😵 NEGLECT - with respect to this blog I really have been very neglectful because I haven't updated it for nearly 2 years😵 - But that doesn't mean we've been sitting still! However, it would now be impossible to catch it up, mainly because my poor old brain would be totally incapable of recalling all of the fantastic places we've visited during that time😳!
But as a rough guide:- we spent the early spring 2025 in Norfolk and Lincoln and then the early summer in Mid and South Wales before moving on to the lovely New Forest.
After that, in July we headed north into Yorkshire and Northumberland, and for August we settled on a Camping and Caravan Club Temporary Holiday site (THS) in Settle where we were able to enjoy the town's Flower Pot Festival along with some long hikes in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
Next came a stop at a campsite in the Peak District before we visited another THS at Bakewell. After that we headed south to Dartmoor and then further south to the Avalon Marshes on the Somerset Levels, and then that trip was completed at Salisbury.
In October we booked a Winter Seasonal Pitch at St Helen's in the Park near Scarborough so for much of the winter (October till the end of February) we resided there. In all a total of 183 days in our caravan for 2025!
Another major event that occurred in 2025 was our 💓50th💗 Wedding Anniversary 🥂. Our Daughter Sarah and Son in Law Paul hosted a party 🥳 for us with all our favorite 😍 people and our Daughter in Law Vicky made us the most fantastic cake which commemorated loads of major events in our lives along with a magnificent reminder of our full time living in out motorhome from 2015 to 2021!
Rolls Royce and NHS as our main work places!
Bikes, cars, pets and loads of destination signs for our travels.
And additionally, the cake was delicious 😋
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| And let's not forget Christmas with all our family💕 |
2026 has also been another busy year so far! We spent most of February back at St Helen's and then for April we treated ourselves to a couple of cottages - First in Norfolk and then in Glaisdale in North Yorkshire which was a holiday we shared with our dear friends Sharon and Paul! However, at the end of that fortnight we decided that we'd really rather be in our comfy little van!
May saw us in North Wales on a campsite almost on the shores of the Menai Strait and that enabled us to explore both Anglesey and the Snowdonia National Park, or to give it it's proper name 'Eryri'
And that almost brings us up to date and to our present tour! This time we set off for the Lake District on 11th June and spent 2 weeks on a lovely THS on the outskirts of Kendal and from there we enjoyed several Lake side walks and cycle rides, but towards the end of our stay our jaunts were curtailed by a heat wave😞.
However, after a couple of days of mostly being confined to our quarters I developed cabin fever 🤒 so although it was still very hot John devised a shortish walk around a reservior called Wet Sleddale - but sadly that seemed doomed from the very start😰 and memorable for all the wrong reasons!
When we arrived the views over the dam wall looked very lovely but almost as soon as we got out or the car the oppressive humid heat hit us and as we started to 🚶♀️ 🚶♂️ walk the horse flies descended and decided that we were lunch 🍴 🍴! So, between mopping our sweating brows 😓 and swatting the flies we were very uncomfortable- but worse was to come😱.
We'd got about 2 thirds of the way around our walk when we needed to cross a field with cows 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 and calfs and the big ones turned out to be very mean. We'd only gone a few yards into the field when a couple of them started to run at us with a vicious look in their eyes. John was very brave and he mostly stood his ground while yelling and waving his arms and legs which slowed their progress slightly and gave a terrified me chance to run to a nearby gate that I was praying 🙏 would be unlocked 🔓. Fortunately it was and we both managed to get to it's other side before the cows got to us but it was a very unnerving experience and certainly not one we'd ever want to repeat.
Our initial plan had been to take our bikes up on the train and then to cycle down a bridleway back to Ravenglass but in the end we were very glad we'd decided to walk instead because the path was quite rough in places.
The track we followed was rough, steep and very beautiful 😍 and as we ascended we were kept company by the Green Dale Gill that rushed and tumbled over numerous waterfalls on it's way back down to the Lake.
After our 14 days in Kendal we moved on to a CCC site at Ravenglass and there we indulged in more walking and cycling. However, the latter was a bit limited because I've had a new light weight bike that I love, but at the mo, it lacks E-power so on every little hill I'm struggling😢. But that won't be for much longer because John has sent for kits to electrify both our bikes so then we'll be zoom zoom zooming along 😉.
While we were there we also had a trip up the Esk Valley on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Steam Railway which has celebrated being 150 years old this year.
The line runs for 7 miles from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station (near Boot) on a 15 inch gauge track. Originally the track was 3 feet wide and it started life in 1875 to transport iron ore from 3 mines around Boot to the standard Furness railway in Ravenglass. It closed in 1913 and then over time the track deteriorated and it wasn't until 1960 that it was saved and eventually became the tourist attraction it is today.
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| Our Engine - Northern Rock on the turntable at Dalegarth Station |
Our initial plan had been to take our bikes up on the train and then to cycle down a bridleway back to Ravenglass but in the end we were very glad we'd decided to walk instead because the path was quite rough in places.
However, on the way back we did find 2 idyllic picnic spots!
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| the 1st one right beside the River Esk |
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| And the second beside Muncaster Tarn with it's huge swarthy of water lilies |
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| We found this shelter on the way down😁 Sorry! No buses today - Its Only Shanks Pony on this route! |
Later in our stay we also visited Haverigg where we found the RSPB's Hodbarrow fresh-water Lagoon which is separated from the Duddon Estuary by a sea wall and track. The lagoon was formed by subsidence of former flooded iron ore mines and now it provides a home and breeding ground for huge numbers of sea birds including lots of very noisy black headed gulls and Terns.
We sat in a hide and watched for a while before nipping back to Betty's cafe for a tasty lunch!
Our next outing took us up the very windy narrow roads to Wasdale and Wastwater from where we intended to trek up a trail that would take us to Greendale Tarn.
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| Wastwater |
Unfortunately, we never quite made it as far as the Tarn because as we scrambled up the path became steeper and rougher, and we became a bit worried about how we were going to manage on our way back down! We certainly didn't want that to be any faster than walking pace and we definitely didn't want to require anybody else's help😵! But all was well and our lunch was consumed with us sitting on a grassy knoll overlooking the vast glacial Wastwater Lake which is nearly 3 miles long, one third of a mile wide and about 258 feet deep which makes it the deepest Lake in England.
For our last day at Ravenglass we went up more narrow twisty lanes back to Dalegarth Station for a hike from the station up to Eel Tarn.
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| Willen Beck |
To start with the route took us alongside the fast flowing tumbling Willen Beck but as we left the side of that the mostly rough and occasionaly very wet track took us quite steeply right to the Tarn's edge.
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| Eel Tarn |
And that made a delightful lunch spot where we were surrounded by several of the Lake District's towering hills. To our right was Great How and just peering over it's craggy top Scafell was just visible below some dark brooding clouds. Additionally, in front of us we had views of the ranges that rise on the far side of Waswater and these included Kirk Fell, Piller, Black Crag and more distantly, possibly Great Gable.
We moved on to Bedale in North Yorkshire on 4th July but there were no fireworks here😄! As we entered the town we were greeted by a sign that said it had been there since 1251, however we later learnt that Bedale was mentioned in the Doomsday Book as far back as 1086 and this is what it may have looked like then!
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| Bedale in days gone by! |
We were also greeted by these chaps who tend to keep an eye on the comings and goings into the town😂
So, how did we fill our time here? Well, on the 6th we took our bikes out for a 16 mile circular ride to West Tanfield and although it wasn't anything really special it was lovely to ride up hill and down Dale on quite country roads that didn't pose too much of a challenge 😀 (no E power yet).
Then on Tuesday we toddled off for a visit to Thorp Perrow which is home to a Victorian Tree Arboretum and Birds of Prey Centre.
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| Thorp Perrow Hall |
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| And the Fairy Dell🧚♀️ |
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| But we were quite surprised when this chap (a Raven) Said 'Hello' and then 'How are you today' |
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| We met George and Mildred, a pair of Cara Caras who had been residents for 23 years (Couldn't catch Mildred who turned out to be another George so that was maybe why They'd never produced a chick🐥) |
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| Colin the Eagle Owl- apparently in the wild he could take such things as Rabbits, hares and even a fox for his prey and his talons have a crushing power of about 400 pounds per square inch 💪 |
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| And Eddie the Falcon! There was no way to catch him in flight because this hand reared bird could reach speeeds of up to 66mph. |
For our next few days this third heat wave of the year has curtailed our activities somewhat and our planned visits to Brimham Rocks and The National Trusts Fountains Abbey had to be cancelled because neither place offers hardly any shade at all😰.
The inside of our van was also extremity hot 🔥 🥵 🔥 with the thermometer reading up
to 38 degrees in the day and mostly well over 20 by bedtime. Therefore, our main mission was to chase whatever shade we could find and we did that on Wednesday by visiting the nearby Nosterfield Nature Reserve where we had the pleasure of watching a Marsh Harrier in it's true environment.
to 38 degrees in the day and mostly well over 20 by bedtime. Therefore, our main mission was to chase whatever shade we could find and we did that on Wednesday by visiting the nearby Nosterfield Nature Reserve where we had the pleasure of watching a Marsh Harrier in it's true environment.
Friday was also a very hot but because it was a special one (John's 72 birthday) we picked Richmond for our outing. There we had the pleasure of walking by the river through shady woodland and we also enjoyed a delicious lunch at The Little Drummer Boy cafe.
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| The River Swale which is said to be the fastest flowing river in England |
However, Richmond proved to be very hilly and that's probably why the site was chosen for it's castle .....
..... but it certainly was challenging getting to out lunch stop😅
Later, once back at the van we cooled of as best we could and much later when the unrelenting sun had gone to bed we enjoyed a home cooked steak supper
A couple of our other days we're filled with bike rides and then on our penultimate day we did something we very rarely do! That was to go out separately! John went for yet another bike ride and I went down into Bedale for a browse around a Farmers Market where I was enticed to buy a few goodies to share on our last afternoon of this trip 😀.
Tomorrow we will be homeward bound but only till the 24th July and then we'll be off on another adventure 😀 xxx
