Hawes, Day one

Obviously we do not drive a lot on Sundays, because I haven't seen so many motorbikes on the road sine my last trip to the IOM.  Arrived in Hawes about half twelve and had to queue for a long time to get in, some due to poor organisation and a few thoughtless caravaners.

Brown Moor, Caravan Club Site. 

Brunt Acres Rd, Hawes, DL8 3PS 

Web Site http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/

As it was very sunny, we had a sandwich lunch and just sat in the sun, something we haven't done much this year. I set up the satellite but it took ages, second time in a row I have had problems setting up and getting a signal. Then when we had had enough sun, about five, we wandered into town for a beer.

One of the pubs has closed since our last visit but there was still enough to go round. The high street was still very busy, lots of bikers and day trippers about, we chose the pub furthest from the site for our first beer, so we could slowly make our way back. As the beer was good and we had a good seat outside in the sun watching the world go by, we didn't have a beer, we had three. We missed out the next pub (there was nobody serving) but had another one outside the third pub before we made our way back for supper.

Back at the site we had a pre-prepared supper, a Sunday dinner with puds and stuff, and settled down to watch TV. Just before we went to bed I noticed that the van 12v system wasn't working and the leisure battery was just about flat but that would have to wait until tomorrow.

Wild Rose, Appleby-in-Westmorland, The Drive Home

Every time we drive to and from the Lakes along the A66, we say look there's a castle at Brough but we never stop and go and have a look. Well this time we did.

We flowed the sighs for the castle and parked in the small car park there. It's only a short walk to the castle but the weather couldn't make it's mind up as to whether it was going to rain or not. It was free entree (make a change). Brough is a medieval Castle built inside the ruins of a Roman fort of Verteris. It was hard to get a good photo partly because of the weather and partly because the best view, is from the A66.

Next we thought we would stop at Barnard Castle, for lunch and do a bit of shopping but when we got there it was market day. It's hard enough to get a parking space on a normal day and it was impossible today, so we drove straight through.

We eventually stopped for a picnic lunch at Locomotion, part of the National Railway Museum, in Shildon. We had only been a few week previous but it is well worth a visit.

Wild Rose, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Day four

It was sunny so we decided to walk into Appleby again, only, along the main road this time, for a change. My feet were feeling better and I didn't use my walking shoes, settling for softer trainers. Outside the campsite there is a footpath that cuts a corner off the first part of the walk but it is very overgrown in parts.

It was very warm and walking the road and it seemed longer, although it wasn't. It was nice to see the castle appear in the distance though (shame there was scaffolding all around it though), signaling we were almost there.

On arrival in the town, we were going to walk along the river to the chippy for lunch but then realised the time and headed stright there. We made it just in time and had our lunch in the sun by the river. The temporary ramp was still in position down to the river, where during the horse fair, horses are are led down it to be washed.

After lunch we did the short walk along the river, then had a look in the shops, I even got an unusual beer glass from a charity shop. Then we popped into the Tourist Information, to ask about transport back to the campsite. There is no public transport but we did get the phone numbers for a couple of taxis.

It was still very warm, so we had to sit outside a pub and have a couple of beers, while we got sunburned.

We set off to walk back via the footpath but my feet were hurting so we stopped at the first pub we came to (the last pub on the way back).  I phoned the numbers we got from the Tourist Information but in my opinion they were too expensive. So after another couple of beers (still a lot cheaper than the taxi) and a sit in the sun, I gritted my teeth and we walked back to the site.

On the walk back, we caught sight of a Red Squirrel as it ran across the footpath and up a tree, something you do not see every day.  It was a lot drier that the walk back two days earlier.

Wild Rose, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Day three

Well it wasn't raining but my feet were hurting, so we just thought we would do a short circular walk to the village of Ormside and maybe have a beer at the campsite bar later. The walk is documented here.

Glad we chose a short walk as my feet were killing me by the time we got back. We headed to the bar for a sit and a nice beer in the sun. It was closed with a sign outside, informing us that it was closed until Friday evening and had been since Sunday afternoon. It was on Saturday afternoon I was assured that it would be open during our time there, I was very angry to have been misinformed like that. Good job we are always prepared for such eventualities but it wasn't just us, we saw others come and look and walk away looking disappointed.

We were entertained by the RAF later in the afternoon

Wild Rose, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Day two

The forecast was for the weather to deteriorate over the next couple of days and as the sun was shining, we set off for the long walk into Appleby. It is a long and relatively difficult 3.5 mile walk along the public footpaths into Appleby, or you can walk vie the main road but that is also 3.5 miles. We had done the walk before so knew the way and knew to have the right footwear.  The walk is documented here.

The walk in was uneventful if a bit chilly at times, and we had our picnic near the pedestrian bridge over the river, on the edge of town, before heading in.

As we did the last few hundred yards to the main street it started to rain and we had to go into the first pub for shelter. We had two new beers before moving on, when a very noisy, foul mothed and irritating local woman made it very unpleasant in there. It was still raining so we just moved to anther pub over the road, nothing new in there but good beers none the less. Then that woman came in and not just me and Dot left this time but also several of the locals in there, drank up and went.

The walk back was very unpleasant, it started raining harder and it was very muddy, by the time we got back we were soaked through.  Back at the van though the sun came out, wouldn't you just know that would happen.  I discovered a large blister on my left heal, very unusual.

Wild Rose, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Day one

We got a letter from the Wild Rose campsite in Appleby with an offer of a pitch or £10/night, I phoned and booked four nights. Then I panicked, was Appleby horse fair still on and would the place be full of the Gypsies and Travellers. I got straight online to check, luckily it finished a few day before our arrival but while online, we noticed that the was a free bbq on site on the day we got there. We assumed it would be to sell moblie homes, as we have seen before.

Wild Rose Park Ormside, 

Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, CA16 6EJ 

Web Site http://www.wildrose.co.uk/

The campsite is in Ormside, quite a way outside Appleby, when Dot was checking in she was told to get back for the free food before it ran out. So we parked the van and wandered back, not the best food I have had but it was free and it was washed down with a beer from the bar.  I asked in the bar what the opening hours were, as last time we were there it was closed for the whole of our visit (it was early in the year last time).  I was reassured it would be open this time (more later).

Then it was back to the van to get everything set up, struggled getting a sat signal, so I remade the cable ends and hay presto, all good.

Back down the bar we met some of Nicole's old school friends and then an old workmate of mine, small world.  Had a look in the shop and they had five beers I hadn't seen before, what a great shop, last time I also found four of five new beers in here.  Beers from the shop

Haggerston Castle, The Trip Home

Mick and Bren went straight home (it's hard to find places to park with a caravan in tow) but Dot and I decided we would drive down the coast and do a bit of sightseeing, although it's not always easy to find somewhere to park the van.

First stop on the journey south, was in Belford, Dot's Mam and Dad had their honeymoon there and we wanted a photo of the hotel, as part of a fathers day present.

Then we drove to the coast and passed Bamburgh Castle, to get a shot of the Farne Isles and then on to Craster. Where we parked and set off to see Dunstanburgh castle, quite a long walk from the car park and the weather was very changeable. We didn't quite make it to the castle it started to rain, so we got a photo and set off back.

After a quick look around the village we set off south to find somewhere to stop for a picnic. We ended up parked by the river Coquet at Warkworth, with a nice view of Warkworth Castle.

Then is was south again, as we got to the new Tyne tunnel the weather got really bad so we just continued home.

One note on the tunnel, we were charged £1.20 going north and £1.50 going south??? and the roads are very congested while the old tunnel if being done up.