GETTING HANDS ON....THANK GOODNESS FOR SUPERGLUE!
I decided that I was going to head south to England because all the weather predictions were for heavy snow and high winds and I did not fancy being stranded with the motorhome in the snow because I needed to be at Manchester airport for the 11th to go to my nieces wedding in Thailand. I looked at the map and decided to break the route up from Loch Lomond to Lancaster by stopping off firstly at Moffat, a little spa town near the river Annan. I knew nothing about it but it just caught my eye when I was perusing the map.
I went for little wander around Moffat, which is so picturesque, and discovered that it was once the centre of the wool trade. There is a statue in the middle of town 'The Moffat Ram', which symbolises the town's connection with the Wool and Sheep trade. And apparently every year sheep with knitted jockeys strapped to their backs race along the high street and thousand of spectators from all over the world gather to witness this event.
The Moffat Hills are a range of hills in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. I loved just walking up out of the town and heading towards the hills not really knowing where I was going (that is nothing new for me as most of my friends will vouch for!!) but for me that is the best way to experience my surroundings. I just head off and see where the path takes me.
And I certainly was not disappointed, both by the weather or the views, the sun shone over the snow capped hills and it was just so beautiful.
I have to say that Scotland has been more beautiful than I could ever have imagined and I have only scratched the surface of what I want to see in this amazing country. I plan to come back up again at the end of the year and spend longer seeking out the little hidden gems.
And once again I was treated to a rainbow, which just reaffirmed to me the joy I was getting from being on the road in my motorhome. I am often being asked if I am lonely or scared but I can truly say that so far I have just felt an increasing sense of contentment and I am enjoying my own company. That is not to say it would not be fun with someone else to share it with. And I hope as the weather heats up I will be joined by various members of my family and friends along the way. I am also not scared of being alone. I have to say social media keeps me in touch with people and I have good chats on the phone with my friends who keep checking in with me to make sure that I am ok. I think a lot of them think that I am bonkers for doing this, but at the same time would love to be experiencing this themselves.
Having said goodbye to Scotland I crossed the border into England just as the winds were getting stronger. A few times driving along the road the motorhome was pulled to one side by the winds and I found it pretty scary. It is a reality check that I am driving a very big vehicle and it is pretty high so it does not take much to get blown around in the strong winds.
I was very relieved to arrive at the Certified Location site in Penrith.
It was perfect with the most fabulous views. Even though it was nippy I wrapped up warm, poured myself a gin and tonic and sat out beside the motorhome to watch the sunset.
The next morning I awoke to a blanket of frost, it was magical. I pulled on my wellies and dressing gown and ran out to feel the fresh air and see the beauty of the landscape. That is one of the things I love about camping in a field with no one else around, you can do what you want and there is no one there to judge you. So it is so liberating for me to just run around at half seven on a frosty morning in dressing gown and wellies!
Ullswater, which is the second largest lake in the Lake District, was only five miles down the road so I decided to set off and walk there. But luckily for me a mile down the road a very kind elderly gentleman stopped and gave me a lift to Pooley Bridge at the northern end of Ullswater. He apologised that he could not take me all the way there because the road was closed as they were constructing a new bridge. During storm Desmond the previous bridge that spanned the nearby river and was build in 1764, was washed away. Now they are building the first Stainless Steel road bridge of its kind in the country.
I wandered along to the pier where the steamers go from for sightseeing tours of the lake. I just loved the silver and grey colours across the water.
I discovered part of the Ullswater Heritage trail and was fascinated to find out that one of the leading anti slavery campaigners, Thomas Clarkson, had lived in the area for many years.
I sat by the side of the lake for ages just enjoying my surroundings and thinking about things. I had a little cry thinking about my mother who died nearly a year ago. She loved the Lake District and came here on her honeymoon. I wondered what she would make of my adventures in the motorhome.
I walked the five miles back to the campsite and have to admit my heart was in my mouth a few times with the speed of some of the cars on the country road. It was not a relaxing experience at all so I decided to take my bike the next day.
As I cycled along back towards Ullswater the next morning the blue skies and clear views just added to the beauty of my surroundings. I noticed a large country house set back from the road and it caught my curiosity so I decided to turn off along the driveway and found a cute little tea room. As I was enjoying a bowl of home made soup a little old lady came in with two jars of her homemade marmalade to enter into a competition. She was very excited she had remembered this year, thanks to her daughter phoning her to remind her, because she missed out last year when she forgot the closing date for entries.
They actually have an international marmalade festival here at Delemain Mansion. It has been going for fifteen years. There are marmalade lectures, workshops, cookery lessons and even marmalade games! The winners marmalade is sold at Fortnum and Mason. I have never made a jar of marmalade in my life but even I got excited and thought to myself that is something I will add to my bucket list and you never know I may be back next year with my little jar of marmalade to add to the entries.
I cycled around twenty five miles further along the edge of the lake and back to the campsite so I had built up quite an appetite. I made myself a cup of tea and a couple of slices of cheese and pickle on toast then wrapped up warm again and watched yet another beautiful sunset. I never tire of seeing the sun going down.
Another day and another beautiful frosty morning.
I packed up and set off to my simple little site in Lancaster were I enjoy staying because it is not far from my sisters house. It has no electric but there is water and somewhere to empty the loo so I was happy. I like feeling snug and lighting the candles and torches and just switching off from life and reflecting on my journey so far. I am very pleased with what I have achieved. But I have to say it has been a lot harder than I envisaged it would be doing it alone. There is no one to get immediate advice from when things go wrong. But saying that I am impressed with myself for how resourceful I am becoming and how I am working out solutions to things. I still feel panicky when the gas cylinder finishes and I have to go outside and swap it over to the other one, but I do it and I have to say I am getting pretty efficient at it now. I just wish it would run out in daylight!! not when it is pitch black and I am having to try and change them over by torch light. Also when bits keep falling off the motorhome I am finding ways to fit them back on again. Thank god for superglue!!
I'll join you for the marmalade competition next year!
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