Tag: walks

Gorgeous Glencoe

stitchesoftime2 Comments

Glencoe is justifiably famous as being one of the most stunning places in Scotland.  As you drive up the A82, past the countless peaks, and waterfalls streaming down the sides of the, you just marvel at the fact that this little slice of geology is there for us all to enjoy. 

And there are a lot of people here, which has meant that parking has been busy, so I have mainly been going to the quieter places around the valley to walk.

The weather was generally very good, better than forecast, and I had some stunning drives in the sun. Every time I go somewhere in Scotland I think, ‘this is the most beautiful place I have ever seen’. Then half an hour later, there is something equally, or more beautiful.

My first day of exploring took me to Glen Lochan, only 8 minutes drive from my campsite. This small loch, set in woodland has three different trails around it, so I completed all of the lochside and mountain ones, and part of the forest one.

I was lucky to be there to catch the reflections of the clouds on the still loch, with the mountain backdrop. Just stunning and a memory that will stay with me for a long time.

That afternoon I went to the Glencoe Visitor Centre, right next to my campsite.  As well as the amazing views they have some really good interpretation of the area, including the history of mountaineering, and mountain rescue.

There is also a reconstruction of an 18th century turf house, along with a video showing all the techniques used. It is really interesting and the setting just makes it.

I visited another waterfall later in the week, another Grey Mare’s, but this one was a mere 10 minutes walk, through a wonderful, damp,  green forest, which my knees appreciated 😀

My last day was gorgeously sunny, so I decided to drive to Glenfinnan, hoping to see the monument and viaduct, but again couldn’t get parked.

It was an amazing drive though and on the way back I stopped at Corpach, a little village with a canal and views of Ben Nevis.

That was brilliant, but even better was to come, as a short drive away is Neptune’s Staircase.  This is a series of eight locks on the  Caledonian Canal. 

Exciting enough, for me, but even better that eight sailing ships, from a range of places like Denmark and Norway, were going through from the top lock.

If you are a regular reader you’ll know how much I love canals, and this was definitely a highlight of the week.

I have now moved on to Skye. Two years ago my sister and I visited, as part of a longer trip where we also went to the Outer Hebrides.  I loved Skye so much, that I wanted to come back for longer.

Yesterday was amazing, and I will share that with you in the next post. I am at a campsite with fabulous views of the Cuillin mountains, or they were fabulous yesterday 😆 Today we are experiencing the tail end of Hurricane Ernesto, like most of the UK. I’m sure the mountains are still there somewhere!

So I’m in the van, having a day in reading and stitching,  but the local sheep aren’t bothered at all.

See you soon, for more of Skye. Have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Camping at the castle

stitchesoftime4 Comments

I have been lucky enough to camp at many castles in my time as a re-enactor. There is something very special about waking up within the ancient walls, and wondering about all the people that have previously been there.

This campsite is not actually in the castle though, but in the grounds. I am now at Culzean Castle on the West Coast of Scotland again, after having said goodbye to my sister last weekend.

The site is small and absolutely gorgeous, located with sea views across to Arran, and Ailsa Craig, and I am just spending so much time looking at the views and watching the clouds over Arran.

Jacky and I had a beautiful last park up at Craig’s Croft Aire, near Castle Douglas, where we saw lots of red kites, and other birds. Sadly no red squirrels yet, despite going up to their hide. They are clearly very shy.

We had been to a very remote nature reserve for the afternoon after leaving the Mull of Galloway, one near an amazing aquaduct called the Big Water of Fleet.

I had wanted to go there since I saw it on someone’s You Tube channel. It was an excellent walk across the structure, with stunning views. I feel like I am just going to keep saying that in every blog post, but it is so true.

We then moved on to a campsite for the final four days together.  It was located in the very cute little town of Moffat, just off the M74, and again had some wonderful views.

We had a very nice time there with two bbqs, two delicious wood fired pizzas, and lots of sitting staring at the blue sky. We have been so lucky with the weather  virtually no rain at all.

Ryan, my sister’s dog, really enjoyed his holiday, he loves being in the van.

Our first day, we just went on a short  riverside walk, part of the Annandale Trail. 

On day two, it was an epic trek up to Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall. It is about 20 mins from Moffatt, in a beautiful valley.

The guidance says that this is only a 5km walk, however it felt like twice that as the ascent is very steep. You can just about see Jacky’s van in the top right photo above to show how high we were, and that was only halfway.

Once at the top it is a long walk to Loch Skean  but well worth it when you get there. Just quintessential Scottish beauty.

Our knees needed a rest the following day, so it was just a little 5km on the flat, around Lochmaben Nature Reserve. 

After Jacky went back to Worcester, I had a quiet weekend doing my vanlife chores, reading, and visiting the little local museum. As always there was a plethora of interesting things including these lovely old promotional posters, and some textile treasures.

I am at Culzean for the rest of this week, and have already explored some of the castle grounds, there is a country park attached so there is a lot to see. I will share that all with you next time.

Then I am off to spend the weekend with my friend Sue, who recently visited me in Spain, at her house in Scotland.  Another old frend is coming too, so we shall have an excellent time catching up.

Then it is further north, to my next campsite at one of the most iconic Scottish locations. There will be some stunning views from there as well 😉

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

The delights and glories of Dumfries and Galloway

stitchesoftime2 Comments

I am currently sat at one of my most unusual park ups, watching the clouds around the lighthouse at the Mull of Galloway. This is the most southerly point of Scotland, and is our fifth park up.

My last day in the Lake District was a brilliant walk on St Bees Head, with views over to the Isle of Man and the Scottish coast. 

The following day I was there, meeting my sister for a 10 day adventure in this gorgeous area of Scotland. 

This is a little visited part of the country, people tend to head up to the better known parts of Loch Lomond and Skye, where we went a couple of years ago, and I will be returning to soon. However we had heard how lovely it was, and it is stunning. Forests and beaches and cute little towns, we love it.

Our first trip was to Rockcliffe, a small village with brilliant views of the peninsulas. Such gorgeous scenery and so many flowers.

We then went to the Galloway Forest, we have used two of the forest Park ups, under the Stay the Night scheme. This is where you can park in their car parks for £7 a night.

The first was at Dalbeattie, and the second at the end of Raider’s Road, a 9 mile drive through the forest with a stop off at the beautiful Otters Pools. Sadly no otters, but a gorgeous place.

We also had a little wander around Loch Ken.

Our other park ups have been a community one, and an animal sanctuary and rewinding project called Frugaldom. Jacky was very excited as she saw a badger.

The following morning we went to feed some deer at a small refuge  that was brilliant. They were so cute and friendly. 

We visited St Ninian’s Cave as well, the beach is full of such a variety of pebbles, they are fascinating.

The Mull of Galloway lighthouse is now owned by the community, as it is operated remotely, and they have a small exhibition including some excellent photography.  I bought a postcard of the lighthouse and dawn clouds one for my van, such an incredible sky!

We have been so lucky with the weather, look at these amazing blues.

There have been virtually no midges either, so that has been great. We are off to our last park up tonight, then on to a campsite for 4 nights for a bit of luxury. 

Jacky will then go south to Northumberland then home, while I continue to the north of Dumfries and Galloway for more adventures.

So I will see you all soon with more Scottish loveliness.  Until then, have fun, take care  stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Heading west

stitchesoftime2 Comments

I am spending a lot of time on the West Coast of both England and Scotland this summer, so my journey from Ellen’s was a brilliant scenic drive through my favourite Peak District and Yorkshire Dales, out to a little village, ‘where the fells meet the sea’.

I am staying at Ravenglass on a beautiful wooded site. No squirrels as yet sadly, but I have been feeding a very tame robin.

The drive in past the edge of Eskdale and Wasdale was just stunning, and the site is within walking distance of the Coastal Path along the estuary.

The village has lots of cute cottages, with lots of greenery.

There was also a very sobering display outside one from a local man who has collected beach plastic. A horrifying, and fascinating look into what has been discarded,  just look at all the lighters!

This area has been settled since Roman times, and is also famous for its miniature railway, once used to carry granite from Lakeland mines, and since 1960, preserved solely as a leisure railway. 

I was lucky enough to see one of the engines being turned, and visited the very well interpreted museum there.

The poster display on the platform was excellent, love the vintage styles here.

I have visited the Lake District many times before, but its beauty always amazes me. I had never been to Wast Water before though, the deepest lake, next to England’s highest mountain, Scafell.

I once climbed Scafell, as part of a charity event where we did Snowdon, Scafell and Ben Nevis in a weekend. However that was about 30 years ago, with much younger knees, so I settled for a walk around the lake instead.

The weather has been really good, better than forecast, with only a little rain, and lots of chance to sit outside with a good book in the evenings, and look at the sun through the trees.

I am hugely glad to be here anyway, as in Spain they are having a heatwave and it’s been 44 degrees there!

So much nicer at 19 degrees with clouds and a fleece on!

I have one more full day here, then it is time to head to Scotland to meet up with my sister Jacky for a little explore of the coast of Dumfries and Galloway. So exciting 😀 Although I enjoyed last summer’s east coast adventures  the prospect of even more lakes, hills and mountains over the next few weeks makes my little heart very happy.

I shall see you soon, to share more of this western beauty. Until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Wandering and pondering

stitchesoftimeLeave a comment

I have just finished my only re-enactment event for this year where the weather was kind, the company wonderful, and there were excellent bands to dance to. It was the 40th anniversary of the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival, and I am so glad it went well.

Before the festival I had a brief visit to Worcester to see my sister  and hear the happy news that my latest great neice arrived safely.  My sister will give her the little mouse I posted about last time. The baby’s name is Mia Poppy, which is so pretty!

I spent the following week at the lovely Blackmore Caravan and Camping Club site  at the foot of the Malvern Hills.

The weather was really good, despite one wet night, where sadly my trusty Vango tent in the picture above leaked.  It has served me well for 3 seasons but has had to be replaced by a lovely new larger one, which I have named Eugenia. 

I spent most of the first afternoon making Katy look pretty, with her new bunting, cushion, and the blue campervan tin.

I spent a lot of time just relaxing in the sun and reading, the views from the site were great, so it was lovely just to sit and think. I did have a drive to one of the many quarries in the area, Gullet Quarry, and a walk in the woods.

I also tested my OS app on a full route of footpaths around the campsite, which worked brilliantly.  The views of the Malverns were gorgeous, and there were so many wildflowers.

I really appreciate the diversity that the different climate here in the UK brings. The little roses smelt wonderful.

I ended the walk at the local Catholic church  with a very lovely door and entrance porch.

I am doing some writing on the road, and it is nice to have wanders like this to think through plot lines and possible developments.  Much of my travels this summer will be this type of walking with planned trips to coasts, lochs and waterfalls.

I leave for the Lake District tomorrow, so hopefully will have some lovely views to share soon. Weather forecast is variable but I love moody clouds anyway! Until next time have fun  take care,

Katy’s adventures in La Marina

stitchesoftime1 Comment

I had already planned lots of places that I wanted to visit, mostly with Mum, in the two months that I was at home. Like me, Mum loves walking and the beach, and we were able to explore some new places, as well as revisiting old favourites. The weather was unseasonably warm, so we were lucky that we had stunning blue skies and sunshine all through November and December.

La Marina is situated between the mountains and the coast, and is an area with lots of wildlife sanctuaries, and hiking areas. Although there are sandy beaches, my favourite parts of the coast are the rocky ones.

The first walk we did was along the coastal path from La Zenia to Cabo Roig. This very easy walking path goes underneath the cliffs, with gorgeous views. At the end of the 3/4 hour walk there is the harbour at Cabo Roig, with bars and restaurants for a quick coffee before setting back.

After our trip to Cordoba we went back to one of my Mum’s favourite spots, the coastal path below the cliffs and the lighthouse at Santa Pola. This is a beautiful stretch of rocky coast which is very popular with campervans. I went back later on just for the afternoon when Mum was busy, and sat parked up in Katy listening to the sea and reading, bliss!

We also visited one of the area’s reservoirs. Although desalination plants are our main source of water, due to the lack of rain, we do have some very beautiful reservoirs. Unfortunately we couldn’t find our way down to the hiking area, that ended up being the off road experience that I mentioned earlier! At least the drive round was great and there are lots of viewpoints with parking and picnic benches.

I also did a couple of trips out on my own, one to the local bird reserves, El Hondo, that I have cycled to before. This time I went right to the other side, and parked up at the interpretation centre. There are walkways through all the different parts of the reserve from here. We have so many types of birds that nest here, and I was lucky enough to see a baby flamingo.

Many flocks of flamingos live on our salinas, or salt lakes. The lakes have been here since Roman times and are still in production. The salt is exported for use on roads across Northern Europe and Russia. The one nearest Torrevieja has a beautiful pink colour in the sunlight. It is a gorgeous place for a peaceful walk on a sunny day.

The nearby town of Rojales is famous for its cave houses, which have been turned into artist’s workshops and galleries. Once a month they have an arts and craft fair, and in the summer there is live music every Sunday in an outdoor stage area.

There is a little museum area inside one house showing how the original inhabitants lived. We haven’t been for fifteen years and it was great to see so many more of the caves have been restored, with gorgeous floor paintings.

There is also an eighteenth century windmill just outside the town, very similar to those I saw at Conseugra on my journey home. This has been restored and events are held there sometimes.

Also in the mountains above Rojales, there is a country park. El Recorral is actually a water management scheme, designed to capture water from the mountains and stop it flooding the salinas, but rather than just build storage tanks they have created these beautiful wildlife ponds and a sculpture trail. We don’t often get rain, but when we do it can be very heavy and cause flooding so this is a great solution. There are lots of picnic and bbq areas, as well as hiking trails and playgrounds.

I went again with Ellen when she was visiting and we managed to find the caves further up in the park. I don’t think these were every occupied, but they do have stunning views of the mountains across the plain.

One of our Sunday excursions was to visit a monastery set in the mountains behind Murcia. This is the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Fuensanta, and dates from the 1600s.

There must at some point have also been an Islamic building here, judging by this architecture, but sadly it was in disrepair and there was no further information. We had a picnic in the grounds and then a walk in the mountains.

We also went on a couple of trips without Katy, one my favourite things in Spain is the fiestas, and on the feast of St Nicholas, on the 6th Dec, there was a parade of the Moors and Christians. These are some of my favourite events, they take place all over Spain and celebrate the reconquest, when Isabella and Ferdinand took back control of southern Spain from the Muslim settlers.

The parade was a wonderful hour and a half of proud armies in wonderful costume, interspersed with marching bands. The work that goes into these outfits is amazing, usually each village in the area will have its own association. There are many museums where you can see the costumes close up and they are well worth a visit if you come across them.

The lights, and the giant nativity were also very pretty, and we had a great wander around the city. This was one of the many excellent coach trips, the advantage of these for fiestas is that you get a local pick up and don’t have to worry about parking or traffic!

I hope that you have enjoyed this little overview of what there is to do in the area, it is a fantastic region for all sorts of outdoor activities, with mountain climbing, trekking and cycling being very popular, as well as all of the water related sports.

This will be the last of my travel posts for now, I will post about Cordoba as soon as I can but have so many pictures to sort, and not that much time before I leave again, so will wait to tell you all about that fantastic city. I am off now to do more unicorn fettling, the final bits of attaching heads and putting on clothes await, and then I can show them to you in the next post.

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

Norfolk coastal beauty

stitchesoftime4 Comments

As you will know, I love the sea. I was told that the beaches in Norfolk were lovely, and they have been. One of the things that I have especially liked are the pebbles.

They don’t make for a good sandcastle building holiday but I love the variety of them, and the way that are used in all of the buildings. I have driven through so many villages full of these gorgeous flint and brick houses and churches.

I visited Snettisham RSPB reserve one very hot day, and met more Canada Geese than I have ever seen before.

I also went to Sheringham Park for a meet up with Jules, who I met last year at Hayfield. She has an identical van to mine, with a full conversion, and is still travelling full time, having extended her gap year. We had a brilliant time sharing the joys of van life.

I enjoyed my trips to Cromer and the Sheringham 1940s weekend as well. Loved the vintage adverts for Cromer and the pictures along the beach at Sheringham of the Victorian bathing tents.

Had a brilliant 40th anniversary of starting at Huddersfield Polytechnic weekend back in Yorkshire last weekend and then conquered three more motorways, so feeling very happy with all the driving so far.

Here am I with two lovely friends, Ange and Carol. It has been so good to meet up with people this summer, hadn’t seen Carol for about 25 years!

This will probably be the last update on the blog for a while. I am in the final week of the UK part of the adventure, and am now in Kent. Off to France and Spain next Saturday and I will be on the move so much then I will probably wait until I get back. I will post as much as possible on my Instagram @katykangoo, if you want to follow me there.

Many thanks as always for following my adventures. Have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Lincolnshire skies

stitchesoftime2 Comments

After the Slumber on the Humber festival I went to stay at Mablethorpe for 10 days. I had a really lovely relaxing time here on the coast and was joined for the weekend by my friend Sharon, from Marsden. She is thinking of buying a campervan so had rented one for the week to get an idea of what type she would like.

The weather was really good and I spent most of the time along the coast, and looking at the clouds. Lincolnshire is very flat and the campsite was next to fields, so apart from the windmills in the distance, all you could see was sky and there were some brilliant sunsets.

I went for a few walks to local beach nature reserves, there are lots of salt marsh reserves here and there were amazing clouds over the beaches.

I particularly love this last picture where it looks like there is a fight between the good and bad clouds with the evil.darkness about the envelop the fluffy white one.

We loved the patterns that the water made flowing through the sand and found shells that had worn away to form beautiful patterns of holes.

We did do a little bit of National Trust visiting, to Gunby Hall, which had the most gorgeous gardens and orchard.

The family that lived in the house in the Victorian era had lots of links with the famous writers artists and thinkers of the era. One of the daughters, Emily Massingberd founded The Pioneer Club in 1892 to support women’s suffrage.

Another daughter, Sybil, was friends with Gertrude Bell, the traveller and Middle Eastern specialist who I have blogged about before.

I really enjoy learning about links between all of these inspirational women. It sets all of their lives into context.

We had a lovely time and Sharon enjoyed her cute little campervan. Hopefully she can find one of her own and we can have more adventures together.

I am very much enjoying my time here in Norfolk, after a busy weekend at the Steampunk Festival in Lincoln after my stay in Mablethorpe and then a week at Ellen’s decorating.

Dunster and the delights of Devon….featuring roads I will only ever drive on once!

stitchesoftime1 Comment

I do tend to base many of my holidays around National Trust properties, and although this was primarily booked for the coast and moorland, I have been making good use of my membership again.

A couple of days ago I went to Dunster Castle which has a lovely little village below it, and a very interesting history, having originally been a fortified castle from the time of William the Conqueror and survived the Civil War to now be a very impressive former family home.

There was not a huge amount of textile loveliness but I did find this wonderful quilt, made of silks and satins, probably Victorian looking at the fabric.

As well as the interior, featuring Elizabeth and plaster ceilings, Jacobean carved staircases and all the lovely things you would expect to find in a house in almost continuous occupation for 1000 years, there was an amazing garden and Riverside walk, ending at a working watermill.

I love hydrangeas, the colours and shapes are so amazing, and there were so many of them.in the castle gardens.

I have become slightly obsessed with English cottage gardens as well. All this time amongst the bougainvillea and cactus has made me really appreciate the very delicate flowers that were growing in this memorial garden in Dunster Village.

The garden was in the grounds of the old priory, next to the Tithe Barn and a fascinating dovecote dating from the 13th century that had space for 500 pigeons, all bred for eating.

Yesterday I drove across the border into Devon again, to visit the Valley of the Rocks. The coastal path runs along here and the views are amazing.

The rock formations look like ruins of castles themselves.

There are wild goats that live here, one family of which was perched on a ledge so high above the sea.

To get there I had to put on my big girl pants and drive up Porlock Hill, 25% slopes and so many sharp bends!!! I also happened to be following the coastal bus.

Katy and I did really well but I did opt for the route back across Exmoor with slightly flatter roads, stunning views and only the odd sheep and cow in the road. Since I started learning to drive in Marsden that is something I am very used to.

I only have one more day here before I go to my first festival. A few days of meeting other van people and hopefully chilling listening to blues in a sunny field.

I will be back soon with a new location, spending a couple of days in between festivals at a childhood day out location pretending I am 12 again. Until then good bye from my sunny campsite.

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

England’s green and pleasant land

stitchesoftime3 Comments

Well I am off on my travels again, at the first campsite of many this summer, fingers crossed. I have had an excellent if a little damp time at the Tewkesbury Medival Festival, and was lucky enough to have a dry couple of hours yesterday to pitch up here in North Somerset.

I am just outside Minehead, on the edge of the Exmoor National Park, with excellent views over the bay.

The campsite is on a very large hill with lots of walks along the coast and views of the moorland so I am looking forward to lots more outdoor adventures.

The forecast is not brilliant but I have got a great vantage point for cloud watching and it doesn’t get to be so green here without a bit of rain!

The heather is still in bloom, along with gorse and I love the way that the raindrops get caught in the spider’s webs.

It is great to be back in such a different landscape, I love Spain but this is such an amazing area, with such different foliage.

There are woods with trees that seem to have eyes, whose roots cover the walls, and walls so old you can hardly see them for the moss on them.

I was very excited on my walk this morning as I came across some beautiful Exmoor wild ponies. We saw some on Dartmoor a couple of years ago and they are amazing.

My Mum bought me an excellent book for my birthday, written by someone who spent years walking the Cairngorms. It is a really detailed piece of nature writing and is a great read while I am camping.

I have also treated myself to this book above so will enjoy sitting in the reading nook, with the new lap quilt and chilling.

There are lots of rabbits on this campsite, as well as squirrels so am looking forward to some excellent relaxation

As well as blog posts I have also set up a separate Instagram for my travels, as that will be easier more regularly, especially when I don’t have much signal. If you would like to follow that it is @KatyKangoo

I am here for two weeks and have lots of museum and heritage visits planned, as well as more of the spectacular coastline, so I will see you again soon.

Take care, have fun, stay safe and thanks for visiting.