Saturday:
We left home at an unusually late hour, seeing how the site was only a 2 hour drive away. We picked up the ‘van and headed West. There would be no stops on this occasion, there really aren’t any good lay-by’s even to stop in, so we headed straight for the site. We followed the directions given by the site, as an approach via the A596 isn’t suitable, which is the way a sat-nav would by default bring you in. The access road to the site was rather potholed, but this was fixed the following day, credit to the owners.
There is a board at the entrance to the site giving your name and which pitch you are on. We were on pitch 3, so headed for the middle of the 5 pitches. Judy was there cleaning at the time, we backed in and began setting up. Everything went to plan, but the wind however, was blowing a gale. It made the awning an interesting task, another plus for the air awning, we managed to put it up in this strong wind, we would never have attempted it with the old ‘poles’ awning! After that it was tea, TV and the rest of the night indoors, as the rain let loose along with the wind. Well it is the lakes!
Sunday:
Following breakfast we decided to walk into the small village of Aspatria, seeing how the weather had much improved. This was about a 4 mile walk in total, quite pleasant, but to be honest there isn’t much in Aspatria, a Spar and a Co-op, post office an that’s about it. Upon return we decided to head into Cockermouth for the supermarket, which was the nearest one to us. We went mainly for a shaver adapter, as I had forgot to bring one for our toothbrush charger! We also picked up some cooked breakfast and BBQ food, as we fancied our chances of some outdoor cooking! Back at the site, we relaxed for the rest of the day.
Monday:
Cooked breakfast, yeah! Weather was fine so we enjoyed a cooked breakfast and relaxed for the morning. In fact, it was going to be a full relax day, so nothing else to report for today 🙂
Tuesday:
The Settle to Carlisle train journey was on the cards today, so an early start and a drive to Carlisle to pick up the 9am train. We got parked and eventually found our way into the station. Jumped on the train which was just about ready to go and off we headed for a 1.5h journey, on what is considered to be one of the best rail journeys in this country. We passed through stations which were open and some which were still closed. We traversed the Ribblehead Viaduct and departed at said station. We took a nice stroll down to the viaduct and had a walk about. We were lucky enough to catch a steam train on the line as an added bonus. The station also has a visitors center with plenty of information regarding the railway. Following a coffee in the cafe we returned back to Carlisle and back to the site, the weather now unbelievably hot, 22 plus!
We waited for the sun to relax for the evening and then BBQ’d! Out with the burgers, sausages etc and enjoyed an evening meal al fresco. The sink on pitch makes for easy cleaning of the BBQ, a very nice touch, although the hot water heater only holds 10L, so use it carefully otherwise you’ll have to wait for it to reheat in-between! Movies and snacks and windows wide open as we relaxed for the night in this strange thing called ‘heat’.
Wednesday:
A chill day following yesterday’s excursion. Weather has been pretty poor all night but has cleared up nicely through the day. Nothing to report other than a nice relaxing day! Oh, we went for some milk at the Spar in Aspatria which we forgot the other day, exciting!
Thursday:
Another relaxing day, weather not too bad, a little windy. Awning came down at tea time and then we spent the rest of the night with books and TV.
Friday:
Standard pack-up and off we headed back home. Experienced a blow-out from a lorry in front of us on the A69, luckily no damage suffered. Took a slightly different route off the A19 near home, due to a broken down vehicle causing some long tailbacks. Back at storage and parked the ‘van up until the next time.
The site is very relaxing, so peaceful, the only sounds are birds and sheep. Pitches are of a generous size and equipped with water and drainage point. There is also a toilet block on each pitch! Yes I kid you not. Each little hut has a toilet and sink (with hot water). On the back of the hut is a washing-up sink. The hut is fitted out very nicely, no cobwebs and unsightly copper pipes, we are talking wall boards, cable trunking, coat hooks, large sink, shelf, mirror, heater – a really good and well executed idea. There is a CDP point near the bins at the entrance to the site.
Follow the directions given by the site, as there is no suitable approach available from the A596, despite what your sat-nav thinks! The access road to the site is long and can get pot-holed as we found out, but the owner keeps on top of it. A great site, worth visiting.
- Date: 19th August 2017
- Nights: 6
- Pitch #: 3
- GPS: 54.771204, -3.293613
- A595 > B5299 > Lane
If you smell burning rubber, keep your distance!
- A69