Woodhall - Day 3 (The End)

Packing up the ‘van was a leisurely job as my visit for the day, Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre didn’t, according to the website, open until ten and wasn’t far away. When I arrived I found they opened at half nine but it didn’t matter. First order of the day was a visit to the NAAFI for breakfast, a fresh cooked bacon and egg baguette. 

The Centre only really has two planes on show, but what a two! The star is Just Jane, a 1945 Lancaster, the other is a Mosquito. The latter is really the forgotten hero of WW II planes, a night-fighter, light bomber, pathfinder, photo reconnaissance plane, etc. 

There are plenty of buildings and displays to look round as well, although I’m not sure how many visitors actually went round them as the main event was due. 

Just Jane isn’t a static exhibit, although it isn’t airworthy (yet) it is licensed for taxy rides. I’ll put the video up when edited but to get the full effect you’ll need a decent amplifier and a couple of large bass bins, all turned up to 11! When they run the engines up to full power it is very, very noisy. 

Now you will notice a bit of a problem, Jane is missing the end of her wings for practicality with the taxy rides. 

The drive home was no problem and unloading only took a few minutes given that I’d only been away a couple of days. Driving through Lincolnshire I was surprised how many place names I recognised as former RAF stations, it wasn’t called Bomber County for nothing. Of course as mentioned in a previous blog there’s a danger of glorifying war, the Chapel is an antidote, as is this Mike Harding song, the video l’ve found coincidentally includes Just Jane. 

Woodhall- Day 2

There’s not really a lot to report! 

After breakfast I wandered down to the town and had a look round, spending some time photographing the Dambusters Memorial. The sun wasn’t really in the best place and I did go back later in the day for a couple more photos. 

Coffee and a tea cake were, eventually, procured after my debit card wouldn’t authorise, which is always a bit worrying. It was fairly clear it was a computer glitch somewhere and Apple Pay worked after another short delay. The debit card worked fine later in the day, putting my mind at ease. 

Another wander followed and a sit down by the only extant remains of one of Woodhall’s railways, before I decided it was beer o’clock. 

The track clearly isn’t original but the path follows a line of old sleepers. 

The first of the friends I was meeting arrived as I was most of the way down a pint so we found our restaurant table and basically spent the next few hours chatting, eating and drinking. The gammon steak was quite salty, which wouldn’t suit a lot of people, but it was all well cooked and tasty; the other dishes looked good as well. 

Having gone our separate ways I took a few more photos then strolled back through the woods to the caravan site. Woodhall is a nice small town (or large village, not sure which) and I got quite a few good mornings from people in passing which is always a good sign. There’s a surprising amount of green space with a few small pockets where you can sit for a while, as well as the extensive woods and the larger Jubilee Park. I’ll happily return again if we have another event here. 

Woodhall - Day 1

I’m out for a couple of days in the ‘van at Woodhall Spa. I should have been in Scotland but the later removal of social distancing regulations there resulted in the main reason for going, a meeting up with about 30 TOGs, being postponed for a further year (it should have taken place in 2020). 

As an alternative a few small events have been organised and I’m meeting a few friends for lunch in the town. Fortunately there are a couple of caravan sites right on the edge of Woodhall in Jubilee Park. One is council run, the other private, the former being significantly cheaper so that’s where I am! It’s still £54 for two nights with I think is about the most I’ve ever paid. It’s not a spot I would choose normally, It’s very open and my pitch backs directly onto the main car park near the swimming pool but it looks like everything has gone quiet. It’ll do for the purpose and it’s only a short walk into the centre. 

Looking for things to do on the journey I noticed that not far from Woodhall is the Bubblecar and Microcar Museum which I thought would merit a visit. It does what it says on the tin, with a few motorbikes thrown on for good measure. At £6 including a decent mug of coffee and a very much home produced (and full of errors) guidebook though I’m certainly not complaining! It was an interesting diversion and chance to stretch my legs. 

Arrival at the caravan site was very smooth, one of the wardens checked on his list and guided me to my pitch then came back a few minutes later with the site leaflet and details. 

The second Museum of the day followed as soon as that was sorted as it isn’t open tomorrow. The Cottage Museum tells the story of the Spa and the area, including a display on the railways and also on the RAF station. This was a satellite station to RAF Conningsby, it became the home of 617 Squadron, The Dambusters, in January 1944 and they remained there until the end of the war. It was from Woodhall that they pioneered the use of the Tallboy and Grand Slam bombs, designed by Barnes Wallis as “earthquake” bombs to target bridges and viaducts as well as heavy defences which had proved invulnerable to conventional bombing. 

The cottage itself was lived in by a family who provided bath chairs for Spa visitors, conveying them from the station to the hotels then to the spa itself for treatments. 

As is often the case with volunteer run museums it’s very friendly, almost too much so when you really just want to wander round and look at the displays, and was worth the visit. I walked back through the woods to the caravan site passing The Tea House in the Woods and the Kinema in the Woods. There was a long queue for the former otherwise I’d have had a coffee. The Kinema dates back to 1922 and is currently showing The Suicide Squad - I don’t think I’ll bother! 

All For a Few Photos -The End

I wasn’t up quite as early as planned but it didn’t take too long to get packed up and leave site; Greggs at Scotch Corner provided breakfast on my way to visiting relatives near Leeds. 

It’s been a bad few days on the roads and I got caught out on the A1M, ending up detouring for a few miles. Apart from that though it was a smooth run home with a couple of brief stops. 

Conclusions from the trip? Not too many really. Not having too much planned worked out ok this time but I’ll probably revert to normal practice next year! In the end I took the bike and never used it, that was partly due to how things worked out with meeting a friend on Thursday, when I might otherwise have gone cycling, and a lot to do with the hot weather at the back end of the week. I’m committed that in the future I’ll take one or other bike on most holidays. Having the bike rack on doesn’t cause too many problems and with the rat bike I don’t feel uncomfortable leaving it parked up for a few hours. 

Not camping related but my vague plan of retiring to Barnard Castle will need a rethink. It’s still a lovely place but the transport issues need considering - although most things are available in the town if you want to go further afield you have to drive or it’s a long bus ride, something that was mentioned by a couple of people. On the other hand it’s a very friendly place, other than on the main street you get a lot of good mornings or hellos from passing strangers and shop people are often ready for a bit of a chat. I’ve got ten years to make a decision but I might start looking for somewhere nearer a railway station. 😊

All For a Few Photos - Day 9

Another lazy day!

This has been an unusual holiday by my standards in that, partly thanks to Covid, I haven’t had things planned for each day. Today I sat reading and pottering for most of the morning before heading out, as much as anything to get some fresh air, but still with no real plan. 

First stop was Eggleston Abbey for a few photos, there were a few people there but with care I avoided getting them in shot; hopefully one or two pics will be suitable for the TOGs Calendar competition. From there I managed to drive past, and then turned back to, the farm shop/café that I had in mind for lunch (I think I did the same last time I visited it). It was ok, not great, which I think is how I felt a few years ago. 

Still with no real plan I headed up the dale towards Brough then back over to Middleton and on to Grassholme Reservoir. It’s largely drained at the moment for dam works but the small dinghies still managed to get out. It does have a small visitor centre which provided a welcome ice cream. 

The final stop was the Mickleton Station car park on the Tees Railway Trail. I’d hoped to cycle there but the hot weather put me off and, as I’d suspected, it would need mountain bike tyres as it’s more mud/earth than laid surface. As sometimes happens I got chatting to a local lady who was waiting for her son and his partner to find a geocache (they did get it in the end, with some difficulty). She expressed the opinion that it was a shame the line was closed and effectively destroyed (most of the bridges were removed) as it would be useful for freight traffic. There is some truth in that, I can see there being a need for more local freight interchange terminals as we transition away from IC engines, but I think that line would always have been too small. 

Tomorrow it’s off home. ☹️

All For a Few Photos - Day 8

I take the few photos!

I finally got to carry out the main exercise of the trip and take the photos of the coal depot site in Sunderland that I’m currently modelling. It wasn’t a wasted trip by any means, I’ve now got things more firmly settled in my mind, but I doubt any of the photos will themselves work for the backscenes. I’d have needed the chainsaw and my canal restoration friends to remove a lot of vegetation to get anything very useful. 

As I didn’t have any need to spend much time in the town, and as it was a hot day, I did the sensible thing and went to the seaside. Good job I didn’t have that chainsaw though:

I can only assume they’ve had people cutting up firewood in the past. As I was at Roker, and within a few yards of one of the best Fish and Chip shops in the country, lunch was easily sorted! 

The A1M had been closed since the previous day, and the SatNav was showing lots of red around Durham, so I decided to cut across North of the city via Penshaw Monument (the sign you’re nearly “home” to many) and Stanley. I debated stopping at the latter to visit Durham Trains of that ilk but frankly couldn’t be bothered as it wasn’t a great model shop last time I visited. 

From there I headed up Weardale to Frosterley before turning off to cross the watershed into Teesdale. Many of the places I passed are referenced in the Lost Railways of Durham book I was reading yesterday and the evidence of the activity that really started the railways is all around. Here are a couple of pics I snapped on the way:

These are just small operations but they are signs of the mineral wealth that built the North East into an industrial powerhouse, sadly now much declined (but at least Nissan are expanding). 

Tomorrow is a “free day” in that I’ve absolutely nothing planned. I really should get the rat bike out but with a forecast of solid sunshine and high temperatures I’m not sure I will. What I really need is a nice cool shady spot next to an old railway where I can do a bit of cycling for the sake of it then relax, preferably without having to drive very far, but I think that’s a rather tall order. 

All For a Few Photos - Day 7

Another lazy day! 

Before coming away I’d made tentative arrangements with one of the TOGs (Terry’s Old Geezers and Gals) to meet up for coffee, which we’d firmed up for today. We’d never actually met before (this isn’t unusual in this modern virtual world) but ended up chatting for well over two hours! It was a pleasant way to spend some time and good that we could meet up, albeit in an outdoor socially distanced way. 

The other aim today was to try and get some better photos of the castle to enter in a calendar competition. I think the ones I took in the afternoon are an improvement as the haze had burnt off and the sun was in a better direction. We’ll have to see when I get home and view them on a computer but I’m sure something will work. The only disappointment was the sky was a bit flat as I tried some B&W shots as well but I don’t think they’ll amount to anything. 

Something I have decided is that if I ever do realise the dream of moving to BC it’ll have to be a property at the top of the hill - the riverside flats are all very well but you’d need to be fit! 😀

I needed a bit of shopping so popped in to Morrisons and one butchers then noticed another butchers advertising hot pork rolls. One of those went down very well, sat on the castle green, and it came with loads of proper cackling, delicious. The shopping didn’t help the walk back to site though as I had two medium sized bottles of Coke in the rucksack. 😕

A different view of the castle:

And BC at play!

All For a Few Photos - Day 6

Where I go on a road trip!

I followed a pattern set the last time I stopped here at Barnard Castle (which, coincidentally, was on the pitch opposite the one I’m on this trip) and had a drive round some old holiday haunts. Middleton in Teesdale was the site of two of my earliest holidays in, I think, probably 1967 and 1968. We stopped in a caravan permanently parked behind Bob Raine’s TV shop, the shop is now the Tourist Information and the yard behind seems given over to parking but they’re still there. I’ve been back a fair number of times since and could spend all night reminiscing. I did buy a book while I was there, actually more a booklet, on Industrial Steam Locomotives. It was only £2.99 from the community bookshop and won’t take up much room on the bookcase. 

From Middleton I headed over to Brough then stopped in Kirkby Stephen for a disappointing coffee in the bistro at the back of the outdoors shop. The next stop from there was the Wensleydale Creamery, I like a bit of cheese, Grommit! Good job too as there was loads of it in the Macaroni Cheese I had for lunch! The car park was nearly full so I was quite surprised to actually get into the cafe without a huge queue, I think that’s the first time I’ve eaten there. Of course I then visited the Cheese Shop and came away with some White and Blue Wensleydale cheeses as well as a book on Lost Railways of Durham and Teeside - do you know what an anorak is? Glen does! 

It’s only a short hop from there down to the Hawes car park. We first holidayed near Hawes in the hot summer of ‘76, fortunately the river ran just below the campsite; since then I’ve been back on a DoE practice weekend then took the folding camper there a few years ago. It’s always very busy but I was able to get parked, do a bit of shopping (fresh baked baguette to go with the cheese) and generally mooch around. 

In the past I’ve stopped in Leyburn as well but this time I just drove through and, with the SatNav set on Shortest Route headed back to BC. The army were clearly running around going bang-bang, I’d seen the red flags out early on near Middleton and this time I had to divert as two roads across one of the ranges were closed - it wasn’t a problem, and going round was better than getting shot! 

The last part of the route took me past Eggleston Abbey, last time I was there I witnessed clandestine goings on in the Rover Owners Club! Two pristine pre-classic Rovers were in the car park and a lady and gentleman were sharing a picnic, complete with genuine tartan flasks. The fact they’d driven out to a fairly obscure spot in separate cars certainly looked a bit suspicious. 

After that alll that remained was to fill the ‘van with petrol to save having to do so later in the week before getting back to site. There’s no photos of the day, although I had the camera, of course, I’ve photographed it all before and the day was more about reinforcing memories than anything else. 

All For a Few Photos - Day 5

Should have gone to…Barnard Castle!

After another slowish start to the day I walked into BC. The first stretch from the site is down a busy road but there is a path then you can cross the river via a footbridge, where you probably get the best view of the castle itself. 

The shops haven’t changed much in the few years since I last visited, fortunately; something I didn’t mention yesterday was a malfunction in the walking shoe department, the lining on the heel of one having come away leaving quite a sharp edge. A couple of sticking plasters fixed it temporarily but my favourite outdoor shop came to the rescue again, as I commented to them, last time I was in it was for emergency boot laces, this time it was emergency boots! As a bonus the ones I got were discounted from £70 to £45. 

I’d had coffee and orange cake mid morning at The Hayloft Bistro and then went back to the same place for lunch. I didn’t want a huge amount so went for the Ploughman’s, suffice to say I won’t need much tea tonight! Pork pie, scotch egg, three different cheeses, fresh bread, pickles etc. all good quality and only £5. 

That was about it for the day, I wandered around, looked in a couple of bookshops but didn’t buy anything; I also browsed the estate agents window in passing as I have a long term plan to possibly move here when I retire. Suffice to say that the difference in property prices from where I live makes it feasible.  The visit ended with the walk down to the river via Thorngate Mill (which in the time I’ve known it has been a bookshop and an antiques centre but which is now apartments, yes I’d like one and yes I could probably afford one). 

The only problem with the place really is the fact the castle is at the top of a cliff so it’s a steep walk whichever way you go. This is looking back up the aptly named Bank towards the Market Cross. 

From there it was back over the river and up the hill to the site. I probably overdid it a bit but a sit down and a read, with the new sun canopy being used in anger for the first time, and I’m fine. Overall a much better day. 

All For a Few Photos -Day 4

Today has probably been one of my least satisfying holiday days in some time. The weather has been wet and miserable throughout and has left me feeling unfulfilled. I knew it wasn’t going to be great when I decided to wash up from breakfast in the ‘van rather than get rained on walking to the facilities only for the water to run out! It’s a bit of a faff refilling as I have to unlock the bike so I can carefully tilt the rack at the same time as opening the tailgate, still it’s done now for another few days. Looking for positives, the tea plate that had slipped over the back of the kitchen storage a while back had finally migrated to the water locker so, having been washed up this evening, is now back where it should be. 😊 I can’t help feeling that the wardens at this site may have gone slightly overboard on the Covid precautions compared to where I was there other week. At Carsington they closed she middle of the three waking up sinks with the outer two being available as they’re well spaced, the same could have applied here but they’ve actually only left one sink to be used. 

The Durham Mining Museum is just a couple of rooms in Spennymoor Town Hall looked after by a couple of ex miners, it wasn’t really worth the drive up there but if one was in the town anyway it’s interesting enough -there’s a fair collection of mining memorabilia and pit photos, and we had a bit of a chat. 

They’ve built a small mock-up section of underground,  complete with a pit pony, primarily for the kids. As it happened a couple of local girls were there (it’s a frequent treat for them) so I got to see what they’ve done. It’s actually very good! Apparently the tunnel walls, which are quite realistic were acquired from an episode of the George Gently TV series. The museum had lent them a number of safety lamps for the filming and when they collected them the producers asked if they could do anything in return. The wall sections from the set were just lying there waiting to be skipped so a deal was done; instead of the previous flat painted ply wood they now have professionally built scenic walls. 

There was a butcher’s shop handy as well so I stocked up on some fresh meat, pies, etc. to keep me going for the next few days, and I’d picked up a couple of essentials already, so I’m set for a while. What I do tomorrow is still weather dependent. The rain is supposed to clear by the morning but it’s not going to be a great day so Sunderland is out. After a bit of driving today I’ll probably either walk into the town or get the bike out. 

A little aside that I forgot to include yesterday, at Locomotion was a youngish man with little boy in pushchair. Youngster is going, “ Choo-choos, Choo-choos!” Dad’s* comment to me in passing, “It’s a good job we live very close!” I guess it’s a regular trip for them on a Sunday, and no bad thing. I got another brief comment in passing from a local today, however I’m afraid I can’t tell you what it was as I didn’t understand! I just smiled and said, “Aye” which covers most things. 😊

I was musing that having a small camper makes you lazy. Fancy a beer? Just lean over to the fridge and get one. Bag of crisps? Lean the other way and they’re in the cupboard. I don’t even have to get up** to cook as the stove is right by the seat. 

*One probably shouldn’t presume that’s the relationship but we’ll take it that they are father and son. 

**Can’t get up would be more accurate, there’s little head room! 

All For a Few Photos - Day 3

I promised you trains…

Having stirred reasonably early I had a leisurely sort out of the van, deciding I’d pick up some breakfast on the way (which I did). The visit for the day was Locomotion - The National Railway Museum at Shildon; I’d been before but there was a model railway show going on last time, and there’s been a change in exhibits, so I felt it was worth another look. 

As with a lot of places you have to book timed tickets to avoid having lots of people queueing although in truth it wasn’t so busy it would ever have been a problem*. I’d gone for the first slot at 10:30-11:00 and just had to wait a few moments while they unlocked the doors. There’s a lot of variety in the displays from the very earliest locos (Shildon’s slogan is “The Cradle of the Railways) to some modern ones with a number of wagons and coaches thrown in. There’s also a bit of fantasy:

This is, of course, a Rowland Emett creation, I’ll post the video of it running once I’ve edited out the people walking through the shot! 

Contrary to what the web site had suggested the cafe were doing a limited range of hot meals so I settled on pie, chips and beans for dinner** before having a final wander. One loco has a connection to my current model railway build, the Lyon (or Lyons, there seems to be some doubt which) was built in 1852 for the Hetton Colliery Railway which is featured adjacent to the coal depot I’m modelling. Unusually for such an early loco it wasn’t withdrawn until 1912 although it was rebuilt in 1882. 

The museum isn’t huge and everything is quite close together which makes photography difficult however I understand they have plans for a second building which, when it finally happens, will be a good excuse for another visit! 

The drive to site was uneventful and not all that far so I got checked in early afternoon. When I was last here the site emptied out quite a bit when the Teesside weekenders went home but this year it seems to be pretty much full for the week. My plans for the next few days are fluid, there’s rain forecast for tomorrow and the sun doesn’t really make an appearance until Wednesday; I want decent weather for taking photos in Sunderland so that’s going to be later in the week, probably Thursday as it’s market day in BC on Wednesday (I’ll keep checking the forecast though). I need a shopping stock up so I’ll see what it’s like in the morning. If the forecast is right it’ll be raining through to about 1pm so I may have a lazy morning then walk over to the town in the afternoon, alternatively I fancy a visit to the Durham Mining Museum in Spennymoor which would fill some time. 

*It would be different at the main site in York. 

**I’m oop North, the midday meal is dinner and the evening one is tea, live with it!

All For a Few Photos - Day 2

Where nothing much happens! 

After yesterday’s report I spent the evening sitting round the fire pit with fellow campers supping a few beers, it was an enjoyable time but unfortunately I also found a problem - when I returned to collect another pint I found the fridge had stopped working due to a low battery. Given the combined efforts of the solar panel and drive up it’s fairly clear the battery isn’t holding charge very well. I’m not entirely surprised, in hindsight I really should have removed it during the last 18 months and charged it regularly. 

From tomorrow I’ll be on hookup anyway so it was only today that was the problem. Fortunately once the solar panel kicked in this morning the battery had enough life for the fridge to run during daylight (which means I  have cold beer). There’s only the milk that’s likely to spoil, and that’s easily replaced, so I decided against a panic run to Halfords for a new battery; I’ll replace it when I’m back home. 

That’s really about as exciting as it’s been all day! In the end I decided just to stay on site but with poor weather, including some rain that wasn’t forecast, I’ve just been sitting around reading with occasional chats when I have ventured away from the ‘van. 

I’m posting this sat sitting back by the fire pit with a can or two of Tanglefoot, it’s dry but a little chilly however there are few better ways to spend an evening. 

All For a Few Photos - Day 1

My latest trip is back to the North East, primarily to get some photos for the latest model railway build which is based in Sunderland. I’d planned, moved and finally cancelled the visit last year so I’m relieved Covid has settled down sufficiently to actually get there. 

The first couple of days are with a Facebook Berlingo Camper group at a site near Northallerton. There’s supposed to be about 35 ‘vans, which proves how popular they are. On the way I broke the journey at Newark Air Museum - it’s an interesting place, provided you like planes and helicopters! It was good for a couple of hours wander with coffee and cake in the middle. Unfortunately from there the A1 was a bit of a nightmare, nothing specific just the usual Friday busy, with a couple of delays. I also made the mistake of a pit stop at Wetherby services, heaving but necessary. 

Since arriving on site I’ve broached the beer stocks and chatted to a few people, that’s probably going to be the theme until Sunday. I’d like to pop down to the town tomorrow morning but it’s just a bit further there and back than I can easily walk, they’re digging up the place so the ‘van is out and the road is fairly busy and narrow which makes me reluctant to cycle. We’ll decide in the morning, or I might just stop on site and not bother. 

There’s only really one photo I can include today, although far from being the rarest plane in the collection (I could go and look at another Vulcan when I’m in Sunderland, apparently it’s in better condition than last time I was there). 

Busy Doing Nothing - Conclusion

Drove home. 

The End!

Busy Doing Nothing - Day 7

Where I do even more miles on the bike!

The Monsall Trail gave me the idea of this holiday and was the main aim, it was also further than any previous day (although easier riding than on Wednesday). The drive over to Bakewell Station was more eventful than I’d have liked due to a deer running straight out in front of me. Fortunately I wasn’t driving too fast and braked but still caught it with a loud thump; by the speed it got up and shot away though it clearly wasn’t too badly injured and there was no sign of blood on the ‘van or road so there was little I could do. 

There is a clear trick with the Monsall, go early! I was able to get parked easily enough at Bakewell Station and for the first hour or so it wasn’t too busy. It was only really from 10 o’clock onwards that it started to become like a motorway. The views from the trail are absolutely stunning, although you’re quite enclosed for most of the way. 

Cycling through the tunnels was “interesting”; they are mostly lit but walkers in dark clothing don’t show up very well! I turned the bike’s built in lights on but I’m definitely going to improve on the front lamp, it would get you out of trouble in an emergency but that’s about it.  Overall it was 18.6 miles in 1:38 riding time on the cycle computer (17.9 miles in 3:43 on the OS app with 3796ft of ascent, that’s clearly wrong, losing the satellite signal in the tunnels confused things). 

I had coffee and cake at Millers Dale station (which was the largest station on the Midland Railway at one time), cue for a song to accompany the photo:

https://youtu.be/U6OHD2uCpfU

It was a shame that they took a very long time to serve the coffee, and it wasn’t that great. Two other gentlemen had a long wait as well, then all three arrived together so I’m suspicious mine had been sitting there as it wasn’t very hot. 

A little way further on the trail effectively just stops at this gate as the quarry beyond is still operational. It's a shame they haven't found a way to continue it on to Buxton.

As I'm nearly at the end of the trip cue another song, The End of the Line but probably not the one you'll expect https://youtu.be/dSE4Fzx4yjo 

Busy Doing Nothing - Day 6

A very lazy day!

In the end I decided to just drive into Ashbourne and leave the bike firmly on the rack. It wasn’t a very pleasant morning weather wise, dull, warm and close which confirmed the decision. First job on the agenda was breakfast, which was duly procured at one of the many cafes, in fact if you don’t want a coffee or a haircut in Ashbourne there’s a very limited choice! A full English and Americano with milk went down very well before I had a wander round the town. 

Ashbourne seems to have a bit of an identity crisis, tourist oriented in some ways but trying to be local in others. The architecture is also very mixed (see the photos below). It didn’t take that long to walk round before I decided another coffee was needed* and that had to be accompanied by some coffee cake! Visits to the green grocers, deli and butchers provided the food restock I needed to last out the week. 

Back on site, while I was sitting outside eating lunch, a smallish motorhome pulled into the vacant pitch opposite. Having sorted themselves out and put their two dogs outside they disappeared inside leaving the smaller pooch constantly whining away. It only stopped when they came out and eventually I gave up and went inside (the weather was starting to look a bit iffy anyway with a likelihood of rain). A while later they decided, for some reason, to up sticks and move to another pitch, much to my relief. Unfortunately they didn’t move all that far and the dogs were barking on and off most of the afternoon. It’s not really their fault as such but if your dogs are going to cause a constant disturbance on site you should be considering whether you’re doing the right thing taking them away. 

*I’d reached the point of needing to take pain killers as my back was sore. 

For a few minutes it looked like there wouldn’t be any pictures today as the camera and app wouldn’t let me access all of them (the phone and camera connect over WiFi). It’s been a bit iffy all week so I might look at alternatives. We got there after a dozen or so attempts. 

That architecture is definitely mixed, sometimes in one building:

This caught my eye, not so much for its artistic qualities but it would be interesting to reproduce on a model railway!

Busy Doing Nothing - Day 5

Where I do quite a bit!

Over coffee on Monday I’d arranged to go for a bike ride with one of my local friends, starting from the wonderfully named Parsley Hay. We decided to compromise on the original plan in case it was too far and go with a circular route that had lots of escape options back to the cars. 

The route we took was down the Tissington Trail past the old Hartington station. We then cut across and back up minor roads to the head of the High Peak trail which we followed back down to the cafe at Parsley Hay. We just timed it right for drinks (coffee for me) and lunch (a sausage cob which was literally two large delicious sausages, whole, in a roll). 

The route was reasonably easy riding for the most part with one long uphill drag and a couple of very steep bits. One of the latter defeated my best efforts, even with 250w (just over half a Chris Froome or a Bradley Wiggins) of boost courtesy of Bosch. It was good to get a mix of trail riding and quiet roads, with most of the climbing on tarmac which is easier. Inevitably  the headwind when we were going down the trail didn’t seem to become a tailwind when we had to make the height back! 

Our total mileage, according to the bike computer, was 16.59 miles in 1:38 actual riding time (16.14 miles, 1:37 according to the phone SatNav, with 1640ft of climbing). That’s about as far as I’ve ridden for a long time! I’m grateful to Doug, my riding partner for the day, as it’s probably not a route I would have picked myself. It was just about the right distance for a morning ride for me, although I could have done a bit more after lunch I was happy. The bike battery was still over 50% charged at the end indicating an effective range in those conditions of around 35 miles. I was running in level 2 (Tour mode) mode most of the time with a couple of forays up to Level 4 (Turbo) on steeper bits. 

Plans for tomorrow have changed slightly, and are still fluid. The original plan had been to cycle into Ashbourne from the caravan site but there’s no easy way to avoid a long stretch of busy road so I’ve rejected that. That leaves two alternatives, I can either drive into Ashbourne and park there or I could park at Tissington and ride the bottom end of the trail into town. That’s only about 4 miles each way, If I’m feeling particularly fit (unlikely) I could start higher up the trail but that’ll probably do me. 

Hartington box with the trail running in front:

Time for a breather after a steep road section! Lovely spot though. 

Busy Doing Nothing - Day 4

First a brief follow up to yesterday’s post. I’d just opened a beer after doing the washing up when the neighbours to one side asked if I’d like to join them; we had a pleasant chat for a while until it started to get chilly and time to move back inside our respective vans. 

Today turned out to be harder cycling than I expected. Usually reservoir paths are fairly flat as they follow the edges of the water but the one round Carsington Water has some steep hills as it goes over various headlands. I’ll confess to struggling a bit and ending up pushing up a couple of them. It didn’t help that there were sharp bends at the start of these which meant I had no momentum. By further round I got better at juggling gears and assistance levels* so found this easier. We’ll have to see how we go tomorrow! I stopped at the visitor centre for a coffee, had I been a bit later I’d have had lunch as the menu looked quite appetising, overall 8.9 miles in 1:04 according to the cycle computer, a bit slow but that includes the walking up hills. 

I think I’ve got the bike setup about right now. The phone holder works well, I just need to remember that if I’m going to track a route on the OS app I have to press Start! The new bar top bag for the camera does slip a bit (a bit of non-slip mat may sort that) but works in that I can take photos without ever getting out of the saddle. The rack bag is a bit big for general use but it does mean there’s some room for shopping if I ever need it. 

One thing that is annoying is I’ve got the intermittent front brake squeal back again. This happened last year at Grafham Water so maybe it’s only occurring at reservoirs? If it was a car I’d reckon to slip the pads out and smear a bit of copper slip on the backs but I’m not sure of the process on bike disc brakes! 

After that it’s just been another afternoon of relaxing and reading which ultimately was the primary aim this trip. No pressure, no rushing around. 

*The power assistance has four levels, Eco, Tour, Sport and Turbo. 1-4 would have been just as easy. 

A typical length of the trail, mostly standard gravel track (and a lot smoother than yesterday’s tarmac!)

There were a few wooden sculptures around the trail related to the partnership between Severn Trent and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Education Partnership:

Finally a shot from the dam back towards the visitor centre with the bike in the foreground just to prove it really exists and I’m not making this all up!

Busy Doing Nothing - Day 3

OK so today I did something! 

I’d arranged to meet up with friends for coffee at the head of the Manifold Way, which was the Leek and Manifold Light Railway until 1934. Interestingly it became a footpath back in 1937, making it one of the very earliest such uses of disused railways. We actually met at Hulme End where the old station buildings form a visitor centre and the engine shed is a great tea room.

It would have been silly to go there and not get the bike out so I arrived early and did about 2/3 of the route before turning back. I didn’t have the most comfortable of rides as the screw on the saddle rails came loose after a few miles; of course because I was only going for a potter I hadn’t put the back bag on which had the bike multi-tool in it. I’ll do a little bit of rearranging to avoid that in the future. I survived, and the repair has been done now I’m back on site. Coffee and a long chat ensued once my friends arrived and we made plans for a joint ride later in the week.

The way itself is tarmac, but done many years ago so it’s a bit rough in places. It’s easy going though and unlike most trails in the area it’s quite low level and flat, following the rivers Manifold and Hamps (information from Wikipedia) in the valley bottom. I met quite a few cyclists, walkers and horse riders, all pleasant and responsive to a good morning or a “how do”. I was quite a bit faster than one other cyclist but he was probably older than me, was laden for touring and I have a 250w Bosch motor for assistance! 😊

After coffee, and once I’d loaded the bike back on the ‘van, I realised it was about lunchtime so returned to the tearoom for a delicious hot pork and stuffing bap. I needed a quick shopping trip so I popped in to the CoOp in Ashbourne (I’m planning a longer visit to the town later in the week). My brother will remember the car park, we once deposited a large lump of mud on it! We were at Hartington steam fair with the Green Lane Association* and had been out in the Range Rover on some of the local lanes. They were mostly hard surfaces but there’d been one really muddy bit. Losing the mud off the inside of a wheel made a huge difference to the handling!

People watching on site:

A newly arrived couple took well over an hour to put up their porch awning, well I say couple, actually he did all the work! He even had a bit of string round a pulley that enables him to pull the awning through the track while feeding it in, while she stood watching. Having finally got it fed on it took another 20 minutes to blow up the air beams (no poles these days on posh awnings) and about 30 to bang in the pegs. 20 minutes later there was another session with the electric pump to put a bit more air in. 

*Shortly afterwards we decided green laning wasn’t sustainable due to a combination of irresponsible idiots and council rights of way budgets being pared to the bone so we gave it up. It was a good way to enjoy the countryside but not at the risk of creating permanent damage. 

A typical view of the Manifold Way:

Hulme End Station:

Busy Doing Nothing - Day 2

Where I do even less! 

The plan for the day was to get the bike out and go round the reservoir near the site, Carsington Water. Unfortunately when I finally woke at around 8am (which is late for me) it was raining and, whilst never very heavy, it persisted through to early afternoon. I had a leisurely breakfast, caught up on social media, read quite a bit and had a leisurely lunch. There were a couple of frustrations on the way, including the fact the Aeropress coffee maker fits inside the mug I use and managed to get jammed in! I did eventually free it up and enjoyed a nice mug of fresh filter coffee. 

I was in two minds when the rain did clear about going out but as Saints were on telly (well mobile phone at least) I decided the rugby would take precedence. I was really glad I’d decided to watch it as it was a cracking game against Exeter. We just came up short at the end but we had played 65 minutes with only 14 men (despite what some supporters are saying it was a definite red card). 

The Covid precautions on site seem to be working ok and everyone is being sensible. The facilities are limited to 6 people at any one time, it’s managed by having 6 rubber wrist bands in a small bucket of Milton and 6 hooks. As you go in you move a band from bucket to hook then drop one back in the bucket as you leave. It works provided people remember to put them back afterwards! In truth I think the precautions are now a bit excessive (such as closing every other cubicle) but it’s allowed them to open the facilities so that’s a positive. 

The weather forecast for the next couple of days is a lot better so I’ll definitely be out and about. I will need a little bit of shopping (bread rolls mainly) so will drive up to Bakewell one day, I want to do the Monsall Trail (probably the most famous of the trails along old railway lines) so will combine that with some shops.  

Busy Doing Nothing - Day 1

Nearly half way through the year and I’ve finally managed to get away to Derbyshire. 

If anyone is reading this in the distant future the restrictions on movements due to the Covid-19 virus finally started to ease again in May 2021, albeit with some limitations still in place. 😊

Since the last update I’ve made a few improvements to the ‘van. A new water tap and some rearranging means I can now get the water and waste carriers in and out easily. I’ve also added a 115w solar panel and a sun canopy, both mounted on a roof rack. The solar setup is intended to keep the coolbox running when I’m off grid or the ‘van is parked up, for example when I split holidays between camping and hotels. It’s a bit oversize for just that purpose but in the future (probably on the next camper) I may fit a larger battery and inverter so I can recharge the bike battery. 

This trip is a bit different to normal in that I haven’t planned everything in exact detail (there’s still a spreadsheet though!) A lot of places aren’t open or need pre-booking so I’m not bothering too much about visits, the main aim is to just relax and get out and about a bit on the bike, hence the title. I had one disaster before setting off, the pint bottle of milk out of the freezer was “off” when I defrosted it but Waitrose at Leicester Forest services supplied a fresh replacement (and SubWay provided breakfast). 

Of course I couldn’t come away without railways being involved. 😀 I was looking for somewhere to break the journey on the way up and while following the route on Google Maps (the high tech equivalent of Brown Sign Bingo*) I came across the Famous Trains Model Railway in Markeaton Park in the edge of Derby. As there’s also a craft village (which was mostly closed) with cafe it seemed to fit the bill. As I was a bit early for the models, and after I’d finally persuaded the app to let me pay for the car park, I went for a coffee, very good it was too.

Unfortunately the Famous Trains didn’t open on time at 11:00 due to a lack of volunteers but I only sat in the car for 15 minutes or so before they found enough bodies. It’s a slightly odd place but the main layout modelling is to a decent standard and some of the smaller scenes were interesting. It was certainly worth the £2.50 entrance fee and having been starved of exhibitions for so long it was great to see what others have done. 

I was still a bit early to get onto the caravan site so popped in to the car park adjacent to the site at Carsington Water and had an ice cream before joining the arrivals queue. It’s always a difficult one, yes I had to queue but being reasonably early I’ve got a pleasant corner pitch with some shade from the trees (which somewhat negates the solar panel and sun shade!)  After getting sorted I carried out a minor bit of bike fixing, changing the toe clips for shorter ones (I only have small feet) but otherwise it’s just relaxing and reading. 

 

The intention  tomorrow is to get the bike out when I can be bothered and cycle round the reservoir. On the way I’ll suss out the facilities including the bar for possible future visiting. Later in the week I’m hoping to explore some of the old railway lines that are now cycling and walking trails, the aim being to minimise use of the ‘van. 

*I’ve used the Brown Sign Bingo term a few times in my blog. It’s basically seeing a brown sign for a tourist attraction and following it. I’ve found some great places that way but also been caught out by a railway museum that had clearly closed a few years before. 

Shade, Tanglefoot and Kindle, life doesn’t get much better!