Staveley

 23rd to 25th May 2021

At last a caravan trip....after an 8 month break, during which time we haven't so much as seen the caravan thanks to our decision to store it so far away in Lancaster.   The second lockdown last year took us by suprise.  No winter precautions, no strategically placed bowls of salt, no opening of cupboards and re-arranging of cushions, bedding left in place, but luckily we did at least drain the water out after our last trip.  We weren't sure what sort of state the caravan would be in.

So where to go for a fact finding trip, with no weekend availability anywhere!  It looks like the new normal is going to be struggling to find a pitch this year.  The Windermere C&CC site is an old favourite and after a few searches we managed to book a Sun/Mon trip.

Sunday

We needn't have worried about the caravan, it was ok apart from a bit of mold on the sheets and duvet cover and a flat battery.  We took fresh bedding.  It was even quite clean!

Since our last trip the not much liked Nissan Qashqai has been replaced with a Kia Sportage 1.7 tdi.  A much better car, we think, albeit without many frills like parking sensors and warning beeps for just about everything.  We had one before the Nissan, so didn't expect any problems towing and there weren't any.

We usually get to choose a pitch at this site, but not this time.  Not sure if that is because of covid or just because the site was completely full.  On arrival we were taken to pitch 46 which we've been on before.  Not a pitch we would choose but ok for a couple of nights.

The flat battery meant no motor mover but D did a pretty good job of reversing for a change, but we couldn't then level the caravan so had to put up with a left/right slope!

After setting everything up and a bit of cleaning we headed off across the fields to Staveley, stopping on the way to check on our geocache.  The last people to find it hadn't done a very good job of hiding it...

Lots of lambs around...

With rain threatening we didn't hang around...

We got a table in the Hawkshead brewery beer hall and had a couple of drinks, but they are not serving food at the moment.  We tried the Eagle and Child on the way back but it was fully booked, so we ended up having a home cooked hotdog and chips back at the caravan.

Monday

Heavy rain in the night gave way to heavy showers in the morning.

We got up early and drove to Kentmere for a walk up to the reservoir.  An early start in order to bag a parking space, which is something we have tried to do in the past without success.  This time there were a couple of spaces left.

It rained a bit early on but was ok after that.

Lots more lambs today and at one point we had to walk through a feeding station with dozens of them in!

We were back at the site by 1pm thanks to the early start and thought about walking to Staveley and getting a train to Kendal for dinner and drinks and then a taxi back.

Instead we drove to Booths in Windermere and bought a pizza and other treats and had them sitting outside the caravan.  It was just about warm enough when the sun was shining!

We retreated inside when it started to rain and had another night in listening to the radio and rain on the caravan roof!  Quite a cheap trip, this one!

Tuesday

We left early, around 8.30, which is very early for us!  We tried the motor mover before we left and it was ok, so all good with the caravan.

Coming soon...

Probably another Sun/Mon trip, after the bank holiday weekend.  Not sure where.

 

Ullswater...again!

20th to 23rd September 2020

A quick return to Ullswater, but this time to a different site on the other side of the lake.  Hillcroft Park.

We came here for the first time last year and really liked it.  We can't think of anything bad to say about it.  It's a big site, so maybe a bit busy at peak times but perfect at this time of year and in these conditions.

Sunday

We like being able to book a specific pitch, so no nasty surprises on arrival.  No problems with the Covid19 arrangements for using facilities, you just have to remember to put a card in when you go in and removed it when you leave.  No more than ten people at any one time, but it never came close to that while we were there.  We love the piped birdsong and country noises, much better than music or absolute silence.

A bit of light reading for J.

Caravanning in Covid19 times!

We sat outside the caravan for a while enjoying the sunshine, then headed into Pooley Bridge.  The bridge is still closed to cars, but should be open when we visit next year.  The new bridge is nowhere near as nice as the old one that was swept away by storm Desmond a few years ago.  It's a lot more modern in appearance but probably much sturdier.

In keeping with the new bridge, Pooley Bridge is a very modern looking village these days, and very popular judging by the number of visitors on a Sunday afternoon.  We had tea and cakes and a quick drink sitting outside one of the pubs, then went back to the caravan for a hotdog and topped chips.  A favourite of ours after we had it in a pub in Southport, and easily re-created.

It turned pretty cold and windy in the evening, so we soon retreated inside the caravan for a night in.

Monday

We popped into Penrith in the morning and had breakfast in a cafe and a look around the shops, then sat outside the caravan until early afternoon.

Today's exercise, a walk around nearby Hallin Fell.

Excellent weather and great views of Ullswater.

In the evening we went for a walk across the bridge to the Ullswater Steamers pier and took a few pics of the sunset, then had dinner in the Sun Inn followed by a solitary drink in the Crown.  Not much drinking this trip!

Tuesday

Homeward bound, and the mystery of the creaky stabilizer solved...

Friction pads are not supposed to look like that!  Replaced them with new ones before we set off and not a sound on the way home.

Comin soon...

Castlerigg Hall, Keswick in a couple of weeks, virus permitting...

Ullswater

2nd to 4th September 2020

Only our fourth trip of the year.  By this time last year we'd been away ten times and the year before even more, what a rubbish year 2020 has been.  Now that we are out of lockdown the problem is finding sites we like with availability.  C&MC sites are all full until October, as are C&CC sites with facilities open.

Forced to turn to privately run sites we chose the Ullswater holiday park.  We came here a few times in our camping days but have only been once before in a caravan.  Plenty of availability mid week, so a Wed/Thu trip for a change.

Wednesday

Not a great start, our recently serviced caravan was creaking like mad as we left the storage site.  So much so that we turned around and asked the man who runs the site and did the service if he'd done anything that might cause it.  He said no, and recommended a bit of WD40 on the towball!  Really!!  Don't think ALKO would agree with that, and nor did we.  Makes us wonder how rigorous the running gear service was.  In the end we took a chance and it was ok on open roads, just very creaky at low speed.  Will try new friction pads before our next trip and we might look for a new storage site before winter sets in.  We miss being able to pop in and check on the caravan anyway.  Lancaster is a long way from Southport.

More problems when we arrived and found the motor mover wouldn't work due to a flat battery.  We'd left the master switch on after out last trip and something must have drained it.  Our pitch was an awkward one to get in to, too, but we managed somehow.

Once in, it was a pretty good pitch to be in.

We found the site to be ok.  The nearest facilities block was rubbish but one a bit further away was better.  Clean, but a bit dated and just not very inviting.  We are used to C&MC luxury.

A reason for choosing this site was how close it is to Little and Great Mell fells, two Wainwrights we haven;t done yet.

In between showers we tackled Little Mell fell in the afternoon.  Nice and easy, we drove almost to the top and it took less than an hour to get up and down it.

In the evening we drove into Penrith for dinner at Dockray Hall, which we had enjoyed on a previous visit.  It's under new management now, but still ok.  Fortunately they still serve Loweswater Gold, which is one of D's favorite beers, and this was the first time he has had it this year.

Thursday

Great Mell fell today.  A bit longer and more strenuous that Little Mell fell but still easy compared with other walks we have done.  The weather was a bit better, too, albeit still grey and drizzly.

Sheltering from a shower

In the afternoon we drove back into Penrith and had a look around the town.  Looking in shops is no fun anymore, thanks to coronavirus, so we didn't stay long.  We had tea and a cake in a cafe in a new shopping arcade that is either new or somewhere we haven't noticed before, which was nice.

It brightened up considerably later in the afternoon, so we walked to the nearby Brackenrigg Inn and had a couple of drinks sitting outside.  Nice view of Ullswater.

It soon got too cold to sit outside so we headed back to the site and had dinner in the caravan.  Thought about going to the onsite bar but decided against it, although from memory it is better than most onsite bars.

Friday

The caravan creaked all the way back to the storage site, hope new friction pads will cure it.

Coming soon...

Nothing booked until October, but we would like to get away again in September if we can find anywhere to go!