriotts Way and at just £14 was a bargain.

We may well be back sometime soon!

Until next time

Lx

Adventures on The Thames Valley Path; May Bank Holiday weekend

Posted in 2019 trips, Berkshire, Local Food, Mini Break, walking, Waterside Pitches, Watersports1 Comment

Ruby the VW campervan is parked up on the banks of the River Thames. We can just about see boats going past through the trees from our pitch at Hurley Riverside Park, and the campsite is filling up, as you would expect for May Day Bank Holiday. We were drawn to Hurley Riverside Park due to its close proximity to the river, and our desire to clock up some more miles on the Thames Path.

The river is just behind us

After a hectic week at work, and a morning gig on Friday, it was lunchtime by the time we had thrown some food, clothes and ourselves into Ruby and escaped. I was frazzled – I’d managed to clock up 42 hours of teaching in 4 hours, 20 hours of admin and a gig. Our mission for the weekend was to eat, sleep and walk!

Hurley is a really pretty little Thames-side village which is home to the campsite and two pubs – one of which is the oldest coaching inn in England. We managed a quick drink outside Ruby before the heavens opened, so we opted for an early dinner – a new recipe for us, Tandoori Sea Bass which was delicious.

By the time we’d eaten it had stopped raining briefly, so we grabbed a brolly and went for a wander along the Thames to the village – just under a mile – and had a drink at The Olde Bell, England’s oldest coaching inn, which is dog friendly in the bar and had a great fireplace.

By the time back we got back to Ruby, the fish and chip van that visits the campsite on Friday evenings was just closing, and so we took advantage of the leftovers at a bargain price as we’d got cold and wet on our walk back from the pub.

Piggies! But they were delicious 😋

Saturday

We enjoyed a fairly lazy morning, and a nice omelette for breakfast before setting off towards Marlow on the Thames Path.

There was a section which was closed off due to a bridge needed repaired, but this diversion on quiet roads took us right past Town Farm butchers. Whoops. We cannot resist local butchers, specially those on a farm!

We stocked up on sausages, lamb kebabs and burgers with the intention of trying for a bbq tomorrow if the weather behaved, before carrying on towards Marlow.

At Marlow there was a great little farmers market where we got to have some local sausage rolls and also some local gin, which was so good I brought a bottle. Thank goodness we bought our large rucksack on the walk! DuPaddlebodring our walk we’d encountered blue skies, rain and even hail so we wore our raincoats allowing for more space in the rucksacks.

We decided to walk back on ourselves along the river up to the bridge that we couldn’t cross, and passed some huge houses right on the edge of the river. It was a truly gorgeous stretch of the Thames. We realised at this point we’d walked 7 miles and the thought of going 7 miles bake was exhausting – plus the weather had turned again, so as there was not any bus routes from Marlow to Hurley riverside park we opted for an Uber which picked us up right on the footpath and delivered us all the way back to Hurley – to the pub, the Rising Sun – a pint had definitely been earned, and we enjoyed the local Marlow brewery Rising sun ale.

Saturday night we enjoyed pulled pork which had been cooking in the slow cooker whilst we had been walking, along with some local gin, before crashing out for an early night.

Sunday

There had been quite a lot of rain in the night but thankfully it dawned quite sunny. The forecast today was brighter earlier so we opted for a lunchtime bbq. Before that, we inflated the Stand Up Paddleboard- one feature of Hurley Riverside Park is it’s on site slipway into the Thames. We had an hour or so larking around on that before showering and sparking up the bbq.

The bbq was one of the best I can remember – those sausages from Town Farm were so good that even our neighbour came to ask where they were from!

After lunch we were absolutely stuffed so decided on a walk the other way down the Thames- towards Henley on Thames. Last year you may remember we walked as far as Hambleton Lock, and so this afternoon we decided to walk back to The Flowerpot Hotel – this means that we’ve now covered from Henley on Thames to Marlow of the Thames Path.

We enjoyed a couple of drinks before making our way back to Ruby to fall into a Food coma! Actually, we made homemade pizzas in the Remoska but we were tiddly and we made a right mess of them – we did managed a slice each, before falling asleep!

Monday

Time to pack up, but before we headed east home, we dropped into National Trust Cliveden – along with the world and his wife! It was so busy and chaotic there that we managed a lap around the gardens before calling it a day and heading home. The gardens were stunning, there were just so many people.

We’ll have to return!

We had a brilliant weekend, and actually came home a bit grumpy as we’d really “come down”. We enjoyed the location of Hurley Riverside Park, although we personally bought the facilities could have done with a bit of investment. The showers were in a portacabin and although it was warm it wasn’t hugely clean – though I suspect that was more our fellow campers not cleaning up free themselves. The park was full to busting and in our opinion there probably could have been a few more showers – 2 male and 2 female for such a huge site seemed slightly under catered for – we actually had to queue a couple of times! However, a great location for the River Thames.

Until next time

Lx