Keswick

31st October to 3rd November 2025

Castlerigg Hall, Keswick.  We were determined to come here again this year and rescheduled an earlier trip to this  weekend.  We couldn't have left it any later, we left on the 3rd and the site closed for the season on that date.

Friday

Quite a windy day, not ideal for towing, so the journey took a bit longer than normal, but we got there in one piece.  Initially ours was the only caravan in our bit of the site and we started to hope it would remain that way, but no such luck.  It soon filled up.

The  caravan is looking quite dirty at the moment but there is no point getting it cleaned at this time of the year.  It could do with a service, too, the jockey wheel is getting very stiff and a bit of metal sheared off as we raised the caravan up at the front.  Couldn't have been important, it still worked!

After setting everything up we walked down into Keswick and managed to get into all of the pubs we wanted to, including our favourite the Dog and Gun where we had their delicious Hungarian goulash for dinner.  Then a bus back to the site for the rest of the night in the caravan.

Saturday

The worst day, weatherwise, so no walking today.

We have recently been given an old tv. In all our years of caravanning we have never had one but we thought we would give it a go this trip.  Of course the aerial cable that we had been given with the tv was the wrong type, so we drove all the way to Penrith to get the correct one so that we could set it up.  It wasn't to be - we only managed to get a total of four channels!  Not sure if it is our status aerial or if this is just a poor signal area.  We quickly gave up and the tv is at home in our bedroom now.  Another first, we have never had a tv in the bedroom.

In the afternoon, after dinner atr lunch time in the caravan, we walked back down into Keswick and did pretty much the same as yesterday.  N ot so luck today, we couldn't get in to the Dog and Gun but the Crafty Baa craft beer pub was a pretty good substitute.

Sunday

Four Wainwrights today, but nowhere near as strenuous as it sounds.  Great Cockup, Meal Fell, Great Sca Fell and Longlands Fell.

Lovely weather to start with but it didn't last and ended up quite windy and cold, although it didn't rain.

We thought about getting a bus back into Keswick in the afternoon but decided against it and stayed in the caravan instead.

A great sunset whcih we watched from the new this year on site viewpoint.  A great addition to the site, we think.

Monday

Another windy day, so the journey home was very pleasant.

Coming soon...

We are hoping to get one more trip in this year, but it depends on the weather.

 

Ingleton

17-20 October 2025

Two months since our last trip, during which time we went on a cruise to Norway and non caravan trips to Blackpool and Glasgow.  We were supposed to go to Keswick in the caravan a couple of weeks ago but had to re-schedule due to bad weather.

Our destination this weekend was Ingleton, Thornbrook Barn.

We really like this site.  It's easy to get to, the pitches are well spaced out and have hedges separating them, the facilities are good and it's a reatively short walk into Ingleton.

Friday

Pitches are allocated a couple of days before arrival and as we had asked for (and got) a good one near the facilities there was no nasty surprise when we got there.

After lunch we headed into Ingleton and ended up having dinner in  the Wheatsheaf.  The Old Post Office and the Masons are nice pubs too, although the range of beers was not as good as on previous visits.  Ingleton is not very touristy and there isn't much to do there, but we are easily pleased and a couple of nice pubs is all we need.

Saturday

A lateish start.  We drove to Settle and then got a bus to Malham Tarn at 11.35 and walked back to Settle.

The bus journey was an experience, the elderly lady driver treating us to a running commentry as she navigated the narrow, twising roads and oncoming cars!  It turned out to be a pretty unremarkable walking route with no real highlights, but is was good to get out in the countryside and made a change from walks on the beach and through pine woods which is what we do when at home in Southport.  Lots of cloud but not too cold, and it didn't rain.

Afterwards we had a look around settle and a pint in Bar 13, which we really liked.  Had we not been driving we would have stayed longer.

Back at site dinner was a slice of steak and onion pie which we had bought from the farm shop near the entrance to the site and it was delicious.  Then a night in listening to music and drinking wine.

Sunday

The weather forecast was for heavy rain in the afternoon, so we thought we would beat it and set off quite early to do the Ingleton waterfalls trail, a round trip of about 4.5 miles.  Once we got over having to pay £11 each to get in we really enjoyed the walk and just about beat the rain.

It started to rain about 1pm but by that time we were in the Wheatsheaf tucking into huge roast beef dinners.

The heavy rain turned out to be not all that heavy so after dinner we dashed to the Marton Arms, which is the nearest pub to the site, for a couple of pints.  It was packed but we got the last two seats in a quiet corner so no complaints from us.

Then it was another night in listening to music and playing scrabble.

Monday

A very uneventful trip home.

Coming soon...

Castlerigg Hall, Keswick at the end of the month, the last weekend the site is open.  This is the trip we re-scheduled so hopefully the weather will be ok this time.

Kendal

15-18 August 2025

Back after a break of about 8 weeks, we had to cancel a trip mid July.  Availability at this time of year is a problem but the Kendal CAMC never seems to get full and is one of our favourite sites anyway.  Nice and easy to get to, some excellent pitches to choose from and a nice pub a short walk away...what's not to like?

Friday

We timed the journey just right and arrived a few minutes aftert the earliest arrival time of 1pm.  Pitch 21 is the holy grail of pitches but we could see the barrier fob for it was missing from the others on display in reception, so no luck this time.  However, pitch 22 was free and is a pretty good alternative so no complaints from us.

The motor mover is getting more and more temperamental but worked eventually!  We might invest in a new lead for next time.

A rare outing for our canopy, we usually can't be bothered putting it up, but we wanted to see if recent repairs had worked and they had.

All in all a good start to the trip, so we headed to the local farm shop and then the Strickland Arms with smiles on our faces.  D has a new favourite brewery...

Not cheap, though, at £4.50 per can!

After a couple of pints (Loweswater Gold and Swan Blonde...in the same pub at the same time...heaven) in the Strickland Arms we headed back to the site for a barbecue and then sat outside the caravan until it got dark.

This butterfly kept coming back

A sporting theme in the gents toilets...to improve ones aim no doubt!

A bamboo tree tunnel on the way to the farm shop

Saturday

The plan today was to walk into Kendal, which we did, trying to stay in shade as much as possible.  It was a very warm day.

New shambles in Kendal, nice place for tea and a cake

We spent far too long in various pubs, the worst culprit being Indie Craft Beer, and then got a bus back to the site for dinner outside the caravan and scrabble into the evening, with D victorious.

Sunday

Even warmer that yesterday.  Too hot really for walking but we went for a relatively easy walk anyway, to Finsthwaite and Rusland Heights.

No summits, just a couple of tarns, the more seclued Boretree tarn being our pick of the two.

In the evening was had a second barbecue and then walked to the Strickland Arms.  Just one pint after the excesses of yesterday.

Monday

The motor mover played up a bit again, but apart from that packing away and the journey home were un eventful.

Not sure the blog does it justice but this was our best trip for a while and probably as close as it gets to perfect.  Definitely 9/10.  Trips like this are why we have a caravan and why we will try to carry on caravanning for as long as possible.

Coming soon...

After a near perfect trip it will be a while before we can get away again.  We are on holiday (a cruise) at the beginning of September and then in Gasgow a week later.  Hopefully we will be able to cram in a trip before the end of September.