Bibury. Orchard House CL (N51.758456 W1.855755)

 Thursday, 23rd March 2023

Not well prepared for this trip, I even missed the usual garden, as we left it, photograph!

Approximately 256 miles. I wouldn't call it a particularly pleasant journey, several traffic hold-ups, and, alternating periods of bright sunshine, followed by periods of torrential rain.

Orchard House CL (N51.758456 W1.855755), one of a pair of CLs with the same owner. The other is Orchard Meadow CL. 

The two CLs are adjacent to each other, Orchard House CL has hard standing, whereas Orchard Meadow CL is all grass. 

Given the torrential rain when we arrive, hard standing is a good idea.

We arrive at about 15:00, so, not time to do any exploring, plus, there is torrential rain. The, very pleasant, owner (Peter) braves the rain to greet us, and, give us some information about the local area.

Friday, 24th March 2023.

A sunny start to the day, and 7c, rising to 12c. Windy, and, the rain does return shortly after lunch.

The site owner gave us a couple of maps of local walks. The shortest is 3 miles, and takes in Ablington and Bibury.

We are told that Ablington is a pretty Cotswold village, without the tourists. Well, it is, but, it is without anything else too, we discover.

So, walking shoes on, and, off we go, on a 3 mile walk.

The instructions say to join a public footpath, shortly after leaving the site, 

This footpath apparently is a part of the original Hay Lane, a Roman route from Cirencester. 

Roman route or not, Kathleen decides that after yesterdays heavy rain, it is too muddy, so, we will vary the route (seldom a good idea, when you do not have a detailed map).

 All goes well, we are walking on tarmac, a small road, with only very occasional motor traffic.

One small detail, we do not appear to have reached a village. We do encounter another public bridal way, which is deemed "not too muddy", and, which, according to my sense of direction, appears to be heading off in the right direction.

Now, we are relying completely on our sense of direction, because this public bridal way is not even on google maps, so, we are shown as heading off across a field. We emerge onto a tarmac route at the village of Winston, and, follow the lane to Ablington, from where Bibury is actually signposted. Other than the fact that we spent most of the time without a clue where we were, and, what a pleasant surprise to arrive at The Swan, Bibury, it was a very pleasant walk, scenic and quiet, although, lacking a pub, or, at the least a coffee shop.

After lunch, the weather returns to yesterdays weather. Frequent torrential showers. 

A meal, at the Catherine Wheel, Bibury, with the Kent based Reay family this evening, well, not actually all of them, we are minus Victoria and her husband Graham, who could not make it, because, today is Victoria's graduation day, as a Radiologist, plus of course brother John and his wife Sharon, so, nine of us in total.

Diamond House CL (CAMC), Fiskerton, Lincoln (N53.23299 W0.41416) contd.

Tuesday, 31st January 2023

Dry, sunny, and 10c, but, the strong wind makes it feel colder.

Today is our 36th Wedding Anniversary.

A bus ride (No 3) into Lincoln.

This was something of a rural tour, via Reepham and Cherry Willingham. I think we were the youngest people on the bus, other than the driver. Definitely a surplus of zimmer frames and walking sticks.

The usual visit to shops we have at home (Marks & Spencer, Next, etc) to confirm that they do not have anything more appealing than their Newcastle or Metro Centre based outlets, followed by a very nice lunch at La Trattoria Da Vincenzo. I found this place on Google, it is novel, a restaurant, located in what is, or was, once a terraced house. A short walk from the shopping centre, but, I don't really see how you would ever find it, unless you knew it was there.

We did check out the area around Brayford Pool, which, I thought, given it's history, may have had some pleasant eateries, but, all we found was modern concrete and glass developments, occupied by semi fast food major names.

Sadly, Lincoln was bit of a disappointment, all rather shabby and run down, it makes Sunderland look affluent, and, that is an achievement.

Wednesday, 1st February 2023.

Dry, cloudy, and 10c, but, that strong wind is still spoiling things.

It is is granddaughter, Salma's birthday today, 7 years old. Hopefully, we will manage a FaceTime Call later today.

Morning of "chores', and reading.

The cloud turns to drizzle type rain, so, no outdoor activities today.

Thursday, 2nd February 2023

Rather similar to yesterday, dry, cloudy, and 10c, but, the wind has subsided somewhat.

Bicycles are unloaded, and, we go cycling along Sustrans NCN1, which, at this point, runs along an old railway track, formerly called "The Water Railway" 

We do, from Diamond House (near Fiskerly), to Bardney, then, to Washingborough Station, and back to Diamond House, 15.14 miles. 

Not bad considering we have not cycled for two months.

The date and time on camera is incorrect, must remember to check in future, if they have been dis-used for a while.

Friday, 3rd February 2023

Probably the nicest day of the week, today, 13c, typical!

Home   

 

 

Diamond House CL (CAMC), Fiskerton, Lincoln (N53.23299 W0.41416)

Sunday, 29th January 2023

Hopefully, a more successful trip than the last one (ie, flooded out at York!).

Uneventful journey, light traffic, dry weather, with good visibility.

For some reason, Sat-Nav selected a "varied" route, including M62, M18, M180 and, the dreadful A15. I haven't followed that route since I did a couple of work assignments in Lincoln, about 20 years ago. The A15 has not improved!

Diamond House CL is easy enough to find, with decent access. There appears to be two other hardy souls here.

Early afternoon when we arrive, so, a short walk to find our way around, followed by Sunday Lunch.

Monday, 30th January 2023

Blue sky and sunshine, 8c, but, a bit windy. But, on the plus side, no rain, and no flood!

We walk to Washingborough, along the "Water Railway", a former railway line, now, a well surfaced cycle route and walking route. 

A stop for a fortifying pint, and, a sandwich, in The Ferryboat pub, in Washingborough, before the return trip, to make 8.4 miles.

The route runs from Lincoln to Boston, approximately 33 miles, hopefully, we will get to cycle at least some of it.

Impressive sunset this evening, which the camera failed to capture fully.

 

York, Rowntree Park CAMC Site (N53.95066 W1.0809)

 Monday, 9th January 2023

Totally uneventful, 85 miles, light traffic, no hold-ups.

Dry and sunny, but quite cold, 6C.

York, Rowntree Park CAMC Site is very near York City Centre. Access inevitably means encountering some traffic, and, there are low bridges. Our Garmin Sat-Nav worked out a route avoiding low bridge etc, but worth reading, and taking heed of, the route advice on the CAMC website.

A short "walk about", along the banks of the River Ouse, a little ominously, the river had overflowed its banks in many places. The footpath / cycle track was flooded, in several places, and, we had to detour around

Tuesday, 10th January 2023

5c and, what my phone describes as "moderate rain", more like pouring down in my opinion.

Well, it rained, and it rained, and, guess what?

At 15:00, one of the site wardens arrived to tell us they were evacuating the site, because the Environment Agency had warned that flooding was "imminent". 

We were given the option to move to the CAMC  site at Beechwood, York, but, decided to take our refund and go home.

So, a bit of a waste of time, really.

Poplars Riverside Caravan Park, Haydon Bridge (N54.9695 W2.253) contd.

 Friday, 2nd September 2022

Despite the weather forecast, which predicted rain, we have a bright sunny day, 19c, a few clouds, but generally blue, and, a breeze from the East.

The plan for today is cycling, after studying the Sustrans Cycle Map, the plan is t cycle to Bardon Mill, with either no, or minimal cycling on the busy A69.

We first follow a signed trail, but, after we reach a farm, that becomes an unrideable (Mountain Bike territory). 

So, plan B, return to Haydon Bridge and follow the 'old road' through Haydon Bridge, inevitably we come to the A69. 

I have more success in convincing Kathleen to

take a chance and ride the four miles to Bardon Mill, along the A69, than I had in convincing her to attempt the Mountain bike trail, on a Hybrid Bike.

Not really enjoyable, too noisy, and, or course, the constant thought 'is some clown playing with their phone, instead of watching where they are going!". 

A very pleasant coffee and cake stop at Bardon Mill, at the village shop, which doubles up as everything, it would appear.

Then, a little further on NCN72. 

We could have returned via the NCN72 Hadrians Way cycle route, but, it was decided that risking the A69 again was better than the prospect of big hills!

Just over 14 miles, and, due to lack of concentration, when loading the video, we have both the front and rear view!

Saturday, 3rd September 2022

We wake up to rain, which eventually stops and we go walking.

A very pleasant 3.48 miles walk along the river bank, in the direction of Hexham.

Despite the overnight rain, the path is perfectly dry, which shows how parched the ground is I suppose.

Sadly, what appears to be the only coffee shop in Haydon Bridge (Oddfellows), is closed for some unknown reason.

Interesting development, this evening. 

Saturday evenings are usually 'Marks and Spencer Ready meal or Pizza night', after Kathleen has returned from Church, 'cooked' by me of course.

Tonight, we were due to have one of our (well my) favourites, Chicken Jalfrezi. 

Quite apart from it being very tasty, I have always thought it was a decent sized meal, particularly for a ready-meal, which are usually a bit skimpy. 

Although, I did think them a bit pricey at about £7 each, excluding the rice and/or naan bread.

I have, in the past, read the cooking instructions of course, but, tonight, I took the trouble to read the rest of the packaging. 

Much to my surprise, they are ready-meals for two!, so, we have been eating a meal for two, each, roughly once per month, for the last couple years. 

No wonder I thought the portion sizes were generous!

Sunday, 4th September 2022

Home today.

Poplars Riverside Caravan Park, Haydon Bridge (N54.9695 W2.253) contd.

 Wednesday, 31st August 2022

Cloud, but cool start to the day, at 14c. Clearly, the recent hot weather has changed my expectations for temperature, last year, I would have called 14c mild.

We cycle to Fourstones, then, via NCN72, on a quiet road, back to Haydon Bridge, to make a circuit.

Only a little over 10 miles, although, Kathleen did a little over 11 miles, because she ploughed on ahead and didn't bother with the little detail of reading the signposts. I had to phone her to tell her she had missed the turning. 

This ride was brutal, even with electric assistance, undulating with a capital "U"!.

The initial section followed the River South Tyne, and, could therefore be expected to be reasonably flat, not so, up and down, up and down. At Fourstones we joined the Sustrans National Cycle Route, NCN72, heading West. This section is along a quiet road, with reasonable tarmac surface.

There are some exhilarating downhill stretches, but, of course, every exhilarating downhill is preceded by a not so exhilarating uphill section.

It would appear we got the best of the weather for our ride, because, by later in the afternoon, it is raining on and off. Normal UK weather returns, it would appear.

I had noticed, whilst walking around Haydon Bridge, frequent references to a "John Martin". In my artistic ignorance, I had never heard of him, but, he is, apparently quite famous, and mixed with Royalty, including Tsar Nicholas, impressive, for a chap from Haydon Bridge.

There is a plaque, just along the road from us, outside of a small house. It is apparently where he was born and spent his childhood. In addition to giving brief details of his life, the plaque also gives details of a heritage trail, named after him, we may well try it, either on foot, or, on bicycles, when/if the rain stops.

Thursday, 1st September 2022

Cloudy start to the day, 12c, with a mist hanging over the river. A true autumn day. The forecast is for some sunshine and an acceptable 18c, in fact, by 09:30, it is already brightening up, and, it turns into a very pleasant afternoon.

I read up on the John Martin Heritage Trail yesterday, it is in two parts, a two mile section on the North side of the river, and an 11 mile section on the South side of the river.

Despite the length, we head toward the John Martin Trail, but, not with the intention of walking 11 miles!

After about a mile, we meet a young woman, walking her dog, and, after an exchange of pleasantries, she tells us instructions for a route to follow, which, will give us a much more

manageable two or three mile circuit.

The route takes us up the side of the valley, so, a steady climb, but, the views are understandably, extensive and impressive.

The plan is, a walk, then, lunch.

We barely come near civilisation, never mind a pub or restaurant, although, we do come within sight of Langley Castle.

Speaking of food, we do pass a field of next month's roast beef Sunday Dinner, need a bit of growing time, but, they will get there, I am

sure.

In the same field, one of the bullocks was mis-behaving, and attempting to eat a discarded piece of plastic bag or wrapping.

Kathleen took it upon herself to prevent this act of self-harm.

Initially, her plan was to climb into the field and remove the plastic, until, that is, I point out that, these are young cattle, and, there are a couple of cows in there with them, who may take exception to you disciplining their 'children', even if it is for their own good.

Plan B is called for. Kathleen speaks very sternly to the young bullock, in a voice normally reserved for instructing me not to do something of which she disapproves.

Obviously, the bullock is not as compliant (or intimidated) as I am, because after initially desisting from eating the plastic, it soon returns to it's meal.

Fortunately, a couple of local youngsters, happen to come along, they are clearly more used to dealing with badly behaved bullocks, than a couple of elderly townies are. They clamber over the fence, and remove the offending plastic, all is well, the bullock can continue on it's way to becoming a beef sandwich.

Lunch beckons, and we return to Haydon Bridge, to select a suitable eating place.

The selection is not difficult, there are only three choices, Anchor Hotel, Railway Hotel and General Havelock.

The Anchor Hotel looks smart, but, is perhaps a trifle more 'fancy' than we want for lunch, the Railway Hotel does not appear to be open, so, the General Havelock it is.

I have checked them all out, using Google etc, as you do. The frontage matches exactly with its reviews, ie, not very impressive, but, inside, it is comfortable, with an excellent patio, right on the river bank. Unfortunately, it is not warm enough, for Kathleen, to eat outside, so, we sit inside. 

Staff are friendly, and food is good, although, in my humble opinion, not quite up to the glowing reviews. After, glowing reports of the quality of the baguette, I opt for the beef sandwich, hopefully, not related to our friends in the photographs. The baguette recommendations are right, it is very good.

Poplars Riverside Caravan Park, Haydon Bridge (N54.9695 W2.253)

Tuesday, 30th August 2022

 Poplars Riverside Caravan Park, Haydon Bridge, NE47 6BY (N54.9695 W2.253)

A very short journey, only 36 miles from home!

For many years, we have been saying that we should do more trips in our 'local' area. 

The temptation was always to head for Europe, and the sun, but, Covid put a stop to that, temporarily at least.

This year, we (I) have been making more effort to search out local places to visit, the soaring

price of diesel, is, of course, an added incentive, it is now costing well over £100 to fill the tank with diesel. In addition, this year, the UK has enjoyed(?) a hot and dry summer, hopefully, it is not over.

Haydon Bridge is a place I have driven through, or past, probably hundreds of times, without stopping.

On arrival, initial impressions are favourable. The site is small, mostly statics (about 35), with space for about 9 tourers. Today, there appears to be only about three of the statics occupied, and, in the touring area, we are joined by a caravan and one other Motorhome.

A mix up over delivery slots for some timber I ordered for garden fence means we do not get away from home until nearly midday, so, arrival here was in time for a late lunch.

Not much done today. A bit of exploring, on foot, we get our bearings, find the route to the village, (about 0.75 miles away), and the Coop supermarket, plus a few pubs and at least one coffee shop

Weather is pleasant, so far, so good.