Northumberland

Rugged, windswept hills, Hadrian’s Wall and the remains of the northern-most tip of the Roman Empire, long white beaches, sand dunes, seals, puffins, Holy Island, Craster crab sandwiches and huge majestic castle ruins dotted along the shoreline…this is Northumberland.

My folks rocked up with a car stuffed with food, booze and an inflatable kayak…needless to say, as usual, the vintage misfits got up to their usual tricks. We had a blast. Full account to follow shortly but here are some of the highlights in picture postcards!

The Lake District

When I first got to the Lake District it was drizzling. I was missing the sea and the beaches of Cornwall. But then Stu arrived, an old friend that I hadn’t seen for years. He loves the Lakes and knows it well. As I picked him up from the station the sun began to shine and continued to shine almost non-stop for the next four days.

We climbed Old Man of Coniston and took a walk along the ridge and down to a natural infinity pool, we kayaked, we took Beryl up and over the treacherous Hardknott Pass with it’s hair pin turns and 30 degree gradients to the astonishment of the other cars struggling through the mountains.

We spent 2 happy days in Wasdale - the West Lakes - the most beautiful part of the Lakes in my view - unspoilt and remote. We climbed Scarfell Pyke - the highest point in Britain and sat in a cloud at the top then ran down in the rain.

We watched cormorants dry their wings in the sun as we had breakfast on the banks of Lake Windemere.

We ate pie and drank ale.

By the end of the four days our bodies were aching with all the exercise, our faces were brown and we were grinning from ear to ear. We’d rediscovered friendship, a love of birds and a joy that comes with physical challenge and fresh mountain air.

My soul soared by the sea and my body has flourished in the mountains.

I’m liking these Lakes…

Jolly Days

Ah, what a magical place. Beautiful bell tents and enormous canvas palaces with four poster beds. I wanted to make this place my home. This wooded wonderland is bursting with the smell of sweet pine trees, purple rodedendruns and green ferns. It feels like a setting for a Midsummer Nights Dream.

I came with my friend Kaz, left Beryl to graze under the pine trees and moved into a bell tent with bunting, a wood burning stove and two double futons.
We spent the evenings sitting around the campfire by the tea tent freshly stocked with beer and cupcakes.

I can’t put into words strongly enough the magic of this place.
It is rustic luxury at it’s finest and my heart was blissfully happy here.

We will return.

Beryl on the other hand was none too pleased we’d ditched her for two nights and as we left she literally blew a gasket and spat out all her water, over heating the engine and filling it with smoke. We managed to pull into what turned out to be a college for youth offenders (honestly I’ve met more tagged youth offenders on this trip than ever before…) and called out break down recovery. They sorted it and we were on our way.

But Beryl made her point…!

http://www.jollydaysluxurycamping.co.uk/

Cornwall with the girls!

Polzeath, Port Chapel, the long white beaches all the way down to St Ives, cycling along the Camel Way in Padstow and Beryl gets tattooed…glorious sunshine all the way!

I love showing people new places in England and seeing how being outdoors, living a simple life and enjoying the fresh sea are in the sun gets them glowing.