Touring

Sat: The weather was attrocious, we picked up the caravan and headed off. The journey was straight forward, A69 > M6 along with a stop off at Southwaite services. A bit different to the France runs of years previous!

We arrived at the site and were shown where we could pitch. The site was quite full, so the section I had intended to head for was full, consequently we ended up at the bottom of the site, where we ended up on quite a quirky pitch. In order to avoid driving over the grass I decided to use the motor mover. This is where the motor mover decided to die on me and wouldn’t budge the ‘van. Indeed the rollers wouldn’t retract when instructed, resulting in me manually winding them off. All in the pouring rain. So the ‘van hitched back up to the car, I pitched it by a bit of driving over the grass. The rest of of the set-up went as usual, once finished, clothes changed and hung to dry!

Sun: Weather much improved, so we headed out for a walk around the site and part way into Grange-over-Sands.

Mon: Weather still looking promising, so we decided to visit the railway and Windermere Lake. This was accomplished via the Lakeland and Haverthwaite heritage line, which offers tickets which combine a cruise on the lake as well as the train journey. This was all ordered online, which is the norm now during the COVID-19 period. The whole trip is very worthwhile and can fill your whole day or just a few hours, times are flexible so plan as you see fit. Following this we headed for Grange-over-Sands to pick up a few supplies from the express supermarkets there.

Tue: Weather not good, so stayed in the ‘van all day. Managed to do some electronics and consequently managed to fry the microprocessor with the wrong voltage 🙁

Wed: Not raining, so we headed for Canal Foot in Ulverston. This is a walk alongside a disused canal totalling 2.5 miles. It’s a pleasant walk, with a pub if you want to complete the outing with a meal or drink. The canal also incorporates a rolling railway which crossed the canal, allowing boats to pass as the railway rolled back into the canal side. Extra pegs were put in the awning as we are expecting some high winds tonight. The BBQ was set-up with the new pipes and connectors to use the caravan gas, rather than a separate bottle, as Campingaz is getting harder to find, so time to change! TV reception is okay here but not great, so time to put the satellite up as well – if I can get a signal through the trees!

Thu: A nice morning, so an outdoor bacon sandwich was in order for breakfast. With the weather okay, we headed for Crooklands Canal. I thought this was a working canal route, but alas discovered it was disused and not worth walking. So we returned back to base and relaxed. A little research later, I discovered that the Lancaster canal stops north at Tewitfield. So we plan to take a trip there when the weather recovers!

Fri: A trip to Asda in Kendal to restock on certain requirements. Multiple showers weather-wise, so no further outings today.

Sat: Breakfast alfresco again and then a trip into Kendal, this time to look around. We parked at South Lakes Retail Park and then walked into the town itself. I’m pleased to say that the shops in Kendal seem to be holding their own during this economic downturn, most units were still active and open. We perused a few shops before heading back, along with picking up some more bacon for those outdoor breakfasts!

Sun: A trip into Grange-over-Sands in particular to walk the promenade there. There is a car park there for this which is handy and at a reasonable rate of £1.20 for the whole day. Over the railway line by bridge and you’re there. The promenade is bordered with lovely plantation to sheild you from the railway. There are cafes there, plenty of sports and kids parks. Benches all the way, so bring a picnic and enjoy the stunning views across the bay. There is a disused Lido there, which is in the process of being brought back to life – this will simply be stunning when it’s done. Overall, a great day out.

Mon: Rain stopped play today, so a ‘van day it was!

Tue: A trip to Penrith we chose for today. The trip there was a little longer than usual as the A590 was closed due to roadworks. There’s not much in Penrith to report, so we didn’t stay too long. We did visit St Andrew’s Church however, to light a candle for Stephanie.

Wed: We tried an expedition to Tewitfield , the northern point of the Lancaster canal. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t playing ball so we called this off. We returned back to base and did some cleaning of the ‘van.

Thu: We tried the Lancaster canal again and with better success today. We walked a good couple of miles down the canal, passed some moored boats, but alas no locks! Indeed there doesn’t seem to be any locks for quite a stretch. The canal apparently, is going to be extended further north, following it’s original route prior to it being closed due to the construction of the M6.

Fri: Relax day at the site – the final day, the final bacon & egg sandwich for breakfast! A power cut in the evening was entertaining, great everything works off gas & 12v 🙂

Sat: We packed up as normal, it’s not raining at least! Journey home was fine.

• Date: 3rd October 2020
• Nights: 14
• Pitch #: 70
• GPS: 54.216490, -2.863488

Our fourth visit to Barnard Castle, but to a different campsite as has always been the case here. This time we chose the CAMC site, which is the closest site to the town itself.

We left as usual on Saturday morning, had a pleasant journey down despite all of the roadworks on the A19 and A1. We arrived and set-up on our pitch, this time a serviced pitch, as all standard pitches were booked for this weekend. So, not far to go with the aquaroll! The site is quite small, as a result the COVID-19 restrictions on the toilet block were 2 in at a time. So queues for this weekend were plentiful.

Sunday, we took ourselves out on a walk into Barnard Castle itself. We took the public footpath which runs from the campsite itself, along the beck and directly into the town, where you can cross the river and arrive at the castle. This is a lovely walk and avoids walking the main road, which doesn’t have the best access for pedestrians.

It was a bit windy this weekend, but overall the weather played ball. The rest of Sunday was food and films. Monday, glorious morning, tea and toast outside! Then time to pack up and head home.

A very friendly site, lots of people were happy to speak and the wardens were extremely friendly too. The site is hardstanding pitches only, which is good. There is a playground and dog walk along with all the other usual amenities.

• Date: 12th September 2020
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 27
• GPS: 54.546167, -1.941226

Approach: A66 > B6277

Saturday:
A relaxed start as we’re only a short drive away from the site, where the arrival time is >1pm.

We picked up the ‘van and headed north to the A1 as the A19 was closed due to ongoing roadworks for Testo’s roundabout. A short detour, but it avoided the congestion that would surely be there at the A19.

We arrived prompt at 1pm and checked in. We took pitch 29 and set-up, after a little drama with the motor mover. Keys and bands for the toilet block were given, we are now up to 6 persons allowed in at any one time, an improvement from 3 from the last couple of outings.

We enjoyed the first evening of our first long holiday for quite a while.

Sunday:
Weather not too good so I decided we would visit the ‘Head of Steam’ railway museum in Darlington, which was on the agenda for this trip. Here you can see and learn about the beginnings of the railway in the UK and indeed the world. Covid restrictions are in place so you have to pre-book before going, but that was straight forward. After perusing the museum we walked to Skerne Bridge, the first railway bridge in the world.

Monday:
Humid weather, so a walk along the river Tees was in order. We walked from the site down to Newport Bridge, very pleasant, spotting a few seals along the way. I had planned to cross over the bridge here and return on the other side, but vertigo got me on the stairs and we stayed on the same side!

Weather turning lovely at the evening, following a trip to Asda just up the road, we had ourselves a BBQ – very much reminded us of being in France. The site is very nice, good sized pitches with nice small hedging and lots of flowers. Wardens are very friendly too.

Tuesday:
Weather terrible, so we stayed in the ‘van – did a bit of cleaning and just relaxed.

Wednesday:
Weather improved, we headed out for another walk. This time it was on the south side of the Tees. There are lots of walking opportunities from the site, so scores highly in that respect. Indeed, with cycling, walking, canoeing and access to the seaside for beach and other water activities, this site has a lot going for it.

Thursday:
The best of the waether was to be had today, so we headed out for the coast to Staithes and Saltburn-by-the-Sea. Staithes was very bust, but we managed to get parked and headed down (steeply down) the the harbour. It’s a picturequsque place with a few shops and eating opportunities. We relaxed here for a good hour and then returned to the car (steeply uphill).

The next stop was due to be Saltburn-by-the-Sea. We got there but it has heaving and coudn’t find a place to park. Not surprising as the weather was so good, it’s the summer holidays and it’s a seaside resort! We accepted our fate and returned back to the site, where we walked through the site and took some photos.

Friday:
A relax day as it was our last day, weather not good anyhow, rain and strong winds!

Rant time:
The site doesn’t have a dog walk and states so specifically. However, we encountered numerous dog owners who paraded their dogs around the site, allowing them to defecate/urinate on any available stretch of grass, which are all basically pitch related. This I find annoying and should be something that is reinforced better. Indeed, our pitch had dog excrement on it during our stay.

During COVID-19, as we all know toilet blocks are accessed via wrist bands. Place on entry and collect on exit. The number of times I have been to the block and there are bands outside and nobody inside is unreal. This reduces the capacity of the block no end and causes frustration with campers. The procedure is simple, be more aware and helpful to your fellow campers and use the system correctly!

Site Report:
Very clean well maintained site. Although it’s in an urban environment, you could be anywhere when on site and indeed the nature environments around.

• 97 Pitches
• 16A EHU
• Hardstanding pitches, some fully serviced
• Washblock usual high standard
• Information hut
• Games room (closed COVID-19)
• Children’s playground
• Plenty of service points
• Good non vehicular access to Beefeater, retail park and Asda
• Friendly, hard working wardens
• Easy access from A19

• Date: 15th August 2020
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 29
• GPS: 54.568506, -1.286260

Another weekend away, and although we’ve just been here, it was the only option for this weekend as pretty much everything else was booked up! We like the site though, and anywhere is better than nowhere. Weather was actually glorious for the weekend, although we had to pack up on Monday in the rain, but what the heck!

• Date: 25th July 2020
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 36
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

This trip is in memory of our daughter:

Stephanie Ridgwick

7th July 1994 – 2nd February 2020

This was the first day of campsites opening following the COVID-19 outbreak. We were the first to arrive on site at 9am, consequently we received a gift of a bottle of Buck’s Fizz! We bagged our favourite pitch and ran with the emotions of what this trip would bring. Sunday, we went to Durham Cathedral to light a candle for Stephanie.

• Date: 4th July 2020
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 36
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

Approach Video:

• A1 > A690 > Meadow Lane

Saturday:
A good pack up first thing in the morning, taking 1.5 hours, which is about the norm now with the awning. Good weather again, we headed down the A90 and stopped again at Kinross services. We just missed the deadline for a bacon butty, so opted instead for a sausage roll (not as good!). From here was a short journey into Edinburgh itself. We found the site without any issues and pitched up. In no time we sere set back up again and enjoying the second leg of our Scottish tour. It’s a while since we’ve done a site to site journey, the last one in fact being France 2011, but we are enjoying it. We stayed on site for this our first day here.

Sunday:
Weather turning a little, so we decided to visit the ‘Ocean Terminal Shopping’, mainly to visit the Royal Yacht Britannia, which is moored there. But first, we needed to collect the shopping from Tesco. We had ordered a collection for Sunday morning, so we trundled off there first and collected it. Following this, we headed off to the ‘OTS’. Parking is plentiful and free, so no problems there. We viewed the shops first and then went on the ‘Brittania Tour’. This is well worth a visit, reminding me of the Titanic tour we did in Belfast. It takes around 1.5 hours to complete the tour, which took us to dinner time. We were dining out today at the ‘Toby Carvery’ near the site. We enjoyed our meal and then returned back to the site to relax.

Monday:
Well we’ve had the worst of stormy weather ever in our caravan experience today. The site was like a river, although drained very well. We had thunder and lightening, which made getting water, toilet block runs very tricky indeed! Suffice to say, we didn’t go anywhere today and took refuge in the caravan.

Tuesday:
Better weather today, so a trip into Edinburgh itself was in order. The bus stop is a short walk from the site, bus number 27 is the one you want, takes you quite directly into the centre of Edinburgh. We enjoyed a walk around the city, although it’s very busy, which is not quite to our liking. We saw the castle, although didn’t enter as we felt it a bit expensive at £20 per person, especially as it was so busy, didn’t feel quite comfortable. A quick coffee later and we returned back to the site.

Wednesday:
Weather starting to soar now, just in time for our trip to Cramond Island. This is walkable from the site and provides some stunning views over the harbour. There’s a cafe en route, which is a nice stop for a coffee and snacks if required. In Cramond itself there is a cafe along with public toilets. The beech here again is breathtaking, the sand stretches out quite a long way when the sea is out. The complete walk is around 6 miles in total from the campsite and back again. Back at the campsite, sun shining, all happy campers were sat outside! If going, do check the safe crossing times.

Thursday:
A stay at site day, weather like France!

Friday:
Another stay at site day, weather cooler than France – since they are at a record 45.9! Glad we weren’t there!

Saturday:
Time to leave. This is all quite relaxed compared to the usual France run. We packed up usual and then headed out. One thing to note is that the exit is quite tight for a long 8ft wide rig. The ‘in’ road is slightly wider than the ‘out’. We had no problems coming in, but exiting, you have to be careful if have you have a long 13m / 8ft wide rig. We made it out, but had to back up a little in order to ‘re-align’. Following this, it was pretty straight forward, although it was very busy until we reached the A1, so due care again. No service stations on this route, so cross your legs! Again we briefly stopped at the border, and then headed back to storage.

• Date: 22nd June 2019
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 146
• GPS: 55.977311, -3.264296

Saturday:
A modestly early start at 6am and we were off, heading North this year not South! Weather was good, despite being awful for the past few days. We ate our way through the A1, stopping at the border for a brief break and then headed for Kinross services, where we stopped for a bacon buttie and coffee. Following this, we arrived in Stonehaven and found our way to the site. The site was packed, indeed the ‘site full’ sign was up and on display. Despite this, we found a pitch which suited us and began the set-up routine. We were soon relaxing for the evening and enjoying our first UK big summer holiday in the caravan!

Sunday:
Father’s Day – and I wasn’t driving in France all day! I could actually relax and enjoy the day. Weather still not bad. We made a short journey the the local Coop to stock up on a few things, but apart from this, we just enjoyed the day on site.

Monday:
Stayed on site all day due to rain showers.

Tuesday:
Windy but dry and bright, so following breakfast we headed off to Dunnottar Castle. This is a very picturesque place to visit, stunning view of the coastline and wildlife. The castle itself is well presented and informative, you really got a good sense of the life of the people that would have worked and lived here, very spiritual in a way. The car park was full when we got there, but there are parking opportunites by the side of the road. It’s £7 for an adult to access, which is reasonable. Be warned though, there are a lot of steps! Following this, we made a short stop at the Coop again and then returned back to base.

Wednesday:
With good weather again, we took a walk to ‘The Chapel of St Mary and St Nathalan’ located just up the coast in Cowie. The path to the chapel site is located just by the golf course and descends down to the site. Like most things in the area, you get stunning views and some history about the site by way of an information board. Following a tour around the site we headed back to the site. Feeling a little hungry however, we stopped at the infamous ‘Bay Fish & Chips’ on the way back and enjoyed some chips sat on the beach steps, simply stunning, a moment to cherish. Returned back to caravan for the rest of the day.

Thursday:
A quick trip to the dentist was in order, as Cath was suffering some toothache. This was an 8.30am appointment, so didn’t impact too much on our day. Following this, it was another fine day, so the task today was to visit the War Memorial. This is located between the harbour and the Castle, so a climb up the hill was in order! We parked in the harbour to ease the length of the walk and then commenced upward. It isn’t far to be honest and again the views are breathtaking! Following this and descending back down to the harbour, we visited the ‘Tolbooth Museum’ there, which is housed in a late 16th century stone building. It’s free to enter and offers a som great information and artifacts about the area in general. Back to base after this for the rest of the day.

Friday:
The last day, so a stay on site day. Weather very good again!

• Date: 15th June 2019
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 20
• GPS: 56.970973, -2.203582

• Date: 1st June 2019
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 36
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

Our post Easter break would be a little longer this year, we’ve opted for another week away rather than just a weekend. So for this year, we’ve chosen Strathclyde just outside of Glasgow, looks like we’ll be doing a lot of Scotland this year!

Saturday:
We packed Friday night and were ready to go first thing on Saturday, apart from the internet being down at home, which needed sorting, otherwise the daughter would not be happy! We had a good journey along the A69 and then had a pit stop at Gretna Green services, a first for us. Astonishingly, there is a dedicated caravan parking area which we duly pulled into. There are about 8 spaces, big enough for the largest of rigs, drive in, drive out. Looking for some breakfast, we enjoyed some bacon butties from Harry Ramsden’s, for the bargain price of £15 including drinks :O

Following this it was a straight run to the site. We booked in and found our pitch. A bit of a tight reverse, a few shunts and then we were set. Weather good, usual routines followed, Saturday came and went.

Sunday:
Glorious weather, we sat outside first thing and enjoyed a cup of tea and the sunshine. It was on the cards today to walk around the Loch just down the road, so this we did! The walk is approx 3.5 miles around the Loch, very pleasant with a cafe available at the boathouse, we didn’t try this but on reflection, we wish we had. There is a funfair here as well, along with a playground for the kids. There was also a ‘It’s a Knockout’ competition taking place, great place for the family. We completed the walk and returned to the site. After a brief break, we then went to the Toby Carvery for Sunday lunch. This again is accessed from just outside of the site, so perfect for us caravanners! Weather stayed perfect for the rest of the day, so much so that we were reading 35 degrees inside the ‘van!

Monday:
Weather still glorious, we decided to head into Glasgow following breakfast. I booked the tickets online for collection at the station and then we headed off after washing up. Bellshill station is just up the A725, 10 minutes away. It has a good parking for vehicles and makes it the perfect solution for getting to Glasgow, rather than driving there. We parked up and collected our tickets from the machine. The trains are very frequent, so although we missed our train by seconds, another one was along in 10 minutes. The journey to Glasgow takes approx 20 minutes, and once at Glasgow Central station, you’re in the centre of all of the action. Well the action being shops, shops and more shops, with plenty of eating opportunities. We opted for a coffee and then headed for the river via a couple of shopping complexes. We returned back to the station following this and headed back to Bellshill. We stopped by Tesco’s in Bellshill on the way back to pick up a couple of items, and then back at the site, we enjoyed more sunshine!

Tuesday:
A trip to the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway was on the cards. We had a good run to the site, weather still glorious. We parked up and caught the train straight away, good timing! We enjoyed the journey through to Manuel and back. The museum is also well stocked and informative. There are expansion plans afoot, so it’s good to see heritage railways still proving popular. Back at site, we enjoyed the weather, I cleaned the ‘van and then relaxed.

Wednesday:
Nothing planned, a day to relax – weather still unbelievable.

Thursday:
Nothing planned, another day to relax, after all – that’s what it’s all about!

Friday:
Departure day, everything went smoothly. I think we are there in terms of storage, what the car carries and general organisation. A few routines have changed, I now carry leg winder, blocks, levellers and water hoses in the car, in the lower shelf, so that we can set the caravan up without needing to rush with taking off the cover to access the locker etc. The boot organisation is now there, food has its place along with caravan security, fridge, awning and then clothes, they have found their home at last, it’s working well! The new car, well it’s brilliant, I cannot stress how much easier it is to tow with an automatic, makes reversing far easier as well.

• Date: 11th May 2019
• Nights: 6
• Pitch #: 79
• GPS: 55.803690, -4.048265

So with the new rig, we’re once again resuming longer weekend journeys, something we used to do in the early days of caravanning. This weekend, we’re off to York (again!) but this time to a new site, namely York Beechwood Grange CAMC.

We picked up the ‘van and departed on Saturday morning. The journey is straight forward, but with the A19/Coast Road junction finished and all the A1 roadworks completed, the journey was as smooth as you could wish for. I’ve fitted the Sat Nav and dashcam back into the car, so we’re back to normality there. We’ve got Android Drive operating in the car, so we’ve got access to music, playlists, text messaging and everything else that it brings, we’re gradually getting there, step by step. The car does come with a Sat Nav built in, but I prefer a dedicated unit which won’t suddenly disappear should another service require the display. Plus I prefer creating the routes in the house in front of the computer, with a cuppa, rather than being stuck in the car, so the Garmin stays. I’ll leave the media display for all other things car related.

We arrived bang on time at the site and duly had a drive around looking for the perfect pitch! We finally settled on 98 and began setting up. We’re getting quicker, gradually, but there are still some things that need sorting. Each trip throws up something that needs sorting, routines are slightly different, but everything has to evolve. We stayed on site all day, as the weather was poor, storm Hannah was showing some muscle! Sunday, we had a trip to Monks Cross Shopping Park and then a stroll around the site, as the weather was notably better. We even managed a spell outside, as the sun broke through. Sunday came and went and then Monday morning, time to pack up! Pack up time was an extra 30 minutes over the norm, but as this included taking down the awning, quite respectable actually. A good drive home and back at storage.

• 109 Pitches
• 16A EHU
• Hardstanding pitches, a few grass
• Washblock very high standard
• Information hut
• Book swap telephone booth!
• Plenty of service points
• Late night arrival area
• Good TV reception
• Playground for kids
• Dog walk and play areas
• Reception sells useful items
• Good access to York
• Easy access from A64

• Date: 27th April 2019
• Nights: 2
• Pitch #: 98
• GPS: 53.995806, -1.027584