Skelwith Fold

7th to 10th June 2016

It's getting busy, all of the places we wanted to go to this weekend were full so we had to settle for Skelwith Fold.  It's an ok site, handy for Ambleside, but not one of our favourites.

Thursday

A Thursday start, so not much traffic, but we'd been travelling for about an hour when we realised we'd left all of our bedding and towels at home!  Not a good start.

We managed to get a really good pitch.  One of the things that we don't like about Skelwith Fold is that it is a bit car parky, with caravans lined up next to each other, but not our pitch.  A caravan on one side and a tree on the other, so not at all cramped.

Then it was off to Kendal for a bit of shopping.  We got everything we needed, designer towels from TK Max and bedding from Argos.

Got back to the site around 5pm and just sat around enjoying the peace and quiet, followed by a BBQ and a stroll around and just outside the site.

Friday

Not very nice weather when we woke up, so we waited for it to brighten up a bit before tackling Cold Pike from the not too far away Wrynose pass (701 metres).  Our 100th of 214 Wainwrights.  Our goal this year is to get to 107, halfway.

Crinkle Crags and Bowfell looked very tempting in the distance, but we stuck to our original plan.

Not much in the way of blue sky.

The site was much fuller when we got back mid afternoon, and the Crazie Caravan Krew had arrived, complete with 6 metre flashing LED flagpoles and flags.  So much for peace and quiet.  Two caravans - I bet they were really annoyed when they couldn't get a pitch next to each other, as, probably, was the unfortunate caravan stuck between them.  The occupants of the 'vans were pretty much what you would expect from the flags - noisy, hysterical laughter and loud voices late into the night.  No children, just childlike adults.  They did shut up at 11pm, though.

We went for a stroll to the Drunken Duck pub, just over a mile away.  It's a really nice pub to sit outside, with a canopy to shelter you from the elements, although not at first today...

Luckily it moved after about 15 minutes.

Had a drink or three, beer for D, gin and tonic for J...

The site was full to bursting when we got back!

Saturday

Heavy rain all day.  We went for a walk in it to nearby Wray Castle but didn't go in, having read reviews saying that it was more suited to children.

The look on the cows face just about sums up the day...

In the evening we drove into Ambleside and had dinner in Zeffirelli's.  We got a good table at the back, but after dinner as we waited for a jazz band to start playing a party of four adults and four children turned up and sat next to us.  On went the gameboys and phones, unmuted, so we couldn't really enjoy the live music.  It didn't help that some of the set was pretty quiet.  We only stayed for the first half.

Sunday

Not a great journey home, there is a nasty hill start at a junction near the site which D made a mess of, but we made it in one piece.  The search is on for a better, more powerful towcar.

Coming soon...

The Hawkshead Brewery summer beer festival.

Ashbourne

1st to 3rd July 2016

We've just bought new bikes.

So we were looking for somewhere near off road cycle trails.  First choice, Rivendale Caravan Park, half way between Ashbourne and Buxton, was full, so we settled instead for Woodlands Caravan Park, which is just south of Ashbourne.  A new site for us.

Friday

How to transport bikes whilst towing a caravan?  We have a towbar mounted cycle carrier, but a quick read through UK Campsite or Caravan Club forums suggests this is a no no, due to noseweight limits.  On the roof?  No roof rack.  Inside the caravan?

We decided to compromise, one bike on the cycle carrier and the other inside the caravan, over the axle.  We used the box the bike came in to prevent damage to the caravan, removing the pedals and front wheel to fit it in.

No problems at all, the caravan felt exactly the same...and it was quite a windy day.

We arrived around 1pm.  The site is in a woodland setting, hence the name, just off the A515.  It's a bit shady and you can hear the road a bit, but it is a very peaceful site.  Pitches are separated by trees or shrubs and well spaced.  Facilities are ok, but not as good as we are used to at CC or C&CC sites.

Lots of birds singing in the trees, but not a single visitor to our bird feeder this weekend.  Even the squirrels ignored it!

Quite a few seasonal caravans, all with the front blinds closed, even if the occupants were inside.  A bit strange, we thought.

After setting everything up we drove to the nearby Manifold trail, which is about 8 miles from Waterhouses to Holme End.

Thor's cave, from the Manifold trail

It's been a while since we last rode a bike, especially J, and we were a bit sore at the end of the day!

Back at site it was just about warm enough for a barbecue.  A downside to this site is that there are no pubs within walking distance, so we stayed inside the caravan when it got too cold to sit outside.  Couldn't get any internet, so the plan of watching Wales v Belgium on a tablet was scrapped and we had to make do with 5 Live.  Radio commentators are much more excitable the TV ones!

Saturday

More cycling today.  This time the Tissington trail, which runs from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay, about 16 miles.

We didn't make it all the way.  We got as far as Rivendale (our first choice site for this weekend) before it started to rain.  We just about made it into their cafe without getting too soaked.  Had tea and a danish pastry each.  We haven't been to this site for several years, but it's definitely worth a return visit soon.

The Tissington trail is slightly uphill as you head north from Ashbourne, but that means it is downhill all the way back...hurrah.  We got very muddy after the downpour, might have to invest in some mud guards.

No pics from the Tissington trail, they didn't turn out too well.

We sat around the caravan for a while in the afternoon listening to the birds, it really is a very peaceful site.

Then we drove into Ashbourne and had a look around the shops and a couple of half pints in a couple of pubs.  Seems a nice enough town.

We got back to the caravan around 7pm and stayed in for the rest of the night.  It rained quite a bit!  Didn't sleep too well.

Sunday

This site is quite unusual.  Arrival time is from 10am and you can stay until 6pm on your day of departure.  We like to listed to the Archers, though, so we left at our usual time.  Got home around midday.

Coming soon...

Nothing booked, we might try to find another cycle friendly site.

Castleton

17th to 19th June 2016

The Castleton CC site is hard to get in to, it's almost always fully booked at weekends, so when it popped up in late availability we booked it straight away.

Friday

It's not as far away as some sites, but the journey on the A6 through Stockport can be a bit unpleasant, and so it was today!

We arrived early, though, and after driving around the site for a bit we settled on somewhere new...pitch no. 9.

It turned out to be not a good choice. Quite near the main road, which seemed busier than usual.  It also backed onto a road leading to the Castleton YHA, which has a cattle grid, so we heard cars going over that all day.  It was also near the bottom of a slight incline which was popular with children on scooters, and there were a lot of them around!

This isn't a quiet site!

We keep coming here because it is almost in the village of Castleton, which has several nice pubs, and that is where we headed after setting everything up.

After a few drinks we hardly noticed the cars, motorbikes and scooters as we had dinner in the caravan.  Then it was back to Ye Olde Nags Head for their pub quiz and bingo.  Scored 30/50, same as the other couple whose sheet we marked, so respectable.  Free pizza and chips halfway through the quiz.

Saturday

A series of disasters today.  First J dropped a carton of milk and had to spend ages mopping it up.  Then we headed to Ladybower reservoir, to catch the 222 to the end of the reservoir and then walk back to the car.  But the 222 was cancelled today, due to a breakdown!  We got another bus halfway, but still had to walk an extra three miles to do the route we had planned...

...which was to visit Alport castles, an unusual rock formation caused by an ancient landslip.  Looks a bit like a collection of castles.

 

Some pics from the walk...

Pics have been pretty poor recently, partly due to the weather...time for a new camera?

Back at site the scooters were out in force, but we sat outside the caravan for a couple of hours anyway toying with the idea of having a barbecue.  We decided against it and had dinner in the caravan instead.

The village was very lively later, with groups of young and old men roaming around, and a very civilized hen party.  Ye Old Nags Head was our pub of choice this weekend.

Sunday

Up early and on the road before 10am.

Coming soon...

Nothing booked, it depends on whether or not we give up touring and buy a static.