Touring

Saturday:
An early start as we’re heading for a 6 hour road trip to mid Wales. With the car prepacked we headed off nice and early, picked up the ‘van and headed South. This trip would see us change our first stop. Usually we would head for Ferrybridge, but heading West rules this out. On previous trips we have used Hartshead Moor services on the M62, but this is quite a way for a first stop and was certainly nothing worth writing home about. So this trip I decided to use Wetherby services. We’ve never been here before, but we were pleasantly greeted with around 10 caravan parking bays which was very welcome and a nice selection of shops and of course toilets. So impressed with this stop, I think this will take over from Ferrybridge from now on, it’s 20 minutes less travelling time and also suits for all directions. Leaving here we headed to North Wales, just outside of Chester found our second stop. ‘Caravans this way’ signs greeted us, all looking well, but alas we ended up in the HGV section, no dedicated caravan parking bays. Never mind, it did the job for a quick break. Following here we did the rest of the journey and ended up at Red Kite Touring Park. We were warmly greeted and left to pitch up. The site looks great, being a new site which only opened last year. Hardstandings, full serviced pitches and an awesome toilet block. We set the awning up and satellite as the signal is not very good, although you can get a signal from the bollard, there is limited selection. We settled for the rest of the night with Ant and Dec!

Sunday:
Following poached eggs on toast we headed out for the mile walk into Llanidloes. This is an easy downhill walk along a footpath located at the bottom of the site. The town itself is very small, hosting a small Spar and a couple of newsagents, along with various other small businesses. The center of the town is where you can also find
the old market hall building, the only wooden framed market hall building surviving in Wales apparently. There’s a nice walk along the river Severn which is very picturesque. The walk back to the site is rather uphill, so be prepared!

Monday:
You can’t come to mid Wales and not visit Aberystwyth, so we headed there this morning, leaving beautiful weather back at the site. The journey there covers some windy roads gaining some height in places, this subjected us to poorer weather, very foggy in places. When we arrived, we parked up in the South Promenade and walked all of the promenade up to the North. From here we headed into the town, stopping for a coffee on the way. The weather held out with no rain, just cloudy skies. Our walk concluded with a trip around the castle and then back to base. A trip to the Elsan point was required and just like the rest of the block, it was superb, it even has a hand dryer in there!

Tuesday:
Weather not so clever but still fairly dry, so we headed up the road to the Clywedog Dam. When we arrived, we were the only ones there and decided to just do the short walk by the Bryntail lead mine, as the terrain for the slightly longer walk by the dam was a little muddy. We didn’t stay long, a visit really for a nicer day. A stay in the ‘van day it was for the rest of the day.

Wednesday:
Glorious weather, so we headed first thing to the market town of Machynlleth. Here they hold a market every Wednesday on the main street. We parked up and lapped up the sunshine as we walked through the stalls. We stopped briefly for a cup of coffee, purchased a new kitchen rug and then headed onward to Devil’s Bridge Falls in Ceredigion. This is a trio of bridges built on top of each other over a waterfall, the first of which was supposed to be have been built by the Devil himself! There are two walks which can be undertaken here, one a brief 10 minute walk and the other at 45 minutes. We decided on the shorter walk as there are a lot of steep steps involved with the inevitable climb around the waterfall, which we thought might prove a little challenging for Cath. Once we completed this we headed back to camp, still in the clear blue skies. Chairs out and we bathed in the sunshine all afternoon.

Thursday:
The day for staying on site, enjoying the last day of the holiday and cleaning the ‘van! Weather poor so no problems with staying in the ‘van. We took the awning down in the afternoon as it was nice and dry and got everything packed away into the car, ready for tomorrow.

Friday:
Our departure routing kicked in following a spot of breakfast and we were soon heading back up North. Traffic was as busy as usual for a Friday but nothing too bad. Chester services was packed when we got there. I found a spot to park in but then got sandwiched in between two lorries when another pulled up very close to us (not in an official bay). So a bit of an ‘S’ reverse was required to get out, but all went well. Wetherby, lots a caravan bays free – we love this place now! Back at storage, we headed for the ‘new section’. But alas our bay had been let out so we headed for a temporary one. We paid up the site fees for the year and await our dedicated bay. Good to be back with familiar faces.

Red Kite Touring Park is up there with the best, it has been planned and built to exacting standards. Pitches: Hardstanding, good size, fully serviced, 16A, you can’t want anything else. Toilet block: 5 star, fully tiled, hand sensor flushing/taps/showers and all spacious. Toilet paper is the quilted variety and the shower head is a large round fixed head, superb. The Elsan point is just right, disposal drain at the right height, deep enough not to offer ‘splash back’, complete with hose and flush. Next to that hand sink, soap dispenser and hand dryer – yes this is the first site I’ve been on with a hand dryer at the Elsan point. There is also an information room with games and books should you require. This is all located in the same building and each section is accessed via a card which is provided upon arrival, for a £2 refundable deposit. All the roads on site or tarmac and are in pristine condition. The reception sells a few basic items along with information on local market towns. The site is secured with an entry/exit barrier. The entrance wall was being built during our stay, but the site is sign posted very well along the B4518. Owners very pleasant and deserve to do very well with the site, we hope to return one day.

• Date: 11th March 2017
• Nights: 6
• Pitch #:54
• GPS: 52.459740, -3.552162

Well exactly 5 years ago on the very same date we first went to Durham Grange. We were new to it all back then, but have returned a little more seasoned!

Weather wise not bad, some strong gusts of wind but the journey down wasn’t too bad. We soon arrived and were offered a small selection of pitches to chose from, as the site was quite busy. We headed for the ’roundhouse’ as pretty much everything else was taken. About 6 pitches arranged like a railway roundhouse, shame they didn’t have a turntable to swing your outfit around! We were soon pitched up, within a few inches of the ‘white peg’ and relaxed for the afternoon. The only issue was that the gas connector seemed to have broken, so no gas on Saturday. We’ve got a spare at home, so we’ll pick that up tomorrow morning.

Sunday morning, we headed off for the gas connector and then to church. Back at the site, we had a brief walk around the site, no trip to Durham this time. Tea and TV then followed as the weekend came to an end once again. We were up in good time Monday morning, did a quick pack up and were back in storage in no time.

The site is very pleasant, not too big so doesn’t feel too over-whelming. The pitches are the usual standard, nice hardstanding, nice and flat. Service points are are well laid out and accessible. Toilet block again no complaints, although some piped music would be nice, as we now find quite common in a lot of the better independent sites. Key fob barrier access, very easy and secure. The only gripes would be the speed bumps and the rather tepid welcome from the wardens, certainly lacking a little something here. But nonetheless, we will be back!

• Date: 25th February 2017
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #35
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

Weather looking a little wintry, I chose to head back to Brockalee Farm for this weekend, 16A and hardstanding, it ticks the boxes! A pleasant journey along the A69 soon brought us to our destination. Cath unlocked the coded gates and we were soon setting up on pitch. There were two other caravans on site, so we were not alone for our wintry weekend.

For the first time, I actually put the aerial in its vertical position, with the nearest transmitter being a relay one, it was the only way to get a good reliable signal. Pontop Pike just wasn’t playing ball with constant picture breakup. But in its new position, the picture was superb. Only 21 channels however, but the main ones were there. Saturday came and went.

Sunday, following breakfast we headed out for a brisk walk into Bardon Mill. There’s not much to see hear although there was a small cafe and pub in then town should a drink/meal take your fancy. We crossed the footbridge over the South Tyne and then pretty much headed back. Bardon Mill is on the opposite side of the A69 to the campsite, so cross carefully! The weather continues to get colder with wintry showers, so we stayed inside for the rest of the day. Monday morning, pack-up time and back to storage. After dropping the ‘van in its usual place, we went to see the original owner regarding our new storage pitch. This would be available on our next outing, so we will wait and see.

The site is easy access from the A69. It is all hardstanding with large pitches, enough for caravan, awning and car in-front. Toilet block is superb, complete with two showers and two toilets. Bins, CDP, water, waste all in the same vicinity. Gates are locked by a coded padlock, the code which you are given when you book. Electric is 16A so no tripping issues in the winter. Jeff is a great guy, always stops for a chat. And of course, we got our free range eggs upon arrival. We’ll be back.

• Date: 11th February 2017
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #5
• GPS: 54.977169, -2.355969

The first outing of 2017 and we’re back at the Railway Inn. Well it hits the spot on the grounds that: it is easy to get to, has large pitches with 16A EHU and water on pitches, so handy for winter. And it also has a pub on-site for Sunday lunch, handy for Cath’s birthday.

The battery on the ‘van had drained over Christmas, as we didn’t get away in December, so reversing onto the pitch when we got there was our only option. The pitches are large and generally level, so no problems really. I changed the battery straight away and began our normal set-up routines. Weather was being kind, cold but dry – you can’t ask for much more mid January! We enjoyed the rest of Saturday and settled into the evening.

Sunday came and a walk in Druridge Bay Country Park was the order of the day, so off we headed following breakfast. All of the time we have lived in the North East we’ve never been here before. A lovely walk around the lake was available to us, at around 1.5 miles in total. We soon did this and then headed for the visitor centre, where the history of Northumberland was shown and how the area was developed, very interesting. Inside this building were toilets and a cafe as well. Following this we headed for the beach, where we watched the dog walkers whilst admiring the beauty of the place.

Back at camp I washed the ‘van down, as she was very filthy following the last outing. A new dent has appeared, one which was caused in storage, but that’s a story for another post. Dinner was calling us at 2.00pm, so we went to the pub and enjoyed our Sunday lunches. Sunday went and Monday morning came. Weather still very good, we packed up and headed back to storage. It’s always great to start the year ‘vanning again!

The site is a very nice one. Large pitches, good EHU and water on most pitches. Grey water disposal isn’t the best, but suffices. Toilet block is perfectly adequate. No it’s not club standard, but for the site it serves well. The pub on-site is also a thumbs up with very friendly owners. There is also a small play park for the youngsters. The site is right beside the railway track for Acklington station, so trains can be heard, but you get used to them and lets face it, it takes around 5 seconds for the train to appear and disappear! Looking forward to returning.

• Date: 21st January 2017
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 20
• GPS: 55.308148, -1.650764

Saturday:
We had a good journey to the site. All was plain sailing although the twisty windy B16357 kept me on my toes! We pulled into the site and were very warmly greeted by the owners, Gillian and Eddie. We were allowed to take our pick at the pitches, we chose #17 as it was a good size and open from the trees. We were soon set-up and enjoying a drink and a sandwich. Newcastleton is well known for it’s lack of mobile signals. The TV reception was meant to be okay, but I only managed to pull in around 15 channels, not enough to satisfy for a Saturday evening! Thus the satellite dish was deployed and we were soon enjoying a full range of channels. Tea followed and then we settled in for the evening. With the temperature being sub zero I made sure the Aqua Roll was full before nightfall along with it being on its side and thus off the ground a little. We don’t want our first instance of frozen water!

Sunday:
Following breakfast we headed off for Gretna Green, well this was our wedding anniversary day after all! The weather was pleasant although still chilly, we enjoyed the sites of the Blacksmith’s shop and all the other buildings that are there to cater for the needs of the tourist. Following this we went to the shopping outlet in Gretna and perused the many shops there. Back at base, we headed off to fetch water, this time accompanied by Cath with here new matching head torch!

Monday:
Another sub-zero day so we headed North to Hawick (Hoyk!). This is a small town about 20 miles North of Newcastleton accessed via the B6399, which provides a very interesting drive. Again lots of twists and turns and single lane access, fog at the top of the climb, everything! Hawick has a small high-street which we walked through. We picked up some cooking pans whilst there from Home Hardware, a nice shop. Temperature had now gone from -2 to zero, so things were warming up! Back at base I purchased some internet connection from Gillian so that I could catch up with work and all things email and internet. The winds and rain provided some entertainment for the evening. The poor satellite dish took a nose dive on a couple of occasions, the wind and rain persisted all night. We ended up watching a DVD when the dish took off again late on.

Tuesday:
Winds and rain still persisting following storm ‘Angus’. I had in mind just to take in the sites of Newcastleton today, but with the weather we just decided to head to the Spar for a couple of things and call it a ‘sit in the van’ day. Weather is supposed to improve tomorrow, we’ll see!

Wednesday:
Weather much better although still cold! We went for a walk, a fairly small one at around 2 miles which took us along the riverside, back around the woods by the now non-existent Waverley Railway Route. Following the woods we then returned to Newcastleton via the old railway line, which is pretty much non-recognisable now with many new developments on the site since the Beeching Report. The only building still left standing is the old stationmaster’s house, which we found right at the end of the walk. Following this we spent the rest of the day in the ‘van, as the darkness and coldness hit once again.

Thursday:
Normal morning routines were going ahead when suddenly the electric went! Thinking we had tripped, although not sure why as the supply was 16A – I headed to the office to report it. The owner then reported that the whole site/town was down, so nothing to do but put the gas on and wait it out! We therefore decided to head to Langholm, a town nearby that should provide some entertainment whilst we await the electric to return. What I hadn’t realised was that Thomas Telford was born near here and indeed built the bridge here across the river Esk. Who would have thought that in the same year we would see two of his bridges! Now this isn’t a big town, so we were soon through it. Although we did manage to locate the cairn of the old railway station, which was nice to see.

Returning back to the site, the electric was back on, whoohoo! We then relaxed before putting the awning away. Now this was a bit interesting. This is the first time we have encountered -7 degrees and no sun. The awning was covered in ice and wasn’t drying. We took it down never-the-less and got it back in its bag. We’ll dry it back at home! Tea and night TV followed, the end of a nice week, despite being sub-zero!

Friday:
The coldest night so far. We awoke to the pump being a little frozen! A quick soak in some warm water soon freed it up though. This was an interesting pack up, as everything was frozen solid. Water had to be used to free the bolts on the satellite. The steps had to be thawed out with warm water. The Aqua Roll we brought home to defrost the ice buildup in it. The satellite cable had frost running all along it. Everything we picked up off the ground had stones and leaves stuck to it. Very different to what we’re used to, but an interesting experience all the same!

We finally finished packing and headed home. The return trip was very pleasant. A couple of hold ups on the A69 and A19 but nothing to stress about. The got the ‘van back in storage (filthy) and then headed home. We’ve enjoyed this week very much, I think we’re starting to really like Scotland 🙂

The facilities at the site are first rate and well though out. You are never far from a water point, where fresh water, grey waste and bins are provided. Taps have hoses, grey water is angled just right complete with tap for washing down. There are two toilet blocks, one lads and one lassies! These again are superb, heated and tiled. There are two cubicles complete with sink, shower and toilet and one cubicle with just a toilet. All very well kept and makes for a nice stay, just like at home. Hand dryer and washing up sink are also provided. During our stay and due to the cold weather, the outside water taps were turned off mid-afternoon, perfectly understandable. Water is then collected from the washing up sink, hose again provided. CDP is enclosed and again well though out. Good height and area complete with hand gun water hose, you can’t ask for anything any better! Internet connection is good and at a fair price from the site. Mobile signal was not as bad as I first feared. Vodafone and EE are okay, I couldn’t get a ‘3’ signal though. TV reception limited, satellite fine though.

• Date: 19th November 2016
• Nights: 6
• Pitch #: 17
• GPS: 55.181935, -2.813002

Forgoing fireworks this year, we decided to get away in the ‘van again and head back to South Shields to Sandhaven Caravan Park. We were here last year, but due to illness we didn’t get to see much of the area, so we might be luckier this year and be able to sample the promenade and all South Shields has to offer.

We headed off after Cath had finished work and picked up the ‘van. Weather was not looking promising, and in between showers we hitched up and headed to the coast. We arrived promptly, indeed a little bit before the 2pm arrival time, but we were soon allocated to pitch 3 and we began to set-up. The rain began again so it was mac on and brave the elements. We were soon set-up due to the good hard-standing pitch. We got the heating on and relaxed to the start of our seaside visit. The rain kept coming, so our planned walk on the promenade followed with fish & chips looked like it wouldn’t be realised.

The rain stayed with us all night, so the reserve meal of pasta & ratatouille was cooked into action! We enjoyed the rest of the evening whilst trying to maintain a TV signal through the weather and fireworks. Sunday morning came and off to church we went, in the rain! Upon return we went for a brisk short walk, dodging the rain and then spent the rest of the day in the ‘van, not the best of weekends for weather. There were fireworks planned on the seafront, we went down to enjoy them, but lo and behold – they were cancelled due to the weather! I’ll have to plan our return visit to this site at a better time of the year, so we can get to explore the area.

The site has good hard-standing pitches, complete with water and drainage and 16A EHU. Toilet block is fine, with code access. CDP is a little high, but otherwise does the job. The site is open from the main road, so a lot of vehicles tend to fly in and out, not ideal. A great site however, we’ll be back, baby.

• Date: 5th November 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 3
• GPS: 54.997688, -1.416795

Our campsite of choice for this weekend would have to be near home for work and also adult only preferably, due to the school holidays beginning. So a return to Finchale Abbey was in order, our fourth visit!

A smooth collection of the ‘van from storage, owners still away so the one direction system was not in play again. Headed down the road and was soon pulling up at reception. I had booked a ‘T’ pitch this time in order to have access to a 16A supply rather than the 6A on the standard pitches. At this time of year it’s worth it, so there’s no juggling of electrical appliances in order to keep the load in check.

We were told to take any ‘T’ pitch free so off we went to find ours. There was only one other ‘van on this section, so we chose T5 which is the furthest pitch on this section, giving a great view of the site. As with most of the pitches at Finchale Abbey, some levelling is required, so out came Mr Yellow and the Stacka Jacka Pads. We soon had the ‘van level and began our set-up routine. One thing to note is the the EHU supply is provided via a 32A Ceeform socket, so an adaptor is required in order to connect the standard 16A cable into it. Reception provides these for a £10 deposit. The ‘T’ pitches are fully serviced with water point and drain, so this made setting up even brisker, although I still prefer to use the Aquaroll and Wastemaster! Saturday soon came and went.

Sunday, weather a little hit and miss with clouds and showers. We headed off to church first thing and then upon return, we had an early dinner. A brief walk around the campsite as usual followed this, followed by more relaxing until Monday morning came. More rain, but the pack-up was swift and effortless. We soon had the ‘van back in storage and another weekend break behind us.

Facilities are excellent here. Big toilet cubicles, yes you can actually go in, turn around and close the door without doing acrobatics! Good sized showers, basins, hand wash all very clean and well presented. Access to the toilet block is via a door code, which you are given upon arrival. CDP is around the side, perfectly fine along with 2 water points and waste water drains. The access barrier open automatically to get in, but again a code is required for departure. A great site, we will be back again next year.

• Date: 22nd October 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: T5
• GPS: 54.817486, -1.540929

Saturday:
A relaxed start to the day, easy and smooth pack, ‘van collection and off we went, South on the A1. And then just before Scotch Corner, we joined the queue! This was no ordinary queue, this was a diversion on the A1 due to the road being closed for road works. This queue ultimately ended up controlled by the lights on the roundabout of Scotch Corner itself, this along with a couple of other roads merging into the queue made for a long stop start delay. We spent about an hour and a half in it, until we eventually got to Scotch Corner roundabout, here I decided to change the route and use the A66 to take us West rather than the M62. Weather was good so no concerns about using the A66. We soon found our way onto the M6 following this and headed South. With all planned stops now out of the window, I chose Lancaster services for a stop. Managed to park with the HGV’s and then had a quick bite to it. We made it quick as the stench of urine there was something else! All was plain sailing heading into Anglesey, viewing the bridges and then I took a wrong turn!

We now were travelling on roads unknown, so I decided to follow the sat nav and get us back on track. Unfortunately the route the sat nav chose was not the best. What at first seemed like suitable roads suddenly turned into single track farm lanes. Just as we got out of one we seemed to head back into another. Determined to stay on good roads I avoided any further narrow looking roads but on the very last stretch, what seemed like a suitable road again turned into a single track lane. Fortunately we only met one car during this, so only one little reverse was required to get us by. Then we arrived, phew, that has to be the toughest journey we’ve been on to date!

We were pleasantly booked in and told where to pitch. The park looks lovely on first viewing, our pitch is superb, plenty of room for ‘van and awning, along with a section of grass to sit out on. Plenty of room to park the car as well. The pitch is fully serviced, even providing a water barrel to use which is mains connected. I chose just to use our equipment despite this, always nice having the water tap on the pitch however. We set the ‘van, put the awning up and then settled inside enjoying tea and some Saturday night TV.

Sunday:
Following breakfast, we decided to take a trip to see the Menai Suspension Bridge. This was only half an hour away down the A5025, following the road we should have used yesterday! We parked up and took the walk down to Church Island and then along the river to the bridge. All very pleasant and interesting. We dropped into Waitrose whilst we were there to pick up some BBQ food as the weather was looking very promising. Upon return we sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine. We substituted Sunday Lunch for the BBQ, washed up and then returned indoors for the rest of the evening.

Monday:
Today we decided to take a trip to Beaumaris. This is home to it’s famous castle and stunning views of the Menai Strait from Bangor up to Llandudno. Weather was a bit more temperamental today as we caught the odd shower or two, but still enjoyed what the town had to offer.

Tuesday:
Snowdon was on our radar today. Weather being glorious we headed off to reach the summit. Well we planned on using the train to get to the summit! We had a quick breakfast and then headed off for the station. Parking up we coughed up our £7 to park and then went for tickets. Hoping to get tickets for the 10am diesel we went to the kiosk. Quite unexpectedly the station was quite busy and we could only get tickets for the 12.30 train. So we bought those and then enjoyed the station, cafe and theater. After a coffee, thimble purchase we headed into the film theater to watch a film based on the mountain railway and also a few episodes of ‘Ivor the Engine’. It’s quite funny, I remember watching it as a child, but never realised it was Welsh in origin complete with dragons! The time came and we headed for the station. We were allocated seats in seating section ‘B’, so got quite a good view on the way up. Weather was still great, but upon reaching the summit, we couldn’t see a thing. We departed the train and headed for the summit. We managed a couple of photos there before heading back inside for a coffee and to warm up. The departing train left promptly at 2pm and we were soon back down again. A very worthwhile trip, thoroughly enjoyed it. Back at base we enjoyed some tea and relaxed for the rest of the evening, weather a little more gloomy now with plenty of clouds.

Wednesday:
A stay-on-site today. Took some photos of the site as the sun came out in the afternoon. Had a BBQ for tea and simply relaxed.

Thursday:
Final day, so nothing to do but relax. Oh and change the route back home, avoiding the A1 roadworks! Weather has been very good all week, plenty of sunshine and just the odd shower. Winds have picked up in the last few days however. I think we’ve decided that this is possibly the nicest site we’ve ever stayed on. Best pitch, grounds superbly well kept. Excellent facilities, great base for seeing Anglesey & Wales, couldn’t have picked a better site for this holiday.

Friday:
Thankfully an uneventful drive home via the M6 and A69!

• Date: 8th October 2016
• Nights: 6
• Pitch #: D
• GPS: 53.338561, -4.260378

Well this one’s a little different, a wedding to attend to in Haltwhistle, how to manage this one for our weekend escape with the caravan?

The wedding is on Saturday 10th September at Featherstone Castle, just a 20 minute walk away from Haltwhistle Camping and Caravan Club Site, so this was our choice of destination! I took time off work on Friday and picked up the ‘van and pitched it at said site, whilst Cath finished work as early as possible and then caught the train from the Central Station through to Haltwhistle where I arranged to pick her up, all very different!

The journey to the site was very pleasant, winds were playing up but I had a pleasant trip arriving at Haltwhistle. The final roads to the site were a little compact, but perfectly fine. There is a final descent to the site on a steep, narrow gradient, but as long as you follow the arrival/departure times you’ll be fine. I arrived and was very pleasantly booked in by the staff. There was a choice of pitches, so Steve took me around and helped me back into my chosen pitch. I then began the pitching procedures, but this was a bit weird without Cath, having to play both parts, it took some doing as I am not used to what Cath does! I got there eventually and just in time to drive into Haltwhistle to pick up Cath from the train station. We returned back to the site and had some tea and relaxed for the night.

Saturday, time for some breakfast and then get ready for the wedding. We completed the wedding in Scotswood and then returned back to the site. Following a quick sandwich we then headed for the castle on foot. It was only a 20 minute walk away, but a kind couple offered us a lift to the castle on the way, where we heard some tails of the bridegroom! The wedding reception was very good and we all had a great time! After the vent, we hitched a lift with the ‘mini bus’ which dropped us off at the site where we slept the event off!

Sunday, we went for a walk as it was a nice day. Plenty of cars were departing from the castle, as they passed us on the road. Took some nice pictures of the countryside and the returned back to base. Washed the front of the ‘van and then relaxed for the the rest of the day. The sun was out for most of the day, so very pleasant. Even managed to sit out for a bit!

The site is of a modest size, but very popular. Pitches were good, with both hardstanding and grass. The usual facilities are on offer, along with a very nice CDP! Reception/shop is open for a couple of hours a day, selling basic items. Outside sinks are under cover which is always nice. Plenty of good walks are available in the area, even a walk into Haltwhistle itself is a possibility. Very nice site, worth visiting.

• Date: 9th September 2016
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 32
• GPS: 54.953189, -2.492653

A fairly new CS that I found whilst looking for local sites. I had discovered it last year, but with the A1 Western Bypass works in full operation I decided to give it a wide berth, as I didn’t want to spend the weekend queuing in it. Now that the roadworks are complete I though we’d give it a try for this weekend. A fairly wet and miserable morning saw us collect the van and noticing the almighty queue on the A1 Western Bypass. Not exactly going to plan, so I decided to use the A19 and avoid the A1 altogether. Not such a great idea as a nice queue had now built up by the Silverlink roundabout where a great deal of work on upgrading the roundabout had just started. Alas, we finally found ourselves on the A69 and on the way to Wylam.

Driving through Wylam, we soon arrived at the site and pulled in through a rather tight opening on the driveway and awaited someone to greet us. Nothing, so a few knocks on the door and a few rings of the doorbell, nothing. So I had a quick look around to see if the pitching was obvious. There were a couple of ‘vans already there, so I spied the EHU point which had various extension cables running off it. I found one further down the field that we could use, next to a motorhome reserved sign. So we pitched up and relaxed into our sandwich and drink. Saturday soon went by and Sunday morning was upon us.

We headed out for church, weather improving I’m pleased to say. Upon return we posted the money through the door to pay our dues. We then headed out for a walk to see George Stephenson’s cottage. And also a trip to Wylam station to do a little ‘spotting’. We saw the Carlisle train that Cath would be catching on Friday so that was good. I think she is settling into the idea of the train journey now! Upon returning to the site, we finally saw the owner, who at first wondered who we were trespassing on his land! Introductions done we were left to our own devices again. Had a couple of chats with the motorhome lady who was up from Brighton, they were visiting a friend in Wylam. Tea, TV, books, snacks, Sunday went and Monday morning came.

Usual pack up routine and we were ready to head off. Weather very nice now, as usual! Leaving the site was even worse than getting in. It is very tight if you have a long outfit. It took a couple of goes to get the positioning just right. Even then ‘van was pretty much grounding on the incline, but we got out unscathed, although the clutch worked hard! Return journey to storage was fine and we put the ‘van in our bay, ready to collect her again in a few days. Haltwhistle, here we come, yippee.

The site has the usual basic facilities. CDP, fresh water tap. A small outbuilding hosts a toilet and sink. Grey water was a hedge job. All perfectly fine, shame the access is not easy for large outfits.

• Date: 3rd September 2016
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 54.977855, -1.814370
• GPS: 54.977713, -1.813829