Tag: walks

Stepping back in time

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One of the things that I spend a lot of time doing when visiting historic houses is to imagine how it must have actually been to live there, without the National Trust interpretation, the carefully staged rooms, and the guided routes around the house. Occasionally there are glimpses of the reality of living in a house that is too big, and too costly to heat properly, or be comfortable, as there was at Chastleton, where I visited in May.

It is more difficult to envisage how ordinary people lived though. The social history museums, such as those that I visited in the Cairngorms this summer, and in Norwich last year. Books help as well, and I love reading biography, and social history research. However these sources only give a selection of what has been kept or remembered.

One of the reasons that I wanted to go back to Northumberland on my trip this summer was to do some more research for my novel. I am so enjoying the process of writing this, along with bits of the others, and I love being able to research things. It is nice to know that those eight years of work on the doctorate have not gone to waste! I am writing my historical character’s timeline now, and am trying to spend a lot of time thinking about how her life would have been, and how she would feel.

Even though I have been to Alnwick before, it was a few years ago, and was more of a tourist trip, so this time I went as a researcher. I went first to the local library, and although they have no archives, they were able to give me access to the British Newspaper Archives, a source I have used briefly before. It was a really productive hour there, and I have managed to get a lot of factual detail that I needed. Later in the summer I also had another brilliant research trip, but that is for another post!

A wander round the town was also useful, thinking about how Dora, my character would have experienced the town in 1947. Would the horse trough and water fountain still be in use? Would there be the same traffic signs outside the town gate? What would she have thought of the street names, Bondgate Within, and Bondgate Without? I know I don’t have to go into too much detail in the book, however the amateur historian and ex-academic in me wants to get all of the details right. Also I am very much enjoying the process.

I stayed at Dunstan Hill campsite, only a short walk from the coastal path, and was lucky enough to have amazing weather. This is such a beautiful part of the country, with so many castles and remnants of early history, such as the development of Christianity, and the invasion of the Vikings. It is definitely an area I want to spend more time in.

On the way back down south I stopped in at Wallington, which has a gorgeous rural setting.

The interior decoration was very impressive as well. This is the unfinished painted central hall, with panels that tell the story of the local area, from the early kings of Northumbria to the industrial boom. The paintings were truly stunning in their detail.

There was also one of the largest pieces of personal needlework that I have ever come across. This panel is embroidery, not woven, and was done over 23 years by Mary Trevelyan, for her husband. It is an amazing piece of work, and I would love to know more about it. 23 years is such a long time to stitch a piece, and I wonder if she worked on it every day, or set it aside at times?

Life here in Spain continues to be very busy and fun. I have been doing a lot of planning for next year, and hope that everything that I want to do comes to fruition. I only have a month left here before my return to the UK, and am frantically trying to get all my sewing projects completed!

I am still very much enjoying making couture for my Barbies, but have other practical things that need to be made for next year’s camping season as well. I hope that you are all busy and happy, and looking forward to the festive season if you celebrate. I have two more stitched ornaments to go, and then on to the ones for 2025!

I missed my blogaversary again this year, but it has been 17 years, (and one week!) of writing here at Stitches of Time. This is my 996th post, so I will have to do something special for the 1000th, which should happen in the new year. I currently have 449 subscribers, and about 200 people visit every week. So huge thanks to all of you for following along, however long you have been here. Whatever you are doing 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.

Lots and lots of locks and lochs!

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I have wanted to visit the Cairngorms for a very long time, and it is definitely an area to return to as I only had a glimpse at its beauty.

The trip from Skye westwards took me first to Fort Augustus, at the end of Loch Ness. I had been there before, briefly with Jacky two years ago, but wanted to revisit, partly to stay at a new aire just outside the town.

The journey was so beautiful, passing through Glenshiel and past Loch Cluanie.

Fort Augustus is famous for being the other end of the Caledonian Canal, I visited Neptune’s Staircase a couple of weeks ago, and here are the five locks that complete the journey, allowing boats to enter Loch Ness, and travel to Inverness and the sea.

There is a great information centre about the canal, and also lots of lovely shops and cafés. I was lucky enough to see another group of boats go through, both the locks and the swing bridge into Loch Ness.

If you look at the map of Scotland, this is where it nearly spilts in half, a fault line known as the Great Glen. The canals allowed ships to cross Scotland without having to follow the often dangerous northern coastline.

This was an enormous undertaking, these canals were dug by hand and it took 19 years to complete, overseen by Thomas Telford. There are a total of 29 locks along outside length. It is just amazing that this has been preserved and restored so it can still be used.

I stayed overnight at the very nice Loch Ness caravan park. Like many aires this has been set up by a farming family and is a quiet site, a short walk from the town.

I really enjoy supporting small businesses like these, and it has been great to have so many options in Scotland, as well as the Caravan and Camping Club sites.

The following day I went over to the edge of the Cairngorm National Park, with a quick stop at Aviemore for supplies. I ended up at the Rothiemurchus Estate.

The estate offers lots of different activities, such as bike hire, horse riding, fishing, but also has brilliant hiking trails.

It was a beautiful sunny day, so I did 8km circular route to Loch an Eilein, passing Loch Mor with so many water lilies, and through stunning forests and heathland. 

There were also deer on the estate, a little far away for good photos.

Despite all my walks, I still haven’t seen a single red squirrel, the only disappointment about my trip to Scotland! Lots signs saying look out for them, but none to be seen 😔

I had a choice of aires and park ups in this area, because it was such a beautiful evening, I opted for staying at the Loch Insh watersports centre. 

It was such a lovely way to end such a fantastic day, sitting with a G and T in the sun, watching the wild swimmers in the loch.

My final day in the area I will tell you about next time, as I need a whole post to share all the things at one of my favourite types of museum, the open air Highland Life Folk Museum. 

I am now in my last campsite in Scotland, I can’t believe I have been here for 6 weeks. It is the most beautiful place, and I will have to come back. I also can’t believe this is my fourth September of not having to deal with the start of term 🙃 Still so, so lucky to be living this life!

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

Seeing rainbows

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This is my last day on the Isle of Skye. I have been staying at a wonderful campsite, right next to the Cuillin mountains, called Sligachan.

I spotted this site last time we were here, two years ago and decided to stay, which was a great choice. We are right next to Sligachan Bridge and these amazing mountains, so I have had a chance to do lots of arty photos.  

Not only is it a fabulous location, the staff are so lovely and friendly and helpful. We have had the tail end of a hurricane mid week, so although I pitched my tent when I arrived, I took it down the following day, as there were 40mph winds forecast.  They were fine with me staying in the van.

It has been a fantastic location for rainbows, I have never seen so many in one place. There must be something about the mountains behind the site, and the loch in front, that makes it the perfect place.

The weather has been mixed, but enough sunny days to go and explore, and some gorgeous sunrises and sunsets as well.

Last time Jacky and I came we did all the famous stuff on Skye, so I have spent my time just exploring the less visited parts in the north of the island.

I have been out to Portnalong, to Carbost, Uig and had a quick visit to the capital, Portree.

I visited an iron age broch, with views over Oransay, and the Skye Museum of Island Life.

The museum is located in a more remote part of the island, 6 miles along a bumpy single track road, and really gives you a sense of how cut off people were living there. There are a mix of preserved, and reconstructed houses of crofters.

Even now, with a car, it is trek to get there, but there are still lots of houses there, with amazing views over the cliffs. One of the most significant pieces of information was that children living in these crofts would usually not visit Portree, a 25 mile walk, until they were 12, and old enough to cope with the journey. 

As well as the artefacts, including some great textiles, there were photos and archive film of people living there in the 1930s, which was the best bit. All textiles were made at home, from flax grown in the croft, and wool from their sheep.

This croft was home to a family with 10 children, accommodated in two box beds, with their parents in a small bed off the living room.

A fantastic place, and well worth visiting for a taste of real Skye life.

I have also been following a YouTube channel called, ‘Living  the Skye Life’, run by an artist and musician, Sarah and Willie, who relocated here two years ago. It is a really interesting exploration of 21st century life here, and gave me lots of ideas of different places to explore.

Tomorrow I leave to go west, I am heading for the Cairngorms, which I am very excited about. I have some park ups for the next few nights, and will hopefully be visiting more canals!

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

Gorgeous Glencoe

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.