Sat: A very relaxed start to the day as the journey time to the site is quite short and the earliest arrival time is 1.00pm. For the first time in a long while I had to change the battery on the ‘van as it has been 3 weeks since our last outing and the movers would take their toll! All straight forward apart from one of the clamps had seized up and needed some lubrication to bring back into life. A pleasant, simple journey to the site. Barrier access and pitch number are all pre-sent in your welcome pack, so you can simply arrive and pull straight onto your pitch. We did this, we were greeted by one of the owners, who were keen for no grass driving because of the wet weather, we happily said we’d use the mover. Even using this, things are a little tight for a long ‘van, keeping the jockey wheel off the grass made for quite a large sweeping turn. Parking is in front of the ‘van, as the width of the pitches is approximately only 6m. But we got on and put the awning up, after a short downpour from a passing rogue cloud. BBQ for tea and we were set. The site is adults only and very peaceful. The pitch is also rarely for us a fully serviced one, as these offer 16A compared to standard pitches at 10A.
Sun: A trip to the South Tynedale railway was the plan for the day. I had planned on catching the 10.30am train but we had a heavy frost over night and the car decided it didn’t want to open up with the key fob, so this delayed us somewhat until it decided to spring back into life. We took the opportunity to have a wander around the site whilst we delayed our departure for the next train. The site is well laid out and kept to a very high standard. There is a boules pitch and sports hall, which we will be making use of. The journey to the STR was a twisty drive but pleasant views none-the-less. We caught the train at Alston, which was an electric shunter, no steam, as the steam brakes on the train planned had just failed that morning. It’s a pleasant 5 mile journey to Slaggyford, a quick run round and then we headed back. We took a slightly different route home, which took us over the moorlands, very nice, felt like an American Werewolf in London! Sunday lunch for tea and we enjoyed the rest of the evening.
Mon: A day onsite to relax. We played a game of boules, which Cath won at shockingly. We took a stroll on the dog walk and Henry’s Hill. The site has excellent facilities. As already mentioned the sports hall and boules. The wash block is one of the best I’ve seen. Very high quality fittings, wet rooms complete with shower, toilet and sink. along with a dish washing area and conventional toilets. There is a self service shop, laundry, extra toilets which are open when the main wash block is closed for cleaning. And even a caravan washing point!
Tue: A trip to Carlisle today. We visited the cathedral, which was very well presented and enjoyable. Whilst not the biggest of cathedrals, the inside had some fantastic splendour, especially the ceiling. We perused the shops a little, stopped for a coffee and then made our way back to the site, stopping for fuel at the local BP. Weather has been great so far, apart from the frosty mornings.
Wed: The garden centre just down the road was on the cards today. Quite literally a two minute drive and we were there. Large carpark and quite an extensive site. Inside there are the usual offerings of garden furniture, plants, household furnishings, craft and hobby supplies. There is also a cafe or two along with a miniature museum. It was pleasant to spend time here, very much reminding us of Heighley Gate in Northumberland, where we’ve been a few times, No purchases as such, but we enjoyed the visit including the Christmas Toy Display they had utilising Lemax products. Back onsite we enjoyed a game of Boules & darts in the sports hall.
Thu: Storm Babet hit us last night, not too bad – just a couple of pegs to redo. An onsite day today, with just a break to visit the sports hall again for some ping-pong & another game of boules. Weather has improved following the storm, so we enjoyed a BBQ for tea.
Fri: The storm is back, we had a rough night but the awning held its ground. We relaxed onsite all day as the weather didn’t let up. No breakfast or ping-pong, but that’s the way it goes at this time of year.
Sat: A pleasant start to the day, looks like the storm has run its course. This made for pleasant packup without fighting the wind and rain. Good drive back to storage and home again This is a great site, ticks a lot of boxes for us. We will be returning again.
- Date: 14th October 2023
- Nights: 7
- Pitch #: 52
- GPS: 54.945321, -2.911922
Approach: A69 > A689 > Lane