STUCK IN THE MUD

My trip from Mytholmroyd in Yorkshire to my next campsite in the Peak District took me over the Home Moss summit which is one thousand seven hundred and nineteen feet above sea level. The weather was very windy and squally showers, so it created some spectacular misty views across the moorland. I just had to take a break at the top of the winding road to get out and look at the vast wilderness. The wind was so strong I nearly got blown off my feet. It is home to the Home Moss transmitter, one of the strongest radio transmitters in the country.

When I got to the Crowden Camping and Caravanning club site not far from Glossop I was so pleased to see that it was still surrounded by beautiful moorland. It was raining but I was given a very warm welcome by Roy Harrison the site assistant. We ended up exchanging tales about our various travels around the world. He works on club sites for the summer then when they close he travels during the winter months to places like Vietnam, cycling. I explained that I was just getting used to my bicycle after nearly twenty years of not being on a bike, and I was enjoying it. His way of living sounded like a perfect lifestyle to me.

I had weeks of washing that had been building up so I headed straight for the washing machines and sat reading as my washing dried. When I was in there a group of very very wet youngsters descended on the room. They were doing their Duke of Edinburgh and were camping out for a few nights. The rain they had encountered was horrendous but they were all smiling and they hung their wet clothing around the pipes, in a bid to dry them out. The steam was coming off their bodies they were so wet. I did offer to make them a hot drink but they refused saying they had to be self sufficient. I really admired how, despite the horrible weather, they were determined to do the right thing and stick to the rules.

I met a really nice lady in the washing room who was living in her caravan with her husband. He had had a stroke and it made them reevaluate their lives and they sold up and bought the caravan and she said they have not looked back since they are so happy with their life on the road and they still get to stay near family and friends. They were two and a half years into their new life, so she gave me lots of tips about seasonal sites. The Caravan and motorhome club and Camping and Caravanning clubs publish lists of sites that you can book to stay on for long periods of time and you pay up front so it radically reduces the cost per night of the stay. She kindly gave me a list that she had of the ones available. It was not for me at the moment as you had to book on for too many weeks and I want to be on the move more frequently to explore Great Britain. But if my funds start to dwindle I may look at that as an option in the future.

It rained very heavily all night and I really did feel for the Duke of Edinburgh students in their tents.

The next day I drove back into the Peak District to Topley Head Farm, a Caravan and Motorhome certified location site near Buxton. As I approached the gate to the field a lovely man opened it for me and showed me where the tap was to get water to fill up my water tank. I drove down the path and planned to reverse on the hard standing section near the tap. But I judged the distance wrong and ended up getting stuck in the mud. The wheels just whizzed around and dug a deep hole. I felt so useless and stranded and I just wanted to cry. 

Thankfully the lovely man who let me through the gate took pity on me and he told me to wait there, I wasn't really going to go anywhere, as he hurried off to his motorhome and he returned with all kinds of things he assured me would get me out of my predicament. His wife came along too to give me moral support which was so nice of her. He took some brand new plastic matting out of a bag, declaring that he had wanted to have a go at using them and his new shovel, which he had bought online for just this kind of emergency. I was so thankful for his enthusiasm as I felt very despondent. He then proceeded to used the plastic matts and his shovel to dig me out. It took him over half an hour of me going back and forth and following his instruction to move me just a few inches. Thankfully the farmer arrived and the two of them managed to push me the rest of the way out of the mud. I then abandoned the idea of filling my water tank as I knew I had enough water to last the rest of the day and just reversed back up the hard drive and onto my hard standing. 

The views from the motorhome across the countryside made it worthwhile, even if it was raining. I was just beginning to relax when the kind gentleman came over and asked me if I had noticed that I had a great big nail in my front tyre!! Again I just felt so helpless and this just tipped me over the edge. I could not believe how my day was turning out. Thankfully I got comprehensive insurance with breakdown cover before I embarked on my travels, so I called them on the phone and in less than an hour two fellas arrived, took the tyre off, took it to be repaired and brought it back again and fitted it.

Needless to say I invited my knight in shinning armour and his wife, otherwise known as Lynda and Garry Staples, into my motorhome for a glass of wine to apologise for disrupting their day (they had been heading out for a bike ride when they took time out to free me from the mud and keep me calm) and to thank them for all their help and support.  It really made me think just how many nice people their are in this world and how it is great when people reach out to you and help you. 

And I had to remind myself that I did sign up for all the adventures ,both good and bad. I started singing "things can only get better" to myself in my head and it cheered me up no end.