After a busy few days at home it's time for our second long trip of the year, this time to the Lake District.
On Monday (2 June) we drove to Stanmore Hall Touring Park. It only took us 10 minutes to set up on site before sitting outside with our lunch. It was a lovely afternoon so we walked across the road to the Country Park before returning to site late afternoon.
On Tuesday (3 June) we left the site in the morning and visited Steve's mother. We left mid afternoon to drive to Spring Paddock Caravan Park, arriving late afternoon as we had encountered a lot of traffic and road works. We set up on site, had showers and settled down for the evening.
On Wednesday we visited my mother and sister, leaving mid afternoon to return to the site. We had an afternoon doing a few jobs and then walked to the Chetwynd Arms to meet my niece and family. After a few hours catching up my niece kindly gave us a lift back to the site.
On Thursday (5 June) we drove to Delamere Forest Camping & Caravanning Club Campsite. We had a lot of rain during the journey but luckily it stopped raining when we set up on site. We had a short walk to the station to buy our train tickets for Chester and then walked to the Forest Information Centre to buy a map of the walk trails. We returned to the site before it started raining again and settled down for the evening.
On Friday we walked to the station and caught the train to Chester. It's over 20 years since we last visited Chester and we were pleased to see it was just as we remembered it. In the morning we pottered around the city centre before having lunch at The Cosy Club. In the afternoon we walked around the city walls trail before heading back to the station for our return train. We had rain on and off during the day and it was a wet evening too.
After a lot more rain overnight Saturday started dry, but then we had a heavy shower as we were about to leave for our walk. When it stopped raining we walked from the site and followed the forest trails around Blakemere Moss. We returned to site at lunchtime and unfortunately were caught in another heavy downpour. We put our wet clothes to dry, intending to go out again in the afternoon, but we had heavy rain on and off for most of the afternoon so stayed on site for the rest of the day.
The forecast for Sunday was looking better so we walked another forest trail in the morning, returning to the site at lunchtime. In the afternoon we went back into the forest and walked up to the Old Pale Stones to look back across the forest towards Blakemere Moss.
On Monday (9 June) we drove to Skelwith Fold at Ambleside, a site we last visited this site in 1998 when we had our first caravan. We hadn't planned our trip very well as we moved sites on Steve's birthday! We had rain whilst travelling but were fortunate that it stopped long enough for us to set up in the dry. We had a short walk around the site before the rain started again and it rained all evening and most of the night.
Tuesday was a completely different day with sun from early morning. We walked into Ambleside in the morning and had a walk around the village, which was very busy and not as smart as we remembered. We returned to the site for lunch and spent the afternoon walking around the site to see where all the walk trails start. As it was a sunny afternoon we made the most of the good weather and sat outside the van reading our books. There was also another Malibu on the site (there aren't many in the UK) and we spent time talking to the owners.
Wednesday was another sunny day and as the forecast looked good all day we decided to do one of the longer walks from the site. We walked from the site to Skelwith Bridge and along the valley, past Elterwater to the National Trust car park and cafe at the bottom of Stickle Ghyll, where we stopped for lunch. We returned to the site along a path on the other side of the valley.
After our previous day's long walk, on Thursday we caught the bus to Hawkshead and walked to Tarn Howes in the morning. In the afternoon we had a potter around the village before catching our bus back to Skelwith mid afternoon to enjoy the sun.
Friday was forecast as another dry day so we walked from the site to Wray Castle. The castle was closed for renovation but we walked along the woodland trails to the edge of Lake Windermere and through the arboretum before returning to the site for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Overnight we had very heavy rain and thunderstorms, so woke to a very wet morning on Saturday. After our previous few days' walks we were glad to have an easier day and spent time cleaning Martha and reading. When the rain eased late morning we walked around the site, but spent the afternoon on our pitch.
Sunday started dry so we walked to Chesters Cafe before walking along Bog Lane, through the woods and back to site. It rained on and off all afternoon so we stayed on site to tidy the van ready to move to our next site.
We enjoyed the walking from this site, but found it disappointing how close the pitches were and there was little privacy - I'm not sure we would return on a future visit to The Lakes.
On Monday (16 June) we drove to Derwentwater Camping & Caravanning Club Campsite in Keswick. We stayed at this site in 2022 but were only able to book a few days on that occasion. This time we booked early and managed to get ten days on the site. We don't normally stay on one site for so long, but several bus services pass through Keswick and there are lots of walks and trails in the area for us too. We woke to a lovely sunny day and after a short drive to the site we were pleased to see we had been allocated the same pitch we had on our last visit (we had made a request). After setting up we went for a walk around the town and also went food shopping, returning to site to sit in the sun and eat our evening meal outside.
We had a lot of rain overnight and woke to a wet morning on Tuesday, so we spent the time visiting the walking clothes shops in the town, returning to site for lunch. In the afternoon we went for another walk around the town to find the start of some of the walking trails.
Wednesday was forecast as a dry day so we chose one of our longer walks. We walked from the site to Keswick and along the old railway track, which is now a trail to Threlkeld. After a cup of tea at the Village Hall Coffee Shop we had a walk around the village before finding a bench in the churchyard for our lunch. We walked back along the same route before popping into Crow Park on the edge of Derwentwater to see the filming of the Landscape Artist. After wandering among the artists (and dodging the cameras) we enjoyed looking at their paintings of Derwentwater before returning to the site mid afternoon to enjoy the sun.
Thursday was forecast as being very warm and dry so we chose a circular walk from the site to Lattrig. It was a hot day so we were glad the first part of the walk was in the woods and there was a slight breeze as we reached the summit. We returned to Keswick along the railway track and through Crow Park to see the artists painting different scenes, and then returned to the site. We enjoyed the walk and the views from the summit were fabulous (this was the favourite walk from our month in the Lake District). It was very hot so we returned to the site early afternoon, put the awning and sun blocker out and spent the as afternoon on site.
Friday was forecast to be the hottest day of the year, so we started our walk earlier before it got too hot. We decided to walk from the site to Castlerigg Stone Circle. The walk was going well until we came across a field of cows and after our encounter with a herd of cows at Wells last year, we found another path to the Stones so our short walk became a long walk. It was very busy at the Stones as the following day was the Summer Solstice and there were a lot of people camping out.
We had another hot start to the day on Saturday. After three days of walking we decided to have an easier day and caught the bus to Cockermouth, a town we've never visited before. In the morning we had a walk around the town and along the river before having lunch at Tilia. We had intended to have another walk in the afternoon, but it started to rain so we caught the bus back to Keswick and returned to the site.
We had a lot of heavy rain and thunderstorms overnight which kept me awake although Steve slept through the storm. It had stopped raining when we woke on Sunday morning so in the morning we walked around Keswick returning to the site for lunch. The afternoon was very wet so we stayed on site for the rest of the day.
On Monday we caught the bus to Grasmere village. We spent some time in the morning walking around the village but it was too busy for us as there were several coaches of tourists around the shops. We walked from the village around Grasmere, stopping at a picnic bench for lunch before continuing around the edge of the water back to the village. There were even more visitors in the village when we returned so we caught the bus back to Keswick and walked back to the site for the rest of the afternoon.
We had a lot more rain overnight and Tuesday started with more rain and strong winds. When the rain eased we walked into Keswick to revisit the many walking shops in the town, buying several walking tops we had seen on our previous visit. We returned to the site for lunch and then walked around the outskirts of Keswick in the afternoon, ending with a drink in The Wainwright pub before returning to the site.
Wednesday was dull but dry and as everywhere was very wet we decided to walk the Railway Trail again to Threlkeld, although we returned on a different path. The sun finally came out when we got back to site, so we sat outside for a while until it started to rain again.
We enjoyed our time at this site and plan on returning on our next visit to The Lakes as it's one of our favourite sites and we both enjoy the walking in the area too.
We had a lot more rain overnight and woke to a wet morning on Thursday (26 June). It was time to leave Keswick and drive to The Quiet Site near Ullswater. This site has been recommended to us by several people so was one we wanted to visit, especially as it markets itself as a sustainable eco site. We had a pitch at the front of the site with lovely views towards Ullswater, but it was very sloping and not particularly well maintained. After setting up we walked around the site, which seemed to be very cramped with lots of pitches and cabins in a small area. We treated ourselves to a pizza from The Quiet Bite (which was disappointing and overpriced) before settling down for the evening.
It rained overnight and we woke to a very wet and windy morning on Friday. The forecast for the day was awful so we stayed on site, just having a short walk around the site when the rain eased.
Saturday started with drizzle and we caught the Ullswater bus to the end of its route at The Hause so we could see the far side of Ullswater. We stayed on the bus and returned to Pooley Bridge to have a walk around the pretty village before visiting a couple of caravan parks in the area to look at the facilites. After lunch we walked around the far side of Ullswater before returning to the village to catch our bus back to site.
Sunday was a glorious sunny day, such a change from the previous few days. We caught the bus to Aira Force and then walked along the Ullswater Way, through Glenridding to Patterdale. After having a look at both villages we caught the bus back to Watermillock and walked up the lane back to the site. We did a few jobs when we got back ready for moving to our next site.
We enjoyed the walking around Ullswater, which is an area we don't know very well. We wouldn't return to The Quiet Site, but found another lovely site in Pooley Bridge where we intend to stay on our next visit.
On Monday (30 June) we drove to Bowness on Windermere Camping & Caravanning Club Campsite which is on the shore of Lake Windermere. The site was full for the night and we were lucky to get a pitch in the top field. After setting up we walked into Bowness to find the bus stops and ferry terminal. It was a hot afternoon, and very busy in the village, so we returned to site to sit in the sun for a few hours.
Tuesday's forecast was mixed so we decided to catch the bus to Kendal, another town where we've not visited for almost 30 years. We had a walk around the town and The Lanes in the morning before having lunch at Ye Olde Fleece Inn. In the afternoon we walked to Kendal Castle, returning to the town when it started to rain. After catching the bus back to Bowness we walked back to the site for the rest of the evening.
Wednesday was a cool day but dry. We walked from the site to Windermere and had a look around the village, which is very pretty with some lovely shops as well as being far less busy and touristy than Bowness. In the afternoon we walked up to Orrest Head with amazing views across Windermere before returning to the site.
Thursday started dry but it was another cool morning. We caught the ferry to the other side of the lake before walking to Claife Viewing Station for some lovely views towards Bowness. We walked along the edge of the lake to Wray Castle and then returned along the same path. We caught the ferry back across the lake, returning to site mid afternoon.
Friday started dry so we walked through Bowness towards one of the view points. We were part way when it started to rain so we returned to the site staying on site all afternoon as the rain was torrential.
Saturday started dry so we walked back to Bowness to get some shopping. We had just returned to site when it started to rain again so we spent time cleaning the van and getting ready for our next site.
We enjoyed our time at Bowness, although the village was far too busy and touristy for us. We much prefer Windermere and hope to find a site in that area for our next visit.
On Sunday (6 July) it was time to leave The Lakes and drive to Southport Club Campsite. It's a large site and Southport isn't somewhere we would normally visit, but we want to see Antony Gormley's 'Another Place' at Crosby. It was very windy on the site when we arrived but we found a lovely pitch in a sheltered spot. After setting up we went for a short walk to find bus stops and returned to the site to sit outside for a while.
Monday was a cool but dry day so we caught the bus to Crosby. The village is quite run down so we didn't spend too much time there and walked out to the beach to see 'Another Place'. We walked along the beach and among the figures before finding a sheltered spot to sit and eat our lunch. After another walk along the seafront we returned to Crosby village to catch our bus back to Southport. We spent time in the afternoon walking around Southport town centre and then walked out to the beach before returning to the site.
Tuesday was another fine dry day to we caught the bus to Formby as we had decided to walk the coast path back to Southport. We liked Formby and walked around the village before heading to the beach and then returning inland towards the coast path to walk back to Southport The first section of the coast path was lovely as it was through woods, but the second part was one of the worst trails we've ever walked as it was so overgrown. In places it was difficult to see the path so our 12 mile walk turned into a 15 mile walk as we kept losing the trail and in one place someone turned the marker posts too.
We woke to another dry morning on Wednesday and as we were both feeling tired after the previous day's long walk, we decided to have an easier day. We caught the bus to Churchtown to visit the Botanic Gardens. We enjoyed our walk around the Gardens, although they were a little overgrown in places but found the Fernery interesting. After spending a few hours walking around the gardens we caught the bus back to Southport and walked along Rotten Row before heading back to site to tidy a few things away before our journey towards home
On Thursday (10 July) we drove to Blackmore Camping & Caravanning Club Campsite for an overnight stop on our way home. It was very hot when we arrived and although all the remaining pitches were in full sun we chose one with a large tree in front so would could sit in the shade. It cooled down in the evening and we enjoyed sitting outside talking to our neighbours.
We didn't get much sleep overnight, although when we got up on Friday we found that site staff had arranged for security men, with dogs, to patrol the site overnight. We were told the police were going to return later in the day with bailiffs and as we didn't want to be around when they arrived we left the site just after 7.00am, stopping for breakfast at Gloucester Services on the way home.
We arrived home late morning and after unpacking we took Martha back to the storage site and came home to get a few jobs done before having an early night to catch up on our sleep. Despite having to plan our walks around the wet days and the lack of sleep on our last night, we both enjoyed our latest 'adventure'.
2 June-11 July
.JPG)
