Day 141 – Friday 27th July 2018
Today is supposed to be Furnace Friday but we have plenty of cloud in Santon Bridge so everything is just fine here. After walking up Scafell Pike on Wednesday for some reason my legs ache more today than they did yesterday.
We took Zippy out for a ride around the countryside and came across The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway.
That’s not smoke coming out of the engine it’s ivy!
After lunch we went to Ravenglass itself.
The Irt Estuary from Ravenglass
The charming old part of Ravenglass
Ravenglass is of course the home of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway and it has a really boring railway museum. It was free with a suggested donation of £1 so it was free.
Is there anything more boring than a steam railway museum?
this must pass for humour in the world of the railway enthusiast
The one redeeming feature of the Ravenglass station and museum… they made excellent chips in the cafe.
Day 142 – Saturday 28th July 2018
It didn’t half rain last night and it’s overcast and windy this morning. Packed up early and set off for Borrowdale which is a few miles south of Keswick; not too far from here as the crow flies but an hour and a half by road.
Had some fun and games getting to the site. The campsite is down a narrow lane
The road sign says the bridge is 6’6″wide but it’s more like 10ft. Why do they do that?
I think in the BMW owners’ manual it says that in any situation BMW drivers always have right of way so this one really didn’t want to reverse…
in the end might is right
While he was dithering a van and a bus appeared behind him.
The bus turning up made me smile and I thought I might have to get my lunch out.
Almost the moment we arrived at the site it started to rain. Brilliant.
The good thing is on our pitch we have a bird table a couple of feet from the windscreen. It’s fabulous watching birds so close up.
a Jay
Julie is struggling to get a great photo of the little birds with her Samsung J5. They are very nervous feeders; land, grab a seed and fly straight off into the bushes to eat it.
Day 143 – Sunday 29th July 2018
Rained all day until 5pm so I spent the day reading, playing Free Cell and snacking. The Lake District is a fuckin’ miserable place when it rains. When the rain stopped I went out for a walk to Derwent Water. I found a lovely bench to sit at and contemplate the world.
A grey day in the Lake District, looking towards Keswick.
The forecast is for the rain to start again at 9am tomorrow.
Cfor handles the rainy days surprisingly well
Day 144 – Monday 30th July 2018
Up early and after putting some seed out for the birds I set off to explore the valley. My legs have recovered from Scafell Pike which is good because I want to go up Catbells tomorrow.
It was a lovely early morning walk.
I came across these delinquents
The River Derwent
The rain duly came about 10am but it was sporadic and only light so we jumped on Zippy and headed for Keswick.
Julie’s fetishes are really getting out of hand
The first thing to greet us when we got off Zippy in Keswick town was two armed police officers with machine guns! I asked them why the need for such weaponry in Keswick… a Christian convention apparently.
What has this country come to when we need armed police to protect a few vicars
Keswick is the focal point round here for walkers and it is stuffed with outdoor clothing shops and cafes and places to carb up.
a Greggs and a chip shop side by side… a heavenly collision of cholesterol
Lunch over with we had a walk around town and I bought a new pair of walking shoes for Catbells.
This week’s caption competition
Derwent Water at Keswick
After dinner the skies were clear blue so Julie and I went for a stroll down to Derwent Water.
© Julie Riches
a little more colourful from the bench today
I have a new app
Day 145 – Tuesday 31st July 2018
Beautiful dry morning so once we’d made our butties we set off for Catbells.
Julie has this thing, she thinks she can’t walk up hill. She gets all breathless. The doctors have told her there is nothing wrong with her. I have told her it is all psychosomatic and that all she needs to do is forget about it. Today we will see.
The start
The sign may say only 1 mile and that might sound easy but Catbells involves some scrambling.
a nice paved section to start with
We took it easy and stopped every couple of minutes, letting people pass. A very large lady and a couple with a 3½ boy passed us; we had our pacemakers!
The views soon became beautiful
Derwent Water with Keswick in the background
a little beach
Just about keeping up with the 3½ year old. That summit up there is not Catbells, it’s Skelgill Bank.
That’s Catbells
Causey Pike from Skelgill Bank
Julie was doing okay, no sign of breathlessness.
Not too far to go now
She doesn’t know what’s just ahead
This is where Julie lost her shit.
You have to cling on to rocks while you navigate some narrow steps. Julie made the mistake of looking down. The 3½ year old’s Dad carried him over this section; I thought I was going to have to do the same with Julie.
Made it
it were blowing a blooming gale at top
Once we’d eaten our butties it was time to go down.
Going down is never as much fun as going up.
safely down
Well done Julie!
Day 146 – Wednesday 1st August 2018
Up early and everything packed away.
It was goodbye to the bird table. We are both going to miss watching the birds up close.
We are headed to Lytham St Annes via my Auntie Trica and Uncle Peter’s place in Stalmine. My Auntie Tricia could talk for England and she did. They also drink more tea than A watch. We had a great time and were well fed with cherry scones and fancy biscuits from Booths.
My Uncle Peter suggested we parked up on the front at Cleveleys but there are newly erected no overnight camping signs there. Technically if you have nothing outside the van you are parked not camping but the last thing you need is some over zealous copper knocking on your door at 1 am telling you to move on so we headed for Lytham.
We had to travel via the front at Blackpool and it is pretty grim viewing.
The tower from north of the North Pier
Central Blackpool
Chavistic transport
South Beach and the funfair
By the time we made it to Lytham the council aire was full so we had to park on the promenade right by the pier. I had greasy chips and curry for me tea, fabulous.
Nelly on the Prom at Lytham
Day 147 – Thursday 2nd August 2018
Today is supposed to be the hottest day ever in Europe
cold & wet on the Fylde Coast though
We are headed to Wilcoxs Farm Caravan Park near Rivington today because I have seen Rivington Pike hundreds of times from the M6 but never been up it. It was an uneventful journey and we easily handled the narrow roads on the West Pennine Moors.
Wilcox Farm is a nice little site.
you can see Blackpool tower from it (just above the central sheep’s head)
Once settled in we went for a ride around the locality and I visited Liverpool Castle…
… it’s a folly built by Lord Leverhulme based on the original Liverpool Castle in Liverpool and was never meant to be finished. All the kids ignore the Do Not Climb signs.
Rivington Reservoir
Winter Hill TV mast. This can be seen from the Lake District, South Manchester and North Wales
Sunset over Preston
Tomorrow it’s Rivington Pike then Winter Hill via Two Lads. I might need my waterproofs.