A Bank Holiday at Meathop Fell, Cumbria

So, we were all fired up ready for another weekend away when we noticed that the fridge light wasn’t coming on. It was one of the hottest days of the year too! Jolly had recently been into Marquis for some work on the fridge so we (rightly as it turned out) assumed that something was amiss with their finishing off of the job. To cut a long story short, we took in a detour to call in at Marquis and ask them to sort it out which they did and once sorted we were out on the road again …

Waiting patiently at Marquis Leisure
Job done and on the road
En route to Meathop
Jolly’s new bumper sticker – honk if you see it!

Meathop Fell C&MC Site was the destination for our camping trip with friends. It was a pretty late booking for a bank holiday weekend but luckily Meathop had available pitches, and having all been there before at one time or another (see previous post), we agreed it’d be a lovely site to visit again.

Arrival at Meathop Fell C&MC site
Drive up to reception
Pitch up n chill time
Site views
Pitch 18
Site information hut
I beg your pardon, I never promised you a …

What FANTASTIC weather we had too! Wow, so sunny and warm. The two of us spent time out cycling for a large part of one day because it was just such perfect weather that we had to get out into the countryside. We also spent lots of time together as a group sitting at our pitches and walking/cycling into Grange-over-Sands on the first evening. It’s a leisurely 2.8 miles into Grange from the site along a country road and then along the prom as you enter the town. We all sat out and had tea at The Commodore Inn on the first evening and thoroughly enjoyed the grub there 👍.

Scenery on the road to Grange from the site
Scenery on the route from site into Grange
Cheeeeeeeeeese! 😎
Grange over Sands
Bay views from the prom at Grange
Grange station panorama
Prom view
Signs along the prom about the railway
Estuary life
Grange and the railway

The following day part of the group drove into Kendal for the afternoon for a wander and to listen to a music event in the park. However, we opted to hop back on our bikes again and cycled part of NCN route 70 from the site entrance through to Town End, Witherslack, where we turned right at The Derby Arms (after a flyer!) and continued along a long, straight, quiet country road which runs parallel to the A590. The views on such a day were fab and the ride although a sweaty one 💦 made for a lovely afternoon.

We rode to the small village of Levens (one that we intend to re-visit to see Levens Hall Deer Park), past the The Gilpin Bridge Inn before reaching the absolutely delightful Hare & Hounds just a little further over a bridge and up a steep hill. We only went in for a loo break and a beer, however, our cycling had given us an appetite and it was clear to see that this place was a little bit special so Bri ordered Sunday roast pork & Suzie the pan fried seabass on saffron mash. Both were absolutely delicious! 😋.

We were then re-energised for our cycle back to camp which was just a reversal of the route we’d taken in and which we took at a leisurely pace, stopping to take in the views and breathe in the fresh air. Perfect.

A flyer in the Derby Arms, Witherslack
Parish of Witherslack, Meathop & Ulpha
Derby Arms at Witherslack
Scenery on the bike ride from Meathop to Levens
A perfect bike ride
Open road.
Stop off to take in the views
Not a cloud in the sky all afternoon ☀️
We’d driven past here many times on the main road so stopped off for ‘refreshment’ 🍻
We stopped at the Hare and Hounds in Levens
We found a cosy corner in the shade indoors
After initially only intending to have a drink we satisfied our cycling hunger with a meal. One of the nicest meals we’ve had lately. Big 👍
Nicely rounded off with a coffee

On arrival back at camp later on, we met up with the rest of the gang again who’d also had a great day in Kendal listening to music in the sunshine with a couple of beers. We all enjoyed a cold meats, olives, pate, cheese, bread and salad supper together later and sat around sipping Pimms, chatting, laughing and listening to music in what was a cosy round-up to the weekend.

The next morning, after a cooked breakfast bap, we headed our own ways back home after what had been an excellent weekend.

Our next Jolly Jaunt is only a week away and is a 9-nighter. We have the house/cat-sitter sorted so roll on that one because it’s been a long wait for us and it really can’t come soon enough.

ONWARD!>>>> 🚐

Suzie & Bri

Haverigg, near Millom, Cumbria

Posted by jollymajestic1

Just back from a cheeky weekend Jolly jaunt to Haverigg, a quiet coastal village just outside Millom in Cumbria.

We stayed at Harbour Lights Campsite which is a very short walk from the picturesque and tranquil Haverigg Beach. We were lucky enough to be able to enjoy some time on this beautiful beach with the sun shining down and not another soul around us – it’s pretty rare to find that kind of privacy in such locations these days! We saw house martins landing on the wet sand to collect materials for their nests. They are so quick that the photos aren’t great but capture some of the action of these little beauties.

Just further on from Haverigg Beach (opposite the Inshore Rescue Team Building) is a 7-tonne sculpture looking out to sea. It’s by the famous sculptress Josefina de Vasconcellos, called ‘Escape to Light’, and dedicated to all UK inshore rescue teams.

Haverigg village is quiet and we found a little pub for a swifty during our exploration of the area – The Harbour Hotel. It seemed to be the hub of the community and there was a very friendly cat that lives there and which joined us for our pint by sprawling over the table. He/she really enjoyed a tummy tickle (well, don’t we all?).

We enjoyed a day out cycling from the site around the beach area, and out around the coastal lagoon which is the site of a former iron mine, and is now a nature reserve and the site of RSPB Hodbarrow.

It’s breeding season and as you can probably imagine, the whole site was alive with the chatter of birds and sight of parents carrying food back to the nests for their young. We sat in a hide and watched/listened for a while, taking photographs. We recorded a little vid …

We later cycled into Millom for a wander around and saw the statue that stands in the square of ‘the scutcher’ (the man whose job it was to stop the iron ore tubs with an iron bar) placed there in commemoration of the town’s iron industry history.

During our visit we ate at two places – Herdwicks, which is about a 10-minute walk from the site and The Clocktower Restaurant in Millom which we got a taxi to one evening. By far the best in our opinion was Herdwicks but you need to pre-book because they were full and turning people away, so it is obviously known to be good grub. The meal at the Clocktower was a little disappointing. There’s a lovely bar downstairs though so it’s well worth a visit for a drink, but we probably wouldn’t eat there again. Also, both taxi drivers recommended the Da Vinci Restorante so we’d probably give that a go next time.

All in all a very chilled out weekend with fantastic weather and beautiful scenery. Haverigg feels like our new little find, our special secret. Psst, *whisper* but we don’t mind sharing it with just you!

ONWARD!>>>> 🚐

Suzie & Bri

Coastal Hamlet of Ravenglass, Lake District, Cumbria

Posted by jollymajestic1

Well we’re fresh back from another weekend in the Lake District, Cumbria. This time we re-visited the peaceful coastal hamlet of Ravenglass. It has been one of our favourites to return to over the years. The journey up was smooth and the weather remained dry but very misty in places.

We stayed as usual at the Ravenglass Camping and Caravanning Club site. It’s a beautiful site with good size pitches and a friendly, cosy feel. When we arrived there was just a choice of 3 or 4 pitches left but we managed to choose ourselves a quiet corner pitch (No. 33). One thing we would say, however, was that it rained a lot during the nights. We’re seasoned motorhomers now and always bear tree overhang in mind when choosing pitches when rain is forecast. However, due to reduced choice we found ourselves beneath a torrent of heavy rain droplets from branches throughout both nights but it was particularly noisy on the second night. We needed a few catch up 💤 when we got home 😴.

Anyhoo … Ravenglass is beautiful with everything so easily accessible. Literally 5 minutes walk from the site is the estuary which gives the most beautiful sunsets. There are benches to relax on as you watch the sun setting from an orange hue to a deep red as it sets fully. Pretty stunning. This time of year the sun set around 4:30 pm and even with more cloud cover the colours were beautiful. Here’s an earlier post from our 2014 visit when we captured a really, fantastic sunset – Ravenglass sunsets

There’s an interesting Roman history to Ravenglass and not far from the campsite is one of the largest surviving 2nd Century Roman buildings in England. It’s a Roman bath house, known as ‘Walls Castle’ which is cared for by English Heritage. We’ve cycled past this on previous visits and had a wander round around the structure. Check it out.

We arrived mid-afternoon and walked down to the estuary just as the sun was beginning to set. We had a drink in the pub along the front, The Inn at Ravenglass. 🍻

It’s a busy little drinking pub which doesn’t serve food at the moment but may do again in the future. The Landlady was welcoming and a good laugh. We sat by the log burner warming our tootsies up after standing out by the estuary.

We ate on both nights at The Ratty Arms which never disappoints and we always pre-book just to be sure of a table.

The Ratty Arms is situated between the site and the estuary, alongside the Ravenglass & Eskdale Steam Railway line. You can’t visit Ravenglass and not ride ‘Ratty’s Railway’. If you do, what is wrong with you!? 🤪

We travelled the full route to Dalegarth Station in the small village of Boot. There are a couple of places to eat and drink there if you wish – The Boot Inn, Brook House Inn, and the Hardknott Bar & Cafe at The Woolpack Inn just a little further walk away. We didn’t eat in Boot but can vouch for a good pint in each establishment 😉👍.

On previous visits we have taken our push bikes on the train (you’ve to pre-book this beforehand) to Dalegarth and have cycled the Eskdale Trail back to Ravenglass. More details and pics of this along with other things to do around Ravenglass, including visiting Muncaster Castle, are included on our previous blog post. This time though with it being mid-winter we took the train both ways and just enjoyed a saunter around Boot for the afternoon. This included stopping a while to talk to a few gorrrrgeous Aberdeen Angus cows we passed grazing in a field.

We then caught the last train back to Ravenglass.

Well that’s been our last Jolly Jaunt of 2018. What a year we’ve had, so many adventures. We feel so lucky to be living our motorhoming dream. Hope you’ve enjoyed the posts too.

Bring on 2019! 🚐

ONWARD!>>>>

Suzie & Bri

Smithson Farm Campsite, Reedley Hallows, Burnley, Lancashire

Posted by jollymajestic1

A lovely night spent with friends over Burnley way this weekend. We decided to make a weekend of it – any excuse for a Jolly jaunt 😉.

We pre-booked a 2 night stay at Smithson Farm Campsite in Reedley Hallows which is just outside Burnley, in the heart of Lancashire. The owners, Carole & Harry, are very friendly and welcoming and can’t do enough for you. They gave us a tour of the facilities on arrival and this included the shower/toilet block which is currently mid-refurbishment. We used our own on-board facilities though.

River Calder

Road to site

Tunnel under the M65

Road to site

Entrance to site

Track up to site

The site has grass or hardstanding pitches with EHU. There’s a CDP and grey waste can be disposed of there also. Just a little heads up though, you’ll need a long water hose to fill your unit as the tap is quite a way from where you park up. There is also a shepherd’s hut, camping pods and a larger camping hut, so something for everyone. There’s a cafe/shop on site selling jams & chutneys but it was closed as it was out of season. Carole still kindly offered us breakfast but we’d come well prepared with provisions to make our own. The site is also home to the small Woodend Mining Museum which is an interesting piece of mining history of the area.

Woodend Mining Museum

We paid £40 for 2 nights on a hardstanding pitch with EHU. It isn’t a large hardstanding pitching area, and Jolly at 7.2m in length just about fit. Bigger units would struggle. Also, there were 2 or 3 caravans on site that seemed to be permanent fixtures leaving a very limited choice of pitches. The power supply was low and tripped a couple of times during our stay even though we weren’t drawing much from it. Overall, however, the site was perfectly adequate for our needs this weekend.

Site accommodation

Glamping pod & facilities block

Glamping pods

Jolly preparing for home :🚐

Our first evening we enjoyed a meal at The Forest, Fence just a short taxi ride away. We used Cavalier Taxis and it was £10 for the journey, not cheap but it was ‘Mad Friday’ one of the busiest nights before Christmas 🎅🏻🍻. They were a friendly and reliable service. Our meal at The Forest was delicious even though TripAdvisor shows mixed reviews. It seems it may be a bit hit and miss there, in which case we were lucky that night because we couldn’t fault our meals. The atmosphere was great too.

Mmmulled wine🍷 🍺

Inside The Forest, Fence

Seabass and a turkey dinner. Yum 😋

Dessert

The second evening we met up with friends for a Christmas get-together at The Fence Gate Inn, Fence which was a fantastic evening too. In fact we were so immersed in the night we forgot to get any photos! We’d recommend giving both places we tried a visit. A really lovely weekend with excellent company and plenty of laughs.

Roll on our next Jolly Jaunt 😀 but until then …

ONWARD!>>>>

Suzie & Bri

Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria

Posted by jollymajestic1

Well, we’ve just parked Jolly back up in storage after a weekend break near Broughton in Furness, a small market town on the South West border of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria.

We stayed at Upper Hawthwaite Caravan Park, a C&MC adult-only CL site on a working farm. It’s approx. 1.5 miles outside Broughton-in-Furness and about a mile in the other direction from the village of Broughton Mills.

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This is a small, quiet site of 5 hard standing pitches backing onto fields with sweeping views of the surrounding Dunnerdale Fells and Duddon Valley. Being a working farm, there are many different farming machines, etc. around but we heard no noise during our stay. We only met one of the owners briefly on arrival when he came to collect payment.

The facilities are perfectly adequate, close by to each other and spotlessly clean.

CDP

Variety of hose attachments

Filling up

Drinking water point and Bathroom

Waste water drain at entrance

Jolly pitched up

View of site

Spacious pitches

Farming machine to rear of site

View from pitch

The weather was far from that which we had come to expect after a summer of endless sunshine. That said, the beauty of Cumbria and the Lakes is never diminished by a spot of rain. Well we say spot, but at times the heavens absolutely opened although thankfully this was through the nights with days remaining mostly dry.

For our first evening we walked the mile from site along a winding ‘B’ road to the village of Broughton Mills and the beautifully traditional Lakeland inn called The Blacksmiths Arms.

We had pre-booked a table which is essential as it’s definitely the place to go in this area and therefore gets very busy. The bar area is small and intimate giving it a friendly, social feel. They serve a good selection of real ales and high quality home-cooked food. This has to be one of our favourite pubs we’ve been to recently. We highly recommend you visit it if in the area!

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Overnight, we were rocked to sleep in Jolly due to high winds blowing down through the valley and across the site which is quite exposed. These winds had died down by lunch time the next day so, after a late breakfast and a lazy morning, we jumped on our bikes to cycle into Broughton.

It was all downhill towards the town so we knew the homeward trip would demand much more pedal power. We also experienced a hairy moment when a motorist came flying up the hill around a blind bend onto our side of the road and nearly took us out, swerving at the last minute 😱. We saw the whites of her 👀 and if she looked in her rear view mirror she’ll have seen the flicking of Suzie’s two fingers!! ✌🏻🤬.

Road into town

Cycle ride into town

The one straight part into town

Anyway, we survived and cycled on into the centre of Broughton in Furness, parking up in the pretty Georgian market square where there’s an obelisk which has stood there since 1810, erected to commemorate the 50th year of the reign of King George III. This is the main focal point of the town. By the obelisk is a set of stocks and a couple of market fish slabs, and across the road is the Tourist Information Centre located in the old market hall.

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As it was a dry and warm day we decided to ride out a little further on the bikes, following a short cycle/walking route we’d found online (approx. 4 miles). The first part follows a renovated stretch of the old Coniston Railway track which once carried slate and copper ore from the mines at Coniston to the coast.

At the beginning of the ride we passed a cute little community vegetable patch with a sign inviting locals to pick and/or plant whatever they wished.

Cycle path

Gate to cycle path

Community vegetable patch

Further along we arrived at a small tarn with a wooden bench where we walked quietly up to a flock of ducks sleeping. It was very peaceful sight so we sat there for a while before the ducks were woken by some dog walkers.

Let sleeping ducks lie …

They were all standing on one leg (the ducks not the dog walkers). They do this to conserve heat via an adaptation called ‘rete mirabile’ (Latin for ‘wonderful net’). Their arteries carrying warm blood to the legs lie in contact with the veins carrying cold blood to the heart, helping them to maintain body temperature (Nature lesson over 🤓).

It was a gradual incline to the end of the renovated stretch of old railway line, when we then followed a narrower track to the right which took us down to Five Arches Road, sadly the five arches bridge no longer exists. We followed the rest of the route along lanes & tracks before completing the circular route back into town.

Track under an old railway bridge

The duck pond/tarn

Track by tarn

Blackberries

We finished off with a little detour along Foxfield Road to visit ‘Donkey Rock’, aka Eccle Riggs Bank Quarry. It’s easy to miss the entrance and just shoot past but it’s a site of geological interest and well worth a peek.

The quarry wall is over 400 million years old, and once part of a Silurian sea bed. It was pushed into the vertical position we see today by earth movements. That’s as much as we understand anyway!

Donkey Rock quarry

Gate to the quarry

Donkey Rock

The rock face

Close-up of surface

To finish our afternoon wanderings off, we stopped off for a couple of drinks in town. There are 3 pubs within the centre, the Black Cock Inn, the Old Kings Head and the Manor Arms

The Mason Arms

For us, the most interesting and characterful by far is the 17th Century Manor Arms freehouse, which offers a good selection of real ales. It doesn’t do food. The pub to eat in seemed to be the Old Kings Head which has been refurbished and is very modern. The Black Cock Inn also serves food.

There’s a restaurant called Beswicks Langholme House but we weren’t sure whether this has now closed, and The Square Cafe both within the market square.

Here’s a list of eateries in the area.

However, we’d decided to cook our own meal back on Jolly that evening. So we called into the village bakery (also a cafe), Butchers/grocers to collect our ingredients.

We knew the cycling back up to site would take more effort than it had coming down. So we got our heads down to cycle & push (well it is called a push bike!) in equal measure.

Once we got back we could chill out and enjoy the rest of our evening. We actually timed our return well because within half an hour or so the rains and mist had set in.

We fired up the Lotus Grill and slapped on two very succulent fillet steaks to sizzle away while the mist descended upon the hills around us.

It was like a scene from that film, ‘Grillers in the Mist’ …. (sorry!) 🦍

We boiled some new potatoes and green beans inside on Jolly to accompany our meaty feast. Mmm, mmmmm, it was delicious.

Sizzzzzling steaks 🥩

A fine spread, 😋

A great way to end our stay 😊.

Next morning we drove through the misty valley back home. We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend and in a strange way it was nice to have different weather this time around. It all adds to the experience.

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ONWARD!>>>>

Suzie & Bri

Hesket Newmarket, Lake District, Cumbria

Posted by jollymajestic1

We recently spent a weekend up in the Northern edge of the Lake District or, as the locals call it, the ‘Back O’ Skidda’.

Our journey up was smooth without any hold-ups. The weather was changeable, driving through drizzle and low cloud over the southern lakes then finally being greeted with sunshine on arrival at our destination. Result! 😎

Rain and low cloud

Low cloud

Clouds lifting

We stayed at Riverside Tourer Park in the hamlet of Millhouse, just a couple of miles outside the small village of Hesket Newmarket

It’s an open all year, adult-only site which suited us well during the busy school summer holidays. There are both CL pitches for C&MC members and another section called ‘Millrace’ which we had pre-booked onto as the CL had already been booked up.

We’d originally booked for the previous weekend but had changed our plans and must say that the owners were very flexible with our request to move our stay. Big 👍 for that.

On arrival there’s a ‘New Arrivals’ board by the gate which had our name on and a pre-allocated pitch number. So we filled Jolly up and made our way to our pitch which was clearly marked with a reserved sign.

CL site

The CL section

Jolly driving through to the Millrace section

Pitch reserved sign

We were allocated Pitch 9 which was perfect for us in a quiet corner down by the riverside. All pitches are a generous size, separated by mature hedges for added privacy and most, if not all, are hard standing.

The site appeared to be run very efficiently. We didn’t actually meet the owners – maybe next time. There was no need to though, having paid upfront by PayPal and just following the instructions on arrival.

We found it to be a wonderfully quirky site in some ways, especially the toilets, showers and the variety of piping gear provided to fit any type of waste outlet imaginable! 😀.

Inside the toilet hut

Waste water attachments

Toilet and shower huts

Water

Recycling bins

Facilities

Once pitched up we had a cuppa and a chill out for a while. The site was almost full but quiet. Normally you’d have the sound of the River Caldew which runs alongside the site, but it was very low, little more than a trickle after the prolonged period of hot, dry weather we’ve had.

The River Caldew runs through Millhouse from it’s origin at Skiddaw, down through the nearby fells at Caldbeck and onwards to Carlisle where it joins the River Eden.

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During our stay we cycled around the local area, visiting the villages of Hesket Newmarket and Caldbeck.

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The first evening we ate at the 18th Century Old Crown Inn in Hesket Newmarket, Britain’s first co-operatively owned pub with its own brewery next door (Hesket Market Brewery). The co-operative model of ownership of this pub has enabled it to retain a real community friendly feel. We enjoyed a couple of excellent ales (particularly enjoyed the Skiddaw) and some good pub grub there that night.

Prince Charles has visited twice. Yes, twice. ‘Nuff said about this great little pub! 🍻 👑

Bar area

Souvenir beer mat!

Prince Charles visited twice, must’ve really liked it

Pub lodger

The friendly pub dog Taz 🐶

The Old Crown, Hesket Newmarket

The next day we cycled from the campsite back through Hesket Newmarket and on towards the larger village of Caldbeck. Here we visited Priests Mill – a restored old water mill which was originally built by a Rector of the church next door. It now houses the Watermill Cafe and gift shops.

Arrival in Caldbeck

Signage to Priest’s Mill area

Priest’s Mill

The mill comprising cafe and gift shops

Riverside seating to the rear of the cafe

View of the village cricket field

Walking away from the Mill area towards the church

After a wander around the mill area and a cuppa and cheeky slice of cake at the cafe, we headed towards the 12th Century St Kentigern’s Church. We took a walk around the churchyard where the famous Huntsman, John Peel is buried, and went inside to write a message in the prayer book for a recently deceased friend 🙏.

By the riverside to the rear of the church you can see St Mungo’s/St Kentigern’s Well. This Well was made holy by St Kentigern for early Christian baptisms.

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We finished the afternoon off with a short stroll from the village car park up to The Howk, a limestone gorge and waterfall. This natural gorge has been called ‘Fairy Kettle’ and ‘Fairy Kirk’.

Village duck pond

Riverside trail

Village green and duck pond

Public footpath sign

Public footpath

Walk route from duck pond to gorge

It’s a pretty riverside trail and although the water levels were low and the waterfall wasn’t thundering, it was still quite an impressive sight and sound. There is a section of very steep stone steps at the waterfall.

The Howk Waterfall

Limestone gully

Before reaching The Howk, you walk through the ruins of an Old Bobbin Mill.

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After our leisurely exploration of Caldbeck, we finished our day off with drinks and a meal at the Oddfellows Arms before cycling back to camp, calling in again at The Old Crown on the way. The Old Crown was definitely our favourite of the 2 pubs.

And that was it, another adventure over so quickly! Oh well, there’s always another just around the corner 🙂

ONWARD!>>>> 🚐

Suzie & Bri

Cononley, Nr Skipton, North Yorkshire

Posted by jollymajestic1

We’ve just enjoyed a cheeky one-nighter this weekend with some good buddies. Our destination this time was the little village of Cononley, in the Aire Valley, North Yorkshire. It’s approx. 3.5 miles from the bustling market town of Skipton.

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We stayed at the Riverside Campsite, a C&CC certified site which is spread over 3 acres of level grass, with some areas sectioned off by tall privacy hedges. There are also a few hard standing pitches. The facilities and the surrounding scenery make it an impressive location and the centre of the village is just a 5-minute walk away. The cost as C&CC members for our moho, 2 adults, 1 night on a grass pitch with EHU was £16

http://www.riversidecampsite.co.uk/

Arrival at Riverside campsite

We pitched in the first grass section by the entrance

Jolly pitched up in the sunshine

Cononley has a general convenience store, railway station, Chinese take-away (Oriental May) and two pubs – The New Inn and The Railway. We had a drink in each of the pubs (be rude not to!) but didn’t eat in either.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1129488-d5074429-Reviews-Oriental_May-Cononley_Skipton_North_Yorkshire_England.html

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g209940-d3846460-Reviews-The_New_Inn-Skipton_North_Yorkshire_England.html

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1129488-d4606608-Reviews-The_Railway-Cononley_Skipton_North_Yorkshire_England.html

We decided to catch the train from Cononley into Skipton late afternoon/early evening. The trains run regularly and its about an 8 minute journey. The ticket price was £4 return for 2 adults and £5 return for 2 adults/1 child.

Cononley railway station

Waiting for the train to Skipton

After a few hours meandering around Skipton, visiting one or two hostelries (plenty to choose from), and finishing off with excellent fish n chips from Bizzie Lizzies by the canal, we caught the train back.

Leeds/Liverpool Canal at Skipton

Canal at Skipton

The Cock & Bottle

The Beer Engine

Skipton centre

The Whoolly Sheep

Canal outside Bizzie Lizzie’s

Bizzie Lizzie’s Chip Shop

The New Inn, Cononley

As we returned to site, the sun was beginning to set and we all gathered around outside chatting and having a nightcap before turning in for the night.

Sunset on return to site

Site viewed from the railway bridge

Heading back to site

Home time! 🚐

The following morning we all enjoyed bacon and egg baps and a cuppa tea or two before we packed Jolly up for our journey home. One-night camping trips are definitely worth doing whenever you can’t fit a full weekend in.

What a summer we’re having this year, it feels like the sun has been shining forever 😎. More of the same please!

ONWARD!>>>>

Suzie & Bri

Pooley Bridge, Cumbria

Posted by jollymajestic1

Last weekend we returned to the Lakeland village of Pooley Bridge for the first time in … ooooh … many years and our first time in Jolly.

We stayed at Waterfoot Park which is located just 0.9 miles from the centre of the village. The staff were very welcoming and helpful, giving us the usual facilities info and local info. As usual we didn’t use the site toilet/showers, using Jolly’s onboard facilities instead.

If you stay here and want to use Ullswater Steamer during your stay you can buy your ticket from the site reception at a reduced price.

It was a busy weekend on site and we were directed to a pre-allocated pitch on arrival (Pitch 19) which was one of the pitches on the outer perimeter of the touring site. We were happy with this as we thought that the centre pitches looked a little tight with the units backed up close to one another with less privacy.

https://www.waterfootpark.co.uk/

Entrance of Waterfoot Park

Driveway at entrance

Reception

Jolly awaiting pitch allocation

All pitched up!

The tourer area of site

Map showing walk into Pooley Bridge from site

After a couple of hours sunbathing beside Jolly, we followed directions given to us by reception for a pathway from the site into Pooley. The path is very scenic and a lot safer than walking along the busy road.

We took a slight detour first though, to check out the on-site bar – The Mansion Bar and Cafe. As its name suggests, it’s set in an old mansion house with a large terrace at the back and views of Ullswater in the distance. After a quick drink here we headed off on our walk. There’s a chippy van that parks up outside the mansion on certain evenings.

The Mansion Bar on site

View from the rear terrace of the Mansion Bar

Pooley Bridge is situated at the North East end of Ullswater Lake with the River Eamont running through it. The old stone bridge that crossed the river at Pooley was sadly destroyed in the floods caused by Storm Desmond in 2015 and during our visit we saw the temporary metal bridge that is still in situ awaiting a permant replacement structure to be built.

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We had a wander around the village before sitting out with a drink at the 1863 bar/bistro

https://1863ullswater.co.uk/

Followed by a meal at the Sun Inn

https://suninnpooleybridge.co.uk/

Next day we decided to go for a walk in the beautiful weather. We set off well prepared with full flasks of water and decided to walk a section of the Ullswater Way, which is a 21-mile walking route around Ullswater. It can be walked from any starting point and in any direction.

http://www.ullswater.co.uk/the-ullswater-way.html

We began by walking down to Pooley Bridge Pier and taking a ride on the Ullswater Steamer over to Howtown Pier.

https://www.ullswater-steamers.co.uk/

From Howtown Pier we walked on approx. 500 yards into Martindale valley which lies between Ullswater and Haweswater. There’s an old Church of St Martin there and a hotel – The Howtown Hotel. We visited the cosy, traditional bar to the rear of the hotel and sat out for a little while on the sloping grass there.

Howtown to Pooley Bridge Walk

Howtown to Pooley Bridge walk

Pooley Bridge Pier

Queueing for the Ullswater Steamer

Ullswater Steamer

Ahoy!

Howtown Pier

The Howtown Hotel

Public Bar to the rear of the hotel

Inside the cosy, traditional bar

Tiny bar

View from the beer garden to the rear of the bar

After our drink, we walked back towards Howtown Pier where we joined the Ullswater Way via a gate up into a field on the right opposite the Pier entrance. It was an approx. 6-mile walk from here along the low level route back into Pooley Bridge. There’s the option of a higher route which takes you up to the Cock Pit Stone Circle but we were happy enough with our wander along the tracks overlooking Ullswater and through the fields, eventually coming out alongside the lake and continuing into Pooley Bridge.

But ohhhh, the vampire bloodsucking horseflies were bitey little bu*$ers up in the fields that day! 🧛‍♂️.

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On arrival into Pooley Bridge, we had a couple of cool down pints and some food before heading back up to site, catching a lovely sunset over the hills on our way back. A total of about 8-miles walked in the day. We sat out on site with a brew before turning in.

Lovely Bistro in centre

Sundown

Pooley Pier

Pooley Bridge

Walking back to site past Pooley Pier

Main Street

Main Street

Evening on the lake

Taking in the view on the walk back to site

Beautiful sunset

Sunset

Views on the walk back to site

Pathway

The beautiful Lake District seen in the most perfect weather. Top weekend 👌. Our next Jolly trip is a cheeky little overnighter in Yorkshire with some camping buddies.

ONWARD!>>>> 🚐

Suzie & Bri.

Freshwater Bay & Yarmouth, Isle of Wight

Posted by jollymajestic1

Our Isle of Wight Adventure was drawing to a close and we decided to spend another day oot n aboot on the bikes.

We found what looked to be an interesting circular cycling route on the Wightlink website. It turned out to be very scenic and without many steep hills (just two I think) – result! The route involved a combination of road, off road and cycle track.

9-mile cycle route Yarmouth – Freshwater Bay 🚲

We picked the route up outside the site at the top of Heathfield Road (just up from Colwell Road on the map), turning left and following the road down through Totland and on towards Freshwater Bay. There are old smuggler caves in this bay that can be seen at low tide. Today though, the action seemed to be mostly water sports enthusiasts.

We sat at the bay for a while before carrying on through the hamlet of Afton, after which we turned onto the cycleway which carried us along into Yarmouth. This part was a gentle ride alongside the picturesque River Yar Estuary.

Cycleway alongside the Yar Estuary

Yar Estuary

On arrival at Yarmouth we reached ‘Off The Rails’, a cafe/restaurant located within the old Yarmouth Railway Station. It’s furnished very much in keeping with its rail history. We stopped here for a drink and sat at a table outside on the old platform imagining the station back in its day.

https://www.offtherailsyarmouth.co.uk/

Off The Rails cafe

Inside the cafe

Afterwards, we continued into the bustling Yarmouth Harbour which is pretty and lively with plenty of shops, bars, restaurants, etc to keep you occupied.

https://www.yarmouth-harbour.co.uk/

Basically, our afternoon was spent in the Harbour area wandering and watching boats come and go. Two places we visited and would recommend for food/drink are:-

Salty’s – a quirkily appealing bar with a separate restaurant. We only went into the bar section downstairs which was very welcoming and relaxed with long tables and long bench seating creating a very sociable feel. Visitors can write on the ceiling (so obviously we did!) which is painted over every 2 years so that there’s always space for visitors to leave their mark. Upstairs is the seafood restaurant and we’d love to try this out on a future visit.

https://www.saltysrestaurant.co.uk/

Salty’s in Yarmouth Harbour

Writing on the ceiling

We came, we saw, we left our mark ✏️

Jolly woz ‘ere!

Bugle Coaching Inn – 16th century inn in the Market Square. Despite being very busy we somehow managed to find a table and enjoyed a lovely meal there.

https://www.characterinns.co.uk/the-bugle-coaching-inn

Obviously there are loads more places but there’s only so much us two could eat/drink during one afternoon/evening there 😬.

By evening there was another lovely sunset over the boats in the Harbour which we captured before cycling back to site over Bridge Road. There’s quite a steep section after this point where we pushed our bikes up before re-mounting to finish off the short ride back to site.

Sunset over Yarmouth Harbour

All this fresh air and exercise out and about was making us sleep very well! 😴.

On the final day of our holiday we decided to chill out beside Jolly and soak up some of the glorious sunshine 😎 as we’d been on the move pretty much since we arrived. The site wasn’t over busy and so we enjoyed a relaxing, peaceful afternoon. We also started to pack up some things in preparation for leaving the next morning.

By late afternoon, we’d decided that our final meal for this visit had to be back at The Hut in Colwell Bay. So we pre-booked a table online and walked there as the bikes had been loaded back up onto the back of Jolly. It was about a 2 mile walk to The Hut and back.

The Hut bar/restaurant

The Hut and row of beach huts

Sunset at Colwell Bay 😎

Specials board

The Hut was heaving on arrival but again still seemed to retain just the right atmosphere, and soon quietened down a little after the afternoon rush. We ate, had a couple of drinks and stayed just long enough to catch the sunset, before returning for an early night in preparation for our long journey home the next day.

The perfect finish to our hollibobs.

Our drive back up took us through the New Forest which looked stunning and had animals roaming freely through the fields and by the roadside. It’s another place on our lonnnnng ‘To Do’ list.

Gardens of the 17th Century George Pub, Yarmouth Harbour

Queuing for the ferry home

Yarmouth ferry terminal

Leaving Yarmouth

Passing the other Wightlonk ferry across the Solent

Arriving in Lymington

Bye bye beautiful Isle of Wight x

So, our verdict on the Isle of Wight for a moho adventure ….

FANBLINKINTASTIC! Obviously the perfect summer weather helped, but the place itself is beautiful with so much more to see and do than we had originally expected of this relatively small island. Numerous camping sites/touring parks to allow easy exploration of all areas of the island. The South is considered the more tourist-popular side of the island, but we found the North equally appealing. We came back having fallen in love with the place and knowing that we must return to explore it some more.

Ahhh, I’m all blogged out after this trip and Jolly’s parked up having a rest … but not for long 😉.

ONWARD!>>>> 🚐

Suzie & Bri

The Needles Landmark & Battery, Alum Bay, Isle of Wight

Posted by jollymajestic1

We spent a day at Alum Bay. Although it’s only approx. 3 miles from the campsite we caught the bus as the roads for the route weren’t ideal for cycling. We caught the Southern Vectis No.7 Newport-Alum Bay bus from the bus stop just outside the site entrance. The name of the site bus stop is ‘Heathfield Road Top’ and the stop for the return trip is just a little further up across the road.

The Needles Attraction

Needles Breezer bus

It was a superb day out and the continuing wonderful weather we were enjoying really made it special. Our day was filled with stunning scenery, a chairlift ride down to the beach & back up, a boat ride around the Needles rocks & lighthouse, and an open top bus ride up to the Needles Old & New Batteries for what turned out to be a fascinating and informative couple of hours of military history.

Firstly though, on arrival we purchased tickets for the chairlift ride. The cost was £6 each return, but they advised us at the ticket office that it was cheaper to buy a book of tickets for £9 which would cover us both for the ride. So that’s obviously what we did.

Chair lift

Going down …

We’d previously read that the chairlift wasn’t for the faint hearted. However, never ones to let the possibility of plummeting from a great height and crashing down onto a rocky cliff face to deter us, we gave it a go.

The point where it first takes you over the cliff edge is a bit of a squeaky bum moment, but we really enjoyed it. It’s a slow and gentle ride and luckily it was a very still and clear day. The impressive views over the beach, out to sea, and of the Needles in the distance took most of our attention.

Once down at the beach we decided to take the pleasure boat ride on ‘Ramblin’Rose’ out to the Needles rocks and lighthouse to get a closer view and some photos.

http://needlespleasurecruises.co.uk/

The boat ride also provided good views of the unusual multi-coloured sand cliffs.

Multi-coloured cliffs

A variety of birds can be spotted

Coloured cliff

One of the chalk stack Needles and lighthouse

There are apparently 21 different shades of colour and, according to the Needles Landmark Attraction website, the reason for this is:-

“Approximately 70 million years ago, the sea bed rose, was eroded and then sank beneath the sea again. The new sea was shallow and it laid down a series of sands and clays. Some 10 million years later, movement in the bedrock caused these sediments to be pushed nearly vertically to form the multi-coloured cliffs that are visible today”

The sands are made of three minerals – quartz, felspar and mica, and in their pure state are white with other colours being produced through contamination by other minerals.

We brought home a memento glass jar of the sand from the gift shop like most people probably do.

After exploring the beach for a while we rode back up the cliff and hopped on the open top ‘Needles Breezer’ bus which took us up to the Old and New Needles Batteries. It was a refreshing, blustery ride up the coastal road. Alternatively, there’s a coastal footpath you can walk up. We’d love to return to this area and explore Tennyson Down which we didn’t have the time to do on this trip.

View of the bay on the way to the Needles Battery

Looking back on Alum Bay

Bus stop point by the New Battery (free entry)

The Needles Battery is a National Trust attraction and we decided to become members while we were there. We had been meaning to join for a while. The membership took immediate effect so we got free entrance into the Old Battery. The New Battery is free to everyone.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/the-needles-old-battery-and-new-battery

We’ll let the photos tell the story of our visit because we saw too much to talk about and took plenty of snaps.

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Half way through our wander up there, we called into the 1940s style cafe for tea and cake. It’s so authentic that we really felt like we’d been transported back in time. In fact, I can still hear Glen Miller as I type … 🎺 🎶

Gunner Ava Brew

Staircase up to 1940s style cafe

View from cafe window

Cafe

Cafe room

We poked our noses in pretty much every room, nook and cranny of the site, finishing up in the tunnel to the searchlight which has windows looking directly out at the chalk stacks that are The Needles. Not sure how long exactly we were there but the time flew by.

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Here are a few more photos taken at the Old Battery throughout the afternoon:-

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Well that was quite enough excitement for one day 🙂 so we caught the No.7 back to site.

Next day we were going to the Yarmouth Harbour area as we’d only driven through it on arrival.

ONWARD!>>>>

Suzie & Bri

THE JOLLY MAJESTIC

JOIN US ON ADVENTURES IN JOLLY, OUR MOTORHOME …

visitbritain

A Bank Holiday at Meathop Fell, Cumbria

Haverigg, near Millom, Cumbria

Coastal Hamlet of Ravenglass, Lake District, Cumbria

Smithson Farm Campsite, Reedley Hallows, Burnley, Lancashire

Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria

Hesket Newmarket, Lake District, Cumbria

Cononley, Nr Skipton, North Yorkshire

Pooley Bridge, Cumbria

Freshwater Bay & Yarmouth, Isle of Wight

The Needles Landmark & Battery, Alum Bay, Isle of Wight