Tag: vanlife

Castles old and new

stitchesoftime2 Comments

Google informs me that Scotland has over 2,000 castles, of which 1,500 are still standing, or there are significant remains. Therefore I was never going to do more than scratch the surface on my quest to visit more of them after I left Speyside. I had naively thought that at least I could do most of the ones in the area around the Tarland campsite, there is actually a castle trail in the area as there are so many, but only managed a few in the week I was there. Lots to do when I go back!

Scottish castles are really unique, as many of them have a very distinctive architectural style, and lots are pink, or greyish pink in hue. They really do have a Disney castle feel, and none more so than the beautiful Craigievar Castle Sadly this was one of the ones that I didn’t get a chance to see inside, as most of them only allow guided tours, and by the time I got there, all were booked up for theafternoon before I had to head to the campsite.

It was a beautiful day for a wander though, and the grounds and surrounding area is just stunning. Not that there are many parts of Scotland that aren’t, except perhaps the motorways around Glasgow, which confused me a lot!

After leaving Tarland I headed back to the coast, to Stonehaven. I mentioned in a previous post that it had been too windy to walk along the coast to Slains Castle, but this was an absolutely gorgeous day, perfect for a walk along the coastal path to see the dramatic ruins of Dunnottar.

I am collecting photos that I particularly love to be printed onto canvas eventually, and I think this will have to be added to that collection. Such an amazing landscape, and I was so lucky to see it in such beautiful weather.

As well as the castles there are so many beautiful baronial houses, and after leaving the Grampian Aire I went to Leith Hall Dating from the mid 1600s, it has been extensively remodelled and is now mainly Georgian inside. Again I had an excellent guided tour of the house, memorable for several curiosities as well as the wealth of textile treasure.

If you visit any heritage house you will come across taxidermy, a favourite pastime of the Victorian collectors, but Leith has a very special display, of boxing squirrels!

This has to rate as the most unusual piece of taxidermy that I have ever seen. No clear idea of the provenance, but I can only assume they were specially commissioned.

Sometimes there are just little things that really catch your eye as well, not only for their beauty, but imagining how they were acquired, and the recipient using them. I like to imagine that this beautiful desk set was a very special gift, and that happy hours were spent here writing letters and journals.

Another really interesting find was this gift of a photo montage of all of the tenants of the estate, given to General Leith Hay in 1902. A fascinating piece of social history, and one that is great for anyone tracing family history in the area, as many of these people wouldn’t have necessarily have had other photos taken of themselves.

One of the members of the Leith Hay family was a very keen needlewoman, and one of the corridors was lined with needlepoint pictures, all from kits popular in Victorian times. There musty have been at least twenty of these, along with all the fire screens and chairs. I know I have marvelled at this before, but how many hours of work does this represent!

I have been thinking about doing some needlepoint again, not that I need another crafting project ! However I used to love it, so am on the hunt for a nice kit that I can do for the caravan.

Someone was clearly a keen collector of embroidery as well, as there was this display case. Sorry for the poor picture, but there is a Georgian waistcoat, as well as shoes and bags.

There were also some beautiful bedspreads, in crochet and lace work.

I have been spending some time here working on my crochet skills, and have successfully made my first hat! After so many years of struggling crochet seems to have just clicked in my brain, which I am very happy about. Pictures of that and other recent makes soon. I have also been doing some writing, so feel like I’ve had a very productive week.

It is a balmy 23 degrees this weekend, and I am looking forward to another lovely week of social activities. We have a packed programme of coach trips to visit Christmas lights, and Christmas celebrations starting this Friday, and I had better finish making the Christmas gifts as there are only 18 days to go! My poker skills are coming along nicely as well, I won 9 hands last night and came 4th out of 8 players, so very happy with that.

Until next time, take care, have fun and thanks for visiting.

From castles to car parks

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During the couple of weeks I spent in Scotland before leaving for Northumberland I stopped at some really great aires and park ups, so this post is devoted to those. I know that some people who follow my blog also travel, and I have got lots of useful information from others’ Instagram and Facebook posts, so thought people might find this useful. I have put links in to the Park4Nite information, but I also use the Facebook CAMPRA group a lot, they have extensive information and links to each aire.

There is something very poetic about spending the day wandering round beautiful castles filled with expensive antiques, and then ending up spending the night in my tiny camper in a car park! Not all of the park up were just car parks, however the majority were on this trip. I specifically try and support the small businesses and community run aires on my trips, and have found some real gems of places to stay.

The first one after leaving Speyside was at Lossiemouth, in one of their seafront car parks. There are a few park ups in Lossiemouth, I chose this one as it was near a toilet. I do have a little folding toilet in Katy for overnight use, but access to a flushing toilet and sinks is an added bonus 😉 There is no charge for parking overnight, but there is a donation box near the toilets so I was very happy to use that.

I have just got an upgrade for next year, as I have now got a portoloo as well! This is very exciting for me, most of the places that I stayed at this year have toilet emptying facilities, and it was something that I was thinking about as a next step. While at my sister’s recently, I reorganised things in Katy, got rid of the months supply of soup, and some of the 25 books that I have been carrying around with me, and freed up some space. I had a test run while camping with my sister in Wales, and it works perfectly, so very happy!

No pictures of the park up as it was raining when I got there, but the sunsets the next morning more than made up for that. It was a gorgeous morning, with lots of people out surfing or dog walking, and stunning views across the bay.

The plan for the following day was to drive along the coast, and I ended up at the Glenbuchty Aire, near Fraserburgh. Although it had been a gorgeous day, and I had visited all of the coastal delights that I have previously posted about, when I got there it was a bit wet and blustery, so didn’t take advantage of the beach access. It was a very warm welcome from the hosts, I was parked in the garden bit of the aire, but they have five hardstandings as well. This was a lovely peaceful spot, and a real bargain at £5 a night, with another £5 charge to use the black waste disposal. You can contact them to pre-book, which I did.

I then made my way down the coast, to a park up at a little village called Port Erroll. I had seen this on a previous Instagram post and thought like it would be a good place to stay. The £10 per night donation is also helping restore the harbour. It was a gorgeous place to sit and watch the sunset, and marvel at the very large waves the next morning. Unfortunately very high winds meant I didn’t get to do the walk to Slains Castle from the port. They also have lovely toilets there, open all night. There is only space for about 6 vans, so it is first come, first parked!

My next stop was inland, as I was making my way to a campsite for a few nights. This was an aire I had read so much about, the Grampian Aire. This is definitely a very luxurious aire, and such good value for money. For £10 a night you get a lovely pitch with fantastic views, and access to a little kitchen, but for a further £5 you can use the very gorgeous toilet and shower block. I completely forgot to take any pictures of the facilities, but you can see them on their Facebook page where they also have a video. Such a beautiful place to stay, and a very warm welcome from the owner, Meike. This one I pre-booked online as they only have 5 pitches.

I will post about the Tarland campsite separately, but after six nights there I was back on the road, and back to the coast. I ended a beautiful sunny day at the St Cyrus Nature Reserve, near Montrose. Their car park is part of their Stay the Night scheme, and the Forestry Commission car parks in Scotland has a similar offer at many of their car parks, and you can make the £10 donation either online, or at the site. They also have toilets, and the beach is just stunning. I had a very lovely peaceful night there. I did pay online before I got there, but not pre-book, however there are plenty of spaces available.

The following day I went back inland to the Cairngorms. Due to a slightly grey and cloudy day, I didn’t do the hill walk I was planning, as I know the weather can change really quickly on the mountains, but did have a lovely couple of walks from Glen Cova, and around the Loch of Kinnordy RSPB Reserve. Here I took one of my favourite photos ever, I love reflection pictures, and this one turned out really well. Definitely one to print off and frame for the future.

I finished the day at the Knocknahushoch Farm Aire You can book this one online in advance, through Pitchup and it only cost me £8 without electric or any facilities. This is definitely one of the most unusual places that I have stayed at, as well as being a farm, it is also an airfield, and you can park right next to the plane if you want to. As it was a bit windy I stayed next to the main buildings.

After a trip to Dundee to meet up with an old friend, I was intending to stay at St Andrews, near the harbour. However it was the weekend, and with a golf event on, the place was very very crowded. So I headed back to one of my favourite park ups from last year, at the Kelpies. As last year, the weather was atrocious driving into Falkirk, which was such a pity as it was my first time driving over the Forth Bridge, and I could hardly see anything! I will have to back one day.

No pictures of the Kelpies at night, or the park up, as it was raining all night, but it is basically just the Kelpies car park anyway. It costs £15 to stay, which includes a voucher for a hot drink, and thankfully the next morning was beautiful, so I enjoyed my coffee with a view, while catching up with my son in Japan. You don’t need to pre-book this one, as it is a very large car park and a very popular overnight stay.

The rest of the day was spent visiting my last historic properties in Scotland, including a very special place. More on that later. It was a gorgeous day, so I visited Musselburgh, and had a long walk along the seafront there.

I ended the day at the gorgeous Sitooterie, a spacious garden with great views, named for the lovely little cabin complete with cosy sofas, books and games. Luckily I didn’t need the space as it was such a nice evening I sat outside Katy, but it is a great option for us micro camper owners. It was £10 per night, with access to water and a composting toilet, and a very warm welcome as well. I pre-booked this one by ringing the owner and paid cash when I got there. The aire can accommodate up to 10 campers, depending on size.

I have really loved trying out such a range of different places to stay this year. I am also very happy to be able to support all these people who are kind enough to provide for us travellers, and really pleased that there are so many options, particularly in Scotland. I have so many lovely places pinned on Google maps for my return journey next March.

Although I am very happy being back in Spain, I have been in one place for 3 weeks now, so I am starting to get itchy feet again! However I do have lots of nice day trips coming up, and am back on my bike as well. Crafting is being slotted into the busy schedule, as well as all the other social activities, and I have also been learning to play poker! I hope you are also all having fun whatever you are doing. Thanks for visiting, and see you next time.

Paddles and pebbles

stitchesoftime3 Comments

I don’t wish to start this post with a complaint but it has been so hot in Scotland whilst I have been here. As you may know, I can’t tolerate heat, which is part of the reason that I leave Spain for the summer.

When I got the contract through for a season in Scotland I was expecting a cool, and damp summer, which was fine. I ordered lots of practical uniform, such as waterproof overtrousers and fleecey layers.

However it has been a consistent 24 to the dizzy heights of 32 degrees for the last few months, and I have been sweltering!

Thank goodness that the coast is only a short drive away, so I can not only get cooler weather, but enjoy the amazing scenery.

My first coastal trip was to the village of Portsoy, for their annual traditional boat festival. As well as the boats on display, there were related events, such as skiff rowing, a raft race, and demonstrations and displays of boat building. 

There was also lots of music, dancing, and a food festival. It was a wonderful introduction to maritime Highland culture.

The town is centred around the 17th century harbour, which has been beautifully restored, and has an amazing coastline.

I stayed overnight at an aire just a few minutes drive away, at Cullen, birthplace of the fish soup, Cullen Skink. The aire is in a gorgeous location, right on the coastal path.  I spent a very happy evening watching the sunset.

I also had some very delicious locally smoked Mackerel for tea.

My next coastal trip was on the hottest weekend so far, to Lossiemouth for a very welcome paddle. Lossiemouth was a key part of coastal defences during WW2, and still has the concrete blocks put there to prevent tank invasion. 

The views across the Moray Firth were just gorgeous.  Over the water is Caithness, part of Scotland I have yet to explore.

Last weekend I had another overnight, at the aire at Findhorn.  This open expanse of beach leads to the bay, and the River Findhorn, and the village was an important harbour in the 1700 and 1800s.

So many beautiful pebbles, the variety of stones were amazing. I have brought some back for some painted stones I am doing for the campsite, that I will share when they are finished.

There is a very interesting little heritage centre, with some great interpretation and photos. 

I have plans to visit more of this coast in the next few weeks, I only have 7 weeks left of my contract, but am then spending the rest of September in this wonderful country.

I love it so much, and am so happy to have had the chance to explore more. Love the job, love living in my little caravan, very, very happy 😊

I hope you are all happy whatever you are doing, thanks for visiting and see you soon.

Meet the latest member of the family!

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Well of course you should have been reading all about the gorgeous fiestas I went to in Spain in this post, however I have skipped ahead for very good reasons.

I will get back to my time in Spain as soon as possible, but on the day that I was scheduled to post, we had a major power blackout that affected most of Spain, Portugal, and other parts of Europe. 

That was ‘interesting’, and made you quickly realise how very much we rely on having working phones, access to the Internet, ATM etc. 

One of my main concerns was that I was due to fly back to the UK two days later on the Weds, to be reunited with a very special new addition.  I have previously hinted at changes for this year but I would like you to meet Lotte.

Lotte is a ‘new to me’ 33 year old caravan, that I bought from my very good friends, Maggie and Peter in Yorkshire, last year. There have been lots of preparations in place surrounding the purchase and subsequent removal of Lotte to Scotland. Here she is on the haulage lorry in Yorkshire, and arriving in a very sunny Speyside 🌞

I needed a caravan to live in as last year I applied for, and was successful in getting,  a post as a Site Assistant with the Camping and Caravanning Club! The interview process started in October, and involved me flying back to the UK in early December for a recruitment day, and I got a job 🙃

I was so thrilled as this has been a long held dream post retirement from teaching. I was over the moon when a couple of days before Christmas I found out my post would be in Scotland.   

There have been a few stressful moments along the way. In the same week I had the blackout, finding out that the caravan towing company wouldn’t take her to Scotland last minute, and Katy having a seized handbrake and having to spend two days in the garage. However all got sorted and a day later than planned I set off for Scotland in Katy.

Lotte arrived last Wednesday evening, and I have been spending the last few days moving all of my new things in, and sorting everything out.

She is absolutely gorgeous and I already love living here in her. I have a lovely staff pitch, very shady, with lots of trees and birds around.

I have a fixed bedroom, which is great, with so much storage space.

Also a cute little kitchen area, and most exciting, a bathroom.  I have a toilet, and running water and everything 🙃

Also a lovely comfy lounge area, so I can sit and craft in the evenings as I listen to the birds. It is all just perfect and I am over the moon about it all.

I start work tomorrow, which I am so looking forward to.  Most of this week will be training, and at the moment I have the weekends off, so I will still be going out exploring this gorgeous part of the country in Katy. I plan to use the many stop overs and aires here.

I am further north than I have been before, just above Aviemore, so really looking forward to exploring. I took 10 days to make the journey up to my site, so got to visit some new places.

My first stop was at The Nook Cafe, in the beautiful Northern Pennines. They offer overnight camper stops for £5, with use of toilets if wanted. I had a very peaceful evening, watching the sheep graze.

I then stayed overnight with my very good friends, Sue and Chris at their house, before going on to the Oban campsite for four nights. 

That is a very pretty site, in a walled garden, with beach access across the road, and a beautiful set of forest walks next door in Sutherland’s Grove.

I also had an afternoon walk around the headland at Port Appin, with stunning views across to Mull and Lismore.

Then it was on to Loch Ness Shores campsite for another four nights.

The weather has just been amazing all the time I have been here, I am so lucky. On my last day I did the forest walk to the Falls of Foyers.

One of the best things about being here in May is that the rhododendrons and gorse are blooming, so gorgeous.

So here is one very happy little camper signing off. I will be back as soon as possible, work and lack of WiFi may slow things a little, but thanks as always for being here for my new adventure.  Hope you are all having fun and enjoying life.

On top of the world in Wales!

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My Welsh adventures continued with a visit to somewhere that is very special to me. When I retired, nearly four years ago I went on a bus and train camping trip, for seven weeks. Having not passed my test, due to delays caused by Covid, I had a wonderful time, visiting Devon and Wales with my new tiny tent, and all my possessions in a rucksack and a large bag.

All the time I was hoping, and dreaming about passing my test and getting a little van. As you know it all came true, and this visit I came back to the last place I camped at, Fairbourne, near Barmouth, to stay at the new aire they now have!

I saw this being built when I was last here, and though it may not be the most glamourous of park ups, I was so happy to be there in Katy. I sat and watched the little trains go past, and had a lovely peaceful night there.

My next location was in West Wales, a stunning drive from Barmouth to Aberystwyth for supplies, then on to New Quay. I remember being on the bus four years ago, just marvelling at how beautiful this part of the country was, and was so excited to spend more time here this year.

My accommodation was a very luxurious three bedroomed caravan, on the Haven site at New Quay, just outside the town, again a wonderful bargain. I had a very large lounge, TV, and a beautiful kitchen, with sea views.

It was a really gorgeous site, overlooking the bay, and once again I was so lucky with the weather.

I managed to get a few more miles of the Wales coastal path done. The first walk was along the beach from the site, only accessible at low tide.

My aim was to get to the cliff top part of the coastal path, not only were the views wonderful, but I was also lucky enough to see dolphins, and seals on the same trip. No pictures of the dolphins as they were too far away and moved off quickly, but here is one of the seals. They were so close I could hear them barking to each other.

I love taking pictures of the signs for paths, and there was this wonderful old one hidden in the gorse bushes along the route.

The coloured houses in New Quay make it look so pretty from across the bay.

I also visited Aberaeron, another place I remember from the last trip, again with lots of beautiful painted houses, old Georgian buildings, and a pretty river walk. The town was once a thriving ship building community and port, and this is reflected in its gorgeous architecture.

I was only in the area for a week, so not too much time for exploring, but lots of lovely coastal and woodland walks.

I will definitely be back, and am very much a fan of the bargain Haven stays. I love caravan life as well as van life, and am looking forward to the ones I have booked for autumn in Northumberland and Yorkshire.

I was headed across Wales, en route to my sister’s in Worcester, again an area that I have never explored, and the drive was wonderful, so much so that I had to stop and take photos.

My next park up was somewhere I had heard a lot about, a bit of a legend in the van life and camping community, Coco’s Wild Camping. My photos really don’t do it justice, it is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to. Just miles of stunning views, from what feels like the top of the world.

I can’t tell you how happy I was to be there in Katy, especially as the road up was very steep and quite rocky in parts, but we made it!

I am so proud of myself for having these adventures, and challenging myself. Facebook keeps reminding me at the moment that a year ago I was driving back through France in Katy. Even though I wanted to learn to drive for so long, I never thought that I would end up having so many amazing trips, so many wonderful park ups and such fun, though sometimes I end up on some very scary roads!

After a very relaxing two days at Coco’s it was time time to hit the road again. I had a stop off, and overnight park up, in Hay on Wye, somewhere else that has been on my list for along time. You can park overnight for free in the main car park, which is very convenient. I forgot to get a photo, but again it was a nice peaceful night, just a couple of other motorhomes there.

Hay on Wye is famous for its bookshops, and is such a pretty place to visit, with the castle and lots of gift shops and eateries. I was really good and only bought six books, restocking the box in Katy for the summer. There were some beautiful shops though, look at these gorgeous books! One even had a craft area with a display of Liberty fabric and I managed to resist that, on the grounds that I have so much here in Spain already.

My last stop before Worcester, was to two villages in Herefordshire, on the black and white villages trail. Weobley is one of the bigger villages in the area, and has its own heritage trail, with info boards about the buildings.

Eardisland is not only gorgeous for the black and white houses, but also the little river running through it, the Georgian Dovecote which is now the village shop, and the quintessentially English church. A stunning spring day, with drives through some gorgeous countryside.

I have already decided that I will come back to Wales next year as part of my spring adventures. There is so much still left to see, and it was a brilliant trip. There is so much beauty in the world. I know it can often get lost in all of the horrible things that are happening, but trips like these help me focus on all the loveliness, rather than the bad.

I have been having a very busy and sociable time here, with Easter fiestas, all of the wonderful things that Spain does so well, so will be back soon with that to share with you. Have also been doing some crafting in readiness for the end of the year’s fundraising, so will show you that as well next post.

Until then hope that you find joy in the little things, and happiness in what you do. Thanks, as always for visiting, and see you all soon.

A few of the 870 miles!

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I left Antalaya last Monday, and spent two days putting Katy back to being a micro camper, before we set off again on Wednesday. Ellen has been using Katy for the last few months, as she gave up her car just before she went to Japan last Nov. The lease was coming to an end, and it seemed a waste for Katy to just sit idle, so she has been a normal van for a while, working at the food bank in Worksop. Katy I were very excited to be on the road again for her first adventure to Wales!

I love Wales, I was actually born in Cardiff, but moved when I was one, so was never brought up there. Frequent visits to the south to see family over the years, and then later lots of family holidays to the north, plus visits to Snowdonia over the years have given me a deep love of my homeland. In fact at one stage I was going to retire to very near to where I am now, to Porthmadog. My plan was to buy a static caravan, use that as my base, and travel the world. Then my Mum moved to Spain, and plans changed.

I drove from Ellen’s to mid Wales on day one. My first park up was at a farm shop, about 11 miles from Bala Lake. Rhug Farmshop offer free park ups overnight, and welcome you to visit the shop and cafe, where I bought very nice cheeses, and kebabs for tea.

Day two was a bit wetter, but it did start off sunny, so I had a walk around the Conwy Falls, and then headed to Dollgellau for park up number two.

I stayed at a newly opened aire, which I found on Park4Nite. No pictures, as it started raining just after I’d finished setting up, and I forgot in the morning! It was a nice quiet night in what looks to be the car park of an old chapel, just outside the centre of the town. I took the scenic route, via Barmouth, passing Harlech Castle, with views of Snowdonia on my right and the Cambrian Coast on my left.

In all these years of visiting Wales, I have never been to the Llyn Peninsula, which is very remiss of me, so that is where I am now. Many people have recommended it to me, and I am so glad I came, as it is stunning. For those of you without a detailed knowledge of Welsh geography, it is the part at the top, that sticks out into the Atlantic, sometimes referred to as ‘Welsh Land’s End’.

It is an area with lots of little seaside towns, inland villages, and amazing coastline. As you know I do love a good coastal path, and Wales has one of the best, a whole 870 miles of it. And in the two weeks I am here, I am attempting to walk a small part of it. I probably won’t do more than 50 out of the total mileage, but it’s a start.

Wales is, as the info tells me, the only country in the world with a continuous waymarked path round its entire coastline. I think this is a pretty cool thing, especially if you love to walk where the mountains meet the sea, which is probably my favourite type of walking.

I am staying on a Haven caravan site. When my children were young we came to lots of these sites, but I hadn’t really considered it for my travels, until a post about touring pitches on one of my van life sites. It was then that I discovered that off season they offer bargain breaks, hence my booking two weeks here now.

I have another week later in the month a bit further down the coast, and in October have also booked some time at two of their Yorkshire sites. They really are fantastic value for money, this one is costing the same as an aire per night, around £15. Much as I love living in Katy, March can be a bit cold, so having this luxurious, for me, option is great.

I have got a cute little first floor apartment, with a fabulous kitchen, so I’ve been cooking lots. I loved being in Turkiye, and ate out almost every night, which was great, but I am really enjoying having such wonderful cooking facilities. I even have a microwave, which I haven’t got in Spain, and have just bought myself a little slow cooker, so there is beef stew on the menu tonight. Mine is the apartment on the bottom left, and is in small complex near one of the main entertainment areas.

The site is lovely, it is very large as you can see from the map below, but beautifully landscaped with lots of trees, lakes, and wildlife areas. It was busy at the weekend but really quiet now all the children are back at school.

There are so many gorgeous caravans here. We went to a site in Somerset every year when I was a child, and seeing them brings back so many memories, and of holidays with my children as well. The caravans here are so luxurious though, compared to what they used to be like when we were young, with gas mantles and no running water.

The best bit is that the site has direct access onto the coastal path, so the first day I walked around to Penychain, about 4 miles there and back. The views over towards Porthmadog and Snowdonia were stunning, and I love the contrast of the gorse against the blue sky.

I have been so lucky with the weather so far, it has been 16 degrees up until today. It is a little colder now, but still so sunny, and I have a view of the hills from my apartment as well. As in Turkiye, I am planning to do some writing while I’m here, so it is nice to have such a lovely place to work.

The following two days I have been to the other side of the peninsula, a mere 20 minutes drive. Firstly to Trefor, where there is a walk along the headland with views of the quarry, and some wonderful sea stacks. There were so many gulls and cormorants on them, which were great to watch. There is a detailed map of the walk here. I love the way the misty mountains just melt into the sea.

The second visit was to another Morfa, Morfa Nefyn , again a National Trust area, where there is a walk along the beach and up the headland, passing the village of Porthdinllean, with its famous pub, and headland golf course. There was no-one on the greens, but I did meet the pub cat!

I still have so many places to visit, I may well have to come back next year. There is so much to do here.

When I’m not walking I have lots planned. As well as my writing, and the cross stitched Christmas ornaments, I have started a crochet blanket. I always promised myself that when I learnt how to do a granny square that I would make one, so bought the wool whilst in Yorkshire. I am going for a moorland colour scheme, a little more muted than my pinks and turquoises in Katy, and have a lovely selection of blues, greens, purple and grey.

As well as the farm business at the Rhug park up, there was a really nice fabric shop, called Amanda’s Fabrics, so I had to have a little visit.

It would have been very rude not to buy anything 😉 so I chose some wool at random, only to find when I unpacked all of my craft stash here that it co-ordinates perfectly with the blanket colours. I am intending to try some squares in the variegated wool, or make a companion cushion cover.

I am so happy here, I love being back in the UK. Much as I love Spain, and my other travels, driving around in Katy is the ultimate joy, even if it involves narrow roads and dodging tractors! My winter exile seems to have gone really quickly this time, it only seems like a few days ago that I was making my way to Jane’s in Yorkshire to house sit for Frankie, and I now have less than a month before I return to Spain.

I shall return again next week, with more lovely Welsh coast for you to admire. Meanwhile, have fun, take care, stay safe, and thanks for visiting.

Coming home

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Even though I no longer live in the area, I still consider Yorkshire, and the Peak District home. It is the place that I have spent the most time in, and I just love the countryside. It is also so nice to return to catch up with friends. At the end of the summer I chose to spend my last two weeks camping in the Yorkshire Dales, and the Staffordshire Peak District, between Buxton and Leek.

The first site was a Camping and Caravanning Club certified location, one of the smaller sites, for usually up to 5 vans. They are privately owned, often farm sites and I wanted to try one out. It was a stunning location, in the village of Buckden, not far from Kettlewell, and right in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The park celebrated its 70th anniversary in November 2024, and has always been one of my favourite places to camp. When my children were younger we used to come here all the time.

The certified location was on Heber Farm, with some very cute animals and a friendly cat host. As it was very quiet in the out of season October week that I was there I ended up on the farm campsite section, rather than the certified location in another field a few minutes away, so I could be near the facilities. The owners, Gill and Gary, were really welcoming and I loved staying there. Not only was it a fantastic campsite, with a facilities pod, and a few glamping pods as well, it is right on the Dales Way.

As always it was lovely to meet with other campers, a few walkers and mountain bikers were still around, and I met some lovely fellow outdoor enthusiasts. As I mentioned in my last post, I needed a quiet couple of weeks, and as the weather was variable enjoyed lots of time just reading and stitching my final Christmas ornaments, as well as some walks. I love the walk signs along the routes, both old and new.

I did go to Malham Cove on a beautiful sunny day, the drive there was so gorgeous and I am getting much more used to single track roads now! By the time I got there it had got a little duller, but I didn’t mind. I spent far too much time taking photos of the clouds, and just watching the weather change. I love the contrasts within a few minutes when you are walking, sparkling water to thundery skies, just magic!

My last site was one of the first that I ever stayed at in 2022, Leek Caravanning and Camping Club. This has to be one of my favourite sites, situated on one of my favourite roads for driving, the A53, from Buxton to Leek. Just stunning views, particularly the first stretch when you can see across to Chrome and Parkhouse Hills, known as the Dragon’s Back due to their unusual shape.

That week was spent looking at the clouds a lot. I remember that this site had the most beautiful clouds and sunsets last time, and it didn’t disappoint this time.

I was able to visit a few of the places that I have had on my wishlist for a while, such as Ilam and Dovedale. It was the most stunning autumn day, really warm and the walk was just brilliant, one my best days of 2024. I was just so happy to have been spending another summer doing what I love, and still enjoying living out of a Renault Kangoo and travelling. I can’t wait to get back to this life in March.

Ilam Hall is now a Youth Hostel, but the grounds are open and there is an excellent National Trust tea room or two, so I treated myself to a cream tea after the hike over to Dovestones.

The houses in Ilam village are just gorgeous, it was rebuilt as a model village styling itself on a Swiss village.

Another trip was to Rudyard Lake. Rudyard Kipling’s parents met there, and so he was named after the location. The lake is a reservoir built to serve the canals, but has been used for pleasure trips since the Victorian era, and there was some really good interpretation about the history, as well as some very friendly squirrels!

I also had a very exciting research trip to the Chatsworth House archives. I had contacted them earlier in the year to see if I could access some diaries that I know Evelyn, Duchess of Devonshire, the last owner of Hardwick Hall, kept when she was restoring the tapestries. I was told I wasn’t able to access the diaries, due to the 100 year privacy rule, but there was a small notebook they had listed detailing some of her textiles.

When I got there I was told that when they opened the archive box with the notebook in, they found two folders that they hadn’t known about. They were full of Evelyn’s notes about her restoration work at Hardwick, detailing visits from museum conservators, and the compromises that she was having to make trying to care for all the textiles there with little money.

It was absolutely amazing, and the best thing was that it fits perfectly into the timeline I am writing about. It was such a magical moment, and I am so thrilled that I found them. I haven’t done much writing recently but hopefully can catch up over the next couple of months with some writing retreats whilst travelling.

My final trip that week was into the town of Leek, as I had spotted that the local museum had an embroidery exhibition. Although only small, it was a fascinating display. Leek was at one point famous for silk production, like its neighbour Macclesfield. There were many silk mills in the town, and the wife of the owner of one of them, Elizabeth Wardle, as well as being the mother of 14 children, 9 of whom survived infancy, also set up the Leek Embroidery Society.

The organisation produced embroidery for clients, and designed and sold kits. They had some examples of the work, which was stunning, excuse the reflections from the glass cases.

The Leek silk mills specialised in the production of Tusser silk, which is made from the cocoons of the moths, and is a much coarser silk. It was a really fascinating display, and the museum is well a worth a visit, for that and its other textile treasures.

There was also an architectural trail through the town, celebrating the Victorian heritage of buildings such as the Nicholson Institute. This was built to house a library, and training school for textile workers, with friezes above the windows celebrating the various skills. The town has links with William Morris, who worked with many local mill owners. One of the original rows of weavers’ cottages has been turned into a covered arcade with craft shops, cafes and galleries. A really lovely textile filled afternoon.

I will leave you with a quote from one of the displays at Rudyard Lake. One of my favourite poems is by Rudyard Kipling, and it is one which has inspired my love of travel and meeting people from other cultures. It is called, ‘In the Neolithic Age’, and contains the lines, ‘Still the world is wondrous large, seven seas from marge to marge, and it holds a vast of various kinds of man. And the wildest dreams of Kew, are the facts of Kathmandu, and the crimes of Clapham chaste in Martaban.’ I remember having that on my bedroom wall, and vowing that one day I would visit those places. Not got to Martaban, which is in Mayanmar, yet, but maybe someday.

This quote really sums up the way I live my life now. I am so looking forward to more adventures in 2025, the first of which start next week. I am going to visit somewhere that has been on my wish list for a very long time, and am very excited to tell you all about it. There will be mountains, sea, and definitely textiles, which I know doesn’t narrow it down much for me, but all will be revealed in a couple of weeks 😉

Meanwhile I am finishing my second cat sit of the year, poor Dave the cat has been desperate to sit on my lap this afternoon, and keeps giving me upset stares, so will have to go and give him a cuddle now.

See you all again soon. Until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Rest and relaxation

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It may sound strange to say that I needed a bit of quiet time this summer, but after all of the excitement of Scotland and the van life festival, I really needed a quiet couple of weeks.

For the first week I chose to visit an area that I have driven past many times, on the M1. We would see the signs for, ‘The National Forest’, and be a little confused, as there seemed to be few trees. However staying at the Conkers Caravan and Camping Club site, right next to the visitor centre, gave me a chance to explore the area, and find out more about it.

On the way from Stratford I stopped off at Charlecote Park. I have visited before, however it was a lovely sunny day, so great for a wander in the deer park, and I don’t need any excuse to admire amazing plasterwork ceilings!

As far as textile treasures there were some beautiful needlepoint chairs, six contrasting designs on marquetry wood bases in the library.

The house volunteers, along with local community textile groups, had created a stunning pumpkin display in the kitchen.

The National Forest is actually an environmental charity, working across a 200 square mile area of the Midlands, helping to reclaim industrial land, repair the effects of industrialisation, and develop tourism and sustainable businesses in the area. The area is centred around Burton on Trent, Ashby de la Zouche, and Coalville, all important centres of industrial development in the 18th and 19th centuries. The area has a well developed canal network, and you know how I love canals!

The Conkers site is a small, spacious and quiet one, and after a day of doing the washing, tidying the van and sitting in the sun reading, I went off on walks the following two days.

My first walk took me to some local ponds, a lot of wildlife habitats have been created in between former industrial areas, and these were now part of a fishing complex and a caravan site. Lots of beautiful autumn colours, and some squirrels!

The second walk followed the path of the canal, through the Moira Basin, to the Moira Furnace, a lime and coal furnace which is now a museum. I love the way that the heritage has been preserved and the paths have been made accessible, and there were lots of walkers and cyclists around as it was such gorgeous weather. The Moira Furnace complex also has a small craft workshops area and café.

I have become fascinated by seed pods along the canal banks, and have taken so many pictures of them this summer.

This one I intend to print off and frame, I just love the way that the pods are curling in on themselves for autumn.

Then it was off back up north to Huddersfield, for our 42nd year reunion with friends who I was at Polytechnic with. A fantastic time, catching up in the pub on Friday with someone I haven’t seen for about 20 years, and then a bbq and night round the fire with other friends on the Saturday. Such a brilliant two days, and I am so grateful to have good friendships that have lasted this long. We already have this year’s reunion date in the calendar.

I am now back in Marsden, house sitting for one of the furriest cats on the planet, the adorable Frankie, and having my dose of winter. It was a very snowy when I flew back, so we were a little delayed, and the Colne Valley looked very pretty for a few days.

Sadly the snow has gone, and we are back to dull and damp, but I am having such a good time catching up with friends, and booking all of this year’s accommodation and flights, that it hasn’t mattered. I have a lovely warm house to stay in, and very importantly BBC I Player so I have been able to watch all of last year’s Sewing Bee 😉

It is amazing that it is nearly the end of January already, time seems to whizz by. It is lovely to be here in the UK at the moment, but I will be leaving again in a couple of weeks, for more adventures. My aim is get all of the summer/ and autumn blog posts completed before I leave, as I then have seven weeks of travel before my return to Spain in April. I have been very efficient and have sorted everything out until this time next year, because of some great bargains available at the moment, so fingers crossed 2025 will be as wonderful as the last three years, in fact it is set to be even more exciting.

Until next time then, have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

All the things that I could have been

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Now I am retired from my 35 years of teaching, I often think back on why I choose that particular career path, and all the other things that I could have done with my life. There have been many moments where I have stopped and thought about other careers, some I have even attempted to pursue.

I remember at one of my first re-enactment events thinking that I should have done more with my love of live music. I did a lot of volunteering when I was a teenager and at college, and loved the thrill of being involved in gigs. I was dancing to the band, an amazing group called Schelmish, from Germany, thinking, ‘I should have got more tattoos, and become a drummer!’.

At one of the last academic conferences I did, where I was presenting a paper based on my doctoral research, I met so many people with fascinating careers as medieval historians, and wondered why I had never followed my love of history at school. I have so enjoyed being an amateur historian as an adult, from involvement in re-enactment to all the textile history that I love.

I have also wondered about becoming a professional textile artist, that was the one that nearly happened, but sadly life got in the way. I was planning to retrain in my mid forties, and set up Stitches of Time as a business, but that wasn’t meant to be.

Being who I am now, a traveller, is definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me, career wise. Not that I make any money at all from it, though I suppose I could try through all the other channels that people use. Ultimately though I just want to enjoy myself, and spend time in the company of like minded people.

The Adventure Overland Show, that I went to in Stratford this September, was amazing for that. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the weekend, in the company of people who love doing the same things that I do. OK, I’ve only driven Katy to and from Spain so far, rather than circumnavigated the globe in my Landrover, as some of the others had, but it’s a start 😉

Even just wandering round the camping field was fantastic, so many different types of vehicles, from the cuteness of the vintage VW, to the inventiveness of the R2D2 inspired ventilation hub, with so many varieties of vehicle in between.

The lit up vans were also brilliant, complete with discos.

People were very kind about Katy, I bought her a new flag at the show, as I have been looking for one for a while. She looked splendid with all her crafting on show.

A friend recently shared this photo saying it reminded her of me in Katy, I think it sums it up perfectly!

She was definitely one of the smallest vans there, especially compared to the mega trucks in the Overland field. Look at all these amazing homes on wheels, just right for driving along the Karakoram Highway!

It was also so inspiring to hear all of the talks, one of my favourites was from the three people who converted a school bus, and with some others drove the entire length of the Pan-American Highway. The group called Global Convoy, are documenting their journey here on You Tube, and they also have all their other adventures there as well, so interesting!

I don’t know if I will ever get to do anything like that, but I did get to meet some people in whose footsteps I have been following just a little bit. I first came across Marianne and Chris from Tread the Globe before they went full-time in their van, and attempted to drive around the world at the start of 2020.

Needless to say that was a very interesting journey, including 93 days in a car park in Istanbul, but they made it home this summer, and were at the show. I was so overjoyed to meet them, and their van Trudy, and hear more about their adventures. They are even more lovely in real life, and I still remember them replying to me after I emailed them told them about passing my test and buying Katy, they were so supportive.

It was an amazing weekend, at the end of an amazing summer. I still can’t believe all of the things that I’ve done in 2024, and all of the places that I have been to. It really has been a dream come true. I was trying to pick some of my favourite pictures from this year for Instagram, and it was so hard, everything has been incredible, even the tail end of the hurricane in Skye, when the 40 mph winds rocked the van all day! I have chosen another set for here, as it feels fitting to end the year with a bit of a review.

So on to 2025, which looks set to be my most exciting year yet. Things are still in the planning stages, but there are going to be some big changes ahead, which will hopefully lead to me being able to fulfil a few more long held dreams. I will of course let you know more as things happen, the first step is a few weeks back in the UK from next week, house sitting for some cute cats, and firming up the winter plans.

I hope that you all have a great start to 2025, and enjoy your celebrations of 2024 this evening. I hope that the year has treated you kindly, and that you look forward with joy to the next one. I am so grateful for my continuing health and happiness in my new role as a full-time happy person!

Have fun, take care, stay safe, and thanks for visiting.

Walking by the sea

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Although I have visited Northumberland quite a few times, I had never visited the coast above Berwick, and so was really excited to stay at the Dunbar Caravan and Camping Club site. The location was gorgeous, on the cliff top just outside the town, with amazing views over the Firth of Forth and Bass Rock. These pictures really don’t do it justice, but I had an excellent pitch overlooking the coast.

Dunbar is a very nice little town. On one of the days I went for a wander, and in the small town museum, which was previously a tower house and the town jail, found another connection with my muse, Mary Queen of Scots. Dunbar Castle, now sadly in ruins, was where she was taken when she was abducted by the Earl of Bothwell. The harbour and the rocky coast are just gorgeous, and the Battery there has been restored.

The town is also the birthplace of the naturalist John Muir, who moved from there to the USA at the ago of 11. He was instrumental in persuading the American government to dedicate National Parks, such as Yosemite, which he loved, and has been a huge influence over land preservation and protection in Scotland as well.

The museum was such an inspiring place, these quotes from his writing sum up so much of how I feel about my life outdoors. I have been lucky enough to live near beautiful wild parts of England, and now spend so much time exploring all the other amazing places in the UK and beyond. Somehow a beautiful sunrise, or sunset, makes everything wonderful, even if there is bad weather that day, all is forgiven when you see those sights.

On my first day at Dunbar, which was gorgeously warm, I went for a walk along the coast to Whitesands Bay, and the Barr Ness Lighthouse. Not only was the sea so blue, but the rock pools amazingly green, looking like craters on another planet. All this picturesque beauty was perfectly set off by a little white sailboat on the horizon.

One of the things I love about solo travel is the people you meet. I am often asked if I get lonely, but I have so many lovely conversations with people on my travels, I never feel alone. I met a very friendly woman while buying an ice cream at the little café at Whitesands, who was telling me how she had been ill for a number of years, and was just starting to get her fitness back, walking parts of the coast from her home in Edinburgh.

That just fits so well with what John Muir said, and something that I can so relate to. I still marvel at how much better I feel these days, how I can walk for miles, and although I am often aching at the end, it’s the good ache of a challenging walk, rather than the terrible pain I used to be in.

I was also lucky enough to have a fine day to visit St Abbs, although there was a heavy sea mist at the campsite, the Heritage Coastal path was stunning.

Again I met some lovely people, a couple of students from Poland, who asked me to take their picture, and the owner of the Post Office, when I stopped for ice cream, who was telling me about when the filming for the Avengers movie took place. The village was used as the set for New Asgard in Endgame, and still has signs up saying, ‘twinned with New Asgard’.

One of the most touching things was this small sculpture outside the visitor centre, of families looking out to sea for their loved ones, something that must have been a constant worry on this rocky coast.

I was there for 6 days, not really enough time as always, and it is definitely an area I would love to return to, as with all of Scotland. So many beautiful parts of the coast still to see! However I was on a tight timeline that week, as I needed to go south for a very exciting event. I will tell you about that a little later, as my next post will be about a visit to a textile wonder, not that from the Dunbar site, that is so amazing it needs a whole post to tell you about.

I have been back in Spain for 10 days now. I went visiting my brother here last week, and am away next week with Mum, so will still have lots to show you from here, once I finish blogging about all the summer adventures. It is lovely to be back, weirdly I am not sleeping well yet in the comfy double bed, after all my time on the road, but am looking forward to spending lots of time with friends and family here, as well as my sewing machine! I have a Barbie wardrobe to make in the next month for our Christmas Fair fundraiser.

I hope that you have all been having a good few weeks. Have fun, take care, stay safe, thanks for visiting, and see you all again soon.