Buxton

15th to 17th August 2019

Our first trip for almost a month, thanks to the ongoing saga of moving house.  We booked this trip to the Buxton C&MC site a while ago, primarily so that we could go and see a concert in the Peak Cavern in Castleton on the Friday.  We would have stayed in Castleton but, as usual, it was fully booked.

Thursday

A Thursday start...not sure why!  We have found a new way of getting onto the A6 without going through Stockport, using the A555, so the journey should have been much quicker...but it wasn't, thanks to temporary roadworks!  We still got there quite early, though, and got a good pitch.

The weather was ok today, so after setting everything up we sat outside the caravan for a while, then headed across the hills into Buxton.

After a quick look around the shops we spent most of the evening in the Buxton Brewery Tap House and Cellar, where we had dinner.  We liked the nearby RedWillow pub, too.

Friday

The weather was truly awful today, it rained all day long.  We drove to Morrisons to get supplies but then had to spend most of the day cooped up inside the caravan.  We did go for a short walk to nearby Solomon's temple, and as expected we got well and truly soaked!

The highlight of a pretty disastrous trip was seeing Half Man Half Biscuit in the Peak Cavern, Castleton.  A great place for a concert.  HMHB, from the Wirral, have been around since the mid 80s and we like their mix of witty lyrics and rock music.  Check out Every Time a Bell Rings for a really great chorus (warning, it does contain swear words).  Other great lyrics...

"Ground control to Monty Don"

"Sign on you crazy diamond"

"Fat kids with sausage rolls"

"If God had meant for us to work, then surely he would have given us jobs"

Saturday

We thought we would be delayed by flooded roads on the way home, but it was actually a really good journey.  We barely had time to listen to an eventful Archers omnibus...poor Ed and Emma.

Coming soon...

Nothing booked, it all depends on the house move now, but we would like to get a couple of trips in in September while the solicitors do their stuff.

Windermere

18th to 20th July 2019

A two night trip to the Windermere C&CC site primarily for the Hawkshead brewery summer beer festival.

Thursday

We arrived dead on 1pm (the earliest arrival time) and joined a queue of caravans waiting to get in!  It took about 20 minutes to get through reception, but then we managed to get one of our first choice pitches, so no complaints from us.

It was a nice, sunny afternoon so we sat outside the caravan for a while, then headed to Staveley for the beer festival.

We sampled lots of beers and soaked up the atmosphere.  It's usually pretty quiet on the first day and this was no exception, so we had no trouble getting served and finding somewhere to sit.

Afterwards we went to the Eagle and Child and took part in their weekly pub quiz.  The only pub quiz we have ever been to where you mark your own paper, but we still didn't do very well.  Well, what do you expect after drinking all afternoon...

We got a bit lost heading back to the site across the fields with only mobile phones to light the way!  Thank goodness for the OS Maps app, it really is impossible to get lost anywhere now.

Friday

The forecast was for rain pretty much all day, but we managed to go for a walk in the Underbarrow area without getting too wet.  It didn't seriously start raining until we were back on site.  Not a good day for pics though.

We thought about going back to the beer festival but the showers kept on coming, so instead we had a quiet night in the caravan listening to the radio.

Saturday

Got soaked packing everything away, then the rain eased off a bit just as we had finished...if only we'd waited a bit.  Got back to the storage site well before midday.

Coming soon...

Nothing booked til mid August, it all depends on the house move.  The sale is going really well but we pulled out of the house we were buying and haven't found anything else, so we might be living in the caravan in a few weeks!! 

Kendal

5th to 7th July 2019

It's back to the Kendal C&MC site after a four week break.  We have had to put caravanning on hold for a while because we want to move, and the last four weeks have been spent showing people around our house and looking at houses to buy.  We think it is all sorted now, though, our house is sold and we have found somewhere we want to buy, so we thought we'd treat ourselves to a weekend away while the surveyors and solicitors do their stuff.

Friday

A traditional Friday start, there was quite a queue when we got there and the site was pretty full.  All of our regular pitches were taken so after driving right around the site we settled on pitch no. 99.

Pitches 99 and 100 are in a clearing on their own, but quite close together.  Luckily pitch no. 100 was vacant, so we had the clearing to ourselves!

Light rain was forecast in the evening so we thought we'd postpone the planned barbecue until the following night.  Instead we walked to the Strickland Arms for a few drinks and a small fish and chips for dinner.  The rain didn't come and we were able to sit outside until 9ish.

Saturday

In the morning we went for a walk along Scout Scar.

We've been here before, but it is a nice place to be on a hot, sunny day, and not too strenuous.

In the afternoon we lazed around the caravan trying to put people off choosing the pitch opposite, but it wasn't to be.  The site was still pretty full and a motorhome joined us late in the afternoon, and parked with its door facing us, like a continental caravan.  It was too big to turn around in the clearing!  Grrrrrr!

We went for a walk along the river and when we got back the people in it had gone out, so they didn't bother us at all as we had the postponed barbecue.  We sat outside all night, enjoying a bottle of wine and enjoying the peace and quiet.  Something of a first, for us, we didn't spend a penny all day!

Sunday

No sign of the people in the motorhome as we packed everything away, and we were home in the house before midday.

Coming soon...

The Hawkshead Brewery beer festival in a couple of weeks, but it all depends on the house move now...