Trip 22 22-24th July Beadnell Bay

Day 1
This is the first holiday in the van we've had where we've planned to go with friends. We arrived on Friday night, set up camp whilst our godson played his guitar and then ate outside in the sunshine. Definitely a great way to start the weekend.

Day 2



The point of this trip was to take the kids to the Farne Islands but unfortunately the wind overnight was so strong that all boats were cancelled (thankfully our friends tent stayed up). So after a leisurely breakfast we walked into Seahouses for an explore. We pottered around, watched the stormy sea, had lunch and then the sun came out. So we played crazy golf (northern Ireland won yet again!) and ate ice-cream in the sun before heading back to camp.
We headed to the Craster Arms in Beadnell for tea and thanks to a large wall enjoyed a sheltered pint in the evening sun.



Day 3
The wind overnight was even worse than the night before and our friends tent nearly collapsed! So after breakfast it was all hands on deck to pack the tent without it blowing away!! We then set off home to find shelter!





Details for those who are interested!
Cost: £14.98 per night (high season)
Website: http://www.siteseeker.co.uk/aspx/details.aspx?id=8010


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Location:Northumberland

Trip 21 1-3 July Whitby holiday park

Day 1
We go to Whitby a lot but have never gone in the camper so we thought we'd try a campsite. It certainly paid off as the weather was fantastic. We arrived after work in glorious sunshine to the holiday park - it was rather like Hi-De-Hi with the man who sorted out our pitch looking like he was still in the 70s. After a brief chat about his hatred of marriage (I'm not kidding) we went to our pitch, it was at s steep angle and the chocks were not going to help so he kindly allowed us to move. We then sat in glorious sunshine enjoying the view of the coast.
Day 2



We decided to make the most of the fantastic weather by heading into Whitby early. The campsite is in a great position, 15 minute walk along the Coastal path to the Abbey. We had a leisurely breakfast at the Hatless Heron and an explore of the Old Town before hiring a couple of deck chairs and spending the afternoon on the beach. Late afternoon we then headed to or favourite restaurant - The Magpie Cafe. We always end up with fish and chips but the rule this time was nothing fried. I had an amazing trio of sea bass, salmon and scallops and Matt had monkfish, we then had pudding and I had a trio of rhubarb which was equally delicious. We then headed back in the evening sun and enjoyed sitting outside the van. However the most hilarious point of the trip was late that night at the campsite when 2 people decided to have an argument about their divorce outside our van. The campsite was great but it was something out of a sitcom with bingo and family club. That aside though it's great for a weekend and if you pay a little extra for a sea view you are away from the bingo anyway!
We set off early on the Sunday for a scenic drive back via Scarborough. Perfect end to a great weekend

Details for those who are interested!
Cost: £19 per night (high season)
Website: http://whitbypark.co.uk/html/park.html
The Magpie Cafe: http://www.magpiecafe.co.uk/

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Location:Whitby

Trip 20 27-31st May Dunstan Hill

Day 1
Our weekend started with putting the awning up and then immediately taking it back down as the wind was so strong! Though it was windy the sun shone and we sat outside enjoying the evening with fish and Chips from the
Village van that visits the site on a Friday night.
Day 2



The day started as usual with the local shop van beeping its horn at 8.45 - time to get up get the paper and start the day. The weather was still good so we set off on our coastal walk to Low Newton on Sea. We arrived in the sunshine and got a table at the Ship Inn. Crab stotties and 2 pints of beer brewed on site were ordered. An hour or so later we set off back to he campsite, to be caught in a sudden downpour. Matt was lauding so hard at me running round in circles trying to get my raincoat on. Th wind was so strong it just kept blowing away from me! Needless to say sighing 5 minutes the sun came out again and we were dry before we got bak to the campsite Our friends Karen and Ian and their boys were staying on the same site so we had a lovely afternoon on the beach paddling and building sandcastles. Then in the evening we were taught the game cribbage over a bottle of wine. I suspect cribbage will become a camping favourite.
Day 3
Today we spent the morning watching the rain and then escaped the rain by going into Alnwick to meet other friends and our godchildren for Sunday Lunch. When we returned we were greeted by Karen and Ian and 2 excited 'knights' with their swords. The rest of the day was spent learning the many rules of being a knight and slaying lots of dragons. When the knits went to bed it was time for cribbage.


Day 4
The plan today was to visit the new craft shop and cafe near the site but when we got there it was closed! On a bank holiday!! So we spent the day sitting and drinking tea and enjoying the sun when it appeared. The perfect camping day really.
We then set off early on the Tuesday morning to make our journey home.

Details for those who are interested!
Cost: £19.47 per night with electric hook up and awning (high season)
Website: http://www.siteseeker.co.uk/aspx/details.aspx?id=6130
The Ship Inn: http://www.shipinnnewton.co.uk/
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Location:Northumberland

2011 the adventures begin - trip 19

24th April -28th April Waterside House campsite Ullswater




Waterside House is a great site. It's big, a working farm providing the sound of lambs and calves at the moment (and the odd farm smell too!), it's right on the shore of Ullswater and only a 15minute stroll into Pooley Bridge on a lakeside path. The only downside is the limited showers, though they are building more ready for the
summer.
Our first day mostly involved dozing in the sun. But the highlight was the young couple in the tent next to us, they creatively made a campfire from the disposable BBQ and some sticks - brilliant idea, well until they decided to take it into their tent when it got dark!! Thankfully the next morning both they and their tent were still in one piece!
The second day of our stay and the sun was still shining, so we went on a walk up above Ullswater. The walk took us through Cross Dormont up the fell towards Barton Park, along the top to the cockpit( a stone circle) and then back down into Pooley Bridge. It was a beautiful walk, giving great views of Ullswater. We stopped off in the sun pub for lunch and a pint of Cumberland ale before heading back to the campsite.
I promptly fell asleep and woke only in time to eat tea! It's great escaping and living in the fresh air for a few days.
The third day and it was a lot cooler, so we went on an Ullswater steamer boat to Glenridding. It was a great way of seeing the lake and surrounding hills. Once in Glenriddng we wandered about for a bit and had lunch in Fellbites before getting the boat back.
The fourth day was my birthday so we started the day with sausage sandwiches for breakfast! We also spent quite alot of time watching the farm move a herd of cows up the road! The weather was amazing, clear blue skies, so we walked into Pooley Bridge and hired a rowing boat. It was a great way to spend an hour and we rowed as far as our campsite and back. We then treated ourselves to a birthday ice-cream before sitting in the sun reading the paper all afternoon. bliss. we decided to eat out in the evening as a birthday treat. We went to The Sun in Pooley Bridge. A great find. The food was lovely (especially the sticky toffee pudding) and there is a good choice of local beer. a great way to spend our final evening at Waterside farm.




Details for those who are interested!
Cost: £20 per night with electric hook up (high season)
Website: http://www.watersidefarm-campsite.co.uk/
The Sun Inn: http://www.suninnpooleybridge.co.uk/
Ullswater steamers: http://www.ullswater-steamers.co.uk/index.shtml


28th April-1st May Eskdale camping and caravanning club site Boot




We packed up at Ullswater and headed to Boot, but decided to have a quick explore of Keswick along the way. We haven't been to Keswick for years and thought it would be nice to see what had changed. In short not a great deal. We did however find a fantastic little tearoom and shop called The Temporary Measure. A fantastic mix of retro furniture, canvas prints and artwork and knitting. Everything designed and made by the lady who runs the shop. We stopped and had teacake and a drink. I think we'll be back!
We made the rest of the journey to Boot in glorious sunshine. We set up and sat all afternoon in the sun. In fact it was so warm I had lots of suncream and a sun hat on. It's a first for us at Boot. Though no matter the weather Boot never loses it's appeal. The scenery is simply stunning, the campsite is unspoilt and well looked after and the local pub the Boot Inn serves really tasty food and great local ale. In fact the Boot Inn is the perfect retreat if the weather turns. We've played many a game of scrabble at the Boot Inn!
On day 2 we went on the ravenglass-eskdale railway and then did a 7 mile walk. Pathfinder guides did it again and fooled us into thinking the walk would be not too bad and then confronting us with a hill that went on forever! Still the views back towards Ravenglass made it worthwhile. We even caught 10 minutes of the royal wedding as we walked through Muncaster estate. We celebrated finishing the walk with a cuppa and some cake at the newly built railway cafe before heading back to Boot. We treated ourselves to scrabble a pint and boot pie at the Boot Inn in the evening. A perfect way to end the day!
Day 3 and we did a favourite walk up to Eel tarn, stopping as usual at the woolpack for a pint and some lunch. It's recently been done up by the new owners and I have to say I much prefer the old bar to the new 'trendy' leather seated bar they've created. It just doesn't seem to suit the surroundings!
Day 4 and it was time to head home, but not without a fry up at the Boot Inn for breakfast.

Details for those who are interested!
Cost: £19.47 per night with electric hook up and awning (high season)
Website: www.siteseeker.co.uk/aspx/details.aspx?id=9030
Temporary Measure, Keswick: http://www.temporarymeasure.co.uk/
The Boot Inn: http://www.bootinn.co.uk
The Woolpack: http://www.woolpack.co.uk/
Eskdale railway: http://www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk/

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another year of campervan capers (I just forgot to write about it)

Well last year I was a little bit (translate that as a whole lot) rubbish with the blog. I have to confess I was having too much fun and relaxing on holiday in the campervan to remember to make notes on what we'd done and where we had been. So here is a quick run down of where we went and the details:

Trip 13 30 April-4th May Beadnell Bay
We've been a few times to this site. It's a little basic but kept well and always with fantastic hosts. It's a great base for cycling to Seahouses and exploring the Farne islands. This time we were fortunate enough to see baby birds being born and lots of puffins.

Trip 14 29th and 30 May Blackmore campsite malvern hills
We used this site as a stop off on our way to Cornwall but it's a fantastic site. Really well set out with lots of walks nearby. There is also. Great pub in the village which has a lovely beer garden. We cycled to Great Malvern. It's highly worth a visit, especially if you make the climb up the hills behind the town, stunning stunning views. However I wouldn't recommend cycling there, oh my word the hills nearly kill you!!

1st-6th June Dennis Cove campsite Padstow
This was the highlight of our year. This little campsite is just on the edge of Padstow right next to the camel trail. Perfect for exploring lots of places without having to drive anywhere. The weather was amazing and we crammed in cycling to camel valley vineyards for a tour (and buying lots of wine) visiting Prideaux place, visiting rock, exploring Padstow, more cycling of the Camel trail, a Rick Stein cookery course, Rick Stein's restaurant and plenty of fish and chips. Now can you see why I neglected the blog!!

Trip 15 2nd-4th July Dent

We've been to Dent before. It's another great site in a much quieter part of Cumbria. There is stunning scenery all around the site and plenty of great walks. This time my cousin and her family were staying nearby so we had a lovely evening in one of the local pubs enjoying good food and spending quality time with them.
On the Sunday we all went to the forbidden corner at Leyburn. A fantastic folly play park ( that's the only way I can think to describe it)

Trip 16 23rd-25th July Dunstan Hill
This is another one of our favourite places to go. Its staggering distance to embleton sands and dunstanburgh castle. There are plenty of places to cycle and walk, our favourite being the ship inn at low Newton on Sea for crab stotties and a pint.

Trip 17 20th-22nd August Rosedale Abbey
This was our first time at Rosedale. The village is beautiful, there is a great pub to eat in and we had the added fun of the Rosedale show. Though we weren't so enamoured by the campsite. We will probably use it again but it was so busy with both statics and tourers that it was noisy and the facilities were constantly in a mess. It very well could be because of the show but teenagers drinking and shouting from the top of climbing frames doesn't seem to go with sleepy village in Yorkshire!

Trip 18 28th-31st August Boot
And again one of our favourites. A bit tricky to get to but well worth the slow and hilly drive. This campsite is so well run and brilliantly placed. The boot inn is great for a pint, dinner or even breakfast. The walks are spectacular and if you do the walk to eel tarn, the newly taken over woolpack inn is a treat half way round. I definitely recommend at least one trip on the eskdale to ravenglass railway and an explore of Muncaster castle.

Thanks to mobile technology I'll be blogging much more often this year when we go on our adventures.



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