At last…a caravan trip!

15th to 17th November 2013

As reported in our last post, a new bridge has been erected.  It’s a tight squeeze but we managed to get the caravan across without any problems and headed to the C&CC site at Windermere, our third visit this year.  Our first caravan trip for two and a half months!

We wanted somewhere easy to get to because we now have a new tow car…a Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 CDTi.  According to D, the best looking car he has ever owned!

Friday

The Insignia tows at least as well as the Mondeo did, so we arrived at the site quite early after an uneventful drive.  A bit of a panic the day before, when D realised a standard tow-ball had been fitted (after the mobile fitter had gone, obviously).  Managed to get to a local caravan service centre just before it closed and persuaded them to replace it with one that was compatible with a stabiliser for a small fee plus the cost of the tow-ball.  Entirely our fault, we didn’t specify the type of tow-ball to be fitted…duh!

The site wasn’t very full, so we got a good pitch in our usual place.

After setting everything up we headed across the fields to Staveley, then, after a quick drink in the Eagle and Child, we decided to catch the 555 bus to Ings for dinner at the Watermill Inn.  This is one of our favourite pubs, and apart from it being a bit hot inside, it didn’t disappoint.  We could have stayed longer but wanted to get to the bus stop in plenty of time to get the bus back to Staveley, which we did, only to watch it sail past.  Oh well, it was dark, so maybe the driver didn’t see us!  It’s a couple of miles from Ings to Staveley, so we walked instead.

Back at Staveley we popped into the Hawkshead Brewery, and one of the other pubs, then back across the fields to the site.

Saturday

Off to Bowness for a walk along the western shore of Lake Windermere.  We left the car in Bowness and got the car ferry across, which is excellent value at only 50p for foot passengers.  Not such good value for cars.

After walking along the lake shore we returned via High Blind How (269 metres).  We tried to get to this summit once before, via a different route, only to find it closed due to forestry work, but we made it this time.

Excellent views of Bowness and Lake Windermere in surprisingly good weather for this time of year.  Lots of lovely autumnal colours.

Interesting funghi

Stopped off at the Crown Carvery in Bowness for a cheap dinner before heading back to the site for a quiet night in, reading and listening to Jazz FM.

Sunday

Left early, around 9.30, and back at the storage site well before midday.

Coming soon…

No more trips for at least 2 weeks due to work and another (non caravan) trip for J, but we might try to get away early in December if the weather is ok.

Still no caravan trip

7th to 9th November 2013

Good news, bad news…there is a new bridge…but it is very narrow and longer than the old one, which is not good news as you have to turn sharp right when you have gone across it.  Apparently they are going to do something to it to make it more accessible to caravans, but I’m not sure what they can do except replace it.  We’ll see.  We might give it a go soon if the weather is ok.

In the meantime, a two night trip to Lancaster, staying in a Travelodge in the town centre.  Room a bit pokey, but you can’t complain when it’s £77 for two nights.

We had a weekend in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago, too.  Probably too late to do a blog about that now, memory not what it used to be.

Thursday

No car this weekend, we let the train take the strain.

After checking in we had a wander around Lancaster.  There are lots of nice pubs, our favourites being the Robert Gillow, named after a famous Lancaster furniture maker, and Merchants 1688, basically just an old wine cellar with no windows, but much nicer than it sounds.

A pianist and drummer were performing in the Robert Gillow, so we watched them for a while before going for dinner at Teatro.  We chose it because they take Tastecards, then discovered we had left ours at home.  No problem, they gave us the discount anyway.  It wasn’t exactly busy.  Great food.

Afterwards we headed back to the Robert Gillow but couldn’t get it, so we ended up in Merchants 1688.

Friday

A walk along the canal to the aquaduct over the river Lune, then back along the river.

 

In the afternoon we got a bus to Morecambe, but it was pouring with rain by then and there isn’t much to do in Morecambe in the rain, so we didn’t stay long.

Back in Lancaster we had a cheap dinner in the Wetherspoons next to the hotel, then managed to get into the Robert Gillow to watch a jazzy three piece band.  Can’t remember their name.  Seems to be live music all the time there.

Saturday

A late checkout meant we could leave our luggage in the hotel and have a look around Williamson park and the Ashton monument, followed by a tour of Lancaster castle.

Williamson park is a nice place, in addition to the monument there is a butterfly house and small “zoo”.  Just birds and small animals really.

Reflections in a large sun dial in Williamson park

The guided tour of Lancaster was quite interesting.  The courts are still in use and it used to be a prison until a couple of years ago.  We got to see some of the cells.

The Travelodge room was a bit basic!

Got the train home about 2.30.

Coming soon…

D is determined to get away in the caravan before Christmas, so we might have a go at getting across the bridge soon, even if we have to unhitch the caravan and push it across!

Not a caravan trip!

04/10/2013 to 06/10/2013

No caravan trip for over a month, and here’s the reason why…

 

This is the bridge leading to our storage site.  The lorry has been removed but the bridge hasn’t been repaired and there are no signs of it being repaired any time soon!

There is another, smaller bridge further down the canal but it is locked and you have to make arrangements to use it, and the path leading to it is very narrow, and we are worried that we wont be able to find anybody to unlock the gate when we get back, leaving us stranded!

All very frustrating, especially as the weather has been pretty reasonable recently.  At least two trips cancelled so far.

So the luxury of a hotel this weekend, courtesy of KGB Deals.  Two nights at the Ambleside Lodge for £99…not bad!

The hotel had pretty bad reviews, but we really couldn’t fault it for the price.  A superior room with a separate sitting and dining area.

 

Day 1

We arrived mid afternoon after stopping off to look at a car.  The search for a new car is becoming a bit of a saga, suffice to say there aren’t many low mileage diesels capable of towing a caravan around at the moment.  Not in our price range anyway.

It was raining when we arrived, but it soon brightened up and didn’t rain again all weekend.  The Ambleside Lodge is just a short walk from the town centre, so we had a wander around the town and popped into a couple of pubs.

Then dinner at Fellini’s, a vegetarian restaurant.

Day 2

Got the 9.30 bus from Ambleside to Dungeon Ghyll, after a full English breakfast, to tackle Pike O’Blisco, 705 metres.  Bus rather than car because whenever we have been to Dungeon Ghyll in the past we have had trouble parking, although this time there seemed to be plenty of spaces.

Followed another couple, and a man with two dogs (who was also on the bus), most of the way up, but they went on to tackle Crinkle Crags, which we have already done.  We descended to the Wrynose pass and returned via Blea Tarn.  One of the dogs had a lot of trouble on the bits where you had to scramble up, and needed a helping hand.  No such trouble for J, who skipped up like a mountain goat.

   

Got back to the bus stop at 2.45, next bus due at 5!  We deliberately hadn’t packed any lunch because we thought we would be able to get something to eat in the Old Dungeon Ghyll hotel, but discovered they only serve until 2pm.  Instead we walked about a mile to the New Dungeon Ghyll hotel, which is a much nicer place and, hurrah, they serve food all day.  And nice beer!

In the evening we went to Zeffirelli’s, Fellini’s sister restaurant with upstairs wine bar.  We didn't eat there but sat upstairs and watched a jazz quartet.

Day 3

A bit of a mixup at breakfast.  We were given someone else’s toast, and then a breakfast with two eggs which somebody else had requested.  Breakfast was served by an elderly couple and almost every table was occupied, so must have been pretty stressful for them. Not as stressed as D though who worried he was going to get a beating for eating other people’s breakfasts!

Early check out of 10:15, so we were home by noon.

Coming soon…

D is determined to get away in the caravan before winter arrives, so if the bridge doesn’t get fixed we might try the other bridge in a couple of weeks.  Ravenglass or Coniston are front runners at the moment.