We're currently in Scotland and I don't usually blog UK trips here, because they are invariably walking-themed, and thus I blog them on our walking blog - which is where all of the photos are residing. However, I thought I'd just give a very brief update as to what has gone on so far:
Thursday 18th
Location: Kirkby Lonsdale
Weather: sunny and warm
An early start from home, having got Bertie all ready to go by Wednesday evening, with our first stop being an appointment with a silver screen manufacturer (external insulating screens for the cab windows) in Sheffield. Then a stop at Ma-in-Law's in Halifax for lunch, before our final leg up to Kirkby Lonsdale.
We'd only come to realise a few days before this trip that we were setting out on the Thursday before Easter weekend and with the forecast being sunny, it wasn't ideal timing. However, we didn't even get held up on our journey north, not even in Keighley (which is usually the slow point of the journey north up the A65 from Halifax).
Our day finished with a post-tea stroll along the river, up 'the Radical Steps' to the church and back through Kirkby Lonsdale. Had never been to Kirkby L before; had never had it on my radar as a place worth visiting - which it turned out very much to be.
Friday 20th
Location: Orton
Weather: Sunny and warm
At 0530 I said to Mick "Is someone running a generator?". He mumbled "Sounds like it" in a way that clearly conveyed that he was still trying to sleep.
It didn't sound quite right for a generator - more like an engine under load or a high powered hair dryer - and after another ten minutes or so it stopped. Then there was a roaring noise.
"Is that a hot air balloon?" I said to the still-sleeping Mick. On the third roar curiosity got the better of me, I climbed out of bed and stuck my head out of the door. Yep, that's a hot air balloon, and quite close too:
The early start to my day didn't get me out the door any earlier for my run, but we were in no rush. Fortunately, we left in very good time for the 13-mile journey to Conrad's for lunch and a goodly amount of chat, as the whole world was trying either to get onto the M6 or into the Lake District, causing a mile-long queue to the roundabout before the M6 junction (that being where we wanted to turn).
Orton provided us with our night-stop that day, in a location we've used a few times now when travelling north or south.
Saturday & Sunday 21st-22nd
Weather: sunny and warm but very hazy
At noon on the dot (the earliest acceptable arrival time) Bertie was manoeuvred onto a pitch at a small certified campsite just outside of Appleby in Westmorland. A spot of lunch was had, our backpacks were hoisted onto our backs, and Bertie was promptly abandonned.
Saturday night was spent by Greg's Hut, having walked up there via the Pennine Way, which we joined just outside of Dufton.
By Sunday lunchtime we were back at Bertie and having had plenty of exercise in the morning we set about having a pretty lazy afternoon.
Monday 23rd - Wednesday 25th
Location: Kielder Water
Weather: Fine and warm Monday and Tuesday; overcast with low cloud base on Wednesday.
It was mid-afternoon on Monday by the time we'd got away from the campsite, had a stop at a supermarket and made our way to a spot just north of Kielder. That spot was just a short-stay for me to bag a hill, even though the intention had been for Monday to be a rest/travelling/chores day after the exertions of the weekend - I just couldn't waste such a good-weather day.
With the hill successfully bagged, it was only a few miles to our intended night-stop - which turned out not to be our actual night-stop due to the small matter of the car park no longer existing. It didn't take us long to find an alternative. It was a little further away from my hills for the next couple of days, but as both would involve bike rides through the forest, a little extra pedalling wasn't much of an inconvenience, particularly for such a peaceful parking spot.
Tuesday and Wednesday's hills went well. In fact, Wednesday's went so well that when I returned to Bertie an hour earlier than expected, I found him all locked up and Mick absent. That was unfortunate as I didn't have any keys...
Thursday 26th
Location: Newcastleton
Weather: sunny intervals.
A morning relocation to my next hill and another missing parking area (although this was just one I'd seen on aerial maps, rather than one marked on an OS map). We found somewhere to park Bertie a short distance away, but this was only to be a brief stop anyway. Just over an hour later we were once again emptying Bertie's boot at the roadside, to put the bike away. We've got the practice down to a fine art now.
Onwards (or, more precisely, backwards, as we'd already driven through the place on Monday) to Newcastleton, where time was killed in a car park until noon, when we could present ourselves at the campsite.
As we had gambled the would, they did have a pitch available and £23.65 was handed over for the privilege of renting it for the night. Ouch - it seems a bit steep after European prices (remember that week in Silves in February at less than £40 for an entire week?).
On the plus side, their showers were among the best we've ever found on a campsite and I got a load of laundry washed and dried.
Friday 26th- Saturday 27th
Location: 6 miles or so N of Newcastleton
Weather: Sunny morning, very rainy afternoon on Friday; dry but overcast on Saturday morning with frequent heavy showers (one of hail) in the afternoon.
We should have got an early start on Friday, whilst it was still sunny, but loitered on the campsite until 10.30. Thus by the time we'd visited the village shop, driven to the start point for my next three hills and had elevenses, I was cutting it fine for the rain.
The result was me arriving back at Bertie 3 hours later in a state of great sogginess. His shower room was turned into a drying room and my bike had to stay outside until the weather had dried up enough to do the empty-everything-out/put-everything-back thing required to put it away.
Mick went out for a short walk in the evening, once the rain had stopped. Turned out the stop was only a short pause, so by the time he got back we had more stuff to get dry.
With Mick joining me for the next two hills, with the forecast for Saturday being poor, and with no need for even more wet stuff, Saturday was declared to be a quiet day. It was so quiet that it was 4pm by the time I got out of my pyjamas. Even then, I got into my running gear, ran just far enough to declare that I had done enough exercise, then got back into my PJs. My judgement that the rain was about to stop as I set out was erroneous. Thankfully, yesterday's kit was now dry, so I was able to make room on the drying rack for my dripping running jacket.
Thursday 18th
Location: Kirkby Lonsdale
Weather: sunny and warm
An early start from home, having got Bertie all ready to go by Wednesday evening, with our first stop being an appointment with a silver screen manufacturer (external insulating screens for the cab windows) in Sheffield. Then a stop at Ma-in-Law's in Halifax for lunch, before our final leg up to Kirkby Lonsdale.
We'd only come to realise a few days before this trip that we were setting out on the Thursday before Easter weekend and with the forecast being sunny, it wasn't ideal timing. However, we didn't even get held up on our journey north, not even in Keighley (which is usually the slow point of the journey north up the A65 from Halifax).
Our day finished with a post-tea stroll along the river, up 'the Radical Steps' to the church and back through Kirkby Lonsdale. Had never been to Kirkby L before; had never had it on my radar as a place worth visiting - which it turned out very much to be.
Friday 20th
Location: Orton
Weather: Sunny and warm
At 0530 I said to Mick "Is someone running a generator?". He mumbled "Sounds like it" in a way that clearly conveyed that he was still trying to sleep.
It didn't sound quite right for a generator - more like an engine under load or a high powered hair dryer - and after another ten minutes or so it stopped. Then there was a roaring noise.
"Is that a hot air balloon?" I said to the still-sleeping Mick. On the third roar curiosity got the better of me, I climbed out of bed and stuck my head out of the door. Yep, that's a hot air balloon, and quite close too:
The early start to my day didn't get me out the door any earlier for my run, but we were in no rush. Fortunately, we left in very good time for the 13-mile journey to Conrad's for lunch and a goodly amount of chat, as the whole world was trying either to get onto the M6 or into the Lake District, causing a mile-long queue to the roundabout before the M6 junction (that being where we wanted to turn).
Orton provided us with our night-stop that day, in a location we've used a few times now when travelling north or south.
Saturday & Sunday 21st-22nd
Weather: sunny and warm but very hazy
At noon on the dot (the earliest acceptable arrival time) Bertie was manoeuvred onto a pitch at a small certified campsite just outside of Appleby in Westmorland. A spot of lunch was had, our backpacks were hoisted onto our backs, and Bertie was promptly abandonned.
Saturday night was spent by Greg's Hut, having walked up there via the Pennine Way, which we joined just outside of Dufton.
By Sunday lunchtime we were back at Bertie and having had plenty of exercise in the morning we set about having a pretty lazy afternoon.
Monday 23rd - Wednesday 25th
Location: Kielder Water
Weather: Fine and warm Monday and Tuesday; overcast with low cloud base on Wednesday.
It was mid-afternoon on Monday by the time we'd got away from the campsite, had a stop at a supermarket and made our way to a spot just north of Kielder. That spot was just a short-stay for me to bag a hill, even though the intention had been for Monday to be a rest/travelling/chores day after the exertions of the weekend - I just couldn't waste such a good-weather day.
With the hill successfully bagged, it was only a few miles to our intended night-stop - which turned out not to be our actual night-stop due to the small matter of the car park no longer existing. It didn't take us long to find an alternative. It was a little further away from my hills for the next couple of days, but as both would involve bike rides through the forest, a little extra pedalling wasn't much of an inconvenience, particularly for such a peaceful parking spot.
Tuesday and Wednesday's hills went well. In fact, Wednesday's went so well that when I returned to Bertie an hour earlier than expected, I found him all locked up and Mick absent. That was unfortunate as I didn't have any keys...
Thursday 26th
Location: Newcastleton
Weather: sunny intervals.
A morning relocation to my next hill and another missing parking area (although this was just one I'd seen on aerial maps, rather than one marked on an OS map). We found somewhere to park Bertie a short distance away, but this was only to be a brief stop anyway. Just over an hour later we were once again emptying Bertie's boot at the roadside, to put the bike away. We've got the practice down to a fine art now.
Onwards (or, more precisely, backwards, as we'd already driven through the place on Monday) to Newcastleton, where time was killed in a car park until noon, when we could present ourselves at the campsite.
As we had gambled the would, they did have a pitch available and £23.65 was handed over for the privilege of renting it for the night. Ouch - it seems a bit steep after European prices (remember that week in Silves in February at less than £40 for an entire week?).
On the plus side, their showers were among the best we've ever found on a campsite and I got a load of laundry washed and dried.
Friday 26th- Saturday 27th
Location: 6 miles or so N of Newcastleton
Weather: Sunny morning, very rainy afternoon on Friday; dry but overcast on Saturday morning with frequent heavy showers (one of hail) in the afternoon.
We should have got an early start on Friday, whilst it was still sunny, but loitered on the campsite until 10.30. Thus by the time we'd visited the village shop, driven to the start point for my next three hills and had elevenses, I was cutting it fine for the rain.
The result was me arriving back at Bertie 3 hours later in a state of great sogginess. His shower room was turned into a drying room and my bike had to stay outside until the weather had dried up enough to do the empty-everything-out/put-everything-back thing required to put it away.
Mick went out for a short walk in the evening, once the rain had stopped. Turned out the stop was only a short pause, so by the time he got back we had more stuff to get dry.
With Mick joining me for the next two hills, with the forecast for Saturday being poor, and with no need for even more wet stuff, Saturday was declared to be a quiet day. It was so quiet that it was 4pm by the time I got out of my pyjamas. Even then, I got into my running gear, ran just far enough to declare that I had done enough exercise, then got back into my PJs. My judgement that the rain was about to stop as I set out was erroneous. Thankfully, yesterday's kit was now dry, so I was able to make room on the drying rack for my dripping running jacket.
