MY VAN LIFE ADVENTURE IS MY TICKET TO POSITIVE AGEING

After I dropped my sister-in-law off at the station in Oban so she could catch the train back to Leeds, I travelled up to the Isle of Skye and had the most amazing time on my own for a few weeks exploring the beautiful island. I drove for miles, around every corner the views took my breath away. It was exactly as I had envisaged during the years I was planning my adventures.  

I was lucky that the roads were not too busy because the hoards of tourists had been and gone. Saying that there were quite a few campervans parked up in remote locations. For me that is just one step too far. I prefer to be on a site where I feel safe. I usually plump for the smaller more remote sites so I still get a feeling of being away from the crowds.

The weather was so unpredictable, raining very hard one minute, then bright blue skies and sunshine the next. Which also meant that I was treated to the most spectacular rainbows? One rainbow in particular that made me stop and wonder at the beauty of it, was when I was coming down from climbing the Old Man of Storr. I was actually so glad of the rest because climbing up had been very hard. I had battled strong winds and heavy rain showers to get there. I had to crouch down at the top because I was afraid I would be blown away as the winds were so strong. It was well worth the effort though as the views were wonderful in every direction. 

For about ten days I based myself at a fabulous campsite in UIg near the ferry port. uig-camping-skye.co.uk 

The owner was originally from Yorkshire, so we had a great time remembering things in our native county. When I drove off ever day to explore Skye he was there to open the gate and give me a few tips of what to do and where to go. He reassured me that I would be ok tackling the sharp hairpin bend on the descending road behind the campsite. The first time I did it I was petrified, I took it very slowly, thankfully there was no-one coming in the other direction and I manoeuvred my motorhome seamlessly around the corner. From then on I became more and more confident and eventually it did not worry me returning to the campsite after my days out, even when I did encounter other cars.

Heading back down south from Skye I called in to my friend from the @theyestribe Ged @gedstaxi in Glasgow again for the night. It was horrendous trying to get into the city though because lots of the roads had been closed ahead of the COP26 Climate conference that was due to start the following week. I ended up driving around in circles on various diversions for about an hour. I drove through lots of flood water on the country roads in the dark. I was exhausted when I finally pulled into her driveway. 

The next day I headed off early to get to Leeds to see my new Great niece.Well that was my plan until the warning light came on, on the dashboard of the motorhome, saying there was a problem with my breaks as I drove along the M74 in pouring rain.

 I felt sick in my stomach. I am ok when things are going well with the motorhome but when there is a mechanical problem I do not have a clue and I feel panicky. Thankfully I was not far from a service station at junction 13. So I drove very tentatively to the junction and pulled into the service station car park. It took five stressful hours for the breakdown to reach me. I had to make numerous phone calls to them, getting more and more stressed and angry each time I got through. Apparently there had been a mixup with them communicating with the garage that eventually came out to see what was wrong. 

The wonderful man from westonrecovery2@btconnect.com checked my breaks and tyres and determined it was an electrical fault rather than my actual problem with my breaks. He got me to drive behind him to their garage three miles down the road, so he could put it on a ramp and check everything thoroughly. The floodwater I had driven through the night before had got into the electrics and caused the warning lights to come on but it was mechanically sound. I was ok to continue my journey as the warning lights were now behaving. By this time it was too late to head to Leeds, thankfully I managed to get into a beautiful site near the Moffat Hills in the southern uplands of Scotland, for the night. campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk

The next day I drove to Leeds and caught up with family and friends and revisited my childhood home and stomping ground. It really was a trip down memory lane mentally and physically. Something I needed to do because I was really missing my mother, who had passed away months before I embarked on this adventure. She is always in my heart. She would love the fact I am out in the world exploring and enjoying nature.

I spent a wonderful couple of days with my brother Paddy and his wife Lorraine at Cranwell in Lincolnshire, where we visited the Bomber Command Memorial, www.rafbf.org/bomber-command-memorial which was created to honour the sacrifice of the 55573 Bomber Command airmen who lost their lives win the Second World War.

After all that travelling up and down the country I was glad to do a bit of house sitting in Oxfordshire for two weeks. I was able to take my motorhome into the dealers where I bought it from to get some damp problems sorted out. I did lots of walking, writing and just enjoying sitting and reading in the garden. I also managed to catch up with another @theyestribe member Glen @gp._everydayadventurer

Two weeks was enough though. I was chomping at the bit to get back into my lovely motorhome. It really is my happy place. 

I headed off towards Devizes and spent a couple of nights on a bigger site. I did lots of walking and cycling along the beautiful Kennet and Avon canal. 

canalrivertrust.org.uk I always find it so exhilarating alongside the canal ways. I love staring into the longboats moored up along the banks. There are some amazing ones all decorated with a myriad of things strewn on top of them. I wonder about the lives of people sitting inside them as I see the smoke billowing from the little chimneys and smell the burning firewood. 

During these few days I managed to make myself write for a few hours a day. It is taking me far too long to finish my book because I am always procrastinating and finding other things to do. But his time I was strict with myself. I had to write for at least four hours before I would allow myself to venture out along the canal.

I'd spent quite a long time on my own and I have to say I had really enjoyed it. Now I was very much looking forward to returning to the farm in Dorset where I'd had such a good time volunteering at the start of the year. 

I got up early, packed up and headed off for my next adventure.